A Very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

What a great reason for a celebration: God becomes incarnate - Jesus Christ is born - completely God, and completely human. Amazing. Athanasius, in his writings against Arius, noted that 'what God has not assumed, God has not healed'. We Christians often put all the emphasis on Easter as the culminating point of God's mission on earth. We don't realize that the salvation plan began in earnest on that distant night while shepherds watched their flocks. We should ponder this great mystery, that Incarnation. How wonderful God is, to have humbled Himself, and taking the form and very being of a human. Fully God, and yet, fully human. Not a human body but devine mind - NO. Somehow, fully God and fully human - only such a way as this could Jesus take upon Himself the sinfulness of all humanity, then, now, and future.

Have you thought about this on this great day of celebration?

Amidst all of the celebrating, the eating, the ripping open of presents, I hope you will call upon the Lord, and thank Him for the greatest of all gifts, His Son.

One of our Christmas morning traditions is for the kids to gather in my wife's and my bedroom so that we may read together the Jesus' birth narrative as presented in Luke 2:1-20, and thanking God in prayer for the gift of sending His Son. Then we run downstairs to enjoy the gift giviing and receiving. It was pretty cool - a very good morning.

I hope you, too, have had a good day with your family. May the rest of your Christmas be a blessed reminder of the Father's love for you, in the name of the Son, through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. God's great blessings in Christ to you!

Amen, and amen.

It is finished!

Or at least this stage of things are... Yesterday afternoon, I turned in my the second of my two mini-theses, thus completing the last of my requirements for finishing my Master's in Theological Studies, with a concentration in Contemporary Theology.

I must say, it was all very anticlimactic. Though, as I was finishing the very last piece of editing that second paper, one of classmates came up to where I was working in the library. She asked if I was finished writing, and when I told her I was, she let out with an "aaaahhhhhhh!" that was both shock and joy for me. She then ran and got another classmate of ours who has a camera phone, so that I could get some pictures of that important moment for my personal posterity. It was kind of her, but I still felt kind of empty after a semester of working on these two major papers.

That was Wednesday. Yesterday, I made the final draft copy, punched holes, set in its binder, and left it for Dr. Adelekan on his office door knob. My first paper I was able to turn in the week before. I gave it to Dr. Brash just after his Thursday morning class finished up.

So, both papers are finished. Both are turned in.

It is finished? Only that particular chapter. I still need to find out what my prof.s thought of these two papers. I still need to get my grades, and find out how my overall cum average comes out.

Now the rest of my life begins, starting with diving into filling out my application to Princeton for a Ph.D in Systematic Theology. At the same time, I'll be preparing for my GRE's. And if that's not enough, I have a few Christmas gifts to buy or create for my beautiful and awesome wife. Not to mention prepare my heart in celebrating this great season Advent, and soon Christmas.

I want to put in "writing" my thanks and praise to God Most High, the Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who brought me through five and a half years of studies, and a great deal of transition in those last couple. The LORD was for me all that I needed HIM to be, plus much more than I could have realized or hoped for. Thank you, O LORD!

I also want to "write" my thanks to my wonderful wife who has been very supportive and incredibly flexible in allowing me to work late a few more evenings and Saturdays in the last few weeks than I had needed to through most of the semester. She has been a true help-mate.

I need to thank Dr. Brash and Dr. Adelekan for their insights and assistance for each of my papers. Each offered encouragement and perspectives that helped me write a better paper than I could have managed on my own. They had done a great job in giving me a sense of what writing a dissertation will be like. They have blessed me through out not only this past semester, but for many others as professors in other subjects and classes. Thank you, both. You really gentlemen and scholars!

If you're interested in reading either or both of my mini-theses, please let me know via a reply. MTS Paper 1 is on a theology of Proclamation of Word and Sacrament in Reformed Theology. MTS Paper 2 is a theological ethics paper on the need for the Church to be the Beloved Community in a way that rejects that more base parts of Culture, while loving the people who inhabit it. Each was a great deal of fun to write, and I learned quite a bit in the process of each.

Gloria Dei!

It's been a long, long time

well, lo and behold... it's been almost three months since I last blogged.

Life has been busy. I'm actually about to graduate from Palmer Theological Seminary. But the catch is that I have to turn in two mini-theses in order to do it. That's where most of my mental energy has been going these last few months.

I'm about 99.9% finished my first one, and about 75% finished my second. Once they're both completed and delivered, I may see how I can post them here for the one person who checks in here to read and critique. I've had a good time reading and writing for them, but I'll be darn glad to finish them and be done.

Part of the reason it's taken so long is that I've tried to work in a way that respects my first and second positions in life as husband and father. All that means is that I've been doing most of my research and writing 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, and pretty much trying to be a part of my family in the evenings and on weekends. I've actually done pretty well at it. I have been T.A.ing again for Dr. Brash's Sys. Theo. 1 class (always excellent - he's the man!), and I've had a couple of opportunities to substitute teach for him and Dr. Keener's Biblical Interp class (that, too, was very excellent). All that's to say that the papers have taken longer because of the way I've gone about writing them, but over all it's been worth it.

Well, we've been having the stomach virus going through our home, and so I'm going to head upstairs and see if my wife wants to end the day together, and pray the night goes well. I'm also praying that I don't get it (but that's a different story).

God bless you, reader!

praising God!!!

Okay, I wanted to share with you that I just finished getting my second thesis proposal accepted. This is a great weight off my shoulders, to say the least. God is good. Now I am free to proceed on my research and writing for both mini-theses. These are the last and final parts to my finishing and receiving my Masters of Theological Study in Contemporary Theology. I am very excited. Both of the professors who are my main readers are great and very supportive. The reader for my second thesis, Dr. Adelekan, whom I met with this afternoon, told me he was very excited to see what he would learn from my work. I need someone like who believes in me, or more accurately, believes in what God wants to do through me. In any event, I praise God for this. Now, join me in praying through this semester for the good Lord to provide me with all discipline, insight, knowledge, wisdom, and discernment in getting both of these theses finished, finished well, by early December. Amen!

reading Isaiah

a month or so ago I shared the lament that I was struggling to read Scripture on my own, as part of what is an important ongoing discipline in the Christian faith. I was reading as part of Sunday worship, but beyond that it was definitely challenging to either find the time when I thought about it, or I just didn't think about doing it, getting caught up in life in general.

but praise be to God, as I started reading from the prophet Isaiah over this past week, and have, but for a day, read at least one chapter a day over these last several days. it is refreshing to read consistently - something I know in my mind and know from my studies in school - and yet to do it purely for my self and my own faith is something like a breath of fresh air.

I think Isaiah is one of the most important Old Testament books for Christians to study and be familiar with for two reasons. 1) it is one of the books of the Bible that Jesus quoted most often, not the least of which was during what is referred to as His inaugural sermon in the synagogue in Nazareth, as recorded in Luke 4, for instance. 2) there is some disagreement among OT biblical scholars as to whether Isaiah is the work of one prophet, or three distinct sections, where the chapters 1-35 or so were written by the prophet Isaiah, chapters 36-55 or so and then chapters 56-64 were written by two other groups of prophets writing in the tradition and school of Isaiah. But this last point is merely the opinion of scholars who first off have an anti supernatural bias, i.e., there's no way that one man named Isaiah could possibly have "known" such things, and there's no way God is real, and therefore God could not have communicated any information to Isaiah. Peronally, I find such a bias as nonsense. I believe that one Isaiah very well could have written the entire book, with later generations of that line or school of prophets (post-exilic) editing the book in some minor ways (per its canonization, for instance).

But I'm excited, and I hope you will be inspired to read along, or read another book of the Bible. God's richest blessings in Christ to you!

living in tension

the early but escalating tensions in 2008 presidential campaign. the ongoing implosion of the Republican party. the seemingly powerful homosexual captivity over pop media and politics. the growing godlessness among pastors and laity in Main Line Protestant denominations (even as those denominations lose more and more members).

What does all of this mean? What should all of this mean for Christians living in the United States (or anywhere else for that matter)?

I think several honest observations are called for. First, we must understand that as wonderful, and at times helpful, democracy and capitalism are, in and of themselves, they are not the end-all, be-all, and are not to be confused with the Kingdom of God. Second, we should recognize that no political party, be it Republican or Democrat, is more "Christian" than the other; both are merely what they are - political parties. Third, While we must have laws that legislate some generally agreed upon standard for acceptable behavior, the law and the culture it stands to guard should not be mistaken for the Kingdom of God.

That all being said, Christians today, living in the US particularly, are living in a tension that the Apostle Paul never mentioned, let alone could have imagined: we are citizens of a nation-state that is, at least theoretically, run by us, the citizens. We are living in a tension that brings about a lot of confusion for us as men and women who are seeking to live faithful lives of witness to Christ our Lord. Things are not entirely so black and white. We can get involved in politics on a number of levels. We can have a say in who runs the country. It seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same - and the worse they get. And yet, we are citizens of heaven, worshipers of the God who is three and one, of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High, the Sovereign God. And therefore, it does not matter how immoral government and culture get, for in the end, God gets the last word.

This says to me that while we can get involved, we can take a stand, or we can demonstrate for or against something in the pop/political realm, Jesus is in Heaven, God is on His throne, and the Holy Spirit lives in all of us believers. Out of that, out of Scripture, we should be mindful that as Christians, our primary calling is first and foremost to live lives of witness to who God is. While I am not advocating a pulling back into the Christian ghetto - something which, I fear, is something many Christian evangelicals subscribe to - I am suggesting that regardless of what laws are on the books, what person is in the White House, or group is pushing their agenda, we as Christians are to keep on being faithful, both personally and corporately, to our witness that Jesus is Lord.

If Jesus came to set the captives free, to let the blind see, and to announce the year of the Lord's favor some 2,000 years ago, that same gospel is still at work through the presence and power of God's Holy Spirit. Rather than throw our hands up over what-ever-it-be, we Christians should fall on our knees and pray to the One who promised to raise the poor over the powerful. This is the tension we Christians are called to live in. It is the tension of the Kingdom of God, the already and the not-yet of the Kingdom, as first announced and demonstrated by and through Jesus' life, death, and most importantly by His resurrection, and left to the Church to witness to via the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit.

The Church's first job is not to set public policy for the nation, or for the world. It's job is not to elect a "Christian" president. It's not to make sure the name of Jesus appears on every lunch box, video, or bumper sticker. Rather, our first and only job is to personally and corporately live lives pleasing to the Lord, lives that bear witness to the reality and power of the God who is redeeming the world, creation as well as people. We are to do this faithfully, without complaint, until that glorious day, when Jesus shall again return, and the Kingdom of God is established, where the already and the not-yet are consumated, and the Kingdom is now.

If we would focus on funneling our resources to showing Jesus' love to young pregnant girls, rather than the millions of dollars spent on advertising and printing letters telling Christians how bad abortion is (I know abortion is evil, and I don't need another piece of bulk-mail telling me), maybe we'd not only shrink the number of abortions to a minor number, but we'd actually create doorways for those mothers and their subsequent sons and daughters to come into the kingdom. If we would actually live more simply and stop trying to keep up with the proverbial Jones, we might actually have money to help our neighbors who are stuck in poverty. Rather than tell them how lazy they are, maybe we could help them meet the expenses of basic needs so that they might have a chance at a better education, career, or what have you. If we put as much passion into living out more seamless witnesses before our neighbors, more passion into showing them what it means to be saved, as we do into our political and policy opinions (including how much money we give to such PACs), there might be more people who live by kingdom values and live their lives for Christ.

This is what living in tension means for us as Christians. We must trust in the sovereignty of God. We must trust in His calling for us to be His Church. May the Holy Spirit empower us and guide us to live our witness out, that God may be glorified, and His Kingdom be furthered one more person at a time.

What do you think?

Satan vs. Sin

A friend of mine [we'll call him 'A'] sent out an email yesterday sharing the frustrating experience of another friend [we'll call - yes, you figured it out - 'B'], whereby a tree 'B' was seeking to take down in his back yard ended up coming down on his house. This, coupled with family struggles, both immediate and extended, led to 'A's seeing this as the latest attack of many by Satan on 'B' and his family.

This brings up an interesting, and I think important series of questions: Are we assigning too much credit to Satan? When should we just chalk up what happens in life to people(s)' own sinfulness (or to natural phenomenon)? Is there a danger in crediting Satan with certain activities and events? Is there danger in just blaming something on someone's sinful nature? And perhaps the most controversial question in the series, If God is sovereign, what is God trying to accomplish when He allows such things (that we might blame on Satan) to happen?

What do you think? Please feel free to share... I'm going away on vacation for a few days, so I won't be checking in for a bit, but let's hear your opinions and thoughts - extra points to those who can back them up with good and accurate Scriptural support.

Matthew 7: Judging Others

As part of the kingdom teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew presents Jesus as reinterpreting the Law, and teaching on the ethics of the Kingdom. In Matthew 7, Jesus presents a word-picture regarding judgment. Noting the sinfulness that each of struggles with, Jesus warns us to make sure we are relying on our own sense of right and wrong, or dispensing legalisms out of our own self-righteousness.

There is a needed insight that only comes from the Holy Spirit, where we must look at our brothers and sisters through eyes that acknowledge our own brokenness, and we can see them with compassion because we ourselves struggle with our own fallen nature and the impact we have upon ourselves. Rather, Christians need to understand the differences between accountability and judgment, and make ourselves vulnerable to the first and resist the second.

With accountability, we accept the words of others, and should resist all temptations for self-defense, when we fall short in some area, personal or corporate. With accountability comes a wise grace that speaks to the issue, not confusing the person with the issue. This grace speaks out of godly love, not some sentimental notion; rather, love, as described in the apostle Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, "does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (13:6,7). If this is the spirit in which we both bring and receive accountability, then we are fulfilling the law of God.

Judgment, meanwhile, is antithetical to love. It is about puffing ourselves up at the expense of the Other. It is not rooted in love. I'll say no more, as it is all quite obvious. The one thing I must point out, however, is our own perpetual struggle with accountability, and seeking to deflect it by accusing the one who brings it as judging us. To feel judged is not the problem. When such feelings crop up, and they will and they do, we must stop and ask why this is so - what is in my heart that I feel so defensive? - and then we must pray - whether it be a quick utterance or a time of confession - and then we must ask our Lord for ears to hear and eyes to see. Perhaps our gut reaction is rooted in "right"; that is, the person bringing the "accountability" is in fact judging us. But the question remains, do we trust God enough to bring that to the forefront of the minds in others, if not conviction in the heart of the one who attacks us? But perhaps they are right, but their method is sloppy, wrongly motivated, or framed by some off-centered view of us - does this justify self-defensiveness on our part? Absolutely not. Again, prayer is needed here, and cannot do us harm. We must pray for knowledge, wisdom, and discernment, all from our Heavenly Father, so that the Spirit may lead us in sifting through all that is said so that we might find the nugget of truth that will help us learn and grow.

Judgment is motivated by anger, bitterness, evil, or jealousy (or anyother anti-virtues!); and it seeks only to leave such poisons in its wake, whether we realize such intentions or not. Accountability sees you as God sees you, and hopes the best for you. It is motivated by humility - not that you or I has the proverbial answer needed, but that it is for the best that one comes to speak. It is done humbly, and, too, in prayer. Are you sensing variations on a theme? Prayer undergirds our entire faith journey, and no less so in this area. Only through a humble, God-dependent spirit, where we realize our own brokenness can we offer assistance and help through accountability, in love. Anything less is tempted by judgment.

some quick thoughts concerning Philippians 1:3-11

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.
8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

I'm guilty - first some confession (it's supposedly good for the soul) - because for some time now - at least three weeks - I've only picked up and read my Bible during Sunday morning worship. So today, after several well-meaning thoughts, I realized that the only way I was going to "pick up" a Bible and read it while it is still called 'today' would be if I went online to www.BibleGateway.com, and, well, read.

So I thought I would "open" to the apostle Paul's letter to the Christians in Roman colony of Philippi. One only need read the first several verses to get a true sense of just how much Paul loved these brothers and sisters in the faith. When I read these words, I feel encouraged. And something else... I want to pray like this. I want to pray like this for the Christians I know; for the Christians that I've met; for the Christians I've done ministry with; for the Christians that I read or hear about through news articles, emails, or conversations. I want to regularly pray with this kind of passion, and mean it.

I know what it's like to pray with this kind of passion and purpose. When one so prays in the very Spirit of God, there is no care for time, and no temptation to want to bring it all to an end. In the end, it's about praying in love, God's love, that is the very power that first brought us into such a relationship as we have, first with God, and second with one another. I thank God for these writings. I thank God for pouring His Holy Spirit out upon and into Paul, and for Paul's joyful obedience, even in the midst of persecution and pain. May we pray with such love and thanksgiving, even as we praise the God who made all of this possible.

Go ahead... pray Paul's words above... just insert one or more names of fellow Christians, brothers and/or sisters in the faith, whom you give thanks for everytime you think of them... go ahead and pray for them right now... I am.

the passing of a Saint

While I've not formally read any of his publications, I've read a few journal articles by Brevard Childs. Last December I had read 'Invitation to Dogmatic Theology' by Paul McGlasson, which caught my attention, giving me great food for thoughts - McGlasson had been a student under Childs at Yale, and it was Childs who had penned the forward to the book. And with these thoughts in mind, I was greatly saddened to find out that a few weeks ago Brevard Childs died after some illness.

Rather than give you the run myself, you can go to D. R. Driver's site and understand the significance of Child's work: http://homepage.mac.com/dnadriver/research/bschilds.html. Needless to say, Childs did for Biblical Studies in the early 1970's what Karl Barth did from 1918 on. His biblical theology, while having declined in "popularity" in the last ten plus years, recaptures for those of us who understand the tension inherent when we pick up the Scriptures - words of mere men, while at the same time the radical revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Childs Canonical Approach to reading and interpreting Scripture had caused consternation among some, and appreciation among others. May the Lord raise up more faithful men and women to serve His glory!

mid-July already???

Okay, they say the older you get the faster time flies by... this is true, which is to say, you've experienced this for yourself. Time is tick, tick, tickin' away, time's just tickin' away.

There's so much I want to say - er, write. This past week I started my studies in intro to Hebrew - the reading and writing right to left thing is pretty cool for this lefty! - got to see my oldest brother-in-law, Rex (yes, he's 51 jahren!), home on R&R from serving with the U.S. Army on a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) peace-keeping mission (doesn't that sound kind of paradoxical?) in Kosovo - spent time with my third oldest brother-in-law, Rob, his wife, Sunmi, and their nine children, ranging in age from 20(?) to four(?) - hung out with some friends from Narb Pres I've not seen in a few weeks as part of a birthday party for a woman in our small group. And what else??? There's got to be more... I've continued to read Barth's Church Dogmatics, I/1, as well as Chesterton's Orthodoxy. I'm reminded that I've got to dust off and finish David Well's God in the Wasteland, as well as restore my self-respect and complete Augustine's City of God. A couple of weeks ago, I gave in to the need to read something that was neither for a class, nor about God/Bible/Theology, etc., etc., ad nauseaum - can't remember what it was titled, but it was a Harry Turtledove sci-fi/alternate universe book about Earth being invaded by reptiles known as 'the Race', all during 1942 World War Two. It was interesting, but I have to say, it had the weakest ending - I was disappointed. But the book was entertaining enough. I was going to read Luther's Table Talk, but I decided if I was going to take Hebrew seriously, Luther had to go back to the township library, to be picked back up at a later date.

Regarding blogging, I've had a most interesting time dialoging with someone who read my posts - 'homosexuality is not "gay"'. What was encouraging most was not that I convinced this person that I was right - they did not agree with my position or arguments - rather, it was a good, respectful dialog. While I totally feel and believe that what I understand about this particular issue is both biblically/theologically correct, I definitely don't feel any real responsibility to convince this person of the merits of my argument. In fact, I believe in a sovereign God, who will reveal Himself to whom He chooses. Now, don't read a caveat into what I'm saying. I also believe that each and every believer needs to be ready to give a reason for the truth we hold to. We are not to be milk-toast believers, door-mats eagerly waiting to be stepped on and walked all over. We are to be ready to engage in, and argue in a respectful manner, the realities of the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Most times, either one side or the other (insert any issue or group) lets it get ugly; and when it's the Christians who are getting ugly, it ends up distorting or ruining the message of Jesus. While we are stewards of the divine mystery, we are not the arbiters of truth, justice, and the American way, so to speak. If we have any power, it is purely and only derived from God - it is God's power - and therefore, it is our responsibility to use or wield it as He directs, and never to purposely blow anyone out of the proverbial water. The dialog I shared with my anonymous conversation partner was an encouragement to me to keep on sharing my thoughts, and to make sure I know full-well what I believe and why.

And so, here it is ... mid-July already. And there's so much I want to blog about, and don't have the time... I'm trying to get all the "paper-work" ready for my two master's theses for Palmer, which I will begin research and reading for come the beginning of September. I'll also be T.A.ing again for Dr. Don Brash in his Systematic Theo 1 class - which he has shared will include some more lecturing time. Very happy to hear that! Anyhow... fam is coming from Reno in the last days [of August, that is]. My tour-guide-barbie sister, happy-go-lucky brother-in-law, moody teenage angst-filled nephew, and barbie-wanna-be neice. For a week. Sounds like the recipe!!! Did I mention last days?!?

homosexuality is not "gay" responses

I wanted to give some time for responses in order to see how to proceed. In all, two responses showed up; both giving different angles on the issue. It's my thought that both provide us with good places to dialogue, so here goes...

Respondent #1 was to the point, saying something along the lines of, "I think [homosexuals] would just prefer you to leave them alone." The unstated point was leave them alone as opposed to my position, which I believe my first respondent might (I say might because he/she did not say) label as me "attacking", "challenging", or "harrassing" them? For the sake of discussion, I would have preferred they had made known to me what exactly they interpreted as my point, but be that as it may, it's okay. They were civil, and for that I thank respondent #1. But here's my rebuttal to this comment of homosexuals wanting to be left alone. I am not one for witch trials by any measure. However, when a particular group chooses to push both their life style and the sense of priviledge for special rights upon our culture at large, I find there to be a need to stand up and challenge such assumptions. And for any of us, God's Word is the only place we can stand. Anything else, inspite of what extreme deconstructionists might demand, is purely subjective. While we may read God's Word and come away with different opinions, it is the erroneous reading that states that God is okay with homosexuality as a lifestyle choice. It is from God's Word that we find homosexuality to be in opposition to both God's ideal (as stated in Gen. 1, for starters), as well as incompatible with God's call upon humanity in Jesus Christ (as revealed in Jesus Christ, and further commented upon by the apostle Paul). While I would agree with anyone who stated that homosexuals have been unfairly marked as the worst of all sinners, and have been unfairly mistreated (the point of the pendulum having been so far to one extreme for so long), I would say at best it is poor logic to state that this therefore makes it okay for our culture to seek penance in the form of traveling to the other extreme, whereby we accept homosexuality out of some warped sense of guilt. We are doing no one, not the least of whom are the homosexuals, in culturally embracing homosexuality than were we to condone and okay pedophilia. My fear here is that just as have already done for divorce (making it highly accessible and culturally "okay"), we are doing for homosexuality, and will do with the likes of sexual child abuse. I think the slippery slope principle is accurate in this case, and I believe the likes of Ockham's Razor supports such a point. So to respondent #1, I say that were the homosexual agenda not so in our cultural face, I would not make it such a point to challenge it.

Respondent #2 was equally to the point, expressing some concern that we are, in a sense going after homosexuality because it is a sin that we ourselves don't happen to struggle with. At the same time he states, quoting a piece from Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz (an excellent book, if you've not read it), that we should be more concerned with overeating, or the sin of gluttony, which seems to be the problem for most American Christians in the United States. Because respondent #2 is a friend, and therefore left their email for me to respond back to them, I was able to say that whole-heartedly agree with part of Miller's point. As Christians, we should be seeking to pull the plank out of our own eye (or at least ask for some help), even as we seek to address the splinter in our neighbor's eye. When Jesus spoke those words, he was addressing the person who is so full of self-righteousness that they are ignorant of, or just plain ignore their own sin. Where I am guilty of that, I do apologize. I do have my own struggles with sin, and I can honestly say that gluttony to some extent is one of my sins. However, I think it again poor logic to say that until I have self-control over my own sins, I have no right to challenge anyone else's sin. In fact, I was not addressing any particular person in my previous article. Purposefully, I challenged a particular lifestyle, a specific sin. I sought, however imperfectly, to keep the spot light on the sin, and not blind the eyes of any particular sinner; after all, but for the grace of God go I. What would Donald Miller's take on the sin of homosexuality be had Jesus uttered a few statements in clear opposition to it? Many people, Christians and non-Christians, take such silence to be in the least Jesus' lack of judgment, and at most His silent but tacit approval for that choice. But that's just the problem with such logic, it is an argument from silence. This is where we need to read Jesus within the context of his being Jewish, and therefore, we have to understand Judaism's disapproval of homosexuality [inspite of the exegetical attempts of people like Mel White to prove the contrary]. There are many things that Jesus doesn't come out and spell out or say directly. Why? Because His followers and hearers were from the same religio-cultural background. Homosexuality was not an issue for the Jews of Jesus' day because it was plainly understood to be wrong. Were there men and/or women who practiced homosexuality? Honestly, I don't know. But I can very much tell you that they would very much be in the minority, and would have understood that their behavior was against what they knew and were taught from Tanak. My point to respondent #2 is that we must challenge the advocation of any sin in our culture. Last I saw or heard, no one is pushing over-eating as a justifiable life-style choice. Do people suffer from it, or gladly give into it? Yes. It is certainly one sign of a culture that is over-indulgent and too self-focused.

All in all, I think we as Christians need to approach and oppose homosexuality wisely. Too much recent history shows so-called Bible believing Christians falling into extremes of either demonizing homosexuals on one hand, or denying the godlessness of the practice, or even trying to advocate its propriety in the case of those homosexual relationships which show fidelity and are monogomous at the other end. Both of these extremes show a number of problems in the Church today. First, we overall a very biblically illiterate Church. We read only those passages we like, and we ignore those passages we either don't understand, or that we don't agree with. Second, we are poor biblical exegetes, both in the pulpit and in the pew. We don't do the background and contextual homework that we should we read and seek to interpret and apply God's Word to our context and day. Third, we disdain the importance of doctrine, confusing it with demonizing dogmatism. There is a point to doctrine. Whether we understand it or not, every Christian holds to some form of doctrine or another. Unfortunately, too many hold to a doctrine that is formulated in the "Iacademy" - sounds like something from Apple - where "I" decided on what is right, good, and godly. The problem of each of these is that each of these three problems results when we both assert ourselves overagainst God's Word, and when we put greater stock in our own humanly abilities to tease out and/or discern what God's Word says or doesn't say. We ignore both the leadings and witness of the Holy Spirit, and the Church Univseral, both historic and beyond our borders.

We are called, first and foremost, to live as Witnesses of Jesus Christ. Jesus challenged those issues which served as obstacles between humanity and God. We are called to do nothing less, and all of that through the power of the Holy Spirit, all to the glory of the Father.

Any thought? Leave me a response.

why there's nothing "gay" about homosexuality

I realize in opining this topic I'm opening myself up to a lot of criticism. In this so-called "englightened" age, we are supposed to bow to the wonders of science, which in the minds of some, has "proven" that homosexuality is genetic, and therefore, it's entirely natural. Even some Christians who are Biblical claim that homosexuality today is far different from the misunderstood "sin" of the so-called Bible times, and therefore, we should embrace those whose orientation is different from the heterosexual majority.

I want to say that it is not my intent to "gay bash". I will be the first to admit that historically, homosexuals have unjustly suffered particularly hard line prejudice and punishment, treated as if their sin were worst than anyone elses. But while the cultural/social pendulum has swung to the other extreme of blessing, if not out right embracing homosexuality (pardon the pun), it would be a mistake on the account of Christians, people I would define as God-fearing, Bible-believing, faithful followers of Jesus Christ, to think that because of this historical problem, we should think that trying to go to the other extreme would actually be the best solution.

In fact, taking hold of that pendulum and holding it to the middle would be the most Biblical solution.

What would that look like, you might wonder? First of all, we need to repent of our own sins. If that's treating homosexuals as modern day lepers, than so be it. If it's hating or despising them because we think their sin more gross than our own in the sight of God, then that, too, must be repented of. And yet, for us to misconfess homosexuality as alright is to not only misread the Bible, but to misrepresent the God who created us all. And that means understanding that to say that science has proven homosexuality as natural and therefore we should allow it is on the line of saying that AIDS is natural, and therefore we shouldn't treat it - after all, the AIDS virus is a life form. I think you see the poor logic that both arguments are built on. In fact, we can view any scientific "proof" for homosexuality on the same lines as proving that alcoholism is genetic, or pathological lying, a tendency toward violent behavior, etc. Just because we can prove the "nature" of these behaviors has not meant that society has therefore embraced them. Rather, it was the first step in some cases to properly treating them.

The greater problem in my mind, however, is the false hope that some Christians have given to the homosexual movement, whereby some brothers and sisters insist on discrediting all past interpretations of Scripture that hold to homosexuality as a sinful behavior. These people have sought to prove that the true sins in the case of these biblical stories are really such things as inhospitality, a great sin in the Ancient Near East. But what such a simplistic interpretation ends up doing is losing its credibility upon closer examination of the whole context of the Old Testament specifically and the whole Bible in general. These accounts are inter-connected with the moral guidelines found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, not to mention the creation accounts of Genesis, which are ultimately affirmed by Jesus Himself. No doubt, such critics will claim that Jesus never taught against homosexuality. Neither did he teach against atomic weapons, slavery, or the death penalty, but I think its safe to assume that He would have had they been issues in His particular context. And that's just the point, homosexuality was not a flash point of culture in Jesus' day because culturally/socially/religiously it was understood to go against the very character and nature of who God was.

In saying homosexuality is okay, we are, in fact, going against the very grain of who God is, as the Triune God of grace. And we can see this on a number of levels. First, naturally speaking, the way human beings are made, it is just plain common sense that men and women were sexually designed for one another. I have heard homosexual men claim that anatomically, the anus can function the same way - considering that the anus is for waste removal, I don't think one can claim equality in that regard. Second, the totality of Scripture testifies to the ideal of God as sex being for the context of marriage between one man and one woman. This is not a penalty upon homosexuals, much to some arguments I've heard. This holds all people to God's standard, hetero and homosexual. If sex is for marriage between one man and one woman, then it meant that when I was a single guy, it was wrong for me to seek out sexual activities. Now that I'm married, it means that I must limit my sexual behavior to my wife. Lust is a problem for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation. Abstinence is God's ideal, not giving into our lusts. Third, when we grasp the import of a Trinitarian understanding of who God is, we can see that homosexuality as a particular sin goes against God's character. This is illustrated for us through the imagry of the Economic Trinity, where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit participate in the life of the other through self-giving love that is the very essence of what it means to create. While I would never say that sex between a husband and wife is purely for procreation, I submit that when one enters into marriage, there must be an openness to children. That is, procreation is the quintessential expression of love between a husband and wife whereby through their physical union, that self-giving love is expressed through the very dynamic of creating a new life. Only through sex outside of marriage, artificial insemination, or adoption can homosexual couples have children. One might weakly protest what about heterosexual married couples who cannot naturally conceive of children - isn't this the same issue? To hide behind such an argument is to muddy the waters. The heterosexual married couple, having failed to conceive for any number of reasons, is encouraged to seek after adopting a child. The point is that homosexuality cannot naturally create. It is also based on the selfish love that does not wait for the proper parameters of marriage. Ah, but you might protest that such a problem as that would be removed if our culture would merely allow for homosexuals to "marry". But this goes back to the core issue that such a union goes against God's ideal as set forth in the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament through Jesus and Paul.

This is not an easy issue. There is more to say. To project homosexual rights onto the same level as gender or race is so ridiculous that I will not even waste space here. But needless to say, we as Christians must learn how to love homosexuals, even as we claim to love all sinners, and seek to demonstrate that love in a manner that accepts them while seeking to minister to them as they will accept. In living in this manner, we demonstrate respect for the divine image in everyone.

rediscovering my childhood

I don't know what provoked me, but the other day I decided to 'google' MEGO, makers of my favorite childhood toys: 8" superhero action figures, and then the Micronauts. Anyhow, these toys were the essence of my childhood. Sadly, they were completely and (at the time) completely superseded by the explosion known as Star Wars, which just violently overshadowed all things imagination.

What do I like about Captain America? Although he was physically enhanced through receiving the 'Super Soldier' serum, he really had no "Super Powers". Instead, he just had incredible discipline and determination. While we might look at America today and see the good and the bad, and perhaps more bad, Captain America always seemed to stand for all the best parts of America. He was the first major super hero to have a non-white partner - the Falcon - who would go on to have his own comic (though short-lived). Cap was cool, because even though he couldn't fly or shoot lasers out of his eyes, he was cut, and he could beat up an opponent who was twice as strong as he was. And if that wasn't enough, he had this incredible shield that was virtually indestructable, made out of some almalgamated metallic substance that was stronger than even adamantium. And he could use that shield to its full potential. Defensively, he could deflect bullets and shrapnel; as well offensively, he could throw the shield (and it would return like some frisbee on monster steroids!). What is important is that Cap never affiliated himself politically (as far as I know - though there was an issue where he almost ran for President - back in the 1980 race that was eventually won by Ronald Reagan). He always represented what was best about America - he was its ideal hero in the truest sense.

As a kid, I wanted to be him. As an adult, I think I still do. Anyone have any super-soldier serum laying around?

my depression(s)

I like to look around at other blogs, to see (and read) what other bloggers are thinking about, consumed by, or sharing from the heart. Some are obviously interesting, while others are ... 'nuff said.

One such blogger had an entry that has caused some extra percolation in my heart/mind/soul that is me. The Real Live Preacher (www.reallivepreacher.com) had this entry concerning an article he read in the Christian Century by a fellow who talked about depression as 'brainstorming'. I've not read the original article because I wanted to consider this notion before I delved into someone else's ideas and opinions. But I have to say that this idea is fascinating, and in some ways, very encouraging.

I say that because I'm someone who struggles with what most people would probably consider as melancholy, or a mild form of depression. Now, I've not been clinically diagnosed, and I write this full-knowing that some who do struggle with this might possibly take offense at someone "using" the label. Not my point; not my intent. In reality, I probably struggle with the seasonal depression stuff, as well as with melacholy brought on by a nagging sense of fear/anxiety and lack of self-confidence mixed in with a ridiculous desire/need to be or do something really important in my short life. There it is. It's out there for all the world to know, see, read, and make fun of. May God love you and bump you if this describes you. Honestly, I'm enough in touch with my emotions/feelings/thoughts to not really care - does that mean I have self-confidence?

Back to my point - I read this blog by Real Live Preacher where the article described depression as 'brainstorming', and I think this is very intriguiging. Just off the cuff, I think there could be some serious merit to this idea. I mean, personally speaking, there have certainly been times where it is out of the depths of my sense of depression that I'm able to write some really good papers, or have some deeper insights. At the same time, there are dynamics to my depression that I don't like. I don't like the false messages that it feeds into my brain, my sense of self, that is so shattered. Perhaps depression is less 'brainstorming', and just a fight between the 'Me' who really is, and the 'Me' who really isn't? Perhaps depression is the deepest yearning within my soul for the new heaven and the new earth that I read about in Revelation, but struggle to see around me due to all of the sin that is meted out by so many.

In the mean while, I'm going to try and brain storm for a while. Please jot a message, and let me know what you think about this.

Faith - iv - the need for 'Dialectical' faith in Christ

To this point we have considered two different expressions of faith, the 'intellectual' and the 'experiential'. And we showed how in fact they were both extremes of true faith. The 'intellectual' approach tends to feed into a salvation by knowledge, and an emphasis of doctrine overagainst holistic faith. At the other end, the 'experiential' approach tends to subjegate all things to one's feelings, ultimately making God beholden to the believer. Both of these extremes are both unsatisfying and unacceptable.

After critiquing these two oft practiced forms of faith in Christ, we are left with the question of 'how do we believe?', or, 'what does true faith look like?' In fact, we might be tempted at this point to seek out some 'tertium quid'; one that provides with an out, an answer to avoiding these 'faith' extremes. Rather, the answer, I submit, comes to us in the form of 'dialectical' faith in Christ.

It is in their practice as extremes that each becomes problematic. However, as humans, we have a natural proclivity toward extremes. Therefore, we must recognize the valid role that both the 'intellectual' and the 'experiential' plays in faith development and formation. In grasping this truth, we recognize that true faith, then, is a dialectical tension. Each is held in equal tension with the other, refusing to allow the other to master the other; each refusing to give way to the other. This 'dialectical' faith in Christ recognizes that first of all, faith is first and foremost a gift from God. We believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God because He was first revealed to us through the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit as sent by the Father. The undergirding of this 'dialectical' faith in Christ, therefore, also informs us that faith is a trinitarian event, the activity of the Triune God of grace - faith is not under our subjective control (i.e., 'experiential' faith), nor is it merely something I gain for myself through rigorous study (i.e., 'intellectual' faith); and yet at the same time, I must acquiesce on some level and therefore know who God is, and I am invited to participate in it, experience who God is.

The 'dialectical' faith in Christ, then, holds the ontic (being) and the noetic (knowing) in beautiful tension, one that is uncomfortable at times, but also reminds us that faith is not our creation, not at our command. True faith in Christ is His gift to us that we may believe and enter into everlasting relationship (covenant) with the God who saves.

making me feel 'old'

There's nothing like your oldest child turning ten to make you suddenly feel really 'old'!

While she "turned" ten on Thursday, last night was our daughter's birthday/slumber party with ten friends and her younger sister. This was very chaotic at times, certainly noisy, and all-around very fun for these girls - most of whom were experiencing their first sleep-over with non-family. My son and I rented and watched a DVD of 'A Pup Called Scooby-Doo' in order to keep his curiousity out of the mix.

In any event, it strikes me that while I am only a few pounds more than when she was born, my hair up top is a bit thinner, and much to my wife's delight, every day seems to bring more and more gray to my attention - which I am quick to tell my kids is a result of their sometimes fractitious behavior toward one another. It makes me wonder how my parents must have felt - still feel - as they saw me growing up. It is a strange thing, watching your kids grow up; but it is so worth it!!!

Faith - iii - the 'Experiential' approach

Today we want to consider that which is the other side, the other extreme of faith. Originally, experience, to put it simplistically, was the hallmark of Liberal Protestant Christianity and theology. It was seen as the means of understanding Christianity's relevancy in a 'modern' world where miracles and the supernatural were rejected outright as violations of the closed system of nature and rationale thought. If the very and most mysterious tenets of the faith were to be discarded, experience became the very essence of faith in Jesus Christ.

In our own modern/post-modern world, experience does not necessarily mean the same thing, or function for the individual believer in the same manner. No, instead, experience has to do with transcending the transcendent - that is, it is a manner of "feeling" something in the midst of worship, prayer, or anything else that can come under the label of "Christian". Today experience is an important hallmark for many self-proclaimed 'emergent' churches and Christians, as a subtle (or not so subtle) way of diminishing the importance of doctrine, while at the same time, supposedly uplifting the centrality of the dynamic of relationship between humanity and God.And this is the very problem of this second extreme. It is enslaved to a set sense of feelings; and it holds true faith captive to the expectation of those feelings being continually experienced in an ongoing manner. For those feelings not to be experienced, whether in the context of worship or any other "Christian" activity, is to invalidate the power or validity of an event which in truth is subject purely to God's sovereign act.

This approach to faith, too, sets up a false dichotomy that pits the intellect against experience. This particular extreme puts God as the object of our determinations, and the individual as the subject who determines what is real, what is valid via their own 'experience'. Humanity becomes the real authority on what is real. Individuals become the arbiter of truth as it transcends their emotions and feelings. This becomes. then, an Ebionitic Christ, being driven by the flesh, rather than the Spirit of God. Experience, a repetition of these all-important "religious" feelings, becomes the god that is worshipped, not the Triune God of grace, revealed in Jesus Christ. Our faith must be rooted in trusting in the both the veracity of Scripture's testimony of who Jesus is, and what He has done, and that He is as good as the Scriptures tell us He is (that is, the love of God in Jesus Christ for humanity). Only a faith that transcends any "feelings" is a faith that is in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Faith - ii - the 'Intellectual' appraoch

This entry will focus on the first of our "extreme" forms of faith, namely, the 'intellectual' approach to faith. Simply put, there is an overemphasis on that angle on our faith in which our faith is guaged by what, or how much, we "know". Too much weight is given to orthodoxy. Pure, correct doctrine is the goal, and any one who lines up properly to all the correct doctrinal categories is viewed as a true believer.The overarching problem is that is part of a false dichotomy (more on the other part in the next entry).

It is deceptive in that the pursuit of the 'intellectual' can turn Christianity away from a relationship with the Almighty Triune God of grace, and into an exercise of the mind. It tends to be the problem of the conservative branch of the Church, and looks down on those who don't emphasize this same knowledge of God and of Scripture. The 'intellectual' faith seems to be more concerned with the ins and outs of theology than making sure that good theology is being lived out in every area of the believer's life. This intellectualism turns the faith into a set of propositions to be agreed upon. The 'living' out of one's faith is either assumed, or just plain ignored.

In the end, this approach can lead to a docetic Christianity, where our salvation seems determined by how much we understand of the Gospel. In order to combat this extreme, we must realize that our faith is not just about saving the mind, but the whole person. Through a relationship with the LORD we are saved, by grace, so that we may not be able to boast. Our salvation is for our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Our salvation is alot more than just mere intellectual assent.

Faith - i - a short intro

Christians, whether we realize it or not, have a tendency toward extremes. And why not? We are human, in spite of accusations to the contrary by our detractors. We are human, and simply put, we like black and white categories.

So it is with faith. We see these two extremes most easily identified as the 'intellectual', or the 'experiential'. I'd like to address these extremes from the perspective that they are not at all what we should strive for, let alone recognize as true faith. In the following three short (I hope) essays, I will share what I think is a biblically recognizable understanding of what faith really is, and why each of these extremes does not fit the definition of true faith. You of course, are welcome (AND ENCOURAGED) to share your thoughts.

May God bless us all on this leg of our journey!

where has the time gone?

The last several weeks have been filled with an incredible amount of reading and writing, culminating in the completion of a 5 week Wednesday night course I taught at Narberth Pres. on The historical development of Christology called 'Who Do You Say I am?'; a ten-page paper critiquing Walter Brueggemann's use of 'Counter-Testimony' in his Theology of the Old Testament; a thirty-eight and one-half page exegetical analysis of Matthew 16:13-20; and just off the presses and turned in today, a fifteen page overview of Karl Barth's Christology, or his Christocentric approach to theology. And now I wonder, where has the time gone?

To say the least, my brain is feeling somewhat mushy, and it is my deepest hope that I actually may remember much of what I've learned. But one of the things I did learn this past April is that after four years part-time and one full year of studies, I am poised to finish my Masters in Theological Studies in Contemporary Theology at the end of the 07 Fall semester. All I have before me is Biblical Hebrew (this Summer), and in the Fall, writing two theses. I'm very excited, but also quite nervous, I don't mind admitting. Not only do I need to consider what I will be writing my theses on - and who will be my readers - but I must also start looking at and considering doctoral programs, as well as prep for GREs in the Fall. And again, I wonder, where has the time gone?

I hope you're still visiting, dear reader, dear friend. I'm sorry that I've not "written" in so long, at least in this context. But I hope that you are experiencing the fullness of God, and living out His holy and perfect will. Drop me a line, and let me know how you are doing.

God bless!

a sermon on evil and suffering

This Spring 07, I'm taking a class called 'Persevering Hope: The Theology of Evil, Suffering, and the Goodness of God. The first major assignment for this class is due next week. From the title of this entry, you've probably guessed that it's a sermon we had to prepare. Because there's some twenty people in the class, we don't have time to deliver these sermons to the class, as was the original intent. But we had to write a sermon with a particular tragedy that had effected our specific congregation at some point in recent memory.

I was challenged to come up with something; that is, I was challenged to come up with something other than the only real, true evil event that I could recall from my time at my church: the murder/suicide of a divorced couple who had both been members of our congregation. I really didn't want to write a sermon on this. But nothing else came to mind. I didn't want to write it because I realize that deep down, I'm still deeply saddened about it, and I didn't want to go back and revisit that hurt and pain. I also didn't want write on it because I didn't know what I could possibly say, even what I could find within Scripture that could possibly come across as anything but trite.

But I wrote it. Just finished it and printed it out earlier in the hour. I don't know about it. I'll have my wife read it over, and get her input. It might do it. It might not. I don't know. But I do know that if there's anything good about it, anything worthy to it, I give God the glory. As I was writing, wondering what points am I going to be able to make, the Lord led me to John 11, and three points within the story of Lazarus. Praise God for anything good and worthy in it.

If you're at all interested in reading it, drop me a line with your email, and I'll be happy to share it with you. That is, if it floats.

Coram Deo.

Evangelicals for Human Rights

dear friends and family,

I was visiting a fellow Palmer student's blog recently, and was interested by one of his entries to visit the above mentioned site (you can click on the title - it serves as a link to Evangelicals for Human Right's site). I was moved enough to read and sign the Evangelical Declaration Against Torture. Forgive me if I seem on a soap box; I don't mean to preach. Christians live in this land, and we have benefited in many ways over the history of this country. But as Christians, we have a greater loyalty to the Lord, and when the culture and/or government make decisions or policies that go against the Kingdom of God, we as God's people are called upon to be His voice and justly critique that which stands at odds with God.

I'm inviting you to go to the site, and read the Declaration - but please only read it when you have the time to read it from start to finish. Read it, and consider visiting the above linked site in order to learn more and sign the declaration yourself. You'll find the declaration is both grounded in God's Word, and articulates well what I believe is a good and proper Christian response to human rights violations. Each one of us is created in the Divine Image. Whether or not you believe that all people are God's children, or only those who call upon the name of the Lord, we all share His image. To violate that image in anyone, Christian or non-Christian, is to violate the image in all people everywhere.

Consider this, read it, and prayerfully consider signing this declaration, and share it with others. May He who grants us life and breath daily ever lead each of us to choose life always. God's best blessings to you in Christ.

In His Spirit,
David

my favorite Bible passage (right now)

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

(Matthew 16:13-20, NIV)

This is my favorite passage in Scripture right now. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm trying to answer the question myself: "Who do you say I am?"

We come to "church" every Sunday morning (or afternoon, or even evening for some), and we say something to the effect of "Jesus is Lord!", or "Praise the Lord!", or "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!" (Where?) But who do you, dear reader, say Jesus is? Are we saying Jesus is Lord, when we worry more about having enough money to entertain ourselves than we have concern about how much we're tithing? Who are we saying Jesus is when we buy expensive cars whose monthly payments are more than our two-thirds world brothers and sisters make in a year? And what kind of Lord are we worshiping when we drive these giant SUVs the size of elephants, that wastes the proverbial 30 gallons to the mile, all to transport you and your little one? Who do we say Jesus is when we pray for God to restore the environment and then do nothing ourselves?

But don't worry. Because I'm right up there with you. I didn't initially oppose the war in Iraq. And now I'm not confident that pulling out would do anything but create bigger problems for the Iraqi people, believe it or not. And driving stuff? Well, my one car is pretty economical. But the other is a mini-van - now granted, I have three kids, and I'm the one who drops them off at school every day, and if they don't have enough lebesraum they get, let's say, a little fiesty (okay, that's as much a rationalization as anything). I generally vote Republican - but let's face it, Dems and Reps are merely two sides of the same coin - they're both rotten. I like to eat all sorts of food that's not good for me in the long run.

So you see, we're all struggling to answer this question of who Jesus is. I want Him to be my Lord. I want Him to be my Savior. I want to be His servant. In my tradition, we believe that it is by the grace of God that we can even be Christians. Its not that we don't "believe" in free will; we just tend to believe that God's sovereignty tends to trump free will. All of that's to say that I struggle not only to answer the question, but to believe that God's love for me is absolutely secure. And I struggle to believe that because I struggle to give an honest "my-life-is-consistent-with-my-words" sort of answer to who do I say Jesus is.

In the end, at the end of the day, when it's all said and done, I say Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. I believe this because right before Easter some twenty-plus years ago, God revealed Himself to me, and offered me a choice between life and death, because He knew I was ready to choose death, and He wanted me to live (My three kids and my beautiful wife seem to be glad I accepted His offer). Without Jesus, I am dead. Or, I want to die. There is nothing to life without Him. And yet, in some ways, I feel no closer to understanding what it means to say, 'Jesus is the Christ' than when I first professed faith in Him, and accepted His death on my behalf.

I struggle with the question and the implications of the answer, too. I'm no better than you. Okay, maybe I am just a little, but that's beside the point, because in God's eyes, I'm really not. The truth is - always becareful when people tell you the "truth" - that we are not to answer this question in the vacuum of our own space. The answer, I am thinking, is to be given in the very context where we are most likely committing the greatest hypocrisy - our time together at church. Saying Jesus is Lord is a team event, and it requires our being the people of God, yes, the very Body of Christ together to get it right, to keep one another honest, to read and listen to Scripture together, and then lovingly hold one another's feet to its flames (not in a legalistic, mean-spirited way), that is we're all standing in the flames together, and together we are to endure them. I'm talking about the presence of God - it's dangerous to be in the presence of God. And we were never meant to stand in His presence by ourselves.

Okay, this has taken a direction I had not anticipated, nor foresaw. But it is what it is. What do you think? It's not as concise as I had originally thought it would be. My blogs sometimes go "Joycian" on me. But in the end, Jesus is the Christ. I just need God's help through you to be able to live that belief.

maybe it's the weather...

I'm sitting here at my dining room table listening to some 80's hits on itunes, waiting up for my wife to finish her deadline at work. And I've found that I've gone through a wide variety of feelings, from melancholy to joy, from tears to frustration, and feeling up to feeling down. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's that I keep itunes on shuffle. Maybe I'm manic or bi-polar (no, I'm not making fun of anyone).

I've been in seminary for several years - my first four were part-time, and I'm about to finish up my first full-time year. And I have more questions about God than I ever thought possible. That's a good thing; I think. I've read more books in the last few years than the previous ten. I've been exposed to more people's thoughts and theologies about God than most people ever will (sort of a shame). Now itunes has shuffled to U2's Miracle Drug. Oh the irony; I think. I'm wrestling with how one should keep faith integrity in the Triune God of grace when one hears theory after theory and opinion after opinion concerning deconstructing Scripture, which text really came first, or that a passage was written into an earlier book to justify a particular action of violence or condemnation. So I'm wondering - itunes has shuffled again, this time to Michael Tait's Loss for Words - does anyone think that God is real, and that He actually played a part in leading, guiding, and at times kicking Israel's butt?

Tonight, as the song's title implies, I'm feeling a loss for words. I believe God is real. He is Almighty. Yes, I choose to use the male pronoun instead of a neutered pronoun - No, I don't think God is male, but I do use it because it's consistent with His revelation throughout Scripture. I accept the supernatural dynamics and details of the biblical witness. I believe in a God who loves us so much that He became incarnate - became a human - and lived among us, presented a visible image of the invisible God, and then died to reconcile us to God. And if that wasn't enough, He sent us His Spirit so that we might fully come into fellowship with Him. I believe God is mystery. Mystery. I believe God is good. I believe He came to the earth to save us to be His people, the Church, a living witness to His reality, His love, and call to others. I think that, for the most part, the Church screws up a lot. And there are times that I hate the Church (the local church, too), but I can't hate it for long because the Church is the bride of Christ.

So, I'm writing this more for myself, because either the weather, or some of the music that's played tonight, or some of the more tricky theories from seminary have me on an emotional roller coaster tonight. So I'm wondering what God thinks of all of this? Can't wait to find out.

An Open Letter to American Christians

dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I am writing because there are several things that have been ruminating in my heart, things, I believe, that have been placed there by our God Himself. I am writing because this word (these words) are not from me. I believe they have been placed there for a purpose. Now, hear me, please. I am not suggesting these words are on the level of divine revelation, on level with the Word of God. I am, however, suggesting that these "things" are firmly embedded in God's Word. I am writing because I think we have tamed and trained these word, these things so as to reduce the true threat that the gospel, and the God it represents, pose to our American Dream. Therefore, if you have faith in Christ Jesus as true Savior and true God, please, read on.

I start with a quote from Karl Barth's The Word of God and the Word of Man (also known as The Word of God and Theology):

This then is the inner situation in which we come upon the quite pointless question whether God is righteous. The righteousness of God becomes becomes preposterously a problem and a subject for discussion. In the war it has become a "real question" again. There is now hardly a community in all the country round in which, noisily or quietly, roughly or delicately, this question is not mooted; and it is mooted, fundamentally, in us all: If God were righteous, could he then "permit" all that is now happening in the world?

A pointless question? Absolutely so, if it refers to God, the livingGod. For the living God never for a moment manifests himself in our conscience except as a righteous God. When we see him as he is and when he asks us to recognize and accept him as he is, is it not pointless to ask, Art Thou righteous? A very pointed and correct and weighty question it is, however, when we refer it to the god to whom in our pride and despair we have erected the tower of Babel; to the great personal or impersonal, mystical, philosophical, or naive Background and Patron Saint of our human righteousness, morality, state, civilization, or religion. If it is he we mean, we are quite right in asking, Is God righteous? For the answer is soon given. It is our calamity, a calamity from which there is no posibility of rescue or release, that with a thousand arts we have made ourselves a god in our own image and must now own him - a god to whom one must put such comfortless questions and receive such comfortless answers. In the question, Is God righteous? our whole tower of Babel falls to pieces. In this now burning question it becomes evident that we are looking for a righteousness without God, that we are looking, in truth, for a god without God and against God - and that our quest is hopeless. It is clear that such a god is not God. He is not even righteous. He cannot prevent worshipers, all the distinguishedEuropean and American apostles of civilization, welfare, and progress, all zealous citizens and pious Christians, from falling upon one another with fire and sword to the amazement and derision of the poor heathen in India and Africa. This god is really an unrighteous god, and it is high time for us to declare ourselves thorough-going doubters, sceptics, scoffers, and atheists in regard to him. It is high time for us to confess freely and gladly: this god, to whom we have built the tower of Babel, is not God. He is an idol. He is dead.

Karl Barth. The Word of God and The Word of Man. (Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith Publisher, Inc.) 1978. 21-22.

Barth goes onto say that only the true and living God is the only answer. Have we not confused the establishment of a Christian culture, either leaning one political direction or another, with the true Kingdom? What has this gotten for us, orto use more biblical language, what is the fruit? I will, in a manner that I admit is way too simplistic for you, dear reader, provide the following examples: on one side, with regard to a Christian who says they are against war, the death penalty, and are for governmental policies that consider the welfare of the poor, we throw them in the "Liberal" category, as in, s/he is a "Liberal" Christian; on the other side, the Christian who votes republican, is against abortion, opposes "Gay" marriage, and likes George Bush, we throw them in the "Conservative" category (by the way, I use parentheses for "Gay" because I don't find anything happy about or in the lifestyle - oh, have I played my hand? do you think you know which way I lean? guess again, dear reader!). All that's to say is that Christians of all persuasions have bought into a system of evaluation and judgment that is not to be found in the pages of Holy Writ, let alone in the Mind of Christ.

While I don't necessarily think Jesus was a pacifist, I do believe He was a peace-maker (wait, didn't He give high value to those who worked for peace?). I don't think Jesus would have necessarily favored welfare programs, but He wouldn't have devalued the people who are in great need by categorizing them as lazy, either. And in the gospels,Jesus doesn't make mention once about abortion, or homosexual's rights (let alone dating). But maybe that's because the Bible Jesus read, that is what we Christians call the Old Testament, stipulates quite well that such things like child sacrifice (which is ultimately what abortion is), and same sex relations are not acceptable to God, let alone healthy in an holistic way to the community.All of that's to say that we, as Christians, are divided. And we are divided because we put a higher value on politics and culture than we do the Kingdom of God, and serving the Lord of that Kingdom, Jesus Christ. Barth's words might well have been written today. But they weren't. The year was 1919, and the war he was referring to was World War 1, or then known as 'The Great War'. He was in Safenswil, Switzerland, I believe, serving a small, economically mixed congregation. And he was speaking into a culture that in as much as it understood itself was firmly rooted in a commitment to Enlightenment principles and religiously oriented to what we now know as Liberal Protestant Theology.

And I think Barth is speaking to us as well. Have we not, and I say we Christians, created a god in our own image? And have we not created a tower of Babel to reach it? Have we not confused Christian culture with God's kingdom? Have we notsought to follow the "righteousness" of this god, the god who encourages us to be constantly working for upward economic mobility, bigger homes, and faster cars?Does this god not asuage our guilt so that it is more "righteous" to plan our next vacation rather than wrestling whether or not we may find more to give to the local church for mission or assistance? Why is the name of Christ so misunderstood in our own country and the world over? Yes, the apostle Paul makes it clear that the cross of Christ is a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Gentile. But I think we are hiding behind the proverbial "Sunday School" answer if we shout this answer out. Yes, this is true. But remember dear brothers and sisters, God will not be mocked; we reap what we sow. My answer goes to Jesus' own words, that the world will know we are His disciples by His love. And Jesus prayed this be so. But in this, the greatest of all nations, the Church is sorely divided. Yes, one might throw into this discussion the parable of the wheat and the tares. And ironically, you might be right. But are you one of the tares? Are you working for division? Are you pointlessly slinging mud? all to the detriment of the Kingdom and the name of Christ? It is one thing to oppose a leader in the Church because s/he is clearly apostate. It is quite another thing to oppose brothers or sisters in Christ because they don't fit or submit to our self-righteous "litmus" tests.Dear brothers and sisters, I have no easy answers. But I will say that the answer is not to go run and hide in some Christian ghetto, nor is it to get out theRepublican vote in the next round of elections. It is to let your light so shine that it may be seen by all; to let our righteous acts (that is, those actions of ours that are rooted in the God) be seen so that even unbelievers praise our Father who is in heaven. It means that when we pray the Lord's prayer, and when we get to the part where we say 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done', we actually stop and think about it: what does this mean today? what should it look like in my life? And then we actually seek to live it out faithfully in the power of God the Holy Spirit.

Without the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, we are, to remember Barth'swords, in a calamity from which there is no possibility of rescue or release. God, the one, true, living God, must be our righteousness; and only Him alone. Anything else is idolatry. Anything else is far less than God. It is what we now see.

What do you think?

Don't Look Away

I was in the bathroom the other morning - it really doesn't matter which morning - going through some semi-morning ritual that gets me ready for said day when I saw it. I was shaving, brushing my teeth, smiling in the mirror at myself, washing my hands after taking a crap - I don't know but it was one of those things - but I was doing something when I looked down. Maybe I was throwing something into the trash can - that might be more like it - when I saw that behind the trash can (it's one of those small, bathroom-sized ones), on the floor, was a piece of gum. More than likely, a casualty of war, suffered from the likes of one of my daughters - I don't know which, and since I'm not looking to assign guilt, the identity of the culprit matters not - just spewed out, probably hoping that it would land square in the can.

But it didn't. It might've hit the rim at just the wrong angle so as to end up bumping off, hit the wall, and end up on the floor, safely nestled behind the trash can. It ended up on the floor. It didn't make it into the trash can. And I saw it sitting there on the floor.

And then I went back to doing something, shaving, brushing my teeth, smiling. And I forgot about the gum. And then I looked back on the floor today, and and it was gone. As in disappeared, vanished, or beamed on up to the mother ship. Gone.

And it struck me. Don't look away. I could've stopped my morning routine, bent over, and picked it up. But I didn't. And life is like that.

The moral struck me again. Life is like that, isn't. We see something out of place, broken, hurt, and it's far easier to just look away, go about what we were doing, and then forget. Forget so we can feel good, get stuff done, or just not feel guilty.

Don't look away. Don't be afraid to pick up the gum, or whatever else it is that God has allowed to catch your attention. Don't look away. You might miss an opportunity to serve, to pick up, clean up, or mop up. You might miss an opportunity to serve. Like I did.

I thought I had an idea, but ...

an hour ago, I logged onto to blogger because there was something on my mind to share with all of you wonderful people. But after an hour of messing around with the "new" blogger, I have all but forgotten what I was going to say. So that's kind of frustrating. But in any event, I thought I would at least put something mundane and meaningless down.

knock, knock. who's there?

okay, I've been keeping this blog for over two years now, and gotten bits and pieces of comments in that time, but little in the way of sustained dialog or conversation. I know people read these thoughts intermittently - I get emails here and there, or even passing comments from the people who are local. And I appreciate each and every one.

When I first started this blog, I had two ideas at the forefront. The first was that I wanted a new way to "jot" down my thoughts, my struggles, my joys, and my growing and ever-evolving thoughts on God - in essence, I saw (and still see) the way I was living as an on-going commentary on my theology of God - who He is, what He has said, and what He is calling the world, and specifically the people He continues to call to be part of the Church to be doing. Life is theology.

Secondly, I wanted to create some space for people to consider my thoughts, and offer their own (yes, I realize that there are many such forums, and who am I to expect that this particular stop on the blogosphere would be any more enticing than any of the others available).

All of that's to say, that if you're reading this, please feel free to interact. Leave a message. I blog as I feel personally (and perhaps divinely) inspired. I don't do it every day; nor even every week. The fact that I am blogging today has little to nothing to do with the fact that I blogged yesterday. There is no system to my blogging. I'm not trying so much to convince people that I'm "right", as much as just tell people what I have come to believe, and am struggling to believe. Faith is like that, I think. I'm not entirely interested if someone is "liberal" or "conservative". In point of fact, I consider those categories, those labels to be misleading. I'm seeking to be Biblical in the context where God has placed me. I want to explore the strange new world of the Bible in the context of the strange new world in which we live.

Are you out there? Are you offended? Are you bored? Are you put off? Are you willing to think? Or are you so full of blind faith, or perhaps oppositely atheistic, that you have a box so small there's no room to by which to grab hold and crawl out into the light? That's not an insult, but it is a call to wake up, to see that God is bigger than we often allow Him to be. He's dangerous. He's threatening. And most of all, He loves us.

Join this conversation. I'm holding the door for you. Come on in...

Perfect Peace and My Melacholy Feelings

You will keep in perfect peace

him whose mind is steadfast,

because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD, the LORD

is the Rock eternal.

- Isaiah 26:3-4

This is one of those days where I just feel down, and have little to no reason to feel so. Maybe it's merely seasonal depression. Maybe it's that deep in my heart I feel like I don't love You enough, Lord. I sit here at the seminary, day after day, learning, reading, and I wonder why am I here?, and what am I doing this for?, and who am I really doing this for? Is this my personal existential crisis? I don't know, and am not sure. Deep down, I do believe that God loves me, and saved me. God saved me almost twenty-two years ago when He could've let me die. Sure His purposes for my salvation are ongoing. Why, I cannot truly say, except that there is great mystery woven into my story - mine and everyone elses. The salvation and love God has for us in Jesus Christ must effect more than just bringing about a positive attitude. I would just like to wake up, never ever again to feel the weight of the wil-o-the-wisp melancholy upon my being. Instead, I embrace for myself the joy of God's presence, that fellowship with our Triune God of grace. So I sit here, in the seminary library, writing these concluding thoughts, getting ready to translate parts of Matthew into English, bibliograph some books on Karl Barth and his Christology, read about Job and suffering and evil, and I really want to just meet with You, Lord God, a little longer.

Amen.

Wake Up???

Someone forwarded this to me - my reply follows...


CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about? Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage Consumers don't want expensive produce Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, a lie...an oxymoron. There is no such thing as "cheap labor."

Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent He qualifies for food stamps He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care .

His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.

He requires bilingual teachers and books .He qualifies for relief from high energy bills.

If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI.Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare.

All of this is at the taxpayer's expense.

He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.

Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.

He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.

Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his.

The American taxpayer's also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean up.

Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people! Kind of scary, isn't it when you think about it?

My Response:

Actually, illegal aliens don't really qualify for many of those "incentives". For one thing, to "apply" for any number of those benefits, they would end up having to show proof of citizenship, thus tipping their proverbial hand that they're here illegally.

However, the most compelling issue for me is the one that comes from Jesus. Actually, there are many issues, but let's talk about just two. For one, I'm forced to ask where's my first loyalty. To country? I like the U.S. alot. But no. It's to God. So we're really dealing with an issue of what is the greatest commandment: love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, etc. From there, the issue moves onto the second greatest commandment: love your neighbor as yourself. Now, here's where the guy who orginally asked caused this issue got into a mess. He asked Jesus who's his neighbor - the Bible says he wanted to justify himself. Jesus used a parable that I think is succinctly at the heart of this anti-hispanic message: Jesus uses several characters; the first, a Jew, who's traveling between Jericho and Jerusalem. The second (group), a bunch of robbers and thieves. The third (group), a priest, a levite, and a scribe. And the fourth character, a Samaritan.

For those who don't know, the Samaritans were a despised people, and the Jews considered them at best half-breeds, and at worst, heretics and squatters. It's for this reason that Jesus uses the character of the [Good] Samaritan as the one who rescues the Jewish traveler after he gets beaten up and left for dead by the robbers - not the priest; not the levite; not the scribe - all very religious and upright people.

The bottom line for those of us who even remotely consider themselves Christians, we should care about our neighbors, whether they're from "south of the border" or not, and whether they speak english, spanish, or spanglish.

Oh, and maybe a refresher history lesson would help, too. It wasn't until the mid-19th century, that is the mid-1800's that California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas were under the authority of the United States. All of that belonged to Spain, and subsequently Mexico. And then it was only taken away by a most immoral, if not illegal war whose only purpose was to provide for new slave states at the congressional urging of Southern Democrats.

If that's the attitude you want to align yourself with, by all means, go ahead. It's a free country.

God is more ...

God our King is
more affectionate than any friend,
more just than any ruler,
more loving than any father,
more a part of us than our own limbs,
more necessary to us than our own heart.

- St. Nicolas Cabasilas

Who's the Fool?

There's a great story in the gospel of Luke where Jesus tells this story of a farmer who strikes it rich with a bumper crop that, in his own mind, sets him up for the High Life for the rest of his life. That is, until God shows up to set him straight.

Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
(Luke 12:13-21, NIV)

What I find interesting here is how Jesus' original audience would have reacted to the description of this rich farmer. His actions, really his attitude, probably pass right over the typical American reader of Luke's gospel, but for the typical Jew listening to this parable, the man's attitude and actions would have probably provoked mixed feelings. For one thing, there might have been some envy among the day laborers who were used to bringing in little to nothing by way of income, and might deem this farmer as having received a real blessing. For another thing, however, there might be real shock that in no way did this rich farmer's comments/thoughts include God in the scope of his hopes and plans - something that may be well outside of our cultural ground zero, but not Jesus' original audience. (*I credit a conversation with Dr. Diane Chen for some extra insights as to the possible reactions of the original Jewish audience.) But all in all, this man's attitude and position, while envious, would be categorically wrong.

Why, you might ask? Because the man's plans, and the attitude behind those actions, are completely absent of God. That is, if a man had a bumper crop of whatever, he would almost be responsible to look around at his fellow Jews in need and help out in some way. Instead, we Americans [Christians?] might be somewhat shocked at God's anger at this man, after all, isn't he merely enjoying what we might think of as a proto-"American Dream"? Doesn't he deserve to sit back and enjoy the fruit of his labor? What's wrong here?

Luke offers us two keys from earlier in his gospel that I think help us in understanding this parable. The first comes to us from Luke 9, where Peter has just professed that Jesus is "the Christ of God," and Jesus launches into warning His disciples of His coming suffering and death. This is part of Jesus' "invitation" to discipleship, that whomever would follow Him must take up their cross daily, and follow Him. Then he posits the paradox of what we might call true Christian discipleship, that whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life will for Jesus will save it. The punch line for us is, "What good is it for a [person] to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (9:25, NIV.)

The second key is in regard to our relationship with God. Earlier in Luke 10, Jesus is asked by an expert of the Law what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus, in good midrashic fashion, turns the question back to the expert, "how do you read the law?" The man sums it up by citing love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Then he makes the mistake of trying to justify himself, he asks Jesus who is neighbor, and Jesus goes onto to tell the story of the Good Samaritan in order to illustrate the point that anyone and everyone is our neighbor.

And here's the breakdown for our "rich fool" of Luke 12. He was guilty of putting his temporal comforts first before and at the expense of eternity (and therefore, God), therefore, he neither loved God nor loved his neighbor. Instead of following God and surrenduring his life to God, he gained "the whole world," and thus forfeited his very self. Instead of loving God and loving neighbor(s), he made for himself a boatload, and rather than seeking to glorify God and care for the needs of his neighbor, he sought to live for his own purposes, his own comforts.

This is where Jesus' parable needs to hit us square between the eyes. Most of us Christians in the West, particularly in the U.S., are quite wealthy compared to the rest of the world. That joined to the fact that while a number of Christians are trying to live more simple, Christ-centered lives that allow them to share the many blessings that Christ has given them, too many Christians in our country live life much like the rich fool. We are blessed to be a blessing, yet too many of us have attitudes that betray the true condition of our hearts - we are number one. I must confess that this is one of my ongoing struggles. I admit it; more often than not (too often for my own comfort), I think about that really nice large, flat screen, LCD HD plasma TV that would be oh so much fun to watch movies on. Or I think about all the different restaurants I would love to dine out at this coming weekend. Or any number of far less interesting examples that still fit the bill of revealing in me a heart that does not love God or my neighbor.

These parables and words of Jesus should come back to us, as later in Acts, where Luke illustrates the living out of this parable in the lives of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). They see in the generous act of Barnabas' giving of his property to the Church a lot of positive attention that they themselves would like to have. In other words, they're only thinking of themselves when they sell their property, keeping part of the profit for themselves, and then proceeding to give the rest to the apostles', telling them that what they have turned over is the entire sum. They want all the fuss that was made over Barnabas, but none of the possible sacrifice. They still want to be able to enjoy the comforts of life, too. And just like God came that very night to the rich fool and demanded of him his life, so Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, leaving the entirety of their wealth to someone else to enjoy.

So who is the fool?

While this is not meant at all to be an exercise in finger pointing, it's a question we must wrestle with, and where need be, allow it to confront those areas of our lives, those areas in our hearts, where we do not love God and neighbor as much as we love our own lives, our own comforts, and fall into the trap of avoiding suffering (and possibly death), while at the same time seeking to enjoy the whole world. In the mean time, may God have mercy on us, and patiently give us the grace and power to both recognize and repent of our foolish ways. May we live lives that point to Him who has blessed us, that our neighbors may see our good works, and praise our Father who is in heaven.