The Life We Live

New Website and Blog

2023-01-02T04:16:00.002-08:00

Thank you all for the thousands of reads over the last 13 years. Let's keep them coming! I am now posting more regularly at:

https://philwithgrace.blogspot.com/

This blog ties together nicely with my new website:

https://www.philwithgrace.com/

I will also be reposting some of the more engaging blogs from here at the above address. Thanks again for following!

-Phil Leineweber

Optimistic Ignorance: A Critique of Postmillennialism

2012-10-09T07:47:00.003-07:00

Introduction

Optimism has found new roots in this postmodern era. Clichés like “there is good in everyone” and “it will all be fine” pervade cultural vernacular and discussion. Companies take advantage of positive images and feelings to advertise and sell their products. It is the exception in Hollywood when a movie is released with anything but a “happy ending.” Optimism has historically had its proper place in the study of theology and specifically eschatology as well. With regard to the millennial kingdom, there is a definite “optimistic” viewpoint called Postmillennialism. In this system of belief, adherents claim that “the preaching of the gospel will be so successful that the world will be converted.”[1] Satan will be inevitably defeated by the power of the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ delivered by the saints of God who will fulfill the Great Commission. Any setback for Christianity or in the world’s culture morally, in their mind, is just a temporary wave of evil that will be overcome by the stronger waves of righteousness and the Kingdom of God.

This paper will examine the history, development, and problems of postmillennialism. It will be demonstrated that “postmillenials” avoid a consistent Biblical hermeneutic in regard to the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, they misunderstand the Kingdom of God as presented in Scripture, and they repudiate the doctrine and clear Biblical teaching of the inevitable persecution and suffering of those who follow after Christ. The following pages will first briefly examine the history of postmillennialism and its development up to modern times, then it will examine the Biblical claims of this faith system refuting them where necessary and offering alternative interpretations, finally, something will be said with regard to the problems with their theological method in the grand scheme of theological issues and themes that are clearly revealed in Scripture. All of this, hopefully, will be done without losing the optimism that should characterize the Christian’s joy, which is to be our “strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Historical Background and Development of Postmillennialism

The word “millennium” comes from the Latin word for “thousand,” another word often used in the context of this discussion is “chiliasm” which is the Greek word also for “thousand.”[2] The lotus of discussion surrounds determining a meaning and context for the passage of Scripture in Revelation 20, verse 2 through 7. In this text, written towards the end of the first century, the Apostle John describes a thousand-year reign of Christ on earth with His saints. From this passage theological discussions arose almost immediately regarding when this kingdom would come and how it would come about. The cultural context of Christianity in the first few centuries drastically affected what early believers and Church Fathers thought. Most agree that “premillennialism was probably the dominant millennial view during the early period of the church.”[3] This meaning that they anticipated the return of Christ followed by a millennial period of peace under His reign.

Elwell explains the reason for this early predominant view in light of the heavy persecutions the church endured in the first few centuries as a result of the Roman Empires animosity towards Christianity. As a result of this anti-Christian activity a premillennial approach to eschatology was adopted by the majority of early church fathers. Such interpretations of eschatology are found in early fathers such as Papias, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Methodius, Commodianus, and Lactantius.[4] Irenaeus is perhaps most “popularly noted for maintaining a literal, earthly, thousand-year reign of Christ following his second return.” [5] Irenaeus saw the history of man as highly symbolic and emphasized the importance of exact numbers in his eschatology. To him, numbers and a creation week model defined how he viewed history, and the final millennium would precede the coming of Christ.

Some recent scholarship has actually shown that “if one places the number of chiliast early church fathers side by side with the number who were amillennial, the result is more or less a draw.”[6] This is not necessarily the case, but regardless of whether premillennialism was the predominant or only view or not, this was not the case for very long. Just a few generations after the Apostles another theory rose to prominence for after the first several centuries a several strong factors caused change in the prevailing millennial viewpoint. One influence was the Montanist movement which strongly anticipated a third age of the Holy Spirit to be ushered in before long. Also, Origen taught a theological point of view that called for a manifestation of God’s kingdom on earth in the heart and soul of the believer. Such movements as these caused a gradual shift in thinking that set the stage for an entire transition from a literal, physical thousand year kingdom to a more spiritual, metaphoric, and allegorical kingdom.[7]

By the time of Emperor Constantine and Augustine of Hippo in the late 4^th and early 5^th centuries, there was a much different view of the millennial kingdom of God, one that invited it to be a present reality. This theory of amillennialism (literally, “no millennium”) rose to prominence and began to dominate the theological scene. Such adherents believed that the millennium referred to “the church in which Christ reigned with his saints.”[8] This symbolic interpretation of millennium is strongly related to postmillennialism as well. Indeed, scholars suggest that “postmillennials and amillennials simply were not differentiated for much of the first nineteen centuries of the church.”[9] It is not hard to see why Christians of this period began to think of the Kingdom of God and the Millennium as a present reality. Christianity had exploded onto the world’s scene, making it perhaps the most powerful non-governing cultural force the planet had ever seen. This evolved to the point where Christianity came to be understood as the state church of Rome. It certainly seemed that the millennial rule of Christ was “on the doorstep.” Some have used the strong opposition that arose towards premillennialism during this time and even cited early church councils as a means to undermine any of its historical theological claims, but in reality even critics of a premillennial viewpoint admit that “neither the council of Constantinople in 381 nor any of the ecumenical councils of the ancient church explicitly condemned chiliasm.”[10]

Amillennialism remained at the forefront from the time of Constantine throughout the Middle Ages even through the time of the Reformation. It boasts support from the most popular Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther. In the 16^th and 17^th centuries this view, though, was affronted by a resurgence of premillennialism and an introduction to postmillennialism both at the hands of popular Puritan writers. Daniel Whitby was one formative theologian and scholar who wrote extensively regarding the millennium. He proposed that “the kingdom of God was coming ever closer and that it would arrive through the same kind of effort that had always triumphed in the past.”[11] Such a position was taken on by many other theologians and preachers including the well-known puritan minister in New England, Jonathan Edwards. These adherents believed that humans could bring about the reign of Christ in all mankind through the conversion of the entire world.[12] This will be followed by the physical and manifest return of Jesus Christ in the flesh to consummate His kingdom. Hence the name, “postmillennialism,” that is, Christ will return in his Second coming after the millennium.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1759)

Jonathan Edwards had his own curious view of postmillennialism in his eschatology that saw the tribulation being fulfilled throughout church history and the specific judgments being descriptive of certain historical events. The church would grow in power, population, and influence through these events culminating in, what he believed to be, the end of Satan’s kingdom and the Antichrist’s reign around the year A.D. 2000. This would be followed by the millennial kingdom and a Christianized world after which Christ would return.[13]

Postmillennial seemed to thrive through the end of the 19^th century, but as many have indeed expressed the twentieth century was not kind to postmillennialism. With the advent of the two largest world wars in recorded history many postmillennials had their optimistic theological views shattered. How could they any longer in good conscience claim that Christ’s reign was expanding throughout the world? No greater evils had ever been transgressed. James Moorhead articulately describes the problem, “in short, experience simply had not sustained postmillennialism. The product of an era when evangelicalism enjoyed cultural dominance, it could not survive when that ascendance waned. It became a relic of a lost world.”[14] Contemporary postmillennials must now claim that there was simply a “temporary fluctuation in the growth of the kingdom” to explain the horrid depravity of humanity in the last hundred years.[15] As Towner so articulately laments,

“What a difference a century makes, though! Here we are at the end of the twentieth century and all of that fin de siècle nineteenth-century optimism, that zeal, that dynamic confidence in America’s destiny and duty are gone. The heart of our civil religion died when postmillennialism died.”[16]

Any sentiment that promised that America would be the city on the hill that would usher in the Millennium of Christ’s rule slowly faded away in mainstream Christian culture.

Despite the grief expressed for postmillennialism in academia it lives on in many Christian contexts and churches today. Though the “main locus of debate in Christian scholarship is between premillennialism and amillennialism,”[17] postmillennial theology still abounds. Several years ago I was personally given the opportunity to hear Sunday Adelaja, the founder and pastor of the Embassy of God in Kyiv, Ukraine. In reading his book, Church Shift, after hearing him speak, it became evident that much of his ministry surrounds a strong postmillennial bend. He writes, “God had a plan in place to restore the kingdom of earth…that possibility returned to us with the arrival of Jesus.”[18] He also writes that “as followers of Jesus, our kingdom is not of this world, but that kingdom should rule this world here and now.”[19] Obviously, postmillennialism is not entirely dead, so to what degree does it as a theological system conform to the revelation in God’s Word? How do these issues influence and apply to the global church today? This will be the topic of the following pages.

Postmillennialism: A Biblical Response

Positively, at the heart of postmillennialism is the “successful spread of the gospel.”[20] This is indeed a Biblical concept that should be taken more seriously amongst evangelical Christians. The Great Commission (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20) should be at the heart of evangelical theology, hence the name. Indeed, in Matthew 24:14, Jesus says that the gospel will be preached universally before His second coming. But is this evangelistic hope too optimistic? Keith Mathison, a staunch contemporary supporter of postmillennialism, wishes more would accept postmillennialism because it demonstrates “that God has, in fact, promised that the gospel of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will prevail over the families and nations of the earth.”[21] But does one reject his evangelistic hope through a premillennial eschatological view? In this regard, it seems that postmillennials are setting up a straw man. Premillennials do in fact see the Church in Christ as victorious. It is victorious in that it completes it will complete its mission to deliver the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation and it will not be overcome by the world and it will triumph against the devil (Matthew 16:18; 1 John 5:4). One’s millennial view does not and cannot affect one’s obedience to the command to share the good news of Christ.

Postmillennials struggle to obtain a consistent Biblical hermeneutic. They interpret God’s “kingdom” in the gospels as being a spiritual kingdom and being the same thing that is described in Revelation 20. Premillennials actually agree with a lot of what these postmillennials say about the kingdom of God, but they just do not find it as synonymous with the millennial kingdom. The difficulty is their inconsistent dealings with the Biblical text. For one, a primary “characteristic of apocalyptic literature include[s] a description of the events surrounding the end of world history.”[22] This characteristic is central to understanding the book of Revelation. Though postmillennials might agree that the millennium will take place at the end of world history most take the judgments descried throughout Revelation as pertaining to the suffering of the church age before the millennium and return of Christ comes about. As was stated earlier, Jonathan Edwards had a similar view to this seeing the various judgments as having taken place throughout church history. John MacArthur explains how Jesus’ Olivet discourse explicitly teaches that with Christ’s Second Advent will be associated many judgments.[23] Postmillennials in contrast see the judgments of God gradually decreasing as the millennial period approaches.

Along the same line, Postmillennials fail to have a comprehensive view of Jesus’ teaching regarding the end times. As was said, they have a blurry understanding of the kingdom of God and its relationship to the millennial kingdom. But they also fail to understand the overarching themes of Jesus Teaching. Some of the primary relevant passages in the Gospels include: Matthew 13:31-33, Luke 17:25-30, Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:28-30, Matthew 24, and Mark 13. Obviously these cannot all be discussed in depth with the space that is allotted here, but looking at two of these passages in this context would be most helpful.

First, in Matthew 13 Jesus is teaching in parables regarding the kingdom of heaven. In verses 31-33, He compares the kingdom to a mustard seed and leaven, both of which start small but grow into a tree in the one case or a large lump of bread in the other. Postmillennials would take this to mean that the kingdom of God on earth will continually grow and expand until it encompasses the globe in the millennium kingdom reality. Automatically, they assume their presupposition that the world will grow towards a perfect state before the return of Jesus Christ. From here such adherents state that these parables are directly speaking of the church “which will grow from a stone into a mountain that fills the whole earth.”[24] Ervin Budiselić seriously undermines this interpretation of this text, criticizing the postmillennial tendency to take didactic meaning from a parable. In his study of Matthew 13 he calls their analysis “a serious misreading of the text,” but rather it simply teaches that God’s kingdom will eventually prevail “as a result of the second coming of Christ” not believers’ or the church’s activity. [25]

William Hendriksen admits in his commentary on the book of Matthew in light of this same chapter in Matthew that it is the Christian’s role as a member of the kingdom of heaven to be transformative in all parts of society. But he says also that it is “not as if on a sinful earth, before the return of Christ, this state of [cultural] perfection will ever become a reality. Scripture clearly reveals that this will not be the case (Luke 17:25-30; 18:8; II Thess. 1:7-10; 2:8).”[26] He cites these passages wherein the second coming of Christ is associated with a time of apostasy and judgment. Two of these are worth sharing in full text here.

And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:6-8)

For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” (2 Thess. 1:6-9)

Notice a common theme in both passages: the presence of those who reject God at His second coming. It seems also that beyond just presence, there is a strong presence of such individuals. The Thessalonians passage even speaks of the affliction of which the believers at the time of His return will be relieved! Obviously, this teaching does not harmonize well with a postmillennial view of the gospel triumphing across the globe.

In addition, Matthew 24 records Jesus’ Olivet Discourse in which Christ describes the signs surrounding the return of Christ. It describes in-depth the presence of false prophets and teachers at the end of days, a time of tribulation and a time where Christians “will be hated by all nations because of [the Lord’s] name” (Matthew 24:9). John MacArthur describes this passage as meant to warn “that before He returns, the world will become more and more hostile to the people of God.”[27] Again, it does not seem like Scripture, either Christ or the Apostles look to the time of Christ’s second return as a time of peace, prosperity, and total saturation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Overarching Problems

It has been observed that Postmillennials have several overarching problems with their system of theology. Many of their issues revolve in the hermeneutic sphere, regarding a misreading of the Scripture in certain contexts. Additionally, they automatically associate the spiritual Kingdom of God with the Millennial Kingdom as described in Revelation 20 almost treating both as synonymous. It has been shown that Postmillennialism “expects conditions to become better, rather than worse, prior to Christ’s return.”[28] This, in spite of strong Biblical support to persecution, suffering, and apostasy being present at the time of Christ’s second coming.

Another major difficulty with Postmillennialism is their treatment, or lack thereof, of the nation of Israel. Many postmillennials buy into replacement theology, saying that the church has taken the place and eschatological role of the nation of Israel. They deny a traditional reading of Romans 11 that allows for the inheritance of Israel also being “included as a feature of salvation history which culminates at the coming of Christ.”[29] This calls for a generous hermeneutical dance through the book of Revelation where Israel is specifically mentioned. Wayne House deals with this misreading of the Biblical text in his book, Israel: the Land and the People. He argues that rather than replacing Israel, the Gentiles were grafted into the promise of God “to provoke Israel to jealousy…be grafted [back] into her own tree.” [30] He shows how the simile of the olive tree branch being cut off actually “points to the fact that rejection of Israel is only temporary and not permanent.”[31] In conclusion, he states that “there appears to be no warrant for suggesting that Israel the nation has been superseded by the existence of the body of Christ, the church.”[32] A mistreatment and misunderstanding of the place of the nation of Israel seriously undermines a postmillennial’s ability to interpret Scripture, especially futuristic prophecy, accurately. All in all, by adopting such a spiritual and metaphysical mindset regarding Scripture, they have quarantined themselves to a place of hermeneutical confusion rather than Biblical confidence.

Application for the Church Today

What one thinks about eschatology will most definitely determine his or her ecclesiology. As it has been shown, one very positive contribution of Postmillennialism is its avid emphasis on evangelism. An ancient quote popularly attributed to Ignatius is, “work as if everything depends upon you, and pray as if everything depends on God.” This carries with it a strong principle for every church and believer in regard to evangelism. God has commanded us to go and preach the gospel to all nations, to all people. This includes one’s neighbor next door down and a tribe member in a jungle that has yet to be penetrated by civilization. The study of end times or last things, eschatology, should inspire the believer to awaken to the need for the gospel to be taken to the unreached whether in a postmillennial point of view it is to usher in the kingdom or in the premillennial view it is to bring salvation to people before the coming judgment at the return of Christ.

Additionally, an emphasis on a consistent Biblical hermeneutic in the church is of the uttermost importance. Inconsistent interpretation and a lack of Biblical confidence are far too common. Sadly, the pews of American churches are filled with Biblical illiteracy and spiritual immaturity. Too often does the Christian hesitate to study eschatology because “it cannot be understood” or it is “too difficult to understand.” This spiritual laziness is disobedience for the believer. Indeed, “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Additionally, the Christian has the promise that “when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13, emphasis added). God does not leave the believer with the inability to understand and discern spiritual truth, but rather says “come to the table of My Word and eat until you are full.” The church must cast off fear and open the Word of God with confidence and develop and build a consistent Biblical and theological hermeneutic.

Conclusion

Admittedly, the optimism of postmillennialism is attractive. The idea that Christ through the church and the gospel will triumph over the earth in this age before His return is attractive. Yet, the believer who denies this teaching can still claim the promise that Christ “will build [His] church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). The gospel and message of Scripture is hopelessly optimistic because God will be glorified through His plan of redemption! Postmillennialism’s problems have been examined. It does not accurately interpret the book of Revelation and too simplistically proof-texts through the teachings of Christ. It ignores the reality of the coming tribulation and persecution and removes the nation of Israel from its proper place in eschatology. These problems and some others make it an untenable position for the modern Christian.

In the end, though, how much does the millennium matter? Towner realistically states of the millennium, “It is but one small narrative detail in the whole collection of eschatological texts of the Bible. Why should that detail (the millennium) have been singled out from among all the others for such special attention?”[33] The significance of the millennial kingdom should not trump that of the rest of the revelation of Scripture or eschatology. Certainly, the millennium is not the prize of the Christian, Jesus Christ is. Ted Dekker, writes in his book, The Slumber of Christianity, regarding the loss of Christianity’s expectation of being united with Christ. The millennium should be a part of this expectation as it is the beginning or at least part of the culmination of this promise. Dekker questions how Christian’s live and whether they do so in light of eternity and the eternal joy and the glory that is set before them. He closes with a poetic exhortation that is very fitting in the context of this study.

Wake. Wake O Sleeper.

Open the eyes of your heart to the bliss set before you

Run your race with your eyes fixed on the goal

Embrace God; embrace love; embrace hope

Preoccupy your mind and heart with Christ in Glory

Wake, Bride of Christ, wake. The wedding feast is coming soon.[34]

May the church rise up in expectation for all that is to come and with joyful anticipation shout “Maranatha!” “O Lord, Come!”

[1]Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: BakerAcademic, 2007), 1213.

[2]Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: BakerAcademic, 2007), 770.

[3]Erickson, 1215.

[4]Elwell, 771.

[5]Bradley G. Green, Shapers of Christian Orthodoxy (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010), 49.

[6]Francis X. Gumerlock, “Millennialism and the Early Church Councils: Was Chiliasm Condemned at Constantinople?” (Fides et Historia vol. 36, no. 2, Summer 2004), 85.

[7]Elwell, 771.

[8]Ibid.

[9]Erickson, 1219.

[10]Gumerlock, 95.

[11]Elwell, 772.

[12]Erickson, 1213.

[13]These complex and interesting postmillennial views of Jonathan Edwards and how they developed over his life and ministry are thoroughly explored in Brandon G. Withrow’s “A Future of Hope: Johnathan Edwards and Millennial Expectations.” Trinity Journal 22, no. 1 (Spring 2001): 75-98.

[14]James H. Moorhead, “The Erosion of Postmillennialism in American Religious Thought, 1865-1925.” Church History vol. 53, no. 1 (March 1984), 77.

[15]Erickson, 1215.

[16]W. Sibley Towner, “Rapture, Red Heifer, and Other Millennial Misfortunes.” Theology Today vol. 56, no. 3 (Oct 1999), 375-386

[17]Gumerlock, 84.

[18]Sunday Adelaja, Church Shift (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2008), 21.

[19]Ibid, 20.

[20]Erickson, 1214.

[21]Keith A. Mathison, Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope (Phillipsburg, N.J: P&R, 1999), xii.

[22]Craig L. Blomberg, Robert L Hubbard, William W. Klein, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 444.

[23]John F. MacArthur, The Second Coming (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1999), 83.

[24]Mathison, 109.

[25]Ervin Budiselić, “Critical Reflection on the Parables of the Leaven and the Mustard Seed as Foundational for Postmillennialist Eschatology” (Evangelical Journal of Theology volume iv, no. 1 2010), 60.

[26]William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1973), 567.

[27]MacArthur, 83.

[28]Erickson, 1215.

[29]Craig A. Blaising & Darrell L. Bock, Progressive Dispensationlism (Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 1993), 116.

[30]H. Wayne House, Israel: The Land and the People (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1998), 153.

[31]Ibid.

[32]Ibid, 54.

[33]Towner, 382.

[34]Ted Dekker, The Slumber of Christianity: Awakening a Passion for Heaven on Earth (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 200.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

2012-02-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies."

"For who is God, besides the LORD? And who is a rock, besides our God? God is my strong fortress; And He sets the blameless in His way. He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me on my high places. He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped."

~David, the King of Israel (2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18, 31, 71, 91, 144)

The servant of God, the follower of Jesus Christ, is safe.

Do we realize how safe? "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). The shadow of the Almighty. David knew the shelter and the defense of His God in a tangible way. David, having been chosen by God to be the future king of Israel, was viewed as a threat by King Saul who pursued his life for over 10 years. Time after time, David saw God narrowly provide for his escape from his enemy, Saul.

In this place of fear, hunger, and dismay David trusted in his mighty fortress, His God. Hiding in a cave or narrow ravine David prayed these words, "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:9-10).

The Lord protects those who are His.

Do we realize that we are being hotly pursued by an enemy? "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). The enemy, Satan, seeks to destroy us (John 10:10). Followers of Christ have declared war on darkness and in so doing have awakened an enemy who works night and day to infuse unrighteousness, inculcate unholiness, and indoctrinate lies in the believer. He seeks to corrupt our minds, marriages, and mouths. He is after our heart. But we are safe.

We have a mighty fortress in our God.

This is why we are commanded to abide and dwell in Him. Because in His presence WE ARE SAFE. Safe from the troubles of the world, safe from the temptations of our flesh, safe from the attacks of the enemy.

A mighty fortress is our God.

"One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."

-Psalm 27:4-5

Religious Tolerance for the Holidays?

2011-12-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

In his Dec. 16^th letter to the editor (as seen below), David McLoughlin endorses religious tolerance this holiday season. He does so by intolerantly criticizing faith and religion boiling it down to a collection of myths indoctrinated in the minds of poor, helpless children. He says that religion offers only “answers that may never be questioned.”

McLoughlin seems to have a specific agenda in mind: the “rationalization” of America whereby we all become secular humanists who focus on “improving the human condition” instead of “fairytales” like Noah’s flood and the Trinity. How does blatantly disenfranchising and frankly, disrespecting religion promote the cause of mutual respect and religious tolerance?

His argument that children are indoctrinated by their parents falls apart by the fact that there are many raised in Christian families who decide not to be Christian, and the same remains for other faiths. Yet, many who are born into distinctly secular environments rationally choose to become Christians later in their lives. True faith is neither hereditary nor cultural.

Furthermore, citing Richard Dawkins in a letter contending for religious tolerance is just too much. This leader of the New Atheism is anything but tolerant of religion. He would rather characterize himself as a faith exterminator who wishes to vanquish the world of the evil of religion. He is hardly the hero of mutual respect or acceptance.

McLoughlin is correct to say that Jesus Christ was not a Christian but rather a Jew, but he was more than a Jew; he was, and is, and will always be God incarnate. It is this incarnation that we celebrate on Dec. 25^th. It is this little child of Bethlehem that we venerate, because he came as Immanuel, God with us. He came to “give his life a ransom for many.” It is this little baby we celebrate, this little baby we worship this holiday season. For this reason, I wish Mr. McLoughlin and everyone reading this a very Merry Christmas!

____________________________________________
’Tis the season for religious tolerance

This is a great time of year to remind ourselves that people have differing religious/nonreligious views that should be respected. Fortunately, many enlightened local retailers emphasize “Happy Holidays” which is inclusive — not exclusive.

Our secular Constitution clearly requires government to respect all religious views. Thankfully, we have organizations like the ACLU that are diligent in defense of this issue to the benefit of all.

We may have more Christians in the United States than members of other religions, but we are not a Christian nation. Many of our Founding Fathers were deists, not Christians. Certainly Jesus was not a Christian. He was born a Jew and died a Jew. We also have many non-Christians in the U.S. and many nonbelievers.

In fact, your children are born atheists and remain so until indoctrinated in a religion. Thus it is the ovarian lottery that mostly determines the religion of the young and the god they might believe in. If born in India, they would be Hindu — if in Iraq, Muslim — if in China, Buddhist. Richard Dawkins goes a step further and says all of us are atheists with respect to all the gods that have ever existed, except our own. The nonbelievers just go one god further. Secular humanists focus their beliefs and action on efforts to improve the human condition in all seasons without the need for religious faith.

Each religion has its unique doctrines, but they all include myths. The many myths in the biblical Genesis are clearly inconsistent with current scientific knowledge. Certainly the formation of the Earth, the development of humankind and the two consolidated stories of Noah’s flood could not have happened as described. But, as Joseph Campbell argues, myths serve a real function in religious doctrine. However, he does believe it is important to recognize them as myths. In this context, Thomas Jefferson characterized the Trinity as “metaphysical insanity” and predicted that one day in a rational America everyone would be a Unitarian.

Just like many give up beliefs in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy when they no longer have need for imaginary friends, many give up religious beliefs or change their beliefs as they grow older. A local Jewish friend of mine argues this is because they recognize the difference between realistic hope and baseless optimism. As some philosophers have defined the belief issue, philosophy is questions that may never be answered and religion is answers that may never be questioned.

So everyone have a “Happy Holiday” and enjoy the fact that we have multiple dimensions in our belief systems. After all, it is the premise of our Constitution.

DAVID MCLOUGHLIN

______________________

Lynchburg News and Advance - http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/dec/16/letters-editor-friday-december-16-2011-ar-1546088/

Richard Swenson - "Margin" Book Review

2011-11-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

I. Introduction

Richard Swenson offers a practical and helpful guide to properly develop margin in one’s life. He argues for a new kind of life in a culture that seems to never stop. His proposed lifestyle establishes room between one’s capacity to do work and one’s actual responsibilities. This critique of Swenson’s work will begin with a brief summary describing the contents and argumentation of the book. The second section will discuss his premises and assertions demonstrating several strengths and weaknesses concerning each. The third section will apply the principles therein to myself and my own context. In the end, there will be a brief conclusion summarizing all that has been stated.

II. Summary

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives is a helpful guide to any individual who is seeking to return peace and a manageable pace to his or her life. Swenson divides the book into three sections that map out the symptom and diagnosis, the prescription, and the prognosis in relation to the issue of margin. He describes “margin” as “having breath left at the top of the staircase, money left at the end of the month, and sanity left at the end of adolescence.” The symptom of overload is pain, the prescription is margin, and the prognosis is health. Swenson explains these three: pain, margin, and health, in each of the three sections of his book being very informative and instructive throughout each section.

Swenson begins by explaining four causes of pain: progress, problems, stress, and overload. He delineates progress as being primary in this current time as this moment in history has created more demands on people’s time and resources than any other time or period since the dawn of creation. Yet, with all of these new commitments and obligations, what is most important and beneficial and avoided. Ironically enough, Swenson explains, “When we neglect the most important priorities, our final reward will fittingly be all the unhappiness money can buy.” He goes on to describe the calamity of problems, stress, and overload that this new age has brought to the deterrence of meaningful and edifying lives. He explains that every individual has his or her limits, and when these limits are passed, exhaustion and then fatigue follow.

The second section is very practical in nature. Swenson specifically delineates how to cultivate and develop margin in four areas: emotional energy, physical energy, time, and finances. Emotional energy is restored through building communal support, cultivating good health, and strengthening the inner man. Physical energy is increased and reinvigorated through proper rest, exercise, and nutrition. Margin in the area of time is brought about by increased efficiency, proper prioritization, saying “no,” less wasteful entertainment, and planned down-times that include rest, buffer zones, and availability. Finally, financial margin is cultivated through avoiding debt and overspending by taming impulses and expectations, living within your means, and monitoring finances carefully. These are the four playing fields on which either overload or margin will reign. The wise reader will listen to Swenson solutions to give margin the edge.

In the third and final section, Swenson offers a plea for health through contentment, simplicity, balance, and rest. He explains that much of what causes the unsustainable pace of the modern era is a discontent in the realm of possessions and achievement. He follows this up by clarifying that a simplified life offers more, because it substitutes quality for an overabundance of quality. He explains that balance is essential in all things, as it enables the individual to succeed on all levels within his or her life. Finally, true rest is encouraged, it being something continually avoided and ignored in modern times. We must rest physically, emotionally, and spiritually in order to cultivate a holistic health in our lives. Swenson, then in a final chapter, urges the reader to embrace margin in their lives and to guard it at all costs knowing that if one does “health cannot be far behind.”

III. Evaluation

Swenson successfully delineates a proper and methodical approach to cultivating margin in life. He thoroughly explores the difficulty of obtaining such in a complicated and confusing modern society. His book is a timely breath of fresh air in a world that is drowning due to being over-committed, under-nourished, and almost completely out of control. His comparative historical perspective is helpful. He offers many differences between past periods of time and the modern era and how these differences affect everyone negatively. He rightly asserts that margin has always been necessary and will always be so and it is only through the essential cultivation of margin that one can find true peace, success, and health in the face of an ever tumultuous society.

Swenson offers an enjoyable read, but he struggles to commit to either a self-help philosophic approach or a spiritual theocentric approach. He tries to make his thesis palatable to both a secular audience and the contemporary Christian but in so doing he loses both audiences at times. He in a way embraces a moralist perspective, not a Christian one, engendering an ethical approach that encourages the reader “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” He fails to offer a Christian faith that is enabled and strengthened by the inner abiding presence of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and rather settles to offer a self-help curriculum of the likes of Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I am thankful for Swenson’s insights and their practicality, but one must ask whether or not the methods therein will offer the required motivation and strength for the individual to find and develop true margin. Can emotional, physical, or spiritual peace ever be found apart from the presence of Jesus Christ in an individual’s life? All in all, though, Swenson’s work comes at a necessary moment in history where the majority of individuals in the culture are working and entertaining themselves to the death of their relationships, productivity, and health.

Richard A. Swenson, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004), 13.

His Needs, Her Needs - Book Critique

2011-11-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

Willard Harley offers a practical and helpful guide to properly showing committed and caring love to one’s spouse in his book His Needs, Her Needs. It is written in a very understandable format breaking down ten emotional needs that are common among both men and women.

Summary
His Needs, Her Needs is structured in such a way that it is easy for the reader to understand and follow. Harley begins with a brief chapter describing his basic premise of emotional needs and how when they are not met an affair or unfaithfulness usually results. He then describes one of his central concepts: the Love Bank. The love bank is simply an internal record everyone keeps for their spouse monitoring the positive deposits and the negative withdrawals that are made in relation to how one’s emotional needs are met or left unmet. He here states his belief that regardless of the level of commitment between a husband and a wife “if any of a spouse’s five basic emotional needs goes unmet, that spouse becomes vulnerable to the temptation of an affair.” With these preliminary thoughts, Harley then begins his discussion of each of the primary ten emotional needs.

Harley alternates between a common female emotional need followed by a common male need. The needs can be interchangeable but they usually are characteristic of either the male or the female spouse. The first female emotional need is affection. Verbal and nonverbal affection is perhaps the primary need that a wife desires to have fulfilled. Harley explains that “when it comes to sex and affection, you can’t have one without the other” in order to explain that affection is the very foundation of the wife’s relationship. It is where she derives her security and feelings of importance. In light of this, he transitions in the next chapter to explain the husband’s main thing he cannot do without: sexual fulfillment. He describes sex as the “special event of marriage.” He then describes the various stages of sexual experience, gives advice about solving sexual problems, and emphasizes the marital golden rule, “meet your spouse’s needs as you would want your spouse to meet yours.”

The second basic emotional need of the wife is intimate conversation. He describes the importance of conversation in relationship building and then offers several enemies and friends of intimate conversation. Men also need recreational companionship. Harley explains to wives that “the couple that plays together stays together” affirming the reality that men enjoy activity in the cultivation of their relationships. In the seventh chapter, Harley explains that women value complete honesty and openness. He radically argues that the every person should reveal to their spouse as much information as you know about yourself. He explains that he has never witnessed honesty being the cause of a divorce and its essential importance to maintaining intimacy in marriage.

Harley continues on describing the emotional needs of spouses by explaining the desire of the husband for physical attractiveness. He defines attractiveness as “what you do with what you have.” The emphasis remains on doing one’s best to look as good as possible with whatever outward appear God has given. The fourth need of the wife is financial support. Women have the desire to be provided for in a marriage and Harley recommends living cheaply and within one’s means so as to not put any undue stress on a marriage. The husband’s next need is domestic support. Most husbands desire a warm home to return to at the end of the day. He then explains the importance of dividing the household responsibilities so that nobody’s expectations are let-down. Finally, Harley explains that a wife longs for her husband to value family commitment and encouraging the health of the family unit. He gives some advice to husbands and fathers concerning how to properly lead the home. Finally, he tells wives that their husbands need them to be proud and admire them. The final two chapters offer advice concerning how to survive an affair and then how to move an incompatible relationship in marriage to an irresistible relationship.

Evaluation
Harley does offer a practical and easy to understand approach to cultivating a successful marriage. He gives a great deal of solid advice from a secular point of view including no biblical passages or argumentation. Despite this decidedly unchristian approach, Harley does offer much sound advice regarding certain aspects of marital relationships. He has a realistic understanding of the various expressions of love that each spouse can and should show to one another. The book’s explication of the importance of honesty and openness was extremely pointed. Harley does not compromise here, but rather presents a very conservative and holistic picture of the marriage relationship that necessitates complete emotional and cognitive oneness. Harley realizes that the marriage bond must move into a place of intimate relationship if it is indeed going to last. He complains continually about the husband’s often laziness when it comes to intimate conversation and deep relationship. He challenges the husband instead, to step up and be the leader in all areas of marriage, especially the area of intimacy.

Harley gives balanced criticism of both members of the marriage, both husband and spouse. Within his abundance of examples of dysfunctional relationships, he provides examples of both husbands and wives who fail at meeting their spouse’s needs. With this fair assessment, he remains unbiased and equally helpful to both halves of various marriages. Harley’s tendency to assume that fulfilling one’s spouses’ needs is a requirement or given is refreshing. Though this work could be misconstrued to enforce one’s own selfish desires to have his or her needs met, Harley’s mood of presentation is decidedly selfless. As a husband or a wife it is your obligation to do everything you can to meet your spouse’s needs.

Negatively, Willard Harley may establish the right standard of conduct but he fails to provide a strengthening basis for the defeat of sinful desire. In fact, there is no mention even of the issues of sin in the entire book! Instead, he classifies all desires as innately natural and appropriate to be met. He goes so far as to state that “any marriage can have the sizzle of an affair if it has that strong one-spirit bond.” This is an absolutely wrong statement. Much of the sizzle of an affair comes from its satisfying the flesh and sinful desires that dwells within. The flesh can never be wholesomely satisfied in marriage. This theme perpetuates itself throughout the book. Harley offers alternatives to sinful behavior but does not plainly call anything sin nor does he offer the ultimate Savior from our sin, Jesus Christ. In fact, there was nothing explicitly Christian anywhere to be found in his writing. Furthermore, Harley’s assertion that the there exists such a thing as an emotional “need,” is not an established fact either. Should not the committed believer be able to remain true to his or her covenant regardless of how he or she is treated? Not that these things are unimportant but perhaps they should not be called “need.”

Another strong weakness that characterized Harley’s work is its lack of focus. Choosing to outline his book around ten very different needs allowed him to treat each topic however he desired. The chapter on sex became a little bit of a sex manual and the chapter on finances gave budget advice. Harley made the job of writing his book too easy by treating each subject on its own grounds without a cohesive theme that carried throughout. His attempt to perhaps too much practical material lessened the strength of his argumentation. Furthermore, almost every chapter included some example or illustration of a married couple who ended up having an affair. Some of these contained far too many details; they even at times bordered on lewdness. He definitely could have made his point about the potentiality of an affair in certain circumstances without describing them so explicitly. Overall though, when read in light of a Christian view, if such a view is assumed and affirmed beforehand, Harley’s advice is very helpful and could indeed be life altering if properly applied.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Willard Harley presents a very pragmatic approach to relationships in his book, His Needs, Her Needs. He emphasizes behavior adaption instead of nature transformation. He encourages spouses to be self-controlled, joyful, kind, and loving and yet does not acknowledge the fact that all of these are fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Christian does not have a monopoly on righteous acts but one cannot experience true freedom from the power and influence of sin apart from the work of God in his or her heart. For the believer, Harley’s emphases on the various needs of the husband and wife can be a great help in enhancing the healthiness of the marital relationship. If one approaches his principles with an aim to please his or her spouse, this book will serve as a valuable and important guide if he or she is empowered by God through Jesus Christ.

Karl Barth's "Homiletics" Book Critique

2011-10-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

Introduction

In Homiletics by Karl Barth, Geoffrey Bromiley has collected a variety of writings and teachings of Barth to provide the reader with an accurate presentation of his primary views of the ministry of preaching. Barth, a biblical reactionary, makes a leap out of liberalism and biblical criticism into protestant orthodoxy. In Homiletics, he provides the student of teaching and preaching with understanding of both the nature and process of the sermon. Throughout the book, Barth convincingly argues that the Word of God should be the sole and entire focus of the message; he does so, perhaps to the detriment of successful preaching that truly engages the congregation on a personal and cultural level.

Brief Summary

Karl Barth collection of advice in this work on homiletics is broad in scope and yet extremely helpful the student of preaching. The book is structured around three main subjects: the nature, criteria, and preparation of the sermon. Barth first critiques the views concerning homiletics of several of his near contemporary theologians arriving at a definition of homiletics as including a called individual who expounds “a biblical text in human words and [makes] it relevant” to his congregation.[1] Barth than explains that a sermon must conform to God’s revelation, operate in the sphere of the church and the sacraments, be confessional in nature, arise from a calling, speak the words from God and conform to Scripture, originate in the preacher aiming at the congregation, and above all be rooted in spirituality. Lastly, Barth goes into specific detail describing the preparation of a sermon. He declares wholeheartedly that God’s Word must be at the absolute center, discouraging stories, illustrations, contemporary commentary, or personal vendettas.

Critical Interaction with Author’s Work

Karl Barth radiated a respect for biblical revelation that was almost completely absent during his life and ministry. He says simply that “preaching is exposition of Scripture”[2] and “we humans must try to point to what is said in scripture.”[3] Biblocentrism is the defining characteristic of Barth’s homiletics. He goes so far as to say that the preacher is “not to talk about scripture but from it.”[4] He deserves due credit as most in the time in which he wrote devalued the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. He emphasizes this moment of the Word being spoken to such a degree that he may err in a few ways. First, by stating that “we ought to say that the Bible becomes God’s Word,”[5] Barth damages the foundation of the inspiration and authority of Scripture in and of itself by focusing its value on the moment of transference from the mouth of the preacher into the mind of the listener.

Barth, secondly, overemphasizes God’s Word by not allowing it to be constructed within a structure of powerful communication. He discourages the use of illustrations and current events saying instead that “pastors should be good marksmen who aim their guns beyond the hill of relevance.”[6] He deceives himself if he believes that application can be made if the relevance of a text has not. Barth rightly emphasizes that in the end it is God who does the work to allow the Word to find a resonance in the heart of the listener and his emphasis on the sufficiency of Scripture and its primary role in the preparation of the sermon is extremely refreshing in a day and age where sermons are more “inspirational” than truly powerful.

Conclusion

Karl Barth insightfully offers a perspective on homiletics that is refreshing considering both its past and contemporary necessity. Barth’s valuing of Scripture infects the reader and motivates total allegiance to the text. Perhaps, he overemphasizes the text itself without a proper frame that makes it hearable, but if one is to err on one side, his side should most definitely be the default. Barth’s subtle liberal tendencies arise in certain contexts but overall his message is true. If today’s preachers and teachers of God’s Word would devote themselves to exegesis and application to the degree that Barth does, they would spark a work of God in their congregations beyond what they could imagine. Barth sets out to establish a Biblical center for homiletics and comes through as a stirring advocate for sola scriptura to the benefit of the reader and the glory of God.

[1]Karl Barth, Homiletics, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley and Donald E. Daniels (Louisville: Westminster Press, 1991), 44.

[2]Ibid., 75.

[3]Ibid., 45.

[4]Ibid., 49.

[5]Ibid., 78.

[6]Ibid., 119

The Spiritual Disciplines

2011-10-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts on the Nature, Purpose, Process, and Product of practicing the Spiritual Disciplines in light of Richard Foster's book, The Celebration of Discipline.

Nature of the Spiritual Disciplines

In any relationship, human or divine, there is a required element of commitment. In the Christian’s relationship with God, the spiritual disciplines are the means by which the believer puts legs to his or her commitment. The spiritual disciplines include the following activities according to Foster: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration (Foster v). These activities and others enhance the believer’s spiritual life by allowing and enabling him to encounter God. Foster describes the spiritual disciplines as being that which “call us to move beyond surface living into the depths” in one’s spiritual life” (Foster 1). Spiritual discipline is by nature a process of spiritual growth into the deep things of God.

By nature, the spiritual disciplines are all just a means to the end. That end is to know God more deeply. Without this proper purpose, they become merely a religious practice with no spiritual significance. God designed and prescribed the spiritual disciplines in His sovereignty to be the spark that lights the flame of spiritual intimacy. The spiritual disciplines should be centered upon God’s Word and His revealed truth. Scripture is the believer’s ultimate authority and source for faith and practice. God’s Word is the Creator’s revelation of Himself. Unless the Christian encounters God’s Word He can never truly know God more deeply or experience Him more fully. For this reason, all of the spiritual disciplines should refocus the believer back to the Bible, God’s impartation of Himself.

Purpose of the Spiritual Disciplines

The purpose of the Spiritual Disciplines is quite simply to know one’s Savior. Through dedicated and consistent practice of the disciplines an individual can and will experience more deeply the love and intimacy of God. Obviously, such things as joy, peace, and love are results of practicing the disciplines but they should never be the purpose. The believer should practice the disciplines wholly and entirely with the purpose of experiencing God. Christians should seek the disciplines only because they know that their personal walk with God will be greatly enhanced as they faithfully seek Him through the methods which he has prescribed. As Foster declares: “the primary requirement is a longing after God” (Foster 2). The believer should see the purpose of his spiritual discipline as to just fulfill the desire in his heart after God. To sum it up, the purpose of the spiritual disciplines is quite simply to know Christ and enjoy the pleasures of intimacy with Him (Psalm 16:11).

Process of the Spiritual Disciplines

Foster accurately describes one of the primary problems or difficulties, which Christians have with the spiritual disciplines, is simply not knowing how to explore the inward life (Foster 3). Knowing the process required to practice the spiritual disciplines is one of the greatest challenges for modern believers. The process required must be understood firstly as a work of God not of willpower. Too often a new believer thinks that having been saved through the power of God in salvation that now he is to bring about his own sanctification through willpower and striving. Many a spiritual journey has ended in a place of failure as a result of this mindset. As Foster right states, “willpower will never succeed in dealing with the deeply ingrained habits of sin” (Foster 5). For this reason, the believer must first of all in the process of spiritual life realize that it is not his working that can bring about spiritual growth, but it is God who does the work. Foster explains: “inner righteousness is a gift from God to be graciously received” (Foster 6).

Beyond the means of the process of the spiritual disciplines, the power of God, the believer must also realize his essential part in cooperation with his Savior in order to properly live out and experience the spiritual life. The spiritual disciplines are God’s way of giving the believer an opportunity to structure his or her life in such a way that he or she is calling out for God’s working. Rightly lived, the spiritual disciplines open up the believer’s live in a solemn and enthusiastic state of “here I am, send me! (Isaiah 6:8) The spiritual disciplines do more to open up the Christian’s heart for God’s working than actually cause God’s working in and of themselves. The spiritual disciplines make the believer a pure and undefiled vessel, “useful to the Master” (2 Timothy 2:21). The believer, for this reason, must diligently seek God through the spiritual disciplines in his life, creating a plan and regularly scheduling to practice them. The wise Christian “disciplines his body and makes it his slave, so that, after having preached to others, he will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). The process is initiated from beginning to start by God, but the believer must willingly cooperate by disciplining himself in the disciplines of the Spirit.

Product of the Spiritual Disciplines

Both Scripture and Richard Foster speak enthusiastically of the glorious fruits or results of the dedicated practice of the spiritual disciplines in the life of the believer. Foster explains, that “God has ordained the Disciplines of the spiritual life as the means by which we place ourselves where he can bless us” (Foster 7). As was stated earlier, the spiritual disciplines are more about the place in which it puts the believer than the actual transformative value of the disciplines themselves. But, as a result of the disciplines being enacted in the life of the believer, God brings about spiritual blessing for him or her. These blessings include the fruit of the Spirit and aspects of a life that is completely at peace with God and others.

Foster prefers to emphasize the celebratory results or products of the spiritual disciplines. He declares that “joy is the end result of the Spiritual Disciplines’ functioning in our lives” (Foster 193). Joy is a spiritual happiness that rests in the reality that all is well between the believer and God. As the believer grows in intimacy with his Savior he experiences a growing fulfillment and peace that can only be described as a supernatural joy. The spiritual disciplines bring about a fulfilled life in the believer. The believer will as the product of spiritual discipline encounter God and in so doing be more and more amazed at the glory of the Lord. He will declare with David, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple” (Psalm 27:4).

Marks of Spiritual Maturity - Galatians 5:22-26

2011-09-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Introduction

After having commanded the believers at Galatia to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5:15), Paul explains exactly what doing so is not. He describes the deeds of the flesh in Galatians 5:17-21 saying first that “the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (v. 17). Upon clarifying the deeds of the flesh he now transitions to describe the fruit of the spirit. These Fruit of the Spirit describe the behavior and attitudes of a Spirit-filled follower of Jesus Christ. If a believer is a true disciple of Christ, his life should consistently reflect these qualities: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Of these nine, three are excellent indicators of true spiritual formation: love, joy, and self-control. If the believer can master in his life the areas of love, joy, and self-control he will have a tremendous impact on those around him and will have attained a Christ-exalting level of spiritual maturity.

Reflection

The Fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23 provide a thorough rubric for discipleship and spiritual growth. Of the nine listed fruits love, joy, and self-control stick out as positive indicators of successful spiritual formation. They are extremely relevant to the idea of spiritual formation because love describes in entirety one’s treatment of others, joy demonstrates the health of one’s inner man, and self-control sets the believer apart in holiness and sanctification from the world. Each of these three will be discussed more thoroughly in the following paragraphs and their special application to the process of spiritual formation will be more adequately explored.

Jesus said “by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love on another” (John 13:35). A disciple of Jesus Christ is to be distinguished and identified by his love for others. Love for God should automatically bring about an avid and enthusiastic love for others (Matt. 12:30-31). Love should be understood as sacrificially and selflessly living to please others and do what is best on their behalf. It is “considering one another as more important than yourself” (Phil. 2:3). It is patience, kindness, humility , believing the best, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things (1 Cor. 13). Love is imitating Christ and His sacrifice for the believer. John calls into question the love anyone has for God, if he is unable to love his brother (1 John 4:20). Love for others demonstrates an authentic love for God. If one is spiritually mature, his love for God will bring about an enthusiastic love for other Christians and nonbelievers. Love is a proper measure of spiritual maturity and formation because it adequately measures the level of Christ-likeness which the believer possesses.

The second characteristic to which the believer should aspire is a life of joy. This second fruit of the spirit should be defined and understood as a spiritual happiness based upon the eternal reality that all is well between the individual believer and God. If love is the external trait that measures spiritual formation, joy is the internal aspect. A believer who is truly abiding in Christ will be filled with joy (John 15:12). The psalmist describes that the believer who knows God and remains in His presence will experience “fullness of joy” (Ps. 16:11). Furthermore, James commands the brethren to “count it all joy” when they encountered “various trials (James 1). Joy is obviously to be a resounding and consistent quality among followers of Jesus Christ. The believer has no excuse but to be filled with joy. The reason for this is simply an honest understanding of His place and position before God buy the blood of Jesus Christ. No matter what the Christian is going through, he can honestly say that it is better than he deserves, for what every person deserves is an eternity in hell. This joy is not a conjured emotion but a steadfast attitude. Joy is a choice, and it is empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit and the fruit of his working within the believer. As a believer is spiritually formed and as he experiences spiritual growth into maturity and Christ likeness he will exhibit the characteristic of joy for he knows who he is in Christ and he has tasted of the living waters from the hands of Jesus at which are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11).

Self-control should be displayed in the life of every believer. For the spiritually mature, self-control is demonstrated through a holy life, a controlled tongue, and a renewed mind. Self-control primarily allows the believer to “crucify the flesh tougher with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24). It gives the believer the strength to fulfill the will of God for the believer’s life; that is sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3). To be self-controlled is really to be Spirit-led. When the Holy Spirit is in control of the life of a Christian he will have control of his body, mind, will, and emotions. An immature believer is at time unable to resist the wiles and schemes of the devil and the flesh because he has not cultivated self-control. For him, the desires of the flesh are still strong, they have not been crucified. Having the ability to control oneself demonstrates a level of spiritual maturity and formation. The mature believer is able to control his tongue; he does not speak foolishly, sinfully, or hurtfully (Eph. 4:29). Furthermore, when one is self-controlled, he daily renews his mind with the Word of God and prayer. The self-controlled believer disciplines himself unto Godliness and it is the fruit of the Spirit in his life. Paul sees being “self-controlled” as a requirement for spiritual leadership in Titus 1:8 so it is essential that one sees it has a requirement for spiritual maturity. The spirit-filled believer will be self-controlled.

Conclusion

In the end, there are many signs that a believer is spiritually mature. Several passages describe what a spiritually formed Christian should look like and the behavior which he should exhibit. When using the list that is provided in Galatians 5, the Fruit of the Spirit, the believer should definitely take notice to the three-fold characteristics in his life of love, joy, and self-control. These three are foundational to the believer’s walk and conduct. The believer who has deeply experienced the love of Christ and God in his own life will show love to those people around him. Upon receiving the mercy and grace from God the believer cannot help but exhibit joy in his life. In learning to be filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s Word the believer will demonstrate a strong self-control by which he is able to enslave his flesh and resist the enemy. Spiritual maturity should be measured at least in part by the degree to which each of these qualities has manifested themselves in the believer as he works out his “salvation in fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in [him] both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13).

Colossians 3:5-16 - Putting Off the Flesh

2011-09-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

Introduction

In regard to the study of putting off the flesh and what that means there is perhaps no greater crucial passage than Colossians 3:5-16. In it, Paul describes exactly what aspects of the self a Christian is to put to death and then informs the believer of what positively to do instead. In this passage, the deeds of the flesh are described and condemned and then proper behavior and qualities of the believer are encouraged and defined. This paper will prove that putting off the flesh consists of a regular denial of carnal living and thinking and a daily putting on the new self through the Word of God which empowers through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Exegesis

Verse 5 of Colossians 3 begins with the crucial word, “therefore.” This word must be emphasized because it establishes that Paul’s coming argumentation is based on previously presented truth. Paul often uses this word to transition from a theological message to a practical application, and this passage is follows suit. Paul has previous to this passage in Colossians been writing about the new life that the believer has received upon his salvation (1:22, 2:13). Paul has now begun to transition into the results of this work of God in the believer. He says in 3:1 that “if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above.” This is the duty of the believer to seek the things above. Paul now transitions and explains in verses 5-16 what it means to seek the things above and how the believer can practically do this.

In verses 5-9, Paul explains what the “things above” are not. He commands the believer to “put to death,” or to “put off” the characteristics of the flesh he is about to describe. He lists these practices as “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed.” He describes these sinful habits in more depth in the following verses and then transitions in verse 10-14 to describe how to put on the “new self” and the qualities it includes. He lists them as “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” along with bearing with one another, forgiveness, and love. In verse 16, Paul sums up what it means to live out this new life by declaring that the foundation is the Word of Christ powerfully dwelling inside the believer.

But what does it mean to put off and to put on? What is Paul commanding the believers at Colossae to do here? Well, these terms should be understood in a context of clothing oneself. When the believer puts off the flesh, it is him putting off the garments of unrighteousness. Those things which defined his or her behavior previous to salvation should no longer be wearing the works of the flesh. Paul says that the believer should consider himself dead in regard to all these various immoralities which once defined him. To put off these things requires a systematic and thorough searching of one’s life and the ceasing of these practices of sin. Verse 7 explains that before salvation the individual “lives in them;” that is in his sins. What can be concluded from this is that the believer is to be living in something else. This something else is continual, intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ. The follower of Christ must daily set Christ upon the throne of his heart and offer Him total control.

Paul is not teaching that it is merely a transformation of behavior. In verse two He describes it as a battle of the mind with “set your mind.” In verse 12 it is a battle of the heart with “put on a heart” and then the same again in verse 15 “rule in your hearts.” The body does what the heart and head tell it to do. The heart and the head our only transformed as the believer sets his mind on heavenly things. The highest heavenly thing must be seen as Jesus Christ; “put on the new self which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” (v. 10). It is through thinking upon Christ, and letting His word (v. 16) dwell inside richly that the believer will begin to reflect Christ in his actions. The priority in sanctification and spiritual formation for the Christian should be transforming his mind. No amount of physical restraint or discipline will, in the end, be able to control even the believer’s behavior and actions. The mind and heart must be the priority.

Paul does however emphasize the importance of conforming one’s outward actions to resemble that of Christ Jesus. It is never acceptable for the believer to exemplify behavior that is contrary to that of the holiness found in Christ Jesus. For this reason, Paul calls out any behavior that is of the flesh and the old man. The believer is supposed to have moved beyond these evil deeds, but obviously any follower of Christ if he is not battle ready can become susceptible to the deeds of the flesh. To avoid this slipping into sin, the Christian must consider his flesh dead as a result of salvation and regeneration and then he must actively work to put his flesh to death by changing his thinking and his habits.

Again, practically this text means that the believer must continually set his mind on things above, especially the person of Jesus Christ. Then, he must also actively seek to put to death the deeds of the body by clothing himself in righteousness through disciplining himself in the Word and in holiness. The right mind that is holy and pure before God will empower the believer by the Holy Spirit to clothe himself continually with this righteousness and so find himself becoming more and more like Christ. The Word of God informs the believer of the knowledge of Christ through which the Christian will find himself dwelling in a place of joy, power, and confidence that leads to successful holy living.

Personal Application

In my life, this passage means doing an inventory of all my behavior and thought patterns and comparing them to the glory and holiness of Christ. As I think through all areas of my life I must find those which do not conform to the righteousness and holiness of Christ. Then, upon finding inconsistencies I must repent of and confess these areas of weakness and Ask Christ to wash me clean of the stain of this sin from my former life. I must change my thinking in these areas, allowing Christ to sanctify my thinking every day. Transformation of the mind requires a daily devotion to God’s Word, allowing the things above to fill my heart and meditations. Righteousness comes only through an inward transformation of my mind through Jesus Christ.

I daily open up God’s Word, asking Him to show me the areas which are inconsistent with His holiness. I then spend time journaling my prayers asking Him to change my thinking in the areas which I know are of the flesh. I acknowledge that these have no place in my life and I commit to put them off in that instant. I ask for His strength to resist the desires of the flesh as they assail my heart and mind knowing that He is always willing to give me grace to help in the time of temptation. It is only through this daily, consistent inward transformation that I am able to put off the deeds of the flesh and put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

"How to Talk so People Will Listen" - Book Review

2011-09-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

Introduction
Steve Brown offers the student a helpful guide to effective communication. He pragmatically emphasizes the basics of speech and conversation in a thorough fashion. Brown demonstrates that emphasizing the basic necessities of reaching an audience is the most important thing. These basic necessities include conquering fear, speaking with authority, not wasting time, and winning the right to be heard. Brown argues that if a speaker can master these basic principles, he or she can gain an audience and effectively speak to be remembered. This paper will briefly summarize Brown’s main and explain their application in regard to the speaker and orator.

Summary
Brown in his book, How to Talk so People will Listen, includes a wealth of advice and insightful information for the communicator. Whether the reader has never made a speech before or he is a well-established and experienced pro this book is very useful. Brown realizes the power that speech has to influence people. For this reason it should be important to everyone who has a desire to impact an audience. The reason many people avoid public speaking, though, is because of the intimidation factor. Brown reasons that fears and intimidators must be faced confidently and realistically. Failure should be seen positively as “it is harder to learn from success than it is to learn from failure.”[1] The speaker must not allow his performance to influence his feelings of self-value. Positive thinking about oneself and a positive optimistic mindset should enable the orator to face his fears and thus conquer them.

In this culture, an audience will not listen unless the speaker communicates with authority. Brown explains that a full vocabulary is one of the primary elements of speaking with authority. Words express the most power when they are properly used, so a thorough understanding of language is essential. The right words at the right times are of uttermost importance in effective communication. Brown goes on to describe further “roadblocks” that negatively influence speech and in turn remove the authority of the speaker. These roadblocks include a lack of clarity or preciseness and insensitivity. They inhibit communication and remove the authority of the speaker.

The book continues to emphasize important characteristics of speech by opposing any waste of the audience’s time. Brown describes elements of communication that carry over into one-on-one relationships as well. He realizes that speaking in front of large audiences should be as relational and should have as strong of a connection as speaking with just one person. For this reason, attributes like humility and empathy go just as far from the lectern as they do in a personal conversation. If the speaker demonstrates that he is personable and establishes a connection with his audience they will no longer feel as if their time is being wasted. Other ways to not waste the audiences time are to add some unconventionality in your communication, express passion, share illustrations, and most basic of all follow the rule that “the longer the speech, the greater the chance of failure.”[2]

The final necessity that a speaker must address is the winning of the right to be heard by the audience. The speaker must go to great lengths to understand and relate to his audience. The same speech to two very different groups of people should most likely be very different! Things such as age, education, attention span, and venue should all be taken into consideration in the preparation of a speech. If the speaker can connect with his audience, he can then impact them. But if no connection is established then any speech will most likely be forgettable. The audience should influence the topic, the presentation, and all other elements of a speech. If these things are taken into account, the speaker will win over the right to be heard.

Conclusion
In the end, Steven Brown convinces the reader to speak to be heard and remembered as his title suggests. He offers a plethora of advice and information for the student of speech to take away, but most importantly he convinces the reader to value highly the influence and impact he can have through speech. This impact is greatly enhanced when the orator conquers his fears, speaks with authority, does not waste the audience’s time, and wins the audience over to his side. If a speaker can jump over these hurdles, he will greatly impact his audience and leave a lasting impression; he will talk so that people will listen.

[1]Brown, Steven, How To Talk So People Will Listen, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993), 160.

[2]Brown, 148.

"Spiritual Life" - Book Critique

2011-09-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

Bibliography
Westerhoff, John. Spiritual Life: The Foundation for Preaching and Teaching. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994.

Author
John Westerhoff is currently the Director of the Institute of Pastoral Studies at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned his degree in theology from Harvard University and a doctorate in Foundations of Education from Columbia University. He was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1973 and for twenty years he served as Professor of Theology and Christian Nurture at Duke University Divinity School. He is a prolific author of both journal articles and books.

Content Summary
Westerhoff’s work, Spiritual Life, briefly explores the importance of personal spiritual development in the life of the minister. He begins in chapter one by addressing the various facets of the spiritual life. He defines the spiritual life as “ordinary, everyday life lived in an ever-deepening and loving relationship to God and therefore to one’s true or healthy self, all people, and the whole of creation” (Westerhoff 1994, 1). He describes the importance of having proper “images of God,” which include: father, mother, and friend. Westerhoff argues that the litmus test of spiritual growth should be the fruit of the spirit as listed by Paul in Galatians 5 and emphasizes the reality that spiritual formation is a pilgrimage.

Chapter two asserts that in these changing times there must follow a change in the substance and style of preaching and teaching. Westerhoff concludes that Christianity needs to continue its shift from the objective to the subjective, from the intellectual to the experiential. He says, “We need to shift our attention from theological reflection to spirituality, from discursive prose to poetry, from reason to imagination, from instruction to formation, from the sciences to the arts” (Westerhoff 1994, 21). He cites Maria Harris’s framework for teaching which includes contemplation, engagement, form-giving, emergence, and release as a powerful process whereby the power of an intuitive and introspective faith can be released in the lives of the parishioner.

Westerhoff explores Graham Greene’s “four requirements for living a spiritual life” in chapter four (Westerhoff 1994, 30). They are embracing suffering, solitude, spiritual restlessness, and a community where one is viewed in the image of God. He asserts that the emphasis on these four spiritual qualities enhances the spiritual life of the preacher/teacher. The following chapter explores similarly the proper characteristics of the teacher and learner relationship. His model requires that “someone is searching, someone is willing to let his or her life be a resource for the searcher’s learning, and both are open to that truth which breaks in on them from a source outside themselves, through the action of God’s Spirit” (Westerhoff 1994, 51).

Chapter five explores various typological patterns in individual’s spiritualities. Using the typology from Urban Holmes book, A History of Spirituality, Westerhoff describes the four schools of spirituality each of which, if taken too far, can wander into heresy but each of which, he says, has something valuable to offer to the church and the believer. He compares each of these schools of spirituality with Carl Jung’s personality theory stating the importance of understanding one’s spiritual temperament in order to better and more effectively approach his or her individual relationship with God especially through prayer. Westerhoff transitions quickly in his last chapter to a primarily practical explanation of how to develop spiritual discipline. He highlights the importance in having a special time to cultivate one’s relationship with God. This time should be scheduled, in a specific place, and one should prepare for it physically and mentally. Also, a focus must be given to the presence of God in this time and he recommends the practice of journaling to keep a record of what God is doing inwardly. Spiritual friends and God’s Word should also be main priorities in order to maintain the inward spiritual life. Westerhoff then concludes his book with an exhortation to pray diligently with the desire to foster a spirituality that will drive the ministers preaching and teaching.

Evaluation

John Westerhoff exhibits both positive and negative characteristics in his treatment of spirituality. He helpfully addresses several aspects of spiritual formation which are often overlooked or underemphasized such as the importance a relationship with God, contemplative thought, personality differences, and the spiritual disciplines. Unfortunately, these aspects are overshadowed by his rare use of Scripture, his poor hermeneutics when it is used, his mystical approach to spirituality, and his liberal theological leanings. This brief critique will first explore and provide some of the positive elements of Westerhoff’s work and then discuss its shortcomings.

He begins by emphasizing a proper relationship with God, “the spiritual life…is ordinary, everyday life lived in an ever-deepening and loving relationship to God” (Westerhoff 1994, 1). He speaks of the believer’s relation to God as a friend saying that “our relationship with God is directly related to the amount of quality time we spend consciously with God daily” (Westerhoff 1994, 6). This friendship and relationship must be personally experienced for it is only from the “depth of their own experience” that a minister or believer is able to preach and teach (Westerhoff 1994, 32). It all boils down to the reality that the spiritual life is simply the believer’s pilgrimage, journeying closer to God’s presence.

Westerhoff rightly emphasizes the believer knowing and growing familiar with himself or herself. Contemplative thought is of uttermost importance in the spiritual life. One should, spend great effort exploring his or her emotions, passions, and personal experience. He is a strong proponent of silence, solitude, spiritual restlessness, and imaging Christ. This internal examination includes knowing one’s personality and temperament. He helpfully spends an entire chapter explaining the different “schools” of spirituality, their strengths and weaknesses, and their various emphases in their relationship with God. In closing, Westerhoff includes his strongest portion of the book where he addresses spiritual disciplines. His emphasis on planning and preparation as well as personal focus and concentration are fantastic. Furthermore, his statement that “the scriptures are the Christian’s primary means for developing a relationship with God,” is very true (Westerhoff 1994, 70). Westerhoff correctly stresses the believer’s daily walk with God as the foundation for the spiritual life.

Negatively, John Westerhoff is a theological liberal who in part falls short of mainstream evangelicalism. Westerhoff’s treats Scripture as an afterthought citing only nine references throughout his book previous to his section on “Lectio Divina” (Latin for “holy reading”) which occurs within the last ten pages of his work. Considering that he is writing on the “spiritual life” of a preacher/teacher this lack of Biblical saturation is staggering. Even when he does mention or cite Scripture it is often for erroneous reasons such as to establish the femininity of God (Westerhoff 1994, 5. citing Matt. 23:37), to introduce an obscure interpretation of passages such as Matthew 25:14-29 and Galatians 5:22-23 (Westerhoff 1994, 4 and 9), or to provide unorthodox applications such as centering prayers and bizarre imaginative meditations (Westerhoff 1994, 73). He further undermines the sufficiency of Scripture by stating that “God speaks to us through interior emotions, dreams, visions, intuitions, and the like” with no mention of the role of God’s Word at all (Westerhoff 1994, 7)! To write a book on the spiritual life and not to emphasize biblical principles such as sanctification and holiness is in very poor taste.

Westerhoff describes himself as having both “mystical” and “sacramental” characteristics in his spiritual life (Westerhoff 1994, 62). Both of these somewhat unorthodox elements are seen vividly through the book. He describes an ideal way to lead a worship service is to read the word, allow the word to engage the listener, provide application, and then “take them to the Eucharist and reveal how it might provide them with the resource for making that new way of life possible” (Westerhoff 1994, 27). This is Catholic and Episcopal heresy not protestant or Biblical theology. The Eucharist cannot and could never make “the new way of life possible”! He says, “Prayer is any means that aids us in our relationship with God” and it as long as it aids our spiritual growth it is beneficial (Westerhoff 1994, 63). Concerned, the reader must ask himself: “does he really mean ‘any means’?” For Westerhoff this unfortunately would include “listening to Eastern music…fantasy exercises; gazing on an icon” and more (Westerhoff 1994, 57).

Regrettably as well, Westerhoff often quotes the prolific author Henri Nouwen, who is a practicing Catholic and whose writings also over emphasize the mystical and experiential aspects of faith. Westerhoff describes the teacher/student relationship as two people, a teacher and learner, who “are both open to the truth which breaks in on them from a source outside of themselves, through the action of God’s Spirit” (Westerhoff 1994, 51). What is this source? It is not God’s Word; it is again Westerhoff’s mystical, subjective revelation through spiritual intuition and emotion. His disturbing focus on “directed energy,” “centering prayers,” and emptying conscious do not encompass the Biblical path to true spiritual life. He is far more open to an experiential spirituality than the plain meaning of Scripture as it relates to the spiritual life.

In conclusion, Westerhoff provides some helpful emphases in his book that are often overlooked but should not be taken lightly in a believer’s spiritual formation. His emphasis on the individuality of every walk with God and its primary focus as being a relationship are right on target. However, the positive elements of his work are hampered by his pseudo-biblical, mystical, and sacramental approach to spirituality. Westerhoff seems more concerned with arguing for his view of what spiritual life is than providing a Biblically-centered theology of personal spirituality. In spiritual formation, the content is crucial and the content must only be seen as the inerrant and inspired Word of God. When one makes the focus of spirituality the subjective, emotional, mystical, and experiential he or she is prone to serious error. Westerhoff makes this mistake. As the Psalmist says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). God’s Word is the only map that can guide true spiritual formation.

Stephen Hawking's View of Eternity or Lack Thereof

2011-05-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

Just a few months after Rob Bell drew the media's spotlight for saying there is no hell (or at least no literal place of conscious punishment) Stephen Hawking came out very strongly against heaven.

Hawking, a renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist known best for his widely popular book A Brief History of Time and his PBS documentaries on the universe in the late 90s, neither believes in a personal God, if there is a God at all, nor heaven.in Speaking in regard to his incurable illness in an interview this past weekend he said:

"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,"

Hawking firmly states that anyone who believes in heaven or any afterlife is simply "afraid of the dark." Death is the end. When your brain ceases to function, you cease to exist. Apparently, Hawking is an expert in both theoretical physics and metaphysics! I would like to see his "scientific proof" for this conclusion.

Later, when asked "So here we are [on earth]. What should we do?" Hawking responded: "We should seek the greatest value of our action." This is from the man who denies any existence of a personal God, does not practice religion, and firmly believes the universe could have come into existence without a designer or creator. From where does Hawking derive this moral value? What makes one action of greater value than another? What is his standard?

This is an important question because it defines how we as humans should live. If "greatest value" is what we should seek, then who determines what is valuable? If enjoying my life is the most valuable thing to me, then is it wrong if I steal to enjoy my life? "Value" is entirely subjective unless we have an absolute standard. Hawking's statement is meaningless in the moral vacuum of a postmodern culture of relativism. It amounts to NOTHING.

When an individual asks the big question "why am I here?" or "what should we do?" they are searching for meaning, for purpose. Hawking derives his purpose from seeking the greatest value of his action, but again, what makes his actions valuable? Isn't it just a chasing after the wind? When a person (be he scientist, physicist, or philosopher) denies the reality of a personal God, eternity, and Biblical revelation all meaning has been evaporated from his or her life. What is the point if this is all there is? Such talk births hedonism and then quickly dies in a dismal nihilism, a complete negation of purpose, meaning, and yes, VALUE.

Regardless of whether or not Hawking believes in an afterlife, he cannot avoid it.

"Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:27-28)

If the highest end Stephen Hawking is seeking is to "seek great value" then maybe he is the one who should be afraid of the dark, the darkness of judgment.

___________________________
Interview Article - http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/may/15/stephen-hawking-interview-there-is-no-heaven

Book Review: "Leading on Empty" by Wayne Cordeiro

2011-05-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

Wayne Cordeiro offers a meaningful personal testimony and a helpful guide that informs, educates, and inspires the Christian leader to create the structures in his or her life that will help avoid burnout.

The subject of spiritual, emotional and physical burnout draws a lot of interest from me after being involved in hall leadership on a Christian college campus. I watched many of my peers, small group leaders and disciplers, reach a point of exhaustion that robbed them of any joy or fulfillment in their ministries. I personally slipped into such a state on several occasions. It is hard to avoid when involved in any ministry. Such symptoms are far too often found both in lay leaders and pastoral staff serving in churches, especially in America.

Cordeiro personally describes his own battles with burnout, the lifestyle and pace that drove him into it, and then then the difficult choices he was forced to make to recover. One thing is for sure, it is easier to avoid falling into burnout than it is to recover from it. Sadly, this warning will not be heard by most well-meaning pastors and leaders.

He offers much strong preventive advice to help anyone but especially leaders avoid coming to a place where their fuel tank is empty. Of most importance is prioritization.

He explains that out of the 100 percent of things that you do, there exists a top 5 percent which is most important. These are the responsibilities to which every person must give their primary focus. This top 5 percent can only be completed by the individual himself. Cordeiro describes his top 5 percent as follows:

1. A vibrant, growing relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

2. A healthy and genuine relationship with my spouse.

3. An authentic family that is close to God and close to one another.

4. A God-pleasing ministry.

5. A physically healthy body and a creative soul.

6. Taking time to enjoy life with family and friends.

Everything else in your life can be completed by someone else, or someone can be trained to do it. But this 5 percent only you can do. What a refreshing list to any one who has experienced the tension and stress that comes with a busy life! When it comes down to it, these things are what matters! There will always be more work to do, more yards to mow, and more e-mails with which to respond. These things though, have lasting, everlasting value.

He further recommends practical steps in each season of your life to help you refocus your energy. He recommends regular extended periods of rest and frequent self-assessments to make sure you are on the right track. Overall this work offers a very practical guide to restructuring your life around what is most important.

Critically, Cordeiro's book lacks spiritual depth. It is reminiscent of John Maxwell or Bill Hybels work which is structured in such a staunch business/professional model that it is hard to get to the authentic spirituality behind the practical steps. Cordeiro states at one point that "prayer is thinking deeply about something in the presence of God." This could be true, but it definitely is not the whole truth. Prayer is a conversation with God that includes supplication, thanksgiving, praise, and confession. I fear that many leader/proactive/hardworking men and women will take this as license to allow their planning time be the time when they schedule their day, set their goals, and analyze their work rather than a holy encounter with God Almighty! Cordeiro would never promote this, but it is how it could come across.

Notable Quotes

"Those whose vocation is all about giving out are wearing out."

"Wisdom and understanding are not built in a day; however they are built daily."

"The more knowledge you have about the causes and symptoms of burnout and depression, the better equipped you will be to meet and resolve these situations."

"Problems don't destroy you. Unresolved problems do."

"Solitude is a chosen separation for refining your soul. Isolation is what you crave when you neglect the first."

"Schedule rests in before your calendar fills up. Rest is not an afterthought; it has to be a primary responsibility."

Overall, Wayne Cordeiro does a wonderful job of exposing the problem of burnout that comes from a society that is obsessed with work and results. May each of his put the right structures in place in our lives to avoid degenerating to a point where we are trying to lead on empty.

____________________
All quotes provided from Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro

Dear Abby: You're Wrong!

2011-05-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

After successfully completing my word Jumble adjacent to the comics in the Lynchburg News & Advance this past Friday, I glanced up at the popular "Dear Abby" column and noticed her advice was, as is often the case, completely wrong from a biblical, Christian perspective. The letter sent in is noticeably interesting because it involves a discontent and unhappy minister's wife. Here is the letter, and Dear Abby's response:

DEAR ABBY: My husband, "James," constantly tells me he loves me, but I don't think I love him. I'm sure most women would love having a man tell them he loves them all the time, but it drives me up a wall. If I walk into a room, James says he loves me. If I leave the room, he says it again. The words have lost their meaning for me, but if I don't respond in kind, James thinks I'm mad at him.
I am emotionally exhausted from having to constantly reassure him. If I try to discuss anything serious, he cries, and that just turns my stomach. I'm not an uncaring, unfeeling person. I'm very emotional, but when a man cries it makes me uncomfortable.

Please don't suggest counseling. James is a pastor who would want to go to a Christian counselor. That makes me uneasy because he knows all the ones around here. We don't have much money and no insurance. If I ask for a divorce, it will end his career.

Divorce is not an option for many people, but I don't want to wake up one morning and realize I have lived my entire life putting myself second. Abby, when is it OK to say this isn't working?-- MISERABLE IN THE MIDWEST

DEAR MISERABLE: Say it now, while there may still be a chance to save your marriage. It is crucial that you find the money you need for nondenominational couples therapy with a licensed professional. Your husband needs to overcome insecurities that may stem from the fact that he feels you becoming increasingly distant, or that may have originated in his youth. And you need to control the impulse to shut down when your husband expresses emotions that make you uncomfortable.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Understanding and accepting what the weaknesses are can be powerful tools in overcoming each other's shortcomings. Whether your marriage can be resuscitated (or not) will depend upon whether the two of you are capable of working this through. I wish you luck, because of how much each of you has to lose if it fails.

First of all, let me say that my heart goes out desperately to this woman. I know how easy it is for a minister's wife's emotional well-being to be left on the 'back-burner' in the face of an always demanding ministry. Sadly, in many pastor's lives there exists a competition between ministry and family, between 'calling' and devotion to one's spouse. This dichotomy should never exist. The husband is responsible to fiercely defend his relationship with his wife over all the things that compete for his attention. His wife is his first priority. (Ephesians 5:25-33; 1 Timothy 5:8; 1 Peter 3:7)

That said, even if this woman is not being shown the proper affection and love in her marriage (which her letter does not even seem to indicate), she is definitely beginning to believe lies that will destroy what is left of her marriage. This is seen from her first sentence where she says, "but I don't think I love him." Though feeling love for one's spouse is important for a healthy marital relationship, it should never be the focus. Love is first of all a choice to selflessly put another's needs and desires before your own. It is unconditional. So when this woman says that she does not think she loves her husband, she is not speaking of a committed love for one's spouse as described in Scripture. She has allowed her feelings to become the most important thing.

Furthermore, she has allowed herself to become the most important thing. "I don't want to wake up one morning and realize I have lived my entire life putting myself second." What is she saying here? That her needs, desires, feelings, and dreams are the most important thing to her. If these are not being satisfied, her life has been a disappointment. She is living for herself. One does not in her words read the Biblical language of "denying oneself" or regarding "one another as more important than yourself" (Matt. 16:24; Phil. 2:3). A Christian should desire to wake up one morning at the end of his or her life realizing that they have put themselves second!

Abby does not help the situation. She quickly states the need for "nondenominational couples therapy." In the context of the woman's not wanting to go to a Christian counselor this can only be seen as advice to go to a secular psychologist. The problem is that a secular counselor is not going to deal with the sin issues at hand. Abby goes so far as to throw a punch at Christian counselors by stating the need for a "licensed professional," implying that going to a Christian counselor would be resorting to an "unlicensed unprofessional." She gives further skewed advice in the implications of such phrases as "chance to save your marriage" and "I wish you luck" as if fortune had anything to do with the success of this marriage!

She emphasizes the problems of their marriage as being "insecurities," "impulse," and wounds from "youth." All these are nothing less than the mantra of pop-psychology. They do not deal with the sin issues at hand of selfishness, self-centeredness, and unkindness. They take the responsibility off of the individual and place it on the poor treatment and circumstances that took place in the past.

The enemy seeks to destroy every marriage because it is a relationship ordained and instituted by God (Gen. 2:24). He will use sin, popular psychology, selfishness, or any other weapon to abolish this God-planned relationship. Let us as Christians be motivated to fiercely fight for the life and success of our marriages. May we set an example to the world of selflessness in how we treat our spouses. Let us as Christian husbands live, fight, and pray for our wives so that they will never become this woman, disconnected emotionally from her husband and in bondage to the lies of her flesh.

May we as the ultimate recipients of God's grace through our faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, extend that grace and love to our spouse every day. May marital joy and bliss in God be the mark of a Christian marriage in this generation as couples comes together for the sole purpose of proclaiming His glory and the marvels of His grace!

___________________________

Dear Abby 6/5/11 - http://www.topix.com/forum/chicago/TN9BA2KS6MG45NDC1

Can We Trust God's Word?

2011-05-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

William F. Quillian Jr., a Methodist minister residing in Lynchburg, Virginia, penned a letter to the editor of The Lynchburg News & Advance this past Sunday, entitled "The Christ Experience." In it he critiques the letters of Samuel Wellman and Johnny Hunton which appeared in The News & Advance on April 15th. In his letter he states emphatically that "there is no 'evidence' of [Jesus'] bodily resurrection." Here is Quillian's letter in its entirety:

As a third-generation, ordained Methodist minister with a bachelor of divinity degree from Yale University, I am unhappy when I come across statements about Jesus that concentrate upon beliefs that are unsupported by modern scientific knowledge of our universe.

Such statements constitute the main thrust of letters by Samuel Wellman and Johnny Hunton in The News & Advance on April 15. Samples include such statements as “only Jesus rose demonstrably from the dead” and “the weight of evidence fully supports the historicity of Jesus and his resurrection.”

No one questions the historicity of Jesus, but there is no “evidence” of his bodily resurrection.

What we have are words written decades after his death by persons who were seeking to express their thoughts of how special Jesus was to them. Those words were written by first century persons who considered the sky to be a definable distance just above us. This was before the advent of space exploration by today’s astronauts and before the scientific revelations by scientists such as Galileo and Copernicus.

In his excellent book, “The Easter Moment,” Jack Spong, the former rector of St. John’s Episcopal Churchhere in Lynchburg and later bishop of the Newark, N.J., diocese, gives a resonable interpretation of what must have happened in the hearts and minds of Jesus’ disciples after his death.

“Something happened in the consciousness of Jesus’ followers that was so real, so dramatic, so powerful, so life-changing, so mind-altering that they had to struggle to find the words that could express their experience — their feeling that Jesus was very real to them, a living presence calling upon them to love, to live and to be — to work for those things that create life and to make possible for all — the poor and the wealth, the sick and the lame, the sinner and the saint — the life more abundant."

I can understand that experience of the disciples, for I had similar feelings after the death of my father. He was gone, but still he was very real to me. I missed the touch of his hand, but I knew the power of his love for me and his hopes for me.

All this was in response to Samuel Wellman's letter which defended the evangelistic method of door-to-door evangelism. In Wellman's letter he states,

Did he really live? Did he really die on a cross, paying for all the trillions of man’s sins? Did he really rise from the dead? Is he alive today, holding our crazy world in his care and wooing the hearts of all who will listen? Yes, he did, and he does. The weight of evidence fully supports the historicity of Jesus and his resurrection. If he offers the perfect salvation and He is completely sufficient for our needs, why would we reject it, or follow an imperfect salvation that turns out to be no salvation at all?

Reverend Quillian's public denouncement of the doctrine of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ stands against historical Christian orthodoxy and plain biblical truth. Biblical truth, herein lies the problem. Quillian has long since denied the Inerrancy of Scripture; thus begins his downfall. No longer does the Word of God constitute humans writings that were divinely inspired and God-breathed in every detail. No longer is God's Word truth (John 17:16). No longer can the Bible be trusted historically, scientifically, or culturally. Apparently, it can only be trusted spiritually!

Quillian believes, as he shows by citing Jack Spong, that the disciples (mainly the Gospel writers) were only attempting to communicate vividly and personally that Jesus was still alive for them, when they wrote about the resurrection. His reason for believing this is implied clearly from his statement, "I am unhappy when I come across statements about Jesus that concentrate upon beliefs that are unsupported by modern scientific knowledge of our universe." For Quillian, all statements and beliefs concerning Jesus Christ must align with "modern scientific knowledge of our universe." Since science cannot explain the resurrection, it could not have happened. Since science cannot verify the supernatural, nothing concerning it can be stated matter-of-factly.

Do you see what he has done? He has removed the authority of Scripture and replaced it with science (I have little doubt concerning Quillian's beliefs concerning a global flood or a literal 6-day creation of the world as described in Genesis). By doing so, he has reduced faith to an elusive experiential touch from the supernatural (whatever that is). One's Christian belief's are not based upon the facts of the New Testament, because we cannot know or trust their validity; it is based rather on one's experience with the divine.

Quillian has removed all objective truth claims from the Christian faith, all meaning and authority from God's Word, and the power, content, and substance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Paul stated all too emphatically, "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain...your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins...we are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:14-19). Quillian's faith is to be pitied.

The most disturbing aspect of Quillian's theology is its deconstructive aspect. He sees no problem with removing the content of the gospel of truth. It makes one wonder what is the content of his faith? What determines the content of his faith? William Quillian is just a voice of the reboot of theological liberalism. It removes the authority and place of Scripture as God's inspired and inerrant revelation to man. In so doing, it also removes the content of all Christian belief, and necessitates an inevitable and full collapse of true Christianity. If we cannot trust the resurrection accounts of all four of the Gospels, what can we trust? If God's Word is not truth, what is? If Christ did not rise from the dead, we above all men are to be most pitied.

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." -John 16:17

__________________________

Quillian's Letter to the Editor, May 1st - http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/may/01/letters-editor-sunday-may-1-2011-ar-1006288/

Wellman's Letter to the Editor, April 15th - http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/apr/15/letters-editor-friday-april-15-2011-ar-973234/

Jehoiada Leads a Rebellion!

2011-04-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Sadly, it is not often that one finds himself reading through the pages of 2 Chronicles. Too often do we avoid or ignore the whole counsel of God's Word forgetting that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable..." To ignore books in the "sticky pages" of the Old Testament would be to miss out on astonishing narratives and essential biblical truths and theology.

One such story is found in 2 Chronicles 23. The setting is the kingdom of Judah in the midst of turmoil. King Ahaziah has just been killed and then Athaliah, his mother, attempts to wipe out all of the royal offspring of the house of Judah in order to seize the throne herself. This is yet another of Satan's attacks on the line of David, will there remain a seed who can bring forth the future Messiah? Enter Jehoshabeath and Jehoiada. See what happens here:

10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death. 12 And he remained with them six years, hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

1 But in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage and entered into a covenant with the commanders of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2 And they went about through Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king's son! Let him reign, as the Lord spoke concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers, 5 and one third shall be at the king's house and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests and ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the Lord. 7 The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the divisions. 9 And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of God.10 And he set all the people as a guard for the king, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house. 11 Then they brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they said, “Long live the king.”

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 And when she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains who were set over the army, saying to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Do not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the horse gate of the king's house, and they put her to death there.

16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the Lord's people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 And Jehoiada posted watchmen for the house of the Lord under the direction of the Levitical priests and the Levites whom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the Lord, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David. 19 He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean. 20 And he took the captains, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through the upper gate to the king's house. And they set the king on the royal throne. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword.

1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

Jehoiada was able to miraculously mobilize an army of priests of the tribe of Levi in order to crown Joash king in the temple. He almost single-handedly preserved the throne of David and reinstated the rightful king over Judah. Even more, upon overthrowing Athaliah, Jehoiada "went to the house of Baal and tore it down" and killed the priest of Baal before his pagan altars! He affirmatively drew a line in the sand; he was on Jehovah's side.

May every follower of Christ be as diligent as Jehoiada to set let the rightful king rule, in our case Jesus Christ, and cleanse the evil from our lives. May we be willing to take a stand for what is right, even when we feel as if we are alone. Finally, may we unashamedly oppose unbelief, heresy, and injustice in a society that is rank with the stench of sin.

The Nearness of God

2011-04-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

'How close are you to God right now?' seems to be a fairly common question in Christian circles. At a glance the question may appear somewhat ludicrous; isn't God everywhere? How can one person be closer to God than another? At the heart of this question lies a qualitative sense of the word "close" not a spacial sense.

In the Old Testament the nearness of God had a very tangible sense. It represented the manifest presence of the LORD. It was seen in the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day as the nation of Israel wandered through the wilderness. It was seen as the glory of Lord as a cloud which rested over and in the tabernacle and the temple. Israel could visibly see when the LORD was near.

When thinking of the nearness of God Biblically, we must understand that there are two sides of this concept. The first is the nearness of God that is obtained through salvation. "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). Redemption and reconciliation through Jesus Christ are the basis for the nearness of God. The holiness of God cannot be near evil but the atonement makes a way for man to be brought back into the presence of his Creator.

Secondly, the concept of the nearness of God has definite applications for the believer, the follower of God in Jesus Christ. James, writing to believing Jews, commands that they should "draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). David prays, "but as for me, the nearness of God is my good" (Psalm 73:28). The author of Hebrews writes, "therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

Yes, at the moment of salvation we have been reconciled in our relationship with God, but there remains a responsibility on the part of the believer to be consistently drawing himself near/nearer to the presence of God. "The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth" (Psalm 145:18). "Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6). What does this responsibility entail?

James goes on in chapter four after commanding us to "draw near to God," he writes "cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8). Purification precedes nearness. When we seek the nearness of God, we must come with a "broken and contrite heart," this He "will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).

Practically, seeking the nearness of God means obeying his commands, devoting times of worship and praise, abiding in Him and His word, calling on Him in prayer, seeking Him in a community setting, serving others, and simply inviting Him to come near. "Be near, O God" should be our daily prayer.

David speaks affirmatively that "the nearness of God is my good." It is a comfort for the hurting, "the LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18), it is strength for the weak (Psalm 73:26), and it provides us with mercy and grace in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Seeking the nearness of God is of uttermost importance if we are to walk in such a way that pleases Him.

The next time someone asks you 'how close are you to God right now?' May you be able to answer, 'HE IS NEAR!' Today, seek the nearness of God.

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." ~Hebrews 10:19-22

"Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near." ~Isaiah 55:6

Apple Pressured to Remove Exodus 'Gay Cure' App

2011-03-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Exodus International, a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization, recently released an application for the iPhone in the Apple Store which has brought strong criticism from the homosexual community. As described on their website, it is "designed to be a useful resource for men, women, parents, students, and ministry leaders. With this app, you will find access to: Latest News, Twitter, Facebook, Real Stories, Real Answers, FAQs, Student Blog, Podcasts, Fact Sheet, Find Help, Featured Resource, Events, Video, Responding to Bullying." All of these services were developed to help carry out Exodus' Mission statement to "mobilize the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world impacted by homosexuality."

Further, Apple's store gave the app a "4+" rating, meaning it is not considered to contain objectionable content. Immediately gay activists were quick to call out this "hateful and bigoted message." Change.org created a petition that has garnered thousands of signatures calling for Apple to remove the iPhone app. They accuse Exodus and their app of "using scare tactics, misinformation, stereotypes and distortions of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans-gender) life to recruit clients in order to offer freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ." They claim that the methods of Exodus are "very damaging to the self-esteem and mental health of its victims." Their demands are simple:

"Apple needs to be told, loud and clear, that this is unacceptable. Stand with Truth Wins Out -- demand that the iTunes store stop supporting homophobia and remove the Exodus app."

The Telegraph released a story yesterday describing some of the fiasco and refers to the app as a "gay cure" application and then describes the repeated scandals that have surrounded this non-profit seeking to discredit its methods and legitimacy as an organization.

Exodus' website declares their belief that "faith alone in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord frees us from the mastery of sin, and its consequences of death and eternal damnation." They recommend techniques such as "abstinence, lessening of homosexual temptations, and strengthening homosexuals' sense of masculine or feminine identity." They believe that "that the decision to leave homosexuality is not about one particular method, but ultimately about a relationship with Jesus Christ and a resolution to live in congruence with biblical teaching on sexuality." For these stances they have become the latest "clay pigeon" for LGBT activists. Ironically, Exodus does everything in its power to further their message with grace and truth. But apparently, they are just hateful bigots.

This issue is interesting as it relates to the subject of censorship. The gay community is calling a non-aggressive, religious organization's activity "hate crime." They go so far as to say that Exodus should not even be permitted to have an application available on the Apple apps store! How far could these demands go? Nothing short of a cessation of any and all negative speech towards a homosexual lifestyle will silence these critics. Apparently, it is "intolerant" and even "hateful" to call behavior a sin. If religious people cannot call behavior sin, can they any longer practice their faith with a good conscience?

The biblical argument against homosexuality is VERY strong. This is no place for Christians to compromise.

Around 4000 years ago, the LORD gave the law to the people of Israel. In it was the prohibition, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female" (Leviticus 18:22), anyone who committed such an uncleanliness would be "cut off" from the people of Israel (v. 29). Chapter 20 and verse 13 says that such people shall be put to death! So, there was no compromise in God's theocracy of Israel regarding this issue. (See also: Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 23:17; Genesis 1:27-28).

The New Testament case could be considered even more strong. Paul begins his treatise of faith in the letter to the Romans with a description of the degeneration of man where...

"God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death..." -Romans 1:26-32

Fornication, illicit sex acts of unmarried persons, is likewise forbidden throughout the New Testament by both Jesus and the apostles. Homosexuality or any sexual activity outside the intimacy and commitment of marriage is forbidden in Scripture. I am thankful for organizations like Exodus International who seek to present the truth through grace and love to a lost and dying world. Let us also never compromise the speaking of truth in love and the freedom that comes through faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The teaching of Christ on the Sermon on the Mount even today demonstrates its truthfulness,

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." -Matthew 5:10-12

The Warning "Bell" Rang a Long Time Ago

2011-03-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Rob Bell's newest book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every erson Who Ever Lived, is set to be released. Rob Bell has been in the limelight for several years now since his avid involvement in the emergent church movement and his authoring of Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith and Sex God. Sadly, Bell in his newest book apparently comes out in explicit support of the heresy of Christian Universalism (if Bell ever says anything explicitly that is). Those who have been following Bell's journey to fame either through his publications or his popular NOOMA videos should not be surprised; he has shied away from theological straight-talk and has been consistintely characterized by theological liberalism (also known as heresy).

The word that best describes Bell in all contexts of theology or doctrine is "ambiguous." By this I mean that almost everything he says is open to more than one interpretation; an extreme irony as will be seen. Bell likes to be provocative by saying things in new and unfamiliar ways. Sometimes this can be helpful in gaining new or fresh insights, other times it can be downright dangerous to theology and the Christian faith.

I am not going to deal with Love Wins here; the book has not yet been released to the public and I will probably not waste my time reading it anyways (unless I have a few hours to kill in an Ollie's). I recommend you not buy or read this book either, just read Kevin DeYoung's critique here. He does a masterful job of fairly and biblically critiquing Bell's work.

What I would like to do is to show you that the warning "bell" went off a long time ago in regard to Rob's theological liberalism/heresy. I had a few extra hours last week and in light of the current fiasco, I thought I would read Velvet Elvis, Bell's first work. It was published in 2005, so I do not know why anyone is really surprised with this new questionable book. In it Bell says that "the Christian faith tradition is filled with change and growth and transformation." He goes on saying,

"I embrace the need to keep painting, to keep reforming. By this I do not mean cosmetic, superficial changes like better lights and music, sharper graphics, and new methods with easy-to-follow steps. I mean theology; the beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, the future. We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived, and explained."

Bell frames his book in a context of reforming the Christian faith. It is an interesting proposition. The Reformation of Martin Luther which began protestantism was reacting against heresy within the Roman Catholic church. Is Bell attributing heresy to the modern Christian church? No, but from the start he presents the thesis that the church needs to do some serious revamping.

His changes are nothing short of heresy.

He declares, "Jesus at one point claimed to be 'the way, the truth, and the life.' Jesus was not making claims about one religion being better than all other religions." His statements get even more startling:

"So this reality, this forgiveness, this reconciliation, is true for everybody. Paul insisted that when Jesus died on the cross, he was reconciling 'all things, in heaven and on earth, to God.' All things, everywhere."

"Heaven is full of forgiven people. Hell is full of forgiven people...The difference is how we choose to live, which story we choose to live in, which version of reality we trust. Ours or God's."

I am not sure what systematic theology he is using, but it is quite obvious that despite the fact that he claims to be "orthodox," he is definitely in favor of some unorthodox beliefs, especially in regards to propitiation and justification. Not everyone is forgiven. Why else would Jesus tell His disciples to proclaim a "repentance for forgiveness of sins?" (Luke 24:47) Furthermore, how can one experience eternal judgment and suffering in hell if he is already forgiven? Bell must be alluding to the fact that he does not follow a wholly orthodox view of eternal damnation.

Mark Driscoll gives an excellent explanation of the doctrine of hell here. Furthermore, Albert Mohler has recently posted an insightful, two-part explanation of some of the cultural and doctrinal shifts that have made a way for popularizing a non-orthodox view of hell (Part 1 & Part 2).

Bell continues on in Velvet Elvis with poor exegesis and backgrounds throughout. He has a questionable epistemology. He discusses preconceived notions and the formulation of the Biblical text trying to convince the reader that "Scripture alone" cannot be our only guide. The only way to find truth is to wrestle in communities of Jesus followers in order have it be revealed to you. In reference to Matthew 18:18 Bell says, "What he is doing here is significant. He is giving his followers the authority to make new interpretations of the Bible." This is purse nonsense. Not that correcting interpretations is wrong or never needed, but to say that Matthew 18 is a teaching on how we are to "rightly divide the Word of truth" is just imaginative hermeneutics. This chapter is in the context of church/community discipline, not handling the biblical text.

Later, he writes that the reason Peter failed walking on the water is because "Peter loses faith in himself." He goes on with some self-application, "I have been told that I need to believe in Jesus. Which is a good thing. But what I am learning is that Jesus believes in me." This is nothing more than man-centered, feel-good theology that is careless in its handling of the biblical text.

We know that "whoever will call on the name of the LORD will be saved" (Romans 10:13), but without repentance there is no forgiveness of sins. Love has already won: "God demonstrated His own love toward us in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). It is a free gift from the God of the universe to anyone who will repent and put their faith in Him. This is the good news that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In this case, "repainting the Christian faith" is just a new form of theological liberalism. Few evangelicals will be pleased with the recent Rob Bell book, but none should be surprised; he walked down this road a long time ago.

The Egocentrism that Destroys Marriage

2011-03-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" -Philippians 2:1-4

I fear that some popular Christian counseling and marital "wisdom" distorts the true nature of a self-sacrificial marriage relationship replacing it with an egotistical, needs-based relationship. This thought came to mind as I sat in a group setting in church yesterday for a discussion of Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages. Chapman does a marvelous job in his work of describing the five primary ways in which individuals experience love emotionally (words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gifts, and physical touch). We were discussing the language of quality time when an individual stated,

"If your spouse's love language is quality time and they are not receiving it from you, they will look for it elsewhere."

I think I understand what this person was saying, but what the statement inherently communicates is a false philosophy of love and marriage. It is the belief that unless certain emotional and relational needs are met in a marriage, it will inevitably fail. When I heard the previous remark I wanted to cry out,

"They better not!"

A marriage will definitely suffer without the proper nurturing, but to say that if certain prerogatives are not met then marital unfaithfulness is inevitable is purely misleading. No behavior or treatment from your spouse ever necessitates or gives permission for you to break your marriage vows.

I think that this false belief is perpetuated through a few popular works on the marriage relationship. One needs to go no further than the title of the book His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley, Jr. to see that this philosophy of self-centeredness had infiltrated much popular "marital wisdom." It is not that the contents of this book are wrong, it is the incorrect paradigm from which we view truths about love and marriage: the book "identifies the ten most vital needs of men and women and shows husbands and wives how to satisfy those needs in their spouses." Calling certain treatment a "need" puts the marriage relationship on a foundation of conditional love. A need denotes a requirement or necessity for the marriage relationship to survive. This is not true love. We see in the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, that Christ-like love "does not seek its own...it bears all things...[and] endures all things." Biblical love in marriage is covenant-based not performance-based. It does not claim its own needs but sacrificially offers its unconditional commitment and affection.

Another popular "marriage-proofing" book is Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Dr. Emerson Eggerich. Again, the concept of needing certain treatment is again popularized by merely looking at the subtitle. We would do best to trash this concept of "needing" things from our spouses. Instead let us take up the anthem of giving to our spouses. Granted, I think the authors of both of these books wish to emphasize the giving aspect in marriage, but by building their wisdom on a framework of "needs" they mislead many of their readers. Even Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages can be distorted so that it emphasizes oneself rather than the love you should show your spouse, even though the book is written specifically for the latter purpose.

We are by nature selfish. We will always default to egocentrism, having or regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things. This selfishness is of the flesh and we must learn to "crucify the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24). Christ-followers must emulate Christ's example in their marriage. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). This is self-sacrificial instead of self-centered love. In a Christ-centered marriage we are called to selflessness. Deny yourself. Do not claim any rights. Do not claim any needs.

Remember, "God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). A God-like love in marriage acts out of a covenant faithfulness. It is active not reactive. It pours itself out with no condition of being filled.

This is the opposite of what our culture tells us is true. The world would have us belief that if we are not getting what we deserve in a marriage then we should get out! Marriage and all other relationships are all just tools to receive your own fulfillment and satisfaction. We are the center. Let us not "be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2). The world seeks to press its mold of self-centeredness on us, we must reject it. Crucify it.

The reality is that marriage joins two humans beings who both have the propensity to sin. One party wronging the other is inevitable! The difference in a Christian marriage is that God's power and unconditional love is the driving force. Both the believing husband and the believing wife are enabled by the Holy Spirit within them to love unconditionally as God loves us. Marriage is beautiful for this very reason, it gives us the opportunity to tangibly experience God's unconditional love in a human relationship. A spouse rarely if ever deserves to be loved, but, like the love of Christ, it is not something to be earned or deserved; love is to be given.

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

-Ephesians 3:14-19

America's False gods

2011-03-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

Throughout the Old Testament the people of the nation of Israel go through a cycle of forsaking God and worshiping the false gods of the land and then returning to the One True God usually after some kind of judgment from Him. Each generation had the propensity to shift its gaze off Yahweh and onto the gods of the neighboring people and nations. This is why God ordered the extermination of these pagan societies when Israel was settling Canaan. God knew that proximity to evil corrupted the holiness of His people. Similarly, American Christianity has drifted dangerously close to the gods of this age.

We see in the book of Judges this cycle of dilution repeated. "The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth" (Judges 3:7). "Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them...So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth... Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers" (Judges 2:11-17). Such phrases are found throughout the book of Judges and almost the entire Old Testament. Few successive generations of Israelites learned to separate themselves sufficiently enough to protect against the corruptive powers of neighboring cultural paganism.

Why were they so easily "turned aside?"

How could they so quickly "forget?"

Unfortunately, we are in the midst of the SAME danger. Let us take heed.

The gods of today are not made of stone or gold, they are hidden in a person's idolatrous pursuit of such things as possessions, power, prominence, athletics, technology, materialism, relationships, false spirituality, money, entertainment, music, and fame. All of these seek to capture our worship and steal our adoration from the only One who deserves it. Specifically here, I want to discuss three gods of our culture: wealth, fame, and pleasure, that have crept their way into the minds and hearts of well-meaning Christians.

Money. Do you have enough of it? Ironically, the richest society that has ever existed in the history of the world still has yet to have its thirst for wealth quenched. American's are addicted to the pursuit of cars, homes, clothes, luxurious vacations, technology, stocks, and any and every thing that can give an appearance of wealth. "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:10). American's worship their wealth. Their money is their god. Perhaps our currency should read "In this god we trust."

Sadly, followers of Jesus Christ are not immune to this addiction to wealth. We too have bought into the false philosophy that a larger savings account ("I am just being a good steward right?"), a bigger house ("It's for my house-church!"), a newer car ("Nothing wrong with enjoying God's blessings is there?"), or trendy technology ("We need to be relevant, right?") can bring a little more happiness. Money is not evil and owning things is not wrong. The problem lies in our endless propensity to thoughtlessly squander wealth in selfishness and not use it ENTIRELY for the expansion of God's kingdom. Francis Chan radically challenges followers of Jesus Christ to kill the god of wealth through generous kingdom giving and humble living in his book, Crazy Love. What would it look like if we took seriously the prohibition "do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal" and embraced the exhortation "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal" (Matthew 6:19-20)?

Fame. The world celebrates the prominent politician, the astonishing athlete, and the american idol. Everyone wants to be famous, everyone wants to be significant, everyone wants to be worshiped. Prominence is a god. Sadly, Christianity's own version of this is seen most often in church leadership. Whether it be through passionate preaching personalities, adept authors, or wonderful worship leaders Christians also like to put their own up on a pedestal. Paul confronted the believers in Corinth for doing this very thing: "each one of you is saying, 'I am of Paul,' and 'I of Apollos,' and 'I of Cephas,' and 'I of Christ.' Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). The message is clear. Only Christ is supposed to be worshiped. Our own desire to be admired and prominent is wrong. Our desire to put others into a place of distinction is distorted. Christ alone is to be worshiped. Even the most renowned leader in the American Church is a slave of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Pleasure. American culture WORSHIPS pleasure. Hedonism is one of the most powerful and controlling gods of this age. This god shows his face through sexual immorality, substance abuse, and an array of eye-enticing, soul-destroying activity that is meant for the sole purpose of adoring self. This lie is tasted and even bitten right into even within Christian culture. It is seen most shockingly when a pastor with a sexual addiction or liaison is exposed or when a ministry icon is found to be hording stolen money. The god of pleasure has crept into the pulpit and pews through such phrases as "God wants me to be happy" and "God has a wonderful plan for my life." "Wonderful" in the latter phrase being worldly and carnal by nature. We choose a church because we like the worship and it makes us feel good. We focus on the Biblical passages that teach "positive" messages and some altogether throw-out doctrines that are not "appealing." We are overfed, over-entertained, and self-absorbed. We love the world and the things in the world instead of our Father who made it all and at whose "right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Only in God can we find lasting pleasure. All other sources are merely false gods promising what they cannot give.

Let us not be like Israel and worship the gods of our culture, denying our Maker. Let us serve and worship Jesus Christ ONLY. In the face of the false gods in the midst of Canaan, Joshua proclaimed to the tribes of Israel: "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). We need to be a people who are ALL IN. Let us worship the Lord and serve him ONLY. Do not allow yourself to lackadaisically fall into a worship of the gods of this age.

"Fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods..."

-Joshua 24:14

Justin Bieber's Typical View of Sex

2011-02-22T07:48:00.000-08:00

Sadly, in this month's publication of Rolling Stone Magazine, the pop sensation, teenage-girl heartthrob, Justin Bieber explains his own culturally diluted view of sex. "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them," Bieber says. When asked if he believes in abstinence until marriage, Bieber seems wary: "I think you should just wait for the person you're...in love with."

His point of view is disconcerting because he presents himself as a practicing Christian. "I pray all the time," he says. "I pray two to three times a day. When I wake up I thank [God] for my blessings. I thank him for putting me in this position. And at the end of the day I get out my Bible. At home-school my tutor is Christian, so we go over Bible verses. It's something that keeps me grounded." Also, in his recent movie still in theaters, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, the audience sees Bieber and his mother praying several times as well as mentioning the church in which Justin grew up.

I have not read the whole article, and I do not plan on picking up this publication now or ever, but the question remains: "how can a practicing Christian youth have such a distorted view of sex?"

He is not alone, though, in his compromise. Miley Cyrus was raised Christian and was baptized in a Southern Baptist church prior to moving to Hollywood in 2005. She attended church regularly while growing up and wore a purity ring. She said in 2010 "I want to keep my virginity until I marry. I was brought up in a Christian family." This is very commendable, but her continual propensity to shock her audiences with lewd and sexually promiscuous performances has put serious question upon any wholesomeness she once possessed. In fact, a survey conducted by AOL website Just So You Know voted Cyrus "worst celebrity role model for young girls." Miley received more than 58 per cent of the 99,000 votes!

Being a "Christian" youth in Hollywood evidently has its difficulties. The moral contamination of the American entertainment industry affects both audiences and entertainers. What is most concerning, though, is the fact that a major percentage of youth who claim to be Christians have a very similar view of sex as that of Justin Bieber. They are not promiscuous to the extent that participating in sex is entirely permissible at any time for any reason, but many would suggest that as long as you love each other and are committed... sex is okay. Some might compromise by saying that as long as you are planning to marry or are engaged it is permissible. The wedding is just a ceremony right?

Wrong.

"Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4). Biblically, marriage is the ONLY morally permissible instance in which sex is allowed. Sex outside of the love and commitment in marriage is ALWAYS SIN.

Sex creates a one-flesh relationship that can only function in a committed marriage. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 1:24).

God made marriage to reflect the love, beauty and intimacy of the Godhead and it also demonstrate the intense love that He has for His church. The analogy is destroyed if sexual intimacy is removed from the context of marriage. The culture has been continuously trying to tear down all moral or spiritual implications surrounding sex and replace it with a mere biological function that is natural and even necessary for happy and healthy life.

This is a lie, and it is by no means novel.

The church at Corinth in the 1st century was experiencing similar sexual compromise in their community. Addressing this, Paul wrote

"do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH." But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:9-20).

For the believer, the follower of Christ, sexual immorality not only blemishes one's own body but also the "member of Christ." The Christian belongs to Christ and to commit sexual immorality, any sexual activity outside the context of marriage or with anyone other than one's spouse, defiles the temple of the Holy Spirit. Does this sound like a justification for sex permission "as long as we're in love?" Hardly.

I do not want to be too hard on Bieber. He has been thrown into a cesspool of immorality and I doubt he will be free from the truth that "bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33). What I am most concerned with is the reality that Bieber's statement reflects that of many Christian youth in America. We have bought the cultural lie hook, line and sinker. The Creator of sex designed it to be most pleasure-filled and satisfying in the context of marital intimacy, don't ruin it for yourself.

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you" (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8).

Bieber on sex - http://www.etonline.com/music/107790_Justin_Bieber_Shares_Political_Views_Reveals_He_s_Pro_Life/

Bieber as a practicing Christian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/nov/13/justin-bieber-interview

Fortify Your Walk - Luke 6:46-49

2011-02-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

Lichtenstein Castle in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

At almost every vacation bible school across the country if you were to peak into the singing time you would witness little kids belting out "the wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house upon the rock..." The song is familiar to most who grew up in any church setting, but what in the world does it mean?

The song originated in the teachings of Jesus Christ in his famous Sermon on the Mount. The specific passage is seen in both Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:46-49. Let's take a look at the Luke passage:

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49 NASB)

The issue at hand is true lordship. Jesus Christ demands a faith that is built on Him alone, a faith that demonstrates its legitimacy through obedience. A faith that transforms is rock-solid. If we are to subscribe to this authentic Christianity, we must submit to the Lordship of Christ; this is how we can be like the wise man who built his house upon a foundation of rock. The passage breaks down what following Christ is to look like:

1. True Followers of Christ approach His presence
2. True Followers of Christ listen to His words
3. True Followers of Christ obey His instructions

Transformed believers will approach the presence of Jesus Christ. They will do this by "worshiping in Spirit and truth" (John 4:24). They do so through consistently abiding in Jesus Christ, the source of spiritual life (John 15:4). True followers of Jesus Christ come to Him: "My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow me" (John 10:27). The regenerated man joins with David in saying, "one thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hid me; He will lift me up on a rock" (Psalm 27:4-5). He obeys the command to "draw near to God" knowing that in response, God will "draw near to him" (James 4:8). Building one's faith on the rock of Jesus Christ means approaching His presence.

Secondly, real Christians listen to the words of Christ. They "let the word of Christ dwell in them richly" (Col. 3:16). They "hear His voice" and meditate on His words "day and night" (John 15:4; Psalm 1:2). They are his "meditation all the day" (Ps. 119:97). He does not just hear the words, "he treasures them in his heart so that he might not sin against the Lord" (Ps. 119:11). Jesus says it strongly, "whoever hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life" (John 5:24). The castle of faith constructed on the rock of Jesus Christ diligently listens to the words of the Savior.

Finally, true faith brings about true action. Total Lordship requires submission. Following Christ necessitates obedience. This true follower of Jesus Christ "proves himself a doer of the word, and not merely a hearer only who deludes himself" (James 1:22). "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). "Faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself" (James 2:17). The regenerated man realizes that "he has been buried with Christ through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so he too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). He obeys the instructions of his Master by becoming "an effectual doer, not a forgetful hearer" (James 1:25). The true follower of Jesus Christ builds his house on the rock by obeying the instructions of the Architect.

Martin Luther penned the words in 1529 declaring the security of the believer who establishes his faith on the rock of Jesus Christ.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

The wise man builds his house upon the rock. He does so by being a follower "who comes to Christ and hears His words and acts on them" (Luke 6:47). True believers approach the presence of God, listen to the words of God, and obey the instructions of God. Build your life on this rock.

Is Man's Immortality within our Technological Grasp?

2011-02-10T17:03:00.000-08:00

An article posted by Time Magazine today discusses a relatively new movement called Singularitarianism. It is made up of a group of technological theorists who believe that as technology continues to develop at an exponential rate, society will eventually reach a point of no return: "the transformation of our species into something that is no longer recognizable as such to humanity circa 2011." They call this transformation "the Singularity." Raymond Kurzweil, one of the leading thinkers in this movement, believes that humanity will reach Singularity around the year 2045. At this point, the article explains, no one knows what exactly will happen, but it will change everything...

"Maybe we'll merge with [technology] to become super-intelligent cyborgs, using computers to extend our intellectual abilities the same way that cars and planes extend our physical abilities. Maybe the artificial intelligences will help us treat the effects of old age and prolong our life spans indefinitely. Maybe we'll scan our consciousnesses into computers and live inside them as software, forever, virtually."

Many things will accompany this momentous occasion of Singularity, but above all, Kurzweil hopes for human immortality. Kurzweil believes that death is simply the result of the physical breakdown of our bodies. As machines age over time and fail due to the wear and tear on their parts, so do our bodies breakdown through continual use and our DNA breaks down after being continually copied. He believes that it is only a matter of time before we, or the intelligence we create, can solve the problem of aging. At this point "indefinite life extension becomes a reality; people die only if they choose to. Death loses its sting once and for all."

So here we have it: a new "gospel of technology." No longer will you need Jesus Christ's sacrifice to save you from the penalty of sin because no one will ever die and arrive at the last judgment. Verses like Hebrews 9:27 ("Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment") will become obsolete because man will eternally live on earth having avoided any judgment that is too come! I guess God didn't think of that...

Obviously, Kurzweil's theories have faced harsh criticism from many as he readily admits, "there are people who can accept computers being more intelligent than people," he says. "But the idea of significant changes to human longevity — that seems to be particularly controversial. People invested a lot of personal effort into certain philosophies dealing with the issue of life and death. I mean, that's the major reason we have religion."

Could man ever create technology that could sustain life or consciousness indefinitely? Furthermore, as the article asks, "as we approach immortality, omniscience and omnipotence, will our lives still have meaning? By beating death, will we have lost our essential humanity?" In Kurzweil's mind, he is out to beat Darwin. Mankind will finally have reached its evolutionary pinnacle and will step into control of his own fate. "People die only if they choose to."

This has been man's problem since the fall. We have always been grasping for control. Control of our own destiny, of our own fate. Could mankind's "salvation" be finally found in our own creations?

If we are to think Biblically, then we must answer with an affirmative, "NO."

1 Corinthians 15:22, speaking in the context of the believer's bodily, physical resurrection states emphatically "In Adam all die." At the end of this passage is the familiar phrase "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (v.54-55) It is at the moment of the believer's bodily resurrection that death's power is, through sin, shown to be abolished by Jesus Christ who "has put all things in subjection under His feet." (v.27)

Those who have not received the salvation that is through faith in Jesus Christ, will ALWAYS feel the sting of physical death. "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is in the law" (v.56). All men are lawbreakers, we have all sinned against the Almighty God. When this sin is not forgiven, we are under its judgment and we feel death's sting. Only the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ can give a peace concerning death.

It is no surprise that mankind's ultimate pursuit is to avoid death. We know instinctively that with death comes judgment, and with that thought comes fear, for guilt lies upon every heart. Hopefully, Kurzweil and his colleagues will come to an understanding of the vanity of their pursuit for immortality. Technology will progress greatly if the Lord tarries, but no amount of technological progress can help any man avoid the judgment seat of the Maker of all.

Time Article - http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2048138-1,00.html