Bad Theology

More Word, Less Work

2009-05-21T23:39:00.003-04:00

So, I spent some time tonight with four other guys talking about our lack of desire to spend time in the Word. I've decided (somewhat legalistically) to start spending some time in the Word every day for the next week while praying Psalm 1 (that I would delight in the law of the Lord).

One of the guys tonight brought up Luke 14:26-35. This is where we are told to "consider the cost" of following Christ. I go into this week long commitment anticipating that my desire to follow Christ will cost me something. Compared to what others around the world suffer on a daily basis, I think I can accept the cost of a little less sleep or starting work a little bit later or possibly even missing a deadline so that I can spend time in the Word.

I'm honestly not sure just how 'legalistic' or even 'doctrinally' sound this approach will be... but this is how its going down for the next seven days... and I'm excited to spend the extra time in the Word.

Ironically, I just read my last post... from July 2008! Old priorities die hard I guess.

Paneling My House

2008-07-08T08:31:00.002-04:00

I've had a hard time getting into the Word of God on a daily basis lately. This isn't a legalistic concern but a heart concern. When I don't spend time prioritizing the things that God prioritizes, I don't prioritize God.

It never sounds good coming out of my mouth (or typing it on the computer screen) but it is good for me to acknowledge: I don't prioritize God in my life.

Larry Trotter taught from Haggai this past Sunday. He started his message with a warning: "Having a conversation with the minor prophets is not that different than looking down the barrel of a shotgun." This has certainly been true of my experience with the first chapter of Haggai this week. I keep trying to look away but it's pretty well aimed at my heart this morning.

Haggai's message to the Jews was simple: You have neglected God's priority (rebuilding the temple) and have instead invested your time into "paneling your own houses". Haggai's audience had the same problem I've had lately: they believed that "the time has not yet come" to do that which the Lord has asked of them. This justification apparently existed so that they could invest in their own priorities and better their own standards of living.

I'm like Haggai's audience. I have plenty of excuses for why I haven't spent time in the Word or spent time talking to my Maker. I have excuses that justify my lack of concern for the lost, the divided attention I give to my family, and my ill concern for the poor, the widows and the orphans or our society. In a nutshell though, I'm too busy "providing" for my own well being.

I have to ask though: might all this "providing", all these excuses be in vain? I know the answer... it's obvious... but why do I continue in my sin? Why do I continue paneling my house while the Lord's temple lies in ruins?

Please pray with me as I seek to prioritize the Lord this week by prioritizing what He prioritizes.

Modeling a Godly Lifestyle

2008-04-11T07:36:00.004-04:00

I have a good friend that has encouraged me in my walk with the Lord for some time now. We have tried multiple different methods of accomplishing this other over the couple of years that we've known one another - the classic accountability structure, phone calls, emails, prayer journals, etc. In the past, he's had to bluntly tell me that I needed to stop doing something... other times he's told me I needed to start doing something. I've always appreciated his encouragement and I know that there have been several dark periods in my life that would have carried on for a longer period of time if he hadn't been there to challenge or encourage me. Nonetheless, I have found that he encourages me to live a godly life the most when I see him living a godly life.

My wife and I recently had our second child (Meghan Colleen) and life has been somewhat hectic. I took a break from the chaos the other day and called up my friend to see if he wanted to go to a local coffee house and study together. I met him there as planned but before he began studying, I noticed that he was spending some time in the Word and journaling. I hadn't done so in a couple of weeks and, quite frankly, watching him spend time in the Word created a longing desire for me to do the same.

I think that this type of "accountability" or encouragement is one of the most affective means of leading others closer to God. While it will often be beneficial and necessary for me to exhort or confront my friends and family concerning our relationships and walks with the Lord, I think a godly lifestyle on my part will always resonate louder and give ample opportunity for the Holy Spirit to personally encourage or convict those around me.

I thank God for the believers He has placed around me.

Come, Let Us Return to the Lord

2007-12-29T07:23:00.000-05:00

I found this beautiful response to God's judgment in Hosea 6 this morning. I thought I would share it:

"Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
He will revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the thrid day
That we may live before Him.
So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth."

I've been studying the book of Hosea for a while now and I'm amazed at how many references there are to the coming king. This morning, I praise God for His faithfulness to us in the midst of our unfaithfulness towards Him... "so let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn..."

Obedience to the Word of God

2007-12-18T13:21:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I posted about my desire to wed my doctrine more securely to my life.

Last night I found an old friend's blog. He recently renamed it "The Champion of Truth (when it benefits me)". Previously it was only "The Champion of Truth." His reason for appending "when it benefits me" to his blog title can be found here. In short, he was convicted by the same "divorce" concept God has been teaching me about lately.

This morning, I began reading the Old Testament book of Hosea and noticed the obvious connection between verse two and verse three of chapter one. God told Hosea to take an adulteress wife (verse 2) and he did (verse 3). Chapter one records no hesitations by Hosea, no questioning God and no disobedience on his part. This is in stark contrast to the people of Israel who God has asked Hosea to rebuke on his behalf.

I'm thankful to God for His continual conviction in this area and hope that it will lead to a sincere change in my character for the good.

A Doctrine Divorced from Life

2007-12-17T12:31:00.000-05:00

Found within the introduction to Bonhoeffer's Life Together is the following testimony to his life:

"For him, Christianity could never be merely intellectual theory, a doctrine divorced from life, or mystical emotion, but always it must be responsible, obedient action, the discipleship of Christ in every situation of concrete everyday life, personal and pubic. And it was this that led him to prison and death."

While I've opened this book with the intention to read it several times within the last five to six years, I have never made it through the first chapter. It seems that school or work always gets in the way. Though my work has by no means lessened, I am now free from school and look forward to reading more often.

This quote is important to me because it says what I'm searching for. In the course of my seminary education, I feel that I've somewhat divorced my intellectual studies from my life. I find myself constantly thinking about and questioning theology, but failing to live that which I study. If I were to study a theology that represents what I live, I am afraid to admit what the titles of the books might sound like or what the topics found within those books might be.

I look forward to reading Bonhoeffer because it is apparent that his life theology echoed his lectures and writings.

Does Heaven Limit Our Freedom?

2007-12-17T12:12:00.000-05:00

I ran across this post from John Piper in my feed reader this morning... very interesting. I've never read the essay that he references, but I think I may take the time to do so in the near future.

In short, the question revolves around the lack of sin in heaven. Does God revoke our ability to sin or is the desire to sin simply overwhelmed by the presence of God? That may be excluding a middle somewhere... I'll have to read the entire essay and let you know. The essay is by Edwards (didn't see that one coming) and is quite long.

A Biblical Approach to a Secular Christmas

2007-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

There seems to be three primary reactions that Christians have to the secular extravaganza surrounding Christmas. In general, I can observe those who indulge, those who abstain, and those who ride the fence. Concerning that third group, I find its members largely marked by indecisiveness brought forth from the fear of being wrong, assumed practicality, and ambiguous gut feelings. I have been a member of the third group for several years now.

My goal this season was to remove myself from the third group and to find a home among either the indulgers or the abstainers. In doing so, I have come to the conclusion that it is not the third group I must reject, but rather, the indecisiveness that is so prevalent among them.

Christians should not indulge, abstain, or remain indecisive in the secular celebration of Christmas. Rather, we should apply here the same biblical teachings that we observe throughout the rest of the year. Scripture has made it abundantly clear that we are not to love the world or the things of the world (1 John). At the same time, however, it is taught that we should not remove ourselves completely from the culture in which God has placed us. In light of the fact that Scripture has required separation but not removal, and because Scripture does not directly command believers to remember the birth of Christ, I have come to the conclusion that a happy medium can be found outside of indecisiveness that has previously prevented me from committing to either of the extremes.

Christians should not indulge in the secular celebration
There are those Christians that give no thought to the secular celebration, the frame of mind that encourages it, or what their biblical response to that celebration might look like. Most of these Christians are not purposely neglecting their biblical response. Rather, they have allowed their lack of knowledge to entrap them in sin. The Bible condemns the total indulgence of secular or worldly affairs. As believers, our approach to the secular celebration of Christmas must be directed with the same wisdom and judgment that we approach our daily lives in a secular world. The extent to which we indulge in secular activities is directly related to our Christian obligations.

I find three problems with total indulgence. We neglect our obligation to be separated from the world. We neglect our obligation to have no gods before the Lord, and we neglect our obligation to be content in what we have been given. Possibly the greatest concern that Christians should have during the Christmas season should be the materialistic mindset that drives our culture. This mindset is what makes it inappropriate for a Christian to indulge completely in the secular celebrations surrounding Christmas. When we allow the pursuit of gifts and the joy of receiving to turn into a god, we instantly neglect our obligation to be separated from the world, to have no other god than our God, and to be content in all we have. One cannot be completely immersed in what Christmas has become to the secular world without at the same time chasing the materialistic dream.

Christians should not abstain from the secular celebration
It is true that Christians should not indulge in the secular celebration to the extent that we forsake our biblical obligations, but it is just as clear from Scripture that we are not to abstain completely from the culture in which God has placed us. There exists a large population of believers that would be pleased if Christians did not associate with anything secular at all. Following the model of Jesus, it is clear from scripture that we are intended to be actively involved in the culture around us. Furthermore, while the Christmas season, as celebrated by believers, is extremely beneficial to both believers and non-believers alike, it is not set aside in Scripture as an ordinance that must be practiced with specifications. On account of this, I have a hard time accepting arguments which deny the Christian any involvement in the secular celebration. If this were the case, would we not have to apply the same practices to birthdays, retirement parties, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and even the weekend sale at the mall? All of these are secular events. Some of them even carry very strong Christian values with them. I do not believe that I, as a Christian, have any more obligation to abstain from the secular celebration of Christmas than I do to abstain from the secular celebration of Mother's Day. Rather, as a believer, I must employ the wisdom and guidance that God has promised me through His gift of the Holy Spirit.

Christians should apply the same biblical standards to a secular Christmas that we apply to our lives the other 11 months of the year
The longer that I continued to think about this dilemma, the more I was convinced that it wasn't actually a dilemma at all. I had developed my bad theology because of my poor understanding of spiritual discipline and an incorrect understanding of my biblical obligations towards the Christmas story.

As to my poor understanding of spiritual discipline, it has become evident to me through the writing of this post that my lack of spiritual discipline is not a seasonal problem, but rather, a lifestyle problem. This is the indulger inside of me. Putting up a Christmas tree in my living room is not a sin in and of itself. It is only a sin when I value it above my relationship with God. I anticipate bringing it home more than I anticipate my Savior's return. I get frustrated trying to take it through the front door. I am given to pride when is finally standing tall and decorated in the corner. The Christmas tree is not the problem. The problem is my heart. Sin can manifest itself during the secular celebration of Christmas just as easily as it can manifest itself during the final exam season.

As to my incorrect understanding of my biblical obligations, I realized how shallow it is for me to think that God would place such a high importance on celebrating His Son's birth only once a year. The fact is that Scripture doesn't even ask me to celebrate Christ's birth during December. Rather, it requires that I continually look for my Savior's second advent. One of the ways in which I am able to do this is by recalling God's faithfulness to Adam and Eve, Abraham, David, and all of humanity to send our Redeemer in His first advent. With this truth in mind, I realize that what believers typically understand as the Christmas story should be celebrated year round with the anticipation of Christ's second advent.

Conclusion
So what will I be doing this Christmas season? I'll be spending time with my family opening presents in front of a Christmas tree because it's December in a secular world and talking about God's great gift in Jesus because that's what being a Christian is about... regardless of the month.

This post is part of a synchroblog. The topic for December was "Redeeming the Season." You will find the other posts in this month's synchroblog below:

Remembering the Incarnation at The Assembling of the Church
Recapturing the Spirit of Christmas at Igneous Quill
Swords into Plowshares at Calacirian
Fanning the Flickering Flame of Advent at Out of the Cocoon
Lainie Petersen at Headspace
Sam Norton at Elizaphanian
Brian Riley at at Charis Shalom
Secularizing Christmas at JohnSmulo.com
There's Something About Mary at Hello Said Jenelle
Geocentric Versus Anthropocentric Holydays at No More
Celebrating Christmas in a Pluralistic Society at Journeys in Between
The Ghost of Christmas Past at Decompressing Faith
Redeeming the season -- season of redemption by Steve Hayes
What's So Bad About Christmas? at One Hand Clapping
The Obligation of Christmas at JonathanBrink.com
A Biblical Response to a Secular Christmas by Glenn Ansley

Bumper Sticker Theology

2007-12-11T08:44:00.000-05:00

I saw a bumper sticker this morning that said "1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given".

It's cute, but it's also bad theology. Unless you hold to a universal atonement, something about this bumper sticker should bother you. While there's not really anything that I can (or should) do about bumper stickers like this one, they do make me think about how often I allow bumper sticker theology into my own life.

I think that we, as believers, are extremely prone to neglecting our verbal theology. Where we are thoughtful in our written doctrine, we are often irresponsible in our its verbal counterpart. When I fail to think about what I am saying, I do a disservice to the Lord and to the church.

So, while the bumper sticker's intended message completely missed the mark this morning, I am thankful that it has reminded me how important the words I choose to express my faith are to those around me.

Stop Attacking The Golden Compass

2007-12-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

Today is the day that so many Christians have been fearing for months now... The Golden Compass has been unleashed upon us. I'm really having a difficult time understanding what all the hoopla is about. Yes, this movie is a children's movie. Yes, this movie is within the genre of fantasy. Yes, this movie was adapted from a book who's author is an atheist. And yes... that atheist has most certainly worked anti-church and anti-Christian themes into his masterpiece. In his own words, "This book is about killing God."

So what? We live in a fallen world that is driven by the wants and desires of fallen men and women. Were we not warned by our Savior that the world would hate us because of Him? Do we not expect books and movies like this to present themselves every so often? Why are we so bent out of shape that the world is operating according to the sinful nature of its heart?

As I survey the Christian reactions thus far to The Golden Compass, I've found two general classes. There are those who seek to inform believers of the underlying message of the movie and there are those that seek to initiate boycotts or even attack the author himself.

As you prepare to be approached by your neighbors, coworkers, and family about the movie, I encourage you to resist the temptation to show how disgusted you are in a movie that you've never seen. I encourage you to take the higher road and not to attack the atheist for living out what he believes, but to live out what you believe in your interactions with these individuals. Use this opportunity to invoke thoughtful conversation about you or your friend's faith. It is possible to disagree with something and not to lose your temper over it at the same time.

Do you have children? If they are old enough to enjoy the movie, I would encourage you to watch the movie with them. Their friends are going to be watching it and they will be picking up on the storyline one way or another. Not watching a movie with your children because it has bad theology is extremely irresponsible. Ignoring it won't make it go away. Have we done such a poor job of educating our children that we are afraid one movie might distort their beliefs in God? Why not take this opportunity to teach our children how to think critically, how to respond to underhanded attacks against our God, and how to interact with a lost culture?

Is the movie anti-Christian in nature? Yes. The author has made that clear. Do we as believers need to be aware of that nature? Yes, and I thank the many scholars and parents who have so clearly demonstrated the nature of this movie. Does that, however, demand that we boycott it or condemn those who see it? No. I think the responsible thing to do here would be to watch with the intention of educating our children and communicating with our neighbors.

Belief in God When Evidence is Lacking

2007-12-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

I read an excellent essay last week by C.S. Lewis. It is entitled "On Obstinacy in Belief" and can be found in a book called The World's Last Night (2002). His argument is against the idea that scientists and Christians approach belief in opposite manners (the prior dismissing belief when evidence is lacking and the latter holding on all the more firmly when evidence is lacking). His thesis is as follows:

"The purpose of this essay is to show that things are really not quite so bad as that. The sense in which scientists proportion their belief to the evidence, and the sense in which Christians do not, both need to be defined more closely."

Although his argument is far more involved than the following, here are some key points:

Scientists (in the lab) are not so much concerned with believing things as they are with finding things out.
When speaking of belief, we need to separate the assent to that belief from the adherence to that belief.
No one, scientist or Christian, assents to a belief without sufficient evidence. When the scientist assents to one belief and the Christian to another, it does not mean that one of them is rational and the other irrational (because they both believe they have sufficient evidence). Rather, one is correct, while the other is incorrect. Determining which has assented to the correct belief is not the point of his essay.
It is at the point of adherence to that belief that one can rightly accuse the Christian of continuing to believe in the face of poor or adverse evidence.
Though others would contend that scientists do the exact opposite, it is here that Lewis states, "I think the contrast between [the scientist] and the Christian can be weakened."
His argument is that scientists don't actually adhere to believes inside the lab (remember point 1) but they adhere to their hypothesis inside the lab. If you want to compare how a scientist adheres to his belief with how a Christian adheres to his belief, you have to observe the scientist outside of the lab.
Illustrating this, Lewis explains that if a scientist finds a doubt to his wife's fidelity, does he insist on examining this doubt with complete impartiality, setting up experiments to find the validity of his doubt? The implied answer is no. This illustration is not given to produce an exact parallel between the scientist's adherence to belief and the Christian's adherence to belief, but only to serve as a precaution against exaggerating the difference between them.
Lewis now sets out to prove the logical response of Christians who praise the adherence to belief in God when no sufficient evidence exists or even in the midst of adverse evidence.
Key to his argument at this point is the point that once a Christian has assented to a belief in God, he immediately enters a trust relationship with God. Where evidence was necessary to support the assent to belief, demanding evidence to adhere to a belief is harmful to the relationship and shows a lack of love.
Lewis states: "Love involves trusting the beloved beyond the evidence, even against much evidence. No man is our friend who believes in our good intentions only when they are proved."
Therefore, "there is no real parallel between Christian obstinacy in belief and the obstinacy of a bad scientist trying to preserve a hypothesis although the evidence has turned against it."

Lewis is by far a greater thinker than I will probably ever become. Each one of his sentences are composed with more thought than I generally produce in a given day. With that said, don't be surprised if you did not follow my breakdown of his argument. Don't let my fuzzy thinking prevent you from seeking out the book (it's in the library) and reading through it. I found many of his thoughts to be quite provoking. I am sure that they will be life changing if I meditate on them long enough. It is a good thing to understand how and why I believe in God even in the mist of adverse evidence.

Akin, Nelson, Keathley, and Schemm as Dancing elf's?

2007-12-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

Now,
I cannot stress enough the fact that I did not create this (although I wish I had).
And you thought dancing was looked down upon...

Will anyone take credit for it?

Judas a Demon, not a Saint (so says his gospel)

2007-12-02T22:53:00.001-05:00

Apparently the National Geographic Society made a mistake last year when they announced the discovery of the Gospel of Judas. An independent researcher has recently completed her own translation of the Coptic text and found many errors with the National Geographic translation. In summary, she says:

So what does the Gospel of Judas really say? It says that Judas is a specific demon called the “Thirteenth.” In certain Gnostic traditions, this is the given name of the king of demons — an entity known as Ialdabaoth who lives in the 13th realm above the earth. Judas is his human alter ego, his undercover agent in the world. These Gnostics equated Ialdabaoth with the Hebrew Yahweh, whom they saw as a jealous and wrathful deity and an opponent of the supreme God whom Jesus came to earth to reveal.

You can get all the details here.

Nehemiah's wall found in Israel?

2007-12-01T12:20:00.000-05:00

I came across an interesting AP report for all of you who are into archeology. It is being reported that they may have uncovered a part of Nehemiah's wall.

Israeli says elusive biblical wall found:
"A wall mentioned in the Bible's Book of Nehemiah and long sought by archaeologists apparently has been found, an Israeli archaeologist says..."

I Avoid Sharing the Gospel with "Good" People

2007-11-29T22:58:00.000-05:00

Eric over at Hammer and Nail recently posted an article about the way many Christians expect the lost to behave like they are saved. In his post he states,

"So what can we do? Lost people will not listen to calls to "live better," but they will listen to a message of real hope. That is the message we have in the truth of the gospel."

I completely agree with Eric on this point, but it immediately raised a question in my mind that he did not address. That is, how am I interacting with the lost who do act like they are saved? This is something very relevant to me as my next door neighbor, though he is not a Christian, is one of the nicest people I've met in a long time.

How then do I respond to an unbeliever who appears to live as morally (or even more morally) than I do? I fear that I do him the injustice of treating him as a brother in Christ. Why would I do such a thing? Why am I so hesitant to share the gospel with him?

In the case of my neighbor, I think I have allowed my emotions and fears to trump several very important biblical truths:

All humanity is born into this world void of a personal relationship with God. Scripture refers to this state of the soul as wicked.
It is possible for the wicked to prosper and to show kindness to others.
One's righteousness is not determined by his or her prosperity or external actions, but rather, by their internal faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ.
At the time of the final judgment, God will divide humanity, not based on works, but based on a person's righteousness.

Reflecting on the way that I've interacted with him over the last 3 years, I think I've identified a major fallacy in my life-theology: I completely avoid the subject of my faith in Jesus because his outward sin is not readily apparent.

Furthermore, I think this trap is largely due to my ability to separate "evangelism" from real life. Too often, I think of evangelism as something I must take time out of my life to do. Scripture, on the other hand, seems to approach evangelism as a part of my life. When evangelism becomes something that I take time out of my life to do, I find that I often go looking for specific types of people that I deem need Jesus "the most".

Most of the time unbelievers who appear to live morally sound lives are not on my "evangelism radar". I think this is what has happened with my neighbor.

I have allowed my neighbor's seemingly good morals to distract me from sharing the gospel with him or talking to him about spiritual things. To be perfectly honest, I think that I have been intimidated to approach him because of this misconception. According to the points I listed above, my neighbor is very much in need of a relationship with Jesus. It doesn't matter how many times he has helped me work on my car or how many times he has taken in my trash cans for me. It doesn't matter how much time I see him spending with his son or how much he sacrifices for his daughter. Good people who don't know Jesus still need to hear about him. Who am I to pick and choose what type of person will hear the gospel?

This Thanksgiving, Kristie and I were able to take Pumpkin Roll to our neighbors. It was an effort to reach out and get to know them better. We are currently thinking about how our family could interact with their families more often.

I am still thinking through much of this, but I wanted to thank Eric for his post and the question it has raised in my mind about unbelievers who behave as well as or better than Christians.

Cause and Effect in Scripture

2007-11-28T19:20:00.001-05:00

How do we know that one thing in the Bible is a direct result of another? It was suggested to me today that King Saul was killed by an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:1-10) because he had earlier disobeyed God's order to kill the Amalekite king in 1 Samuel 15:1-9.

While It is true that Saul did spare the king against the Word of God, and while it is true that he did latter die at the hands of an Amalakite, I have found nowhere in the text that says these two events are related in a cause/effect nature. This type of seemingly innocent association is something that I've noticed on more than one occasion. I think that it is irresponsible to connect two events in Scripture as cause and effect where the text does not do this for you. When this becomes an option, bad theology is usually close behind.

I am not denying the historicity of these two events. I believe that they really happened (even with the difficulty of the dual accounts of Saul's death). Likewise, I am not denying the author's use of literary device to associate the two events. It does appear that the author finds significance in identifying the passing soldier as an Amalekite. I don't think, however, that this establishes cause and effect.

Cause and effect is a very powerful teaching tool when one knows for a fact that the two events are related. Scripture is full of such associations. For instance, we can make a justified association between Nathan's rebuke of David and the mayhem that later wrecked his family. These events, however, are not cause/effect simply because of their order in the text, but rather, because of the text's direct assertion to that fact. We need to be careful not to apply cause and effect to biblical stories where the Holy Spirit has refused to do so. Although such assumptions are often pursued as teaching points in Bible studies, they are not profitable to our understanding of the scripture.

Poorly Founded Beliefs Lead to Wavering Morals

2007-11-25T22:06:00.000-05:00

I recently had a long phone conversation with a friend that has gotten himself into a situation in which he's not sure how to get out. The specific nature of his problem isn't important, but the premise behind it has taught me a lot and I thought I'd share it with you as well.

I think too many Christians (myself included) have developed a poorly founded system of beliefs. Many times those beliefs, such as "Murder is wrong" or "Sex outside of marriage is sin," are seemingly easy to warrant or justify. Other times, however, those same beliefs or others that are less "black and white" are harder to warrant.

In the case of my friend, he was asking me for advice about situation x. He wanted to know what he should do. His belief about situation x happened to differ from another individual involved in that same situation. Due to this other person's opinion and the emotions that were involved in situation x, my friend suddenly lost confidence in his belief.

I asked him, "why do you belief this?" He said that it was difficult to explain why he believed it. He just kind of felt that his belief was right... but now he was wavering. I suggested that his poorly founded belief was the basis for his current "moral dilemma." Until he takes the time to find firm warrant or justification for his belief, it will remain poorly founded, and he will remain indecisive in relation to situation x.

After hanging up the phone with my friend, I began to think about some of my beliefs that were similar to the one he was so indecisive about. How well are my beliefs founded? If I were to find myself suddenly involved in my own situation x, would my emotions or the opinions of others affect my belief? I am fearful that they would.

I think this is a pretty common scenario within Christian circles. We don't really think about where or how we developed our beliefs. Rather, they are a composite of books, lessons, sermons, conversations, and personal experience. All too often, our beliefs are poorly founded and we are none the wiser to it. These poorly founded beliefs will undoubtedly result in wavering morals if we are not diligent to spend the necessary time it takes to found them correctly in the Word of God.

What are you really trying to say?

2007-11-25T18:26:00.001-05:00

I recently had to read the book Using Illustrations to Preach with Power as one of the requirements for a class that I'm taking at Southeastern. While there are several things in this book that one could take issue with (and many good points as well), I have been most distracted by the title. What is the author, Bryan Chapell, trying to communicate with this title? Does he really believe that illustrations are the key to preaching with power?

On the back cover of the copy that I have, the publisher has written the following:

Do you find it difficult to keep the interest of your parishioners in the weekly sermon? You've spent hours working on the sermon, and still you find them nodding? Why? Maybe it's because you haven't seen the power of illustrating your sermons.

This paragraph, like the title, causes me to wince on the inside. It sounds to me like the author is saying exactly what I feared: one can compensate for impotent preaching by simply using illustrations correctly.

I should note that the author certainly views Scripture as supreme over the illustrations. One of his motivations for writing the book is because "I love the truths of God's Word more than the illustrations." Yet, in all of this, I fear that he may have communicated the supremacy of illustrations over the Holy Spirit in preaching.

Does he believe this? I don't think so. In his case for the use of illustrations in preaching, he traces the use of them throughout scripture. He concludes with the following statement: "Illustrations have the imprimatur of divine precedent and the sanction of the Spirit who inspired the Word."

Whether you and I believe that the Holy Spirit has outrightly sanctioned the use of illustrations in preaching is beside the point. The point is that, regardless of the author's title and the paragraph of the back of the book, it appears that he does place illustrations in submission to the Holy Spirit... you just have to look really hard to find it.

So where did he go wrong? If the author doesn't believe that illustrations are more important than the Holy Spirit in powerful preaching, why does his title, and therefore the book, communicate that it does? I think he has been blindsided by his own soapbox. His passion is communicating the Word of God and he longs to help others do so better. By his own personal testimony, a better understanding of illustrations (what they are, how they are used properly, etc) has indeed helped his communication of the gospel.

It is not, however, the power behind his preaching. I do not think that he honestly believes that. And yet, his book, Using Illustrations to Preach with Power now sits in bookstores for struggling pastors to pick up when they are looking for a solution to their impotent preaching.

I have two points to this rant:

The book should have been titled something else so that struggling pastors would not naively believe that better illustrations will empower them rather than the Holy Spirit.
We, as communicators of God's Word, need to be careful about what we are trying to say. If you are going to write a post about subject "A", don't title it subject "B" or the uncritical reader will read subject "A" and think that it is the solution to subject "B".

As to avoid hypocrisy, I should note that I have done this on more than one occasion and I will probably do it again in the future. Nonetheless, the more that I am aware of this error and the more that I seek to avoid it, the better off we'll all be.

Finally, I should mention that he has another book entitled Christ Centered Preaching, although I haven't read it.

Spiritual Gifts Assessment

2007-11-24T15:17:00.000-05:00

My friend Alan recently completed a series of posts about spiritual gifts. Although I thought his approach was very helpful as an overview to what Scripture actually says about spiritual gifts, I found very little information that helped me determine my own spiritual gifts. In light of this shortcoming, I've decided to publish my own Spiritual Gifts Assessment. It even generates a cool little 'badge' that you can put on your website. Good luck!

You're pretty sure that this question is referring to some sort of administrative task.

1 2 3 4 5

You don't even know what the term apostle means, but it's obvious that this question is referencing that gift.

1 2 3 4 5

If you can easily discern which questions refer to which gifts, you'll score high on this question.

1 2 3 4 5

This question addresses encouragement, but you need to decide how important that is compared to the other gifts.

1 2 3 4 5

Evangelism, though you don't practice it very much is obviously very important. This is a difficult question.

1 2 3 4 5

On a scale of 1 to 5, how important do you think exhortation is? (Score a 3 or 4 if you're uncertain of what exhortation means.)

1 2 3 4 5

You are hesitant to select a 5 for faith because you would like for your spiritual gift to be more exciting then this.

1 2 3 4 5

This question has something to do with giving. Your answer should be dependent on who will see the results of this quiz.

1 2 3 4 5

Finally, a question about healing. If you're looking for lower scores because most of yours have been unusually high, this might be a good option.

1 2 3 4 5

You're having a hard time determining what this question is about. Pick a good average score.

1 2 3 4 5

How important is hospitality to you? Think about how your answer to this question might affect your other answers.

1 2 3 4 5

This question has to do with prayer, but you can't remember which type of prayer Intercession refers to.

1 2 3 4 5

This question speaks of knowledge. How smart do you consider yourself?

1 2 3 4 5

Leadership is a tough subject. You are having a hard time making a decision about this and want to ask somebody.

1 2 3 4 5

Who isn't merciful?

1 2 3 4 5

This question is obviously referring to missions. If you don't want to go overseas, scoring a 1 here will be helpful during heavy seasons of conviction.

1 2 3 4 5

How much do you enjoy listening to music?

1 2 3 4 5

Select 1 if you don't want to be a pastor, 5 if you really feel that the Lord is calling you towards vocational ministry.

1 2 3 4 5

This question has to do with prophecy. On a scale of 1 to 5, how much did you enjoy the Left Behind series?

1 2 3 4 5

This question is about teaching. Your answer should probably resemble that of question 18.

1 2 3 4 5

On a scale of 1 to 5, how legitimate do you think the gift of speaking in tongues is?

1 2 3 4 5

This question is about wisdom. Scoring low here could potentially have implications on the entire quiz. Be careful.

1 2 3 4 5

On a scale of 1 to 5, how often do you write stuff.

1 2 3 4 5

To compensate for questions that you interpreted incorrectly, it is important that we know what spiritual gift you think is most important.

Aside from Jesus, who is your favorite Bible character?

Going... Going... Gone.

2007-11-23T10:49:00.000-05:00

Mantras, Legalism, and Prayer

2007-11-22T10:13:00.001-05:00

I was able to spend some time this morning reading my Bible before my family got out of bed. In doing so, I decided to take out my journal and write a prayer to the Lord. This is something that I've done off and on since I was in high school. The first line in my journal goes like this, "Lord, I pray that you would grant me wisdom and discernment today..."

This dualistic theme of wisdom and discernment is something I've been asking of the Lord for years now. Often times, I don't even realize I've asked for it until after the words have been spoken. I have an easy explanation as to why I pray for wisdom and discernment so frequently.

When I was in the seventh grade, my mom made the decision to homeschool my siblings and me. From day one of this great adventure, she employed the use of "Assignment sheets." These checklists, one for each of us, hung on the fridge and consisted of our weekly school assignments as well as other activities that needed to be completed and checked off before my dad got home from work.

Included under the subheading of "Time with God" were the two tasks I mentioned above: Pray for wisdom. Pray for discernment. As I was a fairly compliant teenager, I faithfully prayed for wisdom and discernment every day.

Today, some 15 years later, I realize that I still pray for wisdom and discernment.
This isn't the first time I've thought about the routine that has been ingrained into my prayer life. How meaningful is it? How does it differ from the mantras of religions other than my own? Does God listen to and honor a prayer that started as a item on a checklist and has now evolved into a habit? Should I alter my requests or continue along in my all too familiar rut?

I think, for now, that I will continue to pray this prayer. I do believe that it has had a positive affect on my life. I know that while I sometimes pray these words without thinking, there are many times that I "think" these words without "praying." They have become more than a mantra or a slice of legalism in my life. They represent an ongoing conversation I've had with the Lord for 15 years now. Life continues to throw curve balls at me and God continues to be my sole source of wisdom and discernment.

If I fail to ask God for wisdom and discernment, do I think that He'll refuse to give it to me? No. But like David who so often prayed for the Lord to remain close, I feel that this is one way I can continue to acknowledge my reliance upon Him.

My friend lost his little boy this week.

2007-11-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

I recently learned that one of my good friends from high school lost his little boy to Acute Leukemia this week. I cannot begin to understand what his family must be going through. Kristie and I have been amazed at Aaron and Jamie's resolve to glorify God during the course of Parker's sickness. Their testimony to the goodness of God in the midst of unexplainable tragedy has changed many lives in their family, the hospital they've been living at, and the many people who have visited their website. I can only imagine that that resolve will be greatly challenged at this point.

Please, if you have a moment, say a prayer for Aaron, Jamie, and their family. Pray also for the many people that will interact with them in the coming months. Pray that those people would be full of wisdom, rather than the foolishness Job's friends. Pray that Aaron and Jamie would be immersed in the truths of Scripture. Thanks.

Five Things For Which I'm Thankful

2007-11-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

Although I've already posted a longer list of things I'm thankful for over at DEEPERDEVOTION.com, Dan from Hollow Again "tagged" me in a sort of rotating string of thankfulness. The point is to list five things your thankful for and to then tag 5 other people. Here's the short list:

I am thankful for the cross, representing God's great gift of mercy and grace
I am thankful for my family - especially Kristie, Grace, and our -5 month year old.
I am thankful for friends (past and present)
I am thankful for autumn leaves
I am thankful for mermaids

I tag:

I Yell At My Dogs

2007-11-20T13:36:00.000-05:00

I figure it's only fair for me to take my first crack at self rather than somebody else. Honestly, I expect for most of the bad theology on this blog to come from my own life rather than yours. Anyway, I've been thinking lately about how often I yell at my dogs. Sure, they do stupid things like eat the tree out back, pee all over the bedroom carpet, and then - in all of their wisdom - proceed to eat that carpet. This really doesn't excuse the way I yell at them though. Most of the time it's not even their fault.

Last night, I was working on a website in my study. I wasn't in the best of moods because I had been at it for about 3 hours and had been fighting one problem for the majority of that time. Jake (our 4 year old mutt) came in and tried to get in the chair. I pushed him away. The third time he did it I yelled loud enough for him to tuck his tail and retreat into the other room. We made up later, but this routine has been reoccurring for some time now. This concerns me.

It concerns me for a number of reasons. Here are the most significant:

I am allowing myself to get frustrated to the point of uncontrollable anger
I am taking that frustration and anger out on people other than myself
The remorse I feel after yelling at or hitting my dog is less than it used to be

These concerns are real to me because they expose my belief system. It shows me that I interpret my needs and my problems as more important than the needs and problems of those around me (who cares if Jake needs to go outside, he can hold it). Furthermore, it shows that when I am faced with situations that frustrate me, like a PHP error that won't go away, I handle them in a manner that fails to honor my Lord.

The scariest thing about this isn't my dogs though. It's the implications such a theology could have on my family. Grace is getting older every day. She's started walking this month and demanding more attention. It would seem that I need to quickly put self back in his rightful place and allow the Spirit more room to speak.

How Should Christians Respond to Bad Theology?

2007-11-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

Bad theology is all around us. It is preached from the pulpit, taught in our schools, exchanged in conversation and displayed in our lifestyles. We are all theologians and most of us study God poorly. How, though, should believers respond when we encounter bad theology around us?

Be Humble
One of my greatest annoyances is a proud Christian. We all practice bad theology from time to time. We are all in need of reproof and instruction at some points in our life. As a believer, it is important that we embrace a humble attitude when responding to bad theology. It is for this reason that I will never presume that I am better than another individual, regardless of their theology. Luke 6:31 comes to mind.

Be Respectful
Closely related to humility is respect. It is my hope that you will never find a post on this blog that rips into another with the purpose of making them look stupid. This does not mean that we are to ignore poor theology or allow false doctrine or ungodly lifestyles. Scripture firmly teaches that we are to rebuke and reprove that which dishonors God (Titus 2:15). Jesus always respected those He interacted with. Furthermore, all scripturally based teaching and rebuking must be for the purpose of restoration. How can we expect to correct the bad theology around us if we don't respect others.

Be Teachable
It would be wise for us to always remain teachable in our interactions with those around us. This is important for two reason. First, it may just be that you are the one who is holding to the bad theology. We should always be willing to examine our own believes in the event that we have come to a wrong conclusion in previous studies. Second, even when interacting with one who is unapologetically holding to a theology that differs from that which Scripture teaches, it is not impossible to learn from them. For instance, when interacting with a Mormon, you may just be introduced to godly family values that you failed to previously recognize. Does this justify their bad theology? No, but it may be a defining moment for yours.

There are many more attributes that I could continue to list. Namely, those mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. These are but a few.