I have a friend who identifies as charismatic. Maybe pentecostal. I told him of several abuses. Some have assigned "prophecy" to the same category as God's Word offering both a corrective to Scripture as well as commands to individuals "because it's God's Word." Some have declared that if you don't speak in tongues, you aren't saved. A large number of them are perfectly happy to have masses speaking in tongues in church without an interpreter in direct contradiction to Scripture (1 Cor 14:27). And so on. When I asked about the abuses of the gifts in the theology of that group of people, he was dumbfounded. "We don't do that." Now, I know those things do happen and happen openly, but he agreed that those were abuses and argued that they shouldn't be associated with his beliefs and practices. I was wrongly connecting him with the abuses of others in his group.
It's not uncommon. In fact, it appears to be the norm. I'm white, so I must be racist. I'm a male, so I must be sexist. I'm a Christian, so I must be a right-wing loon. I'm a Republican, so I must be a Trump lover. I'm conservative, so I must want a civil war because they served Trump with a search warrant. All glaringly false. But my objections are overruled because, well, I am all of those first statements and we all know that the conclusions inevitably follow. It doesn't work in reverse, though, does it? Aren't all liberals socialists, maybe even communists, hoping to jail all the conservatives and lock up the Christians? Aren't they all TINOs -- "theists in name only"? If they do claim to have a faith, it's only so that people won't recognize that they are practical atheists. They all want to mind-control your kids, all want to groom your children for the LGBTQ, all want to take away your gun rights and your free speech and ... you get the sense of it. And the correct answer is accurately a resounding, "No!" That particular group of people I described are a minority. A loud minority, perhaps, but no less a minority than the other side I described above in the previous group.
I will set the record straight. I was born a white person, but I got in trouble in high school because my best friends were black and hispanic. I'm not racist. I am a male, but I absolutely deny that men are more important or valuable than women. I'm a Christian, but my only "right leanings" there are in the direction of what God's Word says. I'm a Republican, but fellow Republicans near and far have repudiated me for warning against Trump and for refusing to vote for him on multiple occasions. (Oddly enough, one of those who likes to lump me with Trump lovers actually lauded one of my pieces in opposition to Trump but still lumps me with Trump lovers.) I'm conservative but have no issue with legal search warrants being served on anyone. In fact, according to those Internet tests, I fall mostly in the category of "centrist" rather than liberal or conservative in matters of morality, social values, and even economics.
I am actually not concerned about being misidentified based on my demographics. Setting the record straight won't fix the problem. Telling the truth here won't change minds. There are individuals in all categories and generalizations of those individuals is always in danger of being completely off base. But, hey, let's not allow the truth of individuality get in the way of our prejudice and stereotyping. Wait ... what is it that so many on the left call prejudice and stereotyping? Oh, yeah, "hate."
Monday, August 15, 2022
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Target-Rich Environment
In the Garden of Eden God created. His ultimate creation was Man and then Woman (Gen 1:26-27) and, at the same time, marriage -- the union of a man and a woman for the purposes of mutual support (Gen 2:18) and for procreation (Gen 1:28) for life (Matt 19:6). And it was very good (Gen 1:31). Is it any surprise, then, that the next scene after Creation was an attack by Satan on God's creation? The serpent didn't go to the beasts or to Adam. He went to Eve (Gen 3:1). He didn't go for Eve; he went to undercut God (Gen 3:1-5). Mess up the structure (1 Cor 11:3), mess up the relationship, mess up the world. The result was a rift between God and His creation (Gen 3:8-10) and the curse guaranteed marital strife (Gen 3:16) and a conflict with God (Gen 3:24) for the rest of this human existence.
It seems as if this has always been Satan's battle plan. Figure out what God is doing and fight it. God made humans in His image; take down humans. God made humans for fellowship; cause a rift with humans. God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen 15); tempt Abraham (Gen 16). God had a special relationship with Moses; destroy Moses (Num 20:10-12). Job was blameless (Job 1:1); take down Job (Job 1:7-12, etc.). And so it goes. Satan has had a target-rich environment by simply noticing all the things that are important to God and targeting them. So God loved the world this way; He sent His only Son to die for us so that whoever believed would have eternal life. Today, of course, we know better. Jesus died, maybe, but not "for us." People sin, perhaps, but no payment for sin is required. God might be our maker (lowercase "m" on purpose), but He's not our boss. That would be us. God makes marriage and gender, sexual limitations and behavioral rules, promises and preparations, and Satan works hard to target these things and take them down, even among the so-called "believers." God has made it clear ... and Satan isn't blind.
Look around. In our current culture all the points where strife is occurring appears to be specifically on the topics that God is most invested. They've pushed God out of His rightful place in the public square. Jesus claimed to be "the Truth" (John 14:6) and that God's Word was truth (John 17:17), but they've discharged the concept of truth in favor of what one person referred to as "truthiness." Objective truth does not exist, and, poof!, God, His Son, and His Word are gone. They've dismantled the value of humans, dismembered the definition of marriage, deconstructed the entire concept of gender. They've called good evil and evil good. Kill an innocent human being and call it "reproductive choice." They deny the Cross and laugh at the Atonement which, according to Scripture, is the perfect demonstration of God's love (Rom 5:8-10). And on it goes. While Satan isn't blind, the ones who are blind are the ones who fight alongside the god of this world to take down God's structures, directions, plans, and promises. To be fair, that includes each one of us to some degree or another. We buy the lies of God's enemy -- "Did God say ...?" -- and work at undercutting His clear instructions. Because we live in a target-rich environment where the target is God and the opponent is Satan and humans are among his favorite recruits, his best tools. After all, if you can use one of God's best creations against God, how much better can it get? Don't be that tool (Rom 12:2). I'm not suggesting you correct everyone else. I'm asking you to look to yourself.
It seems as if this has always been Satan's battle plan. Figure out what God is doing and fight it. God made humans in His image; take down humans. God made humans for fellowship; cause a rift with humans. God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen 15); tempt Abraham (Gen 16). God had a special relationship with Moses; destroy Moses (Num 20:10-12). Job was blameless (Job 1:1); take down Job (Job 1:7-12, etc.). And so it goes. Satan has had a target-rich environment by simply noticing all the things that are important to God and targeting them. So God loved the world this way; He sent His only Son to die for us so that whoever believed would have eternal life. Today, of course, we know better. Jesus died, maybe, but not "for us." People sin, perhaps, but no payment for sin is required. God might be our maker (lowercase "m" on purpose), but He's not our boss. That would be us. God makes marriage and gender, sexual limitations and behavioral rules, promises and preparations, and Satan works hard to target these things and take them down, even among the so-called "believers." God has made it clear ... and Satan isn't blind.
Look around. In our current culture all the points where strife is occurring appears to be specifically on the topics that God is most invested. They've pushed God out of His rightful place in the public square. Jesus claimed to be "the Truth" (John 14:6) and that God's Word was truth (John 17:17), but they've discharged the concept of truth in favor of what one person referred to as "truthiness." Objective truth does not exist, and, poof!, God, His Son, and His Word are gone. They've dismantled the value of humans, dismembered the definition of marriage, deconstructed the entire concept of gender. They've called good evil and evil good. Kill an innocent human being and call it "reproductive choice." They deny the Cross and laugh at the Atonement which, according to Scripture, is the perfect demonstration of God's love (Rom 5:8-10). And on it goes. While Satan isn't blind, the ones who are blind are the ones who fight alongside the god of this world to take down God's structures, directions, plans, and promises. To be fair, that includes each one of us to some degree or another. We buy the lies of God's enemy -- "Did God say ...?" -- and work at undercutting His clear instructions. Because we live in a target-rich environment where the target is God and the opponent is Satan and humans are among his favorite recruits, his best tools. After all, if you can use one of God's best creations against God, how much better can it get? Don't be that tool (Rom 12:2). I'm not suggesting you correct everyone else. I'm asking you to look to yourself.
Saturday, August 13, 2022
News Weakly - 8/13/22
It's Things Like That ...
I'm at a loss to understand this. Bible Baptist Academy in Louisiana has kicked out 5-year-old Zoey who lost her father in a 2020 industrial accident because her aunt and her aunt's same-sex partner adopted her. The school claimed they were "committed to instructing and living in accordance with the teachings of Scripture," but I'm not sure how being related to someone who is not "in accordance with the teachings of Scripture" makes the girl not right either.
That's Entertainment ... Not
Lady Gaga opted to exceed her singing duties to call for the right to kill babies and violate the sanctity of marriage in her Chromatica Ball concert stop in Washington, D.C. She was "using her voice for the greater good" because what could be greater than terminating lives and redefining marriage? "I pray that this country will speak up and we will not stop until it's right!" she said, but I'm pretty sure God isn't listening (John 9:31).
Fighting Climate Change
Out of an abundance of deep and abiding concern for the welfare of workers, New York City has come up with a congestion plan. Let's just charge people so much that they can't afford to drive there. That ought to do it. Thank you, big government. "If we can just prevent people from driving anywhere, we can stop congestion and save the planet." Nice.
Looking Out For Your Money
The "Inflation Reduction Act" has passed the Senate (thanks to Kamala Harris's tie-breaking vote) and now the government plans to take more of your money and spend more on climate change to ... reduce inflation? "It is what we say it is and you can't say anything about it." One thing they'll be spending on is more IRS agents "willing to use deadly force." Sounds like a plan ... nay, a necessity.
Changing Strategy
They keep telling us that this COVID crisis isn't over. Just last month my county was in a "high transmission" status. So, to further combat this ongoing problem, the CDC has changed strategies. Masks and distancing are no longer mandated for schools or other institutions. Schools no longer have to screen the healthy. The focus is only on the highly vulnerable. You know, like what would have seemed to make sense from the beginning.
It Is To Laugh
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, is worried that "socialists are taking over." They're in the schools, the corporations, the military, and moving forward. Constitutional liberties, he says, are under threat. The loudest voices, of course, will encourage us to laugh at such conspiracy nonsense ... since if we don't we might see the truth.
Bee Informed
In the news were things like the "Inflation Reduction Act," IRS ramping up, and the raid on Trump's home. The Bee went with it. So Joe Biden will veto the Inflation Reduction Act after he has already claimed there was no inflation. Gamers look forward to the release of the first-person shooter game, Call of Duty: IRS Auditor, while the Bee speculates that by 2026 the unemployment rate will be 0 since we'll all be working for the IRS auditing each other. And, in an exposé, the story is out about how Trump saved his cache of classified documents from the FBI by labeling them "Epstein's Client List." They never even looked there.
Must be true; I read it on the Internet.
I'm at a loss to understand this. Bible Baptist Academy in Louisiana has kicked out 5-year-old Zoey who lost her father in a 2020 industrial accident because her aunt and her aunt's same-sex partner adopted her. The school claimed they were "committed to instructing and living in accordance with the teachings of Scripture," but I'm not sure how being related to someone who is not "in accordance with the teachings of Scripture" makes the girl not right either.
That's Entertainment ... Not
Lady Gaga opted to exceed her singing duties to call for the right to kill babies and violate the sanctity of marriage in her Chromatica Ball concert stop in Washington, D.C. She was "using her voice for the greater good" because what could be greater than terminating lives and redefining marriage? "I pray that this country will speak up and we will not stop until it's right!" she said, but I'm pretty sure God isn't listening (John 9:31).
Fighting Climate Change
Out of an abundance of deep and abiding concern for the welfare of workers, New York City has come up with a congestion plan. Let's just charge people so much that they can't afford to drive there. That ought to do it. Thank you, big government. "If we can just prevent people from driving anywhere, we can stop congestion and save the planet." Nice.
Looking Out For Your Money
The "Inflation Reduction Act" has passed the Senate (thanks to Kamala Harris's tie-breaking vote) and now the government plans to take more of your money and spend more on climate change to ... reduce inflation? "It is what we say it is and you can't say anything about it." One thing they'll be spending on is more IRS agents "willing to use deadly force." Sounds like a plan ... nay, a necessity.
Changing Strategy
They keep telling us that this COVID crisis isn't over. Just last month my county was in a "high transmission" status. So, to further combat this ongoing problem, the CDC has changed strategies. Masks and distancing are no longer mandated for schools or other institutions. Schools no longer have to screen the healthy. The focus is only on the highly vulnerable. You know, like what would have seemed to make sense from the beginning.
It Is To Laugh
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, is worried that "socialists are taking over." They're in the schools, the corporations, the military, and moving forward. Constitutional liberties, he says, are under threat. The loudest voices, of course, will encourage us to laugh at such conspiracy nonsense ... since if we don't we might see the truth.
Bee Informed
In the news were things like the "Inflation Reduction Act," IRS ramping up, and the raid on Trump's home. The Bee went with it. So Joe Biden will veto the Inflation Reduction Act after he has already claimed there was no inflation. Gamers look forward to the release of the first-person shooter game, Call of Duty: IRS Auditor, while the Bee speculates that by 2026 the unemployment rate will be 0 since we'll all be working for the IRS auditing each other. And, in an exposé, the story is out about how Trump saved his cache of classified documents from the FBI by labeling them "Epstein's Client List." They never even looked there.
Must be true; I read it on the Internet.
Friday, August 12, 2022
Swift to Hear
We all have voices in our heads. No, not crazy voices. (Well, not all.) But we all listen to stuff in our heads that tells us about lots of things. They tell us about our world around us and they tell us about ourselves. Some time ago psychologists referred to them as "tapes" that we play back to ourselves. Obviously "tapes" are now outdated, but the concept is still with us. We all have things in our head that we tell ourselves about our world, our selves, other people, just about anything. The problem is that when it's in your head, it's less likely to be evaluated. It's like we're going with "Well, it's in there, so it must be true." So we hear something from a favorite source and we incorporate it into our thinking and no longer evaluate it. We hear something from a friend (or an enemy) and we take it to heart and no longer evaluate it. Often it goes in unfiltered; we just take it as it is without initial fact-checking, so to speak. And we tell it back to ourselves and believe it because, well, it's in our heads.
I'm sure from out there (as opposed to in my head) you can see the problem. We know that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). He is the god of this world that has blinded unbelievers (2 Cor 4:4) ... who make up the majority of the human race, not a minority (Matt 7:13). We know that the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God (Rom 8:7) and that even for believers the heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9). We know all this, but we still listen to these "recordings" without examination. The truth is, all of us have been lied to and all of us tell ourselves lies and believe them. "I'm too bad to be forgiven" or "I know God says I'm forgiven but I don't think I can be" or "No one loves me" or "Not even God can love me." Maybe your "recordings" go a different direction. "I don't need forgiveness" or "I'm good enough" or "Everyone loves me" all the way to "God is lucky to have me." Whatever the gamut of the lies we tell ourselves, we all do it and we all believe them and we do it without examination.
This puts us in a precarious position. God says "X" and we say "Not X" and try to tell others, in essence, that either God is wrong or their interpretation of what God said was wrong rather than suspecting that we might be wrong. We buy the lie that we can't be forgiven or we don't need to be forgiven. We buy the fabrication that sin is beyond help or not that bad. We embrace the falsehood that God can't love us or that God cannot not love us. And these are just examples sprinkled in among all the other lies we've absorbed from politics, economics, culture, social media, the news media ... you get the idea.
We need to be swift to hear (James 1:19), but who we listen to is important. We've stacked a host of liars on the top of our list and, since we see them as confederates, we listen. The top of that list may be "my experience" or "my evaluation" or "my favorite news source" or the like. We forget that there's a worm in everything -- that the world follows the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2) -- and that the voice of God is typically a still, small voice. Jesus said, "Men love the darkness, for their deeds are evil" (John 3:19). Don't be that guy.
I'm sure from out there (as opposed to in my head) you can see the problem. We know that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). He is the god of this world that has blinded unbelievers (2 Cor 4:4) ... who make up the majority of the human race, not a minority (Matt 7:13). We know that the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God (Rom 8:7) and that even for believers the heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9). We know all this, but we still listen to these "recordings" without examination. The truth is, all of us have been lied to and all of us tell ourselves lies and believe them. "I'm too bad to be forgiven" or "I know God says I'm forgiven but I don't think I can be" or "No one loves me" or "Not even God can love me." Maybe your "recordings" go a different direction. "I don't need forgiveness" or "I'm good enough" or "Everyone loves me" all the way to "God is lucky to have me." Whatever the gamut of the lies we tell ourselves, we all do it and we all believe them and we do it without examination.
This puts us in a precarious position. God says "X" and we say "Not X" and try to tell others, in essence, that either God is wrong or their interpretation of what God said was wrong rather than suspecting that we might be wrong. We buy the lie that we can't be forgiven or we don't need to be forgiven. We buy the fabrication that sin is beyond help or not that bad. We embrace the falsehood that God can't love us or that God cannot not love us. And these are just examples sprinkled in among all the other lies we've absorbed from politics, economics, culture, social media, the news media ... you get the idea.
We need to be swift to hear (James 1:19), but who we listen to is important. We've stacked a host of liars on the top of our list and, since we see them as confederates, we listen. The top of that list may be "my experience" or "my evaluation" or "my favorite news source" or the like. We forget that there's a worm in everything -- that the world follows the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2) -- and that the voice of God is typically a still, small voice. Jesus said, "Men love the darkness, for their deeds are evil" (John 3:19). Don't be that guy.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Politically Incorrect
We all know that there are things we can say and there are things we can't. Well, let's be more precise. If "say" is a reflection of ideas, there are things we can think and there are things we cannot. More, in this current cancel culture climate (That's called "alliteration.") there can be serious consequences. The other day in a team meeting a football coach read what was on a player's iPad out loud before he realized that the player had put down some "outlawed" words, so the coach resigned, not for having the thoughts, but for speaking someone else's incorrect thought out loud. Under no circumstances can we even edge into things like that.
One of the worst offenders in today's environment is ... the Bible. Think about it. First there is "In the beginning God created ..." (Gen 1:1). That's bad. We know better. Evolution is true and God didn't create anything. Atheist Richard Dawkins argued that teaching children that God exists is as bad as child abuse. And America loves freedom, so suggesting we humans are under a Creator is definitely PI. But that's just the beginning. Saying that God made Eve as a help meet for Adam just won't do. It's sexist. Suggesting that women's pain in childbirth and resisting submission to husbands is a curse from sin is misogynistic. Laws about the proper treatment of slaves or selling daughters into marriage shouldn't even be mentioned. Laws about death penalties for adultery or, worse, homosexual behavior are horrifying. The headship of males in families is awful. The denigration of women (like "wives submit to your husbands" and "I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man" and so on) is prevalent and wrong, wrong, wrong. The use of pronouns and masculine terms (like "man" for "mankind," referring to God as "Father," or using "Son" for Jesus rather than "child of God") need to be changed to suit the times. There are already "gender-accurate" translations available. And then there's that whole "crucifixion" thing where God sent His Son to die. Isn't that child abuse? And these are just a few quick examples.
The world is hostile to God (Rom 8:7) and offended by the cross (1 Cor 1:23). Spiritual things are essentially meaningless to them (1 Cor 2:14). In their spiritual blindness (2 Cor 4:3-4), they cannot see nor do they want the truth (John 3:20). In this environment it should be no surprise that people assault God's Word. But, please note. While it may be "politically incorrect," that doesn't make it false. If God's Word is true (and it is (John 17:17)), then let God be true though every man a liar (Rom 3:4). And don't let pressure from those "following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2:2) dissuade you from the truth. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom 12:2).
One of the worst offenders in today's environment is ... the Bible. Think about it. First there is "In the beginning God created ..." (Gen 1:1). That's bad. We know better. Evolution is true and God didn't create anything. Atheist Richard Dawkins argued that teaching children that God exists is as bad as child abuse. And America loves freedom, so suggesting we humans are under a Creator is definitely PI. But that's just the beginning. Saying that God made Eve as a help meet for Adam just won't do. It's sexist. Suggesting that women's pain in childbirth and resisting submission to husbands is a curse from sin is misogynistic. Laws about the proper treatment of slaves or selling daughters into marriage shouldn't even be mentioned. Laws about death penalties for adultery or, worse, homosexual behavior are horrifying. The headship of males in families is awful. The denigration of women (like "wives submit to your husbands" and "I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man" and so on) is prevalent and wrong, wrong, wrong. The use of pronouns and masculine terms (like "man" for "mankind," referring to God as "Father," or using "Son" for Jesus rather than "child of God") need to be changed to suit the times. There are already "gender-accurate" translations available. And then there's that whole "crucifixion" thing where God sent His Son to die. Isn't that child abuse? And these are just a few quick examples.
The world is hostile to God (Rom 8:7) and offended by the cross (1 Cor 1:23). Spiritual things are essentially meaningless to them (1 Cor 2:14). In their spiritual blindness (2 Cor 4:3-4), they cannot see nor do they want the truth (John 3:20). In this environment it should be no surprise that people assault God's Word. But, please note. While it may be "politically incorrect," that doesn't make it false. If God's Word is true (and it is (John 17:17)), then let God be true though every man a liar (Rom 3:4). And don't let pressure from those "following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2:2) dissuade you from the truth. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom 12:2).
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Prayer Warrior
In Paul's first letter to Timothy he tells Timothy that he was supposed to "stay on in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to spread false teachings" (1 Tim 1:3). He charges him, then, to "fight the good fight" (1 Tim 1:18). Chapter 2 begins with, "First of all, then ..." and gives some instructions about methods in which to fight this good fight. First: "I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Tim 2:1-2). Interesting, isn't it? He doesn't tell him to start a campaign or begin knocking heads or to do a whole lot at all. Instead, Paul urges Timothy to pray and to urge others to pray ... "first of all."
In the prayers, Paul calls for "requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks." "Requests" refers to petitions made for specific needs. "Prayers" refers to requests made specifically to God, especially for God's glory. "Intercessions" are prayers on behalf of other people and situations. We get all those, even if we never specifically categorized them. It's interesting, though, that he includes "thanks." He wrote to the Thessalonians, "In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess 5:18). In everything. So, yes, give thanks. Give thanks a lot. If nothing else, because it's God's will for you in Christ.
I found it interesting that Paul didn't urge Timothy to get involved in social justice or politics or something. Make better laws. Get better government. Urge people to be nicer, kinder, gentler. Instead, Paul urged Timothy to have people pray "for kings and all who are in authority." Funny thing, isn't it? We don't seem to think that way these days. We're in political parties fighting political battles against liberal politicians ... instead of praying for them. Praying for them. We seem to have forgotten Who is in charge and think it's our job to fix this broken world. Prayer and not politics for governments and authorities will be better for allowing us a peaceful and quiet life in godliness and dignity than a good Christian political movement. Didn't see that coming.
We are also urged to stop false teachers and fight the good fight. We are also urged to fight that fight not with politics and campaigns, but with prayer. We are commanded to pray for those in authority. Because "Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior" (1 Tim 2:3). Which should be our primary concern as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the prayers, Paul calls for "requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks." "Requests" refers to petitions made for specific needs. "Prayers" refers to requests made specifically to God, especially for God's glory. "Intercessions" are prayers on behalf of other people and situations. We get all those, even if we never specifically categorized them. It's interesting, though, that he includes "thanks." He wrote to the Thessalonians, "In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess 5:18). In everything. So, yes, give thanks. Give thanks a lot. If nothing else, because it's God's will for you in Christ.
I found it interesting that Paul didn't urge Timothy to get involved in social justice or politics or something. Make better laws. Get better government. Urge people to be nicer, kinder, gentler. Instead, Paul urged Timothy to have people pray "for kings and all who are in authority." Funny thing, isn't it? We don't seem to think that way these days. We're in political parties fighting political battles against liberal politicians ... instead of praying for them. Praying for them. We seem to have forgotten Who is in charge and think it's our job to fix this broken world. Prayer and not politics for governments and authorities will be better for allowing us a peaceful and quiet life in godliness and dignity than a good Christian political movement. Didn't see that coming.
We are also urged to stop false teachers and fight the good fight. We are also urged to fight that fight not with politics and campaigns, but with prayer. We are commanded to pray for those in authority. Because "Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior" (1 Tim 2:3). Which should be our primary concern as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, August 09, 2022
The Quality of Faith
Most of us, from time to time, question our own faith. "Do I have enough faith? Do I believe strong enough to be saved? Is my faith sufficient for God to accept it?" And it's not a stupid question. Remember when Jesus visited His hometown? They said, "Isn't this the carpenter's son?" (Matt 13:55-56), and the Scripture says, "And He did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief" (Matt 13:58). So unbelief, by whatever means, seems to limit access to Christ. Then, what quality of faith do we need to expect anything from Him?
Remember the father who asked Jesus to save his child? His son was demon-possessed and he brought the boy to the disciples for help, but they couldn't. So they brought him to Jesus and the father said, "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us" (Mark 9:22). Jesus answered, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." To which the desperate father cried, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24). Not much faith. He had questions. He had doubts. He recognized in himself his lack of faith. It was there, but weak. And it was sufficient (Mark 9:25-27). In Matthew's account, Jesus afterward told His disciples, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matt 17:20). Faith, the allegorical size of a mustard seed -- a questioning but existing faith -- this is sufficient.
How sufficient? What can you expect from a little faith? In Genesis we read about Abram's promise from God. In Genesis 12 God promised to give the land of Canaan to Abram's offspring (Gen 12:7). And he went out and lied about his wife so they wouldn't kill him (Gen 12:10-20). In chapter 15 God made a covenant with Abram. "Your reward shall be very great," God told him (Gen 15:1). "Yea, right," Abram answered. Well, sort of. "I am childless" (Gen 15:2-3). And God said, "One who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir" (Gen 15:4). God went on to promise him offspring like the stars of the heavens (Gen 15:5). The text says, "Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6). Now, that is an effective faith. That is the kind of faith that gets things done. Paul references it in Romans as an example for us all (Rom 4:1-5). How much faith did Abram have? He lied twice about his wife being his sister. He slept with his wife's maid to "help God out." He questioned God. He laughed at God (Gen 17:17). And, still, Scripture calls him "the friend of God" (James 2:23) and Hebrews lists him prominently in the "Halls of Faith" (Heb 11:8-10). Paul uses him as his prime proof of "saved by faith apart from works." A little faith. A shaky faith. A questioning faith. But it was sufficient to be reckoned by God as righteousness. A small faith can produce the ultimate -- your salvation.
Faith is clearly necessary for salvation. A lack of faith can limit our access to God's riches in some ways. But, in the end, it takes precious little faith to do great things including being declared righteous by God. Trust that. It's enough.
Remember the father who asked Jesus to save his child? His son was demon-possessed and he brought the boy to the disciples for help, but they couldn't. So they brought him to Jesus and the father said, "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us" (Mark 9:22). Jesus answered, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." To which the desperate father cried, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24). Not much faith. He had questions. He had doubts. He recognized in himself his lack of faith. It was there, but weak. And it was sufficient (Mark 9:25-27). In Matthew's account, Jesus afterward told His disciples, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matt 17:20). Faith, the allegorical size of a mustard seed -- a questioning but existing faith -- this is sufficient.
How sufficient? What can you expect from a little faith? In Genesis we read about Abram's promise from God. In Genesis 12 God promised to give the land of Canaan to Abram's offspring (Gen 12:7). And he went out and lied about his wife so they wouldn't kill him (Gen 12:10-20). In chapter 15 God made a covenant with Abram. "Your reward shall be very great," God told him (Gen 15:1). "Yea, right," Abram answered. Well, sort of. "I am childless" (Gen 15:2-3). And God said, "One who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir" (Gen 15:4). God went on to promise him offspring like the stars of the heavens (Gen 15:5). The text says, "Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6). Now, that is an effective faith. That is the kind of faith that gets things done. Paul references it in Romans as an example for us all (Rom 4:1-5). How much faith did Abram have? He lied twice about his wife being his sister. He slept with his wife's maid to "help God out." He questioned God. He laughed at God (Gen 17:17). And, still, Scripture calls him "the friend of God" (James 2:23) and Hebrews lists him prominently in the "Halls of Faith" (Heb 11:8-10). Paul uses him as his prime proof of "saved by faith apart from works." A little faith. A shaky faith. A questioning faith. But it was sufficient to be reckoned by God as righteousness. A small faith can produce the ultimate -- your salvation.
Faith is clearly necessary for salvation. A lack of faith can limit our access to God's riches in some ways. But, in the end, it takes precious little faith to do great things including being declared righteous by God. Trust that. It's enough.
Monday, August 08, 2022
What Makes a False Teacher?
Paul calls Timothy his "true child in the faith" (1 Tim 1:2). Apparently Paul led Timothy to Christ. Then he took him around with him for some 20 years and taught him. Now, that would be some seminary, wouldn't it? Eventually, Paul took Timothy to Ephesus while he went on to Macedonia with instructions to "remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines" (1 Tim 1:3). Quite an assignment for the young pastor. Handle the local false teachers.
What makes a false teacher? I don't mean what makes their teaching false; I mean how does one become a false teacher? Paul told Timothy, "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim 1:5). (Which might very well be a surprise to more than a few. The goal is love? Yes.). Then he tells Timothy "Some men, straying from these things, have turned aside ..." (1 Tim 1:6-7). Apparently, the way people arrive at "false teacher" is to stray from this instruction, aimed at love and centered on a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. So Paul commands Timothy to "fight the good fight" (1 Tim 1:18) by "keeping faith and a good conscience" (1 Tim 1:19). Good teachers, then, aim at love and false teachers aim at ... something else. False teachers are promised (1 John 2:18-19) and prevalent. Their goal is not love, but personal gain. They want to be teachers without regard to the truth of what they're teaching (1 Tim 1:7). They want to be in power without regard to a good conscience or a sincere faith (1 Tim 1:9-11). They don't care about the gospel; they care about themselves and their own gain.
Which brings us back to Timothy's task: teach them not to teach strange doctrines. Because, you see, strange doctrines occur when the gospel is neglected, love is not the aim, and a good conscience and sincere faith is not a consideration. False teaching comes about when it is based on speculation rather than under God's administration (1 Tim 1:4). And, note, that any one of us could neglect love as the primary focus, so keep an eye on yourself. Instruct yourself not to "teach strange doctrines", too.
What makes a false teacher? I don't mean what makes their teaching false; I mean how does one become a false teacher? Paul told Timothy, "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim 1:5). (Which might very well be a surprise to more than a few. The goal is love? Yes.). Then he tells Timothy "Some men, straying from these things, have turned aside ..." (1 Tim 1:6-7). Apparently, the way people arrive at "false teacher" is to stray from this instruction, aimed at love and centered on a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. So Paul commands Timothy to "fight the good fight" (1 Tim 1:18) by "keeping faith and a good conscience" (1 Tim 1:19). Good teachers, then, aim at love and false teachers aim at ... something else. False teachers are promised (1 John 2:18-19) and prevalent. Their goal is not love, but personal gain. They want to be teachers without regard to the truth of what they're teaching (1 Tim 1:7). They want to be in power without regard to a good conscience or a sincere faith (1 Tim 1:9-11). They don't care about the gospel; they care about themselves and their own gain.
Which brings us back to Timothy's task: teach them not to teach strange doctrines. Because, you see, strange doctrines occur when the gospel is neglected, love is not the aim, and a good conscience and sincere faith is not a consideration. False teaching comes about when it is based on speculation rather than under God's administration (1 Tim 1:4). And, note, that any one of us could neglect love as the primary focus, so keep an eye on yourself. Instruct yourself not to "teach strange doctrines", too.
Sunday, August 07, 2022
You Make Me Feel ...
I know a guy who is really mad at God. He has looked around at other believers and found that they appear to have a genuine relationship with God. They know God loves them. They know He is part of their life. He doesn't. He doesn't sense it. He doesn't get a warm feeling from God. So he's ... miffed. My friend is probably not rare. I'd suspect there are more than a few that feel that way to some degree or another.
It's a puzzling dilemma. We believers have God's Word that guarantees us that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). How could He say it any more clearly? "While we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son" (Rom 5:10). One of our best known verses says, "God loved the world in this way; He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "Does God love me?" Every last believer can say with absolute, complete, total certainty, "Yes! Beyond all doubt!" And, yet, more than a few struggle with it. Why? Because ... we don't feel it. So why is it that we think we can determine "truth" by "feeling it"?
We have a common expression. "You make me feel ..." We might say it a variety of ways. "You make me so mad!" "You make me happy." But what we are saying is that another person is making us ... feel. And that's not -- quite -- accurate. No one reaches into the emotional centers of your being and makes you feel. So how does it work? How do you know, for instance, that your parents or your spouse or a close friend loves you? Because you feel it? Maybe, but it's not because they make you feel it. It's because you are aware of the things they do, the things they say, the nuances and overt actions and all that summed together and it speaks "love" to you. You can see it, so you can feel it. If that's so, why doesn't that carry over to our relationship with God? He sent His Son. He pours out blessings on us. He gives grace -- favor we never earned. He gives us mercy -- protection from the punishment we have certainly earned. He gives us gifts, adopts us into His family, takes our sin and substitutes Christ's righteousness, meets our every need, sustains us day by day ... on and on and on. But we can't see it. No one does more for us that screams "I love you!" and still we question, "Does God really love me?" It isn't a shortcoming on God's part, you see. It's that we don't recognize it, so we don't feel it. The problem isn't on His end; it's on ours.
It's a puzzling dilemma. We believers have God's Word that guarantees us that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). How could He say it any more clearly? "While we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son" (Rom 5:10). One of our best known verses says, "God loved the world in this way; He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "Does God love me?" Every last believer can say with absolute, complete, total certainty, "Yes! Beyond all doubt!" And, yet, more than a few struggle with it. Why? Because ... we don't feel it. So why is it that we think we can determine "truth" by "feeling it"?
We have a common expression. "You make me feel ..." We might say it a variety of ways. "You make me so mad!" "You make me happy." But what we are saying is that another person is making us ... feel. And that's not -- quite -- accurate. No one reaches into the emotional centers of your being and makes you feel. So how does it work? How do you know, for instance, that your parents or your spouse or a close friend loves you? Because you feel it? Maybe, but it's not because they make you feel it. It's because you are aware of the things they do, the things they say, the nuances and overt actions and all that summed together and it speaks "love" to you. You can see it, so you can feel it. If that's so, why doesn't that carry over to our relationship with God? He sent His Son. He pours out blessings on us. He gives grace -- favor we never earned. He gives us mercy -- protection from the punishment we have certainly earned. He gives us gifts, adopts us into His family, takes our sin and substitutes Christ's righteousness, meets our every need, sustains us day by day ... on and on and on. But we can't see it. No one does more for us that screams "I love you!" and still we question, "Does God really love me?" It isn't a shortcoming on God's part, you see. It's that we don't recognize it, so we don't feel it. The problem isn't on His end; it's on ours.
Saturday, August 06, 2022
News Weakly - 8/6/22
Vaguely Disturbing
The story from CBS opens with this: "The House voted Friday to ban semiautomatic assault weapons, as negotiations over police funding legislation continue." "Semiautomatic assault weapons," as it turns out, is a confusing term because "assault weapon" by some definitions necessarily includes "automatic." Herein is my problem. Loosely defining "assault weapon," just like in the 1964 Civil Rights Act that didn't clearly define "sex," can end up morphing into all weapons and we end up wondering why knives, baseball bats, and SUVs aren't banned, too. Oh, and Bibles. People definitely use those to assault people.
Lust in Power
Last week we puzzled over the declaration of emergency in San Francisco over monkeypox. This week, of course, we get the answer (like we didn't know). Despite concerns over monkeypox, they're going ahead with their famous fetish festival. COVID meant isolation; monkeypox means indulge that which is the primary speader. Unlike Hong Kong where they had an annual food expo ... but banned eating anything due to COVID. Clearly our COVID measures were more about what those in power wanted rather than safety since those in power now want to indulge the madness despite the danger.
So far there are about 6,600 people in the U.S. with monkeypox. It now qualifies as a public health emergency. Mind you, it is milder than smallpox, easily preventable. Mind you 99% of all cases are from male-to-male sexual contact. Mind you, if people would stop the behavior that spreads it, it would go away. But, no. Now it's a national emergency. But no one is going to even suggest restricting their sexual contact, at least temporarily, because ... well ... because. That's how stupid we've become.
Turnabout is Fair Play
Just a bizarre story. A man shot a woman in the neck. The bullet passed through her, ricocheted, and came back to kill the shooter. I suppose literal turnabout is fair play.
Injustice Department
Pro-abortionists are afraid of doctors and patients being prosecuted for killing babies. Hasn't happened, but that's their fear. On the other hand, the Justice Department is suing Idaho for banning most abortion in their state as allowed by the 10th Amendment. The "justice system" continues to block abortion laws for a right not found in the Constitution in defiance of the Constitution. What else can we expect from a "justice system" that denies justice?
Assault Weapons
More violence. In the Mirage in Las Vegas, a gun shot three people, killing one. In Gallup, New Mexico, an SUV drove through a parade. Several people including two police officers were injured. When will we ban these dangerous assault weapons that seem to be on a tirade? (And, on a side note, why was the guy behind the wheel of the SUV a "person" rather than the expected "white supremacist"? Because pictures show he was not white. But let's just keep that quiet, right?)
Wait ...
Hang on. We have too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which will kill us all, but breweries are encountering a shortage of CO2?
It Is What It Shall Bee
In the wake of the Brittney Griner verdict, the Bee headline raved, "Brittney Griner Rewarded With 9 Years Of Not Hearing The U.S. National Anthem." Following the government's lead, a wife proposed a "Household Debt Reduction Act" where she spends thousands of dollars at Target. True story: singer Demi Lovato says she's using "she/her" pronouns again. The Bee suggests it might be because she discovered her car had a flat tire. Then there is the helpful "complete list of problems solved by government spending. You can see that one for yourself.
Must be true; I read it on the Internet.
The story from CBS opens with this: "The House voted Friday to ban semiautomatic assault weapons, as negotiations over police funding legislation continue." "Semiautomatic assault weapons," as it turns out, is a confusing term because "assault weapon" by some definitions necessarily includes "automatic." Herein is my problem. Loosely defining "assault weapon," just like in the 1964 Civil Rights Act that didn't clearly define "sex," can end up morphing into all weapons and we end up wondering why knives, baseball bats, and SUVs aren't banned, too. Oh, and Bibles. People definitely use those to assault people.
Lust in Power
Last week we puzzled over the declaration of emergency in San Francisco over monkeypox. This week, of course, we get the answer (like we didn't know). Despite concerns over monkeypox, they're going ahead with their famous fetish festival. COVID meant isolation; monkeypox means indulge that which is the primary speader. Unlike Hong Kong where they had an annual food expo ... but banned eating anything due to COVID. Clearly our COVID measures were more about what those in power wanted rather than safety since those in power now want to indulge the madness despite the danger.
So far there are about 6,600 people in the U.S. with monkeypox. It now qualifies as a public health emergency. Mind you, it is milder than smallpox, easily preventable. Mind you 99% of all cases are from male-to-male sexual contact. Mind you, if people would stop the behavior that spreads it, it would go away. But, no. Now it's a national emergency. But no one is going to even suggest restricting their sexual contact, at least temporarily, because ... well ... because. That's how stupid we've become.
Turnabout is Fair Play
Just a bizarre story. A man shot a woman in the neck. The bullet passed through her, ricocheted, and came back to kill the shooter. I suppose literal turnabout is fair play.
Injustice Department
Pro-abortionists are afraid of doctors and patients being prosecuted for killing babies. Hasn't happened, but that's their fear. On the other hand, the Justice Department is suing Idaho for banning most abortion in their state as allowed by the 10th Amendment. The "justice system" continues to block abortion laws for a right not found in the Constitution in defiance of the Constitution. What else can we expect from a "justice system" that denies justice?
Assault Weapons
More violence. In the Mirage in Las Vegas, a gun shot three people, killing one. In Gallup, New Mexico, an SUV drove through a parade. Several people including two police officers were injured. When will we ban these dangerous assault weapons that seem to be on a tirade? (And, on a side note, why was the guy behind the wheel of the SUV a "person" rather than the expected "white supremacist"? Because pictures show he was not white. But let's just keep that quiet, right?)
Wait ...
Hang on. We have too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which will kill us all, but breweries are encountering a shortage of CO2?
It Is What It Shall Bee
In the wake of the Brittney Griner verdict, the Bee headline raved, "Brittney Griner Rewarded With 9 Years Of Not Hearing The U.S. National Anthem." Following the government's lead, a wife proposed a "Household Debt Reduction Act" where she spends thousands of dollars at Target. True story: singer Demi Lovato says she's using "she/her" pronouns again. The Bee suggests it might be because she discovered her car had a flat tire. Then there is the helpful "complete list of problems solved by government spending. You can see that one for yourself.
Must be true; I read it on the Internet.
Friday, August 05, 2022
Planning to Fail
It only makes sense. We believe we are right. I mean, why would we think what we think if we didn't think we were right? So we proceed on that premise and argue for our positions because, after all, we're right. The only problem is they also believe they're right and will fight for their positions. And since these positions in the conflict are in opposition, both cannot be right. But that's only a little problem since most of us ignore it and go on with the assumption that our side is right.
Biblically speaking, this isn't a rational position for us to take. Biblically speaking, we ought to anticipate that we're wrong. At least some of the time. Our position shouldn't be "I'm right all the time" but, rather, "I'm pretty sure I'm wrong somewhere. Where might that be?" Why do I make such a bizarre claim? Because of Scripture's dim view of our natural abilities. Way back in Noah's day God said, "The intent of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21). That's not an endorsement. Jeremiah said, "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?" (Jer 17:9). That's not a positive statement. Paul said that due to Man's sin condition, "they became futile in their speculations" (Rom 1:21). Believing they were wise, "they became fools" (Rom 1:22). He said natural man lacks the capability to understand the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:14). Not looking good for humans. But then it gets worse. Not only does our sin condition give us diminished capacity, we have further effects from Satan. "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving" (2 Cor 4:4). We are, mentally speaking, in real trouble.
We need help. Paul told believers "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom 12:2). That's because sin has caused us to be blind to our error. It's not hopeless, but it is a problem. We are not reliable thinkers. We need a reliable truth source. What is that reliable source? Jesus said He was Truth (John 14:6) He said God's Word is truth (John 17:17). The Bible says that Scripture is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" and sufficient to equip God's people "for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16). We need to expect to be wrong. We need to anticipate that some of what we believe is in error. We need to plan to fail in our understanding and thinking and learn to lay it alongside God's Word to figure out what is and isn't true. If you find that Scripture always agrees with your thinking, you can be fairly certain that you're not reading Scripture for what it says because we all need renewing of the mind and there are no exceptions.
Biblically speaking, this isn't a rational position for us to take. Biblically speaking, we ought to anticipate that we're wrong. At least some of the time. Our position shouldn't be "I'm right all the time" but, rather, "I'm pretty sure I'm wrong somewhere. Where might that be?" Why do I make such a bizarre claim? Because of Scripture's dim view of our natural abilities. Way back in Noah's day God said, "The intent of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21). That's not an endorsement. Jeremiah said, "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?" (Jer 17:9). That's not a positive statement. Paul said that due to Man's sin condition, "they became futile in their speculations" (Rom 1:21). Believing they were wise, "they became fools" (Rom 1:22). He said natural man lacks the capability to understand the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:14). Not looking good for humans. But then it gets worse. Not only does our sin condition give us diminished capacity, we have further effects from Satan. "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving" (2 Cor 4:4). We are, mentally speaking, in real trouble.
We need help. Paul told believers "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom 12:2). That's because sin has caused us to be blind to our error. It's not hopeless, but it is a problem. We are not reliable thinkers. We need a reliable truth source. What is that reliable source? Jesus said He was Truth (John 14:6) He said God's Word is truth (John 17:17). The Bible says that Scripture is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" and sufficient to equip God's people "for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16). We need to expect to be wrong. We need to anticipate that some of what we believe is in error. We need to plan to fail in our understanding and thinking and learn to lay it alongside God's Word to figure out what is and isn't true. If you find that Scripture always agrees with your thinking, you can be fairly certain that you're not reading Scripture for what it says because we all need renewing of the mind and there are no exceptions.
Thursday, August 04, 2022
Expert
An expert is a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area. That's what the dictionary tells me. So how do we determine who is an expert? Psychology Today isn't helpful. "Bottom line: We cannot know for sure. There are no iron-clad criteria." Well, now, that's nice. We're looking for those with comprehensive and authoritative knowledge but can't really know whose knowledge we can classify as either comprehensive or authoritative. So what do we do? We look at various factors. Are they respected by their peers? Are they reliable? Do they have a good record of successful performance? And, as you can tell, Psychology Today is right; it's all pretty subjective.
So why is it that they keep telling us we need to believe the experts? And the experts we're supposed to believe happen to be the ones that agree with them. Could it be that they determine "expert" based on who agrees with them? Could it be that "authoritative" and "respected" and "reliable" are simply "Whatever I think it is"? We know that happens sometimes. I knew a climate scientist back in 2005 (remember, when Gore was making the rounds) who said that if the climate did warm, it could be a good thing because lands that are currently unusable could become farmable. They fired him. It is routine on university campuses to eliminate professors and such if they teach against the current mantra. No question of whether or not they're right; it's just not accepted, so they're not "experts." It isn't that unusual for us to reject as authoritative that with which we disagree simply because we disagree.
"The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked" (Jer 17:9). That's what the Bible says. "The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God" (Rom 8:7). That's God's position. "A Natural Man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Cor 2:14). That's the biblical evaluation of natural human capability. These (and so much more) do not align with popular culture including popular-culture-saturated Christianity. So they will reject them as unreliable and tell me to get with the program and believe the experts ... who disagree with God's Word, our true (John 17:17) and authoritative (2 Tim 3:16-17) source. That would be an "expert" by Another Standard. The point is not to jettison experts. The point is to be sure your "experts" meet a valid standard.
So why is it that they keep telling us we need to believe the experts? And the experts we're supposed to believe happen to be the ones that agree with them. Could it be that they determine "expert" based on who agrees with them? Could it be that "authoritative" and "respected" and "reliable" are simply "Whatever I think it is"? We know that happens sometimes. I knew a climate scientist back in 2005 (remember, when Gore was making the rounds) who said that if the climate did warm, it could be a good thing because lands that are currently unusable could become farmable. They fired him. It is routine on university campuses to eliminate professors and such if they teach against the current mantra. No question of whether or not they're right; it's just not accepted, so they're not "experts." It isn't that unusual for us to reject as authoritative that with which we disagree simply because we disagree.
"The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked" (Jer 17:9). That's what the Bible says. "The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God" (Rom 8:7). That's God's position. "A Natural Man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Cor 2:14). That's the biblical evaluation of natural human capability. These (and so much more) do not align with popular culture including popular-culture-saturated Christianity. So they will reject them as unreliable and tell me to get with the program and believe the experts ... who disagree with God's Word, our true (John 17:17) and authoritative (2 Tim 3:16-17) source. That would be an "expert" by Another Standard. The point is not to jettison experts. The point is to be sure your "experts" meet a valid standard.
Wednesday, August 03, 2022
Not a Little Something
All world religions aim to make their disciples good enough to get to heaven. All, that is, but one. While behavior determines ultimate destiny in all other religions, something else is at work in Christianity. All other worldviews count on you to do the right thing; Christianity doesn't. That's because a fundamental premise of Christianity is that you, on your own, are entirely incapable. And that's not hyperbole.
Jesus said it. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Look at that. He didn't say, "You're limited in what you can do." He didn't say, "There's not a lot you can do." He said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing." That's not a little something. Now, maybe we could mitigate that. That's not what He meant. That kind of thing. But Paul said of God in his speech to the Athenians "in Him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:29). Or, in the negative, "Without whom we do not live, move, or exist." He told the Colossians, "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (Col 1:17). Nothing exists without Him. He told the Romans, "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom 11:36). He is the source, the conduit, and the endpoint of everything. "Apart from Me you can do nothing" was not hyperbole. It was simple fact.
Whether we are rank heathens or dedicated believers, we're generally pretty sure we're doing okay. We're not bad people. We're pretty good. Comparing ourselves among ourselves, we can always find people worse than we are and we're not so bad. Christ classified that as "nothing." Our only hope is in Him. Our only option to get beyond "nothing" is to remain in Him. Without Him we're not a little something; we're nothing.
Jesus said it. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Look at that. He didn't say, "You're limited in what you can do." He didn't say, "There's not a lot you can do." He said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing." That's not a little something. Now, maybe we could mitigate that. That's not what He meant. That kind of thing. But Paul said of God in his speech to the Athenians "in Him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:29). Or, in the negative, "Without whom we do not live, move, or exist." He told the Colossians, "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (Col 1:17). Nothing exists without Him. He told the Romans, "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom 11:36). He is the source, the conduit, and the endpoint of everything. "Apart from Me you can do nothing" was not hyperbole. It was simple fact.
Whether we are rank heathens or dedicated believers, we're generally pretty sure we're doing okay. We're not bad people. We're pretty good. Comparing ourselves among ourselves, we can always find people worse than we are and we're not so bad. Christ classified that as "nothing." Our only hope is in Him. Our only option to get beyond "nothing" is to remain in Him. Without Him we're not a little something; we're nothing.
Tuesday, August 02, 2022
I Like This Group
Let's see if I can write something that won't outrage Dan. (Yes, I'm exaggerating. He's not actually outraged over everything I write.) There is a Christian music group that I find myself liking more and more. You may have heard of them. They are a band from Canada called Downhere. The lead singer and guitarist gained some notariety a couple years ago for doing the singing for the 2018 movie, Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of Freddie Mercury. Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury (and won an Oscar for it), but Marc Martel was his singing voice because of his remarkable similarity to Mercury's voice. They write most of their own stuff and I've been impressed with their lyrics.
The first song I heard from them was My Last Amen. It's about this strange sensation we Christians can experience where, in the midst of the real world, we get a sense of another, better place. The second verse says
But they seem to keep hitting the right lyrical note, as it were. Their How Many Kings? asks what human king would do for his people what God has done for us? In Let Me Rediscover You they long to constantly reconnect with God. Here I Am urges us to always be ready to hear His voice and answer, "Here I am," ready to serve because He enables us to do so. You're Not Alone reminds us that God will never leave us nor forsake us -- we're never alone.
One of my favorite singers years ago was Steve Taylor. He said the tough things. He took on politicians who pandered to the Christians without being Christian (It's a Personal Thing) and Christians who demand you be "just like us" (I Want To Be A Clone). He addressed those who find sin perfectly suitable (Whatever Happened to Sin?) and modern culture (Meltdown at Madam Tussaud's). He even pointed fingers at himself in Cash Cow while pointing out the error of Prosperity theology. He had the courage to sing the truth, sing it well, and pull no punches. Downhere does the same with Something Heavenly when they sing, "I'm so far from what I wanna be. Oh I really am my own worst enemy." And in The Problem. They ask what grand conspiracy is causing the problems in this world and conclude, "The problem with this world ... is me."
Started by a couple of pastor's kids in a Bible college, Downhere derived its name from their mission. "Our name Downhere implies that we're going to be real people on and off the stage – not hiding in the pastor's study before and after the concert," they explain. "We want to hang out with people, shoot hoops with people, pray with people ... and we consider all of that an act of worship." I like that. And I appreciate their ministry.
The first song I heard from them was My Last Amen. It's about this strange sensation we Christians can experience where, in the midst of the real world, we get a sense of another, better place. The second verse says
I could swear I have two heartsSo they long for that vague but better place where finally they will encounter perfection -- the last prayer is answered and "Amen" -- let it be so -- will be so for eternity. Like Paul's "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Php 1:21). I love that.
One to stay, one to depart
This sad, tragic kingdom
And it burns me down to the core
Because I know
there's so much more
It's just a pale reflection
But they seem to keep hitting the right lyrical note, as it were. Their How Many Kings? asks what human king would do for his people what God has done for us? In Let Me Rediscover You they long to constantly reconnect with God. Here I Am urges us to always be ready to hear His voice and answer, "Here I am," ready to serve because He enables us to do so. You're Not Alone reminds us that God will never leave us nor forsake us -- we're never alone.
One of my favorite singers years ago was Steve Taylor. He said the tough things. He took on politicians who pandered to the Christians without being Christian (It's a Personal Thing) and Christians who demand you be "just like us" (I Want To Be A Clone). He addressed those who find sin perfectly suitable (Whatever Happened to Sin?) and modern culture (Meltdown at Madam Tussaud's). He even pointed fingers at himself in Cash Cow while pointing out the error of Prosperity theology. He had the courage to sing the truth, sing it well, and pull no punches. Downhere does the same with Something Heavenly when they sing, "I'm so far from what I wanna be. Oh I really am my own worst enemy." And in The Problem. They ask what grand conspiracy is causing the problems in this world and conclude, "The problem with this world ... is me."
Started by a couple of pastor's kids in a Bible college, Downhere derived its name from their mission. "Our name Downhere implies that we're going to be real people on and off the stage – not hiding in the pastor's study before and after the concert," they explain. "We want to hang out with people, shoot hoops with people, pray with people ... and we consider all of that an act of worship." I like that. And I appreciate their ministry.
Monday, August 01, 2022
The Reality of Denying Reality
Humans have been trying to build a "theory of everything," a theory that explains what we know. In the 18th century the big thing was "modernism." Modernism was the idea that we cannot know things in themselves and that objects of knowledge must conform to our faculties of representation. Modernism preferred science to faith and argued against God, immortality, even origins. We would discover everything by means of science and technology. By the mid 20th century, the Modernism experiment was a bust. Science had failed to provide all the answers. It was time for something more. Enter Postmodernism.
It is, in fact, not possible to define Postmodernism. That's simply because the premise of Postmodernism is an absolute faith in relativism. There is no "metanarrative." A metanarrative is a statement about the truth of everything. Postmodernism argued, instead, for deconstruction. We can't really know anything. So words, for instance, mean what you want them to mean à la Humpty Dumpty. And words are simply symbols for ideas, so ideas mean just what you want them to mean. Thus, if Postmodernism is the deconstruction of meaning, defining Postmodernism beyond "the deconstruction of meaning" becomes pointless and any attempt to dispute or defend the concept is self-defeating since it can only mean what you want it to mean.
Of course, you might see the problem. This absolutely ludicrous philosophy that cannot by definition make a truth claim is now the truth upon which all our modern nonsensical "truths" are built. Love is sex. Marriage is some sort of joining -- undefined. Male and female are social constructs. Racism is no longer built on the dictionary definition, but has rebuilt the dictionary to mean something else. Disagreement is hate. Most recently, recession is rebuilding the economy. And on and on. But, most pointedly, since all words and ideas mean whatever you want, it is perfectly suitable to argue the opposite if that's what you want it to mean in your case. So double standards abound because that's how it works. In a postmodern world, for instance, you can redefine "Judicial Branch" to mean "Confirm our Positions Branch" and call it good and right. You get the idea.
The problem, then, is that we can no longer communicate. We can no longer have dialog. We can no longer discuss ideas. "Truth" is a spectrum of possibilities ultimately undefined ... except we are pretty sure that ours is the correct definition. Built on a contradiction -- "The truth is you cannot make a truth statement" -- we eliminate the possibility of truth and then assert our own version and call it truth ... which we just said isn't real. Welcome to the reality that is modern America.
It is, in fact, not possible to define Postmodernism. That's simply because the premise of Postmodernism is an absolute faith in relativism. There is no "metanarrative." A metanarrative is a statement about the truth of everything. Postmodernism argued, instead, for deconstruction. We can't really know anything. So words, for instance, mean what you want them to mean à la Humpty Dumpty. And words are simply symbols for ideas, so ideas mean just what you want them to mean. Thus, if Postmodernism is the deconstruction of meaning, defining Postmodernism beyond "the deconstruction of meaning" becomes pointless and any attempt to dispute or defend the concept is self-defeating since it can only mean what you want it to mean.
Of course, you might see the problem. This absolutely ludicrous philosophy that cannot by definition make a truth claim is now the truth upon which all our modern nonsensical "truths" are built. Love is sex. Marriage is some sort of joining -- undefined. Male and female are social constructs. Racism is no longer built on the dictionary definition, but has rebuilt the dictionary to mean something else. Disagreement is hate. Most recently, recession is rebuilding the economy. And on and on. But, most pointedly, since all words and ideas mean whatever you want, it is perfectly suitable to argue the opposite if that's what you want it to mean in your case. So double standards abound because that's how it works. In a postmodern world, for instance, you can redefine "Judicial Branch" to mean "Confirm our Positions Branch" and call it good and right. You get the idea.
The problem, then, is that we can no longer communicate. We can no longer have dialog. We can no longer discuss ideas. "Truth" is a spectrum of possibilities ultimately undefined ... except we are pretty sure that ours is the correct definition. Built on a contradiction -- "The truth is you cannot make a truth statement" -- we eliminate the possibility of truth and then assert our own version and call it truth ... which we just said isn't real. Welcome to the reality that is modern America.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Rom 1:22-23)
Sunday, July 31, 2022
I, For One, Am Glad
Paul described our original problem this way.
We think that God should be just like us. He should see things our way, feel our way, do things our way. God, however, was not unclear. "You thought that I was one like yourself," He said (Psa 50:21). That was a mistake for Israel. It is our own mistake. He is not like us. We have similarities, points of contact, things in common, but He is not like us. He defines love (1 John 4:8) while we can barely do it, let alone define it. Only God is good (Luke 18:19) and we are not (Rom 3:12). "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps" (Prov 16:9). And, still, we think He's just like us and, in fact, ought to conform to our ideas, expectations, and values.
I, for one, am glad He does not. I'm glad He is omnipotent where I am weak, wise where I am foolish, omniscient where I am ignorant. I'm delighted that He is Sovereign when I have so little control. I am delighted that He knows me inside and out (Psa 139:14-17) despite the fact that I know Him so poorly. I count on His strength, expect nothing but the best from His wisdom, and rest completely on His Sovereignty. I am very satisfied that He is God and not like me. I just need to do the lifelong work of correcting my own misguided understanding on the matter.
They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Rom 1:25)We are the creature. And we tend to make ourselves the standard by which all things, including God, are judged. So when things don't go our way, we question God's integrity. When things don't happen in the way we think they should, we question God's power. We bad things happen, we question God's love. And when God says things in His Word that we find doubtful, it is His Word we question, not our own perceptions. We, in essence, serve the creature rather than the Creator. Even we who seek to love and obey Him.
We think that God should be just like us. He should see things our way, feel our way, do things our way. God, however, was not unclear. "You thought that I was one like yourself," He said (Psa 50:21). That was a mistake for Israel. It is our own mistake. He is not like us. We have similarities, points of contact, things in common, but He is not like us. He defines love (1 John 4:8) while we can barely do it, let alone define it. Only God is good (Luke 18:19) and we are not (Rom 3:12). "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps" (Prov 16:9). And, still, we think He's just like us and, in fact, ought to conform to our ideas, expectations, and values.
I, for one, am glad He does not. I'm glad He is omnipotent where I am weak, wise where I am foolish, omniscient where I am ignorant. I'm delighted that He is Sovereign when I have so little control. I am delighted that He knows me inside and out (Psa 139:14-17) despite the fact that I know Him so poorly. I count on His strength, expect nothing but the best from His wisdom, and rest completely on His Sovereignty. I am very satisfied that He is God and not like me. I just need to do the lifelong work of correcting my own misguided understanding on the matter.
Saturday, July 30, 2022
News Weakly - 7/30/22
Banning Parents
In an ongoing effort to be sure that parents are deeply involved in their children's lives and education, a Maryland school district has prohibited the staff from telling parents about their students' transgender identity. And elsewhere. In other news, the same district has banned all that "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" nonsense as well. (Hey, haven't I heard teachers complaining that parents aren't involved enough?)
Unclear on the Concept
GOP lawmaker Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania is getting flak because he voted against the "Disrespect Marriage" Act and three days later attended his son's "gay mirage." Hypocrite! Loser! Are people really that dense? It is one thing to oppose the redefinition of marriage. It is another thing to love your children. Most parents, if their child were to marry someone of whom they didn't approve, would attend the wedding and wish them well. That's hypocrisy? I oppose the principle of transgender, but that doesn't mean I have to be unkind or hateful toward people I encounter who consider themselves such. Are people really that unclear on the concept? Or do they not like the clear evidence that someone may have principles without being hateful?
Double Standards
If you're someone that, say, believes that the 2020 election was rigged, the Democrats would prefer you had no voice. Certainly no public voice. Remember? They tried to set up a "misinformation" control point just for that purpose. Then Hulu announced that, in keeping with its policy of not allowing ads on controversial topics, they wouldn't be allowing ads on abortion or guns. And the Dems went wild. Because of the Democrats' outrage, Hulu has changed to allow the ads that the Dems consider essential to their "core campaign talking points." Hulu must run the ads the Dems consider important but must NOT run those that are deemed offensive ... to their goals.
Conveniently Absent
An enlightening article from The Guardian finally explains why anyone could possibly be anti-abortion. It's because they're too stupid to know that their reasons are a lie and the real reason is that they're opposed to sexual promiscuity. I thought it was really odd because this physicist who wrote the article never once mentioned the biggest reason -- that it is wrong to kill an innocent human being. So does that mean that we're too stupid or he is?
Canceled
Justice Clarence Thomas isn't a popular judge these days because, well, he's against killing innocent human beings, and that will never do. For the past 11 years Thomas has given seminars at George Washington University Law School. That ends this fall. Students said he was "actively making life unsafe for thousands of students on our campus" and petitioned to have him silenced. They win. America loses.
You're Entitled to the Rights We Allow You
Students at Seattle Pacific University have decided to sue over LGBTQ exclusion. The private, Free Methodist Church university has attempted to maintain their alliance with, you know, the church, but the students demand that they stop it. So, students who choose to go to a self-proclaimed religious university with a prior understanding of the rules get to dictate to the school what their policies will be? How about "Just don't go there"? Not a chance. This is America; you will not be allowed your religious freedoms here if we have any say.
Puzzling Problem
San Francisco has declared a health emergency over the rising numbers of monkeypox cases. I don't know what makes it a special problem in San Francisco.
Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Microphone
Investopedia says the "rule of thumb is that two consecutive quarters of decline in a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) constitute a recession." We have had just that. President Biden assures us we are not in a recession. Who are you going to believe? The economy or the president?
Everyone Knows That
Democrats have introduced a bill to put term limits on the Supreme Court. Why? Because of a "legitimacy crisis." Obviously, because 6 judges voted to remove Roe v Wade. Now the court is "illegitimate." To fix the "crisis," it is necessary to remove those judges with whom they disagree, because the only way for the Supreme Court to be legitimate is to have it be compliant to their positions.
Taking a Bee-ting
Joe Biden signed into law his "Economic Integrity Protection Act" better known as the "Don't Say Recesson" bill. They have to do something so people won't notice inflation, economic decline, reduced trade, drop in GDP, and climbing prices. The Bee has a handy infographic to help us understand if we are in a recession. And another for several other word refinements.
Must be true; I read it on the Internet.
In an ongoing effort to be sure that parents are deeply involved in their children's lives and education, a Maryland school district has prohibited the staff from telling parents about their students' transgender identity. And elsewhere. In other news, the same district has banned all that "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" nonsense as well. (Hey, haven't I heard teachers complaining that parents aren't involved enough?)
Unclear on the Concept
GOP lawmaker Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania is getting flak because he voted against the "Disrespect Marriage" Act and three days later attended his son's "gay mirage." Hypocrite! Loser! Are people really that dense? It is one thing to oppose the redefinition of marriage. It is another thing to love your children. Most parents, if their child were to marry someone of whom they didn't approve, would attend the wedding and wish them well. That's hypocrisy? I oppose the principle of transgender, but that doesn't mean I have to be unkind or hateful toward people I encounter who consider themselves such. Are people really that unclear on the concept? Or do they not like the clear evidence that someone may have principles without being hateful?
Double Standards
If you're someone that, say, believes that the 2020 election was rigged, the Democrats would prefer you had no voice. Certainly no public voice. Remember? They tried to set up a "misinformation" control point just for that purpose. Then Hulu announced that, in keeping with its policy of not allowing ads on controversial topics, they wouldn't be allowing ads on abortion or guns. And the Dems went wild. Because of the Democrats' outrage, Hulu has changed to allow the ads that the Dems consider essential to their "core campaign talking points." Hulu must run the ads the Dems consider important but must NOT run those that are deemed offensive ... to their goals.
Conveniently Absent
An enlightening article from The Guardian finally explains why anyone could possibly be anti-abortion. It's because they're too stupid to know that their reasons are a lie and the real reason is that they're opposed to sexual promiscuity. I thought it was really odd because this physicist who wrote the article never once mentioned the biggest reason -- that it is wrong to kill an innocent human being. So does that mean that we're too stupid or he is?
Canceled
Justice Clarence Thomas isn't a popular judge these days because, well, he's against killing innocent human beings, and that will never do. For the past 11 years Thomas has given seminars at George Washington University Law School. That ends this fall. Students said he was "actively making life unsafe for thousands of students on our campus" and petitioned to have him silenced. They win. America loses.
You're Entitled to the Rights We Allow You
Students at Seattle Pacific University have decided to sue over LGBTQ exclusion. The private, Free Methodist Church university has attempted to maintain their alliance with, you know, the church, but the students demand that they stop it. So, students who choose to go to a self-proclaimed religious university with a prior understanding of the rules get to dictate to the school what their policies will be? How about "Just don't go there"? Not a chance. This is America; you will not be allowed your religious freedoms here if we have any say.
Puzzling Problem
San Francisco has declared a health emergency over the rising numbers of monkeypox cases. I don't know what makes it a special problem in San Francisco.
Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Microphone
Investopedia says the "rule of thumb is that two consecutive quarters of decline in a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) constitute a recession." We have had just that. President Biden assures us we are not in a recession. Who are you going to believe? The economy or the president?
Everyone Knows That
Democrats have introduced a bill to put term limits on the Supreme Court. Why? Because of a "legitimacy crisis." Obviously, because 6 judges voted to remove Roe v Wade. Now the court is "illegitimate." To fix the "crisis," it is necessary to remove those judges with whom they disagree, because the only way for the Supreme Court to be legitimate is to have it be compliant to their positions.
Taking a Bee-ting
Joe Biden signed into law his "Economic Integrity Protection Act" better known as the "Don't Say Recesson" bill. They have to do something so people won't notice inflation, economic decline, reduced trade, drop in GDP, and climbing prices. The Bee has a handy infographic to help us understand if we are in a recession. And another for several other word refinements.
Must be true; I read it on the Internet.
Friday, July 29, 2022
Got To Believe
There are some really important, albeit really unpopular, things we must believe.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)Just a smattering of a continuous message broadcast in Scripture. Sin is a problem. A big problem. If you don't believe that -- if you don't recognize the very real condition you are in -- you will not accept a remedy and cannot survive.
No one does good, not even one. (Rom 3:12)
The intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. (Gen 8:21)
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. (Rom 8:7)
God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)If you believe there is a serious sin problem, then you will be delighted to learn there is a serious sin remedy. God sent His Son to save us. God provided it in His Son's death on our behalf. All you have to do is believe. Believe it.
If, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. (Rom 5:10)
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9)
God loved the world in this way; He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31)The outcome is certain. Believe it. If you grant that we are sinners and you believe that God provided the answer in Christ's death and resurrection, taking on our sin and giving us new life, you can believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Believe it. Even if sometimes you don't feel it.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)
I will never, never leave you nor forsake you. (Heb 13:5).
Thursday, July 28, 2022
In His Presence
Psalm 16 is a Miktam of David. ("Oh, thanks, Stan, that clears things right up.") "Miktam" is a word of unclear meaning, but the opening line is not. "Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge" (Psa 16:1). I don't know if you grasp the magnitude of that statement. David doesn't say, "In Your taking good care of me I take refuge." He doesn't say that his refuge is in comfort or good circumstances. He says it is simply in God. He says, "I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken" (Psa 16:8). God's presence, God's existence is enough.
David offers a rare point of view here. We are often quick to praise God for the pleasant things He supplies. We're happy to be grateful when we find comfort or protection. We'll thank Him for a meal, but will we do the same for lack of food? David finds his comfort in the mere presence of God. But he also tells why, an important secret, I think. "You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psa 16:11). Ah, now, see? "Pleasures forevermore." That's the kind of language we recognize. But where are those pleasures? "At Your right hand." Where is the fullness of joy? "In Your presence." You and I both know self-professed Christians who seem to think their task in life is to locate those people who are having fun and put an end to it. God, on the other hand, offers "fullness of joy" and "pleasures forevermore." Where? In His presence. Right where we need to be.
David offers a rare point of view here. We are often quick to praise God for the pleasant things He supplies. We're happy to be grateful when we find comfort or protection. We'll thank Him for a meal, but will we do the same for lack of food? David finds his comfort in the mere presence of God. But he also tells why, an important secret, I think. "You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psa 16:11). Ah, now, see? "Pleasures forevermore." That's the kind of language we recognize. But where are those pleasures? "At Your right hand." Where is the fullness of joy? "In Your presence." You and I both know self-professed Christians who seem to think their task in life is to locate those people who are having fun and put an end to it. God, on the other hand, offers "fullness of joy" and "pleasures forevermore." Where? In His presence. Right where we need to be.
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
The Problem of Ideas
There is noise in the public arena either praising or, much, much more often, crucifying the concept of "Christian nationalism." Christian nationalism is the belief that one's nation should pass laws that reflect Christian values. Christian nationlism in America is the pursuit of keeping America a "Christian nation." Of course, the loudest part of the nation is violently opposed to God in the public square and just won't have it. They deem it radical, dangerous, and worse.
I'm not writing here about Christian nationalism -- for or against. What I'm looking at is the underlying problem. Americans today like to tell us that we can have our religion in private, but just don't force it down their throats. Of course, in all honesty, forcing Christianity down someone's throat is just plain stupid, but neither those who try it or those who complain seem to notice. So, no, it makes no ssense to force Christianity. It does make sense to encourage moral behavior and sometimes to pass laws that might concur with Christian values because the values are good for the people, but, in truth, morality and legality are not always in sync. We don't always need laws to enforce what's right. Further, the idea of a "Christian nation" is just plain silly. We are saved by faith, not by laws. And Christ died for people, not nations. And, ultimately, we will never have (this side of heaven) entire nations following Christ (the definition of "Christian") nor will anyone in the country be saved by obeying Christian laws. So, no, we don't want to force Christianity down people's throats. And as everyone sighs a sigh of relief, we run headlong into the problem. If not Christian values, whose?
Most of society concurs; Christians are not supposed to force their beliefs onto anyone else. Especially on government. It appears, however, that Christianity is the only one that is thusly limited. It's okay for pro-aborts to force their beliefs on the world or LGBTians to force their beliefs on the rest of us. We all need to bow to "woke" thinking and submit to atheist preferences. Even the "Left" religion is happy forcing their beliefs on the rest of us, by force of law if at all possible. Oh, mind you, I'm not complaining that they -- all of them -- do this. It's what you would expect from any firmly-held beliefs. What's odd, however, is this double standard of "You Christians are not allowed to influence the world around you with your beliefs" followed with "but we are and we will." At the bottom line, we all share a host of difficulties we must deal with. Crime, punishment, drugs, disease, poverty, racism, sexism, on and on ad infinitum. These aren't Christian problems; they're everyone problems. So we -- everyone -- have to deal with them. The question is, how? So we work out some sort of approach to a problem, but how do we do that? We do it from our underlying presuppositions. If, for instance, you believe that all people are basically good and criminals are just good people in bad circumstances, you will work to improve their circumstances to bring out their goodness. If you believe that people are basically evil, your approach will obviously be quite different. We all work from our basic assumptions. And, oh, yeah, aren't those the things that we just determined were not supposed to be forced on anyone? Oh, no, we didn't. We determined that Christian basic assumptions were not allowed, but anyone else can force theirs. So ... what if Christian beliefs are right?
There's the problem. We're not going to allow Christian beliefs in the public square. We are going to allow just about everything else. Just about. Whoever can bring the most weight to bear will be allowed to bludgeon the rest into basic assumptions. But surely you can see that forcing your beliefs on me is just as wrong as me forcing my beliefs on you. So why do you get the pass? What we should be looking at is which ones are right. And, of course, that won't be allowed (2 Cor 4:4).
I'm not writing here about Christian nationalism -- for or against. What I'm looking at is the underlying problem. Americans today like to tell us that we can have our religion in private, but just don't force it down their throats. Of course, in all honesty, forcing Christianity down someone's throat is just plain stupid, but neither those who try it or those who complain seem to notice. So, no, it makes no ssense to force Christianity. It does make sense to encourage moral behavior and sometimes to pass laws that might concur with Christian values because the values are good for the people, but, in truth, morality and legality are not always in sync. We don't always need laws to enforce what's right. Further, the idea of a "Christian nation" is just plain silly. We are saved by faith, not by laws. And Christ died for people, not nations. And, ultimately, we will never have (this side of heaven) entire nations following Christ (the definition of "Christian") nor will anyone in the country be saved by obeying Christian laws. So, no, we don't want to force Christianity down people's throats. And as everyone sighs a sigh of relief, we run headlong into the problem. If not Christian values, whose?
Most of society concurs; Christians are not supposed to force their beliefs onto anyone else. Especially on government. It appears, however, that Christianity is the only one that is thusly limited. It's okay for pro-aborts to force their beliefs on the world or LGBTians to force their beliefs on the rest of us. We all need to bow to "woke" thinking and submit to atheist preferences. Even the "Left" religion is happy forcing their beliefs on the rest of us, by force of law if at all possible. Oh, mind you, I'm not complaining that they -- all of them -- do this. It's what you would expect from any firmly-held beliefs. What's odd, however, is this double standard of "You Christians are not allowed to influence the world around you with your beliefs" followed with "but we are and we will." At the bottom line, we all share a host of difficulties we must deal with. Crime, punishment, drugs, disease, poverty, racism, sexism, on and on ad infinitum. These aren't Christian problems; they're everyone problems. So we -- everyone -- have to deal with them. The question is, how? So we work out some sort of approach to a problem, but how do we do that? We do it from our underlying presuppositions. If, for instance, you believe that all people are basically good and criminals are just good people in bad circumstances, you will work to improve their circumstances to bring out their goodness. If you believe that people are basically evil, your approach will obviously be quite different. We all work from our basic assumptions. And, oh, yeah, aren't those the things that we just determined were not supposed to be forced on anyone? Oh, no, we didn't. We determined that Christian basic assumptions were not allowed, but anyone else can force theirs. So ... what if Christian beliefs are right?
There's the problem. We're not going to allow Christian beliefs in the public square. We are going to allow just about everything else. Just about. Whoever can bring the most weight to bear will be allowed to bludgeon the rest into basic assumptions. But surely you can see that forcing your beliefs on me is just as wrong as me forcing my beliefs on you. So why do you get the pass? What we should be looking at is which ones are right. And, of course, that won't be allowed (2 Cor 4:4).
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