Old Post, New Life: I'm Not American...I'm...Kuyperian?!

I originally posted this article on January 24, 2006. However, due to recent discussions and developments in our current politcal climate (on both sides), I thought this would be a good time restate some things of first importance on the political matters at hand, as well as try to help shed whatever light that I can gather on the subject to bring these thing to there much deserved place at the forefront of our hearts and minds. Grace and peace...

 

"Do not bury our glorious orthodoxy in the pit of spurious conservatism." ~ Abraham Kuyper (Dutch Theologian, Statesman, Journalist and Prime Minister of The Netherlands)

Jesus Christ is not running for office in 2008. Regardless, of what the conservative religious right might lead you to believe, it just won't happen.

There is an ever-persistent trend of late by many conservative Church congregations to try and "politicize" the Gospel. That is to say, that if we can censure and monitor every aspect of our society under the auspices of Christian principles (or as the "fundamentalists" like to call it, "returning to our roots"), then America would be a better place - and don't forget to vote Republican. This, as one writer put it, is a two-thousand year old Galatian error.

I can't tell you how many times I've recently had conversations with people who believe this way. They are thoroughly convinced that if we put prayer back in schools and keep the ten commandments in front of the courthouses, viola--problems solved. These are noble intentions, but there are far-reaching consequences of this sort of logic that are not being considered by those that hold this view. So, I want to pose the same question that I asked of a friend of mine who happens to be in this school of thought:

If the Law of God couldn't make the Israelites any better, then what makes you think that making the Bible the "Law" in America would make us as a nation any less corrupt?

And here in lies the controversy of this movement known as Christian Reconstruction. But as it has been stated before, religion and politics don't mix. Never more clearly can it be seen than when one takes a long hard look at the misguided (although, well-meaning) plan of "reconstruction". If carried out to fruition, this movement would only subvert and distort the truth of the Gospel. The reasons can be seen in the following conclusions:

1. The Church stops focusing on evangelism (the salvation of souls) and begins to focus on political hot-button issues and agendas.

It has become a trendy thing to turn Sunday Morning sermons into political rallies. I'm not saying that certain societal woes should not be dealt with on Sundays, but it needs to remain in its context. Pastors should be about the business of shepherding the flock; teaching the congregation in accordance to the Word of God is the way to help them keep in step with the Holy Spirit. Inviting your favorite politician to give a speech on how and who to vote for will only cause a tension (unnecessarily, I might add) between the Church and the rest of the world. It becomes "us" against "them". But isn't it "them" that we are seeking to save? There is also the lingering danger of seriously dividing the Body of Christ over non-essential issues. I have seen it time and again; if a fellow brother or sister in the Church doesn't vote on the right side of the political party line, he or she is considered a heretic! This is the same sort of muddle-headed thinking that brought about the Salem witch hunts. If sound doctrine is in place, discernment will follow.

2. The separation of Church and State is perilously blurred.

By this, I mean that the Church seeks to usurp the power of the government and strong-arm people in to "right living". This is not evangelism, it's nothing more than behavior modification. We are never to force anyone to believe what the Church believes. We are simply to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and allow the Spirit to change the hearts and minds of those that hear. Trying to force the issue will bring about ghastly consequences. For example, most people want to have prayer put back in schools. Okay, fine. But if you're a Christian, what is stopping you from praying? It is a right that no one can take away from you. Why would you want to force someone to pray who may not even worship in the same manner as yourself? That's false worship. God finds no glory in it. I expect the non-believer to not want to see the Ten Commandments in front of the courthouses, I expect atheists to want to take "God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance. Abortion will be accepted, Gay marriage will pass, etc., etc. The light of the truth is not in them. Christianity as a federal law will ultimately fail, due to the fact that it skews the purpose of the Gospel. The Church becomes the Pharisaic and intrusive. How exactly does one legislate policies against the Sin? The heart of man is the heart of the problem. Christians obey the law of God because they have been given a "new heart". We live the way we do because the love of Christ compels us. Trying to force those who have yet to be (or who never will be) quickened by the the grace of God through the spirit would be the equivalent to Jesus grabbing the rich young ruler in a headlock and forcing him to follow. There's no love in it. No true Christian is ever saved in this manner, so why would we expect anyone else to be any different?

My major concern in all of this is the enthusiasm and fervency with which some fellow Christians hold to this view (in reformed and non-reformed circles). If carried out, this sort of mindset snuffs out the great commission. Christians do not conquer through military or political might, but through the love and sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Anything else makes for sloppy evangelism until it all eventually boils down to elephants and asses: Christians becoming fat and lazy in their spiritual lives hiding behind the guise of "political correctness" and "conservatism" while holding grudges against those who aren't like them, forgetting that we too used to be stubborn mules lost in the darkness. Much like fascism and communism, two bad ideologies on opposite ends of the spectrum come full circle to make an even worse situation than the one that you had before. The truths of our religious beliefs are tainted and have become a leveraging tool for election strategies. A vivid illustration of this could be seen in the comment that a political analyst made after the democratic party lost the last election: "the democrats need to get 'born again'". This statement turns the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in to a farce.

It is time for Christians to check their allegiances. Christ shows no partiality to any man, political party, or country. In the imitation of our Lord and Savior, we should do likewise. That being said, none of this is written to discourage individual Christians from taking up political causes or even hold political offices. By all means, if God permits, we should take the opportunity. However, I think that the Church trying to become an empirical legislative branch of the government is a grave error. It is trading away the liberties that we are granted as individual living stones which are free to go out into the world and seek the lost, for becoming a solid concrete entity which will eventually stunt the growth of the Church altogether. It also causes us to run the risk of being at odds with scripture on the way we should view the civil magistrates and government officials of our country. We are to submit to them, because they have been ordained by God's providential hand (regardless of how we may feel about them personally). They are there for our protection and we should pay them the respect and honor due to the office in which they hold - whether we voted for them or not!!! When they overstep their boundaries and begin to rule willingly up and against the Kingdom of Heaven, Christian citizens may rightly come together and make their voice heard as is our right. We must learn to use separation of Church and State for its proper purpose and advantage, not to our own undoing. The church and the state alike both have an obligation to wield their respective swords responsibly (the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God in the church and the sword of wrath in government) .

I don't see Christians as conservative or liberal. I definitely don't see them as republicans or democrats. We are either biblical or unbiblical - discerning or indiscretion - in the world or of the world. These are the lines in the sand that must be drawn. Any neutrality in these areas, or granting priority to party or politician, is a vote against Christ.

 
As J.I. Packer summarizes:
 
"The Church's sphere of authority relates to the civil gorvernment at the level of morality. The church has the responsibility to comment on the morality of governments and their policies on the basis of God's word, but should not appropriate to itself the power to set such policies. Whereas these assessments may foster political action among Christians, they should act in their capacity as citizens rather than as a representatives of the church. In this way the gospel works through moral persuasion and the working of God's grace among citizens."

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." ~Romans 13:1-10 (ESV)


"Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." ~1 Peter 2:13-17 (ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

 

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

EvangeLies: (Not-So) Noble Promises

“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry...” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

Apparently, the Law doesn't apply anymore. At least that's what it seems Perry Noble would have you think:


"GREENVILLE, S.C. (RNS) A Baptist minister is in hot water after preaching a sermon that called the Ten Commandments sayings or promises rather than mandates.

In his Christmas Eve message, Senior Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church, which regularly has more than 32,000 worshippers at 11 campuses across South Carolina, told congregants that no word for “commandment” exists in Hebrew, the Old Testament’s original language.

'Instead of Ten Commandments that you have to keep if you’re going to be a follower of Jesus, they’re actually 10 promises that you can receive when you say yes to Jesus,' Noble said."



This is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD) run amok; and not just because I say so. Let's examine Perry's claims in the light of Scripture.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-19)

"But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'" (Matthew 22:34-40)

In other words, what he (Noble) has done is deny the very Master and Savior that he claims to serve. He has, instead, served cyanide to the flock. By substituting the Law of God for "promises" that he pulled out of the 1st Book of Nowhere, he would have his congregants believe that God acts as a cosmic bellhop on our behalf (all the while, ignoring the consequences of disregarding or changing the Law). Secondly, and most tragically, he has forgotten the entire function and purpose of the Law:

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:23-27)

Apart from Christ, the Law is oppressive to our nature (1 Cor. 2:14). It points out our flaws and restrains our transgressions. But since Christ has come and fulfilled the Law's commands at every point, we now can put our trust and faith in Him as our redeemer, since he has also paid the penalty (death) for us not living up to the standard that the Law requires (Isaiah 53:5).

So we are "freed from the Law" in the sense that we are no longer under the penalty due to us IF we have our hope in Christ. But to not articulate a sound fundamental understanding of the whole counsel of God on the matters of Law and Grace is reckless dereliction of duty for a pastor - any pastor (Galatians 2:11). As the Apostle Paul states:

"What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:15-18)

We are not freed to leave the Law behind; we are free to now follow out of a new heart and love for the Lawgiver (cf. Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 14:15-17, 23-24; 1 John 5:1-3).



Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

EvangeLies: Do You Even Bible, Bro?!

Apparently, Joel does not...

(cf. Psalm 115:3; Daniel 4:35)

SDG,
Shon

J.O. (An Open Letter)

"As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear."  - 1 Timothy 5:20 ESV

You've been lying a long time
Selling people the wrong kind
Of faith - it's unkind
Pumping poison into their minds
It's the blind leading the blind
A rocket ship to perdition
Dope lines and a nice smile
Without the slightest hint of contrition

I'm suspicious -
That's not in the Bible
Your rhetoric's become an idol
An opiate of false hope
For the masses who eagerly swallow -
Down the hatch, check the latch
Katie's barred the doors to heaven
Convinced them they're living in victory
But the sacrament you feed them is leaven

No need for flesh and blood
Just tell people what's good
Speaking promise into the lives
Of those who've never understood
The battle of attrition -
A will unwilling to submit
To the truth about the God who's there
And the final fate that awaits the sinner

So they don't want the Father
They want a vending machine
And Jesus suffered and died
So we could have nicer things
And the Holy Ghost is reduced
To being the author of confusion
Long gone is the Hound of Heaven...
He's just a U.N. interpreter trying to fool you

You're an evangelical pragmatist
Simon Magus meets the alchemist
Feeding egos may be your steelo
But your breadth of theology is ridiculousness
Short-sighted, misguided
Out of context and never striving
To find the truth within the text
You don't rightly divide; you just contrive it

And no, you're not the only one
There's plenty others just like you
Who deny the merit of the Cross
Through sensuality and false virtue
So I urge you - return to the path of old
And be healed of your pathological need to please
Abandon "discovering the champion in you"
For finding a life that's hidden in Jesus


(cf. Ezekiel 22:28; Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:28-30)


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Zeros and Ones: Content In Christ

We bring our discipleship series to a close by looking at one of the most misconstrued and misunderstood passages in all of scripture (Philippians 4:13). As we study and cross reference - allowing the scripture to interpret itself - we discover that this verse is more that just a catch all for positive actions. In its proper context, we are being offered so much more. This truth flies in the face of what is known in present day as the "Prosperity/Word of Faith" movement...

Did Jesus come to make you happy? Make you rich? Did he die to make your life "abundant" and easy?!

Yes. But probably not in the way that you think...



Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

The End.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

(Revelation 22:13 ESV)

 

 

The Beginning is the End

Of all things...

 

And nobody knows

What type of trouble

Tomorrow will bring 

Famine, plagues, natural disasters

Terrorism, AIDS, or ridiculous banter 

About how it's all gonna finish 

(Possibly a "Zombie Pandemic"?!)

Prophets for profit postulating

Nuclear Holocaust and derision 

Bible in one hand

Headlines in the other 

It's the gospel according to Chicken Little 

Time to duck and cover

Because the sky is falling  

And Scientists are falsifying data

Cookin' up the books 

To support the calculations 

Of an extinct civilization 

So, Black Hole Sun, won't you come 

Because Pakistan's got the bomb

North Korea's still trippin'

And Russia's a cause for alarm

 

Left Behind got us blinded

Looking to LeHaye and Camping 

To lead us 

I'm holding on to a passion

For the Parousia -

Waiting To see Jesus

Coming back the way he left 

Quick as lightning 

Flashes east to west 

The real King is back in the building 

There's nothing comparable to that 

The last day in this life

Becomes the first day of forever 

No more death and sorrow 

And unspeakable joy

That can never be measured

 

It's gonna happen 

Just as He promised

But only God knows

When is "then"

For now, you should go plant an apple tree

Seek the Lord and repent of your sins - 

 

Because you just never know;

Tomorrow could very well be...

 

THE END.

 

(cf. John 1:1, 2; Matthew 6:34, 24:27-28, 36-44; James 4:14; Revelation 19:11-16, 21:1-4, 22:13)

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Ground Zero: Modern "Evangelism" v. The Gospel

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.  - (Jude 1:3-4 ESV)




(cf. Judges 21:25; Luke 3:9; 2 Timothy 4:3; 1 John 2:19; Revelation 14:13)


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Precipice

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.  - (Jude 1:3-4 ESV)

 

We are on the precipice of an exodus...

The stuff we’re hearing out of most modern-day pulpits

Amounts to an epic fail

Pastors pontificating on bar stools

Telling old wives’ tales

Not intoxicated by the Word

But drunk off of themselves

Proper prophesying

Appears to be a dying art form

While the power of positive thinking
And prosperity of wealth are the norm

We are on the precipice...

The pursuit of Truth has been relegated to the shelf
As these wolves in stealth mode are pointing the flock
In the direction of the self-help section
They've got new laws to cover your flaws
Telling me that my excellence is in my ability to excel at Lent
And that when I survey the wondrous cross
I can bet my last dollar that the Lord wants me to be rich

Rob Bell says to just say no to the notion of Hell
And Joel Osteen says I can have it all and have it right now
(Did I forget to mention that both of those are bestsellers?)
Oh well - Farewell to the deferred gratification
Of being face to face with the Savior
And since everybody wins
There's no need to repent
For our misguided thinking and behavior

We are on the precipice...

Of becoming obsolete

Watered down like a sandcastle edifice

And now the dry bones are starting to surface

As the evidence to our detriment

The axe has been laid at the root

John the Baptist said it first

And if he was alive today

They'd still be trying to put that dude

In a pine box and a hearse

"Off with his head!"

But blessed are the dead

Those who die in the Lord from now on

We are on the precipice of a resurrection...

But I thought you knew that all along?!

(cf. Judges 21:25; Luke 3:9; 2 Timothy 4:3; 1 John 2:19; Revelation 14:13)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Christ-Haunted Places

“I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted.”
― Flannery O'Connor

 

We’ve boarded up the windows

Pulled up the floorboards

And removed all of the stains

But then again, what would you expect?

This is what happens when you treat sacrifice

Like a bloody crime scene

“What a mess…it really needs to be cleaned…”

 

Christ-haunted and undaunted by the fact that we are –

No one needs thorns when they’ve got their own scars

And who needs a new heaven

When you can blow up the moon to make stars?

Or who needs a new earth?

When the wells run dry, we’ll build a ranch on Mars

Everyday, stars are born:  from YouTube to Porn to Survivor

Except this time, no one gets out alive

Because we’ve fallen in love with a liar

 

Searching for what we’re missing

On the back of a milk carton that’s expired

Remember - Revivals never get worked up, my man

They get prayed down – inspired

 

But long gone are those days

It seems all of the preachers have retired

Gave up the pulpit for Disneyland

So now all we get are prophets for hire

Set the people on fire

And leave ‘em burnin’ for days

And when the flame subsides

They’re worse off than they were

When still in their former ways…

 

Shell-shocked and in a daze

They utter not a word

Now the Holy Ghost is reduced to rattlin’ chains

And a Tower of Babel preferred

"But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."  - (Revelation 2:4-5 ESV)

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Devils & Politicians

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.   - (Romans 16:17-18 ESV)

Dressed up in a three piece suit and tie

A straight-laced man

Tellin’ me boldfaced lies

Look right into the camera

And give ‘em a big smile

Draped in stars and bars

To hide a heart that’s blatantly foul

Pander to the people

Tell ‘em exactly why they need you

Add a “God Bless America”

And turn the White House

Into your cathedral

Every four years

It’s like a bad date

Love and trust don’t come quick enough

So you settle for rape

Tell us to take what you flaunt

You just take what you want

No need to check the reference

Just know there’ll be a problem if we don’t

Take your words as the Gospel

‘Cause Jesus will get hostile

If we fail to put our trust

In this self-proclaimed apostle

Paul, I find appealing

But you, I find appalling

As you disguise your ambition 
For power and position

In a cloak of divine calling

Mangle the hell out of the text

Add a cross for a neck piece

Trade a crown of thorns

For a crown worms

Another soul denied solace

By every word you speak

‘Cause you can always trust

The devils and politicians

To stone all of the prostitutes

And heap praise on the magicians

Slight of hand, rearranged

While eternity is at stake

This is the sign of darker days to come

And we’re nowhere close to being awake…

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.  - (Jude 1:3-4 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Watchmen

But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  - (Luke 21:34-36 ESV)

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood?!

Yeah right…don’t get me started

If you live here in this city of lights

You might say it’s ironic

Because so many love the darkness

So come and get your fill

In the carnival o’ carnage

Pitch black hearts hurling stones with no regard

With intent to do harm – the anger, the swarm

No prison can hold ‘em – gone is the calm

No need for a need to sound the alarm

Because the watchmen have been taken

In a hostage situation

With Stockholm syndrome, now they’ve forsaken their post

And everything they stood for on the day

That they first took the oath…

So instead of a ringing bell

Now it’s a running joke

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

- (1 Timothy 4:16 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Black & Blue: Francis Grimke’ on the Afro-American Pulpit and Race Elevation

Hard to believe that this sermon is from around 1896...

What you will see below is an excerpt from the book, The Faithful Preacher. It is a sermon by an African-American minister, Francis Grimke’, where he deals with the issues that plague the African-American religious experience in terms of Christianity. Amazingly (as well as unfortunately), this message is extremely prophetic and timely. It appears as though the pastor’s warnings have gone largely unheeded by our community, with the rise various forms of religious ideologies that seem to have more traction in the present day climate of Christianity (i.e. Prosperity Gospel, Black Liberation Theology, etc.). I post this with the hope and prayer that all will be challenged and convicted by what they read here, regardless of color or status…

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon 

If we turn now and examine carefully the character of the ministrations of the Afro-American pulpit, its three leading characteristics will be found to be emotionalism, levity or frivolity, and a greed for money.

First, it is emotion. The aim seems to be to get up an excitement, to arouse the feelings, to create an audible outburst or emotion, or, in the popular phraseology, to get up a shout to make people “happy.” In many churches where this result is not realized, where the minister is unable by sheer force of lung power and strength of imagination to produce this state of commotion, he is looked upon as a failure. Even where there is an attempt to instruct, in the great majority of cases this idea is almost sure to assert itself and become the dominant one...

 The second characteristic of the Afro-American pulpit is levity, frivolity, a lack of seriousness. There is entirely too much place given to making fun, to joking, to exciting laughter. The minister too often becomes a jester, a buffoon, a clown. Thus all solemnity is destroyed, and the House of God in many cases becomes a mere playhouse for the entertainment or amusement of the people. This has become so prevalent in many of our churches that the people have come to expect it with the same regularity as they expect to hear preaching. If the minister after he has preached before closing does not make a fool of himself and set the people grinning, a sense of disappointment and incompleteness is felt. Again and again I have sat in churches and have been saddened and disgusted by what I have seen in this direction. And the most serious part of it all is that this levity comes at the very time when it is most baneful. If it came before preaching, it would not be quite so bad, though even then it would be a thing to be regretted. But coming as it does after the sermon, the effect is to entirely obliterate whatever good impression has been made and thus to defeat the very purpose for which the church has been organized. Sometimes I have said, what is the use of preaching—why not introduce the buffoon, the clown, at once, and when he is through bring the service to a close? 

The third characteristic of the Afro-American pulpit is a greed for money. Everything seems to be arranged with reference to the collection. The great objective point seems to be to reach the pocketbooks of the people. Here is where the greatest amount of interest is manifested; here is where there is the greatest concentration of energy. However tame the services may be up to this point, here everybody seems to wake up, and new life seems to be infused into everything, as if to say, “Now is the time when the real business for which we have met will begin.” There is no harm, of course, in raising money. The church cannot get along without it. Its just debts must be paid; its obligations must be met. The complaint is not against raising money but against the abuse of this, against the undue prominence that is given to it in the Afro-American pulpit. It overshadows every other interest. The ability to raise money is more highly esteemed than the ability to preach the Word effectively. The greatest financier, the most successful money gatherer, receives the best place and is most highly esteemed by those in authority. The result is, the church is rapidly becoming a mere institution for raising money, with preaching, singing, and praying being only incidental, and the ministry is rapidly degenerating into a mere agency for begging. The perceived problem is not how to elevate the people, how to bring them into the Kingdom of Christ, how to save them from their sins and sanctify them, but how to get their money.

A ministry whose chief characteristics are emotionalism, frivolity, and greed for money is not a ministry to inspire hope and is not a source of strength but of weakness. And this is the charge I make against the Afro-American pulpit today. It is not living up to its opportunities; it is not doing the work that it ought to do. It is not putting the emphasis where it ought to be put. It is frittering away its energies upon things of minor importance, to the neglect of those things that are fundamental and without which we cannot hope for any permanent prosperity. And this is why as a people we have made so little progress morally. The fault is due very largely to the character of our pulpit ministrations. If there had been less effort made at emotional effects and less jesting and less prominence given to finances and more time and attention given to the great fundamental principles of religion and morality (the bedrock upon which character is built) and to the patient, painstaking instruction of the people in the practical duties of life, the outlook would be very much brighter than it is today. The moral plane upon which the masses of our people move is confessedly not very high and in view of their past antecedents could not be expected to be high. But if they had had the proper kind of instruction from the pulpit, there is every reason to believe that they would stand very much higher today than they do. The thing most to be deplored in our condition today is not our poverty, nor our ignorance, but our moral deficiencies, and for these deficiencies the Afro-American pulpit is in a very large measure responsible. The very fact that our people have had a long schooling in slavery, the tendency of which has been to blunt the moral sensibilities and to degrade the whole moral nature, makes it all the more important that special attention should be given to their development in this direction and renders the character of much of our pulpit ministration all the more reprehensible.

In palliation of this it has been said, I know, that the people prefer the noise and excitement that come from ranting and bluster. There may be some truth in this, but the mission of the pulpit is not to cater to the vitiated tastes of the people and is not to give them what they want but what they ought to have—to lift up a standard for them, to set before them right and wrong, whether it accords with their tastes or not. The plea that the people prefer a certain thing can never be an excuse or justification for giving them that thing unless it is good in itself, unless it would be beneficial to them. The problem that the Afro-American pulpit has to solve is not what will be most congenial to the people but what will be most helpful to them; not what kind of preaching they like best but what kind of preaching will be the most effective in developing in them a true manhood and womanhood, in making them good fathers and mothers, good husbands and wives, good citizens and neighbors, what kind of preaching will yield the largest returns in purity, honesty, sobriety, sweetness, gentleness. And the pulpit that has the wisdom to answer this question intelligently and the courage to act out its convictions is the pulpit that we need and that we must have if “on steppingstones of our dead selves” we are “to rise to higher things” [Booker T. Washington].

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

 

Not the Gospel

 "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."  - Romans 10:14-17 ESV

What I’m about to say may make you hostile

We may even part ways on bad terms after, but here goes…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

There. I said it.

And even if you get mad, I still don’t regret it.

You know why? Because…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

In no way, shape, form, or fashion –

Your testimony may be impressive, homie

But it doesn’t mean much when we don’t come from the same background

Because…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

It’s not the songs you sing or how many you can bring to church

Or even the logos on your t-shirts

And I know by now you wanna hurt me, but it’s true…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

I don’t know how else to say it.

Sure, you love Jesus and you’re unashamed to say so

Well if that’s the case, then you need to stop hidin’ behind YOU and let it go

Because…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

And while we’re on the subject, neither are your political views

It doesn’t matter that you vote “conservative” in every election

Or how you interpret the evening news

My dude...

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL

So let’s review…

Not me, not you, not Sproul, Piper, Calvin, Wesley, Arminius

Or, dare I say, Luther

And just in case you’re wondering, I’m pretty sure they’d all agree with me too…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

Or at this point, maybe I should say “we”

Because none of us had anything to do with hangin’ from a tree

Except for the fact that we are the cause of it

It’s not what we’re about

But what we should proclaim with our mouths

With no fear…Let ‘em hear it

Good news. THE GOSPEL IS…

GOD

Seeing mankind in his fallen state

And saving him from the punishment due

By sending His own son to take their place

GOD

While we were still at odds (enemies, to be exact)

Doing the best thing that could’ve ever happened

To save us from something worse than we could ever imagine

GOD

Father, Son and Spirit in eternity past

Making within Himself a covenant

To ensure that it would come to past

GOD

Knowing that the Devil wanted us dead

He sent the Son of Man to put a boot to his head

And crush him

GOD

Allowing the Son to be bruised

So that He could raise him three days later

Now those who believe are safe in Him, never refused

You see, there’s no need for any extra

It doesn’t need anything added to it

And doesn’t need your life to make up the Et cetera, Et cetera

We are nothing more than beggars, messengers and recipients

So the only thing left for us to do is to just believe and repent.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.”

Does this have anything to do with what you’ve done? Hardly.

Because…

 YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL

"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."  - Acts 17:22-34 ESV

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Evangel-Lies: Prophets of Profit

This is the sort of thing that makes me physically ill...the sort of thing that gets exported from America as "Gospel" (not all of the time, but unfortunately it is the majority report). Men like this turn the truth of God into a spectacle for their own gain, and never blink twice. Remember that Jesus saves FROM the "American Dream". In the words of Lecrae: "God is the Gospel, not a new Bentley..."
Nigerian Fake Pastors and Church Business Exposed from Maku Zikya on Vimeo.

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Radical Christianity: How Should We Then Live?

Get it here.

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Why “Let Go and Let God” Is a Bad Idea

What is “let-go-and-let-God” theology? It’s called Keswick theology, and it’s one of the most significant strands of second-blessing theology. It assumes that Christians experience two “blessings.” The first is getting “saved,” and the second is getting serious. The change is dramatic: from a defeated life to a victorious life; from a lower life to a higher life; from a shallow life to a deeper life; from a fruitless life to a more abundant life; from being “carnal” to being “spiritual”; and from merely having Jesus as your Savior to making Jesus your Master. People experience this second blessing through surrender and faith: “Let go and let God.”

Keswick theology comes from the early Keswick movement. Keswick (pronounced KE H-zick) is a small town in the scenic Lake District of northwest England. Since 1875, it has hosted a weeklong meeting in July for the Keswick Convention. The movement’s first generation (about 1875– 1920) epitomized what we still call “Keswick theology” today.

People who influenced Keswick theology include John Wesley, Charles Finney, and Hannah Whitall Smith. Significant proponents of Keswick theology include Evan H. Hopkins (Keswick’s formative theologian), H. Moule (Keswick’s scholar and best theologian), F. B. Meyer (Keswick’s international ambassador), Andrew Murray (Keswick’s foremost devotional author), J. Hudson Taylor and Amy Carmichael (Keswick’s foremost missionaries), Frances Havergal (Keswick’s hymnist), and W. H. Griffith Thomas, and Robert C. McQuilkin (leaders of the victorious life movement). People who were influenced by Keswick theology include leaders of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (A. B. Simpson), Moody Bible Institute (D. L. Moody and R. A. Torrey), and Dallas Seminary (Lewis Chafer and Charles Ryrie).

Beginning in the 1920s, the Keswick Convention’s view of sanctification began to shift from the view promoted by the leaders of the early convention. William Scroggie (1877– 1958) led that transformation to a view of sanctification closer to the Reformed view. The official Keswick Convention that now hosts the annual Keswick conferences holds a Reformed view of sanctification and invites speakers who are confessionally reformed.

Keswick theology is pervasive because countless people have propagated it in so many ways, especially in sermons and devotional writings. It is appealing because Christians struggle with sin and want to be victorious in that struggle now. Keswick theology offers a quick fix, and its shortcut to instant victory appeals to genuine longings for holiness.

Keswick theology, however, is not biblically sound. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. Disjunction: It creates two categories of Christians. This is the fundamental, linchpin issue.
2. Perfectionism: It portrays a shallow and incomplete view of sin in the Christian life.
3. Quietism: It tends to emphasize passivity, not activity.
4. Pelagianism: It tends to portray the Christian’s free will as autonomously starting and stopping sanctification.
5. Methodology: It tends to use superficial formulas for instantaneous sanctification.
6. Impossibility: It tends to result in disillusionment and frustration for the “have-nots.”
7. Spin: It tends to misinterpret personal experiences.

You can tell that Keswick theology has influenced people when you hear a Christian “testimony” like this: “I was saved when I was eight years old, and I surrendered to Christ when I was seventeen.”

By “saved,” they mean that Jesus became their Savior and that they became a Christian. By “surrendered,” they mean that they gave full control of their lives to Jesus as their Master, yielded to do whatever He wanted them to do, and “dedicated” themselves through surrender and faith. That two-tiered view of the Christian life is let-go-and-let-God theology.

The Keswick Convention commendably emphasized personal holiness and left a legacy of Christian service, but holy and fruitful living by no means distinguishes Keswick theology from other views. All of the major views on sanctification have adherents who are exemplary, inspiring Christians, and disagreeing with a particular view of sanctification in no way questions the devotion to Christ of those who hold that view.

We shouldn’t determine our view of sanctification by counting up who we perceive to be the most holy Christians and seeing which view has the most. Scripture, and Scripture alone, must determine our view of sanctification.

As John Murray reminds us, “The cause neither of truth nor of love is promoted by suppressing warranted criticism.” Constructively criticizing a faulty view of sanctification can actually advance the cause of truth and love.

 

by Andrew Naselli

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

"Upon This Block I Will Build My Church...?" (The Church From A Distance)

Late last week, I was driving along on the way back home from where I work.  Maybe it was something in the air that day, or maybe it was something that I ate -- but as I drove, I started to notice something that I probably should have noticed before:

I noticed that the closer and closer I got to my home, the more and more churches I began to see.  All kinds; and not little ones either.  I wouldn't say they ALL fit into the "Mega-Church" category, but let's just say that you wouldn't be hurting for leg room in one of these structures.

Now at this point, you're probably thinking, "Wow.  So What?".  Well, here's the "what "-- I work in an area of Houston, Texas that is a low-income, high crime, "minority"-based area (or what would commonly be known as, "the hood" or "the ghetto").  But I live in a sprawling, middle to high-income, predominantly Caucasian (which I am not, by the way) area, roughly 25 minutes away.  Something in me sparked and I asked the question to myself, "Why are there so many more churches being built in the suburbs than there are in the city (or more particularly, the inner-city)?"

As Tim Keller points out in his latest series, Gospel in Life, the city is where cultures, ideas and people merge.  In other words, it is where you will undoubtedly find the greatest cross-section of people.  So why is it that the churches seem to be running away from this?  Is this not exactly where you would want to be?  So what's the problem?!  Why are churches in "the hood" so scarce when the area is so densely populated?

Answer: I propose that it is because we think to small.  We have a microscopic view of a telescopic expansion. It appears that too many ideas that are not based on Scripture have crept in  and made a home hearts and minds of many on the topic of  "Church Growth".  No matter how big the building, the Church itself becomes too "small".

Small Demographic
Most churches nowadays spend a whole lot of time trying to find a niche' audience.  This process helps to breed what I would term as a "country club" mentality; only certain types of people can get in and/or are accepted.  You have to look the part and sound the part, or else you can't take part.

Small Evangelism

Due to the fact that you only focus on a certain group of people who meet specific criterion, the act of evangelism begins to go the way of the Do-Do bird.  Since your main attraction is ultimately looking the part and sounding a certain way, then there is really no need to go into the "gory details" (sin, repentance, salvation, atonement, Jesus, etc.) of the Gospel.  Robust salvation in Christ is in danger of becoming easy-believer theology at this point.

Small Preaching

This is where everyone begins to operate on assumption.  "Since they're here they obviously believe", so the need for the preacher to dig his heels in and give doctrinal teaching and preaching becomes unnecessary because everyone's "been there and done that".  The "gospel" that is delivered is most often downgraded to the felt needs of the particular group. (i.e. Movie sermons, political preaching, etc.)

The Cause

You may be wondering what could cause such a mentality to creep in and begin to contaminate the sweetness and beauty that is the True Gospel?  First and foremost, it's fear.  I remember a time at a church that I was attending where the life within that small community was vibrant and full of eagerness to hear the Word.  Bible studies there were always engaging and sound.  But when it came time to go "across the tracks" and promote VBS and witness in a less than desirable neighborhood, you would be hard pressed to have anyone show up.  When the few of us (about 10) that went showed up on site to go to work, we were told in no uncertain terms by an officer that it was indeed a rough area to be in and there was the possibility for harm.  After this announcement, some of the workers opted to wait by their cars.  Then, there were five.

I give this illustration not to criticize, but to show just how powerful a tool fear can be for the Devil to use to lull us back into our comfort zone.  After all, is this not what he did to Jesus when he was in the wilderness?  The Enemy wants us to take every opportunity to circumvent peril and discomfort, no matter how big or how small.  The smaller we are willing to go to achieve comfort, the harder it will be to shake us out of our complacency to reach those who are not like ourselves.  In other words, it becomes easier to become a racist or an elitist under the guise of Christianity, rather than love those who Jesus loves.  Don't believe me?  Then how do you explain the Ku Klux Klan or Black Liberation Theology?

The Cure

Here in the United States, even though we will claim to have made progress by leaps and bounds in the area of race relations, Sunday mornings are still one of the most segregated times of the week.  Well, it doesn't have to be this way.  We need to return to the source of the Scriptures; where we learn that God is no respecter of persons, status, or wealth.  We see in the writings of Paul that more often than not, God chooses the low, the downtrodden and weak, to confound our silly preconceived notions.  The Gospel is not to be discriminatory, but promiscuous in the nature of how it is to be shared.  My prayer is that the Lord would give us new eyes and a new vision of the His Church -- that we would see it through His eyes. The Church of Jesus Christ is not to be a building of bricks and wood, but living stones -- the people themselves.  I've said before and I'll say it again:

People, not a place, do the Church make.

It's not built on my "kind", my country, my hood, or my block.  It's built on the Rock.  The World is our neighborhood.  Therefore, the Church is bigger than we think...where everyone is welcome.

And they sang a new song, saying, 
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,

 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on the earth.”  - Revelation 5:9-10


Study References:

Matthew 16:18, 28:19;  John 6:37, 7:24, 17:15-21;  1 Corinthians 1:26-29; 1 Peter 2:5;  1 John 2:2


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)