Simul Justus et Peccator (at the same time, Justified and a Sinner): The Glory of God in a State of Love and Trust

"It doesn't get better once you've seen the light; you wake to find that the fight has just begun." - Derek Webb

Saint and Sinner



It's funny what you can learn about yourself in 24 hours when given the right circumstances. For me, Friday afternoon was the right circumstance. I discovered that in spite of all that I've learned about love and relationships (in the general, as well as particular sense of the terms), there can be a serious disconnect between what I say and what I do. I took my current status and situation in this particular relationship for granted, greatly disregarding the need for trust and understanding. Needless to say, I hurt her deeply. If I had to describe it (without going into great detail for the sake of the other person's anonymity), it was the equivalent of waving a loaded gun in someone's face who was still healing from a gunshot wound. In short, I'm an idiot. We have spent some time getting to know one another better, which makes my actions at that point in time all the more condemnable - I should have known better. So the big question is: Knowing what I know, why did I do what I did?! The song above helps to answer that question - "A saint and a sinner is what I am"!

From Hubris to Humility

When one has been in Christ a while, it's easy to become complacent and forget that the peace that we find in Christ is only the beginning of the war. The moment that we forget this, we open ourselves up for attack. We begin to think that the smoothness and ease by which things may be happening in our lives and relationships is due to our choices and our initiative. Nothing could be further from the truth. We begin not only to take for granted the gifts of God by grace through faith, but the very Giver of grace himself. We take lightly that idea of sanctification being a process and begin to see it as a package deal. We get it all twisted around; we may be saved at once, but the sanctification takes time - a lifetime to be exact. None of us will ever be completely free of our sin nature this side of glory. We must remember that every temptation and fire trial that we come out of is only by the grace of God. The same goes for the other side of the coin; every act of hard Providence that we go through is wrought by the grace of God as well. It is through these moments that we learn what God truly desires as he softens our hearts and conforms our will to His own. There is no way that a relationship between two flawed, fallen, and sinful individuals can work apart from God's grace and a realization of the atoning work of Christ that was already done for them (no matter how "spiritual" they may be). After all, if it didn't work for Adam and Eve (given their set-up), how do we honestly expect to fair in our own endeavors?

Revelation and Repentance

I'm actually thankful for these "growing pains" in our relationship that have manifested early on. I have learned not to begrudge God's sovereignty—these things always happen for a reason. This, by no means, excuses my behavior. This isn't the last time that I'll mess up, that much I can promise, and I'm sure she'll have her moments as well. We've had our "disagreements", but I can honestly say I felt this one as much as she did, if not more. However, through this hard lesson, God has been gracious enough to show me where I need growth--Love. Come what may in this relationship (or any other), I will need to be reminded of the fact that I'm not perfect and neither is the other person, yet I still must love accordingly. It is only by grace and grace alone that she’s in my life to begin with and I should treat and cherish her like gift of God she has been to me; for putting up with me.

So the next big question is, "what happened after the fallout?"

Well, after I came out of "idiot mode" and began to contemplate her anger toward what I had done, I asked for her forgiveness for "losing my damned mind", as she put it; some things just aren't appropriate -- I know that now. I also had asked for God's forgiveness as well. I actually did that on the way back to her room before I asked her, and that he would keep me safe while I did it. Contrary to popular belief, she is a lot more gracious and mature in her anger than initially perceived...even more so than myself, I must admit.

God is good...even when I'm not. I pray that he continues to grant me grace and strength to overcome the feelings of guilt, shame and doubt that can be a hindrance in the pursuit of learning how to love, as well as being loved in return; may he continue to heal her hurt and anger towards me as well. I care about her intensely and would hate to lose her companionship behind a momentary lapse of discretion.

Give me the strength in my actions to match my heart, Lord. Amen.


I'm adding this last song because...well, it just needs to be here. If she ever she's this, she'll know why.


Reputation




For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within meSo I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. - Romans 7: 14-25 ESV


"Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly...Pray boldly--you too are a mighty sinner." - Martin Luther


Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 ESV


“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” - C.S. Lewis

“Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all we can, at whatever cost to ourselves, to help people be enthralled with the glory of God. When they are, they are satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore loving people and glorifying God are one.” - John Piper


And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. - Philipians 1:6 ESV


If we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself. - 2 Timothy 2:13 ESV


“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.” - C.S. Lewis




Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Evangel Lies: Heart Matters...Doesn't It?!

“There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who believe they are sinners, the sinners who believe they are righteous.” - Blaise Pascal

Watch. Listen. Observe...

I've already dealt with Joel Osteen's ability to mingle truth with grave error in a previous post, so I won't be dealing with that here. But what can definitely be seen here is how when you get the truth of the Gospel turned around (emphasis on works rather than faith), it plays out to its rational conclusion.

Osteen said that he believes that Jesus Christ is the way to obtain salvation, however, it is not his job to "judge another person's heart"--only God can do that. It may sound okay at first listen, but it doesn't answer the question. Even the caller noticed that he sidesteps the issue!! Larry King asked him if he thought that someone who didn't believe in Jesus Christ could obtain salvation. HE SAID HE "DIDN'T KNOW" (even when he was asked about an atheist). As a matter of fact this is about the only thing that we can be sure of from what he presents as an "answer"; he doesn't know. Yet somehow in all of that non-judgemental unknowing, he is certain of the fact that the people of India "love God", even though (once again) he "doesn't know much about their religion". Well, shouldn't he? After all, if a person does truly love God, and Osteen claims to believe that Jesus is the only way to obtain salvation (at least, that's what he said), then by all logic, his surety of the salvation of the person or persons in question should rest on the fact that they have a personal confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior--not because they have "heart". Salvation is not granted by giving it the old college try; it relys solely on the justification of faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Some may see this as Joel-hatin' or Lakewood bashing. It's not. This is written out of the deepest concern for the theology that is being disseminated from one of the notable pastors of our day, who shepherds one largest church congregations in the country (if not the largest). That being the case, one may wonder how I, a lowly blogger, can criticize a minister of his stature? How is it that I can be so sure that he has somehow gotten the gospel wrong?

This is how:

sdrawkcab lla si gnihtyrevE! Forget what you've heard--It's WHAT you're hearing:


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


Besides, he brought the nail and coffin; so, I'll bring a hammer (Jeremiah 23:29).



The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. - Genesis 6:5 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things,and desperately sick; who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. - Ezekiel 36:26 ESV

Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3 ESV

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6 ESV



“Two kinds of persons know Him: those who have a humble heart, and who love lowliness, whatever kind of intellect they may have, high or low; and those who have sufficient understanding to see the truth, whatever opposition they may have to it.” - Blaise Pascal





Sola Scriptura. Sola Gratia. Sola Fide. Solo Christus...


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

5 Years Later: Hard Lessons on Terrorism, Evil and the Sovereignty of God

"In the fury of the moment, I can see the Master's hand; in every leaf that trembles and in every grain of sand." -Bob Dylan

I would like to think that after several years have past, I could put some distance between the events of September 11 and the anniversary by which it is now memorialized. Is it because it was a terrorist attack? Is it because I was a witness to the horrific event? Questions like these can go on forever. But whatever the case may be, every year seems like last year--always fresh as if no significant time has passed at all. I know that I'm not alone in this. Everyone has their stories. We can remember like it was yesterday.

Not only do the memories remain, but the questions remain as well. The peculiar thing that always seems to happen is, that for most, it's not so much a philosophical line of questioning, but a moral and spiritual one:

How could someone do something so evil?
Is there any hope for a human race that can produce this kind of corruption?

As the questions continue, they come to an inevitable conclusion:

If there's a God, why didn't he do something to stop this?
If God is so loving, why did he let all of those innocent people die?
If there is a God, why is there so much evil in the world?

I have heard various answers given by those in the camp of religion and faith. In many of the interviews and press releases, however, these answers seem to contradict and often times leave us lacking any real substance to hold on to. They also have a tendency to fall into two totally different lines of reasoning.


Judgment

This first camp tends to think that God has done these things because he is angry with America. I remember hearing several prominent religious leaders spouting rhetoric about God taking down our "hedge of protection" due to the fact that we kill babies and we allow gays to marry. I think this is pushing too far to one end of the spectrum. I do believe that God can bring calamities and disaster as signs of judgment. He is God and he does what he pleases (Psalm 115: 3), just as he did in the days of Noah. But to single out a particular group of people's sins over my own is downright pharisaic and fool-hearted. If God did indeed use 9/11 as a way of judging America for its sins, I better make sure that I include myself in that bunch as well!! Jesus warned of this kind of thinking when two terrible disasters of his day had occurred:

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." - Luke 13: 1-5 ESV

When catastrophe hits, it is not our job to try to guess as to why they "had it coming". R.C. Sproul summarizes it this way:

We often ask the wrong question; we become concerned with why it happened to them. What we really should be asking is 'why didn't it happen to me'?

Jesus reminds those who are throwing accusations at the victims of those dreadful acts that instead of contemplating the sins of others, contemplate your own. If I believe that someone deserved it, I can best believe that I deserve it all the same (if not more). It is not our job to know why. As Deuteronomy 29:29 says:

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.


Denial

On the other side of the isle, we have our second camp. By using the word denial, I don't mean that those who fall into this category are delusional, but that they deny or limit the extent of God's activity in such catastrophic events. The best example I can give is from a couple of conversations that I had today, where each person stated that they were told by the leadership in their churches that God couldn't possibly have anything to do with something so evil--so heinous. This logic falls all the way at the other end of the spectrum. Also, much like its counterpart, it too is seriously flawed. While the other side believes that God acts in a heavy-handed manner, the denial camp would say that God loves his creation (people, in this particular case) and he would never do anything to harm to us. A beautiful sentiment, to be sure, but a survey of the Sciptures will point us to a very different conclusion :

"Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. - Job 2:10 ESV

Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? - Lamentations 3:37-38 ESV

Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? - Amos 3:6 ESV


These are definitely some of the harder sayings in Scripture in terms of God's involvement of evil. Verses like these may even leave many angry and unable to accept the idea of God's sovereignty if this is what it entails. But we must be careful. As John Piper states:

The evil that Satan causes is only by the permission of God. Therefore, Job is not wrong to see it as ultimately coming from the hand of God. It would be unbiblical and irreverent to attribute to Satan (or sinful man) the power to frustrate the designs of God.



To put it another way, if we stick with the denial position, we will find ourselves in a place without hope. For if God has not ordained catastrophic events within his Providence and Sovereign will, then he is not God and all is lost. This would be the only rational conclusion that we could come to. The verses above, while they are indeed hard to swallow, should ultimately bring us comfort. Even as evil seems to run wild, we should take heart in the fact that God is there and he is working all things for good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

As Christians, it is times like these-- Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, etc. -- that we should be even more about the business of seeking to persuade the lost through the Good news of the gospel. We should remember Jesus' words to his fellow country men: "Unless you repent of your sin...". This should make us profoundly grateful for the grace that God has shown on us by giving us his son, and should compel us to share the message of Christ with others so that they too may partake of the goodness and mercy of God through the sacrifice of his son. If these events should teach us anything it should be this--

No matter how long, life is always too short. We are never guaranteed tomorrow. The aim of every man should be to seek the Lord while he may be found; because sometimes...


Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. - James 4:13-14 ESV


"To the ones left behind
Who are picking up the pieces
Of planes, bombs and buildings
Of innocence and evil
When the news, the noise and flowers die
And you still wake up alone
There's a God who knows every tear you cry
And this world is on his shoulders."

- Sandra McCracken, Age after age


This post is dedicated to all those who were lost in the events of 9/11/01 and their families. Your heroism and bravery will never be forgotten.


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

How to Kill and Be Killed 101: The Pursuit "Happiness" Defined.

Amen and Amen.

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. To glorify God and enjoy him forever. - Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1

"You made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you." - St. Augustine

"God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him." - John Piper

"Real love for God means that he must be the only thing that matters to you. He must be your greatest happiness. You are to love him as your absolute Lord and Master. You love everything about him, and you have no desire for him to be any better than he is. You want his will to be done in you so much, that you will do it no matter what it costs you. You want his will to be done whether it is prosperity or suffering, whether it is life or death. You rejoice in him in all things, and you love to obey him - even if it means you suffer the worst thing possible: death. In short, when you love God, you make him the greatest pleasure of your life." - Walter Marshall

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. - Psalm 27:4 ESV

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. - Psalm 37:4 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:33 ESV

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

What Exactly is Postmodernism (and why should we care)?

"What exactly is Postmodernism?"

This is the question that I was asked recently after a friend of mine read the "mission statement" of this blog.

"Why should we care so much about what the 'Postmodern' world/culture thinks about God, Jesus or whatever...that's a matter of personal belief and preference."

The truth is that postmodernism/postmodern thought can be a hard thing to define at times. Much of this (I believe) is due to the fact that it is an extremely convoluted worldview by nature; at least, in the "popular" sense, that is.

This is a question that plagues many. Others really don't care. But for the Christian, it is important to realize what cultural contextuality and faith have to do with one another; what impact one should have or not have on the other--where they should meet and where they should divide. After all, a quick survey of scripture will show that Jesus and the apostles were always engaging the culture of their day with the gospel. Shouldn't we be following that example? Shouldn't we be aware of the advantages and disadvantages that said context may have?

Since I'm still making sense of it all my self, I've decided to leave the definitions to the professionals (although they would probably hate the term). David F. Wells, professor/author of the book, Above All Earthly Pow'rs: Christ in a Postmodern World and John Piper, pastor/author of Desiring God, do an excellent job of defining postmodern thought (Wells) and explaining the nature of its effect--specifically on the Church (Piper).

These are interview clips for their upcoming conference. As always, enjoy:

David F. Wells - Postmodernism Defined



John Piper - The Nature of Postmodernism




A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper he amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow'r are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

That word above all earthly pow'rs,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also.
The body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still:
His kingdom is forever

-Martin Luther, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"




Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

How To Kill and Be Killed 101: Death of the "Innocent" Man

One of the major stumbling blocks for many Christians (and non-christians alike) is what has become to be known as the "Innocent Man" problem. The logic usually goes like this:

"I know that you need to believe in Christ to go to heaven. But, what about the innocent native in Africa (or some other far off place) who's never heard the gospel; are you telling me that if he dies, he still goes to Hell?! I can't accept that--if God is love, then I can't believe that he would send someone to hell without ever giving them a chance to believe..."

However valid the question may appear to be, it is faulty on many different levels when held up to the light of Scripture. The clip below is of a preacher who shares his experience in the mission field and how he came to understand this by the grace of God. He does an excellent job of presenting the truth of God's Word up and against the humanistic "gospel" that is so prevelant in our day. It also has a warning against a grave error that can potentially be made by all who share the gospel: Putting too much emphasis on what we do and not what God does through us. We must always remember that we are merely runners--never to attempt to improve on God's justice but to reflect His glory.

The preacher in this clip is not named, but his words are true. If anyone recognizes his voice, please let me know. Enjoy:





For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. - Romans 1:18-20 ESV


as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.""The venom of asps is under their lips.""Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.""Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.""There is no fear of God before their eyes." - Romans 3:10-18 ESV


What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-- Romans 9:14-23 ESV


And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." - John 6:65 ESV


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Defending THE Faith With A Vengance: Jude 3 Applied

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 vv. 3-4 ESV


If you've ever wondered what the truth of the Gospel looks like in the face of staunch criticism, wonder no longer- Here's a great clip from Larry King Live with John McArthur (Pastor/Author, Grace Community Church in California) contending for the Gospel up and against a panel of opposition. As you watch this, you may be struck with the same sadness as I was when you realize that the dumbing down and domestication of Christ and the Gospel is not just being done by "other" religions, but as you can see (by way of the two most vocal opponents to McArthur's stance) it is coming from within the Christian community (Prostestant and Catholic) as well.

My prayer is that what you see and hear from John McArthur speak to you and give you courage to stand in the face of adversity and proclaim the Gospel in boldness.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. - Galatians 1:8-9 ESV


knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. - 2 Peter 1:20-21 ESV


This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:11-12 ESV


"Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason--I do not accept the authority of popes and councils for they have contradicted each other--my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. HERE I STAND, I cannot do otherwise, God help me. Amen." - Martin Luther


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

The Anonymous Christian: Redux

A few months ago, I did an audioblog on Catholicism's "Anonymous Christian" doctrine (as stated by Vatican II/Karl Rahner). Some of my friends (those who are themselves Catholic, as well as those who are Evangelicals, but are sympathetic and sentimental when it comes to Catholicism) heard it and thought that I was being a bit harsh. A good deal of them went on to say that I was "making it up" or that I had been misinformed. Where was my documentation? Well here it is, guys! No longer does anyone have to take my word for it. This segement from Larry King Live says it all. Dr. Albert Mohler does an excellent job of calling them on it. If you can't stand on truth, you can't stand at all. This is ecumenical sentimentalism run amuck!! Enjoy:


Do two walk together unless they have agreed to meet? - Amos 3:3 (ESV)

Jesus Ain't Your Homeboy: Debunking the "Buddy Jesus" Myth

I've been a real slacker about blogging over the past couple of months (hey, what can I say- I'm on summer vacation). But I have been doing a lot of reading, so I have many things churning through my head that I'm sure will manifest themselves into the blogosphere sometime in the near future. This should make the 10's of my blog fans very happy...

One of the books that I recently finished was Jesus Mean and Wild by Mark Galli. I loved this book!! This is something that all Christians can benefit from reading. Galli takes readers back to the scripture (particularly the Gospel of Mark) to show that the Jesus of the Bible differs greatly from many of the images of him that are held so dear in the 21st Century Evangelical Church.

Seeing as how I'm still on vacation, a formal "book review" would be inappropriate. I'll just let Mr. Galli speak for himself. This is a snippet of the wealth of knowledge that comes from the pages:

There comes a time in the life of faith when Jesus must die. For many people, the Christ who dies is an analgam of their fantasies and our culture's fancies. In our time, that often means this Jesus: The nicest person we could ever imagine. He is a kindergarten teacher of a humanity that is as vulnerable as a group of five-year-olds. So, of course, he does not raise his voice. He affirms and re-affirms our fragile self-esteem. We may paint an awful picture with the sinfulness of our lives, but we needn't worry. Remember? Jesus refused to lift a rock of judgement against the woman caught in adultery. So, like the nonjudgemental teacher, he simply asks, "So, tell me about this painting, this life of yours," and without pressure lets us figure out on our own how we might improve.

This Jesus puzzles us, of course. He seems so nice; we can't imagine why he doesn't answer all our prayers or why he allows evil to run free. Consequently, we have our doubts like everyone else in this age, wondering how a congenial Lord can be, well, so inattentive. Maybe he's really not in charge after all. Then suddenly our faith is bolstered by an inspirational best seller about the best life or the purpose-driven life or the border-expanding life, and we're ready to be patient with Jesus a little longer--as long as he keeps feeling good about ourselves and optimistic about tomorrow.

Hyperbole to be sure, but not all that unlike my imagination some days. This Jesus may be a comfort, but in the end he is a bore. He is the product of our culture's paltry imagination. He is a Jesus without substance, a mere shadow of the Jesus who roamed the hills of Gallilee...

The first step in finding the real Jesus is to recognize that he is not here, he is not in one's life as he should be. He is gone. It is to realize that we have been following a fake Jesus, a charlatan, an imposter. And that imposter is as good as dead. The real Jesus is long gone and waiting for us in Gallilee.

Death to the imposter; may we all come to know the real Jesus. I'd also like to send out a big thank you to my boys, Dustin and Mike-- for the good wine, tobacco and conversation that inspired me to get off my duff and actually post this. Here's to many more of our infamous "Balcony Sessions" to come. Cheers.

"Come what may..."

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. -Mark 8:34-35 (ESV)

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. -Mark 13:24-26 (ESV)

"And up to the very moment in which I was to become another man, the nearer the moment approached, the greater the horror did it strike in me." - St. Augustine of Hippo

"I want to know this Jesus, though he scares me a little." - John Ortberg (about the book, JM&W)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (fear of 666)

From Education to Edumacation: The Kids Are Not Alright!! (pt.2)

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*This is a long clip (approx. 40 mins.), but it is well worth it. You may not be able to watch it all in on sitting, but it's not goin' anywhere anytime soon. So, feel free to watch it in smaller portions.

As we can see from this Stossel Report, while parents have failed at home, the schools have failed to educate the children also.

In the 1920's, presbyterian minister and educator J. Gresham Machen was a staunch opponent of the notion of a federally funded department of education. As I watched this special I couldn't help but feel as if the ghost of Machen was walking on the screen. I have included some excerpts below from his writing and testimonies before congress as a supplement to the video clip. It is scary to see how prophetic he was in seeing the consequences of the idea of a federal department of education--a "lowest common denominator of learning":


"But in recent years we have got far beyond all such elementary considerations as that; modern pedagogy has emancipated us, whether we be in the pulpit or in the professor's chair or in the pew, from anything so irksome as earnest labour in the aquisition of knowledge. It never seems to occur to many modern teachers that the primary business of the teacher is to study the subject that he is going to teach. Instead of studying the subject that he is going to teach, he studies "education"; a knowledge of the methodology of teaching takes the place of a knowledge of the particular branch of literature, history, or science to which a man has devoted his life.

It is obvious, I think, that there has been a moral decline; but what is not always observed is that there is also today a most astonishing and most lamentable intellectual decline. Poetry is silent; art is imitative or else bizarre; and if you examine the products of present-day education you will have to search far before you find a really well-stocked mind.

I have observed this in general: that when people talk about uniformity in education what they are really producing is not something that is uniformly high, but something that is uniformly low; they are producing a kind of education which reduces all to a dead level, which fails to understand the man who loves the high things that most of his fellowmen do not love.

As a matter of fact, federal departments are not efficient, but probably the most inefficient things on the face of this planet...Efficiency in a good cause is good, but I am opposed to federal efficiency in this sphere because the result of it is a thing that I regard as bad--namely, slavery.

But let us be perfectly clear about one thing: If liberty is not maintained with regard to education, there is no use trying to maintain it in any other sphere. If you give the bureaucrats the children, you might just as well give them everything else." - J. Gresham Machen (OPC minister, Founder/Professor - Westminster Theological Seminary)




"Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught." - Luke 1:1-4 (ESV)

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." - 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." - James 3:1 (ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

A Chaste Reality?

The Kids Are Not Alright!!

I'm back from vacation and a little bout of illness and ready to go-- so without any further interruptions--

"There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than our own intelligence." - John Calvin

“We are like chameleons, we take our hue and the color of our moral character, from those who are around us.” - John Locke

“Parents wonder why the streams are bitter, when they themselves have poisoned the fountain.” - John Locke

Have you ever stopped to wonder what is happening with (American, in particular) kids these days? It seems to be a question on everyone's mind lately. During my time off, I spent a great deal of it in front of the tube, so I can say with some accuracy that I've never seen so many specials aired so close together and laden with urgency like I've seen of the past couple of weeks. From Dateline to Nightline, 20/20 to Tucker Carlson-they all want to know the same thing. What in the world is wrong with the youth of the day. These programs touched on everything from social to educational:

-why are kids so rude?
-are America's kids dumb?
-why are kids becoming more violent?
-why is sex so prominent among teens these days?

The easy answer to all of these questions is, of course, to blame society. After all, it is society that pumps there head full of this garbage, right? These poor innocent children are being bombarded on every side by a culture that is morally corrupt...

However there are other questions that need to be asked before we can just point the finger at society with reckless abandon. Who makes up society? Society is not an entity in and of itself, after all; it is made up of people. People like you and me. And if something doesn't have a market it doesn't sell. So to haphazardly blame the "smut-peddlers" of the world won't suffice either. We have to go to the root of the problem. You can never treat the ailment without first identifying the problem. Corruption starts at the root. Children are offspring. Therefore, all of these investigative journalistic efforts fall short because they haven't traced the problem back far enough. Society first needs to look at the parenting of the kids and the methods employed therein.

"What exactly are we teaching kids these days?" is a special that I would like to see. Kids are being brought up in an egalitarianism nightmare. They are being taught that they can be anything that they want to be and that they can do anything that they want to do. If they just believe it, if they just meditate on it long enough it will happen. They are taught to do whatever makes them happy. Regardless of what anyone else thinks, believe in yourself. Then to top it all off we send them out into the world telling them to be good and do the right thing. But there's a problem. After all is said and done we have left them with no center. They have no standard by which to judge right and wrong, good or bad other than themselves. Seeing as how this is obviously what we the adults believe as well because we teach it to them unapologetically, they turn, watch and mimic. Seeing variation from person to person in the way of moral ethics, the children to now look inward. The right thing quickly becomes what is right in their own eyes. Objective learning (school) falls by the wayside as well, due to the abrasive egotism that runs free with this line of thinking. It serves no purpose because it's not in the now and does not, in their view affect them personally.

Failing to realize that we ourselves are self-serving, self-worshiping idol factories apart from the knowledge of God, we produce man in our own image--our own little idol factories--in the form of our children. Looking to self and the overall good of mankind will only make the problem worse. Man doesn't seek good for anyone but himself apart from God, thus missing the mark on the purpose for which he was created. This was the mistake in the garden of Eden; when Adam and Eve sought to create sufficiency (ultimately leading to self-worship), it sent them and there posterity on a downhill skid.

I am not making these statements from inside of a vacuum. I happen to work in the public school district. When we were studying the pilgrims during Thanksgiving holidays, the children inquired about the Mayflower Compact and why it was necessary. I told them that it was need to keep some sort of common law between the people, as to what was expected of them in the way of conduct. I also explained further that the pilgrims were not the first group of people who tried to establish themselves in the "new world", but that the others had perished due largely to the fact that there was no order or absolute which to judge the new society. This ultimately resulted in chaos and death. I then followed this up with the question:

What would you guys do, if you came to school tomorrow and found out that there were no more principals and that you were allowed to govern yourselves anyway you saw fit?

The answers were appalling. Even from kids that would not be considered to be behavior problems. It was like they had been waiting for someone to ask them the question. Normally, getting the majority of these kids engage in class participation is like pulling teeth. But on this day they couldn't what to share what they would do if they "ruled the world". I want to share some of these answers with you. While you read, please keep in mind that these are elementary school kids:

-Burn down the school
-Beat up/kill a fellow student or teacher
-Steal various items from the school
-Eat all of the snacks in the cafeteria (not sharing with the others)
-Curse out the teacher
-Push a TV down a flight of stairs on top of another student; because it would be fun (my personal fave)
-Steal a bus
-Smoke
-Bring a gun to school
-Fight

I did this little exercise with four different classes ranging from 1st to 4th grade. Keep in mind that practically everything on this list is felony criminal act, regardless of the state you live in. When I tried to show them that this behavior wasn't constructive and would ultimately lead to their demise, they didn't seem to care. As they put it, "So what, I would get to do whatever I wanted".

Aaah, out of the mouths of babes!!! They are only imitating the behavior and the philosophy that has been passed down to them. One which is completely devoid of the statutes of an almighty Creator God, who made them known to us through his son Jesus, and left to be filled in with humanistic jargon and rhetoric. Parents who fail in raising their children in the ways of God ultimately fail to raise their beloved children at all turning them over to the public and civil magistrates (as well as the media) to gauge the moral compass of their souls. But as John Locke so aptly states,

"The care of souls cannot belong to the civil magistrate."

It is the unhealthy view of self (not seeing ourselves for the sinners we are) that leads to unhealthy children. Remember parents and all those who are the overseers of children:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...




"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." -Deutoronomy 6:4-8 (ESV)

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart." -Psalms 51:4-6 (ESV)



"For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding." -Proverbs 2:6 (ESV)

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil." -Proverbs 3:7 (ESV)

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." -Proverbs 9:10 (ESV)


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

The Anonymous Christian: The Consequence of Rahner's Idea

Nothing Left Sacred

"Keep selling truth in candy bars
on billboards and backs of cars;
Truth without context--
The favorite of all my crimes."

- Derek Webb/ excerpt from the song "A Ballad in Plain Red"


Some friends and I were walking through Wal-Mart yesterday, when we came across the item pictured above. It took a second or two for it to sink in; it just didn't seem real at the moment. In case you haven't figured out what it is, it's Easter candy:

Candy Crosses--in traditional milk and white chocolate!!!

This is insane. It's bad enough that Easter has been reduced to bunnies and Easter eggs. Now this; a complete bastardization of the truth behind Easter to push product. Welcome to the postmodern era, folks. Now some may say, "What's the big deal?" Well, here it is.

The Cross, for any true Christian is the ultimate reminder of the sacrifice that Christ made for the atonement of the sins of the world. It represents the punishment originally due to us, taken on by the One who knew no sin and became sin for us. As the hymn goes:

Seven times he spake seven words of love;
And all three hours his silence cried
For mercy on the souls of men
Jesus our Lord is crucified

O love of God! O sin of man!
In this dread act, your strength is tried;
and victory remains with love;
Jesus our Lord is crucified

I don't quite get this feeling when a look at a chocolate candy cross. But one shouldn't be too surprised to see this in our day and age. The calling card of postmodern thought is bastardization; to take anything it wishes, pluck it out of context to be used as representative for whatever your heart desires. Everything is relative. Nothing is sacred. Whatever you want it to mean is what it means. This is the age of the end of absolutes because objective truth has no meaning. Some may see this as a way to strike a blow against the Easter bunny, but it falls well short of doing that. It puts it on the same level. The cross is no longer set apart (especially in the minds of children), but rather now to be included in the pop culture and folk lore that has become so familiar to us. It's about as ridiculous as a church Easter egg hunt. Power is traded for product and glory for monetary gain. The lists of examples is long (both in Christian and non-Christian industry), but for brevity's sake I have chosen to stay holiday specific.

While this may seem to be a non-issue to some (probably most), this is a subtle symptom of a problem that is prevalent in our day. We should never underestimate the power of marketing. Images and words play a powerful role in shaping our worldview. Images and words outside of the proper context can be dangerous. It causes the paradigm to shift:

"Ring around the rosy
Pocket full of Posies
Ashes, ashes!
We all fall down"

What we have above is a simple little nursery rhyme that is recited by all children in modern day times. With no thought given to the words, it's harmless. But if we put it in it's proper context in history (Bubonic Plague of 1666, England), much more weight has to, as well as should be, given to it.

This is where we stand today as Christians; we must fight against the cultural standard and resist the temptation to reduce meaning of faith to mere product placement. Christ crucified is the pivotal point in the redemptive history of man. To contemplate the cross should not make us salivate; it should make us weep. As the holiday approaches, I urge those that are of the true Christian faith to look upon the cross more earnestly. After all, every Sunday is essentially an "Easter" celebration. As we meditate on the power and the purpose of the crucifixion, let us sing the words of Charles Wesley:

Amazing Love! How can it be; that thou, my God, should die for me!

Amen.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." -Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

The Toughest Thing In the World

Evangel Lies: What the Lord Requires (The Osteen-Meyer Incident)

So there I am--

I'm flipping through the stations, when I run across an Interview with Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen. Their topic of discussion was: "What does the Lord require of us?" They pointed out the fact that most Christians do not truly understand what it is that God requires from us. This was then followed up by a "man on the street interview" segment to further drive the point home. Yes, the answers given by those being questioned were bad. But what was even more troubling were the answers given by the ones who are allegedly shepherding the flock! When asked the same question by Meyer, Osteen replied that he believed that the most important thing was for us to "love other people" and to do "kind acts for others; this is what Jesus did and we should follow his example". Meyer echoes the sentiment and then she adds that it is equally important to "know that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives". While loving others is not a bad thing, when it comes to knowing what God requires, first things must come first. Loving your neighbor is not the first priority. There is a prerequisite that must be filled:

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." - Psalm 51:17 (ESV)

"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." - Hosea 6:6 (ESV)

"'With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?' He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness [steadfast love], and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:6-8 (ESV)

As we can see from these passages of Scripture, we must love God first. The answers in which Osteen and Meyer give twists the order and causes the Christian Faith to become man-centered (works based) instead of God-centered (gift of God). This may seem like "doctrinal nit-picking" to some on my part, but if we look closely at what the Word of God says on the matter we will see that the order is of the utmost importance:

[And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."] - Mark 12:30-33 (ESV)

Once again, Jesus (and the scribe after him) affirms that we are to love God first. The love of God cannot be accomplished by us. Unfortunately this is what the ministers left out. Even to "realize that God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life" is not true if I am not born again (John 3:3, 5 ). The Bible makes it clear that we are not in and of ourselves righteous no matter how many good deeds and charitable acts I perform toward my fellow man. Without a proper assessment of where I stand with God outside faith in the Redeeming work of Christ crucified, I am no better for these things (Rom. 3:11-18, 20).

The ultimate prerequisite is in God's divine initiative. It is God who must reach out and change our hearts in order that we are able to love him:

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:25-26 (ESV)

"Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" - Acts 2:37-38 (ESV)

Once this has happened, it is then (and only then) that the word of God penetrates our hearts and we may repent of our sins against God as he bestows His grace upon us. After this, we will be able to walk in the commands of God. In fulfilling what the Lord requires in our steadfast love towards Him, we will then, as result of the forgiveness and compassion shown to us by God be able to properly show love towards our fellow man.


The true danger of the teaching disseminated by Osteen and Meyer is that of truth mingled with error. The doctrine is twisted and taken out of context; they can definitely show you where it says to love your fellow man in the Bible, however it will sadly not come in its proper order. This is a low-grade domesticated version of the Gospel message. If one falls into the trap of believing this way, it may set them up for a false sense of security in terms of their salvation. This is why it is important to know what God reveals about himself in Scripture, not to base it on our own whims and wishes. Loving your neighbor, apart from understanding the need to love God, only leads to self-love and doing "good" for our own glory.


"We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." - Isaiah 64:6 (ESV)


"Justification never results from good works; justification always results in good works." -John Blanchard

"Love God, and do what you please." - St. Augustine of Hippo


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

A Different Gospel: "Evangel LIES"

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."

- Galatians 1:6-9 (ESV)

Since I've started blogging, I've been getting a lot of strong reactions from friends and family. "Wow, we thought you liked being a Christian", or even better, "Don't you think that you're overreacting--it's really not that bad", they'll say.

Well, I would have to disagree (I know-- big shocker, right?). You have to understand that most people these days get their "theology" the same way they get all of there other "pertinent" information; through the television. While some do actually attend a church regularly, televangelist still play a heavy role in shaping most Christians' theological point of view, due to the simple fact that some have a hard time discerning what is actually sound theology. I've even seen a situation where a person belongs to a biblically based, doctrinally sound congregation, yet still cannot hear or see the difference between the message of their own Pastor and your everyday run of the mill "Televangelist huckster". So, in order to show that I'm not just paranoid or trying to turn molehills into mountains (I'm not the first to point these things out and I surely won't be the last), I have decided to to add a series of entries (to be done periodically) known as "Evangel Lies" to my blog space. I have to say right now, that not ALL televangelists (or ministers that come on television) are bad. I am simply doing this to show what some of the more prominent ministers, particularly from the Word Faith-Prosperity (aka "third wave") movement are saying, and the theology (or lack thereof) that lies behind the purpose of these ministries. It will also be used to discuss certain spurious trends of teaching and preaching in modern evangelicalism all together by examining these ministers in their own words when held up to the light of Scripture. Most of all, I want to use this segment, even more so than others, to encourage fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to search the scriptures to find out if these things are so, in order to be able to determine truth from error based on the Word of God alone. It is not my hatred for these men and women that compels me (as I hope that they will be convicted of their sin), but my love for Christ and His Church.

All that being said, on with the show...the first disscussion is on the way.

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them."

- Acts 20:28-30 (ESV)

SDG

Coram Deo, Contra Mundum (Before the Face of God, Against the World)

"Controversy is only dreaded by the advocates of error." -Benjamin Rush

My friends all think that I'm a controversialist. They're right. I don't mind being in opposition against other ideas and opinions. After all, someone's going to have to be the bad guy at some point. This may not come off very well to some, but there is a method to the madness; I'm not just trying to be a jerk for being a jerk's sake. I believe that we need to be challenged in order to get to the heart of things - to discover the truth of the matter. It has been said that no great accomplishment has ever come about without controversy. I believe this to be true. What can possibly be gained from agreeing to disagree? At times it may be necessary (at least in terms of non-essentials), but in our day, it has really gone too far. Someone's got to be right and someone's got to be wrong. It's a really trendy thing to say, "Let it go; what does it matter?" But the underlying sentiment of the statement is that if it's not worth finding out, it doesn't matter at all.


The Church is overrun with this sort of language and ideal. The "whatever works for you" plan of salvation is the prevailing method of the day, even in some churches that consider themselves to be staunchly "evangelical". The reason this is happening is quite simple: As goes the academy, so goes the church. We are indoctrinated with this kind of speak that passes itself off as "tolerance". If one is to take too firm a stance on any given position in the academic (as well as the religious) arena, they are considered to be "narrow-minded" or "hateful". God forbid, you try and actually integrate religious ideals into academia. Here's an example: The "theory of evolution", we are told, should be taught wholesale in public schools, but to teach "creation science" as a worldview would be ludicrous because it is based on religious beliefs and has no scientific foundation whatsoever. This shouldn't even be a controversy. The argument makes no sense (*see note below). But instead of Christians entering the fray, the majority backs down or withdraws altogether. Some even go as far as to try to accommodate their theology to accommodate for the apathy, both in spirituality and in scholarship, on this issue. As I stated, this is just one example. The list just keeps on going. No one wants to look too hard because it might all start to make sense. If one side starts to make more sense than the other, something has to change. Change is admitting that you were wrong. Nobody wants to admit that. So it's back to square one: "None of it really matters all that much". For Christians it becomes all about "advancing the Kingdom", so issues such as this don't matter in the long run. I beg to differ. Without controversy on such relevant issues, how can you be sure of which kingdom it is that you're actually advancing? Tolerance is the Trojan horse of the modern day era.


Too many times, we as the Church compromise to the point that our voice never to be heard. A lot of this comes from a lack of confidence (or a lack of knowledge) in the Word of God. We cheat ourselves, as well as the world, by our "relaxed" approach toward the Bible as the rule of our life. God left the church in the world, not to become a part of it, but to call people out of it; not to submit to its way of thinking but to have dominion by bringing every thought captive to the word of God. However, if one does hold to this view, they are not only seen as dogmatic and intolerant by the rest of the world, but in many cases, by the church as well! A Christian that stands on the word of God alone (sola scriptura) should never shy away from controversy. In fact, you should welcome it. We must learn to embrace the opportunity to have our faith "fire tested". Quick overviews of the Bible and history more than prove to us that God not only sustains the Church through controversy, but also causes it to thrive within the conflict as well. From Jesus v. Pharisees, Paul v. the Judaizers, John v. the Docetists, Jude v. the false teachers, up through the ages with men like Augustine, Anastasias, Luther, Calvin, and Knox as they fought against the erroneous teachings of the Roman Catholic Church itself. As we continue on, we see the likes of Edwards against spurious forms of revival; this was once again repeated by Ashael Nettleton as he stood against Finney's "revivalism". George Whitefield, for the sake of the authenticity of the Gospel was willing to put his friendship on the line up and against John Wesley's theology of grace. Spurgeon, in his day, spoke out against the creeping presence of liberalism that was making its way into the churches during what was known as "The Downgrade Controversy". Even into more present times, the likes of Machen, Schaffer (who coined it the 'Great Evangelical Disaster' in one of his books), and other great men of faith have given their all to contend for the faith that was delivered once for all to the saints. Believe me; the current status of the church is not free from strife. Sometimes we just like to think that we are by ignoring the elephants in the room. All of these controversies have one thing in common; the church beginning to allow carnality to walk through the front door and take its place behind our pulpits, in the name of getting a place at the table of the "acceptable" worldviews. We try to burr the edges of the Sword of the Spirit - the word of God, as to make less offensive and less capable of doing what it is meant to do.


The Word is supposed to cut to the heart and convict us of the folly of our own self-sufficiency. It should not matter whether or not it is accepted by the rest of the world or seen as intolerant. The priority of the Church is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, not our own. We need to be more controversial in terms of this matter especially among our own congregations. We need to stir each other up with the truths of Scripture, not by the standards of worldly criteria. In order to stand before the face of God, we must rely on His word alone. If we do this, we are by default against the ways of the world (as we should be). No one will take Christians seriously until we first, individually and collectively, begin to take ourselves seriously enough to want to stand up and be counted as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven; not through the means of government, not through the means of culture, but solely on the doctrines as they are taught by Christ and the apostles in the Bible as a means in and of itself.

Contend for the faith. Recover your Confession.


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon


*note: the reason that the argument against Creation Science doesn't make sense is because it has a blatant atheistic slant. Evolution is itself still a theory, because it to is unproven. It then has to work both ways. To consider Creation Science an unproven based on religious beliefs puts it in the same category as the Theory of Evolution, because it is also based on religious beliefs (atheism is to be counted as such due to the fact that it is just as faith based in the negative sense). Therefore, all things being equal, why shouldn't Creation Science be taught along side Darwinism, if Creationism opponents are as tolerant as they claim to be? All "theories" should be taught as equal until the controversy between them is resolved.


"For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized." - 1 Corinthians 11:18-19 (ESV)

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." - 2 Corinthians 10: 4-6 (ESV)

"But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame." - 1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV)

"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 3-4 (ESV)