Thinking-Christianly

It’s easy to have convictions in a vacuum. Imagine yourself alone, pondering the realities of life. You’re doing some serious thinking about how to make wise decisions and live better. In those moments of clarity you embrace the value of exercise or eating better. You tell yourself you will spend more time reflecting on the rich truths of the word of God. You make a silent pledge to bring fresh grace or kindness to a languishing relationship. In those moments it’s easy to see the truth about who you really are and the improvements you need to make.

And then you step out into the real world, with its expectations, demands, temptations, and pressures. In that environment it is difficult to live out the convictions that were once so clear. You may even continue to firmly believe in those values. It’s just that acting on them is more difficult. Truth takes on a different dimension when it is mixed with relationships.

Even the wisest man in the world faced this dilemma. Solomon was legendary for his wisdom, which was a gift from God. (See 2 Chronicles 1:12.) He answered all the questions the queen of Sheba asked him, and gained notoriety for his discernment. But when he tried to live out his wisdom in the context of relationships with his wives, his convictions eroded. 1 Kings 11:3 records “his wives led him astray.” Solomon was outnumbered 700 to 1, which stacked the odds against him. But many of his wives were for show, most likely the product of treaties with lords of city-states and various regions. Even so, the pressure to accommodate their thinking in order to maintain satisfying relationships with them slowly turned Solomon away from the truth he so eloquently defended in 1 Kings chapter 8.

Some might conclude that Solomon’s problem was marrying so many women. That’s a fair criticism. But I wonder if the deeper factor in his change is related to the power of relationships. So often the truth we aspire to crumbles in the face of someone’s displeasure, rejection, or ridicule. We accommodate in order to appease another or win their favor. But when we forsake core convictions for a relationship, we pay too high a price. And our phoniness and vacillation damages both us and the relationship.

So what’s the solution? I don’t have a magic answer, but I suspect that it is linked to cultivating our relationship with God. Truth with God is relational as well as propositional. A bare precept may crumble in the face of a person we don’t want to offend. But a value that is part of the character of a God who loves us, who bought salvation for us, who pays careful attention to our most feeble prayers—this is another thing. As we become more thoughtful about disappointing him and damaging our relationship with him, the intimidation that we may experience because of other relationships becomes secondary.

President Obama’s inaugural address included the following statement:

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

 Presidents can be good orators, but often make poor theologians. How did President Obama (and/or his speech writer) do?

President Obama stated that God promises we are all (1) equal, (2) free, and (3) deserve a chance to pursue our full measure of happiness. That’s more a reflection of the worldview found in the Declaration of Independence than the Bible itself. The classic line from the declaration reads: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

We may be familiar with what the Declaration states, but are these three promises found in the Bible?

The Bible affirms that we are of equal worth. We find this in the creation account in Genesis where Adam and Eve are collectively called man as representatives of a single race. We see it in the sacrifice of Christ, who died to offer salvation to all people. We see this equality of work in the composition of the church, which is inclusive of people regardless of race, gender, age, or economic status. See 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Colossians 3:11, and 1 Corinthians 12:12-13.

 The Bible does not focus on political freedom, though its teaching about the dignity of man lays a solid foundation for that reality. The Bible is not blind to the reality that social freedom is a byproduct of human choice. And sometimes we do not choose well. Ancient Egypt enslaved the descendants of Abraham, as God foresaw in Genesis 12. Moses warned his people that disobedience to God would bring about a loss of freedom Deuteronomy 28:68. Israel was to promote social freedom and just under the laws given to Moses in the Pentateuch. Jeremiah 34:11 condemns the Jews for enslaving one another. Paul encourages believers who are slaves in Corinth to gain their freedom if they can do so, but he does not make that their primary focus. (See 1 Corinthians 7:21.) Historically, Christian teaching on the dignity of man, declared faithfully by men like William Wilberforce, led to the abolition of slavery based on race.

The Bible does focus on spiritual freedom, and alerts us to the fact that we are not born morally neutral as John Dewey and others claim, but born in bondage to sin. (See Jesus remarks in John 8:33-34.) Political freedom is a good thing, but it cannot make possible the spiritual freedom that is found exclusively in Christ. God’s word does not guarantee freedom from the restraints of the state. It offers hope from what Luther called “the bondage of the will.” It is this freedom that is at the center of the mission of Christ. No government or social program can cancel our moral debt to God, remove the true moral guilt we have, or change our status from those rightly condemned by God’s holy standards to one of adopted sons and daughters.

Does God promise the chance to pursue our full measure of happiness? The assumption behind this question is that God’s greatest gift to us is happiness. Scripture teaches otherwise. God’s greatest gift is reconciliation to himself through Christ producing a condition of holiness and moral reformation. If happiness were part of the promise of God, he failed miserably in the life of Jeremiah and Job. He certainly did not provide happiness for the faithful saints in Hebrews 11, some of whom were sawn in two, killed by the sword, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated. The condition of blessedness in the beatitudes is not equivalent to happiness, especially when you consider that many of the realities Jesus mentions there involve hardship and suffering.

What about President Obama’s allusion to the phrase from 1 Corinthians 13:11? Paul is talking not about childish political behavior, but using an analogy to describe a mature attitude in his relationship with God. He is writing to members of a congregation who possessed great spiritual gifts, but who used those gifts for selfish ends. Their fellowship was marked by jealousy, envy, and status wars. There was competition and grandstanding. They were superficial and disobedient. That’s how children respond to the world. It revolves around them. In context, Paul is telling them to abandon this kind of thinking so that they can become the kind of community that brings him glory.

President Obama’s use of the phrase from Paul in a completely different context is not unexpected. It’s part of the “civil religion” of America. The use of familiar words and phrases may build an emotional bridge to some of his constituents who are familiar with some of the language of scripture, but it does not really engage with the spiritual concepts of the context. That is not its purpose. Civil religion is more an acknowledgement of a heritage than anything else. Many in American government use such language because they know it has emotive power. But in the end, such language is perhaps more harmful than helpful, because it can imply convictions that are not real.

Some in our pluralistic nation seek to use our diversity as an excuse to ban one kind of free speech—that which relates to religion, and especially Christianity. For example, a federal judge struck down an Illinois law requiring a moment of silence in public schools. The thinking is that some might actually use that quiet moment to address the God of the Bible in personal prayer. If that were to happen, the government would be an accomplice in establishing religion.

Displays of such warped logic are sad. They presume that reflections of the divine can be scrubbed from human beings who are made in His image when they are in a public place. It’s a futile effort. It has not succeeded in countries where oppression is great, and it will not work here.

Oddly enough, the same government institutions that seek to ban acknowledgment of God allow leaders to speak publically of Him at certain times. Take the inaugural address of President Obama. He said:

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

This reference to the Christian scriptures and to a phrase from 1 Corinthians 13:11 was received warmly or tolerated without much fuss by many. Such response echoes the fact that we are a nation of people who cannot eradicate our sense that God is real and empty materialism does not fully explain reality.

That is not to say that President Obama’s words reflect a clear understanding of scripture. Such public proclamations often reflect a skewed use of scripture, and his words are no exception. I’ll look at the theological accuracy of this paragraph in tomorrow’s blog.

Our culture trains us to think superficially. Commercials insist that the most important thing about us is the color and texture of our hair, the youthfulness of our appearance, or the style of our clothing. Sometimes I convince myself that I don’t buy into that kind of thinking. But the other day I saw someone addressing an issue when I surfed to the PBS station. I only watched the program for 30 seconds or so because I concluded from the appearance and demeanor of the speaker that they had nothing to say that was credible. My assessment was based purely on superficial criteria. Had I watched longer, I could have made a more objective assessment on the basis of content. But I did not.

It’s easy for you and me to miss out on important things when we yield to an unseen superficial bias. We can even bring that attitude to things of faith. He specializes in confronting us with truth in ways that are not obvious. This is even true of his revelation of himself in the person of Christ. When people saw Jesus in the first century, they saw a normal Jew. Unlike the Hollywood portrayal, there is no indication in scripture that Jesus was remarkably good looking, charming, or charismatic. It was not his externals that drew people to himself, but his relationship to the Father and the Spirit.

John the Baptist makes an interesting statement about the normalcy of Jesus of Nazareth. He says, “I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” (John 1:33)

John confesses that he had no idea who the Messiah was. He could not tell by looking. It was only when the divine sign was fulfilled in the ministry of the Spirit that John knew for sure. Apart from that supernatural fulfillment, it was guesswork to John.

 If you’re a follower of Christ, ask God to help you see his fingerprints in the ordinary events and people of the Bible. Much of what God desires to do in us is subtle, invisible, but essential. And ask him to help you see his hand in the unexpected people in the world around you and the unlikely saints you encounter in a normal week. You may be surprised at how much God will show you.

One of the virtues I constantly work on is reducing the amount of complaining I do. You and I are bombarded with people who mutter, grumble, and find fault with everything around them. And it is easy to join the chorus without even knowing you’re singing the same tune as others.

I must confess that when the weather here in Fargo dips to -27, I find it hard to celebrate. I can be impressed with God’s ability to turn his air conditioner to super low, but the challenge of operating in this atmosphere can get wearying.

Perhaps this is one method God uses to get some of us to slow down. Life doesn’t seem to move as fast when you have to warm up your car–or find a friend to jump it. Some outside diversions seem less appealing because they require more work. Schools are late or they shut down. Our church even canceled activities on a Wednesday when the wind chill was dangerously low. Some of us who tend to race through life need times like this to switch to a lower gear. So maybe in all the frustration, there is fruit. (And I’m not thinking of Popsicles.)

If you’ve thought of something God might help bring about through frigid weather, post a response for us to consider.

It’s a delightful experience when you look at a familiar verse and gain fresh insight. This happened to me recently when looking at Paul’s charge to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2. He writes, “The things  which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses,  entrust these to faithful men who will be  able to teach others also.” This is one of those directives that forms a cornerstone for discipleship. It describes how to pass along the truth of Christ’s identity and his teaching that revolutionizes a life.

When looking at the word entrust, we see how the command pictures Timothy as a steward, Those Timothy mentors are the next chain in the multiplication of Christ followers. The word translated entrust caught my attention. It means to place beside, or set before. In Luke 9:16 it describes how the disciples set the loaves and fish before the people. In Luke 11:6 it is used of offering food to a guest.

When I see the word in these contexts, it takes on a new dimension. Part of the mandate for a believer who would disciple others is to set a spiritual table, as it were. It takes work. We don’t just throw something together and toss it at another, expecting them to grow. It takes in mind not only the truth we convey, but also the person. We don’t compromise on the quality of the spiritual food, as some who discount the Bible might. But we also try to present the truth in the most winsome, palatable, and effective way possible. That requires care, thought, and compassion. I suspect that there have been moments in your life when someone has spoken into your life in a thoughtful, gracious way and helped you immensely. Perhaps someone else tried to convey the same message, but it was easier to reject it because of the way it was delivered.

Of course, mentoring someone with the truth of Christ is about more than style. We can give one another the same junk food the world serves—only with a spiritual flavoring added. Or we can be more substantive. Presentation cannot be allowed to trump substance.

I’d be interested to know if any of you who visit this blog have thoughts about how we can set the truth before others most effectively. What do you think?

Sometimes we look at the picture of God in the Old Testament and see a deity who is exacting, who demands perfection and will not tolerate any deviation from his plan.

In areas of morality, God does not bend. His moral commands are an outgrowth of his character and very nature. He defines qualities like goodness, justice, faithfulness, and kindness.

But it is surprising to find places in the Old Testament narrative where God cuts people lots of slack and shows kindness to them even when they don’t comply with everything he prescribes.

Solomon took over the kingdom from his father David. He would be commissioned to move worship from the portable tabernacle to the more permanent structure of the temple in Jerusalem. But before the temple was finished, he offered sacrifices to God at areas called high places. This was common in the surrounding culture, but not part of God’s plan. God weighs in on Solomon’s actions in 1 Kings 3:4. The text says, “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.”

What Solomon did pleased God. Where he did this did not please him. In the next verse we see that Solomon is at Gibeon, which is described as the most important high place. The surprise is that even though this was not a sanctioned location for offerings, God meets in fact, God commends him and offers, “Ask me for whatever you want me to give you.”

This text seems to reflect amazing grace. Though Solomon is not doing everything according to the statutes of his father, he still finds favor with God. I find this most encouraging when I find myself falling far short of the divine mandate and in need of his kindness. God never tolerates sin, but he still shows kindness when we don’t do everything with perfection. He knows our hearts. He is longsuffering with our shortcomings and blind spots, and he looks for ways to bless us when we still have a long way to go. I don’t have to go through a day with perfect compliance before he will answer my prayers or forgive my sins. I’m not required to long in so many hours of thoughtfulness and kindness before God will meet me with blessing. I can have unfinished areas in my thinking and still seek him with expectation. In his mercy he blesses me when I know better or should be doing better. And in that reality there is great encouragement!

Assume for a moment you are a person who rejects the Christian assertion that God has spoken absolute truth, which includes values for human behavior. You believe in relativism. You believe that we decide for ourselves what is true and what is not. There are no fixed universal absolutes.

You correctly identify hypocrisy in the behavior of a Christian, perhaps a prominent one. You fault them for not living up to the values they claim to be part of their faith. (Most of us would agree that this critique of Christianity is commonplace.)

But in doing this, you create problems for yourself. How?

You may not like hypocrisy, but if you embrace relativism you have no moral ground by which to condemn even the most hypocritical Christian. The Christian might agree with you that their behavior does not agree with their profession, but disagree that this inconsistency is morally wrong. Without any kind of absolute, the debate becomes an argument over whose relative moral standard is best. But there is no way to determine which belief is superior if there are no absolutes. What makes moral inconsistency wrong?

Many who find fault with Christianity when they detect hypocritical behavior unconsciously use the Christian standard as a part of their condemnation. But if there are no absolutes, then moral inconsistency is moral inconsistency. It need be nothing more. The response could be, “I don’t live up to my own moral standard, so what? I see it bugs you when I do this. Too bad. Get over it!”

The logical response of the relativist to hypocrisy is silence, since there is no universal standard against which to measure this behavior. But that response is not emotionally or morally satisfying. It underscores the fact that the moral consciousness within us is often in accord with the revelation of truth in scripture. Hypocrisy is ugly and worthy of censure. It points to true moral failure before a perfect and holy God. And that brings us back to the Christian world view.

A few generations ago, the culture questioned the value of Christianity by pointing to a fictitious character like Elmer Gantry, made popular by Sinclair Lewis in 1926. With today’s technology and our tabloid interest in the failures of notable people, we no longer have to rely on the shortcomings of fictional characters. Our electronic media has chronicled the real-life failures of men like Jimmy Swaggart or Ted Haggard.

How can a Christ follower respond to the questions raised by the misbehavior of prominent leaders who boldly claim to be faithful followers of Christ?

One important response is to acknowledge the shortcomings where they have been clearly documented. The Bible does not try to whitewash the behavior of the people who tried to follow the true God. We see Abraham passing his wife off as his sister because of fear. (Genesis 12:13) We watch David conquer Goliath but pretend to be insane before Achish king of Gath. (1 Samuel 21:12 ff.) We see Peter call curses on himself and deny he knows Jesus. (Matthew 26:74)

Pride entices us to stonewall, cover up, and make excuses. It’s our natural response. But it doesn’t work well. When discussing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Jesus warns his disciples. “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” (Luke 12:2) Whether it is ourselves or prominent Christians, the best response is to admit the failure when it occurs.

But we must also point out that the failure of those who call themselves Christians is not the failure of Christianity. There is a difference between someone falling short of values they espouse and the nullifying of those values. No one on earth lives consistent with all of their expressed values promises, or commitments. (See 2 Chronicles 6:36.) This applies to all people, including such diverse groups as agnostics, communists, or Muslims. Living inconsistently with our profession of beliefs is a human problem, not simply a Christian one.

Orthodox Christianity does not proclaim that its adherents become morally perfect in this life. It proclaims the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is his perfection as the Messiah upon which Christianity is grounded. That is why the core issue relates to the person and work of Jesus Christ. If Jesus was not who he claimed to be, if he did not die on a cross as a penalty for sin, or if he was not resurrected to life again, then Christianity falls apart. (See 1 Corinthians 15:17.) The shortcomings of Christ’s followers point to their own spiritual immaturity and disobedience, not to a failure in the teachings or precepts of Christianity.  More about this in the next blog post.

Sometimes people around us can be as irritating as a spoiled two-year-old. This is especially true when they level untrue and unfounded criticisms at you or things you cherish. What do you do when people try to mock or deride your faith in Christ?

Apologetics is that part of Christian learning that helps us respond biblically and logically to such challenges. It’s a reflection of Paul’s response to his critics. In Thessalonica, for example, Luke records, “And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” (See Acts 17:2.) It is this reasoning with people from the clear teaching of the Bible that we believe can open hearts and minds to the life-giving truths of God.

In this blog we will often deal with the charges against Christianity and the faulty reasoning or ignorance upon which they are sometimes based. There are good answers for tough questions. Those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ have firm ground to stand on, both biblically and rationally. We need not be ashamed of God’s revelation of himself to man. We need not run from the competing ideas that are part of life in a pluralistic culture.

But beyond the task of responding with words and sound ideas there is something else at work. It’s the power of a gracious life. Peter knew his share of controversy, and was often in the middle of religious disputes. He writes in 1 Peter 2:15, “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”

There is something apologetic about doing what is right, regardless of the fallout, that makes a powerful difference before the eyes of the world. If our irritation over the lies, misrepresentations, and double standards of the critics of Christianity deters us from doing what is right, we fail. There is something irresistible about the person who continues to live out their faith in the midst of abuse and mockery. In part it is a conquest of the natural responses of retribution and anger by the grace of God.

I’m not suggesting that we are called to like mean-spirited attacks on our faith. They are no fun. But there is something about an undeterred pursuit of doing what is holy and good that trumps bitter accusations and acrimony. Only the Spirit can bring me to the place where I joyfully obey Christ in the midst of hassles. But as he does, my witness becomes more authentic. And it invites others to listen in ways they might not if I were only skilled in debate.

As you encounter those who mock the truths of Christianity, I urge you to sharpen your thinking. But along the way don’t forget to keep pouring your energy into faithful obedience to Christ. That is the other apologetic.