I hope the title of this post didn’t unduly concern anyone…I just wanted to try out something catchy! :)
Seriously though, this is in regards to an article in the February issue of Christianity Today, “TULIP Blooming" which you can find here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/february/8.19.html?start=1
What I wanted to say about this article and Frank Page is simply that I have long noticed a double standard among those who embrace Arminian theology; they are so eager to share their views and opinions but let someone confess themselves a (gasp!) Calvinist, and they are quick to accuse such a person of causing dissension in the ranks! Express a belief in God’s sovereign choice in election and you are a heretic and blasphemer, daring to accuse God of thwarting the ever sacred “free will” of mankind! The way they carry on you’d think you’d suddenly sprouted horns upon revealing your Calvinist leanings! :)
The article in question is about how an increasing number of SBC seminary graduates are coming out of seminary with those nasty doctrines of grace in their heads. Oh my! Send them back!
But seriously, enough of these graduates are actually getting churches that one Oklahoma pastor was devastated, no appalled, when his former youth pastor “secretly taught predestination to teens.” You see his dilemma don't you? I mean, God forbid teens should be tempted to think about doctrine! Indeed, note that this youth pastor has the word “former” before his title, since that Oklahoma pastor promptly booted him out. I guess maybe he’d prefer the youth minister I knew that gave 5-10 minute pep talks, had kids spell out biblical names with their hips, and had the teens place their arms around each others torsos as they played games that taught them Biblical truths…rest assured there was no danger of those kids learning anything as insidious as doctrine! That’s the kind of youth minister the church needs!
Right?
But excuse me for following that rabbit trail…back to the Oklahoma pastor. He “recently led the Arbuckle Baptist Association to adopt a motion calling on the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma to rebuke Reformed theology. It sent copies of the motion to all members of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee.” There’s a good use of pastoral energy. Who needs to confront apathy in the church when Calvinism is on the loose? Who cares if antinomianism has its horrible grip in our churches when Reformed theology is destroying youth groups throughout the nation? Why bother battling selfishness, lack of Bible reading, and doctrinal ignorance when those pesky doctrines of grace are around?
And what did Frank Page say about all of this?
“SBC president Frank Page thinks Calvinism will increasingly become a source of contention. "What we're seeing across the nation is that it's not being discussed enough," said the South Carolina pastor. "Candidates and churches are being put together, and it immediately becomes apparent they've got a serious issue of disagreement."
How will it become a source of contention? Are the Calvinists out there seeking to convert everyone to their way of thinking? Well from my own personal experience I can only say that some poor Calvinist probably said something that merely hinted at election and someone else (an Arminian) overheard this and went ballistic…frothing at the mouth and demanding that the church take a stand against such heresies! Ok, the frothing at the mouth thing was a bit much but I think you get the point!
The following is more from the article:
“While acknowledging that both sides seek to uphold biblical truth, Page worries that extremists could undermine the SBC's emphasis on outreach. He isn't impressed by arguments that most convention founders embraced Reformed ideas. "The totality of history shows the vast majority of Baptists have not been [Calvinists], so why go back to the founders?" Page said. "I think we need to go back to the Bible."
So Page is worried that those Calvinists will undermine outreach? If by this he thinks there will be no desire to provide “seeker friendly” services that leave out true Biblical teaching then he is right. If by this he means there will be no evangelical efforts then he is wrong. ALL of God’s people should witness for one very simple reason…He commands us to. This ad hominem attack upon the doctrines of grace is tiresome. And I say it is an ad hominem attack because it serves to take away the focus on whether the doctrines of grace are true or not. Oh no…we won’t throw block parties anymore! Oh my…there go our evenge-cube (look it up!) sales! My goodness…no more loud music to blast out eardrums in hopes nobody will notice the sermons lacking any depth!
Frank Page has even written an article in which he says that “Calvinist-led churches are in the minority, though the number is increasing. Second, Calvinism is on the rise among recent seminary graduates. If present trends continue, Calvinism will continue to grow as an influence in our convention. Third, Calvinist-led churches are generally smaller in worship attendance and annual baptisms than non-Calvinist churches. Fourth, church growth statistics in terms of annual baptism rates indicates there is little difference between Calvinist and non-Calvinist led churches.” (read article at: http://www.sbc.net/redirect.asp?url=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27050 )
Wait…do statistics show that “Calvinist-led churches are generally smaller in worship attendance and annual baptisms than non-Calvinist churches” or that “there is little difference between Calvinist and non-Calvinist led churches” because certainly it can’t be both!
You notice, of course, that the inference here is that if the SBC turns Calvinist their numbers will dwindle! The mighty numbers racket rears its ugly head…who cares that most of those baptized don’t stay in the church…or that those numbers, as I’ve seen firsthand, are made up of people who don’t even know why they are in a SBC church! They are attracted by the programs not the theology!
So the question must be asked...do we want Rick Warren type churches or Acts 2 and 4 churches? Sadly, most SBC pastors would say “give me Warren!” So yes, that numbers game is a distraction as usual…’cause be honest and look around your churches and tell yourself every one of them is a true Believer. No brothers and sisters…our Lord said it right when He said “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
So back to my original point: What was it? Oh yeah…when you read all these things about Calvinists causing dissension…look into it. I think that for the most part you will find that somebody was offended that a Calvinist actually voiced his/her opinion and reacted emotionally to this. Not able and willing to engage in an examination of the Word to see whether there is any truth to the claims, they attack the person and seek to drive him/her out of the church. Such is the type of theological debate we engage in today...how very sad.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Mark 8:27-30
I have finished reading the OT and have started reading through the NT again. As I was reading this morning in the book of Mark I remembered having done a study in my old church on that book and so I looked for it in my files and finally found it! :) The following, then, are my notes on one of the passages I taught on. For this study I used the the commentaries written by John Gill, Albert Barnes, and Matthew Henry. I presented the lesson on June 26th, 2005.
Read Mark 8:27-30
"Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Phillippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, 'Who do men say that I am?'"
The area in which this exchange takes place was where Herod had his residence. This is important to note because in this area Herod the Great had built a temple to Emperor Augustus and he had named the city of Caesarea after Caesar, honoring and basically licking the boots (or sandals!) of his Roman masters. Why does this little fact matter? Well one of the commentators I read makes the point that this is important to note because in this place where Caesar was acclaimed and affirmed as lord by Herod...in this same place the Lord Jesus is acclaimed as the Annointed One by His disciples!
So, then, we read that somewhere along the road, Jesus turns to them and asks them the fateful question "Who do men say that I am?"
Now...many might be tempted to say of this verse that Jesus was wondering what it was the people said of him because he did not know. That he wanted to know from them what rumors were going around about him...but rest assured this is NOT the case. Remember that Jesus did not need the rumor mill to verify anything...there was never a point throughout his entire habitation in human form that Jesus gave up His divine nature! He did not lay it down in order to assume the cloak of flesh...He did not stop being God because He was born of a woman. No indeed...never forget that Jesus while a man was still God! So His question is much deeper than "hey...what are people saying about me?"
What then, was the point of his question?
Could we say that Jesus was being Jesus? By this I mean that Jesus was and is a teacher. His point, then, was to teach! For realize this: in laying out this question we will see the answer from mankind's perspective...and later, in the declaration of faith from Peter...we will see what men say under inspiration of the Holy Spirit!
As an aside, this same episode is recorded in Matthew 16:13, in which the question is rendered, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" We will look more closely at this term later, but for now I wanted you to know how Jesus has identified Himself to the disciples even in asking the question!
"So they answered, 'John the Baptist; but some say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.'"
Their immediate answer? "Some say you are Elijah!" "Other say you are John the Baptist!"
Wow...so the disciples have heard Jesus acknowledged as a prophet...as a powerful man of God...as the embodiment of some of the great men of God that have lived in years past and in recent memory! Through this, the disciples acknowledge that the people believe Jesus is more than just a normal man. Hey, he has performed miracles...He has healed people for whom no healing was possible...He has amazingly multiplied food as if from nowhere...He has even walked on water! So yes, this is not an ordinary man...and the people know this! You see, the people thought very highly of Jesus! He was a man in whom God was working!
And you know what? This would be awesome praise indeed! This is an amazing thing to say of a human being...IF it referred to anyone BUT Jesus! Do you understand this? IF this praise was for anyone other than Jesus, this would be awesome praises indeed!! To say this about Jesus, however, is to deny His true essence! He is not a mere prophet...He is not a performer interested in awing the masses! NO! He is the long awaited Messiah! God made man!
"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered and said to Him, 'You are the Christ'"
Many people have listened to Jesus, many people have heard Him speak. But these men have walked with Him. Therefore He wants their confession! What do YOU think?
The question that Jesus asks the disciples is the most important question that anyone of that time, and anyone today, and anyone in the future will ever have to answer. Upon the answer to this question depends the eternal fate of every man and woman! How will you reply to Christ?
Peter's answer is rendered in Matthew 16:16 as "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
I love that declaration! Christ.
The word is the Greek kristos, meaning "Anointed One"...the Messiah! Peter has recognized the divine nature of Jesus, the divine appointment for which He has come. In his statement he recognized that Jesus did not come merely to heal people, or to feed them, or to merely bring them back physically from death! No...he recognizes that all of these are mere acts of declaration! They are intended to establish His authority...To declare to those with ears to listen and eyes to see that He is the Anointed One of God! Chosen and appointed for the work of redemption!
Having said this, I must add that this does not mean that Peter acknowledges Jesus as the coming Redeemer we know Him as. For remember that all along the disciples and all the other Jews of the time are expecting a Messiah who will be a Prince...who will free them from the yoke of Rome! It would not be until the resurrection of our Lord that anyone other than John the Baptist would recognize Jesus in the true role of Messiah! Recall that in John 1:29 John the Baptist, seeing Jesus, says "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
The Baptist knew Jesus as Redeemer...which makes sense considering the special relationship between this messenger and the One that he proclaimed!
Although we don't see it here, in Matthew 16:17 Jesus responds to Peter by saying, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven"
Read John 1:12-13
Note the similarity in the teaching between the two verses. Peter's confessional cry was revealed to Him by the Father and Jesus calls Peter blessed because of this! He calls him blessed because he has received a gift from the Father. A gift that all of us in this room have been given! A gift we could not earn. The flesh and blood refers to humanity and all of its works!
See 1 Corinthians 15:50
This, then, brings me back to the comment made above. The answer to the question Jesus poses is THE most important ANYONE will EVER be asked! The Christian acknowledges Jesus as Christ! If anyone claims to know Jesus and does not believe that Jesus is God...then this person must re-examine WHY they believe themselves to be Christians while rejecting the foundational Truth of our salvation!
"Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him"
Jesus has just affirmed that He is the Messiah! He has affirmed that He is God! Peter says he and the disciples believe that Jesus is this Anointed One...and Jesus accepts it as truth...you can imagine that now that it has been affirmed the disciples will want to tell everyone that they are the disciples of the Messiah! But Jesus tell them not to.
Why do you suppose Jesus does this?
The answer lies in the following verses. But first...let us recognize and affirm the following: Jesus did not caution them because He was afraid something would happen that He did not want to happen. No! He cautioned them so that things would happen the way He and the Father and the Holy Spirit had determined it should from "before the foundation of the world."
In other words, as we'll see in the next few verses, He knew that when it became common knowledge that He was declaring Himself as Messiah...then His enemies would not just consider Him a nuisance but a man worthy of death! In Mark 3:6 we see that the Pharisees want to destroy Jesus because He's always making fools of them. But destruction can mean many things, including the destruction of His authority, of His popularity, etc...Once He publicly claimed the mantle of Christ, however...it would be only a matter of time before He was officially charged with blasphemy and put to death! And while this was the purpose for which He came...it was not yet time.
Let us close in prayer
Read Mark 8:27-30
"Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Phillippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, 'Who do men say that I am?'"
The area in which this exchange takes place was where Herod had his residence. This is important to note because in this area Herod the Great had built a temple to Emperor Augustus and he had named the city of Caesarea after Caesar, honoring and basically licking the boots (or sandals!) of his Roman masters. Why does this little fact matter? Well one of the commentators I read makes the point that this is important to note because in this place where Caesar was acclaimed and affirmed as lord by Herod...in this same place the Lord Jesus is acclaimed as the Annointed One by His disciples!
So, then, we read that somewhere along the road, Jesus turns to them and asks them the fateful question "Who do men say that I am?"
Now...many might be tempted to say of this verse that Jesus was wondering what it was the people said of him because he did not know. That he wanted to know from them what rumors were going around about him...but rest assured this is NOT the case. Remember that Jesus did not need the rumor mill to verify anything...there was never a point throughout his entire habitation in human form that Jesus gave up His divine nature! He did not lay it down in order to assume the cloak of flesh...He did not stop being God because He was born of a woman. No indeed...never forget that Jesus while a man was still God! So His question is much deeper than "hey...what are people saying about me?"
What then, was the point of his question?
Could we say that Jesus was being Jesus? By this I mean that Jesus was and is a teacher. His point, then, was to teach! For realize this: in laying out this question we will see the answer from mankind's perspective...and later, in the declaration of faith from Peter...we will see what men say under inspiration of the Holy Spirit!
As an aside, this same episode is recorded in Matthew 16:13, in which the question is rendered, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" We will look more closely at this term later, but for now I wanted you to know how Jesus has identified Himself to the disciples even in asking the question!
"So they answered, 'John the Baptist; but some say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.'"
Their immediate answer? "Some say you are Elijah!" "Other say you are John the Baptist!"
Wow...so the disciples have heard Jesus acknowledged as a prophet...as a powerful man of God...as the embodiment of some of the great men of God that have lived in years past and in recent memory! Through this, the disciples acknowledge that the people believe Jesus is more than just a normal man. Hey, he has performed miracles...He has healed people for whom no healing was possible...He has amazingly multiplied food as if from nowhere...He has even walked on water! So yes, this is not an ordinary man...and the people know this! You see, the people thought very highly of Jesus! He was a man in whom God was working!
And you know what? This would be awesome praise indeed! This is an amazing thing to say of a human being...IF it referred to anyone BUT Jesus! Do you understand this? IF this praise was for anyone other than Jesus, this would be awesome praises indeed!! To say this about Jesus, however, is to deny His true essence! He is not a mere prophet...He is not a performer interested in awing the masses! NO! He is the long awaited Messiah! God made man!
"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered and said to Him, 'You are the Christ'"
Many people have listened to Jesus, many people have heard Him speak. But these men have walked with Him. Therefore He wants their confession! What do YOU think?
The question that Jesus asks the disciples is the most important question that anyone of that time, and anyone today, and anyone in the future will ever have to answer. Upon the answer to this question depends the eternal fate of every man and woman! How will you reply to Christ?
Peter's answer is rendered in Matthew 16:16 as "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
I love that declaration! Christ.
The word is the Greek kristos, meaning "Anointed One"...the Messiah! Peter has recognized the divine nature of Jesus, the divine appointment for which He has come. In his statement he recognized that Jesus did not come merely to heal people, or to feed them, or to merely bring them back physically from death! No...he recognizes that all of these are mere acts of declaration! They are intended to establish His authority...To declare to those with ears to listen and eyes to see that He is the Anointed One of God! Chosen and appointed for the work of redemption!
Having said this, I must add that this does not mean that Peter acknowledges Jesus as the coming Redeemer we know Him as. For remember that all along the disciples and all the other Jews of the time are expecting a Messiah who will be a Prince...who will free them from the yoke of Rome! It would not be until the resurrection of our Lord that anyone other than John the Baptist would recognize Jesus in the true role of Messiah! Recall that in John 1:29 John the Baptist, seeing Jesus, says "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
The Baptist knew Jesus as Redeemer...which makes sense considering the special relationship between this messenger and the One that he proclaimed!
Although we don't see it here, in Matthew 16:17 Jesus responds to Peter by saying, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven"
Read John 1:12-13
Note the similarity in the teaching between the two verses. Peter's confessional cry was revealed to Him by the Father and Jesus calls Peter blessed because of this! He calls him blessed because he has received a gift from the Father. A gift that all of us in this room have been given! A gift we could not earn. The flesh and blood refers to humanity and all of its works!
See 1 Corinthians 15:50
This, then, brings me back to the comment made above. The answer to the question Jesus poses is THE most important ANYONE will EVER be asked! The Christian acknowledges Jesus as Christ! If anyone claims to know Jesus and does not believe that Jesus is God...then this person must re-examine WHY they believe themselves to be Christians while rejecting the foundational Truth of our salvation!
"Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him"
Jesus has just affirmed that He is the Messiah! He has affirmed that He is God! Peter says he and the disciples believe that Jesus is this Anointed One...and Jesus accepts it as truth...you can imagine that now that it has been affirmed the disciples will want to tell everyone that they are the disciples of the Messiah! But Jesus tell them not to.
Why do you suppose Jesus does this?
The answer lies in the following verses. But first...let us recognize and affirm the following: Jesus did not caution them because He was afraid something would happen that He did not want to happen. No! He cautioned them so that things would happen the way He and the Father and the Holy Spirit had determined it should from "before the foundation of the world."
In other words, as we'll see in the next few verses, He knew that when it became common knowledge that He was declaring Himself as Messiah...then His enemies would not just consider Him a nuisance but a man worthy of death! In Mark 3:6 we see that the Pharisees want to destroy Jesus because He's always making fools of them. But destruction can mean many things, including the destruction of His authority, of His popularity, etc...Once He publicly claimed the mantle of Christ, however...it would be only a matter of time before He was officially charged with blasphemy and put to death! And while this was the purpose for which He came...it was not yet time.
Let us close in prayer
Sunday, March 30, 2008
"The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical" by Shane Claiborne
ISBN 9780310266303
This book was lent to me by a co-worker who'd read it and was challenged by its contents. She asked me to read it and so I am in the process of doing so. The following are my first impressions.
Some background: Shane Clairborne's theological leanings are revealed by the names that recommend his book and by the ministries that benefit from the sales of his book; all of the proceeds benefit different ministries, including the following:
Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland (Brian McLaren)
Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Rob Bell); also provides a blurb on the back cover.
Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Doug Pagitt)
Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois (Bill Hybels)
After seeing this short list it should be clear that the contents of his book are going to lean towards the more liberal end of religious thought! :)
But anyhow, I have been slowly reading this book by Shane Claiborne and just wanted to share a couple of observations from the first few chapters. As I’ve mentioned, Claiborne is quite clearly emergent in his allegiances, and as a product of that worldview he does what those from that camp are good at doing…asking questions. Unfortunately he does not bother to give any really good Biblically based answers, but more on that in a different post. What I want to address is some of the questions with which he begins; questions that I myself have had but which led me to a totally different conclusion. Whereas Claiborne has embraced the Emerging Church movement and leftist politics (including encouraging soldiers to desert), I have been drawn to what he dismisses as conservative evangelical Christianity.
In what appears to be a resurrection of liberation theology (see the following website if you are unfamiliar with liberation theology: http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/liberati.htm), Claiborne begins his introduction as follows: “The Scriptures say that the entire creation groans for liberation…” Ignoring for a moment that he completely misunderstands what Paul is referring to in Romans 8:21-22, he then refers to the plague of Aids, poverty, and other such terrible things and mentions how famous secular rock artists are bringing attention to these issues but that Christian artists say nothing about it. “Perhaps it should not surprise us that Jesus says that if the Christians remain silent, then rocks will cry out…or the rock stars, I guess” is what he says regarding their silence.
Huh?
The context of that last reference of his is the triumphal entry as we read it in Luke 19:38-40 where Jews, not Christians, praise God as the Messiah. This passage says nothing about addressing the woes of the earth. If the people do not praise the Anointed of God, then the stones themselves would cry out praises. See the difference?
And yes, this is the kind of Scriptural analysis you can expect to find throughout the entire book. Such careless handling of the Word by someone claiming to be a student of the Word and a follower of the Lord sets off great big warning bells for me…as it should for anyone who is a Believer. Furthermore, as far as liberation goes….it refers to liberation from sin not from poverty and AIDS and other scourges, which are effects from sin and not sin itself!
But back to his questions. In relating his early life in youth groups he makes mention of how he knew what Christians believed but had no clue about how they lived. He says, “I thought perhaps I needed to buy more stuff, Christian stuff. Luckily, I found an entire Christian industrial complex ready to help with Christian music, bumper stickers, T-shirts, books, and even candy (“Testa-mints)…” After this he questions why Christianity has become so normal…so commonplace…so commercialized! And guess what? He’s right. This is what I mean by his asking good questions. The whole “Testa-mints” thing especially is one of my own pet peeves!
You see, Claiborne was disgusted by this commercialization and so should we be, don’t you think? Not that there is anything wrong with Christian music, or with T-shirts that bear a verse, it’s just that sometimes these are the kinds of things that make us lazy. Not the music, of course, but the shirts and the candy and the bumper stickers. These are the things that make us lazy because we see them as witnessing tools…we think to ourselves that putting that bumper sticker gets us out of actually telling someone about Christ; we think that a shirt with a Bible verse is enough of a missionary effort on our part and we thereby fulfill the great commission from our Lord! God forbid we should be taken captive by such foolish reasoning. And yes, even our theology is wrapped up in consumerism.
“Come to church and find your purpose!” “Come see what programs we offer!”
Too many churches today are in the hands of CEO’s and advertising gurus instead of shepherds and lovers of the Word…and because of that the Church suffers from a lack of clear Biblical teaching. The worst part of it is that as we embrace a seeker sensitive theology we bring in seekers that are not finding what they need! We invite them into our churches hoping they will hear the Word and instead they get a pep talk! So not only are too many shepherds not feeding the sheep, they are not even meeting the true needs of the lost among them! How sad….how truly sad.
Well, I will post more on the book later, but while one should not take Claiborne seriously as a teacher, we would do well to ponder the question of what in the world is the church doing? Why embrace the worlds tactics? Scary thing is that we have forgotten that our extended hand of friendship to the world means we are at enmity with God…and what does He say about this? He calls us “adulterers and adulteresses!” James 4:4
God bless
This book was lent to me by a co-worker who'd read it and was challenged by its contents. She asked me to read it and so I am in the process of doing so. The following are my first impressions.
Some background: Shane Clairborne's theological leanings are revealed by the names that recommend his book and by the ministries that benefit from the sales of his book; all of the proceeds benefit different ministries, including the following:
Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland (Brian McLaren)
Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Rob Bell); also provides a blurb on the back cover.
Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Doug Pagitt)
Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois (Bill Hybels)
After seeing this short list it should be clear that the contents of his book are going to lean towards the more liberal end of religious thought! :)
But anyhow, I have been slowly reading this book by Shane Claiborne and just wanted to share a couple of observations from the first few chapters. As I’ve mentioned, Claiborne is quite clearly emergent in his allegiances, and as a product of that worldview he does what those from that camp are good at doing…asking questions. Unfortunately he does not bother to give any really good Biblically based answers, but more on that in a different post. What I want to address is some of the questions with which he begins; questions that I myself have had but which led me to a totally different conclusion. Whereas Claiborne has embraced the Emerging Church movement and leftist politics (including encouraging soldiers to desert), I have been drawn to what he dismisses as conservative evangelical Christianity.
In what appears to be a resurrection of liberation theology (see the following website if you are unfamiliar with liberation theology: http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/liberati.htm), Claiborne begins his introduction as follows: “The Scriptures say that the entire creation groans for liberation…” Ignoring for a moment that he completely misunderstands what Paul is referring to in Romans 8:21-22, he then refers to the plague of Aids, poverty, and other such terrible things and mentions how famous secular rock artists are bringing attention to these issues but that Christian artists say nothing about it. “Perhaps it should not surprise us that Jesus says that if the Christians remain silent, then rocks will cry out…or the rock stars, I guess” is what he says regarding their silence.
Huh?
The context of that last reference of his is the triumphal entry as we read it in Luke 19:38-40 where Jews, not Christians, praise God as the Messiah. This passage says nothing about addressing the woes of the earth. If the people do not praise the Anointed of God, then the stones themselves would cry out praises. See the difference?
And yes, this is the kind of Scriptural analysis you can expect to find throughout the entire book. Such careless handling of the Word by someone claiming to be a student of the Word and a follower of the Lord sets off great big warning bells for me…as it should for anyone who is a Believer. Furthermore, as far as liberation goes….it refers to liberation from sin not from poverty and AIDS and other scourges, which are effects from sin and not sin itself!
But back to his questions. In relating his early life in youth groups he makes mention of how he knew what Christians believed but had no clue about how they lived. He says, “I thought perhaps I needed to buy more stuff, Christian stuff. Luckily, I found an entire Christian industrial complex ready to help with Christian music, bumper stickers, T-shirts, books, and even candy (“Testa-mints)…” After this he questions why Christianity has become so normal…so commonplace…so commercialized! And guess what? He’s right. This is what I mean by his asking good questions. The whole “Testa-mints” thing especially is one of my own pet peeves!
You see, Claiborne was disgusted by this commercialization and so should we be, don’t you think? Not that there is anything wrong with Christian music, or with T-shirts that bear a verse, it’s just that sometimes these are the kinds of things that make us lazy. Not the music, of course, but the shirts and the candy and the bumper stickers. These are the things that make us lazy because we see them as witnessing tools…we think to ourselves that putting that bumper sticker gets us out of actually telling someone about Christ; we think that a shirt with a Bible verse is enough of a missionary effort on our part and we thereby fulfill the great commission from our Lord! God forbid we should be taken captive by such foolish reasoning. And yes, even our theology is wrapped up in consumerism.
“Come to church and find your purpose!” “Come see what programs we offer!”
Too many churches today are in the hands of CEO’s and advertising gurus instead of shepherds and lovers of the Word…and because of that the Church suffers from a lack of clear Biblical teaching. The worst part of it is that as we embrace a seeker sensitive theology we bring in seekers that are not finding what they need! We invite them into our churches hoping they will hear the Word and instead they get a pep talk! So not only are too many shepherds not feeding the sheep, they are not even meeting the true needs of the lost among them! How sad….how truly sad.
Well, I will post more on the book later, but while one should not take Claiborne seriously as a teacher, we would do well to ponder the question of what in the world is the church doing? Why embrace the worlds tactics? Scary thing is that we have forgotten that our extended hand of friendship to the world means we are at enmity with God…and what does He say about this? He calls us “adulterers and adulteresses!” James 4:4
God bless
Polycarp
I just finished reading a mini-biography of Polycarp, who was the overseer of the church at Smyrna and was martyred for his faith in 155 A.D. Smyrna was a Greek colony city in what is now Turkey.
The most moving thing to me was as I was reading of his arrest, the proconsul , not wanting to have to kill Polycarp, begs him to recant his faith, to which Polycarp famously replies, “Eighty-six years I have served Him. He has never done me wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?” He was then burned at the stake. In case you do not know it, Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John and, according to one website I visited, his writings are the earliest of the church fathers that we have. Isn’t that amazing?
Well, I just wanted to share this little tidbit with all of you…if you want to know more about him, read “Letter to the Philippians” and also “The Martyrdom of Polycarp.” This last one was written by the church at Smyrna and sent around as a circular letter to the regional churches.
God bless
The most moving thing to me was as I was reading of his arrest, the proconsul , not wanting to have to kill Polycarp, begs him to recant his faith, to which Polycarp famously replies, “Eighty-six years I have served Him. He has never done me wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?” He was then burned at the stake. In case you do not know it, Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John and, according to one website I visited, his writings are the earliest of the church fathers that we have. Isn’t that amazing?
Well, I just wanted to share this little tidbit with all of you…if you want to know more about him, read “Letter to the Philippians” and also “The Martyrdom of Polycarp.” This last one was written by the church at Smyrna and sent around as a circular letter to the regional churches.
God bless
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Happy Resurrection Sunday!!
Well brothers and sisters in the Lord, tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, a day in which all of Christendom remembers the greatest day in history and celebrates that blessed event…an event that freed the Believer, now and forever, from bondage to sin and the terrible penalty that sin imposed on us.
This day, indeed, brings all of us together as nothing else can do, for despite our differences (infant baptism versus true baptism j/k !; Arminian versus Calvinism) we stand united in the knowledge that we serve a Risen Savior and that our awesome God is not in His grave, for He has victory over death! Amen to that!
The following are the passages in the Gospels that relate to that event…and while I know that all of you have your own Bibles, I wanted to post them so that if anyone comes across this they can read the record of this wonderful day!
All passages are in the New King James Version, or as our KJV-Only brethren refer to it…the Unauthorized Version! :)
Matthew 28:1-8
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
Mark 16:1-8
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Luke 24:1-9
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
John 20:1-18
Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
This day, indeed, brings all of us together as nothing else can do, for despite our differences (infant baptism versus true baptism j/k !; Arminian versus Calvinism) we stand united in the knowledge that we serve a Risen Savior and that our awesome God is not in His grave, for He has victory over death! Amen to that!
The following are the passages in the Gospels that relate to that event…and while I know that all of you have your own Bibles, I wanted to post them so that if anyone comes across this they can read the record of this wonderful day!
All passages are in the New King James Version, or as our KJV-Only brethren refer to it…the Unauthorized Version! :)
Matthew 28:1-8
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
Mark 16:1-8
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Luke 24:1-9
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
John 20:1-18
Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
A Mighty Battle!
Brothers and sisters in the Lord!
Here it is Saturday the 22nd and I realized that I never posted an update about last week's gathering of young sword fighters! :)
We had the boys over again and we had about 13 boys show up! One father came and stayed with me which was pretty cool having another dad there...more of you should come, even to just sit there and chat and keep company. Anyhow, we managed to finish the first chapter of 1 John and next time I will begin teaching in 1 John 2. It was really cool because there were about 5 kids playing at the park when we were there, and when we sat to have the Bible study around a table, I observed those kids sitting down at the edges of the playground equipment and listening in the whole time...I pray the Lord will use my poor words to reach them! Later on, two of those kids joined in for some sword fighting, so we actually had a total of 15 kids participate in the battles. I received no wounds this time, but only because I did not participate...though be warned that next time I will fight in at least one battle, so there may be some wounds to report on!
God bless!
Here it is Saturday the 22nd and I realized that I never posted an update about last week's gathering of young sword fighters! :)
We had the boys over again and we had about 13 boys show up! One father came and stayed with me which was pretty cool having another dad there...more of you should come, even to just sit there and chat and keep company. Anyhow, we managed to finish the first chapter of 1 John and next time I will begin teaching in 1 John 2. It was really cool because there were about 5 kids playing at the park when we were there, and when we sat to have the Bible study around a table, I observed those kids sitting down at the edges of the playground equipment and listening in the whole time...I pray the Lord will use my poor words to reach them! Later on, two of those kids joined in for some sword fighting, so we actually had a total of 15 kids participate in the battles. I received no wounds this time, but only because I did not participate...though be warned that next time I will fight in at least one battle, so there may be some wounds to report on!
God bless!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Christian Behavior in the Public Arena
[It’s been a few days now since I took down this post, and while I did not get it back up quite as quickly as I thought I would, here it is now! I have decided to change it just a little bit…to focus more on one main theme rather than many, and to present the issue of propriety in a more prudent manner. If you have read the post before, you’ll notice the difference right away, if you have not read it, then I hope that you will enjoy it. As always, I am more than willing to discuss this with anyone who is interested, all three of my regular readers! (ha ha)]
I don't know how well I've titled this post, but I'll let my reader make the ultimate decision on that one!
On Monday the 10th, the Board of Directors of the library where I work held a public meeting to discuss whether to remove two books on sexuality, “The New Joy of Sex” and “The Joy of Gay Sex.”
This was the second time since 2006 that the books have been challenged, both times by the same person, though this time under different circumstances. The local news have alluded to three different challenges but in 2006 it was actually a challenge and an appeal after the request to remove the books was turned down. So, really, I consider this latest one only the second challenge in the last two years. At any rate, the meeting began at 4pm and it lasted till just after 6:30pm. After the normal business of the Board was concluded, the gentleman who brought up the challenge to the books was asked to address the Board and the assembled audience (there were about 50-75 people…one news report said over 100 but I think they must have counted somebody twice!). Following his presentation the general public was invited to address the Board also, each person being allowed 3 minutes, the audience being asked to maintain civility and a respectful atmosphere, applause and shouted comments being frowned upon.
Of the people present, I believe that it was equally divided between supporters of keeping the books in the general collection and opponents who wanted the books removed or at least sequestered in an area where the public has to ask to look at or check out the books. It was no surprise, at least to me, that the Board would vote to remove the books, thought I was definitely surprised when they instead voted to remove the books from the shelves but to keep them temporarily in the Director’s office. Although I knew this was a possibility, I did not expect it. This is a first step, I believe, towards completely removing the books from the collection, since the Board announced that they would soon be meeting to determine whether they should and in what way they would amend the policies that address collection development. The final vote, by the way, was 3-2 in favor of removing the books.
As a staff member of the library, I was interested in how the Board would decide, but as a Christian, I was far more interested in how people would present themselves, especially those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. My reaction? Well, I was pleased and displeased at the same time. What do I mean by this? Well, certainly I will shed no tears over the removal of these books. What does concern me is the manner in which they have been removed. You see, I strongly believe that the Board should have followed established procedure by FIRST changing the policy and THEN moving to remove the books that did not feet the criteria that they set. In removing the books as they have done, the door has been left wide open for challenges on all the books in the collection, a dangerous precedent to set in a public library.
For example, will we now have a challenge to Christian books because their presence in a tax supported library implies support of the Christian religion? It is certainly possible, though I hope it does not happen. [Note: FYI, we've already received warnings that those very books will soon be challenged to test the precedent set by the Board!] Will we defend their presence on the idea of a public library representing all ideas? Certainly we will, though this ideal that librarians subscribe to has lost its moral strength in our library! And just so the reader is aware, our library, I am told, was the first to begin collecting Christian Fiction and also has the largest collection of such books in the entire Treasure Valley! We have books from such notables as Henry Morris and John MacArthur.
I wish that the Board had met to change policies instead of creating this public spectacle and allowing some members of the public to demonize the staff at our library, staff members who do not deserve such treatment (more on this later). Why should the Board have done this? Because it would have been the right thing to do, and for those members of faith who sit on the Board, it would have allowed them to act on their faith in a more Christ honoring manner. Permit me to pause right here and say that I have nothing but respect for all of the members of the Board, and cherish my brethren among them in a special way, so this is not so much an attack upon them as a desire to express to them how I feel and, yes, to admonish them in love. Getting back to the discussion though, it is well within the powers of the Board to change/set policy, and had they first done this, these books could have been addressed in an appropriate manner. As a Christian library associate I believe that books in the collection should not be removed in a lightly or cavalier manner, simply because, as alluded to above, the precedent which this sets for challenges to other books. The public library is not a church library, and trust me, it holds books that I do not endorse. But it also has books that I love and cherish, and it provides a unique service to the community. So, no, I do not support taking books out of the library unless there is a clear reason to do so (like, for example, a Board amending policies). This, I hope everyone understands, does not mean I support those books in question. I would never have selected the books for inclusion in our collection, and I definitely believe that a library must consider its community when selecting books. Not that we should never select books that would challenge a community, but there is a difference between a challenge and thumbing our noses at that community!
What, however, displeases me about the situation? The manner in which all of this was handled…as indicated in my title to this post, I was very disappointed in the behavior and attitudes that I observed from my fellow Believers. Does this mean that the other side did not exhibit bad behavior? Not at all. But it is a shame upon us that the Christians were the ones who misbehaved the most. And quite frankly, why be surprised when those outside the faith act badly? Christians, on the other hand, make a mockery of their faith when they act badly. Look, if you have a moment, at the following video:
http://www.ktvb.com/video/index.html?nvid=226067&she=1
Did you hear those shouts of “Sit down!”? That came from people who identified themselves as Believers. You see, brothers and sisters, when we as Believers engage our culture we should do so in a manner that brings Him the glory. And we should NEVER engage in tactics that are unwholesome and that are better fitted to secular politics! We must bear in mind Paul’s admonition in Romans 3:8, wherein he rhetorically says, “And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?…“ Later on he also says “Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?” His answer? “Certainly not!” In some translations, “God forbid!” (Romans 6:1-2) In other words, two wrongs do not make a right.
The worst disruptions I observed on this day came from those who wanted the books removed. Indeed I was right in front of some people who would bellow out some hearty “amen’s” when someone they supported spoke, and while there is nothing wrong with this, for I heartily endorse their zeal, these same people behaved quite rudely when people who supported keeping the books in the library, at one point I heard a couple of them loudly utter “jerk” and other such comments after one gentleman spoke. And this, my brethren, is what makes me so sad.
As I mentioned above, when we as Christians engage our culture, we need to do it in a manner that clearly reflects a loving attitude, primarily because we represent our Lord and Savior! You who know me are aware that I am not suggesting some “let’s just love everyone” theology…far from it! Just that in all things we give Him the glory and are ever mindful of His honor.
I also believe that people portrayed a false front during this engagement. Take the following into consideration:
From the 03.11.08 edition of the Idaho Press-Tribune:
"All three members of the board appointed by Mayor Tom Dale and approved by the city council since the controversy began voted to take the books off the shelves.
They are Kim Keller, Sandi Levi and Bruce Skaug.
Dale has previously spoken for taking the books out of the library. But he said he did not select board members based on their opinions of the book.
“Absolutely not,” Dale said. “I think that’s an inappropriate question. I try to select based on recommendations made to me from citizens, and I don’t ask any screening questions like that whatsoever.”
Delgadillo Reilly would not comment on whether she thought Dale stacked the board with members opposed to having the books in the library. “I would hope that credentials were reviewed and the selection of candidates for the board was viewed in a larger sense,” Delgadillo Reilly said. “Choosing someone with a particular agenda does not reflect the community.”
City Council member Steven Kren said the sex books issue was not a factor in the mayor and council’s selection of board members.“I think they were just people in the community that had a desire to serve, and he chose individuals with that desire,” Kren said.
Keller said Dale did not ask him how he felt about the books before selecting him. And he said he has mixed feelings about how the library should deal with the books."
What bothers me about this is that it is quite obvious from what occurred that Mayor Dale did indeed appoint members who would vote in favor of removing the book. Why not admit it? There is nothing wrong with him doing this since it is his prerogative to appoint members to the Board, and if he felt that he had a mandate from the community to appoint people for this reason then he should have admitted it. Both he and the recent appointees of the Board should have been upfront about this (there is one member who has been quite clear from the beginning as to his intentions, and he deserves credit for this). My other concern was how the gentleman who challenged the books was presented. From his own words, I know that bringing this challenge again was not completely his idea, at least not the timing of it, and this is, in my view, at best a mistaken way to have handled the situation and at worst an underhanded move.
To desire to change things is not bad, but how we do so is very important. You see, in our desire to change the world around us, we as Christians so often engage in political activism under the mistaken belief that this will make the world a more moral place. Guess what? If we truly believe what the Bible says then we know that things will not improve but get worst…so it’s not like God has failed and we must fix the world. No, the moral fiber of our world will continue to deteriorate until the return of Christ! Should we then fill up our time with bailing the water out of a sinking ship…or should we begin working for our Lord in picking up the people and placing them in the lifeboat? In other words, let us preach the Word and evangelize our friends, our neighbors, and our coworkers, thereby doing the only thing that will have any eternal value! Because, again, guess what? Political activism, regardless of victories, will only whitewash the tomb without addressing the dead corpses within…only God can address that, and He has told us to tell the world His gospel, and He will use that to quicken those rotting corpses! Through His Word!
On a more personal level, as one who loves libraries, it bothered me that the majority of those who opposed the books were people who rarely set foot in our library. They are not familiar with all the good that our library represents, and they do not know the staff members who work there. I know every one of my coworkers, and while on a political and spiritual level there are a handful with whom I see eye to eye, they are all wonderful people. To demonize them out of hand is wrong, especially when a Believer does this. On the Idaho Values Alliance website (http://www.idahovaluesalliance.com/news.asp?id=737 ), Mr. Bryan Fischer presented a completely false picture of our library and of our Director, who is a wonderful woman doing a tough job. Is she perfect? Far from it, but she is not the person whom Fischer describes. Shame on him for his personal attacks against her.
People who do not come to our library are so quick to attack it when something bad comes up, but where are they when the library needs support? Where are the letters of appreciation for all the wonderful Christian books in the collection? Where the offers of support for the wonderful programs an overworked and understaffed library provide? Will my brethren step up and fill the void that has been left there by those who are disappointed in the decision of the Board? They should. But unfortunately what will happen is that they will walk away from it all, having won their temporal victory, leaving the pieces for the staff to pick up. The library has lost support from people who donated money and materials…people who are not Christians. I hope and pray the Believers will step up.
Finally, I do have to say that while the library is indeed a wonderful place ( I would not work here if I did not think so ‘cause the money certainly is not the main attraction!), it is not a completely safe place. People are drawn to libraries by the love of books…but also, most unfortunately, it attracts those who are attracted to young people, the perverts! So there is a lot of truth to the charge that parents need to take responsibility for their children. If you think a public library is a place where you can just drop off your kids, you are wrong. There are not enough staff members to properly supervise the entire building, trust me I know, so anyone who enters the library with their child should NEVER leave their child alone! Yet this is a common thing. Again, the library is a wonderful place, but not a wholly safe place. And, it must be said, It is also not a church library. So yes there are books that make my blood boil in our collection (though they are not the human sexuality books so much as the spiritually defunct ones). Brothers and sisters, this is why I teach my children where they can and cannot go in the library. My younger son is only allowed in the children’s section unless accompanied by his older brothers or myself. And my teens? Well I know that we have brought them up in the admonition and the fear of the Lord, and they know where in the library the books on human sexuality are (upstairs in the adult non fiction). So I have to trust that they will avoid those books, and if they should see them laying about, that they will either take them to a reshelf area or leave them where they are at. As a worker in the library, I can tell you that children in the adult non fiction section are usually there accompanied by their parents or are there because their parents are not fulfilling their parental duties (using the computers while their children wander the library). And even this is not common.
So, yes, I agree that parents need to take responsibility for their children, and I certainly think that a library should assist and not hinder the parents in their attempts to supervise their children. I would welcome, for example, a Board decision to permit parents to restrict “R” or “PG-13” movies from their minor children; I would welcome a policy from the Board that permits Circulation staff to deny checking out books on human sexuality (“how to’s” and not general health books) to minors unless a parent specifically asks that their child be permitted to check them out (a note could easily be added to their account indicating this); I would welcome a clear policy from the Board on what images we can ask people to refrain from viewing on the internet computers (the current policy is very vague). And, ultimately, I hope that before permanently removing books from the collection, that the Board will step up and give the staff the needed policies to address how we select books in the future. You see, regardless of what one might think, the staff do not want to place these human sexuality books in the hands of young children. Such ad hominem attacks should be beneath the Christian, but unfortunately it is clear that they are not.
Again, a public library will hold all kinds of things that we as Believers will not want to view. No surprise there except to those unfamiliar with public libraries. I believe all citizens have the right to challenge books, but in the future, let us remember that we as Christians have a higher obligation when we do so, an obligation to reflect Christ as Lord to the best of our abilities. This means that our conduct in the public arena must be above reproach. If the world will hate us for our Lord, so be it. Let it not hate us for being hateful.
I’ve written enough for now. I only pray that my readers understand my heart in this. I may revisit this issue again in another post after I’ve read my notes, we’ll see. As always, anyone who has questions should feel free to ask them.
In Christ,
Enoch-Elijah
I don't know how well I've titled this post, but I'll let my reader make the ultimate decision on that one!
On Monday the 10th, the Board of Directors of the library where I work held a public meeting to discuss whether to remove two books on sexuality, “The New Joy of Sex” and “The Joy of Gay Sex.”
This was the second time since 2006 that the books have been challenged, both times by the same person, though this time under different circumstances. The local news have alluded to three different challenges but in 2006 it was actually a challenge and an appeal after the request to remove the books was turned down. So, really, I consider this latest one only the second challenge in the last two years. At any rate, the meeting began at 4pm and it lasted till just after 6:30pm. After the normal business of the Board was concluded, the gentleman who brought up the challenge to the books was asked to address the Board and the assembled audience (there were about 50-75 people…one news report said over 100 but I think they must have counted somebody twice!). Following his presentation the general public was invited to address the Board also, each person being allowed 3 minutes, the audience being asked to maintain civility and a respectful atmosphere, applause and shouted comments being frowned upon.
Of the people present, I believe that it was equally divided between supporters of keeping the books in the general collection and opponents who wanted the books removed or at least sequestered in an area where the public has to ask to look at or check out the books. It was no surprise, at least to me, that the Board would vote to remove the books, thought I was definitely surprised when they instead voted to remove the books from the shelves but to keep them temporarily in the Director’s office. Although I knew this was a possibility, I did not expect it. This is a first step, I believe, towards completely removing the books from the collection, since the Board announced that they would soon be meeting to determine whether they should and in what way they would amend the policies that address collection development. The final vote, by the way, was 3-2 in favor of removing the books.
As a staff member of the library, I was interested in how the Board would decide, but as a Christian, I was far more interested in how people would present themselves, especially those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. My reaction? Well, I was pleased and displeased at the same time. What do I mean by this? Well, certainly I will shed no tears over the removal of these books. What does concern me is the manner in which they have been removed. You see, I strongly believe that the Board should have followed established procedure by FIRST changing the policy and THEN moving to remove the books that did not feet the criteria that they set. In removing the books as they have done, the door has been left wide open for challenges on all the books in the collection, a dangerous precedent to set in a public library.
For example, will we now have a challenge to Christian books because their presence in a tax supported library implies support of the Christian religion? It is certainly possible, though I hope it does not happen. [Note: FYI, we've already received warnings that those very books will soon be challenged to test the precedent set by the Board!] Will we defend their presence on the idea of a public library representing all ideas? Certainly we will, though this ideal that librarians subscribe to has lost its moral strength in our library! And just so the reader is aware, our library, I am told, was the first to begin collecting Christian Fiction and also has the largest collection of such books in the entire Treasure Valley! We have books from such notables as Henry Morris and John MacArthur.
I wish that the Board had met to change policies instead of creating this public spectacle and allowing some members of the public to demonize the staff at our library, staff members who do not deserve such treatment (more on this later). Why should the Board have done this? Because it would have been the right thing to do, and for those members of faith who sit on the Board, it would have allowed them to act on their faith in a more Christ honoring manner. Permit me to pause right here and say that I have nothing but respect for all of the members of the Board, and cherish my brethren among them in a special way, so this is not so much an attack upon them as a desire to express to them how I feel and, yes, to admonish them in love. Getting back to the discussion though, it is well within the powers of the Board to change/set policy, and had they first done this, these books could have been addressed in an appropriate manner. As a Christian library associate I believe that books in the collection should not be removed in a lightly or cavalier manner, simply because, as alluded to above, the precedent which this sets for challenges to other books. The public library is not a church library, and trust me, it holds books that I do not endorse. But it also has books that I love and cherish, and it provides a unique service to the community. So, no, I do not support taking books out of the library unless there is a clear reason to do so (like, for example, a Board amending policies). This, I hope everyone understands, does not mean I support those books in question. I would never have selected the books for inclusion in our collection, and I definitely believe that a library must consider its community when selecting books. Not that we should never select books that would challenge a community, but there is a difference between a challenge and thumbing our noses at that community!
What, however, displeases me about the situation? The manner in which all of this was handled…as indicated in my title to this post, I was very disappointed in the behavior and attitudes that I observed from my fellow Believers. Does this mean that the other side did not exhibit bad behavior? Not at all. But it is a shame upon us that the Christians were the ones who misbehaved the most. And quite frankly, why be surprised when those outside the faith act badly? Christians, on the other hand, make a mockery of their faith when they act badly. Look, if you have a moment, at the following video:
http://www.ktvb.com/video/index.html?nvid=226067&she=1
Did you hear those shouts of “Sit down!”? That came from people who identified themselves as Believers. You see, brothers and sisters, when we as Believers engage our culture we should do so in a manner that brings Him the glory. And we should NEVER engage in tactics that are unwholesome and that are better fitted to secular politics! We must bear in mind Paul’s admonition in Romans 3:8, wherein he rhetorically says, “And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?…“ Later on he also says “Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?” His answer? “Certainly not!” In some translations, “God forbid!” (Romans 6:1-2) In other words, two wrongs do not make a right.
The worst disruptions I observed on this day came from those who wanted the books removed. Indeed I was right in front of some people who would bellow out some hearty “amen’s” when someone they supported spoke, and while there is nothing wrong with this, for I heartily endorse their zeal, these same people behaved quite rudely when people who supported keeping the books in the library, at one point I heard a couple of them loudly utter “jerk” and other such comments after one gentleman spoke. And this, my brethren, is what makes me so sad.
As I mentioned above, when we as Christians engage our culture, we need to do it in a manner that clearly reflects a loving attitude, primarily because we represent our Lord and Savior! You who know me are aware that I am not suggesting some “let’s just love everyone” theology…far from it! Just that in all things we give Him the glory and are ever mindful of His honor.
I also believe that people portrayed a false front during this engagement. Take the following into consideration:
From the 03.11.08 edition of the Idaho Press-Tribune:
"All three members of the board appointed by Mayor Tom Dale and approved by the city council since the controversy began voted to take the books off the shelves.
They are Kim Keller, Sandi Levi and Bruce Skaug.
Dale has previously spoken for taking the books out of the library. But he said he did not select board members based on their opinions of the book.
“Absolutely not,” Dale said. “I think that’s an inappropriate question. I try to select based on recommendations made to me from citizens, and I don’t ask any screening questions like that whatsoever.”
Delgadillo Reilly would not comment on whether she thought Dale stacked the board with members opposed to having the books in the library. “I would hope that credentials were reviewed and the selection of candidates for the board was viewed in a larger sense,” Delgadillo Reilly said. “Choosing someone with a particular agenda does not reflect the community.”
City Council member Steven Kren said the sex books issue was not a factor in the mayor and council’s selection of board members.“I think they were just people in the community that had a desire to serve, and he chose individuals with that desire,” Kren said.
Keller said Dale did not ask him how he felt about the books before selecting him. And he said he has mixed feelings about how the library should deal with the books."
What bothers me about this is that it is quite obvious from what occurred that Mayor Dale did indeed appoint members who would vote in favor of removing the book. Why not admit it? There is nothing wrong with him doing this since it is his prerogative to appoint members to the Board, and if he felt that he had a mandate from the community to appoint people for this reason then he should have admitted it. Both he and the recent appointees of the Board should have been upfront about this (there is one member who has been quite clear from the beginning as to his intentions, and he deserves credit for this). My other concern was how the gentleman who challenged the books was presented. From his own words, I know that bringing this challenge again was not completely his idea, at least not the timing of it, and this is, in my view, at best a mistaken way to have handled the situation and at worst an underhanded move.
To desire to change things is not bad, but how we do so is very important. You see, in our desire to change the world around us, we as Christians so often engage in political activism under the mistaken belief that this will make the world a more moral place. Guess what? If we truly believe what the Bible says then we know that things will not improve but get worst…so it’s not like God has failed and we must fix the world. No, the moral fiber of our world will continue to deteriorate until the return of Christ! Should we then fill up our time with bailing the water out of a sinking ship…or should we begin working for our Lord in picking up the people and placing them in the lifeboat? In other words, let us preach the Word and evangelize our friends, our neighbors, and our coworkers, thereby doing the only thing that will have any eternal value! Because, again, guess what? Political activism, regardless of victories, will only whitewash the tomb without addressing the dead corpses within…only God can address that, and He has told us to tell the world His gospel, and He will use that to quicken those rotting corpses! Through His Word!
On a more personal level, as one who loves libraries, it bothered me that the majority of those who opposed the books were people who rarely set foot in our library. They are not familiar with all the good that our library represents, and they do not know the staff members who work there. I know every one of my coworkers, and while on a political and spiritual level there are a handful with whom I see eye to eye, they are all wonderful people. To demonize them out of hand is wrong, especially when a Believer does this. On the Idaho Values Alliance website (http://www.idahovaluesalliance.com/news.asp?id=737 ), Mr. Bryan Fischer presented a completely false picture of our library and of our Director, who is a wonderful woman doing a tough job. Is she perfect? Far from it, but she is not the person whom Fischer describes. Shame on him for his personal attacks against her.
People who do not come to our library are so quick to attack it when something bad comes up, but where are they when the library needs support? Where are the letters of appreciation for all the wonderful Christian books in the collection? Where the offers of support for the wonderful programs an overworked and understaffed library provide? Will my brethren step up and fill the void that has been left there by those who are disappointed in the decision of the Board? They should. But unfortunately what will happen is that they will walk away from it all, having won their temporal victory, leaving the pieces for the staff to pick up. The library has lost support from people who donated money and materials…people who are not Christians. I hope and pray the Believers will step up.
Finally, I do have to say that while the library is indeed a wonderful place ( I would not work here if I did not think so ‘cause the money certainly is not the main attraction!), it is not a completely safe place. People are drawn to libraries by the love of books…but also, most unfortunately, it attracts those who are attracted to young people, the perverts! So there is a lot of truth to the charge that parents need to take responsibility for their children. If you think a public library is a place where you can just drop off your kids, you are wrong. There are not enough staff members to properly supervise the entire building, trust me I know, so anyone who enters the library with their child should NEVER leave their child alone! Yet this is a common thing. Again, the library is a wonderful place, but not a wholly safe place. And, it must be said, It is also not a church library. So yes there are books that make my blood boil in our collection (though they are not the human sexuality books so much as the spiritually defunct ones). Brothers and sisters, this is why I teach my children where they can and cannot go in the library. My younger son is only allowed in the children’s section unless accompanied by his older brothers or myself. And my teens? Well I know that we have brought them up in the admonition and the fear of the Lord, and they know where in the library the books on human sexuality are (upstairs in the adult non fiction). So I have to trust that they will avoid those books, and if they should see them laying about, that they will either take them to a reshelf area or leave them where they are at. As a worker in the library, I can tell you that children in the adult non fiction section are usually there accompanied by their parents or are there because their parents are not fulfilling their parental duties (using the computers while their children wander the library). And even this is not common.
So, yes, I agree that parents need to take responsibility for their children, and I certainly think that a library should assist and not hinder the parents in their attempts to supervise their children. I would welcome, for example, a Board decision to permit parents to restrict “R” or “PG-13” movies from their minor children; I would welcome a policy from the Board that permits Circulation staff to deny checking out books on human sexuality (“how to’s” and not general health books) to minors unless a parent specifically asks that their child be permitted to check them out (a note could easily be added to their account indicating this); I would welcome a clear policy from the Board on what images we can ask people to refrain from viewing on the internet computers (the current policy is very vague). And, ultimately, I hope that before permanently removing books from the collection, that the Board will step up and give the staff the needed policies to address how we select books in the future. You see, regardless of what one might think, the staff do not want to place these human sexuality books in the hands of young children. Such ad hominem attacks should be beneath the Christian, but unfortunately it is clear that they are not.
Again, a public library will hold all kinds of things that we as Believers will not want to view. No surprise there except to those unfamiliar with public libraries. I believe all citizens have the right to challenge books, but in the future, let us remember that we as Christians have a higher obligation when we do so, an obligation to reflect Christ as Lord to the best of our abilities. This means that our conduct in the public arena must be above reproach. If the world will hate us for our Lord, so be it. Let it not hate us for being hateful.
I’ve written enough for now. I only pray that my readers understand my heart in this. I may revisit this issue again in another post after I’ve read my notes, we’ll see. As always, anyone who has questions should feel free to ask them.
In Christ,
Enoch-Elijah
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
New Development
Well anyone who has already read my blog post from last night will likely wonder where in the world it has gone...wonder no longer! Apparently my post was too strongly worded and my wife thinks I need to rethink it before I make it public again! Yes, Enoch_Elijah has been censored! :)
As a faithful husband I have decided to take it down until she and I can discuss it this evening, at which point I will repost it as originally published or with some changes made to it, depending on how the conversation goes. Just so you know, my wife does not disagree with anything I wrote, she just fears the possible repercussions if someone were to read it, someone like city leaders I suppose! :)
Ah well, what can one do?
Enoch_Elijah
As a faithful husband I have decided to take it down until she and I can discuss it this evening, at which point I will repost it as originally published or with some changes made to it, depending on how the conversation goes. Just so you know, my wife does not disagree with anything I wrote, she just fears the possible repercussions if someone were to read it, someone like city leaders I suppose! :)
Ah well, what can one do?
Enoch_Elijah
Friday, March 7, 2008
Focusing my Thoughts
Last night I had the privilege once again to teach during youth group and we were finally able to complete lesson two (2) from the book “Fundamentals of the Faith.” I am enjoying this book tremendously but I must confess to feeling somewhat melancholy after the lesson. Why is this so? I regret to say that it is because I cannot shake what I must admit is a somewhat unworthy desire on my part to do whatever it takes to get these young people on fire for Christ. Why unworthy? Well, honestly, because I seem to want to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit!
You see, brothers and sisters, sometimes I wish that I and the other men in the youth leadership could simply lay our hands upon the heads of these teens and thereby transfer upon them the Holy Spirit (for those who are not Believers) or a passionate zeal for His glory (for those who profess Him as Lord). Yet I know I cannot do this. It is simply laziness on my part to want to do this, because the Word clearly tells me in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 that I am to be about my own work, teaching and doing the work of an evangelist, and let God do His part, which the Apostle Paul says is that of giving the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6)! In other words, the role God has for me is to teach faithfully and diligently from His Word, then He Himself will bring about the life change that needs to happen! I cannot do this! To pretend otherwise is to demonstrate an arrogance unequaled! Am I to call God to task for what I presume to be His failure? God forbid indeed! Yet, again, this is exactly what I do! I behave as if Hebrews 4:12 says that I am living and powerful, and that I am able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart! We all know, however, that this beautiful verse says that “the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” To this I can only say AMEN!
I’m sure, therefore, that you can see why I am so melancholy! My arrogance shames me to my very core…thank goodness that our God and King is quick to forgive us (1 John 1:9) otherwise we would long ago have been irretrievably lost! Indeed, writing this post has helped me to get myself on the right track again…so join me my dear brothers and sisters, join me in praying that God will do a mighty work in the lives of these young people. And help me never to forget again that the work is His! That the glory is His!
Thoughts like those I’ve been having lead to compromising His Word, and this I fear more than anything else!
To Him be the glory forever and ever!
You see, brothers and sisters, sometimes I wish that I and the other men in the youth leadership could simply lay our hands upon the heads of these teens and thereby transfer upon them the Holy Spirit (for those who are not Believers) or a passionate zeal for His glory (for those who profess Him as Lord). Yet I know I cannot do this. It is simply laziness on my part to want to do this, because the Word clearly tells me in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 that I am to be about my own work, teaching and doing the work of an evangelist, and let God do His part, which the Apostle Paul says is that of giving the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6)! In other words, the role God has for me is to teach faithfully and diligently from His Word, then He Himself will bring about the life change that needs to happen! I cannot do this! To pretend otherwise is to demonstrate an arrogance unequaled! Am I to call God to task for what I presume to be His failure? God forbid indeed! Yet, again, this is exactly what I do! I behave as if Hebrews 4:12 says that I am living and powerful, and that I am able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart! We all know, however, that this beautiful verse says that “the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” To this I can only say AMEN!
I’m sure, therefore, that you can see why I am so melancholy! My arrogance shames me to my very core…thank goodness that our God and King is quick to forgive us (1 John 1:9) otherwise we would long ago have been irretrievably lost! Indeed, writing this post has helped me to get myself on the right track again…so join me my dear brothers and sisters, join me in praying that God will do a mighty work in the lives of these young people. And help me never to forget again that the work is His! That the glory is His!
Thoughts like those I’ve been having lead to compromising His Word, and this I fear more than anything else!
To Him be the glory forever and ever!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Arminian vs. Calvinism Debate
Yesterday I was able to take my sons to their homeshoole co-op and sat in on one of their classes, an opportunity that I enjoyed and that gave me a glimpse of young people engaged in theological debate! The class in question was on debating and the topic was the ever popular "arminianism vs. calvinism," a topic guaranteed to raise emotions in any setting. :)
Truly though, it was a joy to see these young people enter into the discussion with passion and armed with the Word of God. Whether I agreed or disagreed with any side was irrelevant, the awesome thing was to see them engaged in seeking out Truth. Whatever camp they end up in, I pray that every one of them will seek His word first! I should say that I thought these young people handled themselves well and in a mostly respectful manner, the one exception being one young lady who insisted her opponents were not taking God at His word and were making Him a liar by not embracing her view of things.
One of the best parts of witnessing the debate was to hear the arguments made. These kids are on the right track as far as debating goes so it is exciting to imagine what they will be like when they are older and able to use the Word better. Which is not to say they did not handle it well, only that as I heard certain arguments I could imagine what I would say were I in their position!
There were about 11 teens in the class and four adults (including myself, two other parents, and the teacher). The other parents' comments proved them to be Arminian, whereas the teacher did not know much about the topic and said she did not know what she believed but leaned towards the Arminian position. Then there was me...what some might call a five point Calvinist but what I prefer to call a Biblicist! :) In any case, the parents were allowed to make comments and I willingly and excitedly joined in the fun, primarily because one other parent in particular seemed to enjoy engaging the teens in heated debate, whereas I thought we should help them and not be annoyed by them. So, of course, I decided to engage him!
Anyone interested in what occurred can ask me, the only thing I wanted to say in detail here was that towards the end I explained to everybody that debate was good so long as we did not make the mistake of becoming angry at one another. That regardless of our belief, it would neither get us into heaven, nor prevent us from getting there! Unfortunately I felt the teacher took my comments to mean that this debate was of little benefit, which I don't agree with. We should want to know what the Bible teaches and we should not avoid doctrines just because they make us uncomfortable. Whether one is Arminian or Calvinist, nobody can deny that the topic of election is quite prevalent in the Word of God, therefore we must take it into account.
But why is it important? What possible impact can it have on our daily life? Well there is one very critical way that I want to mention: the manner in which we spread the gospel.
You see, the "seeker-friendly" mentality sets in because of the Arminian influence on our churches. When we think we must save somebody we will use any tools, any tactics, to get them to the point where they make that ever important "decision" for Christ. We'll use God dishonoring tactics, avoid the Word of God, avoid mention of hell, of a need for holy living, because these things are offensive to people! We'll even tolerate sin in our midst so long as the sinner is popular! 20 minute sermons will be the norm rather than the exception, and even these will appear to be too long!
When one knows for sure that salvation is in the hands of God, then one depends on the Word of God far more often! As Hebrews 4:12 says, "...the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword...and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." You see, the Holy Spirit will the do the work of salvation, we must be about the business of preaching and teaching the Word in our churches, with our family, our friends, and our neighbors! The assurance that God's elect will be gathered to Him leads to churches where expository preaching is the rule, where the Word is not compromised, where His Truths are preached freely!
I know that my Arminian brethren will disagree with this, but all I can say is look to your churches....churches where services are geared towards the lost rather than towards the edification and teaching of the flock. Churches where people are enouraged to bring their lost friends and family in to hear the salvation message, instead of preparing the people of God to take that message to the world around them!
Well, obviously I could go on and on, but I must get ready to go to work! If you think about it, pray for those young people that were at the debate, that they will be led to His Word and that they will grow in their faith day by day! How exciting to see that the next generation does not mind engaging in exciting theological debate!
Amen?
Truly though, it was a joy to see these young people enter into the discussion with passion and armed with the Word of God. Whether I agreed or disagreed with any side was irrelevant, the awesome thing was to see them engaged in seeking out Truth. Whatever camp they end up in, I pray that every one of them will seek His word first! I should say that I thought these young people handled themselves well and in a mostly respectful manner, the one exception being one young lady who insisted her opponents were not taking God at His word and were making Him a liar by not embracing her view of things.
One of the best parts of witnessing the debate was to hear the arguments made. These kids are on the right track as far as debating goes so it is exciting to imagine what they will be like when they are older and able to use the Word better. Which is not to say they did not handle it well, only that as I heard certain arguments I could imagine what I would say were I in their position!
There were about 11 teens in the class and four adults (including myself, two other parents, and the teacher). The other parents' comments proved them to be Arminian, whereas the teacher did not know much about the topic and said she did not know what she believed but leaned towards the Arminian position. Then there was me...what some might call a five point Calvinist but what I prefer to call a Biblicist! :) In any case, the parents were allowed to make comments and I willingly and excitedly joined in the fun, primarily because one other parent in particular seemed to enjoy engaging the teens in heated debate, whereas I thought we should help them and not be annoyed by them. So, of course, I decided to engage him!
Anyone interested in what occurred can ask me, the only thing I wanted to say in detail here was that towards the end I explained to everybody that debate was good so long as we did not make the mistake of becoming angry at one another. That regardless of our belief, it would neither get us into heaven, nor prevent us from getting there! Unfortunately I felt the teacher took my comments to mean that this debate was of little benefit, which I don't agree with. We should want to know what the Bible teaches and we should not avoid doctrines just because they make us uncomfortable. Whether one is Arminian or Calvinist, nobody can deny that the topic of election is quite prevalent in the Word of God, therefore we must take it into account.
But why is it important? What possible impact can it have on our daily life? Well there is one very critical way that I want to mention: the manner in which we spread the gospel.
You see, the "seeker-friendly" mentality sets in because of the Arminian influence on our churches. When we think we must save somebody we will use any tools, any tactics, to get them to the point where they make that ever important "decision" for Christ. We'll use God dishonoring tactics, avoid the Word of God, avoid mention of hell, of a need for holy living, because these things are offensive to people! We'll even tolerate sin in our midst so long as the sinner is popular! 20 minute sermons will be the norm rather than the exception, and even these will appear to be too long!
When one knows for sure that salvation is in the hands of God, then one depends on the Word of God far more often! As Hebrews 4:12 says, "...the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword...and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." You see, the Holy Spirit will the do the work of salvation, we must be about the business of preaching and teaching the Word in our churches, with our family, our friends, and our neighbors! The assurance that God's elect will be gathered to Him leads to churches where expository preaching is the rule, where the Word is not compromised, where His Truths are preached freely!
I know that my Arminian brethren will disagree with this, but all I can say is look to your churches....churches where services are geared towards the lost rather than towards the edification and teaching of the flock. Churches where people are enouraged to bring their lost friends and family in to hear the salvation message, instead of preparing the people of God to take that message to the world around them!
Well, obviously I could go on and on, but I must get ready to go to work! If you think about it, pray for those young people that were at the debate, that they will be led to His Word and that they will grow in their faith day by day! How exciting to see that the next generation does not mind engaging in exciting theological debate!
Amen?
Saturday, March 1, 2008
A Good Day for Sword Fighting
Well today we had the boffer group over and it was tons of fun. We were afraid this morning that we'd have to cancel because of the rain but then we decided that we would just host the event regardless and if it rained then we'd just play boardgames and let the boys play x-box, but the Lord gave us clear weather and so the battles were on! :)
Today we had a total of ten boys fighting, which I think may be one of the largest attended events we've had. As far as wounds go, I ended up with a bloody mouth, a fat lip, and a sore lower jaw because I ran right into a sword! :) Oh well, those are the breaks! Most amazingly, it was not even one of my sons who wounded me today! We did have three new boys join us and they were a joy to have...I pray that they had a great time (they sure seemed to!) and that they will come back.
Well the lesson was a continuation of 1 John 1, which I posted in a previous entry. We discussed verses 5-8 and there were some good comments from the boys. We discussed the difference between sinning and habitual sin, the difference between sins of omission and sins of comission (sp?), and talked about the need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk! Overall it was a good time of sharing and I look forward to finishing the chapter next time. I think I will go ahead and finish 1 John and then go on to 2 John and 3 John. Those of you reading this, please continue to pray for this time of study, that through my poor efforts these wonderful boys might come to grow in their faith and that those who do not know the Lord may come to saving faith. That is my great hope and prayer.
Before I end, I want to mention that the last few times we've had some neighborhood boys join us and this time one other neighborhood boy joined in. We also had two boys who knew my older boys in elementary school come for the fun! Praise the Lord for this opportunity to play a role in the spiritual devolpment of young men!
Well I pray that everyone has a great Lord's Day tomorrow and as always, any dad's reading this, if you can, please make the effort to join us next time...I am convinced that our boys need to see us join them and lead them in study, not only so that they might be encouraged but so that they can spend a part of a day in good physical activity with their fathers...let us not overlook this critical aspect of our parental responsibility (besides, take it from me, it's a LOT of fun!).
Today we had a total of ten boys fighting, which I think may be one of the largest attended events we've had. As far as wounds go, I ended up with a bloody mouth, a fat lip, and a sore lower jaw because I ran right into a sword! :) Oh well, those are the breaks! Most amazingly, it was not even one of my sons who wounded me today! We did have three new boys join us and they were a joy to have...I pray that they had a great time (they sure seemed to!) and that they will come back.
Well the lesson was a continuation of 1 John 1, which I posted in a previous entry. We discussed verses 5-8 and there were some good comments from the boys. We discussed the difference between sinning and habitual sin, the difference between sins of omission and sins of comission (sp?), and talked about the need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk! Overall it was a good time of sharing and I look forward to finishing the chapter next time. I think I will go ahead and finish 1 John and then go on to 2 John and 3 John. Those of you reading this, please continue to pray for this time of study, that through my poor efforts these wonderful boys might come to grow in their faith and that those who do not know the Lord may come to saving faith. That is my great hope and prayer.
Before I end, I want to mention that the last few times we've had some neighborhood boys join us and this time one other neighborhood boy joined in. We also had two boys who knew my older boys in elementary school come for the fun! Praise the Lord for this opportunity to play a role in the spiritual devolpment of young men!
Well I pray that everyone has a great Lord's Day tomorrow and as always, any dad's reading this, if you can, please make the effort to join us next time...I am convinced that our boys need to see us join them and lead them in study, not only so that they might be encouraged but so that they can spend a part of a day in good physical activity with their fathers...let us not overlook this critical aspect of our parental responsibility (besides, take it from me, it's a LOT of fun!).
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