Blog Culture

Just a simple thought that I had today:  It seems that with blog culture, or at least in my experience with it, you are encouraged to write frequently and provide new, exciting content that readers will want to keep coming back for.  You are also encouraged to speak your mind.  This seems quite opposite from wisdom, which would be quiet, observant, and would only speak when necessary.

Consider these verses:

“A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11)

“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” ( Proverbs 17:28 )

Wisdom is what seems to be a paradox to humanity.

Past, Present, Future } Christianity

    Our God, the God of the Bible, is the God of all things past, present, and future.  He created all things.  He is the Alpha.  He is the uncaused cause of all that we know.  We can take much comfort in this thought, for the God who created the universe also cares for us.  His care toward us leads me to the fact that He is the God of the present as well.  Not only did God exist in all times past, He exists in the constant present, drawing us ever closer in our walk toward Him, and wooing the lost to come in as sons and daughters through Christ.  He actively hears our prayers.  He is aware of the pains and the sorrows that we face in this sin-affected world with our sin-affected bodies.  There is comfort found there.  Also, God is the God of the future.  He is the Omega, the End.  Only He has the right to end things as they are, as He sees fit.  God is the Victorious Warrior over sin, and the punishment for the evil one has been spelled out.  As sure as we, in our broken bodies, will one day face our appointment with death and then be judged, the great deciever will meet his end at the hand of the LORD.  God has reigned from the beginning, He continues to reign, and He will reign in the future forever.  Amen!!!

    As God Himself is the God of all things past, present and future, it is rightly reflected as such in His word, the Bible.  In the Bible, we have a historical account of the dealings of God with man.  We understand why things are as they are through history, which in turn provides us with a clear worldview by which we live.  The stories of the dealings of God with man hit home, because we can see certain qualities of ourselves in the characters of the Old Testament.  Namely, the brokenness of man that is common to all.  It is a comfort to know that God cares about the broken.  By relating the past to ourselves in the Present, and through the active work of the Holy Spirit on our lives, the Bible is a book of the present as well.  Amazingly, although this book is thousands of years old, it still pierces to the heart of sinful man, drawing men to come to faith in Christ.  God has spelled out the future for us in the Bible as well.  It is through the reading of His word that we understand our gift of eternal life and the punishment that will come to those who reject Him.  We understand that the enemy has already been defeated, because God has decreed it to be so.  And now, we wait, and we look, and most importantly, we work.

    Thus, as God is the God of all things past, present, and future, and as His word reflects all three, it only makes since that we, as God’s children, should be concerned with the past, present, and future as well.  Personally, I would venture to say that most of my life is spent in the present-past, immediate present, or the present-future.  Basically, most of my attention is turned toward the events that have happened, are happening, or will happen in a week or so.  I truly think that this is a problem that I have.  How would my life be different if I considered the far past in relation to today more often?  How would my life be affected if I considered the far future, even unto death, and the promise of God of eternal life after death, and yet even the judgement of God?  I think that focusing on such things cannot help but change the way that we live out our lives in the present.  Now, there is also work to be done in the present.  And there is joy to be found in life and in rest in the present.  My case is simply that I do not spend nearly enough time thinking about the past or the future.

    On a personal note, I am truly benefitted in my own life to stop and think about some of the great memories of times past and the hopes of the time future.  God has blessed my life richly.  I have had a wonderful life so far, and I look forward to what God will do with my flawed person in the future as He sanctifies and draws me to Himself. 

    Mostly, though, I praise God today for rest.  Rest in things past, rest in present troubles, and rest in life eternal.  Glory to God in the Highest!

What’s In A Name?

My birth name is Daniel.  When I was younger, I remember going into Christian bookstores and looking at all of the different name tag trinkets.  Many of them had a name listed, along with the Hebrew meaning of the name.  Not suprisingly, I looked mine up and found out that Daniel means “God is my Judge.”  When I was a child, I did not understand this entirely.  I mean, sure, I understood the basics behind judgement and grace, but nothing of the deeper implications of what they meant.

I am realizing more and more the necessity for me, and for many other Christians, to say as a matter of fact that “God is my Judge” or even “God is our Judge” and finally ”God is the Judge.”

All too often, Christians are criticized for being judgemental toward others.  The conservative church is characterized by self-righteousness and intolerance instead of love and compassion.  Here’s a great example, which I’m sure many of you have heard.  In the book unChristian, research shows that these percentages of people outside of the church believe that Christians are:

* antihomosexual 91%
* judgmental 87%
* hypocritical 85%
* old-fashioned 78%
* too political 75%
* out of touch with reality 72%
* insensitive to others 70%
* boring 68%

Notice that the top three things on the list directly relate to the judgement of others.  So I think: What right do I have to criticize someone of wrongdoing when I myself am guilty of wrongdoing every single day (if not in deed, in thought)?  It’s quite simply the pot calling the kettle black.  Also, my definition of wrongdoing might differ from someone else’s definition of wrongdoing, because not everyone believes in the Bible as the Word of God.  And even of those who claim to believe in the Bible, not everyone believes that it is inspired in plenary verbal form, which in effect allows for personal interpretation to cloud the intent of the Bible’s message, if you even believe that the authors of the Bible had an intent to begin with.

I do know this, though.  When it comes to matters of accountability for sin, I am accountable to no man, but to God.  God is my judge.  I believe, based on the Bible, that we will all give an account for our lives, even for every idle word that is spoken.  I have no right to condemn my fellow man, but I do have an obligation to bring my fellow man into the knowledge of the good news of Christianity:  That there is forgiveness found at the foot of the cross of Christ!  I am not ashamed of this message, for it is the power of God unto salvation.

I cannot judge a person’s righteousness or lack thereof, but God can.  He is the one Just Judge, and He alone defines morality.  No man is accountable to anyone else other than Him.  My only goal is to bring people face to face with the Scripture, as I myself was brought into contact with it.  Sure, it’s offensive.  It hurts our human pride, because we want to think we’re basically good.  The prophet Isaiah even considers our good deeds to be polluted garments in the sight of God’s pure Holiness.  The scripture reveals to us who we really are: sinful humans in need of a Savior.  But…ultimately, what a person does with the gospel is up to them.  I am just thankful for the opportunity to preach it and to try and live it out as God works on me.

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

A Few Words on Shane Claiborne

I had the chance to hear Shane Claiborne, the author of The Irresistible Revolution and coauthor of Jesus For President, speak tonight at Lipscomb University in Nashville.  For the most part, I had to agree with (and was convicted by) the general concepts that he presented.  His ideas are quite simple and are based on the Biblical commandments to love God and love your neighbor.  I do have a few observations, however.  Feel free to discuss them, as they are all relatively fresh on my mind.  I will revise them as I think more about the subject.

1) Is free market capitalism really such a bad idea after all?  The introduction video to his message seemed to look down upon those who participate in the stock market (targeting Wall Street as a societal problem?).  Are not investment and smart money management considered to be wise actions?  A great example of the good that can come of such an economic system is none other than the work of Bill Gates himself.  For instance, did you know that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has generated $38.7 billion in dowry for the worldwide enhancement of healthcare and to work toward eliminating extreme poverty?  Do you think that such a generous donation could be possible in a different economic system?  I guess my point is, even though some rich people make entirely wrong and greedy decisions with their wealth, that is no excuse to throw out the entire economic machine.  The problem isn’t with statistics, or who has what, but rather with how those use what they have.  Unfortunately, you can’t force people to do good things.  And why should you even expect non-Christian people to behave like perfect Christians?  It seems nonsensical to expect such.

2) Should I feel bad about living modestly and frugally as a stereotypical middle class, white American?  I believe that I can be a good example of Christianity to others by a) giving generously without living extravagantly and b) managing what I do have well and being a good steward of what has been given to me by God.  I mean, what kind of husband would I be if I generously gave away more money than we had and missed electricity bill or rent payments?  To me, it’s not as much an issue about every single person selling everything and living as a ragamuffin community, but it’s about the heart of each and every individual.  I just don’t believe that Jesus’s command to the rich young ruler to sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and follow Him was a direct command to every Christian.  The point of the passage is that the young man had his priorities set on wealth and things.  If you find that most of your resources are being spent selfishly, perhaps it would be a good time to reevaluate your giving.  For instance, instead of buying that guitar loop station you’ve always wanted (yeah, I’m pointing the finger at me…ouch), consider giving a $300 check to missions, or better yet spend it or use it to directly impact the lives of those who you come into contact with on a regular basis.  It’s not really sacrificial giving if there is no personal sacrifice involved.  Sacrifice WANTS though, not NEEDS.  God provides our needs, and sometimes even our wants, but true contentment cannot be found in wanting or having, only in giving and sharing.  It’s a crazy paradox of life that I’m learning more and more about the longer I live.

3) It seemed to me tonight that Claiborne was not an advocate of pure socialism.  Many do not seem to understand his viewpoint, which is that Christians should consider living socially in order to accomplish more for Christ’s kingdom on Earth.  Sometimes the lines do blur though, so perhaps he would do well to define his ideals a bit more clearly.  I plan on reading one or two of his books in the near future to try and grasp just what he imagines Christian communities to be like.

Basically, I don’t believe that democracy and free market capitalism are inherently bad. Perhaps Claiborne does, I’m not sure.  If he does, he’s welcome to disagree.  Certainly America’s economic system does allow for some bad things to happen, yet it also allows for some really good things to happen as well.  It all depends on the good, or bad, people who participate in the system.  On a personal level though, I do think that we should take careful consideration about what things we value, and that’s where I am challenged by Claiborne.  I want others to look at me and my wife and not see just more “greedy Americans” but rather wise stewards who choose to willingly give abundantly to those who have greater needs.

On Christian Testimony Part One: A Preface

This next short series of posts will deal with the topic of Christian outreach and with the outspoken testimony of the Christian faith.  I fear that there are opportunities for some rather offensive issues to arise here and there, so before I get a bunch of nasty comments, I feel that I must first post a short preface. (*Note: This preface will eventually end up being a portion of a bonifide doctrinal statement page in the future*)

I believe, as I have mentioned before, based on Scripture (Romans 3:23) that all men are basically sinners, including myself.  Without the grace of God and the perfect offering of His Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins, we would be hopelessly lost and would receive the just reward of our sin:  Eternal damnation in Hell.  I believe this based on the idea that scripure is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16) in plenary verbal form.  I do NOT believe in Bibliolatry, though, as some would state that this viewpoint leads to.  Does it not make sense that in order to have accurate translations of the ancient texts we need to study them in their original language and context?  I submit that it does.  This does not mean that the original texts are intrinsically better than the new translated texts, but it does place a vital importance on quality, translation, and accuracy.

Before I get too lost on non-topical topics, I will pull the reins in and get back to the original point.  Bear with me.

I am afraid that there has been a widespread misconception about Christians in the past.  Hopefully this preface will work to clarify a bit about that.  For those who might be unfamiliar with Scripture, you might be persuaded to think that once a person becomes “saved” and becomes a Christian that they are mystically transformed into a flawless, perfect being.  Okay, so not many would believe that.  There are no perfect people, obviously.  Then perhaps a much more widespread view of Christianity is that they view Christians as being just like themselves, but with a self-righteous, hypocritical bent.  Many people end up leaving the church for this reason.  In fact, it’s the very reason why my grandmother would not go to church any more.  Personal disputes with so-called “holy rollers” and “holier-than-thou” Christians have driven people away from the church body time and time again over the course of history.

For clarification’s sake, certain things DO happen when a person repents of his sin and accepts Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of his life:  1) That person is made to be righteous in the sight of God the Father.  The only way this can happen is through Christ, as GOD the Father cannot tolerate sin.  God’s wrath is taken away and is placed on His only begotten Son (in that fateful instance in time when Christ suffered and was forsaken by God) for all eternity.  (Romans 6:10)  2) The free gift of salvation is given. (eternal life with God after death)  3) The Holy Spirit indwells the believer and acts as a constant comforter and director. 4) The Spirit begins the process of sanctifying the believer.  The believer becomes regenerate, conforming his image to the Image of Christ as he is changed by God.

In summation, the key differences between the believer and the non-believer are that the believer is now under the grace of God instead of the wrath of God, the believer has hope after death, the believer has the Holy Spirit as a constant comforter and guide, and the believer has begun the process of sanctification, or becoming Christ-like in every area of his or her life. 

DON’T MISS THIS – HERE’S AN IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!  This is where many get frustrated with Christianity.  Just because a person becomes regenerately saved does not mean that the person will completely stop sinning immediately!  Certainly there is no longer a desire to offend God and other people after the act of true repentance of sin has taken place.  It does not mean that the person will live a miraculously flawless life after salvation, however.  We are constantly surrounded with Christians who are in different stages of sanctification and maturity.  Unfortunately, we are also surrounded by many who are only Christian in name, yet they do not show forth any fruit of the Spirit.  If a person is truly repentant, that person will eschew the old sin nature and will cling to the regenerate nature that God has given.  Also, that person will want to serve and worship God in Spirit and in Truth.  Occasionally that person might even make a mistake, possibly even a big mistake, and get involved in sin, but “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)  Also, the Bible is clear that a Christian will not continue in sin.

So, I said all that to say this:  If you have ever had a bad experience in church or with Christians outside of church, it’s understandable, but not acceptable.  Christians should be the ones reaching out, loving, caring for, and sacrificing for the community.  Christians should also be the ones who are working to abstain from sinful acts.  Sadly, quite sadly, too often it is not so. 

To the Christian:  We can and must do better in all points of the Christian life.

To the skeptic: Please do not confuse the actions of a few individuals who may or may not be truly repentant and regenerate for the actions of the entire Christian religion.  To do so is quite stereotypical and illogical.  If you want to find good examples of Christian living, there are many out there.  Look to those who are staying the course as good examples of Christianity.  Also, I implore you to seek out the input rather than the output.  Look to the Word of God, the Bible, instead of the average Christian.  The only one who was ever perfect was Jesus Christ.  He is truly worth looking at, and ultimately worth getting to know.

A Few Musings About the John Edwards Affair

If you have been paying attention to the news at all over the past month, you will have seen at least one or two news stories about Presidential candidate (and almost Vice Presidential nominee) John Edwards and his affair with political videographer Rielle Hunter.  It’s an unexpected, shocking story.  When you consider that Edwards’s wife is suffering from terminal cancer, it becomes even more saddening that something like this could happen under such circumstances.

Once the story was validated, the media started buzzing…and why shouldn’t they be?  Journalism is 25% news and 75% marketing.  The more shocking the story, the more people want to buy the paper and read about what happened.  I was thinking the other day about just what it was that made this story so shocking to begin with, and it made me think about some of the issues that are at the heart of the matter.

1:  In our culture, how is it that sexual promiscuity is celebrated outside of marriage but is frowned upon inside of marriage?  Which begs the question:  How can society expect a man to go from woman to woman before marriage and then be satisfied with only one woman for the rest of his life?  This seems to be at the very least paradoxical.

2: The very fact that adultery is a huge story in the newspapers points to the idea that there is a general sense of morality.  C.S. Lewis notes in Mere Christianity that there is indeed a moral law that everyone is aware of.  Some consider it to be a part of the General Revelation of God to the world, but I believe that an awareness of the Moral Law is the direct result of Adam and Eve’s biting into the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  In effect, it is a result of the fall of man.  Regardless of how it first appeared, it is unmistakable and evident.

3:  When I thought about this story, I couldn’t help but recall the Biblical account of the woman caught in the act of adultery that is found in John 8.  The media and many in the blogging world are quick to throw stones at Edwards and other public figures whose sins are made known.  As fallen creatures who want to shift the blame to someone else, we are quick to point out the blemishes of others while ignoring our own mistakes.  We should take this opportunity to truly examine ourselves and our lives, including our thoughts, hearts, and intentions.  After all, in Matthew 5:28, it is written that Christ said “everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  And that’s a hard pill to swallow.

Katy Perry: Another Warning

I recieve quite a few spam emails, and most of them end up in the trash bin before I even consider opening them.  Today, for some reason, I decided to open a mass mailing from my cell phone carrier, which just so happens to be one of the most popular ones, Verizon Wireless.

Inside was a list of the most-downloaded ringtones.  The number one ringtone on the list is the song “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry.  You can bet that almost all of those ringtones are not on adult cell phones.  Now, I know that this song has been on the radio for a long time now.  I heard it almost as soon as they started playing it and was immediately shocked.  I also noticed that one of my friends posted a warning about this song on his blog in June, for which I was grateful.  Unquestionably, the boundary lines keep getting pushed further and further in the mainstream media.  Here’s another recent example: I was shocked just the other day to see two men full-on making out on a daytime soap opera.  I saw this not because I watch soap operas, but because I was in a nursing home on my job.  How many elderly people, or even young children who were off from school, were subjected to it?  I shudder to think of my grandpa, who is unable to change the channel, having to watch this display. 

Where is the line between tolerance and acceptance?  How can Christians show these people that we care for them out of love while still standing up for Biblical truth?  Is there anything that we can or even should do about it?  These questions have to be answered (and answered well) before our entire nation and way of life disappears forever, never to return again.  Whatever action Christians DO take on the issue of homosexuality, I am persuaded that it should be complimented with a clear understanding of the idea of the total depravity of man.  Basically, all men, without the redemptive power of Christ, are depraved and unregenerate, regardless of what good they do.  Life is meant to be God-centered, not man-centered.

Situational Prudence?

In an article a few days ago, I discussed moral prudence and the need to carefully choose that which you let into your life.  A question that I have for discussion is this:  In your opinion, is it Biblically acceptable to watch or to listen to immoral things outside of the company of others who are more sensitive to “adult issues”?  (Example: Not wanting to watch a PG-13 or R rated movie in front of young children, but watching it later in the company of adults or alone)

My opinion thus far is that the issue can be decided based upon what the intent of the production is.  Is the message of the production a good thing to meditate upon (that will stir us to good action and Godly lifestyle), or is the intent of the production to exploit, destroy morality and goodness, or corrupt?  Also, I do not think that moral compromises can be made with trivial things.  If there is no purpose other than to entertain, entertainment alone does not justify immoral content.  Certainly our primary source of meditation should be God’s word.  We should be filling ourselves primarily with Godly things, and we should let everything else be secondary, utilizing prudence to determine what is acceptable for Christians to partake of.  If we are cultivating a true relationship with God, His Spirit within us will chastise when we stray from the sanctified life that He is working to produce in us.

Moral Prudence and the Pursuit Thereof

In Chapter 15 of the article ”Of the Morals of the Catholic Church,” Augustine defines prudence as being “love making a right distinction between what helps it toward God and what hinders it.” [link]  For Augustine, love is the impetus for prudence, which is certainly a truth.  Due to the fact that God loved us first, we love, and therefore we want to make correct moral decisions based on our love for God and what He has done for us.  However, because of the compelling nature of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Christ over our lives, one has to postulate whether there are not some other driving forces behind the pursuit of prudence in the Christian life.  Fear is a good example.  A correct understanding of the God of the Bible is that he is infinite in Holiness, being the source of all that is good and holy.  If through lack of prudence we do things that are offensive to God, there is no way that He can be pleased with our actions.  This ties in to the idea of “grieving the Holy Spirit,” which I will discuss at a latter time.  Also, as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 12:13:  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”  Prudence is certainly part and parcel of the keeping of the Lord’s commandments.

In personal terms, I have been somewhat under conviction lately about the things that I let myself watch, listen to, and partake of, especially while in the company of others.  This seems to be a big issue in modern culture, because much of what is considered commonplace, especially in the area of humor, is obscene in nature.  The situation is even more difficult for me, in that I find myself in the target market of many of the worst of these comedies: the young adult male.  Recently I have found myself watching movies and trying to make allowances for the inappropriate material.  “I wish they wouldn’t put that in there,” I think to myself, or I say out loud to let others know that I don’t approve.  “This movie would be great if it weren’t for the language” is another popular one.  Oftentimes the material other than the obscenity is truly funny in an innocent way, but does that make it right to sit and watch as actors take the name of the Lord in vain, pervert words, and make light of subjects that should not be mentioned in public?  God forbid that my entertainment and personal pleasure is grievous to the Holy Spirit.

I am also realizing more and more that no matter where I am in life, I have the potential to make an impression upon those around me.  I can either do the easy thing and try to blend in with the culture that allows things like this to go by because it’s the norm, or I can try to be prudent about what I allow myself to watch, listen, and do.

Certainly all truth is God’s truth, and knowing about the culture and the times in which you live is crucial, but there has to be a place where I draw the line.

Here’s a good starting point:

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”