I try to take a little time each day to survey the blogosphere. I find this both entertaining an enlightening. We all need a laugh to keep us sane and otherwise healthy. As far as enlightenment, I occasionally find a few bright spots in the realm of the blogger that help me think through the issues of the day. My most recent "bright spot" is Pyromaniac, the blogging thoughts of Phil Johnson, of the Spurgeon Archive and Grace to You Ministries. Phil combines his extensive contacts with his keen insights. He makes reference to MANY other blogs and quips about the content you might find if you follow his links. It is sort of a portal into the evangelical blogosphere.
In typical Phil-Johnson-style, he tackles some of the more cutting edge issues of the day right off the bat. In a recent post he opens the dialogue on a subject the has dominated much of the evangelical blogdom, including a variety of posts right here at my site. He questions the extent to which evangelicals should partner with unbelievers for political gain. It resembles, to some degree, his excellent chapter "Let Your Light So Shine" in Fool's Gold. This particular post has drawn, at this point, 31 comments, some even from the likes of fellow blogger, Steve Camp.
The thoughts brought out in this post and the subsequent comments form the basis for the article I promised last week, and am still working on, on the subject of Evangelical Unity.
Happy reading and... Grace to You!
Monday, June 13, 2005
Monday, June 06, 2005
Coming Soon...
Here are a few articles that I am working on, just in case you care. Besides, if I tell you there are coming, they have to come! Accountability!
The Heart the Gospel - This one will be a four part series dealing with the four key elements that comprise the heart of the gospel message - God, Man, Christ, and You Must!
Evangelical Unity - Some thoughts on the basis on which we decide to unite or divide ourselves from others who claim Christianity?
Why I Love the Church - This will be a transcript of a recent sermon I delivered here at my home church on May 15. I will also deliver this series in a five part address on a local contemporary Christian radio station next week. It is basically an exposition of Eph 5.22-33 asking the question, "Do I love the Church like Christ loves the Church?"
A Bible-Driven Church - Not a steal of MacArthur's work, rather a look at how the Christian publishing industry is effecting the church, primarily through her pastors.
Feel free to share your thoughts on any of these topics, perhaps you will help shape my thinking as I study and write. Also, what other Blogs are you reading that you find helpful. Note the updates link section to the right. There are some other helpful Blogs (probably much more helpful than these musings) for you to peruse at your leisure.
Grace to You!
The Heart the Gospel - This one will be a four part series dealing with the four key elements that comprise the heart of the gospel message - God, Man, Christ, and You Must!
Evangelical Unity - Some thoughts on the basis on which we decide to unite or divide ourselves from others who claim Christianity?
Why I Love the Church - This will be a transcript of a recent sermon I delivered here at my home church on May 15. I will also deliver this series in a five part address on a local contemporary Christian radio station next week. It is basically an exposition of Eph 5.22-33 asking the question, "Do I love the Church like Christ loves the Church?"
A Bible-Driven Church - Not a steal of MacArthur's work, rather a look at how the Christian publishing industry is effecting the church, primarily through her pastors.
Feel free to share your thoughts on any of these topics, perhaps you will help shape my thinking as I study and write. Also, what other Blogs are you reading that you find helpful. Note the updates link section to the right. There are some other helpful Blogs (probably much more helpful than these musings) for you to peruse at your leisure.
Grace to You!
Dad, That's Easy
Just a brief thought for your musing pleasure this morning…
I was recently eating a hasty supper with my family. It was a Tuesday night and I needed rush back out the door to return to the church for our Grace Evangelism class and visitation ministry. Understanding that I was leaving to teach a class, my 6 year old daughter, Elisabeth, asked what I was going to be teaching about on that night. Underestimating her comprehension, as I usually do, I simplified my answer to, “I am going to be talking about how to tell people about Jesus.” “Dad, that’s easy. Why do you need a class?” was the profoundly elementary reply.
As my wife looked at me with the all too familiar “what are you going to say now” look, I wondered, “what am I going to say now?” “Well, yes, Elisabeth, it can be easy, but…” And I fumbled around a bit and shoved my food in my mouth and ran out the door with my tail between my legs, soundly rebuked by my own conscience, aided by my traitorous six year old! This was the same girl that set me straight days later. We had the neighbor kids over playing around the house, which has become the norm with the warming of the weather. The children to our east are from a broken home, living most of the time with their father next door to us. On this particular afternoon, I could not find Elisabeth. Seeking help from Rebekah, my 5 year old, I was informed she and Wesley, the little boy from next door, had gone upstairs. Now, Elisabeth knows not to bring the neighborhood kids into the house without their parents permission, especially upstairs to the bedrooms. So I went in to retrieve them, already prepared to deliver a little lecture. As I reached the top of the stairs, I saw them in my bedroom. Now there was real trouble. I sent Wesley downstairs and sent Elisabeth to her bedroom. Once Wesley was out of earshot, I demanded, none too quietly, “Why did you have Wesley in the house? Why were you upstairs, and why were you in my room? You know…” and on the lecture began. When I finally came up for air and let Elisabeth speak, she gave me her story. She and Wesley had been sitting on the front porch and she was trying to tell Wesley about his need of trusting Jesus. She decided she needed her Bible and Rebekah kept interrupting them. So she invited Wesley to come inside with her so she could get her Bible and look up John 3.16. She could not find her Bible and was in my room to get an extra one off our bookcase.
Right, egg all over my face! Sometimes the important lessons we learn come from unexpected places.
But what of the brief comment Elisabeth made at our dinner table that Tuesday evening, “Dad, that’s easy!” Is “telling people about Jesus” easy? I am not sure that question has a simple answer. In one sense, we can answer with a resounding “Yes!” Gospel-speak should naturally flow off the lips of every true believer. We should be able to say like Paul (and my daughter) “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!” (Rom 1.16). But in another sense, sharing the gospel with people can be difficult. There are certain elements of the gospel that, when brought together, form the heart of the matter: namely, the holiness of God, the utter inability of man, the sufficiency of Christ and the necessity of faith alone in Christ alone. Any presentation of the gospel minus any of these core elements is not a complete gospel. We must be careful not to dumb down the gospel in our great desire to share the life-transforming hope of Jesus Christ.
So, as Elisabeth reminded me, it is easy! But it is hard work at the same time. Does Gospel-speak flow naturally from your lips? Do you accurately communicate the heart of the Gospel to people in your sphere of influence? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? Remember: it is the power of God for those who believe!
Grace to You!
I was recently eating a hasty supper with my family. It was a Tuesday night and I needed rush back out the door to return to the church for our Grace Evangelism class and visitation ministry. Understanding that I was leaving to teach a class, my 6 year old daughter, Elisabeth, asked what I was going to be teaching about on that night. Underestimating her comprehension, as I usually do, I simplified my answer to, “I am going to be talking about how to tell people about Jesus.” “Dad, that’s easy. Why do you need a class?” was the profoundly elementary reply.
As my wife looked at me with the all too familiar “what are you going to say now” look, I wondered, “what am I going to say now?” “Well, yes, Elisabeth, it can be easy, but…” And I fumbled around a bit and shoved my food in my mouth and ran out the door with my tail between my legs, soundly rebuked by my own conscience, aided by my traitorous six year old! This was the same girl that set me straight days later. We had the neighbor kids over playing around the house, which has become the norm with the warming of the weather. The children to our east are from a broken home, living most of the time with their father next door to us. On this particular afternoon, I could not find Elisabeth. Seeking help from Rebekah, my 5 year old, I was informed she and Wesley, the little boy from next door, had gone upstairs. Now, Elisabeth knows not to bring the neighborhood kids into the house without their parents permission, especially upstairs to the bedrooms. So I went in to retrieve them, already prepared to deliver a little lecture. As I reached the top of the stairs, I saw them in my bedroom. Now there was real trouble. I sent Wesley downstairs and sent Elisabeth to her bedroom. Once Wesley was out of earshot, I demanded, none too quietly, “Why did you have Wesley in the house? Why were you upstairs, and why were you in my room? You know…” and on the lecture began. When I finally came up for air and let Elisabeth speak, she gave me her story. She and Wesley had been sitting on the front porch and she was trying to tell Wesley about his need of trusting Jesus. She decided she needed her Bible and Rebekah kept interrupting them. So she invited Wesley to come inside with her so she could get her Bible and look up John 3.16. She could not find her Bible and was in my room to get an extra one off our bookcase.
Right, egg all over my face! Sometimes the important lessons we learn come from unexpected places.
But what of the brief comment Elisabeth made at our dinner table that Tuesday evening, “Dad, that’s easy!” Is “telling people about Jesus” easy? I am not sure that question has a simple answer. In one sense, we can answer with a resounding “Yes!” Gospel-speak should naturally flow off the lips of every true believer. We should be able to say like Paul (and my daughter) “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!” (Rom 1.16). But in another sense, sharing the gospel with people can be difficult. There are certain elements of the gospel that, when brought together, form the heart of the matter: namely, the holiness of God, the utter inability of man, the sufficiency of Christ and the necessity of faith alone in Christ alone. Any presentation of the gospel minus any of these core elements is not a complete gospel. We must be careful not to dumb down the gospel in our great desire to share the life-transforming hope of Jesus Christ.
So, as Elisabeth reminded me, it is easy! But it is hard work at the same time. Does Gospel-speak flow naturally from your lips? Do you accurately communicate the heart of the Gospel to people in your sphere of influence? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? Remember: it is the power of God for those who believe!
Grace to You!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Remember...
Not sure why these thoughts are running through my brain today, maybe something to do with the Memorial Day that just passed. My wife and I drove our three children around a local cemetery and mused about all the American flags and what they represented. Our daughters (age 6 and 5) were surprisingly keen to the sacrifice these brave men and women had made on behalf of our enduring freedom. Anyway, a few moments of musing today… remember…
Franklin Delano Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 “a day that will live in infamy.” I continue to be challenged, motivated and reminded of the ideals of the American heritage when I read the historical accounts of that day. Of course, I do not have firsthand experience from which to draw, having not been born until 1974.
I do remember, however, pulling out of the McDonald’s drive through around 9 o’clock the morning of September 11, 2001. I had turned my radio off to order my medium coffee from the kind lady that I saw virtually every weekday morning on my way to the office. I turned my radio back on to the sound of Bill Wills, from WTAM 1100 AM, a Cleveland talk radio station, in a calm, yet obviously concerned voice saying something about what appeared to be a small plane running into the World Trade Center in New York City. Immediately, I was skeptical. I had been in the city recently. I had scene the skyline numerous times. “The World Trade Center doesn’t just appear out of nowhere”, I thought. There is almost no possibility that this was an accident. I drove into the parking lot of my office at Millersburg Baptist Church and sat in my truck to listen to the continued coverage. Just as I put my truck into park, the voice on the radio screamed with panic insisting that another plane just ran into the second tower of the World Trade Center. At that moment, along with rest of America, I understood our country was under attack on our own soil for the first significant time since 1941. The questions remaining were, “How big and far reaching would the full attack be?” “What was the next target?”
I went through such an unbelievable array of emotions sitting in my truck over the next 20 minutes. I was angry! How could anyone do this to our country? I was appalled that our government didn’t protect us. I was thankful that George W. Bush was president and not Al Gore. (This was ACTUALLY one of my first thoughts – and one of the first comments from my wife when I reported the event to her.) I was motivated. I was frustrated that my 8 years as an Army reservist were over, because I wanted to go get whoever did this. But after going through the 20 minute gamut of emotions, I realized I had a wife and a two daughters at home that I had to get back to and take care of. I turned my truck around and drove quickly back to my house.
My wife was at first pleasantly surprised to see me walk back in the door, assuming I had forgotten something and she would get another hug before I returned to the office. Then she saw my face, which apparently was still in a bit of shock. As I scrambled around looking for a portable radio (we had no T.V. in our house) I filled her in on the details. We finally got a radio station to come in when we held the radio in certain position in our bathroom! It was one of the first times I actually wished we had cable television. We spent the rest of the morning listening to the newscasters speculate as to what happened in New York and Washington D.C. Then by late morning, I remembered… I was a pastor and I would have to address the congregation on Wednesday and Sunday regarding these horrible events. I had just started a series on Nehemiah. Do I proceed with the scheduled study or do I address the pressing issue of the day? It didn’t take me long to decide the priority of addressing the issue that would consume everyone’s mind.
As I sat at my desk that afternoon, I prayed intently that God would afford me wisdom from Him to know just how to address our folks regarding these horrible events. Do I address the sovereignty of God? Should I focus on the total depravity of man, the profound fact that each of us naturally have the capacity to carry out such a heinous act as this? Perhaps the focus should be the mercy and grace of God, looking at the tower that fell in Shiloam? I really didn’t know.
Through a period of earnest prayer, God directed my thoughts to Psalm 64. I was amazed as I studied these comforting words. I decided I wasn’t going to do a normal exposition of the text; rather I simply wanted to capture the heart of the psalmist and then spend some time as a church family in prayer. The message David communicates to us in Psalm 27 is Confidence in God through Communion with Him. We take courage, not in America, not in self, but in God alone. In the midst of contemplating the approaching attack of his enemies, David declared in v13, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord.”
Do you have confidence in the goodness of the Lord in the face of overwhelming despair? Whatever it is we face that seems to place the weight of the world on our shoulders, we must hold fast to the goodness of God, the attribute whereby we gain confidence in the outworking of His divine plan.
The lessons September 11 have for America are deep and far reaching, indeed still being learned today. But the lessons for us as believers in the sovereign hand of Good God are exponentially more profound. God is always in control and God divine plan of love and redemption will never be thwarted.
Some folks put together a nice tribute to the heroes of September 11. Follow the link to watch, but as you do, remember the fallen heroes, but also remember the Good God we serve!
http://www.fdnylodd.com/BloodofHeroes.html
Grace to you!
Franklin Delano Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 “a day that will live in infamy.” I continue to be challenged, motivated and reminded of the ideals of the American heritage when I read the historical accounts of that day. Of course, I do not have firsthand experience from which to draw, having not been born until 1974.
I do remember, however, pulling out of the McDonald’s drive through around 9 o’clock the morning of September 11, 2001. I had turned my radio off to order my medium coffee from the kind lady that I saw virtually every weekday morning on my way to the office. I turned my radio back on to the sound of Bill Wills, from WTAM 1100 AM, a Cleveland talk radio station, in a calm, yet obviously concerned voice saying something about what appeared to be a small plane running into the World Trade Center in New York City. Immediately, I was skeptical. I had been in the city recently. I had scene the skyline numerous times. “The World Trade Center doesn’t just appear out of nowhere”, I thought. There is almost no possibility that this was an accident. I drove into the parking lot of my office at Millersburg Baptist Church and sat in my truck to listen to the continued coverage. Just as I put my truck into park, the voice on the radio screamed with panic insisting that another plane just ran into the second tower of the World Trade Center. At that moment, along with rest of America, I understood our country was under attack on our own soil for the first significant time since 1941. The questions remaining were, “How big and far reaching would the full attack be?” “What was the next target?”
I went through such an unbelievable array of emotions sitting in my truck over the next 20 minutes. I was angry! How could anyone do this to our country? I was appalled that our government didn’t protect us. I was thankful that George W. Bush was president and not Al Gore. (This was ACTUALLY one of my first thoughts – and one of the first comments from my wife when I reported the event to her.) I was motivated. I was frustrated that my 8 years as an Army reservist were over, because I wanted to go get whoever did this. But after going through the 20 minute gamut of emotions, I realized I had a wife and a two daughters at home that I had to get back to and take care of. I turned my truck around and drove quickly back to my house.
My wife was at first pleasantly surprised to see me walk back in the door, assuming I had forgotten something and she would get another hug before I returned to the office. Then she saw my face, which apparently was still in a bit of shock. As I scrambled around looking for a portable radio (we had no T.V. in our house) I filled her in on the details. We finally got a radio station to come in when we held the radio in certain position in our bathroom! It was one of the first times I actually wished we had cable television. We spent the rest of the morning listening to the newscasters speculate as to what happened in New York and Washington D.C. Then by late morning, I remembered… I was a pastor and I would have to address the congregation on Wednesday and Sunday regarding these horrible events. I had just started a series on Nehemiah. Do I proceed with the scheduled study or do I address the pressing issue of the day? It didn’t take me long to decide the priority of addressing the issue that would consume everyone’s mind.
As I sat at my desk that afternoon, I prayed intently that God would afford me wisdom from Him to know just how to address our folks regarding these horrible events. Do I address the sovereignty of God? Should I focus on the total depravity of man, the profound fact that each of us naturally have the capacity to carry out such a heinous act as this? Perhaps the focus should be the mercy and grace of God, looking at the tower that fell in Shiloam? I really didn’t know.
Through a period of earnest prayer, God directed my thoughts to Psalm 64. I was amazed as I studied these comforting words. I decided I wasn’t going to do a normal exposition of the text; rather I simply wanted to capture the heart of the psalmist and then spend some time as a church family in prayer. The message David communicates to us in Psalm 27 is Confidence in God through Communion with Him. We take courage, not in America, not in self, but in God alone. In the midst of contemplating the approaching attack of his enemies, David declared in v13, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord.”
Do you have confidence in the goodness of the Lord in the face of overwhelming despair? Whatever it is we face that seems to place the weight of the world on our shoulders, we must hold fast to the goodness of God, the attribute whereby we gain confidence in the outworking of His divine plan.
The lessons September 11 have for America are deep and far reaching, indeed still being learned today. But the lessons for us as believers in the sovereign hand of Good God are exponentially more profound. God is always in control and God divine plan of love and redemption will never be thwarted.
Some folks put together a nice tribute to the heroes of September 11. Follow the link to watch, but as you do, remember the fallen heroes, but also remember the Good God we serve!
http://www.fdnylodd.com/BloodofHeroes.html
Grace to you!
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Christian Biographies
It was recently brought to my attention the significant impact the reading of Christian biographies had the spiritual and ministerial development of C.H. Spurgeon and George Whitfield. Scripture itself places emphasis on our learning from others around us and from those who have gone before us. We must always recognize the saints on whose shoulders we stand in the work of building God's church!
With that in mind, allow me to ask a question. What good Christian biographies have you recently read... contemporary or from generations gone by? Please post in the comment section so we can all add to our "must read" lists.
I am currently reading The Biography of Robert Murray McCheyne by Andrew Bonar. I recently finished a more contemporay biography, The Hand of Providence: The Faith of Ronald Reagan.
What are you reading that you would recommend?
Grace to You!
With that in mind, allow me to ask a question. What good Christian biographies have you recently read... contemporary or from generations gone by? Please post in the comment section so we can all add to our "must read" lists.
I am currently reading The Biography of Robert Murray McCheyne by Andrew Bonar. I recently finished a more contemporay biography, The Hand of Providence: The Faith of Ronald Reagan.
What are you reading that you would recommend?
Grace to You!
There Are No Athiests!
EDITOR'S NOTE: This post is being republished. It was originally posted on Feb 23, 2005. In light of some recent study, I decided to repost it for your encouragement and interaction. Grace and Peace to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!
I teach a class at my church on Tuesday nights called Grace Evangelism. We meet at 6:00 PM for a time of study then go out on visitation. This week the topic of study was the evangelistic implications of Romans 1.18-20 and Romans 2.14-15.
Romans 1.18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For 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."
There are certain gospel truths that all humankind already know. God uniquely designed the entire universe to point to Himself. From creation, there are at least two attributes of God that all humanity have embedded on their minds. According to verse 20, all men clearly perceive God's eternal power and His divine nature.
God's eternal power is evidenced in His personal creation of all the world through the person of Jesus Christ and his moment by moment sustaining its very existence. Every man, woman and chiild who every lived or ever will live on this earth knwo that. Why do you think people instinctively call on God when an earthquake or a tsunami rattles their existence? Why do they call out to God when traumatic circumstance beset them? Because they instinctively know of the eternal power of God.
All humankind are also clearly aware of God's divine nature, that is His goodness and grace commonly spread to all humanity. To a limited degree, God's grace is made available to every person without regard to location, religion, gender, race, etc. He rains on the just and the unjust alike (cf Matt 5.45). This is why even the unsaved both plead for God to deliver rain and curse His name when they get too much of it. They know the divine nature of God.
Os, if the Bible is true, and I believe that it always is, there are no atheists! There may well be professing atheists, much as there are professing Christians who are not genuine. All men have the very existence of God already etched on their minds. According to verse 18, they "By their unrighteousness supress the truth." That means it is there, just pushed down under layers of disobedience, rebellion and denial. But it is there. I have a friend named John who claimed for many years to be an atheist. He is very intellectual, very sharp. The very beauty and order of the created world sent him on a religious search for the essence of reality and source of life. He eventually landed at the Gospel and God turned his life around. What was it in John that sent him searching for Truth? That's right, it was the very truth of God already inscribed on his heart.
What is the evangelistic implications of this truth? There are no atheists, so what of those who claim to be atheists? We do not argue for the existence of God or His authority. We rather confront the point of sinful rebellion by building on the foundation of truth God has already put in his heart. Evangelism is the work of God. We get to be His mouthpieces as He completes the work He began in creation!
Grace to You!
I teach a class at my church on Tuesday nights called Grace Evangelism. We meet at 6:00 PM for a time of study then go out on visitation. This week the topic of study was the evangelistic implications of Romans 1.18-20 and Romans 2.14-15.
Romans 1.18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For 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."
There are certain gospel truths that all humankind already know. God uniquely designed the entire universe to point to Himself. From creation, there are at least two attributes of God that all humanity have embedded on their minds. According to verse 20, all men clearly perceive God's eternal power and His divine nature.
God's eternal power is evidenced in His personal creation of all the world through the person of Jesus Christ and his moment by moment sustaining its very existence. Every man, woman and chiild who every lived or ever will live on this earth knwo that. Why do you think people instinctively call on God when an earthquake or a tsunami rattles their existence? Why do they call out to God when traumatic circumstance beset them? Because they instinctively know of the eternal power of God.
All humankind are also clearly aware of God's divine nature, that is His goodness and grace commonly spread to all humanity. To a limited degree, God's grace is made available to every person without regard to location, religion, gender, race, etc. He rains on the just and the unjust alike (cf Matt 5.45). This is why even the unsaved both plead for God to deliver rain and curse His name when they get too much of it. They know the divine nature of God.
Os, if the Bible is true, and I believe that it always is, there are no atheists! There may well be professing atheists, much as there are professing Christians who are not genuine. All men have the very existence of God already etched on their minds. According to verse 18, they "By their unrighteousness supress the truth." That means it is there, just pushed down under layers of disobedience, rebellion and denial. But it is there. I have a friend named John who claimed for many years to be an atheist. He is very intellectual, very sharp. The very beauty and order of the created world sent him on a religious search for the essence of reality and source of life. He eventually landed at the Gospel and God turned his life around. What was it in John that sent him searching for Truth? That's right, it was the very truth of God already inscribed on his heart.
What is the evangelistic implications of this truth? There are no atheists, so what of those who claim to be atheists? We do not argue for the existence of God or His authority. We rather confront the point of sinful rebellion by building on the foundation of truth God has already put in his heart. Evangelism is the work of God. We get to be His mouthpieces as He completes the work He began in creation!
Grace to You!
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Blinded By Might
According the ever vocal John Gibson over at “Fair and Balanced” Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155422,00.html) “The very same team that was helping to get John Kerry elected, muttering the whole time that Bush lied to get the country into a war…” are now helping Prime Minister Tony Blair in his bid for a third term by insisting that he did not lie about the war. Interesting how Bush was a conniving liar and Blair was simply mislead. But hey, don’t let the facts get in the way of an agenda, by all means!
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Democrats, like most politicians (I almost said “all,” but I am still optimistic that there are a few honest ones out there) get blinded by their grab for power and influence that they readily compromise integrity. They simply assume most American won’t pay attention to what is happening on the other side of the big pond. They can say one thing here and another thing over there and be growing their power bases in both places. This is all par for the political course.
The concern I have this morning is the parallel that I see between modern politicians and many evangelical leaders. Power and influence are dangerous weapons that, when possessed, can be wielded to effect far reaching change. This is just as true for evangelicals as it is for politicians. This proven fact is demonstrated throughout recent evangelical history. For the most obvious example, look at the influence that Rev. Billy Graham has had on numerous American presidents. His son and assumed heir, Franklin Graham is already beginning to wield that political power that comes as a result of his status as an evangelical leader. Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan, Gary Bauer, Tony Perkins, James Dobson and more recently Al Mohler, are all examples of how evangelical influence translates to political influence. This can all be well and good, even helpful to the greater cause of evangelicalism, namely the spread the gospel of faith alone in Christ alone – the good news that Christ appeased the wrath of God and opens the narrow door of heaven for all who would believe in Him alone.
The rub comes when evangelical leaders, like their political counterparts, begin to compromise their integrity, or worse, the integrity of the gospel, to gain political clout. Democratic leaders like Bob Shrum and Stan Greenberg blatantly call Bush a liar and then rush to wrap their arms around Blair precisely because it seems apparent the Blair will glide to an easy victory and the Democrats want a bit of influence with Blair and other Europeans. So what if their integrity is a bit compromised? The political clout they will gain far outweighs any potentially negative press they will get here in the States. Evangelical leaders like Dobson are doing the same thing. They are sidling up with Roman Catholics, as well as many liberal evangelicals, that deny the very claims of the gospel in the hopes of gaining political clout to effect change. Those changes would be helpful and well received by most of us evangelicals, but not at the expense of throwing the gospel out the window.
As I have commented before, (as has Steve Camp and James White much more fluently – and boldly – as I) there is nothing helpful or loving about fixing the cultural and political climate while denying the claims of the gospel – the only means to fix the real issue of lost people’s hearts. Once the evangelicals have hijacked the political system and effected the desired changes, how will they be able to come back and preach the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that they have marginalized for the last decade?
No doubt about it, there is much needed political change in America, starting right here in Toledo and going all the way to the Supreme Court and even the White House. I am working to effect that change in small, grass roots ways. I hope to help in some small way to get Rob Ludeman elected Mayor of Toledo. I hope to be a part of getting Kenneth Blackwell elected Governor of Ohio. But in this process, I must never compromise the heart of the Gospel or my own integrity to effect a temporal change.
May evangelicals everywhere be able to say as Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.” (Rom 1.16)
Grace to You!
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Democrats, like most politicians (I almost said “all,” but I am still optimistic that there are a few honest ones out there) get blinded by their grab for power and influence that they readily compromise integrity. They simply assume most American won’t pay attention to what is happening on the other side of the big pond. They can say one thing here and another thing over there and be growing their power bases in both places. This is all par for the political course.
The concern I have this morning is the parallel that I see between modern politicians and many evangelical leaders. Power and influence are dangerous weapons that, when possessed, can be wielded to effect far reaching change. This is just as true for evangelicals as it is for politicians. This proven fact is demonstrated throughout recent evangelical history. For the most obvious example, look at the influence that Rev. Billy Graham has had on numerous American presidents. His son and assumed heir, Franklin Graham is already beginning to wield that political power that comes as a result of his status as an evangelical leader. Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan, Gary Bauer, Tony Perkins, James Dobson and more recently Al Mohler, are all examples of how evangelical influence translates to political influence. This can all be well and good, even helpful to the greater cause of evangelicalism, namely the spread the gospel of faith alone in Christ alone – the good news that Christ appeased the wrath of God and opens the narrow door of heaven for all who would believe in Him alone.
The rub comes when evangelical leaders, like their political counterparts, begin to compromise their integrity, or worse, the integrity of the gospel, to gain political clout. Democratic leaders like Bob Shrum and Stan Greenberg blatantly call Bush a liar and then rush to wrap their arms around Blair precisely because it seems apparent the Blair will glide to an easy victory and the Democrats want a bit of influence with Blair and other Europeans. So what if their integrity is a bit compromised? The political clout they will gain far outweighs any potentially negative press they will get here in the States. Evangelical leaders like Dobson are doing the same thing. They are sidling up with Roman Catholics, as well as many liberal evangelicals, that deny the very claims of the gospel in the hopes of gaining political clout to effect change. Those changes would be helpful and well received by most of us evangelicals, but not at the expense of throwing the gospel out the window.
As I have commented before, (as has Steve Camp and James White much more fluently – and boldly – as I) there is nothing helpful or loving about fixing the cultural and political climate while denying the claims of the gospel – the only means to fix the real issue of lost people’s hearts. Once the evangelicals have hijacked the political system and effected the desired changes, how will they be able to come back and preach the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that they have marginalized for the last decade?
No doubt about it, there is much needed political change in America, starting right here in Toledo and going all the way to the Supreme Court and even the White House. I am working to effect that change in small, grass roots ways. I hope to help in some small way to get Rob Ludeman elected Mayor of Toledo. I hope to be a part of getting Kenneth Blackwell elected Governor of Ohio. But in this process, I must never compromise the heart of the Gospel or my own integrity to effect a temporal change.
May evangelicals everywhere be able to say as Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.” (Rom 1.16)
Grace to You!
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
The Runaway Bride
She may not be able to double as Julia Roberts, but Jennifer Wilbanks is going to be the butt of many jokes for a long time to come. Maybe rightfully so. Afterall, she sent local authorities on a very expensive and time consuming hunt for something that was never going to be found. She toyed with the emotions of a whole community (and thanks to the big media with nothing else to do, a whole country). There may be a legitimate price to pay for the taxpayer funded wild goose chase.
But let's slow down for a minute. My friend, Fritz Wenzel, a political and media consultant, made a striking observation on his blog (www.heartlandpolitics.com) regarding Ms. Wilbanks. Surely good can be found and grace can be given to this woman who got cold feet and had her second thoughts BEFORE she said her "I do." Now I am rarely one to suspend due process and release someone of the just consequences of breaking the law, but if ever there was a time to be very slow and cautious before pressing charges, this would be it. Think of how much heartache and trauma could be avoided if more people gave serious consideration to the deeply profound implications of saying "I do."
Marriages are a dime a dozen and finding so-called "clergy" that will "perform" them is easier than finding wasted taxpayer money at the local public school board. Americans have such a consumer driven idea of marriage that it will only be a matter of time until you will be able to get your marriage license signed at a drive through window.
This all throws out the Biblical imagery of marriage being the imperfect picture of how Christ perfectly loves His bride, the Church. God has called out for His own glory a people that He will present to Christ as His Bride. Christ endlessly, sacrificially, intentionally loves that Bride, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health. And we, His church, are very often, worse, poorer, and sick and yet Christ continues to love us. Even when we cheat on Him with our gods of self, pleasure, dreams, ambitions, etc... He loves us always.
Mr. John Mason, the would-be groom, has modeled a bit this kind of unconditional love. He has insisted that his love for her has in no way diminished. He wants to give her time to work through her problems and proceed with the relational commitment he has made. How many men you know would jump ship even AFTER the wedding if his partner did something like this? Mr. Mason understands the commitment he made and is sticking by it.
I pray that more people will give series consideration to the ramification of marriage before they go to the altar. I make it my goal, in the first counseling session I do with a couple leading up to marrying them, to convince them not to get married. If i can talk them out marriage in a one hour session, they shouldn't be getting married in the first place.
I hope we all learn something from this, regardless of what legal ramifications this might have on Ms. Wilbanks, they are far better than the far reaching devastation that would have resulted from her running a few days after then wedding instead of a few days before.
Grace to You!
But let's slow down for a minute. My friend, Fritz Wenzel, a political and media consultant, made a striking observation on his blog (www.heartlandpolitics.com) regarding Ms. Wilbanks. Surely good can be found and grace can be given to this woman who got cold feet and had her second thoughts BEFORE she said her "I do." Now I am rarely one to suspend due process and release someone of the just consequences of breaking the law, but if ever there was a time to be very slow and cautious before pressing charges, this would be it. Think of how much heartache and trauma could be avoided if more people gave serious consideration to the deeply profound implications of saying "I do."
Marriages are a dime a dozen and finding so-called "clergy" that will "perform" them is easier than finding wasted taxpayer money at the local public school board. Americans have such a consumer driven idea of marriage that it will only be a matter of time until you will be able to get your marriage license signed at a drive through window.
This all throws out the Biblical imagery of marriage being the imperfect picture of how Christ perfectly loves His bride, the Church. God has called out for His own glory a people that He will present to Christ as His Bride. Christ endlessly, sacrificially, intentionally loves that Bride, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health. And we, His church, are very often, worse, poorer, and sick and yet Christ continues to love us. Even when we cheat on Him with our gods of self, pleasure, dreams, ambitions, etc... He loves us always.
Mr. John Mason, the would-be groom, has modeled a bit this kind of unconditional love. He has insisted that his love for her has in no way diminished. He wants to give her time to work through her problems and proceed with the relational commitment he has made. How many men you know would jump ship even AFTER the wedding if his partner did something like this? Mr. Mason understands the commitment he made and is sticking by it.
I pray that more people will give series consideration to the ramification of marriage before they go to the altar. I make it my goal, in the first counseling session I do with a couple leading up to marrying them, to convince them not to get married. If i can talk them out marriage in a one hour session, they shouldn't be getting married in the first place.
I hope we all learn something from this, regardless of what legal ramifications this might have on Ms. Wilbanks, they are far better than the far reaching devastation that would have resulted from her running a few days after then wedding instead of a few days before.
Grace to You!
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