I hope (expectation of good) and I pray (demonstrating my dependence upon God) for a better America (the country of my birth). Does this make me a good Christian, patriotic one or both? Does it make me a better or lesser Christian to care what happens to a particular nation among the family of many? What place does nationalism have in the church? The question is a pertinent one as our world becomes a smaller place and our faith increasingly challenged by culture and government. Perhaps a better question is, should we consider ourselves "American Christians" or simply "Christians" without moniker identifying us by our geography or land of birth?
It has always bothered me to see an American flag in the sanctuary of a church. My angst has nothing to do with feelings for country; I am a proud American. My negative emotions arise from the identification of God with a particular nation or people. After all, God loved Russians during the cold war, Germans during World War II and even the Red Coats of the American Revolution. Didn't He?
Certainly we claim no monopoly on the salvation, love or grace of the Christ. God could be said to be both multinational as well as multi-cultural. This is why an American flag in the sanctuary seems a misplaced demonstration of national pride and passion. Our founding fathers (yes they were all men) strongly opposed the idea of a national church. Their wisdom led to the establishment of the idea of separation of church and state. These men wanted the state out of the church. They had seen the abuses and great difficulties such arrangements created in the "Old World" and wanted no part of such in the new one. However, they understood the importance of faith in the public square. Specifically, they understood the necessity of a strong church presence within the affairs of state. George Washington stated the following in his farewell address of 1796,
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
Religion, more specifically, Christianity, is absolutely vital to the continued good health of our nation. If we come to the place where we no longer recognize Christianity as the moral conscience of our people, all petitions for God's blessing will be in vain. One cannot depart God's moral counsel and at the same time enjoy His bountiful blessing. Discipline awaits those who spurn the counsel of God Almighty.
Unfortunately, our secular culture has pressured the church into abdicating its intended function in affairs of state. Popular culture and political pressure have intimidated the church and her people to the point of submission. No longer is the champion of righteousness taking her rightful place at the table of ideas. Christians are told to keep their beliefs personal and out of the public square. The result of this capitulation has been tragic. What we are experiencing today is nothing short of God's discipline or judgement upon a nation which has spurned His moral law.
God help us repent! There is no justice nor prosperity for a nation whose God is anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ.
James
A vast majority of people, Christian and non Christian alike, champion the idea that "prayer makes a difference." But, statisticians and their surveys tell us people pray very little. "An Ellis Research survey for Facts & Trends finds just 16% of pastors are very satisfied with their personal prayer lives, 47% are somewhat satisfied, 30% somewhat dissatisfied and 7% very dissatisfied. Their median amount of prayer time per day is 30 minutes. During that time, a typical pastor spends 12 minutes with prayer requests, 8 in quiet time, 7 giving thanks, 7 more in praise, and 5 confessing sin. The top 5 things they pray for are individual congregation member’s needs, congregation’s spiritual health, wisdom in leading church, spiritual growth for church, and personal spiritual growth." (Facts & Trends 5/6/05) If these are the statistics for those in positions of spiritual leadership, we might expect the same or less from those sitting under their leadership. In general, people pray very little.
Why are we not praying more? Perhaps we don't know the power of prayer? Perhaps we diminish the genuine value of the opportunity to have a relationship with God? Perhaps we are just lazy? Perhaps we lack faith in God? Whatever the reason for our prayer-less-ness, we must admit our life would benefit greatly if we prayed more. Why don't we find out how much our life might be changed by a stronger prayer life and a closer walk with God! Let's start praying!
Beginning June 1st I am challenging every believer I know to take a challenge called "Watch One Hour." This is a challenge to spend at least one hour in prayer everyday for 30 days. There are 30 days in June so this is an easy time frame to wrap your mind around!
Will you join me in prayer? Your hour in prayer might be all in one sitting, 15 minutes four times each day or 10 minutes six times each day. However you break it down just make sure you are with Christ for at least 60 minutes everyday! Your life will be changed!
James
Benghazi, IRS, AP, the three together spell trouble for our nation. To quote Jeremiah Wright, "America's chickens have come home to roost." I quote Wright in jest but his words are true if applied to the context of our current day. America is now reaping the consequences of the gross secularization of her culture and abandonment of Judeo-Christian morality. Once a nation removes God from the public square it is left to the devices of sinful human nature. The government of the United States is attempting to operate in a secular vacuum void of religious influences; a democracy can never survive such an environment. The success of any Democracy, government by the people and for the people, is completely dependent upon the influence of those who know and follow Christ. Democracy needs the leadership of those who are devoted to Jesus Christ.
One misconception of modern man is the idea people are generally "good" when in fact the exact opposite is the case. Certainly I could give a long list of examples and evidence to back up the claim of this assertion but the actions and attitude of any two year old sufficiently makes the point. People are born with a sin nature; a sin nature which makes them selfish, self seeking and incapable of pleasing God. This gross combination eventually produces very bad things in the life of the individual, family and community at large. Selfish, unrighteous people are incapable of governing in a way which provides for the greater good of the people they govern. Inevitably, irreligious, Godless men and women will lead a people to corruption and judgment as they selfishly seek their own good to the detriment of the greater good.
Character matters! Without leaders who have repented of past sin and committed themselves to a better, more righteous future, our nation is doomed to failure. The lesson of today's scandals is simply this: Government must stay out of the church but the church must interject itself into the state. The government needs the moral leadership of Christ followers.
Does God care if two men "marry" one another? Is it even possible for such a union to "be" a "marriage?" How can the church address the issue of same sex marriage without raising the issue of homosexuality above all other sin? The current debate in our culture over same sex marriage has left the church with several important questions to answer.
To the first question, yes God does care if two men or two women "marry" one another. How can I be sure of His interest? Because God has very clearly set forth what actually constitutes a marriage in Genesis 2. In this passage, God created the institution of marriage when He joined Adam and Eve together as "one flesh." He made them "one" both spiritually, emotionally and physically. The physical part had to do with the design of their bodies but the emotional and spiritual "oneness" was no less by design. God designed men and women to be joined into a "oneness" demonstrated in the institution of marriage. So does God care if two men attempt a similar union? Considering God's original design the answer is a resounding yes! God is opinionated when it comes to the "debate" concerning same sex marriage and His opinion, simply put, is no way!
This begs the question, "Can a "marriage" between two people of the same sex even exist at all?" If God has defined marriage as a relationship between man and woman, can a relationship between two people of the same sex ever be actually defined as a marriage? If man defines "marriage" then we have a very subjective institution which allows each successive generation opportunity to tweak and redefine. But, if God defines what constitutes marriage, we have an objective, eternal standard by which all generations are judged. According to the God of Christianity there is no such thing as a "same sex marriage." Such a union of two individuals might be called many things but marriage isn't one of them.
So how should the church respond to the current debate concerning same sex marriage? In order to find our answer we must reacquaint ourselves with a simple precept by which all moral questions should be addressed: Does the thought, word or deed in question miss God's mark? Sin, as defined in the original Greek language, means to "miss the mark." We must search the Scriptures for God's "targeted behavior" and determine whether the issue in question misses His defined "mark." God's "target" for marriage is one man and one woman in a committed, lifelong, monogamous relationship. So any other attempted union, whether between two people of the same sex or multiple people of both sexes, misses God's intended purpose for marriage. We must be the mouthpiece for God's word on the subject. We must proclaim the truth in love. We must stand for Biblical marriage and against any attempt to redefine this God ordained institution.
An Aside:
Sexual sin is simply sin whether it be homosexual or heterosexual in nature. One type of sin is no uglier than the next. The homosexual who repents of his or her sin is a "sinner saved by God's grace" just as much as any other repentant sinner. The unrepentant adulterer or glutton is no less a sinner than the unrepentant homosexual. Too often the church has made homosexual people feel they are a special class of sinner. We have often been found hateful, unloving, uncaring and obnoxious toward those who struggle with same sex attractions. We must end our prejudice. No sinner and no category of sin is worse than any other.
On the flip side, if you are homosexual and reading this post, we in the Christian community would appreciate it if you would cease being hateful yourself. Calling us names and treating us less than human makes it more of a challenge to love you. We are not going to acquiesce to your demands. We are not going to abandon or deny our faith, so stop demanding that we do so. If we can treat you with love and respect while disagreeing with your choice of lifestyle please attempt to do the same for us.
The bottom line:
I have friends who are gay and we will continue to disagree on the subject of same sex marriage. However, there may be things upon which we can agree and find common cause. I will always fight for the dignity of every human being. I will pray and care for all people regardless of who they may be or their life choices.
Christ's command to love has no preconditions and no qualifiers. As believers in Christ we should consider what this means in reference to those whom so many have chosen to marginalize and despise.
A genuine follower of Christ must always speak the truth in love. So believers in Christ must speak: God defines marriage not man. If the government wishes to allow people of the same sex to enter into a contractual relationship with one another for legal purposes and call it marriage there is little we as Christ followers can do to stop it. However, regardless what the rulers of our day might think or say, God's mark for what constitutes genuine marriage will never change. Genuine marriage will always be what God has said it is: One man and one woman united by God in a monogamous, life long, committed relationship.
What can we do to help the hurting in Boston? We can pray. Prayer is our weapon of warfare and balm of healing. Prayer is our privilege and opportunity to both know the mind of God and move the hand of God. Prayer is the ability to depend upon a power higher than our own. Prayer is powerful. We can send money, offer condolences, sing songs and observe a moment of silence but nothing can compare to the hope and help of God's people when they pray.
"God, you are holy, powerful and kind beyond our imagination. Your love has no end and is completely incomprehensible. You are above all powers; You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. You are God and we are not. We approach you with humility and ask for Your strong intervention on behalf of those living in Boston who today grieve, hurt and find themselves filled with anxiety. We do not know all the ways to pray for the hurting and simply ask for You to do what You know to do for them. Restore faith where it has been shaken and remind those who doubt of both Your existence and Your love."
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
"God is good, all the time, He put a song of praise in this heart of mine. God is good, all the time!" These words, from a popular chorus of a few years ago, sum up the way I feel this morning. God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good!
Often folks judge the goodness of God in subjective fashion based upon their current circumstances. God is good when things are going "well." When things are not so "well" God is determined to be "absent" or some other sanitized word used when questioning the goodness of the Almighty. Such temptations to judgment should humble us. How dare we question the goodness of the infinitely good God? How dare we question the righteousness of Jehovah based upon some momentary hardship? Job learned such wisdom in a very hard way I hope none of us must endure! God is righteous and good all the time!
Look around you today, regardless of any momentary hardships, and give thanks for the goodness of a God who promises to love and be faithful to you. God created you and continues to give grace for life. Regardless of what you face today, God is still in His Heaven, still sovereign, still loves you and is always good!
James
I am protestant and I celebrate Lent. There I said it, the cat is out of the bag. Whew! I say this tongue in cheek because many protestants, including apparently SWBTS and Dr Thomas White seem to be under the false assumption it is wrong to observe Lent. Dr White wrote an article in support of his viewpoint here. I find his arguments very shortsighted and disturbing for a number of reasons and hope to use his article to contrast such a view with my own. I discovered Lent almost 20 years ago and it has been greatly used of God in my life. Lent can be a wonderful positive in our life (even as protestants) if we redeem it as such. After all, did we not coop the celebration of the Winter Solstice in order to place a date on Christmas? Could we not coop a traditional celebration of much less ignoble birth in order to prepare our hearts for revival and the majesty of Easter?
Lent has been around a very long time, at least since the 4th century. The purpose of Lent is to prepare the believer in Christ for Easter. Traditionally such preparation is made through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial. As Baptists, we do not practice penance because we believe Jesus completely paid for our sins on the Cross negating the need for such. We do believe in prayer, repentance, giving and fasting so the rest of what constitutes a traditional observance of Lent is well within the theological fellowship in which we Baptists do life together.
Dr White states in his article he does not celebrate Lent because he is not Catholic. However, many protestant denominations celebrate Lent and have done so since the Reformation. Dr White's mention of Martin Luther's 95 Theses as support for his own choice to forgo Lent is weak and without scholarly merit. Luther actually said, "Lent, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week shall be retained, not to force anyone to fast, but to preserve the Passion history and the Gospels appointed for that season" (LW 53:90). I sincerely mean no animus toward Dr Thomas but his argument is porous and misleading. Protestants, even Luther, have celebrated Lent since the time of the reformation itself.
Dr White says Lent is a "man-made" religious exercise and he has freedom in Christ from such "bondage." So does this mean we are to consider Rick Warren's "40 Days of Purpose" a man-made legalistic exercise without any merit for those living under grace? This is a straw man argument at best. Just because a practice is old doesn't mean it was created by "Judaizers." Lent is no more legalistic than any special emphasis a church might undertake as a part of its spiritual life.
Dr White concludes his argument against Lent with the statement he "doesn't need to tell anyone when he is fasting." I agree personal times of fasting and prayer should be done in a humble state which often requires one to keep the practice to him or herself. However, Scripture is full of public, called fasts. This point of argument against Lent is without any Scriptural merit.
I am not picking on Dr White this morning but I do think his article is a great tool for discussion. Many folks fear Lent simply because of its ancient origins and association with the Catholic church. There is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater! We split from Catholics over a myriad of theological issues which have Scriptural merit but Lent is not one of them. We need not lose something so wonderful as Advent, Lent or even the celebration of Pentecost. Luther himself championed the inclusion of such observances in the faith and practice of the Body of Christ. Lent is a time for spiritual inventory, confession and renewal. Lent is a time for spiritual renewal and revival as we look forward to Easter and the celebration of all Jesus did to make opportunity for us to be right with Him. Don't miss out on Lent and the blessing such an observance can bring to your life!
James
