The Philippian Jailer

Soldiers, Evangelists, Crusaders?

2012-02-11T12:23:00.000-05:00

Next month the Jailer will begin a six-month deployment to Afghanistan. This will be my third deployment in eight years, so my family is accustomed to my periodic extended absences, though missing Jailer Jr.'s high school graduation and first trip to college will be disappointing. More on this later.

Today I think it's appropriate to comment on a kerfuffle that erupted nearly three years ago when a hack posing as a legitimate journalist wormed his way onto Bagram Air Base and put together a video purporting to show military members attempting to violate United States Central Command General Order Number One, in which a variety of forbidden practices are outlined. These include alcohol, pornography, and “proselytizing of any faith, religion or practice” while in theater.

Any fair evaluation of the video would conclude it is shamefully slanted and dishonest. In fact, the individuals portrayed did pretty much everything almost exactly right. There is prayer for the lost, preaching and teaching to the faithful, and an honest discussion of what to do with a stack of Pasthtu and Dari (the official Afghan languages) which were sent to a member by his church in the US in light of the General Order. The presence of these Bibles is a problem, except that the soldier who received them in the mail brought them to the chaplains, who use them as an opportunity to discuss the issue. The preaching is typical of many evangelical worship services, except perhaps the preponderance of military references, which are hardly surprising considering the makeup of the congregation. He was speaking in terms his flock could relate to.

Still, if you are looking for proof that anything can be made to sound scandalous if you're trying hard enough, and the "journalist" found a willing accomplice in Al-Jazeera, which aired this agitprop in May of 2009:

To its credit, the Defense Department refused to surrender the either truth or the high ground:

The Al Jazeera story showed an evangelical religious service on Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan and a discussion about distributing Bibles that had been translated into Dari and Pashtu – the two major languages of Afghanistan.

“American servicemembers are allowed to hold religious services,” a Defense Department official speaking on background said. “The clip shows one of those services with an American chaplain leading a religious service for American servicemembers.
In it, he spoke generically about the evangelical faith. That’s all there was to it.”

The chaplain did not urge servicemembers to go among the Afghan people and attempt to gain converts to Christianity, the official said.

In the second instance, a young sergeant received a shipment of Bibles translated into Dari and Pashtu from his church in the United States. The film showed a discussion about the Bibles.

“What it did not show was the chaplain counseling the young sergeant that distributing the Bibles was against U.S. Central Command’s General Order No. 1,” the official said. The chaplain confiscated the Bibles. “As far as we know, none ever got off base.”

The debate over the clear journalistic malpractice is yesterday's news, so I will leave it there. I'd rather turn the discussion to a more delicate problem among Christians--namely whether these servicemembers were unjustly muzzled or should engage in civil disobedience for the sake of the gospel. Put another way, do we have a duty to preach the gospel in all situations regardless of human law or regulation? This is an argument for which there is apparent basis, to include the Great Commission itself, as well as Peter and John's brave assertion before the Sanhedrin:

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

So there is clearly a command to evangelize which transcends certain lesser human commands to cease. The question is whether this is universal or circumstantial. In other words, are there times, places and circumstances in which it is right to obey man and refrain from speaking?

There are indeed. Let me list a few important facts to keep in mind:

In Romans 13:1-7, Paul clearly advocates submission to earthly authorities where appropriate.
Jesus Himself recognized there were times to speak and times to remain quiet. For example, on at least two occasions He commanded witnesses to healings not to speak of it. He was trying to avoid an onslaught of miracle-seekers who would interfere with His primary mission.
Even in sending out His disciples to preach, He commanded them to be "as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." There is to be wisdom as well as boldness.
Military members take an oath, which includes the promise "to obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice." General Order Number One qualifies. If the order were unlawful (such as an order to kill unarmed civilians) then we would have a duty to disobey it. This one is not unlawful, however, and we are obliged to keep our oaths.

More broadly, it is key to remember that narratives matter a lot in Afghanistan. Like most countries in the region, Afghanistan is possessed of a high-context culture, which means that the culture adds a great deal of context to a speaker's words or actions. To that the extent that the speaker understands this context, he can communicate. Unfortunately this also means a speaker who is ignorant of the context will find his messages re-translated in mystifying ways.

Moreover, high-context cultures have very long corporate memories, which add a great deal to the context. History (as they understand it) is extremely important. In such a culture, the Great Crusades were just yesterday, the British Empire was driven out this morning, and the nation of Israel was planted in the Muslim world five minutes ago in an attempt to shame and ultimately destroy their society. Into this environment place an ongoing NATO military operation and a determined enemy aggressively hawking this message via a variety of media and methods.

Then drop in a well-intentioned Christian wearing a US Army uniform, M-4 rifle and body armor, giving a "gift" of a Dari-language Bible to a young man in a military hospital. It doesn't take much imagination to see where this can go.

What's more, what happens when that young man leaves the hospital and is discovered with the Bible by the local mullah or Taliban commander? Prison, torture and death are all possible outcomes. Sure, as Christians we should be willing to lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel, but that doesn't give us the right to put those we're seeking to reach in similar peril while we ourselves sleep relatively securely in our barracks and Constitutional protections.

Which brings us back to the cause of the gospel in that part of the world. It is my hope and belief that God has a plan to reach the Muslim world with the gospel. For this He will use some very brave people such as Yousef Nadarkhani, the Iranian pastor who remains under sentence of death for his faith. I also hope He will use the mantle of liberty our military efforts result in to create a more open society in which future Pastor Yousefs across the region may freely practice and minister.

Does God Care Who Wins the Super Bowl?

2012-02-05T13:20:00.002-05:00

The small God of our cynicism.

I have been a Patriots fan since I was young, having spent several early formative years living in New Hampshire. Of course, I am also a 49ers fan (from my later formative years), and this year I obviously picked up an affinity for the Denver Tebows ... er, Broncos.

Of course, this was the year that the Tim Tebow experiment emphatically stirred up the most predictable debate about faith in sports: "Does God care who wins a game?"

Such was the popular anxiety over this question that news outlets felt the need to repeatedly poll the nation (which was predictably split on the matter). But the question is not new. After all, Roger Staubach first popularized the idea of the "Hail Mary pass" in 1975. Still, it generally takes an outspoken Christian to set the sporting world's teeth on edge and bring out the vitriol, or at least the ambivalence. Former NFL great Fran Tarkenton speaks for many:

"As a player, I never understood why God would care who won a game between my team and another. There were religious guys on both teams. If God gets credit for the win, does he also take blame for defeat?"

Of course, it's easy to point out that Frantic Fran may suffer from the bias on one who lost all three Super Bowls he started in, but the larger point is that his observation seems to carry a ring of truth. A sporting event is not a binary event where God judges the more righteous team and grants it the victory. Despite the insinuations, no serious person--Christian or not--would argue such a thing. Certainly Brother Tebow never has.

The problem with this discussion lies below the surface. Scrape away the top layer of the common objections to vocal Christian athletes and you will generally find arguments such as this one:

"I think Jesus might have more important issues on his plate: disease, maybe. War. Poverty."

Here at last is the core of the issue. God can't possibly care about sports because He's busy with really important stuff. This sounds right on the face of it, until you stop to consider what that says about God. You see, He can only handle so much. Do you really expect Him to take time out from disease, war and poverty to flick on a football game? How ridiculous!

Those who make such arguments are essentially saying that God is too big and important to worry about small and petty issues like football. The problem is that their argument makes God out to be very small indeed, for it presumes that God is unable to multitask. It assumes, in short, that God is like me ... finite, time-constrained and overwhelmed by "important issues". Like a divine circus performer desperate to keep a dozen plates spinning at once.

This is not the God of the Bible. Our God is the author of history ... every part of it. Not just the Super Bowl, but the preseason. Not just my cancer, but my hangnail. He is the God who watches every sparrow and counts every hair on my head.

The team who wins the Super Bowl will be the one which God purposes to win it. In so doing, He will give some an opportunity to glorify Him in victory, while other glorify Him in defeat. Many of His people on both sides of the final score will gain the opportunity to testify to His goodness, both in victory and defeat. Many will be subjected to trials of faith and emerge stronger, refined and purified. Through it all, God will be moving events toward His final judgment.

So does God "care" who wins the Super Bowl? Of course He does. Just not necessarily for the simple, carnal reasons we assume He might. Rather, just as "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose", we know that God works out His grand design in sparrows and in football games. Some small number of His purposes are evident to us immediately, but most are not, in the same way that few of a parent's purposes are evident to a small child.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
   "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?"
   For from him and through him and for him are all things.To him be the glory forever! Amen.

As for me, I plan to sit down and watch the Patriots and the Giants play what I hope will be a great championship game. In other words, I will root my team in blissful ignorance of the eternal ramifications of a victory or defeat.

Loving and Hating Tim Tebow

2012-01-12T11:02:00.000-05:00

One thing about the phenomenon which is Tim Tebow: a blogger never lacks material. Of course, his dramatic overtime 80-yard touchdown strike on the first play of overtime against the heavily favored Steelers only served to pour gasoline on a raging bonfire.

Tebow's boosters had been lying low after he lost his last three games in ignominious fashion, as his giddy detractors danced atop the battlements. Then came Sunday, and the sure knowledge that the Tebow fire will burn hotly for some time. Yesterday came news that he is America's most popular athlete.

That's a little misleading, though, since apparently 3% of the total vote is sufficient to earn the title. While it means that more respondents chose Tebow as their favorite than Kobe Bryant, it doesn't say anything about the other 97%, a good number of whom are vocally unimpressed. In my original post on the matter, I noted that "everything about Tim Tebow seems to provoke something."

Why? More to the point, is it because of his faith?

For some it undoubtedly is. Naturally, Saturday Night Live has had fun at his expense, though frankly I found their treatment of him pretty tame compared to their obnoxious portrayal of Jesus himself (those with a low tolerance for blasphemy should not click the link). Certain politically obsessed columnists resent him as a "white, God-fearing athlete who believes in so-called 'traditional' family values", while former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer just wants him to "shut up" about his faith. All this hubbub tells us more about them than it does about Mr. Tebow, who has remained remarkably humble and low-key in the face of it all.

Having said this, it's unfair to paint all his critics with the same broad brush as "haters". For many, it's a good deal less profound that that. Sports commentators, for example, make their living by telling us what to think about athletes, and Tebow has thus far confounded a great many of them, because his skills aren't supposed to translate well from college to the pros (or so we've heard over and over). Public personalities don't like to be confounded publicly, and each has had to choose whether to eat crow or double down in the face of Tebow's early success.

For Christians who like to cheer for Tim Tebow, I'm with you. I'm having a blast watching the man play, and I think it's admirable that he's assertive about his faith, humble about his success, and gracious about his detractors. We do need to be careful about idolizing him, as I'm sure he would be the first to warn us about the dangers of idolatry. He will certainly let us down at times, both in sport and in life, because he is our brother, not our Lord.

Rather, as I said previously:

I will pray for Tim Tebow ... that he will continue to live out his faith with integrity.

Oh, and that he will develop a quick release and hit timing routes over the middle of the field.

Hmm ... so far so good!

The Online Church: A Playground for Fools?

2012-01-10T10:44:00.002-05:00

I have spent nearly three decades walking, learning, communing and teaching in the church of Jesus Christ. I have worshiped in local churches and military chapels, small groups and stadiums. I have spent most of that time in some sort of ministry, and met saints of incredible wisdom ... and yes, I have met a few fools. A few, that is, until I took some of my ministry activities online. It was then that I was exposed to how ninnies behave when they are unleashed.

Harsh? Consider this unorthodox account of Jesus' anointing by a sinful woman, as interpreted by a fellow cyber-minister:

What do you make of Jesus not just allowing, but enjoying the woman at the symposium washing his feet in tears WITH HER HAIR? As First Century Palestinian practices go, that's much MORE intimate than sex ... And I daresay, neither of them were married to each other. The fact that the Gospel witnesses tell us about a woman allowed into a symposium means that she's a prostitute. She is there for the enjoyment of the men reclining at table. Any time "feet" are mentioned in the Hebrew scripture ... it is a euphemism for sexual organs. The fact that Jesus enjoys her very much more than sexual intimate acts is telling. Which is why the Pharisees are scandalized.

Now, I don't often use language like "fool" to describe my fellow sojourners. My awareness of my own folly exhorts me to be patient and gracious with that of others, and I have certainly harbored and expressed my share of foolish opinions. But this is just daft.

Of course, the inanity of the quote above renders it mostly harmless, because the fool has so clearly exposed her foolishness (which is often more subtle, and therefore more dangerous). It does, however, demonstrate how the phenomenon of the Internet levels the playing field and gives fools a platform limited only by their chattiness and persistence.

The Book of Proverbs has a lot to say about fools, not least of which is that they talk a lot:

The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin (10:14).

The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly (15:2).

The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly (15:14).

I could go on in this vein. Proverbs certainly does. Suffice it to say that foolishness as expressed in Scripture isn't treated the same as mere ignorance. Ignorance is natural ... we're born with it, spend our lives addressing it, and regardless of how long and hard we study to show ourselves approved, we will certainly die with a certain amount of it yet clinging to us.

The difference between the wise and the foolish is that the wise man recognizes his deficiency, but is able to speaks with careful humility about what he has learned. The fool, meanwhile, can't stop talking long enough about what he "knows" to figure out he's exposing his own emptiness. The inherent problem with the socially networked, online church is that it doesn't distinguish well between the two. Fools are given equal time with the wise, and wolves roam freely among the sheep.

Take social-networker Bryan for example. After plugging his own web site, he goes on to summarize views thusly:

We all before the fall of the messengers were Orphan Angels and Jesus was the Prince (Arch Angel) our Father... This is the reference to the vine and the root in the bible as well as thousands of others. Ezekiel ... Wheel within the wheel... Greek wheel = Orphan...

To which Gregg responds in wisdom:

Bryan, I have one question for you...WHAT?

Over at Bryan's site, you learn you can participate in online courses, shop at the bookstore, and learn from Dr. Jerry Lee, "the Manifester Yada Alpha, being the first revelator of the Manifester Yada Message"! Oh joy!

Lest you think I am a flat-earth fundamentalist on the matter, please recall that I myself am a vibrant participant in the online church community. For better or worse, I am fully LinkedIn, Facebooked and Twittered. I have considered the risks and I soldier on, contending for the faith within the medium provided to me. But consider, what actually qualifies me to speak on these matters? Clever arguments and clever marketing?

For all the glories of cyberspace, the church still needs trusted pastors and overseers to guard the sheep against the wolves. Or as the Apostle Paul would put it: "As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith."

The Internet is a fact of life. It is a tremendous tool and opportunity for the spread of the gospel. I would rather the wise be out there contending than to leave it to the Manifester Yada Alpha and his friends. But have a care, beloved: it is ungoverned space, a playground for fools.

The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls

2011-12-31T09:12:00.000-05:00

Presbyter has been working on a web site entitled "Justification by Faith: Its Meaning and Importance". Here he attempts to offer a succinct explanation of why this doctrine is not a "mere theological quibble", but rather "the doctrine on which the church stands or falls."

In my experience, it's fair to say that a surprisingly small number of professing Christians have any kind of appreciation for this. Most know at some level that they've been saved "by grace ... through faith ... not as a result of works ..." This is central, of course, but understanding of the issue tends to run out quickly after that. This leaves the Christian unable to discern the edge of the slippery slope, vulnerable to a paralyzing insecurity on one hand, and susceptibility to heresy and even cults on the other.

There is a natural tension between unity in the Body of Christ and the rejection of serious error. As I have written before, widespread biblical illiteracy means we are likely to find ourselves among professing believers "who know shockingly little about the beliefs they profess." Whereas most would probably say they believe in the doctrine of justification by faith, upon careful examination you may find their understanding of it runs out rapidly.

Presbyter's site remains a work in progress, and he values your thoughtful input. I invite you to post your comments here.

Homeless Don is Home for Christmas

2011-12-23T11:00:00.003-05:00

"Oh, great." My first thoughts are not charitable. Someone is intruding on my evening, and Christ's unfortunate words come almost instantly to mind: "... as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." In other words, I'm stuck.

The man being presented to me is pretty much right out of central casting--unkempt and smelling strongly of tobacco and two weeks worth of body odor, with a large black pack full of his worldly possessions. Exactly the type you'd expect to find at a homeless shelter. But I'd arrived with simpler motives: our church is performing its occasional service to the needy, and I've dropped in to pitch in where I can. I fully intend to depart on time and unencumbered. Or I did. I hadn't figured on Homeless Don.

A church member brings him to me (why does she hate me so?). He needs a ride, he says, because the shelter is out of beds for males.  Naturally ... it's the added "no room at the inn" angle. And did I mention it's almost Christmas?

You see, Homeless Don, the problem is you're off script! This is speed-ministry we're engaged in here. It's like speed-dating. No complications, no commitments. We're like two ships that pass in the night. I'm not interested in stopping to pick up lifeboats. Your job is to eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow I go back to work.

Of course I've blogged about this very scenario. Keith Green even made a cameo.

Perfect. I'm stuck.

What on earth am I going to do with Homeless Don? Can I take him home? The usual nightmare scenarios jump to mind. Fortunately, I have a convenient excuse ... we currently have other houseguests. I can't very well foist Homeless Don upon my guests, can I? My inn is full too. Right?

Nor can I simply turn my back on him. More Scripture leaps to mind unbidden: "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" Okay, right ... I get it. But what am I going to DO with him?

Lacking a clear plan, we get in the truck--Jailer Jr. riding shotgun and Homeless Don in the back seat. He wants a ride downtown so he can wander the streets and look for a place to sleep. Yeah, so I can't very well drop him off at the train station. I'm pretty sure that's not on the list of acceptable options. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

So, God, I left your angel at the train station. Can you send someone to pick him up?

Maybe I'll put him up in a motel. Yes, that's it. One night. He can take a shower and come back to the shelter tomorrow. It's clean, and relatively cheap. It's non-committal. It's weak. Sigh. What will I do with you, Homeless Don?

Lacking a plan, I talk to the man. What? He has family in the area? At least 2 brothers ... well, there's a third but he thinks he wouldn't be happy to see him. Will any of them be happy to see Homeless Don? I sure hope so. I imagine the alternative scenarios and they don't end well.

Homeless Don doesn't remember where they live exactly. He hasn't seen them in ages, but he has an unusual last name. Out comes the smartphone. Hope, thy name is whitepages.com!

We get a lead on Brother Dave, but when we arrive at the house he has moved away. The euphoria begins to wane ... the sick feeling returns. It all rides on Brother Tom now.

As we approach our second destination, Homeless Don apologizes again for the trouble. I ask him if he's ever read the New Testament. He hasn't. I tell him about Matthew 25 and "the least of my brothers". He promises to read his Bible. Maybe he will.

The trailer park is dark and the house numbers are hard to make out, but eventually we find the place. I leave Homeless Don in the truck while I knock on the door. A voice from inside ... "Yeah?" Not sure if that translates to "Come in", I repeat the sequence. Finally, I ease the storm door open and see a man, a woman and two kids.

"Are you Tom?"

"Yeah!"

"Do you have a brother named Don?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, I think I have him in the truck."

The woman speaks for the first time: "Donnie?" She turns out to be his aunt. She doesn't sound angry, terrified or ambivalent. She sounds, dare I say ... happy? It's a beautiful sound.

Explanations, reunion, relief. Homeless Don is now just Don. He will not spend another December night on the streets of Fredericksburg, but will have a Merry Christmas with his family.

God's lesson to the Jailer household: Trust and obey. I've got this.  Just get in the truck, talk to the man, and watch what I do.

Praise the Lord and Pass the Condoms

2011-12-11T10:05:00.001-05:00

The most shocking statistic cited in Relevant Magazine's recent article (Almost) Everyone's Doing It is not merely the fact that 80% of unmarried self-identified evangelical Christians in America have already had sex.

Chart extracted from the September/October 2011 edition of Relevant Magazine.

Yes, that's highy alarming, even for the most sober and realistic among us, but it only gets worse as we dig deeper. Consider that fully 42% of single evangelicals are currently involved in a sexual relationship, and that nearly two out of every three had sex within the past year, a statistic that comes stunningly close to the ratio (76%) reported among the general population.

The article brings out some other important points:

Three in four single evangelicals recognize that premarital sex violates biblical instruction. It's hard to know whether to be more distressed that one in four do not, or that so many of those with the correct understanding of the matter remain brazenly unrepentant.
Our rapidly rising average marriage ages (which are up 6 years since 1965) contribute to the problem by increasing the opportunity. Put another way, "It’s one kind of challenge to wait until you’re 18. It’s another challenge entirely to wait until you’re 28." (Hat tip: David French)

Of course, this is also cause to reprise that burning question posed by one of my favorite authors: "What on earth is an "evangelical" in the 21st century, and does it even matter anymore?" After all, since, "an alarming number of self-identified evangelicals hold to blatantly non-Christian beliefs about such foundational subjects as the way of salvation, the authority of Scripture, and the divinity of Jesus Christ," why should it surprise us that they're also engaging in premarital sex?

Cell Block Renovation

2011-11-27T09:53:00.001-05:00

Blogger has introduced a feature called "Dynamic Views". I'd been holding off on using it because frankly I've grown accustomed to the old look and I like some of the navigation widgets. Still, I have to admit the new look is cleaner and loads much more quickly, and has some customizable features for the reader. So please take this for a spin and let me know what you think:

Also, if you haven't yet checked out of Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/philippianjailer, I invite you to try it out. Besides the Jailer's posts, you'll find some excellent bonus content from our dear friends at Dwell and Cultivate, Penned Pebbles, and Love Everlasting Ministries. NOTE: Please don't forget to click on the big "Like" button (example circled in red below) to add this to your favorite Facebook pages:

Thank You Jesus

2011-11-23T16:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from the Jailer and family ... and our old friend Keith Green (special guest appearance).

Psalm 100

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for giving thanks.

¹ Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
² Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

³Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

⁵ For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

The Altar of Me

2011-11-20T09:51:00.001-05:00

There is perhaps no manifestation of my sinfulness that is more frustratingly insidious than my own self-regard. I say insidious because it is so integral to my psyche that I seldom recognize it as real--or as sinful--unless God confronts me directly with it. I regularly worship at the Altar of Me.

It expresses itself in the simplest of ways, such as in my instinctive, outsized annoyance at the anonymous driver who darts in front of me on Interstate 95. In most cases I am annoyed not because he did anything dangerous, inconvenient to my own purposes, or that I wouldn't do myself given the opportunity, but rather because ... well, because now he's in front of me. He's wrong to be there. I should be in front of him, because ... well ... because ... you know.

Fellow blogger Lora's heartfelt 2009 essay, Worshipping Myself, described the problem in terms of her young marriage, which she called "the most unique petri dish for bringing forth disastrous behaviors":

I began to realize that my frustrations were due to my self-absorption; that in my world, I am king, and Eric is sinning against my unstated and ever-changing morality. I am an idol-worshipper. I worship myself! Moving the oatmeal to a different place is a sin against my will, which put the oatmeal where it was in the first place.

This sounds vaguely familiar ... in fact, I wrote about just this phenomenon just a month after Lora in Reading My Wife's Mail:

Stated another way, in the same way my focus on the driver's responsibility with respect to the crosswalk took my eye off the stop sign, fixating on Mrs. Jailer's responsibility takes my attention off my own, and can serve to rationalize my own bad behavior ... Even worse, excusing my wrongs by citing hers reduces me to idolatry. I'm effectively saying, "I can't be expected to obey unless my wife does!" My wife thus displaces God (in my mind) as my enabler for obedience. The truth is that "it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose". Transferring that power to Mrs. Jailer (or Jailer Jr., or Jailer Boss, etc.) is idolatrous, unfair, and a losing strategy.

Lora came to the same conclusion.

Yes, we are both selfish – but the only selfishness over which I have any control – is my own. Often, I’ve realized, that correcting another person based on my kingdom’s morality or preferences, is just another way of regarding equality with God as something to be grasped – or rather, crowning myself as king in relationships with other people. The annoyances, therefore, are really a result of my relationship with God and the gospel’s impact on my soul at present. Do I perceive my selfishness as worse than Eric’s (regardless of whether I have a million excuses, or whether MY selfishness makes sense..)? Or am I so obsessed with his flaws and irritations that God’s work in me is merely the work of trying to break through the hardness of my heart, rather than the work of producing fruit in fertile, humble and selfless soil?

I have become increasingly convinced that the ability to discern the extent of my own penchant for self-worship is one of the most important--and painful--lessons I have ever learned ... and one I expect to have to re-learn continually for the rest of my life.

Tim Tebow's Philippine Hospital

2011-11-19T18:58:00.001-05:00

When I wrote last month about Tim Tebow's promotion to starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, I could not have forseen what would unfold in subsequent weeks. It's not just that he's brought the 1-4 Broncos to a respectable 5-5 ... it's that he's managed to do it while simultaneously confirming the worst suspicions of his critics (his inaccurate delivery) and the fondest hopes of his fans (he wins anyway). I find myself somewhere in the middle ... unsure about whether he can keep this up, but hoping for the best.

In fact, my affinity for this remarkable young athelete just ticked up another notch, and not merely because I just watched him drive the Broncos 95 yards for yet another improbable game-winning score against the New York Jets on Thursday night.

No, it was something he mentioned in the post-game interview that really piqued my interest. It seems that Tebow's charitable foundation has been busy working with CURE International to build a $3 million hospital in Davao City. Where's that? Glad you asked! Davao happens to be the chief city of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao ... and it also just so happens to be Mrs. Jailer's hometown.

The hospital itself will be "a 30-bed surgical facility focusing primarily on orthopedics" to treat early childhood conditions such as clubfoot, bow legs, spinal deformities, etc. According to CURE's Mark Necht, it will also meet spiritual needs: "The medical care is our vehicle to share the Gospel with the patients and families we serve."

In his official statement on the project, Tebow affirmed his continuing commitment to his childhood home: "I was born in the Philippines and my parents have been missionaries to that area since 1985. The Philippines have always had a special place in my heart." The funny part is, most Filipinos don't even watch football. Basketball and, of course, boxing are far more popular in the country where Manny Pacquiao is a congressman.

Still, maybe now that will change just a little, seeing as there is at least one football player with an affectionate eye on them.

An Irrelevant God?

2011-10-28T08:57:00.000-04:00

Is our god relevant? (Hint: the small "g" is intentional.)

Several of our recent posts have wrestled with the following question in different ways: what is wrong with the church? Of course, there is no single right answer to this question. But I'm increasingly of the opinion that we no longer live in the light of grace, because we have no idea what "grace" really is. By the way, lest you find me self-righteous, I do not absolve myself in this indictment.

To begin with, we cannot truly grasp the amazingness of grace until and unless we understand the enormity and very wretchedness of our sin. And this intense sin awareness also lies beyond our grasp, because we have a massive underappreciation for God's holiness. In so many ways, we worship a different god ... one who is crafted after our own collective image. Any reevaluation of our Christian faith must begin with recapturing a proper fear and awe of its Author and Perfecter.

Fear and awe? Consider Isaiah, who had every human reason to consider his understanding of God's true nature to be quite adequate. After all, he was Israel's foremost prophet ... a veritable holy man on a mission. Yet, this "holy man's" response to an encounter with the "Holy Holy Holy" One seated on His throne was supremely jarring:
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Isaiah's encounter with God began with a terrifying realization: God is holy, and he was filthy. In short, he was doomed. No other outcome but instant and consuming firey judgment was imaginable when his sin came up before the unfiltered holiness of God. However, God did not mete out His justice on Isaiah, but rather forgave him, and Isaiah's response was unqualified, total obedience: Here I am, send me!

Scripture demonstrates repeatedly that this is the way it must be--true obedience is born of a sincere experience of God's grace. Yet such grace is bereft of meaning absent a true recognition of the enormous stinking corpse that is our sin ... but this sin is just an abstract notion outside the bright white holiness (i.e., majesty and purity) of God. Yet it is this true holiness that has slipped from our collective consciousness.

Indeed, I fear this is not the God we carry to the nations or our neighbors. It is not the God we preach from our pulpits or whose songs we sing. Dare I say it is not the God many of us carry in our hearts? Instead, we have internalized a different god ... one who inspires no fear, no trembing, no awe. The spirit of our age, the god of our choosing ... well, he's nice and all ... in a Mother Theresa sort of way, only better. Really, we're glad he's around and grateful for his kindness. We have a vague appreciation for his overlooking our "mistakes", but we feel little obligation to break out of our comfortable apathy on his account.

Why has the church become increasingly irrelevant? Can it be because we serve and preach an irrelevant god of our own making, rather than the "Holy Holy Holy" God of Scripture? Can it be that any hope of Christian renewal, either personal or corporate, must begin with a genuine "Woe to me" moment?

*Note: This post originally went up on February 14, 2009, but was accidentally deleted.

Tim Tebow: The Missionaries' Kid Gets the Ball

2011-10-22T10:59:00.001-04:00

Tim Tebow will start for the Denver Broncos this Sunday. In other news, the Greek economy is tanking, the Presidential election is heating up, and some guy in Libya was killed. Whatever ... did you hear about Tebow?

With as much controversy as Tebow has stirred up in Denver and across the country, you'd think he was either a self-promoting prima donna or an insufferable religious fanatic. Just 23 years old with one NFL win under his belt, he already carries the hopes and dreams of millions of Brocos fans seeking a spark for a bad team. Social commentators have held Tebow up of all that is right and wholesome in America, or have regarded him with suspicion as an evangelical stalking horse. Christian attitudes toward Tebow range from pleasant good will to near idol-worship.

Although he was one of the elite college football players of all time, but most football analysts doubt Tebow's skills will translate to the professional level. Can he develop the accuracy, the patience, and the quick release the pro game demands of its quarterbacks, or will his talents crumble once savvy teams develop a successful counter to his unorthodox style? Is he a flash in the pan, merely able to briefly spark a bad team and inspire a desperate fan base, or can he be the long-term answer? Time will tell, but right now Denver coach John Fox, faced with a 1-4 record, an ineffective Kyle Orton under center, and a stadium full "Tebow!" chanting fans, appears to have no choice but to give him the ball.

Tebow has been a hot button on the social front as well. His parents were missionaries to the Philippines when Tim was conceived, and were at first urged by their doctor to abort the "tumor" growing in Pam Tebow's womb. Strongly pro-life, they determined to carry him to term. Focus on the Family seized on his story to make a 2009 Super Bowl commercial, which generated much smoke and fury from the abortion rights camp, although the commercial itself turned out to be very tame. His virginity has also become a talking point, provoking admiration both admiration and scoffing across the social spectrum. Meanwhile, for many evangelicals the unwillingness of NFL talking heads to believe in Tim Tebow demostrates anti-Christian bias.

In short, everything about Tim Tebow seems to provoke something.

These wide-ranging perceptions make it easy to forget that Tebow is, after all, still just a young man. Almost everyone who meets or interviews him is struck by his authenticity, leadership, enthusiasm, kindness, and humility. He has the appearance of a man comfortable in his own skin and with his faith, but uncomfortable with praise and unwilling to take the bait when people attempt to make him the issue. In a word, he appears genuine.

Regardless, I do think this longtime 49ers fan will be quietly rooting for the Broncos this year. I will refrain from adding to the controversy surrounding him, but I will pray for Tim Tebow ... that he will continue to live out his faith with integrity.

Oh, and that he will develop a quick release and hit timing routes over the middle of the field.

Say What?

2011-10-19T21:54:00.000-04:00

To quote Dave Barry, "I am not making this up."

The year was 1998, and little Jailer Jr. was 4 years old and quite precocious. He and his 1-year-old sister, Jailerette, kept Mrs Jailer and I hopping. In fact, like most young parents, we felt we needed a break from time to time. Sunday afternoons usually set up nicely that way.

On Sundays we would leave church after morning service, eat a quick bite, and then take a drive while the kids (and often Mrs Jailer) would sleep in the car while I would listen to the radio. At the time there was a major drama playing out just up the road in in Washington DC, so I would tune in to C-SPAN radio and catch all the Sunday talking heads as they discussed an impending Presidential impeachment. As political theater it was riveting stuff, though the kids were of course too young to comprehend it. This was good, since some of the discussion was, shall we say, not appropriate for young ears.

Still, we thought at least Jailer Jr. was old enough to have a grasp of basic civics so he could grow up brilliant and all that, so we prepared little quizzes for him. One day I asked him if he could name our leaders:

Who's the President of the United States, son?
     "Bill Clinton!"
"Why that's right! Very good! Who's the Vice President?"
     "Al Gore!"
"Wow! That's great! Let's try something a little harder ... who's the First Lady?"
     "What's a First Lady?"
"You know, the President's wife."
     "Oh. Monica Lewinsky!"

So ... Mrs Jailer and I decided maybe we should cut back on the C-SPAN for a little while ...

2012 and the Mormon Question

2011-10-10T21:13:00.001-04:00

Political analysts generally refer to the late summer as "the silly season", because political reporters tend to fill the dead space when politicians go on vacation with non-stories. In the era of 24-hour news cycles, however, the silly season really never ends.

As Exhibit A, I present this Associated Press story via the Boston Herald: "Cain, Bachmann refuse to say whether Romney is a Christian."

Seriously? This is what is called "invented news". How is this relevant to who should be President of the United States in 2012?

Well ...

The fact that orthodox Christians consider Mormonism to be a non-Christian religion is hardly breaking news. Mormons reject the trinity and embrace a form of polytheism known as henotheism, which is to say they claim to worship one God while accepting that others exist. They believe that the God they worship was once a man, and that Satan and Jesus were both his children (and were therefore brothers). In the words of RC Sproul:

Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that the New Testament does not teach the deity of Christ; rather, they argue it teaches He is the exalted firstborn of all creation. They say He is the first creature made by God, who then is given superior power and authority over the rest of creation. Though Jesus is lifted up in such Christology, it still falls far short of Christian orthodoxy, which confesses the deity of Christ ... The way in which this identity is denied by Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses and other cultists is by substituting the indefinite article in the text, rendering it that the Logos [of John 1:1] was “a god.” In order to wrest this interpretation from the text, one must have a prior affirmation of some form of polytheism. Such polytheism is utterly foreign to Judeo-Christian theology, where deity is understood in monotheistic terms.

In short, the Jesus of Mormonism is fundamentally different from the Jesus worshipped by orthodox Christians, and if you change who He is, you change whom we worship. Add to this the extrabiblical texts Mormons add to Scripture, and you have what is at the very least a fundamentally different religion.

OK, so Mormons want to be called Christians, and orthodox Christians don't want to oblige. Again, this is old news. So why are we talking about this in a political campaign, and can any good come of it?

Frankly, while I'd love to lay it all at the feet of the media, in truth this is happening in large part because we Christians ask for it. Every four years or so a significant number of us get suckered into putting our faith in princes, and off we go. For this year's edition, note the prayer rally sponsored by Governor Perry just one week before he announced his candidacy for President. I'm sure it was an uplifting event for those who attended, but its plain appearance looked troublingly like that quadrennial grab for the evangelical church's political capital I have come to dread.

It is into this context that Robert Jeffress, a Southern Baptist pastor, interjected his endorsement of Perry over Romney based upon the "mainstream (Christian) view, that Mormonism is a cult." Of course, Perry has since had to distance himself from Jeffress, the question is further muddled, and Americans are left to wonder how it came to the point where our politicians are being asked by reporters to weigh in on theology. Well, because somewhere along the line we decided that pastors should be endorsing political candidates.

What a waste of time.

Born Again: The Complete Works

2011-09-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

As of this writing, the Born Again series has had over 1,500 page views, and many of you have contacted me to express how it has blessed you. The one big complaint, however, is that it can be a little challenging to navigate. Being a man of the people, therefore ...

1. Born Again: A Letter From Sharon
2. Born Again: Assurance and the Quest for Inner Peace
3. Born Again: I'm Just an Emotional Wreck!
4. Born Again: He Rewards Those Who Earnestly Seek Him
5. Born Again: I'm Constantly Battling With Him
6. Born Again: The Harsh Truth That Gets in Your Guts
7. Born Again: I Want it Now
8. Born Again: An Act of the Will
9. Born Again: Jesus Without Religion
10. Born Again: What Do You Want?
11. Born Again: The Jesus Who Lives in Me
12. Born Again: My Husband Thinks I'm Weird
13. Born Again: God's in the Heart-Changing Business
14. Born Again: I Have Taken That Leap

And now, one final message from You-Know-Who:

Jailer,
I just wanted to let you know that I truly enjoyed the final chapter of your series. Thank you for taking great care of the story to make sure that it portrays a lesson. I am very honored that you cared enough to share my story with other people. I truly felt uplifted as I read through it from an audience's point of view. I think I'll be visiting these pages time and again to gain encouragement if ever I feel the need. I am very fortunate to have you as my friend. You have my utmost respect and gratitude.
Love in Christ,
Sharon

The Tame Lion: Domesticating Jesus

2011-09-25T10:19:00.001-04:00

“Do you think I keep him in my wallet, fools?" said Tirian. "Who am I that I could make Aslan appear at my bidding? He’s not a tame lion.” -- CS Lewis, from The Last Battle

Those of us who grew up loving the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis will never really warm up to the movie versions. This is often true of book-to-movie translations, of course, but there is a certain richness to the language in the books that the movies give mere lip service to. If your Narnian experience has been limited to movies, I strongly encourage you to read the books. Or even better ... read them to your children!

I have very fond memories of my father reading Narnia to us as we gathered around his bed. None of us were Christians at the time, but still I remember getting goose bumps at hearing various astonished Narnians exclaim about Aslan (the Narnian Jesus character), "He is not a tame lion!"

I knew virtually nothing of Christ at the time, so there was much in the Narnia tale that I naturally missed. However, at least one central truth made its way into my consciousness: whoever God was, His nature was not up to me to define. By imprinting this vital truth deep within me early on, God prepared me to ultimately reject the false gospels and, in the fullness of time, humbly embrace the true King of Glory.

Who is this King of Glory? In the words of the wise Mr. and Mrs. Beaver:

“Is – is he a man?” asked Lucy.

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king I tell you.”

A crucial truth that Narnia was able to communicate to a young, unbelieving boy has faded from much of the church's postmodern theology: Jesus is not tame. He is not safe. But He is good!

Much of the history of Christianity has been devoted to domesticating Jesus—to reducing that elusive, enigmatic, paradoxical person to dimensions we can comprehend, understand and convert to our own purposes ... None of it works because once you domesticate Jesus he isn't there any more ... If Jesus makes you feel comfortable with your agenda, then he's not Jesus. -- Fr. Andrew Greeley

Joy in the Journey with Mrs Jailer

2011-09-18T10:54:00.001-04:00

Tuesday will mark our 21st wedding anniversary. There is truly a joy in the journey, and sharing it with such a beautiful, faithful and wise friend and lover has magnified that joy beyond measure.

Oh, and we both love Michael Card!

Born Again: I Have Taken That Leap

2011-09-11T21:09:00.000-04:00

* Fourteenth and last in a series *

It's time to come clean.

What I have not told you -- though you may have guessed -- is that Sharon and I had briefly been romantically involved, back when this saga began 25 years ago. The relationship had crumbled as I realized my girlfriend did not really know the Jesus I knew, and could not really share what was most precious in my life. Although I was still very young, I knew that hoping to convert my girlfriend was probably wishful thinking. There were too many other emotions (and hormones) at work, let alone how it presumes on God's mercy. The brutal fact was that I was "unequally yoked", and I was forced to break it off.

Young people don't generally recognize the damage done by the careless romances typical of that age. Though I am gratified that God kept me sexually pure (in deed if not in thought) through that period of my life, I am not particularly proud of my adolescent conduct. In the decades since I have offered up a few overdue apologies, and probably yet owe a few more.

Even so, Sharon's story reminds us that God's promises stand on His holy character, not our weak imitations. It also reminds us that spiritual rebirth is not microwavable, and His mercy is not on-demand; God works on His timetable and in His way.

So now, as we draw her long and wonderful saga to a close, it's appropriate the final word should go to Sharon. She sent me this after the fourth installment of this series, because she wanted me to be clear on a few things. She began by quoting my blog:

"I pressed the 'Send' button with a wave of gratitude tarnished only by a hint of doubt. The gratitude sprung from my sense of great privilege at being chosen for this sacred charge, a moment toward which I'd truly done so little to contribute--indeed, perhaps not a little to impede many years ago. The doubt came from my inner pessimist. Sharon was reaching the threshold of eternity. When she at last arrived and counted the cost, would she pull back?"

You absolutely left me speechless after reading the 4th in the series ... I'd really like to say something.

Twenty five years ago, you introduced me to a concept that was so powerful. I have never met anyone who was so truthful in his relationship with Christ and I was in awe. I truly did want what you had, but I didn't know how to obtain it. After you left my life, I befriended people who showed similar characteristic as you when it came to Christianity. I still remember the guy who gave me my very first Bible that I wrote notes on and the girl who studied Hebrew and Latin as her majors just so she could read the original text of the Bible. They were all very wholesome and godly people, but none of them had the conviction that you had. You were so forceful with your beliefs that most of the time, I did pull back, yet I still wanted what you had. But you left, leaving what you started unfinished.

I don't blame anyone but myself in understanding where I am today. I just realized that maybe this part of my life was meant for you to finish, and you've just done that. Questioning my feelings about my relationship with Jesus is like standing on a ledge of a cliff and a voice calling out telling me to take a leap but I always said no. I have been standing on that ledge all my life. Today, I am happy to tell you that I have taken that leap.

You have NO IDEA how free I feel. THANK YOU for returning home and completing what you started.

Yours in Christ forever,

Sharon

When it's Day to Me, it's Night to Someone

2011-09-04T22:02:00.000-04:00

Since my passion for introducing the cellmates to 20-year-old music can't begin and end with Rich Mullins, I thought I'd detour into the realm of Mark Heard. Mark died in 1992 of heart failure, but not before establishing his music as some of the more searching and honest of the genre.

This song, "Some Folks' World" is a simple but profound call to true compassion.

Some folks' world is war-torn
Some folks' world is fine
This planet makes no sense to the untrained mind

Some folks hope for fortune
Some folks hope to die
Each man sees his fate through his own two eyes

And when it's day to me it's night to someone
And when it's night you might not want to go on

Some folks eat what flies leave
They get what they can take
Hunger has no heart and it will not wait

Rain can ruin your weekend
Or rain can spare your life
Depending on who you are and what your thirst is like

And when it's day to me it's night to someone
And when it's night you might not want to go on

All folks' days are numbered
But most folks do not care
And no man calls his coin when it's in the air

Some folks taste of Heaven
Some folks taste of Hell
Some folks lose their taste and they cannot tell

And when it's day to me it's night to someone
And when it's night you might not want to go on

Written by Mark Heard © 1982 Bug 'n Bear Music ASCAP

War Is Interested in You

2011-09-02T20:05:00.016-04:00

In her poem Of a Forgetful Sea, Kelli Russell Agodon talks of the forgetfulness invited by the seashore:

Here war is only newsprint.

How easy it is not to think about it
as we sleep beneath our quiet sky,
slip ourselves into foam, neglectful
waves appearing endless.

Just before, however, there is an ominous note, as she writes of her daughter’s attempts to save the small creatures she finds from the threats she sees:

She tries to help them
before the patterns of tides
reach their lives.

She knows about families
who fold together like hands,
a horizon of tanks moving forward.

So, while “Here war is only newsprint”, one can’t quite forget it (or disintegrating families) even at the seashore: It’s out there – “a horizon of tanks”. Moreover, if we try too hard to put it out of our minds, we run up against the truth very loosely attributed to Trotsky (by Alan Furst, at the opening of his novel Dark Star):

You may not be interested in war,

but war is interested in you.

Indeed, the Lord warns us in the 24th chapter of Matthew that in this age, “… there will be wars and rumors of wars” (verse 6) and the history of the 20th century was surely replete with all of that: Most of Furst’s novels are set in the 2nd world war, a maelstrom which perhaps ended 50 million lives. Looking to a larger stage, Niall Ferguson sets his history War of the World in the period from the beginning of the 1st world war to the end of the Korean war, and apologizes for ending his tale even there.

So, whether or not it’s valid to tie the name of Trotsky (who certainly played a significant part in 20th century conflict) to the saying, it seems pretty safe to accept it as a truth worth remembering: “War is interested in you.” Having attended Jailer’s change of command ceremony early this summer, I’ve reflected a lot since then on that saying, and on the question it raises: How ought a Christian to respond to this, and, especially, how ought Christians in the military to view themselves in light of it?

One possible answer would turn on a dichotomy suggested by this truth: Members of some militaries (like Hitler’s Waffen-SS) were pretty unambiguously vehicles for furthering war’s interest. Others (like the modern Swiss Armed Forces) are pretty unambiguously vehicles for responding to that interest, should it intrude. So, while uncompromising pacifism certainly has its place in Christian history, it seems pretty straightforward that, if they are not pacifists, many Christians would feel comfortable about the role of the latter sort of military, but few would feel comfortable about the first.

But, given that a Christian may feel comfortable serving in a military which he views as existing to respond to war’s interest, how is he to respond if he finds the ground shifting under him? A case in point might be the more traditional German military, as events led up to the 2nd world war: Even during the early years after Hitler came to power in 1933, they might have viewed themselves as legitimate defenders of their nation. Then, suddenly in 1939, they’d have found themselves plunged into wars of aggression where, especially to the east, the populations they overran were to be regarded as literally sub-human (“Untermenshen”) and treated accordingly. We know how some did respond, culminating in failed assassination attempts, but most just went along. Many of the latter must have been believers. Had they been on a slippery slope for years before they became involved in atrocities? At what point ought they to have got out?

Closer to home, what is a Christian supposed to say about service in an “imperial” military? Surely Rome’s military during the Church’s early years was that, and there were many Christians who served in it. More to the point, the British military in the 19th century was surely imperial, and, though we may feel more comfortable with the term “hegemonic” than “imperial”, so is that of the United States today (and so has it been for over half a century). One point of view about this is expressed by Niall Ferguson in his book Colossus, where he urges the argument that the U. S. role as hegemon is a good thing (as was the British role before it), and that, were the U. S. to demit that role, the consequences could well be catastrophic. But a contrary point of view is that of the presidential candidate Ron Paul, who condemns U. S. foreign policy as “imperialistic”, and ties it (echoing President Eisenhower’s “military-industrial complex”) to oppressive government and loss of freedom. (See Congressman Paul’s book, A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship.) What is a Christian supposed to say about issues like this? Ought he to be indifferent to them? If not, are there lines he ought to draw?

As I said above, seeing Jailer’s ceremony just after reading Trotsky’s “quote” got me to thinking. Might events lead Jailer into the sort of bind in which some Christians serving in the German military found themselves less than a century ago? Short of that, and going back a bit more than a century, what would it take to precipitate the sort of situation where British soldiers herded Africaner families into concentration camps? Should that – or something like it – happen, how ought he to respond? Should he be, even now, in a role that might lead to that?

Born Again: God's in the Heart-Changing Business

2011-08-11T15:13:00.002-04:00

* Thirteenth in a series *

Sharon's previous letter had raised a couple of critical concerns. First, she'd been conditioned to think of the term "born again" as something of a derogatory. Of course, Jesus emphasized the need for spiritual rebirth in very clear terms, and so she'd need to be able to separate Biblical mandate from the catch-phrase. I started there:

I understand your hang-up with the term "born again". I'm pretty anti-cliché by nature, and tend to be a little (over)critical about certain habits of the church.

I really am, as any regular reader of this blog would know--probably to a fault, in that it makes me a bit reactionary. Be that as it may, this text and the concept were no less real and relevant to where Sharon stood at that moment. So:

However, the concept of being born again goes back to Jesus himself in John 3. This is a rather long passage, but worth quoting in full:

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."

Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."

Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked."

"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

I thought about ending here, but everybody ends here, and I often worry that we lose the larger meaning. In fact, John 3:16 itself has become shockingly cliche, having been relentlessly robbed of its context and trivialized on a billion bumper stickers and football game signs. Everyone has been told God loves them. Far fewer have been told why it matters or what their response must therefore be.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."

Sharon, there is much to take away from this passage. Of course, everyone knows John 3:16, and it is a wonderful verse. It is also a little frightening however, for the gospel is the best news in the world ("whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"), but it comes in the context of the worst news in the world ("whoever does not believe stands condemned already").

Ultimately, we experience our spiritual rebirth (being "born again") as an act of the will. We struggle through the intellectual side of wondering whether this is all true. You've certainly been going through this process with all the reading you've been doing. We also struggle through the emotional part ... how do we "feel" about the idea of surrendering our lives to Him? It seems to me from what you've written that you're really there already.

So then, where does that leave us? Like the fisherman Peter at his nets, we hear Jesus call. He says "Follow me", and we make a decision. Do we stay here and fish, or do we get up and follow the Lord? We don't know precisely where he will take us, and the idea of surrendering our wills to his is frightening. But, as Peter later said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God." So we decide to follow Him, for in Him is life.

Having challenged Sharon to lay down her nets, I had yet to deal with her other huge concern ... the poor woman's husband thinks she's weird! Now, we are to be a "peculiar people" after all, but I'm not sure "weird" is the effect we're shooting for. Yes, I think there's a difference.

I'm reminded of a friend of mine who went to his mentor to ask what was to be done about his wife, who just didn't seem to "get" Christianity. This wise elder leaned forward, smiled softly, and said: "Greg, love your wife." This has always seemed to me to be the simplest and most profound advice I've ever heard on the matter.

Of course, this is likely to be alarming to your husband! What does it all mean? Will you now become one of "those people"? Well, yes ... but is that good news or bad news for him? When I look at what the Bible commands us as husbands and wives, it is truly good news! For it tell us to love and submit, even if the person we are married to is not (yet) a believer! By loving Christ, we are actually freed to love our spouses and children all the more, because we no longer require them to fulfill our deepest personal needs. We gain our security and our significance from the Creator and Savior Himself!

Instead of demanding that my wife meet my need for unconditional love, I turn to Christ who never changes and whose love never falters, and am then empowered to extend that same love to her. Instead of demanding that my children validate me by being successful and obedient, I turn to Christ in whom I am eternally significant as a loved child of the King of Kings. I can then patiently pour my life out for them, because my cup is being filled by the Almighty One! Therefore, the news for your husband is truly good. You're not going to come home and try to "change him", because of course you can't anyway. Rather, you're going to come home and love him better than you ever have before!

God's in the heart-changing business.

The Energy and Audacity of Youth

2011-08-08T20:21:00.003-04:00

Preparing to depart from LA.

Having previously blogged rather one-sidedly--and perhaps unfairly--about the "energy and arrogance" of youth, a chance encounter today offered a glimpse at the other side of the coin. Four impressive young believers engaged in a tremendous endeavor for the Kingdom of God reminded me that youth is not necessarily wasted on the young!

The Southern Walk is HOT!

I came across Jessica, Amy, Joe and Nancy at a Starbucks just minutes from my house, as they prepared to complete the final leg of their journey across the country with Crossroads, an annual pilgrammage which draws attention to the plight of the unborn and promotes a culture of life in America. These four college students were members of the Southern Walk, and were nearing their destination in Washington DC, where all 40 walkers will converge on August 13th.

There are many ways to draw attention to the outrage of a million or so children destroyed annually in America. (Note: If we settle for the more conservative estimates of over 800 thousand, is it really that much less appalling?). For those who don't understand the Christian revulsion against this practice, it is only that we treasure all those handmade by God to carry His image:

The walkers gather for prayer outside an
abortion clinic in Abilene, Texas.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

- Psalm 139:13-16

Surviving the trek across Texas
is something to celebrate!

It's true, an unfortunate few resort to violent or simply obnoxious tactics, and Christians must continue to speak out against any repayment of evil for evil. Even so, the willingness of this peaceful, cheerful, prayerful and dedicated band of young men and women to "walk the walk" on behalf of those who literally have no voice is a powerful antidote against cynicism and despair.

They will walk and not grow weary ...
(no, I won't reveal whose foot this is)

I thank you, my dear brothers and sisters, for remembering your Creator in the days of your youth, and expending your strength on worthy pursuits. Thank you for standing up for righteousness, justice and compassion, and for daring to make a difference. I salute you all in the words of the Apostle John:

I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

Born Again: My Husband Thinks I'm Weird

2011-07-20T22:59:00.001-04:00

* Twelfth in a series *

I was recently accused by some very fine military personnel of being a "dork", by which they meant I use words and phrases that are ... well, dorky. Frankly, I prefer "poetic", but be that as it may ...

Sharon also struggled somewhat with my, er ... poetry.

When you write, it takes me a while to fully understand what you are saying because your emails to me are very profound. In fact, all of your writings in your blogs are very profound that it takes a few readings for me to “truly” understand them. I guess you’re just a “profound guy” :). Or that, I’m slow to understand things! :) I’m surprised that you didn’t change your career choice to become a minister. You have a calling for it. Although I know that you do not have to have such title to minister to others, but you do have the calling for it!

See? It's profundity! Which is waaaaay better than dorkiness. You go girl.

I absolutely love reading your responses to my emails. You have a special way of using God’s words to relay them to current situations. Please know that I am learning a lot from you and I do take it to heart all that you share with me in your letters. I also am continuously reading my Bible whenever I can, whether that is at work during my breaks or at home (hiding in the closet, most of the time). You mentioned about being “born again” and I have to tell you, that’s a word that I am still struggling with for several reasons. First, I don’t really know what it means. Second, I have met quite a few “born again Christians” in my lifetime and, frankly, some of them have scared me. I don’t know what “born again” is like. When I met you, I knew that you were “one of those people”, because you told me. Why that didn’t scare me away from you then, I don’t know. But all memories aside, “born again” has always had a negative connotation, for me. But if that is what I’m going to go thru or will be going thru, I guess it’s really not so bad. I’m still not sure what I’m going thru, to be honest. I’m scared to think that it is only a phase ...

This is not the first time I have heard of this complaint about the effect of the so-called "born-agains". I've never heard any Christian describe themselves using "born-again" as a noun, and Sharon wasn't using it this way here. But I have heard it so used in other places, generally as a perjorative. Like this for example:

The problem with this, of course, is that being born again actually is a crucial, biblical event, and it was critical that Sharon grasp its true meaning. I would need to walk her through that, but we'll save that for the next installment.

My husband just told me that he thinks I’m "weird". I have been contemplating sharing with him all the e-mails we have exchanged so that maybe it can explain what I am “going through” but I do not know if he will respond to it the way that I’d like him to respond to it. I’ve tried to explain to him why I have suddenly felt the need to explore my faith, but whenever I talk to him, I just get so emotional that nothing seems to come out right.

All emerging Christians struggle with the question of how to relate to their friends and families, and especially spouses! Those early days may be filled with reckless enthusiasm, sheer terror, or some weird mixture of both. How to feed the enthusiasm, overcome the terror, and mold the recklessness into purposeful boldness ... well honestly I still struggle with that! Another huge issue to deal with in my response. But Sharon had more to say:

But like I said in my last email, I think I became more curious about my Christian faith while I spent some mornings just meditating in my daughter’s school coffee shop. There are lots of Christian books there to read and again, the music is soothing. (I have to say though that Starbucks latte is better, but I’m not really there for the coffee, am I?).

Editor's note: She's already more spiritual than I am ... I'm always there for the coffee. Just sayin'. She continued:

There was a small book of quotes in there on a man named John Wesley. All I know of John Wesley is that he is the founder of the denomination that my family practices, Methodism. Unfortunately, I do not know anything else about him. I just picked up the book and started reading and one of his quotes struck a chord:
“In my return to England, Jan. 1738, being in imminent danger of death and very uneasy on that account, I was strongly convinced that the cause of that uneasiness was unbelief and that gaining a true, living faith was the one thing needful of me.”
There was something about that sentence that started to make me think about my own “uneasiness” about death. And then, this is one of the things you said to me in one of your emails:
“I have come to understand over the years that what we all seek is assurance of our salvation and our relationship to God.”
One more quote: The last chapter of “Jesus Without Religion” says:
“Having read through the Gospel, you should have seen a clear message and mission emerging from the ministry of Jesus: redemption”
I don’t think I need to say more. They’re all pointing to the same thing. I need to do THIS. I want to do this. Otherwise, I will never be at peace.

Sharon was still searching for peace, but she now understood that true peace is more than an inner, emotional cease-fire. Sharon sought the only kind of peace that matters: eternal, saving, redeeming peace offered to all who believe by the Lord God Almighty. Despite her hangup with the phrase, she was experiencing her spiritual rebirth ... and was willing to risk a little "weirdness" for it.

Jailbreaker Breaks Out

2011-07-18T09:37:00.002-04:00

It was bound to happen. Our old friend the Jailbreaker, a former missionary to Japan who thrives on challenging our assumptions about the gospel and culture, has slipped his bonds and made for open country with his new blog, For the Sake of the Gospel, for which his stated purpose is to create "An Online Learning Community Seeking to Cultivate & Sustain a Movement of the Gospel within Everyday Relational Networks."

Longtime readers of this blog will recognize some of the posts from years gone by, when the Jailbreaker stoked our creative juices and started more than one spirited debate with challenges such as these:

When crossing cultures with the Gospel just how difficult of a task is it to bring “the message” to a particular people without entangling that message in the “cultural trappings” of the messenger? Does it even matter?

If by “culture” we mean eating with silverware instead of chopsticks, or shaking hands instead of bowing, it’s probably not very difficult at all to leave culture out of the message.

However, if by culture we mean "church culture," that is, the forms, practices, and deeply rooted assumptions of the "western church system," it’s another matter entirely.

I urge you to stop by often ... if you dare!

I Relinquish Command

2011-07-17T21:12:00.005-04:00

On Tuesday July 12th, I relinquished command of The United States Air Force Honor Guard, closing a remarkable 2-year odyssey.

Command of a squadron is a unique experience in the Air Force. It's said you'll never love--or hate--any job more, because from the day he takes the flag a squadron commander accepts the burden of responsibility for everything that happens on his watch ... the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Commanding the Honor Guard provided me more than my share of all three. The Airmen assigned are very young--over 80% come directly from Basic Training--and they work in a fishbowl. Most of them rise wonderfully to the occasion, conduct themselves with extraordinary skill and dedication, and reward your faith in them through superb performance and conduct. A few, however, will not, and those few will take up far too much of your time.

The "good" ... where to start?

The phenomenal experience of taking command with my friend, counselor and spiritual father and his wife in attendance. I love and respect them so very much.

Maj. Tyson Willis, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard director of operations, leads Col. Elizabeth Borelli, 11th Operation Group commander, and Lt. Col. Raymond M. Powell, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard commander, during an inspection of the troops as part of the Air Force Honor Guard change-of-command ceremony June 23 on the U.S. Air Force Ceremonial Lawn, Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. These ceremonies represent the formal passing of responsibility, authority and accountability of command from one officer to another. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alex Montes)

The thrill of returning to my Sacramento middle school together with the Drill Team ... and my mom!

The challenge of staging a huge sight-and-sound Twilight Tattoo for the 50th Anniversary of the Conference of American Air Chiefs on the US Air Force Ceremonial Lawn.

The somber responsibility of presiding over the funeral of US Senator Ted Stevens.

Military personnel carry the casket during the burial service of longtime Alaska Senator Ted Stevens at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, September 28, 2010. Olivier Douliery / MCT

The opportunity to returning to my beloved Santa Cruz with the Drill Team and meeting up with so many dear family members and old friends. I also met up with my friend "Sharon" again on that trip after 24 years. Sharon came to place her trust in Christ as a result (thus launching the Born Again series ... which I promise will resume shortly)!

The tremendous honor of participating in the 2010 Christmas Parade in my current hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia as the Grand Marshall.

Still, I think my favorite memory will be of seeing my father (who blogs here in these pages as "Presbyter") honored by the Air Force, as he was previously by me, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and some lady named Oprah. He came to see me relinquish command almost exactly 50 years after his 1961 Freedom Ride.

Lt. Col. Raymond Powell and his father Michael Powell discuss Michael's experience during the Freedom Rides of 1961 at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C. July 11, 2011. The freedom rides sought to end segregation in the Southern states with non-violent protest. Raymond relinquished command of The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard on July 12, 2011, nearly 50 years after his fathers arrest in Jackson, Miss. (USAF Photo by Staff Sgt. Raymond Mills)

As amazing as this has been, the experience has not been without trial, some "bad", some "ugly". Leaders in this environment often emerge bloodied and bruised, while some do not make it to the end. The bright lights show every flaw, and patience can be in very short supply. Frankly, after watching three of my superiors and one of my peers get relieved early, I was grateful for every day my key still fit the lock.

The most difficult period of my command centered around the discovery of a "Spice" ring in our midst. Spice is the name of a new and particularly nasty synthetic cannabis popular among young people, and it has been making the rounds in the military. It took us by storm, and although we acted swiftly to punish and purge the offenders, we received a lot of negative attention and were forced to battle through some very difficult days.

On a personal level, God turned up the heat on His refiner's fire through this trial, and taught me the value of perseverance and setting my face like flint through adversity. Frankly, there was no way to go but forward, and there was no one to lead them but the man to whom God had assigned the mission. I also discovered that in such adversity lies opportunity for those who are not too busy feeling sorry for themselves to see it. By remaining alert and purposeful, we were able to leverage the attention generated by the crisis to gain support for some important initiatives which should bless future generations of Ceremonial Guardsmen for some years to come.

God also taught me a new humility. As you can see from the photos and video above, there was much opportunity for arrogance, yet I found myself at times fighting for my job and my reputation, the latter being a particular favorite idol of mine. While my carnal desire was to go out "on top", God's desire for me was to glorify Him, for that is all that has any enduring value whatsoever.

Through the peaks and valleys, I was deeply blessed to have been supported by many fine Airmen--superiors, peers and subordinates alike--and of course by my sweetheart of almost 21 years, Mrs Jailer. We have a pocketful of incredible memories.

Together we look forward to our next challenge, as we prepare to go to Hanoi, Vietnam (following a couple years of training), where I am to be the Air Attache. We covet your prayers.

Born Again: The Jesus Who Lives in Me

2011-07-09T09:21:00.000-04:00

* Eleventh in a series *

My sense of excitement over Sharon's growing enthusiasm and revelations was matched by a sense of loss. Everything was here sitting in a pile. Conviction of sin, comprehension of Christ, yearning for salvation ... I couldn't escape the sense that a gifted evangelist would have brought this all together for her 2 weeks ago--or even 2 decades ago! But in His wisdom God had not sent a gifted evangelist, and it would be foolish to stand around waiting for one to show up.

I was the one He had sent, and all I could do was tell her what He had laid on my heart.

Nothing at all about your e-mail strikes me as "silly" or "odd". In fact, what really strikes me about your e-mail is how very wonderful it is. Truly. I'm actually a little awestruck by the whole thing. To think that God had this plan in mind ... it's just amazing to me!

What you have just described is everything that the gospel is supposed to accomplish! Why doesn't everyone respond to it as you have? Or, as you asked: "What is wrong with me?" Well, I suppose the Apostle Paul described it best: "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

So what did Sharon need to see at this moment? She needed to see what God was doing in her so that she could respond to it ...

The fact is that our basic problem is that, in our natural (sinful) state, we are spiritually dead! We don't hear what God is saying because we frankly don't want to. We are seeking for peace, but not really for God Himself, because our hearts are in rebellion against Him. Instead, we would rather invent a god in our own image, one whom we would rather deal with than the one true, holy God!

But when that true God intervenes and awakens us to His reality, it all becomes so clear! We look back and wonder what on earth we were thinking before ("What is wrong with me?"), but it's really quite simple in a way ... we were thinking what it was in our nature to think! Again, to quote Paul: "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:5-8)"

... and then she needed to know what that response is supposed to look like.

This is why Jesus spoke of being "born again". It is the life-giving touch of the Savior that gives us the ability to finally comprehend the meaning of this "gospel" (good news) we all speak about! "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory." (Romans 8:14-17)

When you knew me before, most of this information was still fairly new to me. I can't tell you exactly when or where I was born again. I believe it was between the ages of 16 and 18, but there were no fireworks ... just a slow realization that this gospel was more than just a "story", as you so aptly described. I will be honest with you, I still occasionally struggle with those thoughts even today. My faith is still a work in progress even this 25+ years later: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see ... And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:1,6)

I was determined not to give her a canned "sinners prayer". It would have only injected an artificiality into what had been so very authentic. I simply wanted her to see and know Jesus. The Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus who stood at the door and knocked. The Jesus who lives in me.

Sometimes doubts still crowd my mind. What drives those doubts away? God Himself, of course, for now that His Spirit lives inside me, He is committed to me: "... being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) He does this through the various means He has given me to experience the riches of His grace, as I continually read His Word, fellowship with His people, carry out the works He gave me to do, and worship Him both publicly and privately.

Thank you, Sharon, for giving me the privilege of walking with you along this journey. You are also an encouragement to me!

Born Again: What Do You Want?

2011-07-04T16:29:00.000-04:00

*Tenth in a series*

Sharon's next message began with a somewhat unusual Scripture text:

“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’" (John 1: 38)

There was no further explanation, yet her meaning seemed clear ... she was reaching a decision point. She was standing there at Bethany next to John the Baptist's disciples, looking at the Savior, knowing now who He was. Now was the time for choosing.

She went on:

I did finally finish, “Jesus Without Religion” (by Rick James). The best part about the book is that it was written in big fonts and it was only 125 pages :). To say that it was “a good book” doesn’t really do it any justice. So here is my feeble attempt to give it my own review:

“Jesus Without Religion” is exactly as its title states. The author described the life of Jesus Christ in a historic sense and cited specific dates when the (true) Gospels were written so to verify the true existence of these events. The author also used simple-to-understand examples relating to today’s lifestyles to explain lessons inscribed in a verse. The book cited several verses in the Old Testament which were again stated in the New Testament, only spoken by someone else hundreds of years later. (I find that amazing, by the way!) The author challenges you to pay attention to these “prophetic features” in the Old Testament and to recognize that they really all lead to Jesus Christ. I also found the author’s style of writing funny in a silly kind of way. If I didn’t know anything about Jesus Christ, I think this book would give me enough overview of who He is and would make any reader think about what their “next step” could be.

As I indicated in my previous post, this was truly God's providence on display. At the appointed time, God had drawn Sharon and I back into the same orbit, both older and wiser. I was at last ready to guide, and she to follow. He then placed this book in her path to show her how. Once again, my job was to watch and pray.

What I learned about myself as I read through “Jesus Without Religion” while having my Bible as a reference?

How remarkable that she would test what she was reading against Scripture. A true Berean indeed.

1.) I liked the book because it used references in our world history to set the timing of Jesus’ life. Somehow, I realized that that’s a big deal to me. I have come to understand that one of the reasons I have a difficult time “opening up” to the Bible is that I only see the stories in it as, well ... stories! I’ve known of the story of Christ, as well as the story of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. etc. but I’ve never placed them in history, because I saw these moments in time as “holy” and no ‘normal’ human lived in these holy times. I don’t know how else to explain this but it is only now that I am “accepting” that Jesus truly walked the same land as, say, the leaders of the Roman empire, whose realism is embedded in our history books. I was thinking of a time in college when I was having a difficult time with one of my classes. I was failing my Astronomy class for one reason: that I didn’t believe that the earth was tilted on it’s axis by 23 or 24 degrees. I had always thought that the earth rotated perpendicular to its axis so when I finally learned that it didn’t, it blew me away. Why that was so important to my brain, I don’t know but all I know is that after I finally got past “the truth” about our planet, the class was not so difficult to understand. You’re probably thinking that I am a very odd person just about now. I am, in many ways!

I wonder what percentage of today's postmodern church (much less our society) believes the Bible is essentially a fable, useful for moral teaching or spiritual encouragement, but certainly not true in any literal sense? I'm sure there's a poll out on that somewhere, and I'm sure I'd be distressed to know the answer. Here Sharon, born and raised in the bosom of that very church, confesses that she herself grew up with precisely that mindset, which proved the primary intellectual obstacle to her own faith.

If you think that’s odd, here’s a doozy for you ...

2.) There’s lots of talk about “grace” in this book, in the Bible and even in your blogs. You’ve cited many lessons on “grace” in your emails to me and I just read them and take them at face value. Ray, I just looked up the definition of GRACE from my dictionary and here is what it says: grace (n) 1: unmerited help given to people by God (as in overcoming temptation) 2: freedom from sin through divine grace. 3: a virtue coming from God. 4: used as a title for a duke, duchess or an archbishop. 5: a short prayer at a meal. And then it goes on. You know what I learned about myself this weekend? That I didn’t know the first three definitions of the word “grace”. I really didn’t! I know it’s a prayer, but that’s about it! How could I not know? I doubt that it’s a language issue as I’ve been singing the song Amazing Grace since I was in kindergarten. Have I been so numbed to the word that I just assumed I knew what it meant? What is wrong with me? Am I the only one who didn’t know that the “Grace of God” is truly a wonderful thing not to be taken for granted?

Now this actually didn't surprise me at all, being one of my favorite topics. Still, it was exciting to see Sharon really grab on to the exciting truth about grace. She was truly at the doorstep.

3.) And then there’s the word “Heart”. You’ve used it several times in your emails as well as the book I just read. There’s a passage in the book that says the “entrance to the kingdom depends on the heart” that is willing to accept it or to reject it. I have never made the conscious decision to open my heart to “accept” Jesus Christ. I told you before, I was born and raised just knowing it and I thought that was enough. I’m realizing that it’s a lot tougher to actually believe it, or “accept it”. But I am slowly learning that all it is is a decision on my part, to decide that I do want Jesus in my life. The author used a good example when it was time for him to make a decision. He said that it was like “getting married and saying ‘I Do’ to” the question. Or in this case, to say “I do” to Christ.

What do you want?

I would like to think that what I’m going through is “normal”, and that I am not alone in this. I cannot help but ask myself why I never made a decision. But like you told me, I need to not “worry about the past” and to “just press on forward”. I do want to accept Jesus and I want Him to guide the direction of my life. I am looking forward to learning more, so I guess my experience this past week, although a bit frustrating at times, was a good one. I am looking forward to reading the Bible as a whole and looking forward to understanding it better, this time around. Also, another good thing that came out of this is that I have a better appreciation for the song “Amazing Grace”. I love this line: “How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.” That’s just so beautiful!

Sharon stood looking at Jesus. For the first time she was seeing Him as He was ... real, living, loving, calling. What do you want? She wanted Him.

And the Holy King of Israel Loves Me Here in America

2011-07-03T09:25:00.001-04:00

Celebrating America and eternity with Rich Mullins. A very Happy Independence Day to you!

Trusting that I Will be Able to Survive His Plan

2011-07-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

Just after I posted Rich Mullins' superb monologue about living "on the verge of falling", Petra over at Penned Pebbles comes on line to reflect on the "all things" we can do through Christ.

Our upside down thinking only proves painful. What is it that frightens or hurts us the most when we face a storm, fire, persecution, cancer, prodigals, the unknown, or even death itself? Is it not the grief of doubting because we want what we think best? Oh, that all of our confidence would rest securely in Christ—ALL of it! Yes, sorrow brings us this cure! though we’d rather not have it.

Aptly spoken, yet she drives us deeper--indeed, to the verge of falling--as she walks us over to CaringBridge, where a mother's anguished journal wakes us to the fear none of us wants to face:

I sat filling in the spaces of the application as the kids played nearby, waiting for someone to release us after the CT scan. We were the only ones in the waiting room so I immediately looked up as the door opened. And then I knew, something was terribly wrong. 4 people entered the empty space, someone gently touched my shoulder and asked if they could sit with the kids and if I could follow the others into a private room. I followed them, but don't remember how I made it there. "I'm so sorry" seemed to be the first words I heard. My mind was screaming sorry for what!! She has to be fine. No God! And then the rest of the words ran together. There was talk of a large tumor, a neurosurgeon waiting on the phone and being admitted to the ICU. Somehow Kate was now in the room. I looked at her through tear stained eyes. She was slumped over sobbing into her hands. She was old enough to sense something was wrong, undeniably. I held her and we wept. How do I tell her daddy? He was still living with the false comfort of ignorance. I was about to shatter that. I called him, he wept and said he would have someone drive him up right away. And so began Kate's battle with brain cancer.

So there it is. For most of us, there is almost nothing more terrifying than the thought of learning your child has a life-threatening, debilitating condition. I have often thought to myself that I have promised that I will endure anything for the sake of the gospel. But not that, Jesus ... please God not that. Because I know what that will take ...

So much has happened in the past 2 years. Far too much to summarize on this page. My mind continues to feel clouded by the stressors of the journey. My now poor memory another casualty. And yet, there are certain things I remember with distinct clarity. Too much clarity. The smell after Kate's brain surgery. The feeling of seeing for the first time the tumor on the CT scan. The suffocating feeling meeting the boy in the room next to us on the neuro floor. No signs of brain cancer for 5 years, and then he had a stroke. He was left unable to communicate, move, eat, nothing. He just watched tv. And cried. So did I. The distinct, piercing cry of a mother that arrived on the oncology floor too late. She couldn't get there fast enough to say good bye. Her screams tore at the veil of security I tried to wrap myself in. And the tearful mother who returned the gifts many of you had provided through Kate's Christmas drive. Her daughter didn't even get the chance to open them. She died on her birthday. And then the dream shattering day, we unexpectedly found 2 new tumors had made themselves a home on the other side of Kate's brain. I threatened to throw a chair through the oncology room wall, if no one had done it before me. And the email that said "palliative care" from a Dr we consulted with afterwards. The anger, the emotion, the fear and the deep, deep disappointment. These memories seem unshakable. Unthinkable, and yet all too real.

For this mother it is "all to real". For me it is merely "unthinkable". I believe that I can indeed do even this through Him who gives me strength. Yes, I will ... for His glory, and for the eternal joy of what He promised.

Yet the mere thought of it fills me with terror. How could I possibly be strong enough for something like this?

Some days I could stop there, with the clear reality of how I feel, of what my emotions seem to be saying so loudly. And then unexpectedly, oftentimes quietly, I am reminded of our real home. Of our hope. It doesn't lie in statistics and prognoses. It doesn't even lie in health and healing. It's the hope that one day this will be the seemingly short life we lived here, as we live out eternity. As much as I love my Kate and would do nearly anything to see her healed, I know Jesus loves her more. Trust. I have struggled immensely with it since her diagnosis. Trusting the doctors know what is best for her. Trusting Jesus period. Trusting He has a plan for sweet Kate. Trusting that I will be able to survive His plan. Trusting that I will find joy amidst circumstance. And yet those very same things I struggle with are the very places I find solace. Knowing He has a plan, and knowing His deep love for Kate. It's painful none the less, but it holds hope. It holds promise. And so 2 years later when life still feels uncertain, unpredictable and painful, we look to the One who can heal, not only Kate's body, but our hearts as well.

Kate McRae

I talk, teach, and write about faith. This woman lives by it in a way I know so little about ... and to be brutally honest, I really don't want to. Yet this is what it all means ... all the promises, all the challenges, all the hope of eternal glory and redemption. Or, as Kate's mom put it: As much as I love my Kate and would do nearly anything to see her healed, I know Jesus loves her more.

What is left but to implore the Father? I know this family is one of many who face similar challenges, and I know your eternal, glorious plan is greater than any design I have or can possibly imagine, but God please heal this little girl. Thank you for the wisdom you have granted her mother thus far ... now please grant her comfort and strength to face each new day with renewed hope. Amen and amen.

I Would Rather Live on the Verge of Falling

2011-06-29T07:04:00.000-04:00

Any discussion about Rich Mullins has to include the words "brutally honest".

This little monologue made a profound impact on me when I first heard it. I love his statement "I had to think back over our conversation to see if I was [Rich Mullins] or not, and decided that I must be."

The Curse II: And He Will Rule Over You

2011-06-28T12:51:00.004-04:00

It's been two years since I discussed The Curse and its long-term effect on women:

This translation captures more closely the power struggle that sin prompts between men and women. It's more than just dependency and subjugation, it is a struggle for control brought upon us by the curse of sin. The woman's desire will be frustrated by the man's physical strength, so she must resort to subtler manipulations to wrest control away. He then responds with his own sinful impulse to crush her resistance.

Those of us who live in the West can possibly be excused for thinking that this "sinful impulse to crush her resistance" is either largely a relic of the past, or we equate it with pay inequities or institutional resistance toward women in positions of power. If this is you, you may want to consider watching The Stoning of Soraya M.

First a warning ... The Stoning is as gut-wrenchingly violent as The Passion of the Christ, but without the latter's undercurrent of messianic triumph. It is merely tragic and enraging. It is based on the book by Freidoune Sahebjam:

The international bestseller book tells the true story of one of the victims of stonings in modern Iran. Soraya Manutchehri's husband Ghorban-Ali was an ambitious man, prone to fits of rage. He wanted a way out of his marriage in order to marry a 14 year old girl but did not want to support two families or return Soraya's dowry. When Soraya began cooking for a local widower he found a way to achieve his goal. Abetted by venal and corrupt village authorities, he accused his wife of adultery. She was convicted, buried up to her waist, and stoned to death.

A casual tour of the Old Testament reveals that, absent the restraint of law, custom or conviction, this base male instinct seethes to the surface. From the practice of polygamy to unspeakable acts of violence, the Curse's impact is clearly manifest. Witness the hideous abandonment, gang rape and murder of a Levite's concubine in Judges 19 for one of the most shockingly vile accounts of raw evil in all of Scripture (spoiler alert ... there are no heroes in this story).

Such barbarity can seem primative and nearly extinct, but the Taliban in Afghanistan demonstrate that the Curse-induced impulse by men to abuse power gained by strength and fear is very much alive and well in today's world. The 29 July 2010 edition of Time Magazine recounts one horror:

The Taliban pounded on the door just before midnight, demanding that Aisha, 18, be punished for running away from her husband's house. They dragged her to a mountain clearing near her village in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, ignoring her protests that her in-laws had been abusive, that she had no choice but to escape. Shivering in the cold air and blinded by the flashlights trained on her by her husband's family, she faced her spouse and accuser. Her in-laws treated her like a slave, Aisha pleaded. They beat her. If she hadn't run away, she would have died. Her judge, a local Taliban commander, was unmoved. Later, he would tell Aisha's uncle that she had to be made an example of lest other girls in the village try to do the same thing. The commander gave his verdict, and men moved in to deliver the punishment. Aisha's brother-in-law held her down while her husband pulled out a knife. First he sliced off her ears. Then he started on her nose. Aisha passed out from the pain but awoke soon after, choking on her own blood. The men had left her on the mountainside to die.

The fact that our modern, Western society does not tolerate such things is a testament to the benefits of God's common grace, as well two millenia of Christian influence on laws and culture. The Stoning of Soraya M. is a grim reminder of what is possible when the effects of the Curse on male behavior rage unchecked. There but for grace ...

Born Again: Jesus Without Religion

2011-06-25T19:00:00.005-04:00

*Ninth in a series*

In the fifth installment of this series, I'd noted the sensation that "evangelism is supposed to be harder than this." One reason I felt this way was that Sharon had thus far been responding mostly to my own writings, which of course simplified my research since I knew precisely what I meant when I said such-and-such.

I am constantly aware, however, that there are many other voices out there, and our running conversation brought these to the forefront. In response to a question about my blogging, I issued a gentle caution:

Yes, I have definitely learned the perils of social media. When you throw something out there for the public, "the public" has the ability to chime in. Not everyone in "the public" is necessarily worth listening to. Sometimes I respond, sometimes I give up.

What it does draw attention to is that there are people out there who hold some very odd and sometimes very harmful views about Christ, the Bible, etc. Even our "Christian Book Stores" can contain some very off-base stuff, and of course the Internet is the wild west.

Ephesians 4:14 is instructive: "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming." And they didn't even have an Internet in those days! :)

So, like I said, Sharon, listen only to me ... the fount of all wisdom! Yeah right.
Well anyway, this exclusiveness couldn't possibly last forever (frankly, even if it were possible it would be a lot of pressure). So God decided it was time to open up Sharon's aperture:

Anyway, since you mentioned "harmful views about Christ, the Bible, etc.", I came across a book that's been collecting dust at one of our restaurants here. I started to read it yesterday during my break while waiting for my food to be cooked. It had an interesting title. One of the employees there told me that I could have it because it "didn't belong to anyone". So I took it (borrowed...I'll return it). It's a book by Rick James, titled Jesus Without Religion. Have you heard of it? I'm asking because I value your opinion highly and would like to know if I should continue reading it or not. So far, it's "fun reading". I just don't know what to make of it yet.

Honestly, I had never heard of this book, and the only Rick James I knew of was a particularly sleazy and drug-addicted pop star who died in 2004.

I rather hoped this was a different Rick James.
Still, she had come to me for guidance, so I did what Jesus would have done ... I Googled it and found it in Campus Crusade's bookstore:

Jesus Without Religion paints a compelling portrait of Jesus and after finishing the book, the reader will clearly understand the words, works and claims of Jesus. The book concludes with a clear presentation of the gospel as well as an opportunity to respond. Think of JWR as the More Than a Carpenter for this generation, especially as the writing style is far from formal.

Well, it didn't look like heresy. Frankly, this seemed like a pretty good plan. Glad I thought of it. Or something.

I haven't read it, but a quick look at the summaries I see online make me think it's probably a good book. I'd like to hear more about what you think of it.

I suppose asking her for a book report is something of a cop-out. A responsible guide would actually read the book and then give her some brilliant insight. Unfortunately she was already way ahead of me and there was no time to catch up. I was going to have to trust God, and I was going to have to trust Sharon. God had of course proved himself faithful, and Sharon had proved herself responsible and insightful.

Cliche Theology II: The Shallow View of a Weak Gospel

2011-06-25T09:27:00.000-04:00

Gary over at Spiritual Healing and Growth has linked to my previous post on Cliche Theology with some interesting thoughts, which he culminates with:

Cliches will not speak to the whole gospel or to the whole person. Thus, we have a truncated view of fallen nature, a truncated view of the gospel and a truncated view of Christian redemption.

Cliches then are forced to fit into the shallow view of fallen nature and a weak gospel.

Check out the whole thing at his post: Why Are Cliches So Rampant In Christianity?

In Search of the Perfect Church II

2011-06-25T08:37:00.000-04:00

Having previously denied the existence of such a place, I was astonished to find there was one. Who knew?

Born Again: An Act of the Will

2011-06-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

* Eighth in a series *

As I considered Sharon's journey toward Christ, two issues were foremost in my mind. First, I needed to give her some helpful guidance in approaching Scripture. Her last note about feeling discouraged and "flipping to a page" reminded me how big and mystifying the Bible can be to someone who doesn't know it well. I decided to give advice on three issues: what books to read first, finding a good study Bible, and what to do when you're confused. Those were three things that I remember needing help understanding when it was all new.

If you're looking for something to just sit down and read, I might suggest this ... start with John and then just keep going ... Acts, Romans, etc. You'll find much to challenge and encourage you, and probably plenty that you don't understand. But that's fine ... just say, "God, please reveal to me what this means when I'm ready" and keep right on going.

Also, you might think about picking up a nice "study Bible" if you don't have one. I personally am a fan of the NIV Study Bible, because it's clear and easy to understand and has lots of helpful notes, but is also very reliable and true to the original meaning. It can really be a help!

The other issue involved how to move Sharon from inquiry to decision-making. More than anything I wanted her to make an informed and sincere decision to follow Jesus. It was time to start talking about acts of the will.

I once saw a video that depicted a person struggling with whether to follow Christ. He was trying to come to terms with 3 things: his intellect, his emotions, and his will. I think this is helpful, because we all fight through our objections, but it's helpful to know where those objections come from. Are they intellectual, are they emotional, or do we just not want to make a decision?
Figuring out where our objections come from can help us to figure out what we need to do next.

This all seemed very wise and perceptive to me, but as the old saying goes, "Man plans, God laughs". Indeed, God was about to move things along in His own way ... a way I had not contemplated. He would remind me once again that His salvation relies on His work, not on my cleverness. For that you'll have to wait for the next chapter!

In the meantime, suffice it to say that this unexpected turn would mark the confluence of two competing theological understandings: the role of "free will" as opposed to God's sovereignty in saving the sinner. To me, this has gradually ceased to be such a great dilemma. Man does indeed choose to follow God, of course, but only because God chose him first. From man's perspective, his choice is very real and wholly "free". However, because his unregenerate will is enslaved to sin, Scripture makes it clear that God's intervention is required to enable man to choose Him. Or, as I have blogged previously:
The tension between predestination and free will is real, but exacerbated by the limits of our human understanding. To many of us, to accept the idea of predestination would seem to reduce us to mere automatons. To be sure there is mystery here, but choice is not a zero-sum game. The Bible clearly teaches that God foreknew, predestined and then called me, but it also clearly places upon me the responsibility of choosing to "Repent and believe the good news." God chooses, and I also choose ... both are true without diminishing the other, in the same way that my body occupies physical space without in any way reducing the amount of space left available for the omnipresent God to occupy.
(For more on this subject, please see my entire post at "Predestined to Write This?")

This concept is difficult to grasp at first, but it is also wonderfully freeing to the evangelist. My wisdom, advice, concern and prayers may be useful to Sharon, but only God's sovereign will and action would be decisive. Put more simply, I couldn't be smart enough to pull this off or dumb enough to screw it up, because it really wasn't up to me.

Sometimes the Night was Beautiful

2011-06-15T16:57:00.001-04:00

The Jailer's long-time readers know what a sucker I am for Rich Mullins. Sometimes by Step is one of the first of his songs I really fell in love with, and this is a simple and beautiful rendition.

Born Again: I Want it Now

2011-06-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

*Seventh in a series*

Sharon's notes were beginning to reflect a growing and palpable hunger for God's Word. One thing I've always found energizing about emerging Believers is their sense of wonder and discovery at those things we "mature" (sadly a euphamism for "stagnant") Christians take for granted.

I re-read a verse you cited in one of your previous emails, from Hebrews 4:1 and then you jumped on to 12-16. I found the verse after your "..." interesting:

"Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it ... For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith".

Sharon found this passage "interesting" because in it she saw herself. That may sound obvious, but those of us who teach are prone to a very bad habit -- we tend to read for other people. By that I mean we think to ourselves as we read the Scriptures, "Oh, I should remember that for Sunday school!" Or, "Joe should really read this passage. It would really address his problem with such-and-such a sin."

But for Sharon, everything was new and exciting and personal.

I've read the Bible more seriously in the last week than I've ever had in my life and am feeling that I might be reading it just for the sake of reading it. I was up until 1:00 am last night reading and feeling discouraged for some reason. And then, as I was about put The Book down, I flipped to a page and read the verse on Philippians 1:15 and 18:

When's the last time I read the Bible until 1:00 am? Never mind, I'd rather not answer that ...

"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill...But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice".

So, I got to thinking. I know what my motives are and that is to find my true faith in God. I'm just being impatient about it because I want it now. But if God can be patient with me and you will be patient with me, I suppose I should be patient with myself in trying to understand what I need to understand.

I'm reminded of one of my very first posts back in 2008 ... a very brief one about a brother named Patrick, whose enthusiasm over Scripture caused me to observe that, "The longer I walk with Christ, the more I need new Christians to remind me of the joy that comes with salvation."

Your Guilty Conscience II: Guilt Gets a Bad Rap

2011-06-12T07:44:00.002-04:00

"Isn't guilt a sin?"

I got this question during Sunday school last week, recalling my previous post on the subject to mind. The question didn't surprise me, because this idea that all guilt is wrong is so ingrained in our culture today. I answered with an analogy.

Guilt, like pain, is unpleasant. If we are in great pain, we understandably want it to go away. We want relief quick! But pain also alerts us to some medical malady. If by treating the pain we mask the malady and leave it untreated, the results can be catastrophic. For this reason, those who suffer from leprosy and lose their nerve endings learn to very carefully monitor their extremities. Because they may not feel the pain of a simple cut, infection can set in before they realize they've been injured.

Guilt plays a similar role with respect to sin. Its primary function is to alert us to a deeper problem. David needed to feel the guilt of his sin with Bethsheba. Denying it merely prolonged his rebellion. In the end, God used Nathan to apply the scalpel to David's conscience, revealing David's guilt and enabling him to repent.

Of course, our culture flatly rejects the concept of rebuke (see this post for more on that), because rebuke implies guilt, and guilt is bad!

Now, is it possible to experience false or extreme guilt? Sure, in the same way it's possible to suffer from hypochondria or health anxiety. But on the whole, guilt gets a bad rap. The biblical answer to guilt is not to treat the symptom, but to go after its root cause through confession, repentance, and then--like David--to experience the cleansing grace of God.

I plead guilty, Your Honor, and throw myself on the mercy of the court!

Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your unfailing love;
   according to your great compassion
   blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
   and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
   and done what is evil in your sight;
   so you are right in your verdict
   and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
   sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
   you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
   wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
   let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
   and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
   and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
   or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
   and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
   so that sinners will turn back to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
   you who are God my Savior,
   and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
Open my lips, Lord,
   and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

Born Again: The Harsh Truth that Gets in Your Guts

2011-06-11T14:27:00.003-04:00

*Sixth in a series*

Sharon had provided me every possible clue that she was more than ready to hear the unvarnished truth. She was not holding back. How on earth could I?

I had recently been teaching out of Hebrews, a book full of both warnings and encouragement. This wasn't a coincidence. God was showing me the way ...
Of course I'm not going to lose patience with you. In return, can I ask you to keep up your quest to know the true God?

"Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it ... For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:1 and 12-16)
Be careful. Do not fall short. God judges our thoughts and attitudes. Nothing is hidden. Hold firmly. He knows our weaknesses. Approach with confidence. You will find grace.
God give her ears to hear.

I want you to know that I am making efforts in terms of finding ways to learn whom our "true God" really is by surrounding myself with friends such as you who have, as far as I know, found the way. Yes there are other things I can do, but for now, I'll have to take little steps at a time before those people close to me accuse me of "being weird". So having said that, you asked me if I can "keep up my quest to know the true God?"

My answer is, "I promise".

It was a wonderful promise, but I was still looking for her to grapple openly with the core of the gospel. It was plain that God had rubbed her conscience raw. Her conscience. Perhaps that was the angle He wanted me to take.

God places our conscience inside us to guide us toward Him. This is our inner compass, our sense of right and wrong. It’s a good thing, but it’s not perfect. The Bible talks about our consciences as being "seared" and "defiled", meaning that over time we build up a resistance to the truth about ourselves. It’s like when you look at your daughter’s room and tell her to clean it, and she says it’s clean enough. But you can see the socks under the bed and the crayon on the wall and the dust on the dresser.
Her conscience may be clear with respect to her room. Her problem is that she has become used to a certain amount of clutter and dirt and she no longer sees it as being messy. It’s normal for her. This is what happens to our consciences over time. They become defiled and seared so they no longer see our sin as bad. It’s just normal.

Another way of looking at it is like a callous. If we say a person is calloused, we mean he’s insensitive. We also can be insensitive to sin, basically getting so used to it that we no longer see it as such a problem.
It’s by drawing nearer to God that we become aware that there’s a problem. First, we are aware He is holy--100% clean, righteous and pure. This cuts through our callous so that we once again feel the terrible wrongness of our own sin. Our sin is so much worse than we thought, standing out like a dark blot against the white light of God’s perfection!
Fortunately that’s not where the story ends, because His grace is sufficient to cleanse even the worst parts of us. But until we draw near to Him and face our own sin, grace doesn’t really seem so amazing.
The holiness of God. The corruption of sin. The amazingness of grace. The core of the gospel.

Illustration by Sheri Lynn Boyer Doty
Thank you for this message. It’s nice to start my week with a lesson that’s simple enough to comprehend, yet can easily be ignored. The Bible is "harsh" in many ways because it’s honest. It gets in your guts.

Born Again: I'm Constantly Battling With Him

2011-06-04T22:34:00.000-04:00

*Fifth in a series*
It had been nearly a quarter century since Sharon and I had gone our separate ways, but suddenly I felt time pressing on me. In part it was my excitement at seeing her draw near the point of decision, but I also sensed her anxiety at knowing she had business to do with God. She was looking to me to guide her, and I was 3,000 miles away. The wonder of technology had compressed the distance, but still ...

On the other hand, a part of me can be surprisingly (even disturbingly) ambivalent about leading people to Christ. Having seen enough "prayers to receive Christ" upon which time and lack of fruitfulness later cast doubt, I'm biased toward slowness. This is also wired into my personality and my own gradual, deliberate, and rather cerebral Orthodox Presbyterian path to salvation. Oh, and did I mention I can be kind-of a coward? Despite my moniker, were the actual Philippian Jailer to cast himself at my feet and cry "What must I do to be saved?", I suspect I would send him away with homework to make sure he was serious.

Anyway, I was still in second gear, which I'd reached more as a result of Sharon's white-unto-harvest eagerness than by any inner boldness on my part. I was trying to help my friend establish a foundation for faith by sending her little notes of encouragement:

“The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:14-16)

Dear Sharon … thinking of and praying for you this morning.

One thing I love about new believers is how they get excited about the very things all of us "mature" guys should be excited about. Whereas my faith can seem tired and worn, Sharon expressed a child-like excitement at hearing the truth that I'm supposed to retain:

You ALWAYS seem to know which verse to pick out from THE BOOK to make sense of the day. Thanks! I’ll keep reciting it all day. :)

“....so that....Christ Jesus might display his immense patience”. Seriously, sometimes I think that HE WILL lose patience with me because I’m constantly battling with HIM all the time...

Please don’t lose patience with me because I know I may become your biggest challenge.

I certainly wasn't having a patience problem yet. In fact, the depth of her self-awareness and determination to engage with God were really motivating. I was also thinking to myself that evangelism is supposed to be harder than this. Or maybe we just make it seem harder by trying to force God to react to our little manipulative tricks and methods. Regardless, God was clearly at work in Sharon's heart in a remarkable way--and had been for some time before I showed back up. My job was straightforward: guide her by following Him.

Born Again: He Rewards Those Who Earnestly Seek Him

2011-05-31T21:28:00.002-04:00

*Fourth in a series*

Sharon's emotional letter had come at the end of the day. She had such a way of opening so many doors at once that I felt overwhelmed. How on earth could I compose a response in the few minutes I had? Yet here she was laying her soul bare, and I could neither leave her hanging nor dismiss her with a curt reply.

She was doing all the hard work, making my calling comparatively simple: keep up! But I needed more time!

I regret that I don't have more time right now to spend writing you ... I have to go pick up my kids from piano and I'm still in DC (50 miles from home). So once again, I can only promise that I will sit down and construct a worthy reply to your very open and honest letter.

To stop here would be the very definition of "curt". I pressed on. It seemed important to recognize all that Sharon had opened up to thus far. It was truly an extraordinary display of transparency. She needed and deserved acknowledgement for her courage. But now it was time to overcome my natural caution (or, less charitably, my natural cowardice) and get down to brass tacks.

Was she in need of salvation, or merely assurance? I couldn't be sure, but based on her candor I no longer feared giving offence, so I assumed the former and moved ahead:

For now, please allow me to remind you of something: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) The great thing about following Christ is that the journey begins from where you are. That's why Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

Don't worry about the past, or where you've been, or how "lost" you are. Everything is in front of you:

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:7-14)

That, my dear friend, is where true peace lies. Ask, seek, knock. You will find Him there ready to receive you with open arms.
I pressed the "Send" button with a wave of gratitude tarnished only by a hint of doubt. The gratitude sprung from my sense of great privilege at being chosen for this sacred charge, a moment toward which I'd truly done so little to contribute--indeed, perhaps not a little to impede many years ago. The doubt came from my inner pessimist. Sharon was reaching the threshhold of eternity. When she at last arrived and counted the cost, would she pull back?

What if God Hates our Worship? (Reprise)

2011-05-29T10:47:00.007-04:00

"Get Your Praise On?" What does this mean exactly?

As we prepare ourselves for worship today, Mrs Jailer dug up one of my older posts, in which I asked the question, "What if our worship works great for us, but God hates it, because when he scratches down below the surface, he recognizes it's all about us?" She then drew my attention to some comments by a reader identified only as "Ian". She really appreciated some of his comments, which I will highlight below.

One of my greatest concerns for the church today is the way we shout nonsense to a loud and rhythmic tune.
Personally, I'd be elated to come into a church service where we worshipped by being still and knowing that He is God.

Don't get me wrong: I love my church--this is a problem in every church that I have been part of over 20 years. When the Spirit isn't moving, let's turn up the volume!!

Subsequently he replied to another reader and moved in a more positive direction ...

I have to qualify my statements there Keith, because I was in "blunt mode" when I wrote that. One of the great contributions that the church has given to the world is the gift of music and arts. Few people know that system of musical composure was developed by a Christian monk, as a means of incorporating all of the vocal and instrumental pieces he wanted to create. Without this, written music and orchestration as we know it today could not be possible.

Poetry and music are integral to the Bible, from the earliest writings. But, I think that [Jailer's] point is well taken that God may be bored and offended by the way that we have made music the center piece of worship. Most churches (mine included) have put a band or choir up front, to perform for us in an audience; which is completely wrong. Worship is about us performing for God - an audience of one.

This was made very poignantly for me at a funeral I attended some years ago in a more traditional-liturgical church. At the benediction, we were to sing a hymn and I was completely rocked to my core with worship when the choir--above and unseen behind me--led into the hymn. I felt like heaven itself was joining with me to worship God. Rather than being a distraction, as most singers on the platform can be, it was a boon to my own sense of worship to God--who was my audience.

If every Sunday congregant could learn to consider the quality of his or her worship in such a substantial way, many of our stylistic concerns would fade gently into the background.

P.S. - If you're waiting for the next installment in the "Born Again" series, it's coming. This is just a Sunday interlude. :)

Born Again: I'm Just an Emotional Wreck!

2011-05-27T13:48:00.000-04:00

*Third in a series*

I mentioned at the beginning of my last post that I was nervous about how Sharon would reply to my previous e-mail, but perhaps not as much as might have been. In truth, I had hedged my bets a little. Frankly, I didn't know exactly where to place Sharon. Was she a bona fide believer? Did she think she was? Not wanting to assume too much, I was walking carefully while trying to move the discussion gently toward the core of the issue.

I needn't have worried. While I was watching my steps, Sharon was more than ready to move this discussion to the next level:

Thank you very much for your reply. I have been reading it over and over since I arrived at work this morning. I appreciate you taking the time to write something that is indeed moving and encouraging. I have caught this nasty cold over the weekend and my eyes are burning right now and look bloodshot red. It serves as great camouflage to the real tears that keep coming because I'm just an emotional wreck!

Anyway, it's amazing how ONE SENTENCE can answer a life long question. You said in your reply:
“Sharon, I have come to understand over the years that what we all seek is assurance of our salvation and our relationship to God. That assurance comes as we follow Him. If we're not following Him closely, then we shouldn't feel assured, because our insecurity alerts us to the danger of not following Him.”
I have always enjoyed writing in my journals ever since I learned how to write ... in English, I mean :). It's a great escape. When there's no pillow to yell in to or a door to slam, I at least know that I have my journals. In all that I have written in the past, and in the present, there is always an underlying message and it is more apparent now that I'm older. I'm always questioning why I am so "obsessed with death and dying". Yes there was a time in my life that I would have rather been dead than alive, but I don’t feel that way anymore. Actually, my daughter “keeps me alive”. I’d really like to see her graduate from High School, at least :) . I try to embrace my life daily and enjoy it as much as I can because deep down inside, I feel that I’m going to die soon, and that scares me. I think I know now why I feel very scared of dying: I have not been a true follower of God; that I have never really made continued effort to seek. That kind of makes me sad and encouraged at the same time. Sad because it is the truth and encouraged because at least I know now what I need to do.

Thanks for your words of wisdom. At least now I know that I’m more welcoming of it. I just remember when I was younger, I pushed away anyone who tried to be a witness to me. Not ready then, I guess. I’m happy that at least I got to live long enough and am given the chance to understand it better now.

I can talk forever but I will end it here. Like you, work gets in the way of more important things. :) I’ll talk to you again soon. For now, keep safe.

Wow. Could it be ...? By this point I was getting pretty emotional myself.

Born Again: Assurance and the Quest for Inner Peace

2011-05-23T21:42:00.000-04:00

*Second in a series*

I wasn't able to answer Sharon's initial e-mail instantly, and I told her so. I felt both blessed with a precious gift and entrusted with a tremendous responsibility. So it was with a certain amount of fear and trembling that I began to compose my reply:

I'm going to try to take your letter in little bites, because my time during the week is so limited. I'd like to start with the part of your letter that most touched my heart, where you said this:
"I have gone through life wanting and needing more when it comes to my relationship with God. I get so choked up even as I write this because I know there is a need and I don't know how to fill it. I have always believed that it was enough just to be born and raised in a religious home, but then I meet people like you who remind me that I must be more proactive in my quest for inner peace. I will admit it, that I am one of those you call 'half-Christians'."
First, thank you for your honesty. I feel privileged that you shared this with me, and I hope I am able to be helpful. Moreover, please don't think you're "bothering" me with this. Being able to share about this brings me joy, especially if it will encourage your heart.

A quarter century of life has made me a little more thoughtful, and (I hope) less judgmental. I am told that I could be fairly harsh in my judgments as a young man, and I don't doubt that to be true. I guess "half-Christians" was a term I once used, though I don't remember it. I don't think I would use that term today. In the end, the Bible is pretty clear that ultimately we are all either followers of Jesus (Christians) or we are not. I know that I am a follower, though in a weird way I actually get less impressed by the quality of my spiritual life the longer I follow Him. I suppose that's because the closer I get to Christ, the more I realize how poor a reflection of Him I really am. Still, with all my warts and faults, I do indeed desire to know Him more, and that assures me that I am His child.

So I suppose that's it ... a Christian is someone who grows in his or her love for (and therefore obedience to) Christ. Not perfectly, of course, or necessarily quickly ... but over time definitely. God clearly tells us that certain things are essential to a growing Christian:

1. The Spirit of God - ultimately having God's Spirit live inside you is what makes you a Christian.
2. The Word of God - knowing and regularly studying the Bible is the only way to really know Christ better, which is what all Christians truly want.
3. The Worship of God - prayer, song, meditation, praise are what He made us for.
4. The Works of Obedience - living out our faith is how we actually demonstrate how much we love Him.
5. The People of God - Christians are made to live in community with other Christians. He made us to need one another.

Sharon, I have come to understand over the years that what we all seek is assurance of our salvation and our relationship to God. That assurance comes as we follow Him. If we're not following Him closely, then we shouldn't feel assured, because our insecurity alerts us to the danger of not following Him.
One last thing I would suggest. You talked about your "quest for inner peace". It might help if you rethink that in terms of what Jesus said: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well." Seeking peace can often lead us in the wrong direction, because there are so many "false gods" that can bring us temporary, false peace. Seeking the true God Himself will eventually result in the right kind of peace.

OK that was going to be short. At least that was the plan. :)

As I pushed "send", I felt the knot in my stomach. This did not feel like blogging. This was life and death and eternity. It had been almost 25 years since I'd fumbled through my first chance to share the gospel with Sharon, but had been hampered by my own immaturity and mixed motives. Now, incredibly, God had brought us both a precious second chance.

Born Again: A Letter from Sharon

2011-05-21T23:58:00.001-04:00

*First in a series*

The e-mail was titled simply: "A letter from Sharon". It began rather ominously.

Hi! I wrote the following letter last week and contemplated as to whether to send it to you or not. The desire to send it to you didn't go away, so here it is. Please don't be mad:

Huh? What was this? I hadn't seen Sharon for nearly a quarter century before our surprise encounter last October, when a business trip took me back home. We'd once been very close, and it had been nice to see her again after so many years. She appeared well--healthy and happily married, with a little daughter who was the apple of her eye. Nervously I read on:

In the past couple of days, I have had a chance to read some of your articles on The Philippian Jailer site and in The Cypress Times. At first, when I received a few on my Facebook page, I thought that maybe you were just sharing articles that you found were of interest to you. I had no idea that YOU wrote the articles. That is fantastic! You have certainly found a niche to be able to share your views that, as I remember, were and apparently are, still so dear to you. I gotta admit though, when I first started to read the articles, they went over my head. It was likely that I had too many distractions around me when I was reading them. I finally got some quiet time yesterday and today and have, so far, enjoyed those I have been able to read.

Hm. Not sure what there is to be "mad" about here, unless she suspects I am ill-disposed towards flattery. Aw go on ...

You probably don’t want to hear this but I have to let it out. I don’t have anyone else to talk to about this and I feel like I will explode otherwise if I don’t say anything.

Oh. Okay. Bracing for impact ...

The articles you have written and published on the Internet sound similar to the letters you sent me while you were in basic training. Your articles now are just more refined; more mature, and your bible quotes are complete. I read names I have forgotten. You scolded me on the topics of abortion, astrology and mysticism. I have no idea where that came from because I’ve always believed that I was (and still am) against abortion and anyone who cites astrology in my Facebook and email accounts annoys me!

Well. I do recall being especially strident in 1986 when talking about my new faith in Christ. I also recall that I could be something of a scold at times.

It made me sad to read about your step father and how he affected your life. It made me laugh when you admitted that you “talk too much” and that you didn’t have a problem with blood being drawn from you for tests but that you had fears of embarrassing yourself from fainting. But most importantly, in your letters, you really tried to show me how you felt about your love for God and how important it was for you that I walk in that same path. I think I remember now that that was the downfall of our relationship. I could not relate to religion on the same level that you were. It was uncomfortable.

OK so in 1986 I was a faithful witness and an intolerable nag. I wonder which one communicated more clearly? I'm afraid I know the answer all too well.

I have gone through life wanting and needing more when it comes to my relationship with God. I get so choked up even as I write this because I know there is a need and I don’t know how to fill it. I have always believed that it was enough just to be born and raised in a religious home, but then I meet people like you who remind me that I must be more proactive in my quest for inner peace. I will admit it, that I am one of those you call “half-Christians”.

Hello. Okay, I'm paying attention now. Let's summarize, shall we? Jailer was a young Christian, full of fire and impatience. Sharon was ... not. Jailer eventually got frustrated and went on his way. God gave Jailer and Sharon 24 years to grow up and think about it. And now ...

We had such a short meeting time, you and I, when you came to Santa Cruz. I never even got the chance to tell you how proud I am of you for what you have done with your life. I don’t know why our paths crossed again. I don’t know why I was here when you happened to come back. I just know that you have once again challenged me on an issue that I have struggled with ever since I can remember. I guess I’m writing you this letter to tell you that I appreciate you, and for what it’s worth, to thank you for allowing me back into your world by ways of reading your written messages. I feel very fortunate that I was once a part of your life and I suppose, whether I like it or not, you are “back” and I think, spiritually, I need that.

So, keep writing and sharing your views. I’ll be here to listen.

This will be the first in a series, which as it unfolds I hope you will find as challenging, uplifting and encouraging as I did. I've decided to give it the title "Born Again", for some reasons you can probably guess, and for others which may surprise you.

Note: Also a quick thank you to Sharon, for agreeing to let me put this up. I've changed her name to protect her privacy.

Freedom Rider

2011-04-09T20:50:00.004-04:00

Five words I never thought I'd write: "My dad's going on Oprah." Seriously.

Michael Powell is known to readers of this blog as "Presbyter" and to me as "Dad". To police in Jackson, Mississippi in July 1961 he was known as "21239". His biography on the Civil Rights Digital Library reads as follows:

Born in Sacramento, California in 1940, Michael Harry Powell was a student at San Jose State College in San Jose, California when he was arrested for his participation in the Freedom Rides during the summer of 1961. As part of the Freedom Ride, Powell, along with six others, rode a bus from Nashville, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi where he was arrested in the Trailways terminal on July 23, 1961. (*See note)

I knew a very little about this growing up. I knew he was active in the Civil Rights Movement, and I'd heard he was arrested for sitting in a black waiting room. I knew he'd learned in that Jackson jail cell that he could eat anything "if I was hungry enough", therefore no excuses were to be given in the Powell house for not cleaning our plates.

Today my dad downplays his role in this historic event, claiming that others did more dangerous work, or were more noble of motivation, or followed through more faithfully. Yet I recently had an African-American military leader in my office who, looking at my coffee table book on the subject, reminded me of the truth: "I owe my career to people like your dad." Indeed.

Though Dad did not yet know the Lord in 1961, this Scripture yet rings poignant when I consider his sacrifice: "Remember those earlier days ... when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded." (Hebrews 10:32-35)

Next month marks the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides. My father will travel to Chicago to take part in a taping for the May 4th edition of the Oprah Show, in which she will honor those who were "publicly exposed to insult and persecution" and who "stood side by side with those who were so treated." Happy anniversary, Presbyter ... and thank you Dad.

(*) Editor's Note: Presbyter writes in with a correction to the above account:

The Oprah taping got me interested enough to track this down. I am relieved to know that I did not arrive in Jackson on a bus from Nashville, via Memphis, but rather, as I recalled, arrived at the train station (I believe from New Orleans, but I suppose Memphis was possible). The link in this message is to the first page of the document. My name is on the 2nd page (link at the bottom of the 1st). So, along with Wikipedia, one has to be cautious when one cites the Civil Rights Digital Library.

"Doesn't God Choose the Leaders?"

2011-01-23T11:44:00.000-05:00

Last week my boss was relieved of command. He makes the fourth leader at my level or above who has been prematurely removed from authority since I took command 19 months ago. Every one of the class of leaders I came in with has now departed early and under a cloud. I feel very much like the last guy with his torch still burning in a game of "Survivor"--except there's no million dollar prize.

Those of us who are selected for command generally feel honored and privileged, but also confident that we have the leadership talent to succeed. However, we serve at the pleasure of our superiors, and if we lose their confidence the "hook" can come quickly. What's more, military units are large and diverse, and at any given time there is bound to be some activity going on which, if manifest, can reflect badly on the leader. Too many of these at once can result in such a "loss of confidence".

If the leader is able to build up a track record of success, he can explain the bad news in the context of the good. However, with the leaders above him constantly rotating as well, the need to re-prove his worth is a constant battle. I experienced this last year about this time, when a series of incidents reflected poorly on my unit and my new wing commander was clearly very concerned about what was occurring in the Honor Guard. Fortunately I was given the time and opportunity to prove that not every cluster of negatives is a "trend", and his confidence grew over time.

The team above me now is again almost entirely new, and I cannot assure them that there will not be some other negative news coming out of my squadron at any time. That is the nature of things ... there are 270 Airmen in my unit, 80% of whom are very young, having come to me directly from Basic Training. Though they are hand-picked for this assignment, their selection was based on a very minimal track record and some number of them will get in trouble ... a few in very visible ways. Tomorrow may well surface some new devilry.

I have learned many lessons about this over the years, but one of the simplest and yet most profound came from a friend of mine when I was a 20-year-old Airman at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. I'd wanted very much to become a "green rope", which Air Force enlisted members will recognize as a student leadership position. It was a small step in a big world, but at that point in life it seemed very important. When I talked to my friend about it, he saw my anxiety over the selection process and asked very simply: "Doesn't God choose the leaders?"

As I said, a very simple question, but hardly simplistic, and I have never forgotten it. I serve at the pleasure of the Air Force, but even more so, I serve at the pleasure of the Lord. By His help and according to His will, I will see this mission to the end and stand upon the Ceremonial Lawn this summer to hand the flag to my successor as a celebration of a successful 2-year command assignment.

If for any reason I do not, however, I will yet trust and praise Him, for His ways are good.

What About the "Mean" God?

2011-01-16T11:07:00.000-05:00

One thing about social networking is that deep theological discussions can emerge out of thin air. Such was the case yesterday, when a dear friend of mine posted a celebration of God's goodness:

‎"But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." - Psalm 86:15

Now who could dispute such a wonderful, affirming statement? Well, actually, "Ned" (not his real name) could. He did so by quoting what he believed was a contradictory passage ...

‎"While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was discovered gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who caught him at it brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly. But they kept him in custody, for there was no clear decision as to what should be done with him. Then the Lord said to Moses, "This man shall be put to death; let the whole community stone him outside the camp." So the whole community led him outside the camp and stoned him to death as the Lord had commanded Moses." Numbers 15:32-36 NAB

Ned intended to dispute my friend's assertion that our God is "compassionate and gracious", "slow to anger" and "abounding in love". Now before you respond with righteous indignation, consider that Ned has truly struck near the core of a basic theological argument against Biblical Christianity ... that the loving God whom we celebrate is essentially a bipolar dictator, capricious and arbitrary in judgment while dangling before us hopes of clemency dressed up as "mercy". Or, in Ned's words:

God (as portrayed in the Bible((which version?)) does not sound compassionate to me, or slow to anger, or loving. He actually exhibits several personality types. Sometimes he is loving, and sometimes he is very full of rage. I guess I draw issue with the cherry picking of the "nice" God and the forgetfulness of the "mean" God.

I wonder how many in the church know how to respond to this kind of criticism? I fear our inclination is rather to forget about the "mean" parts of the Old Testament (or even the New) and dodge such questions when they arise, for in fact we have not settled the problem in our own minds. To neglect them, however, not only makes us poor witnesses, it indicates a failure to come to know our God as He is.

Here I will quote from my own Facebook comments (directed at Ned):

The idea of a man facing the death penalty for a seemingly innocuous crime shocks our sensibilities because our perspective is a man-centered one, but consider an analogy ...

I am the commander of a military organization. I recently discharged a young man who told a lie. Actually, he committed perjury before a court-martial, but in his mind all he did was lie a little to protect his friend. In his "morality", what he did wasn't really so bad, and certainly not enough to lose his career over. From the military's perspective, he committed a felony offense and was unfit for continued service. He never really "got it" and left bitter and angry, because he never was able to grasp the larger context of his offence.

God is the largest context there is. He is the author, creator and sustainer of all things. As such, He is perfectly right to expect us to obey Him in all things, but we disobey Him flagrantly and constantly. Every such transgression is worthy of death, but instead in His mercy He sent Jesus to bear the sins of all men who follow Him. This is why those who do follow Jesus can say that God is both just (to punish sin) and merciful (to lay our sins upon His own son, who freely bore them for our sake). Hence:

"For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?" (Hebrews 2:2-3)

This explains our amazement over grace. For if our sins were not an offence to the God of heaven, there would be no need of grace. Instead, as those who have been delivered from certain death, we celebrate life everlasting by the grace and mercy of our God.

Ned proclaimed himself astonished: "I honestly did not believe anybody could defend killing somebody for picking up sticks." This makes sense, for in the context of his theology the two "personalities" of God are incompatible. He lacks the godly context. In his words: "God is still hardly compassionate, or loving if he holds us 'lesser beings' to an impossible standard, and sentences death to those who transgress."

From a man-centered perspective, his reasoning is understandable, though no less wrong. The church needs to relearn how to answer him, for his sake as well as our own:

Gathering wood on the Sabbath in OT Israel signified more than just a need for more firewood. It signified a blatant and public disregard for God's holy law ... The theme throughout Scripture is that the infinite, eternal, almighty God is holy, holy, holy! Our refusal to regard Him as such (for example, by flagrantly breaking His commandments) is a sign of our arrogance--very serious business indeed. The fact that we are so dismissive of His holiness is what makes his compassion so remarkable.

Grace is "amazing" only in light of our sin and God's holiness. We proclaim a gospel of peace with God, which means little to a world -- and a church -- which doesn't recognize that absent Christ's interceding work, our sin has put us at war with Him.

Before You Fire Your Pastor ...

2011-01-02T10:56:00.000-05:00

I spoke recently with an old friend whose church is struggling to reconcile with their pastor. The pastor has become isolated from his congregation, and the church has now entered a period of decline. My friend is one of two elders left. He recently tried to talk privately about some concerns the church had, but the pastor immediately cut off the conversation, insisting he was not answerable to anyone but God. My frustrated friend says he "exploded" at that point, and told the pastor he believed the pastor was telling him he had no need for him as an elder.

Now, knowing my very humble and godly friend, his "explosion" was probably not nearly as bad as he makes it sound. In fact, I found the fact it happened at all to be especially remarkable, given what a mature and even-tempered man he generally is. It also got me thinking afresh about what the "pastor" is in 21st century America.

Now, I'll leave to smarter people the question of how we got here, but I'd like to begin with a basic premise about the church today: The entity which we currently refer to as "the local church" in America is substantially different that it was in the first century, in part because the environment in which it operates is so much changed.

For example, the church is a legal entity under state oversight (think tax law, building codes, insurance requirements, etc.) The pastor himself generally is not merely the shepherd of the flock, he is the flock's sole or primary employee. While he is indeed ultimately responsible to God, he is judged tangibly and routinely by those he leads ... those whose commitment to him is only as high as the perceived cost of either leaving the church or of firing him and hiring a new leader.

Moreover, the Reformation forever changed the local-church environment, in that there is no longer a single "local church", but an eclectic collection of local entities which alternately cooperate and compete for the hearts and minds and attention of the surrounding population. One effect of this on the local congregant is to erode his or her commitment to any particular body of believers. Switching churches is easy and makes a host of problems go away, rather like "no-fault" divorce. Angry? Disillusioned? Frustrated? Embarrassed? Bored? No problem! There's another church in your neighborhood waiting with open arms to take you in with no questions asked!

These developments have a cumulative effect on the individual we call our "pastor". Today's pastor is more than just the shepherd of the flock. Because he has been hired into a full-time position, the church expects him to take a large share of the workload. While Scripture may instruct us that "God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues", in reality we generally expect the pastor we've hired to be most or all of these things, as well as the church's chief administrator and errand-runner, and to deliver a relevant, timely and uplifting sermon every week. Oh, and of course to lead the church through disciplining the wayward member firmly and gently without offending anyone or dividing the church. Good luck with that.

With such a daunting list of demands, what is the threshold for entry into the cadre of pastor candidates? For most churches, it is a theological one; that is, graduation from an approved seminary and acceptance by the denomination's endorsing body. Generally there has been some amount of training in counseling, administration, teaching, preaching, etc., at least in seminary. However, actually possessing any of these gifts and talents is another matter. For the congregation, however, it is assumed that anyone who is qualified to be pastor must have sufficient training to handle the job description, regardless of gifts. After all, we're all very busy and the pastor is getting paid to be all things to all men (with God's help, amen?).

This brings me back to my friend's pastor, who declared himself "answerable to no one but God." You might find it remarkable that anyone in this environment might fail to see the extent to which he is dependent on the warm feelings of his flock. Well, insecurity takes many forms, and one common to pastors is to become isolated and defensive. Because the pastor is expected to be all things to all members, the temptation to hide behind a facade can seem necessary to avoid being perceived as weak or flawed in any way. This is in addition to the role that arrogance plays in turning us from correction.

Ultimately, of course, the pastor is not just the leader but also a member of the church. He faces the same temptations, some with greater frequency and intensity than the average congregant. He will sometimes need help: personal, financial, emotional, spiritual, etc. He will also probably be more hesitant to ask for it, because he is both pastor and employee and therefore feels the pressure to keep up appearances and show himself fully capable.

A wise church will try to provide the pastor a zone in which he can feel safe in seeking the fellowship of the saints -- and can receive some accountability and honest feedback -- without the threat of rash judgment or gossip. The church's elders should regularly meet and pray with the pastor, establishing an environment of openness, trust and confidence. This is far from easy, and is why my friend felt so frustrated with his pastor; as an elder he had been trying to fulfill this role, but had been unable to penetrate the pastor's defenses.

Before you fire your pastor, consider that he is also a man. Consider that he has been hired to fulfill a near-impossible set of demands. Consider that while he is seldom alone, he may be the loneliest member of your congregation. Most importantly, remember always that God has raised him up, for "Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?"

God-Centered Evangelism

2010-12-26T11:54:00.000-05:00

In response to the Facebook version of my recent post, "Man-Centered Worship: Our Altar-Call Culture", our old friend Chief chimed in with some thoughts I thought worth posting in full:

The Altar Call is another legacy from the early revivalism of the 2nd Great Awakening - C.G. Finney's emphasis on a kind of science of revival emphasized the methods of bringing people to Christ (the anxious bench, judicious selection of music, illustrations that draw attention to themselves rather than to the Scripture they are supposed to clarify, etc. ... sound familiar?). Revival was now a means that depended not on the Holy Spirit's intervention but on the right means to ensure His presence. My concern is not about the altar calls so much any more since we have to live with so many of them at the school where I teach, but how to conserve the fruits of those who make commitments there. Often I find that there are zero commitments, only vague emotional reactions to stimuli.

This seems right to me, and is an excellent reminder of why a familiarity with church history can help us recognize the roots of our thoughts and methods, and how many of those we assume leap right from the pages of Scripture have rather evolved through the centuries--and not always in a godly direction.

R. B. Kuiper's little book on God-Centered Evangelism was penned in response to this phenomenon, and only seems to gain relevance as an indictment against the present infatuation with emotional manipulation so prevalent throughout our churches. In essence, we resort to manipulation because we don't trust God to save by His methods: prayer, the Word, and His Holy Spirit.

We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are

2010-12-11T11:42:00.001-05:00

Anyone who reads these pages knows what a huge Rich Mullins fan I am. As I think back along my long, crooked road--one highlighted by selfish motivations and splintered relationships--this particular song has always hit me in the gut.

Man-Centered Worship: Our Altar-Call Culture

2010-11-26T10:08:00.001-05:00

Having once dared to suggest that excessive prayer requests can lead us into the ditch of man-centered worship, I will now turn my attention to another mainstay of our current Christian culture: the altar call.

Now, what could possibly be wrong with giving sinners the opportunity to publicly repent of their sins? After all, John the Baptist essentially made something like it the centerpiece of his ministry, while Peter famously presided over an altar call of massive proportions. Clearly, a public call to repentance--an "altar call", if you will--can be an integral part of an evangelistic outreach.

Once again, however, my concern is about the culture, not the act. It is the alter call as the necessary affirmation, the required proof that the pastor and the "worship team" has hit the mark. Consider some of the more absurd displays we engage in when our every worship service builds inextricably to an altar call:

The final song/hymn is less about worship and more about enticing congregants to approach the altar for anything at all--everything from repentance to requests for baptism to decisions about membership.
The unseemly, often interminable pleading for "just one more" to come forward.
The ridiculous spectacle of "I see that hand" call-and-response by the pastor.
The sense that only an altar-call response qualifies as a real "decision".

Beyond this, however, lies something more insidious. We have in our churches the subtle destruction of the corporate worship experience when its report card is visible response. Thus does the church succumb to our craving to immediate gratification, in which "rescued souls" serve as our validation. This is the worship service as a weekly tent meeting.

There also exists a temptation to see the visible responses we see at altar calls to be determinative, when in fact they are often very problematic. We fail to see how seriously returning evangelistic "false positives" can harm the church and those we seek to save. By this I mean that our desire for validation can drive us to hound people into emotional responses often without substance. To paraphrase R.C. Sproul, it is the tendency to see every "profession of faith" as automatically implying the "possession of faith", neglecting the truth that "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

Understand I'm not against alter calls per se. They have their place. It's not the activity I have trouble with, but rather its ubiquitous application to every worship service. As I said previously, "Worship has intrinsic value, which is often lost in the context of our methods."

It is my suggestion that the main reason we gather together for "worship services" is ... well, it's to worship our Risen Lord. By seeking a visible response within every corporate worship service the message we often send is that the chief reason we congregate is to validate our ministry.

Perhaps most alarmingly, it may even be true.

Your Guilty Conscience: a Blessing or a Curse?

2010-10-31T13:21:00.000-04:00

When is it good to feel guilty?

Of course, the Spirit of the Age says "Never! Guilt is a negative feeling ... a psychological weight to be lifted by channeling positive energy and living in the now." Even in Christian circles, there are libraries full of victorious-living strategies for the believer to "find healing from guilt" (interestingly, a phrase unknown in Scripture). Is guilt merely a psychosis, a disease upon self-esteem, or perhaps a symptom of demonic oppression?

Well, certainly there is "bad" guilt, if we define it as the refusal to accept and believe that, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2) To the extent that Christians--we who have had our sin fully paid for by Christ's blood--continue to carry the stench of condemnation, we suffer needlessly and hold Christ's glorious sacrifice in contempt. It is for us that the Scripture promises confidence, hope, and a clear conscience!

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:19-23)

On the other hand, there are at least two kinds of guilt which are entirely appropriate. First, the guilt of the unbeliever who has not been delivered from his sin is entirely valid and necessary. For him to feel no guilt is self-deception of the deadliest sort, since there is then nothing to chase him into the arms of Jesus. "... to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted." (Titus 1:15) Guilt for the lost sinner is the smell of gangrene in the wound, warning the patient that his infection will claim his life if he does not seek aggressive treatment. To provide him superficial "healing" in the form of soothing words and psychological comfort is not ultimately to love him, but to watch him die of negligence.

For the Redeemed of the Lord, there is yet another kind of guilt--that of unrepentant sin. It is the guilt of David when confronted by the prophet Nathan ("You are the man!") or when he penned Psalm 32:

When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD"
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.

This guilt also is necessary, for it alerts the Christian to his fault. It says to him, "confess, repent, and be forgiven your guilt!" It is not the guilt of condemnation--for indeed Christ's blood has fully and irrevocably paid for every sin--but rather of rebuke and correction.

On the other hand, when I am guilty of sin and fail to respond in repentance, it is not God's benign approval I am experiencing, but rather the numbness of a seared conscience. Because He loves me, God will chip away at that numbness until I return to him in humility. Back to the medical metaphor: like pain in a wound, I need my guilt to alert me to the problem.

So how can I tell whether my guilt is a blessing or a curse? Well, perhaps a better question is, "Does my guilt draw me nearer my Savior, or does it merely drive me into depression or denial?" For truly, it is my response rather than the emotion itself which bears the most consequence.

Confessions of a Church Discipline Wimp

2010-10-24T10:56:00.002-04:00

I have a confession to make: I'm a church discipline wimp. Oh, I know the right answers, and I can talk the talk. But when it comes down to action, I can be found philosophizing in the corner, making recommendations about what others should do or just hoping it will all blow over.

Why? (Hint: it rhymes with "elfishness").

Of course it's no secret that the church at large has had trouble with this since Paul penned his rebuke to the church in Corinth, which is worth quoting in full:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—-as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—-not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

From the perspective of our domesticated, polite, man-pleasing Christian society, there's really nothing here to like. In fact, I imagine 1 Corinthians 5 is excluded from your copy of "The Positive Bible" (no, I didn't make that up). There is the passing of judgment, the handing over to Satan, the shunning and expulsion. Ugh. Let's talk about something more happy and genteel. C'mon, sing along with me! "I'm so glaaaaad I'm a paaaaart of the family of God ..."

So why do I always find excuses for myself when matters of discipline come up? Since I know the clear teaching of Scripture, I'm unable to argue in good conscience that this is not commanded, and I clearly understand that the biblical course is to confront the wayward brother--first individually, then with one or two witnesses, and then before the church. Only by being both firm and loving may I serve the good of my brother and the integrity of the church. Serious infections need to be treated aggressively or the patient dies. But still I hesitate. Why?

Ultimately, the reason is simple. In the final analysis, I love my own ease more than I love either my brother or the church. I fear the consequences of confrontation for my own life: from the time and energy confrontation will require; to the fractured relationships I will likely suffer; to the high potential for broader conflict within the church. I believe the Bible's instruction in this matter in the abstract, but fail in the particular when it involves action by me personally. Instead, I allow myself to rationalize away my own responsibility, hoping someone will pick up the ball and run with it.

I don't have the relationship. It's not my place or my gift. Wake me up when the dirty work is over. I'll be in the corner philosophizing.

Such is the posture of a church discipline wimp.

In Search of the Perfect Church

2010-08-29T20:54:00.000-04:00

My friend Kathy had just finished recounting to me the myriad insufferable problems with our church. The theology was impure, the congregation was insufficiently devoted, the leadership was distracted and divided ... in short, the church was hopelessly off-course. She and her husband were thinking of leaving for another church that promised better everything: from the pastor to the laity to the doctrine. It was time to go find a congregation more pure, united, and Christ-like ... well, you know, like those wonderful first-century churches.

"Okay, Kathy", I said. "I completely understand. I just ask you one favor. Call me when you find the perfect church."

I didn't want to quibble with Kathy's complaints. There was at least some merit in many of them. Rather, I wanted her to see the danger that comes with church shopping. In many ways, it's like shopping for a car. This year's model looks perfect on the showroom floor. When you first bring it home you're thrilled with the "new-car smell", the shiny paint, and all the things it does that your old car didn't do. And yet over time the flaws start to manifest. After each one the thrill wears off a little more, until pretty soon it doesn't feel new anymore. Inevitably, you start staring longingly at car commercials and in showroom windows again.

And yet, in another way a relationship with the local church is less like a car than it is a spouse. At first everything is full of hope and promise--for better or worse, till death do you part! That is, until you realize that it's not everything you dreamed ... it has serious flaws ... irreconcilable differences even! Everything's changed--if only you'd known before you said "I do"!

But like in marriage, the glory of committing yourself to a particular body of believers is in actually honoring the commitment. If loving one another was easy, we wouldn't have to be commanded to do it. Every church has problems, many of them severe. Every church struggles, changes, has bad apples, and goes through ugly trials. It is the nature of a congregation of sinners that they will, in fact, sin, and that will be unpleasant for all involved.

Just as it was unpleasant for those wonderful first-century churches. Just as it was in the immature , divided, sexually immoral, gluttonous church in Corinth; or the foolishly legalistic, "bewitched" church in Galatia; or the "lukewarm" church in Laodicea; or ... well you get the idea.

Is separation ever called for? Certainly, as in marriage, infidelity to God's truth may be cause for divorce. Yet this is and must be a very high bar, not mere differences over peripheral, disputable matters. How high? Well, even that great Protestant reformer Martin Luther persevered within the Roman Catholic church for nearly 3 years from the time he posted his provocative "95 theses" until he was separated by excommunication. Even so, it was not he who severed the tie with Rome, but rather Rome which cut him off when he continued to preach the truth from within, until the corrupt church leadership could no longer stomach his insistence on the centrality of salvation by faith in Christ alone.

In relationship to my local church, as in my marriage, fidelity must be my first and overwhelming inclination, my consuming passion, and my ultimate objective. As long as there is still love for Jesus present, there is still work for me to do in the place where God has planted me.

Oh, and Kathy? I'm happy to say that she and her husband remained and served that church well and faithfully for as long as we knew them, and the church was richer for their ministry.

Ministry Burn-Out

2010-08-01T11:31:00.003-04:00

Disillusionment ... frustration ... burn-out. They proceed as naturally from a life of ministry as weeds in a garden. Left untended, they overrun the flowers as we lay down our tools in despair over the fruit we cannot see.

The great Elijah, alone, exhausted and overwhelmed despite his impressive victory over the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, could not muster the fortitude to respond to either God's mighty signs or his gentle voice at Mount Horeb. His earthly walk ended abruptly, if spectacularly, as a passenger in God's fiery chariot. It was a testament to his life of obedience in ministry, but a stark contrast to its ignominious final weeks spent largely in fear and despondency.

Elijah's bleak end serves as a warning to all ministers of the gospel--which is to say to all Christians, for all who are saved by grace are called to give our lives to ministry in His name. The nature of ministry is to give to those who will not give back in equal measure, or respond to our satisfaction. Contrary to our wishes and dreams, a life of ministry is not one of unending excitement over the visible fruits of our labors, but rather one in which we must believe God that He will ultimately bless, honor and value our sacrifices for His name.

Therefore, if we seek to gain the strength to continue from those visible fruits, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We are, in fact, committing idolatry, insofar as we are attempting to squeeze from earthly labors such nourishment as can come only from our Lord Himself. Ultimately, our strength must come from the eternal hope we share in Christ, and from the internal ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The writer of Hebrews makes this clear in the starkest of terms, when he reminds us of the example of those who have passed before us:

Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Apostle Paul knew all about this. Languishing in a Roman prison near the end of his life, he experienced the full measure of earthly disillusionment: alone, betrayed and virtually abandoned by those for whom he'd been "poured out like a drink offering," he discovered anew how his hope lay not in seeing the earthly fruits of his ministry, but in the knowledge that he had a "crown of righteousness" awaiting him in glory.

"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees," but know that such strength does not ultimately lie in seeing our labors bear fruit, but in knowing that the Master Gardener is alive and working through us in ways we cannot yet see. We shall one day stand in wonder at His feet as we gaze on all that He has done.

Paul the Octopus Predicts the Rapture (Parody)

2010-07-11T09:16:00.001-04:00

By Tomas Brandt
Staff Sports and Religion Correspondent
Oberhausen, Germany

Paul, the prophetic German octopus who has recently become famous for successfully predicting the outcome of World Cup soccer matches, has determined that the Rapture will occur on October 15th 2014. Stock prices dipped sharply on the news as cautious investors moved their money into gold and canned goods.

The octopus, known by his most ardent followers as "The Apostle Paul", has been under witness protection since he successfully predicted Germany's loss to Spain in the World Cup semifinals. Still, his most devoted followers remain convinced he has cracked the code to the end-times prophecies. "Repent! No prophet is accepted in his hometown!" shouted Hans Steinfelder outside a Frankfurt sports bar following Germany's predicted 10 July loss to Uruguay in the World Cup consolation game. Shortly thereafter, Steinfelder was pelted with calamari seized from a nearby seafood market by a drunk and agitated mob of German soccer fans.

The process of coming up with the Rapture's exact date was an arduous one, in which Paul chose from tasty morsels placed in boxes labeled "Before" and "After" particular dates. "It took months to narrow it down, and the World Cup certainly slowed the process," stated Helmut Schmidt, Associate Marine Biologist at Sea Life Park in Oberhausen. "Paul can only eat so much, and frankly, football simply took precedence over the Apocalypse."

The setting of a date just 4 years from now has placed even more demands on Paul's services. "There are just so many more questions that need answering," confessed Anna Geld of the newly established First Church of the Octopus in Berlin. "What can Paul tell us about the Great Tribulation? After all, if it hasn't started yet then I guess that rules out the post-tribbers, since we simply don't have 7 years to fit it in."

For Gelda Stern, one question remains paramount. "Who is the beast who comes out of the sea in Revelation 13, and has Paul ever met him? Ten horns and seven heads ... I just know he must be another octopus mutated by BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but the heathens at Sea Life Park refuse to let me ask the Apostle."

* * * * *

"At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time ... No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father ... Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come ... So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:23-25, 36, 42, 44)

"The Late Great Planet Earth" (Eschatology is Hard II)

2010-07-07T08:16:00.002-04:00

More on the "last days" from my ongoing discussion group over at LinkedIn.

Having previously invoked the "88 Reasons" in this discussion, kindly allow me to toss in yet another blast from the not-so-distant past (1970): "The Late Great Planet Earth". Hal Lindsay made quite a bit of money combining premillennial dispensational eschatology (still much in vogue) with then-current events. Daniel, Ezekiel and Revelation were naturally the featured texts, and the 1980s were eventually picked as the time for Jesus' probable return. There was even a movie! Were some called to repentance? Probably. Were many others momentarily enthralled, but ultimately disillusioned and embittered? Assuredly.

What makes this remarkable is that it's historically unremarkable. There have been attempts for two millennia to equate current events with Biblical prophecy (and that's if you count just the time since Christ arrived--largely unexpectedly--the first time)! Who or what exactly is Babylon the Great ... the Beast ... the Dragon ... the False Prophet ... Gog and Magog? How does Nero fit in ... or Saladin ... or Napoleon ... or Hitler? At some point, some historically tiny number of these will--one supposes--actually prove accurate, but the overwhelming evidence suggests that there is much peril involved in such things.

We are by nature self-referential. Every culture and generation tries to see itself in prophecy. There is always another formula, a new variation on the old theme, and an explanation as to why the previous one didn't work out. The danger is not in reading prophecy ("All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful, etc."). No, the danger is in laboring to fit prophecy into our own particular time and culture. Could you be right? You could. But walk humbly and carefully ... many, many have gone before you and have proven utterly wrong.

John wrote, "Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." (1 John 2:18). His readers were already trying to foresee the onset of the end times, but John steered them in another direction: "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son." (v. 22) John tried to move his readers from an attitude of looking for a specific danger to recognizing that they are surrounded by dangers. We are all to live as if it is the "last hour", "for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." (1 Thess 5:2).

Once again I stress, it is preparation, not prediction, for which these prophecies were given to us. It is good and right to gaze into Scripture and see ourselves, so that we might be called to grace and repentance. It is dangerously self-centered, however, to gaze into Scripture and always see our own time and place in its prophecies. The church has fallen into that trap for 2,000 years. Eventually I suppose someone will be right, but only after far too many have been wrong ... and some of them quite destructively.

Somewhere, someone is writing a book about how Barak Obama ... or BP ... or the Federal Reserve ... or Lady Gaga is the such-and-such of Biblical prophecy. It has always been so. But again, it is for preparation, not prediction, that we have these prophecies.

"So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thess 5:6-11)

"88 reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988" (Eschatology is Hard)

2010-07-03T11:46:00.003-04:00

I recently joined an online discussion about eschatology, or the study of the "end times". I began my thoughts with reference to a modern "classic" (er, sort of):

Actually JB, the book that comes to my memory is "88 reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988". Apparently we missed it! :)

The truth that strikes me about date-setting specifically (and predictions more generally) is that, despite the fact that Jesus' first coming was, at the time, the most prophesied event in human history, nearly everyone got it wrong ... including (indeed, especially) the most humanly "prepared"--the Jewish clergy. Their problem was not a lack of information, it was the hardness of their hearts compounded by the inability to imagine God's actual plan beyond their narrow, self-referential interpretation of Scripture.

What this tells me is that the purpose of the prophecies about His second coming is not prediction, but preparation.

If pressed, I will confess to amillenialist leanings, which is to say that I tend to think the "last days" began in the 1st Century (Heb 1:2) and that the "thousand years" of Revelation 20 is a figurative reference to Christ's present reign over His church (this interpretation requires a non-chronological reading of Revelation). I generally admit to that tentatively, because I find the topic to be more divisive than it ought to be; because I think Jesus' first coming demonstrates that interpreting prophecy is much harder than we tend to think it is; and because it is far from being a central point of the Faith.

Moreover, my understanding of church history is that eschatology can be very trendy ... in other words, the popular view of this subject often changes with the times, with the ebb and flow of world events. This is an understandable phenomenon, but should caution us that our interpretations are easily influenced by the specific places and times in which we live.

My guess is that, when He does return, the circumstances will be unlike anything most of us has quite imagined, yet all of us will afterwards conclude that we should have known (and, more importantly, should have been prepared), as the prophecies will have clearly foretold precisely the way it actually happened. In other words, it'll be kinda like the first time, if only in that sense ... :)

Back to my point about "not prediction, but preparation", I rather like the way Keith Green put it (*Update -- the old Keith Green YouTube video was taken down, so I've replaced it with another version of the same song):

The Strange Life and Death of Modern Evangelicalism

2010-06-20T11:23:00.000-04:00

What on earth is an "evangelical" in the 21st century, and does it even matter anymore?

The term--which in its most basic form refers generally to a belief in the gospel--is often traced back to the period leading up to the Protestant Reformation. During that time, it served to distinguish the high view of Scripture and belief in salvation by grace alone through faith preached by the Reformers against the heresies and abuses of the Roman church.

Throughout the years it has been problematic to distinguish the line between Evangelicalism from Protestantism generally, though beginning in the early 20th century it was increasingly used to do precisely that. As the rise of liberalism presented an existential threat to the future of the church by undermining the authority of Scripture, thus corroding the coherence of the gospel message, "evangelicals" clung to the term as a way to preserve unity among like-minded Protestants, while also distinguishing themselves from the so-called "mainline" church. The significance of the old denominational tags had begun to fall apart, so that an "evangelical" Presbyterian, for example, would find more in common with like-minded Baptists than his "mainline" Presbyterian cousins. Thus of necessity was the term adapted to its modern usage.

But a century later, the term appears to have lost most of its significance, even in this modern sense. As I noted last year in "The Milky Church", an alarming number of self-identified evangelicals hold to blatantly non-Christian beliefs about such foundational subjects as the way of salvation, the authority of Scripture, and the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Moreover, the term has never really broadened to encompass the African-American church. Though certainly a great many African-Americans would fall into the early 20th-century understanding of the word, as a practical matter they never embraced the designation. While the 2008 Pew Survey I referenced in my "Milky Church" post attempts the distinction between mainline and evangelical, it jarringly does so for whites only. The black Protestant population is unceremoniously lumped together. Of course, the fact that much of the visible Southern "white evangelical" church became identified with (or at least tolerated) white supremacist political views in its midst makes this phenomenon unsurprising.

The bottom line is that what we're witnessing is the death of a word by slow ambiguity. If I refer to myself as an evangelical, I do so tentatively, as I'm not sure of what exactly the word means to those I'm speaking to. Does it unite me with those whom I should shun, and divide me from those with whom I should unite?

Why does any of this matter? Because in the end, a Christian is properly defined by his beliefs--not by his lineage, church membership, political views, demographic category, etc. Moreover, as John warned:

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

Myths and heresies come from within the visible church as well as from the outside, and there must still exist ways to identify where and from whom one might find the truth faithfully proclaimed. With the slow death of the term "evangelical", that task has become harder.

Come and Die II: "'Bless Me Lord! Bless Me Lord!' You Know It's All I Ever Hear."

2010-06-05T14:02:00.002-04:00

I was recently reminded of this song during a Bible study, then posted the video on my Facebook profile. The theme of "costly grace" has been swimming around my head ever since. Following my last post, Come and Die, a friend posted a link to the very same video in her comment. So I suppose it's time for the timeless Keith Green to make another appearance on the cell walls ...

Come and Die

2010-05-31T20:51:00.001-04:00

I'm grateful to Ben Seal over at Unbreakable Joy for this superb quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor, theologian, author and martyr. As it is a short post, I hope Ben will forgive me for copying it in full:

The world upon whom grace is thrust as a bargain will grow tired of it, and will not only trample upon the Holy, but also will tear apart those who force it on them. For its own sake, for the sake of the sinner, and for the sake of the community, the Holy is to be protected from cheap surrender. The Gospel is protected by the preaching of repentance which calls sin sin and declares the sinner guilty. The key to loose is protected by the key to bind. The preaching of grace can only be protected by the preaching of repentance.

Bonhoeffer's best-known work, The Cost of Discipleship, begins with a call to remember that "Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church. Our struggle today is for costly grace." Bonhoeffer was one of those rare men who backed up his words with deeds, choosing to return to Nazi Germany--where he was an outspoken opponent of the regime--on the last scheduled steamer from the US prior to the outbreak of war. Refusing to hide his lamp under a bowl, he was hanged in 1945 for plotting against Hitler.

What do I know of this kind of cost-counting? Frankly, almost nothing. My faith costs me shockingly little. I can barely be bothered to spend a more than few minutes on my knees or in His Word. I am routinely far more ashamed of the gospel than I can bear to admit, though little more than gentle scorn awaits the gospel's fiercest advocates in our society. I shudder to contemplate whether His reputation is truly, demonstrably more valuable to me than my own.

If I were to offer a simple but extremely lame excuse for my appalling spiritual vapidity, I might point to my culture. Western Christianity is comfortable Christianity. Our challenges are to "make time for God" so that we can "live victoriously" in our suburban neighborhoods. Don't talk to us about the cost of discipleship ... unless it's tax deductible.

But as I said, that's just my lame excuse. The real reason is more elementary ... I'm self-absorbed because I want to be. My sin isn't just a bad habit, it's a cancer. I need God's grace more than I can possibly imagine, so I mostly just choose not to imagine.

One of Bonhoeffer's most profound statements was also one of his simplest: "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." Die? Not now, Lord, I'm busy. Can it wait until the commercial break?

Death Panels, Memorial Day and Nebuchadnezzar

2010-05-31T17:14:00.003-04:00

“this is only the beginning of what they will do” (Gen. 11:6)

Governor Palin made a considerable stir when she coined the phrase “Death Panels” in the context of the current health care debate. However, consider the following hypothetical, but not at all implausible scenario: A man in his 60s has acute diabetes. Already, his circulation has deteriorated to such an extent that there have been amputations, and, if heroic measures continue to be taken, there will be more. The choice that faces him and his family has to do with the point at which they will cease to authorize heroic measures and ask instead for merely palliative care. In effect then, with the members being the man and his family, relying on God for wisdom in the matter, and taking into consideration both his financial circumstances and other very personal matters, what we have already is a sort of “death panel”.

So the stir that Governor Palin caused doesn’t really stem from the fact that men and women will be called to make life-and-death decisions, since that is already a fact of life, but just who those men and women will be, and what their relation will be to the life involved. Even as things are, we find it disturbing that some of them may be pencil-pushers in some insurance company or Medicare office. But, at least as things are, the man and his family have a real say in the matter. However, as things move toward a paradigm where medical care is controlled by central authority, that say will evaporate: “Experts”, who know better than we do, will make the decision for us. It is this “death panel” that causes the stir.

Memorial Day is a good time to pause and reflect on how things got to this point, a point where we cannot not only envision the possibility of government auditors and social workers telling us when it’s time for us to die, but we can envision it happening in the not-too-distant future and, worse yet, can envision ourselves doing little more than whine about it: The purpose of Memorial Day was originally to commemorate the approximately 390,000 who died fighting for the Union in the Civil War. In time, it’s purpose expanded to include the approximately 290,000 who died fighting for the Confederacy, and then, given more time, to include those who died in other wars. But the Civil War context is especially important since, in a very real sense, the sort of Constitution we had had, with its Jeffersonian-Jacksonian emphasis on the limitation of government power, was also among the casualties. As James McPherson points out in his “Battle Cry of Freedom”, the dominant theme in the pre-Civil War amendments is found in insistence on the things government “shall not” do. After the Civil war, the phrase “Congress shall have the power” becomes predominant.

The developments latent in this change did not bear fruit immediately, but, with the Progressive Era, things picked up, and they’ve continued to do so since, with only an occasional pause. The character of this process can be captured in the Progressive Era’s contrast between “Negative Liberty” and “Positive Liberty”: In that view, we need to outgrow childish individualism and learn to enjoy together the fruits that an enlightened elite will give us. That elite has yet to fully embody itself in one Nebuchadnezzar-like figure (see Daniel 2), but it seems to be collectively as sanctimonious and intolerant of dissent as Nebuchadnezzar was. (Read David Brooks in the Times!) We don’t know what the Lord’s timing is in all this. Perhaps, He will bring the current power structure down and we will again see “a new birth of freedom”, or, perhaps the “coming of the lawless one” (2 Th. 2:9) is just around the corner. Indeed, “It’s not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Acts 1:7) Rather, we are called to be “salt and light” (Mt. 5:13-16), to “put no confidence in princes”, but rather to affirm that “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” (Ps. 146:3, 5)

12 + 10 = 12 (more or less)

2010-05-13T15:48:00.003-04:00

“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3)

Not long ago, I had a Facebook interchange with a man in his early 20s in which we agreed that, where young men staying in school to avoid work is concerned, not much had changed in the last 50 years.

His Facebook “wall” has confirmed my view that another place where things remain pretty much the same is the banter of many young “men”. While the slang may differ and the style too among groups, too many of them sound pretty much the same as they did in junior high school. Where their age is concerned, there seems to be a perverse arithmetic: 12 + 10 = 12

As for the substance of their banter, style and slang aside, a lot of it is predictable, involving filthy language, sexual allusions and homosexual allegations. It was that way 50 years ago. Junior high school boys don’t seem to change.

(It should be said that this state of affairs isn’t always limited to men in their early 20s. I personally first “grew out” of it, then fell back in during my late 30s, until the Lord snatched me out of that particular sewer - among others. Still, I think it’s true that the early 20s is the time when the problem is most acute.)

There were “social networks” too 50 years ago, just not Facebook. When I worked on a construction gang in Nevada before and after my 22nd birthday, we chatted back and forth on the job that way. Then, after work, we retired to a place like “Sue’s Desert Club” in Battle Mountain, where Sue (the madam) and “the girls” joined in. But that was about the extent of the network: All of us, prostitutes included, would have been ashamed to use that kind of talk around our parents, especially our mothers. In the case of us over-grown-12-year-old boys, while we might have refrained around our mothers at 12 out of fear, the extra 10 years had at least changed us so that at 22 we refrained out of respect. So I suppose, at that time, the arithmetic was: 12 + 10 = 12 (plus a bit).

Facebook seems associated with a change in that, at least where this young man’s “wall” is concerned: Though when he speaks of his mother directly, he seems to esteem and respect her, he’s not ashamed to take part in filthy public interchanges where he knows she (and his aunts, and ...) can see what is said. That, at least, seems to have changed in the last 50 years: 12+10 adds up now to less than it did then.

I suppose the defense for this sort of boorishness would turn on the word, “hypocrisy”, an undervalued commodity: While little could be clearer in the gospels than the fact that hypocrisy has no place in the church, La Rochefoucauld’s maxim that, “Hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue” tells us that the more we have of it in the civil sphere, the better. Facebook, inasmuch as it lends itself to breaking down the barriers between the private and the public, and doing away with seemly reticence generally, seems to me to reflect an age which is, in a word, growing more “vicious”.

But these periods of history come and go (and will until the Lord returns). So I guess, there’s really “nothing new under the sun”. (Eccl. 1:9) As Solomon put it 3000 years ago: “The bond among fools is guilt.” (Pr. 14:9, Berkeley Version) It’s just that, sometimes, they’re more obnoxious about it.

The Virtue of Being "Contemptible"

2010-05-01T12:20:00.000-04:00

What makes King David such a wonderful study is the extent to which we can not only be inspired by his triumphs, but also identify with his follies. At least this is true for me. His experience in bringing the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem is one which cuts me to the heart.

Fresh off his anointing as King of Israel and subsequent defeat of the Philistines, David was understandably riding high. That God had proven so faithful to exalting this shepherd boy from obscurity to royalty ought to have weighed heavily on David, but at this point he became arrogant and careless. This would be inexplicable were David not a sinner like me, easily intoxicated by his own success.

Awash in confidence, David yet sensed that that the Ark ought to come to Jerusalem, but he delegated its movement to his underlings. He'd managed to neglect what made the Ark so astonishing--that its purpose was to represent God's holy and immediate presence among His people, and that it therefore was to be approached but once a year, by but one carefully prepared representative, and only with the blood of that special sacrifice which was for the sins of the people.

But after all, David was the king ... a very important man.

David had already started to forget that he was king only because Israel had rejected the King of Kings in favor of his predecessor, Saul. Here was the perfect opportunity for David to lay his own glory aside and firmly reestablish God's sovereignty. Instead, he busied himself with various kingly duties in Jerusalem as his minions casually transported the symbol of the Lord's holy presence on a cart. One of these minions--the unfortunate Uzzah--would pay for David's sloppy arrogance (and his own) with his life.

David's next step was naturally to throw a pity party, banishing the Ark to Obed-edom's household. But as was often true with David, he eventually regained his composure and responded to God's chastisement. David humbled himself, took off his royal robes, and "danced before the LORD with all his might" as the Ark was moved reverently and properly by the priests. To his credit, he risked becoming undignified and disrespected before the "important" people in Jerusalem in order to humble himself and thus exalt his God.

As usual, I find more to identify with David in his folly than in his victory. Like him, I get utterly lost in the task of ensuring the fleeting and illusory wonderfulness of my own life and legacy. Rather than "consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord", I am preoccupied with my earthly treasures. Rarely do I doff my "royal robes" and throw myself before God's throne with anything approaching reverent abandon. I'm too busy protecting my worldly image and the things that bolster it, for fear that I may lose the respect of those who don't ultimately matter.

He Is Risen! Alleluia!

2010-04-04T11:55:00.000-04:00

Wishing you all the joy of Resurrection Sunday, from the Philippian Jailer ... with an assist from Keith Green.

Cliche Theology

2010-02-15T12:53:00.001-05:00

I recently took part in a Bible study in which the well-worn phrase "God hates the sin but loves the sinner" came up. Something about this phrase has always grated on me, in part because I'm more than a little suspicious of Christian cliches, and in part because it seems to contradict much of what is written in Scripture about the relationship between God and sinners. So, giving in to my well-documented penchant for provocation, I plucked out a few verses from Psalm 139 and tossed them carelessly into the middle of the room:

If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
       Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
They speak of you with evil intent;
       your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
       and abhor those who rise up against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
       I count them my enemies.

Objective achieved ... NOT! Rather than a lively discussion, I merely provoked confusion, and quickly retired the question ... not because it is an unimportant one, but rather because I approached a serious issue haphazardly and without a good idea of where I wanted to lead the discussion. Memo to Jailer: not all provocation is good all the time.

Even so, I remain intrigued by this question of whether "God hates the sin but loves the sinner."

In some ways, this phrase seems to work quite well as a simple way to understand that God must punish sin but takes no pleasure in pouring out his wrath on mankind. Indeed, God's saving love for "the world" as expressed in John 3:16 is probably Scripture's best known truth. Moreover, God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Yes, God hates my sin, but thankfully loved me, the sinner.

On the flip side, serious people need to recognize that this phrase marks the beginning of the theological discussion, not its culmination. It is the very epitome of a cliche: "a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse."

What's more, in many ways the import of the phrase is to answer the question, "Can God love me, a sinner"? Where it loses its impact is in modern Western thought, in which the core assumption that God (where He is recognized at all) is really compelled to love everyone. In that sense, grace is not really so amazing ... it's just part of God's obligation as a father. Ho hum.

The problem with cliches, by definition, is that they quickly lose "originality, ingenuity, and impact" because we try to make them more than they are. Does God hate sin? Undeniably. Does God love sinners? Certainly, else we would all be lost. But what's missing is an honest discussion about wrath--a word that appears 190 times in Scripture (NIV), as in: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

Of course, when our culture (and an increasing number of Christians) believe that our core problem is that we've got a misplaced sense of self-worth and a dysfunctional relationship with our Father, this language about "godlessness and wickedness" seems harsh, unnecessary, even archaic. Let us woo the lost with uplifting sermons and sincerity! After all, God loves the sinner ... it's just that nasty sin problem we have to take care of. A quick sinner's prayer and a baptism thrown in for good measure should take care of it.

Alas, this is where our cliches run dry, and where our easy converts quickly revert to worldliness when things get a little tough. Grace means little to them, because sin means little. God didn't save a wretch like me; he ran a wayward child through the Sin-B-Gone and hung an air freshener from my mirror.

Of course, that's not the Gospel. We don't just have a sin problem ... we are the problem! Scripture describes us as God's enemies--by nature objects of wrath before the searing holiness of His presence. It is for good reason that the Apostle Paul begins his epistle to the Romans with a discussion about His wrath upon our wickedness before he unpacks the astoundingly great news that He has redeemed us from our hopeless condition. It is only when I truly appreciate my shocking condition before Him that I truly appreciate the glory of His grace.

This is not advanced theology, this is the foundation of our faith ... and many our churches are filled with people who have little concept of it. They know little more than our cliches.

Land of the Free and Home of the Brave?

2010-01-31T23:10:00.004-05:00

“When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long endure.” (Pr. 28:2)

On the first of every month a “Dow 30” company, call it “Very Big Conglomerate” (VBC) makes pension payments to tens of thousands of its retirees. One of them goes to me. Much of the payment is used to cover the premium on the retiree medical insurance policy that VBC makes available to Mrs. Presbyter and me.

So VBC, “bless its heart”, is an important one of my “cash cows”.

A condition for supplying that retiree medical insurance policy was that, when I turned 65, I was required to enroll in Medicare, Parts A and B, and, when Mrs. Presbyter turns 65, she will be required to do the same. So VBC has an emphatic interest in government policy towards “senior citizens”: If the government did not supply us with medical insurance, we could cost VBC a lot more.

But this is by no means the end of the VBC interest in government: When I worked for them, our division supplied “process measurement and control” systems to various industries. A purely economic argument can be made in favor of these systems, since more efficient process control saves material and energy. But government imposes extra constraints that also incline industry toward buying these systems, some very defensible (like cleaning up the emissions that once denuded nearby hillsides) and some less so. Among the less defensible constraints will be the one currently being debated to impose very substantial energy taxes under the guise of restricting carbon dioxide emissions. Taxes like these would greatly tilt the economic argument for the systems VBC sells by making savings in energy much more attractive. So we can expect VBC to be all in favor of these taxes (but not for calling them that!) and to issue occasional press releases stressing their corporate concern for polar bears.

So large, intrusive, regulatory government, “bless its heart”, is an important one of VBC’s “cash cows”, and so, once removed, it is one of mine.

It’s at this point that we come to the catalyst for this post, the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down some constraints on issue advocacy by corporate entities. The letters column of our local newspaper has been filled with indignation about this, and the following quotation can be taken as representative: “Who gets to make the laws? Citizens or corporations? Duh!” If this sentiment had any validity, then it would follow that VBC should be elated at the ruling. Is it? I haven’t seen any press releases yet, but I doubt they’re very happy. The sort of activity that the ruling now legitimizes simply isn’t their style, nor that of most other large organizations. Indeed it’s more the style of a number of lesser players in the government-manipulation game that VBC probably would rather see driven out. They’re annoying competition.

This isn’t to say that VBC wouldn’t encourage its employees to form Political Action Committees and give to various candidates that have a reasonable chance of being elected. Of course they do that and have ways of making sure that winning candidates are aware of their sympathy. But their principal means for influencing public policy is surely the same one that other large organizations use: They form relationships - at substantial expense! - with various entities, of which there are hundreds, and which make it their business to form relationships with various government officials and use those relationships to influence policy. These organizations (“lobbyists”) would say that they simply “inform” the officials, but it’s also the case that they provide them with various “perks”, including jobs for the officials’ friends and relatives, and, should the official be constrained (say by losing an election) to leave government, even, after a decent interval, a job for the official himself. None of this was affected in the least by the recent ruling and, even had it been, everyone involved would have quickly figured out how to effect the same sort of results with suitably-adjusted means. None of this is easy. It all costs money, a lot of money, and only organizations like VBC can afford it. And, if the truth were to be told, this state of affairs probably suits them just fine.

A quick reaction to all this might be that, “There ought’a be a law!’ But the awful truth is that laws are a large part of the reason that things are as tangled and opaque as they are. VBC is very well adapted to manipulating government regulation through a process that is itself highly regulated. Indeed, the more regulation of elections and lobbying we have, the better for VBC and so too, to the extent that my welfare depends on VBC, the better for me. It’s a distasteful thought, but “full disclosure” demands it.

Still, it is a distasteful thought and the question rises as to “What can be done about it all?” An obvious answer is “limited government”, since, with less influence to peddle, there’d be less influence peddling. But is this a likely outcome? The verse cited at the top of this post (Pr. 28:2) would seem to indicate that, in a democracy at least, it’s very unlikely, and that “many rulers” is associated with “transgression”. This seems to be consistent with the opinion that Plato ascribes to Socrates in his “Republic” (sections 557 and following). There democracy is described as “a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike”. But, Socrates then maintains, the appetites aroused, along with the disorder, lead in the end to tyranny.

Does Scripture lend any support to that picture? Consider the following two verses from Proverbs 29:

“By justice a king builds up the land,
but he who exacts gifts tears it down.” (Pr. 29:4)

What is true for a king is also true for a democratic electorate, and experience seems to teach us that these have a substantial penchant for “exacting gifts” (or “taxing heavily” - ESV margin). But, surely, we might argue, won’t the electorate’s common sense tend to arrest the destructive process of treating itself to more and more “benefits” that, in the end, lead to ruin and tyranny? At this point, the second verse comes in:

“If a ruler listens to falsehood,
all his officials will be wicked.” (Pr. 29:12)

Democratic electorates certainly have a history of listening to attractive lies, and a companion history of rule by scoundrels.

I’m purposely painting a gloomy picture here in order to raise the question, “Is the gloom warranted?” Or can we see any signs of hope in Scripture that the country where I live will be, for my grandchildren, “the land of the free and the home of the brave”? Or will it be just a tangled web of “cash cows” and those who milk them, sinking into a “soft tyranny” and poverty? And what can - or should! - our churches do about all of this?

The Grandkiddie Chronicles - Episode 3471: “The S Word”

2010-01-17T20:15:00.003-05:00

“ Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates reproof is like a cow.” (Pr. 12:1, Berkeley Version)

One of the “perks” of being a grandparent is that one gets to star in the sit-coms scripted by the grandchildren. A favorite story of mine along those lines took place some months ago, when some grandchildren were playing in one part of our back yard, while I was gardening in another. One of them rushed up and accused his cousin of using “the s word”.

Not too surprisingly, I was incensed and let his cousin know that, under no circumstances was she to use that word. She was young, and not too articulate, but she made it clear that the word was not on the forbidden list, and refused to budge from that stance. We parted with the very stern warning on my part that use of that word was out. I went back to my gardening, wondering at her stubbornness (and she can be stubborn!) and then, after a while, “the nickel dropped”: I called her cousin over and asked if, when he had said “the s word”, he had meant “stupid”. “Yeah”, he replied (in a “what else?” tone).

There is a verse from Proverbs that speaks to my predicament at this point in the story:

“If one gives an answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.” (Pr. 18:13)

However, bad as things were, they did recover a bit: I went to his cousin and confessed to her that I had wronged her, and told her I was sorry. It had a good effect.

Still, my heart wasn’t really right. There were internal grumblings about “political correctness” and all that for a while. In addition, I took pains to let her cousin know that he was not to use the phrase “the s word” in that sense again. Just to reinforce the point, I introduced him to Proverbs 12:1, in my bible:

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates reproof is stupid.” (ESV)

On reflection, that was a “stupid” thing to do and I doubt he was helped by it. While it does make the point that, as “s words” go, “stupid” is hardly down at the bottom of the scale, it doesn’t really tell us what to do with the word. When should we use it?

One can gain some insight by comparing Pr. 12:1 in different versions of the bible: “Stupid” is by far the most common rendering (NIV, NASB, NKJV, CEV). But the King James rendering, “brutish” is sometimes found (KJV, ASV, YLT). As for what is meant by “brutish”, my favorite rendering is in the Berkeley Bible: “like a cow”. For those of us who have limited experience with cows, take a look at this link. If the intent of the Berkeley version had had to do with intelligence only, they might have chosen “like a sheep”. Instead, they chose “like a cow”. Perhaps the intent was to say that someone who resents being reproved has reduced themselves to acting no better than a cow, a donkey, or any other “brute beast” that is particularly stubborn and stupid.

So perhaps the following lessons as to what to do with the word “stupid”, at least in the sense that it’s used here, can be drawn:
1. It’s meaning here is very emphatically moral: It’s a type of wickedness in this context, not a measure of someone’s IQ.
2. Because of that, there definitely will be times when it will be appropriate to confront someone over “stupid” behavior, but one has the responsibility to be ready to explain the sense in which it’s being used: We need to be able explain that, in terms that aren’t needlessly offensive, “You’re acting like a cow.”

I doubt that my little granddaughter meant it that way. Instead, she probably meant it as simply an insult or put-down. (I imagine her cousins had made her angry - and she does anger easily.) So, had I thought all that through at the time, instead of “acting like a cow”, we might have been able to sit down together and work the issue through in terms of the loving conduct toward one another to which we are called in Christ. Young as they were, I think they could have understood the meaning of another verse from the same chapter of Proverbs:

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Pr. 12:18)

Instead, I reacted as I did and “a teachable moment” was lost (though asking her to forgive me did recover some good from the affair).

Rejoice Always ... even from a Wheelchair!

2010-01-10T20:09:00.005-05:00

“Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.” (Ps. 119:67)

“Rejoice always, ...” (1 Th. 5:16)

This post is something of a follow-up to Jailer’s post “Doesn’t God Want Me to be Happy?” and my own post “Hard, but Amazing Grace”:

The second post deals with the fact that many come to Christ only after having made a real mess of their lives - and many relationships. Others, despite real faith, may persist in “simplicity” and likewise make that sort of mess, before finally humbling themselves before the Lord and submitting to Him. But then, while the Lord does “lift them up” (1 Pt. 5:6), rather than snatching them out of all that and into earthly bliss, the Lord puts them to work living with that mess, making it better where they can, and letting their faith glorify Him in the midst of it all.

Jailer’s post deals with the refusal of many Christians to accept that there may be things in this life that they simply may not have, at least not for their good. The two posts are connected in that this refusal is “simplistic”, in the sense of some of my earlier posts, and so is an important mechanism in the process many “little ones” in the church use to make that mess of their lives. One thinks, for instance, of the role that “Doesn’t God want me to be happy?” plays in so many of God’s little ones entering into relationships that will cause them lifelong heartache.

The subject of this post is a story of that sort, of one of His children, a dear friend, who came back to Him, only after many years of ignoring Him, and who, having left Him as a vital young woman, came back to Him much older, and as a stroke victim in a wheelchair. I think of her whenever I think of the subject of a “life verse”. Hers was Psalm 119, verse 67:

“Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.”

Before she was stricken, my friend would have been seen by the world as a bright, effective, energetic and successful professional. But, though raised in the church, she had long since decided to live apart from God. Of course she did not altogether despise His precepts. Even in this “crooked and twisted generation” (Phil. 2:15), it’s hard to succeed doing that. But still, she did “what was wise in her own eyes” (Pr. 3:7). To her eventual dismay, she let that mindset also affect her response to her doctor’s warnings about being careful to take her blood pressure medicine. The result was a major stroke, which left her paralyzed on one side of her body. In addition to the purely physical effects, while she was by no means left mentally incompetent, she testified often to being slower in grasping things than she had been.

As another consequence, she was left with medical expenses that all too quickly gobbled up all her assets and left her supported only by Social Security’s Supplemental Security Income. That situation, in turn, left her in a nursing home near our church, where the arrangement was that the government check went to the nursing home provider, except for $35 which was left for her to spend each month on odds and ends. Along with that, life in the nursing home had many frustrations, including the fact that any valuables which the patients might have were often stolen. Many of them became quite bitter over all this, and the bitterness often seemed to harden them. My friend wrestled with these feelings.

Then, one day, just as we were closing up after a morning worship service, there she was: We were a presbyterian church and she had been raised in a presbyterian church, and so asked about worshipping with us. We straightened matters out where worship times were concerned and she began to attend. After a while, she asked about joining the congregation, and satisfied the elders that her profession was genuine. I won’t go into the details about my subsequent involvement in the life of this dear sister, or of that of several others in our congregation, but we were an important part of her life, and she of ours, up until the time of her death.

As I indicated above, when we knew her, she was not nearly as quick mentally as she had been while in the world, and so there is no dazzling story about books written, or classes taught, or anything of that sort. There’s just the story of a simple life of faith in a wheelchair, lived before - and encouraging - a few of her brothers and sisters in Christ. But, in the essential sense, she was able to “rejoice always” (1 Th. 5:16), and she helped all of us to do so too.

Facebook Evangelism ... or "Keep Christ in Christmas, You Heathen Swine!"

2009-12-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

Last week I found myself in an office at work where a particularly haughty woman was castigating a co-worker for wishing her a "Merry X-mas". You know the drill from here: "Jesus is the reason for the season", "they can take Christ out of Christmas but they can't take Christ out of me", etc., complete with contemptuous sneer and wagging index finger.

So, another bold believer standing up for her Lord, or just a Pharisee being a jerk? I've been considering this question while reading Presbyter's recent posts on "Digital Barbarism", and alongside the rash of now-ubiquitous Facebook comments like:

Billy Bob believes in Jesus Christ and is proud to say it! Let's see how many people on Facebook aren't afraid to show their love for our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ our Savior! Repost this as your status. Let's get God back in this country like He should be! If you agree...post this as your status update. Just copy and paste.

Facebook appears to have replaced the bumper sticker as the place where Christians succumb to the temptation to "boldness". Yet, if my primary concern is that the world is dying without Christ, will they be saved because I brazenly copy and paste my outrage to Facebook? Will they be reached when our culture rejects expressions of "Happy Holidays" and re-accepts Nativity scenes in the town square? Or will they be reached when Christians heed Paul's instruction to "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt ..."

If indeed "I am not ashamed of the gospel" and am ready to prove it by a public, glib display of self-righteous arrogance, maybe a little more shame is called for.