Friday, January 30, 2009
Complete in Christ
Have you ever thought about the effect of sin in the world in terms of the "incompleteness" it brings to every strata of life: marriage, family, friends, employment, etc.? I was thinking about that this morning. People are hurrying and scurrying about in their various endeavors of life, driven by the tyranny of the urgent, seeking completeness. And it's never going to happen this side of heaven. John Eldridge puts it this way, "The incompleteness we seek to relieve in the deep embrace of our earthly love is never fully healed." So I ask myself, why do I so often fly to the people or things of this world to try to gain a sense of completeness? And why am I so often surprised at the sense of frustration I experience at the deepest level of my being? I will forever be incomplete in this world. It is freeing to accept that reality. For those who are putting their hope for that completeness in wives or husbands, children, employment, athletics, accumulating things, or partying--you fill in the blank--they are chasing (as the old 60s song goes) the elusive butterfly. It never fully satisfies. My heart can only find ultimate peace, satisfaction, and significance in Christ. These thoughts draw my heart to heaven and move my soul to long for that moment when the completion that I so desperately long to experience finds its fulfillment in the One who accomplished its possibility by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. We need to live life with a heavenly perspective which helps to deliver us from unrealistic expectations for others and ourselves, perfectionism, criticism, and so much more. It provides a motivation for encouragement and building others up--for creating community. This truth is so very freeing! It releases us from the shackles of this world and frees us to fly to Christ to enjoy the life He brings to those who love Him. Oh, Lord, help us to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Principle vs. Pragmatism by R.C. Sproul
I read some thoughts from R.C. Sproul this morning that made me think about who we are as a nation and who we are as a church. Here's what he said.
Principle vs. Pragmatism by R.C. Sproul
Some years ago, I drove along the Pennsylvania Turnpike about two o’clock in the morning with a friend after having spent all day at a steel corporation in eastern Pennsylvania dealing with labor management issues. My companion was a man who had lost his job as a highly paid executive in the industry for being too concerned about the welfare and dignity of the laborers in his plant. As we were making this drive in the wee hours of the morning, I noticed my friend was at the point of exhaustion, and so I asked him the question: “Why are you doing this?” He looked over at me as if to indicate that my question was a foolish one, and he replied simply: “Because it’s the right thing to do.”In stark contrast to that, in this past year I have witnessed the worst type of corruption within the church that I have seen in my lifetime. I was chairing the board of a Christian institution of learning as we dealt with a question of the propriety of the teaching of one of the professors. The task of the board was to guard the purity of the doctrine of the institution. The motion was made to suspend the professor for a brief period of time in order to give him an opportunity to amend his views. As chairman, I did not vote, but the motion carried by a vote of eight to two.During the discussion, one of the men who voted against the resolution asked this question: “Can’t we deal with this question in a more pragmatic way?” Another board member responded by saying, “No, it is our responsibility to act not according to pragmatism but according to principle.” The motion to suspend was passed by a margin of eight-to-two. The pragmatist who was outvoted, instead of submitting to the vote or bringing in a minority report, went around the board and did everything in his power to have the board’s decision overthrown. Accomplishing this, his next move was to see to it that board members with whom he disagreed were ousted from the board. Through Machiavellian machinations of corruption, this pragmatist was able to succeed. In his wake, he left the demolition of a strategically important institution of Christian learning.What is pragmatism? Pragmatism is the only philosophy native to America. Pragmatism eschews any hope of discovering ultimate truth. It is skeptical with respect to objective principles of righteousness and defines truth as “that which works.” In this philosophy, the end always justifies the means. The driving force behind decisions within the scope of pragmatism is the force of expediency.We remember in the days of the trial of Jesus of Nazareth, two of the important players were Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate. Both men made their decisions to have Jesus executed on the basis of expediency (Mark 15:15; John 11:45–53). Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate were pragmatists with a vengeance.Several years ago, I had the opportunity to have lunch with a ranking senator of the United States Congress. During our discussion, I raised an ethical issue that the Senate faced at that time and asked him why the Senate didn’t act on that particular issue. He replied that he agreed with me that the Senate certainly should act on it, but he added that they could not do it that year because it was an election year. I moved to my second question and asked about another issue that needed the Senate’s attention. Again he agreed that it should be addressed, but not that particular year because it was an election year. After we got to the sixth or seventh question where the mantra was repeated again (“not this year because it’s an election year”), I looked at the senator and asked, “Is there anybody up here on Capitol Hill who thinks about the next generation instead of the next election?” I guess it was too idealistic of me to think that our nation’s leaders would be a bit more concerned for the welfare of the nation than for their own political war chest. No nation (or Christian institution, for that matter) can survive when its leaders are driven by a spirit of pragmatism or make their decisions according to political expediency.Expediency is an obscene word. It is the word that is ever and always at war with principle. A person who is a Christian is called of God to live by biblical principles. The principles that the Bible reveals to guide our steps are the necessary elements for authentic righteousness. Take away principle, and righteousness is slain in the streets. We need an awakening in the culture and in the church to principle — to working according to truth and to living according to biblical revelation. Without principle, the church as well as the culture will decay, and the church will become a mere echo of the unprincipled pragmatism of secularism.
Principle vs. Pragmatism by R.C. Sproul
Some years ago, I drove along the Pennsylvania Turnpike about two o’clock in the morning with a friend after having spent all day at a steel corporation in eastern Pennsylvania dealing with labor management issues. My companion was a man who had lost his job as a highly paid executive in the industry for being too concerned about the welfare and dignity of the laborers in his plant. As we were making this drive in the wee hours of the morning, I noticed my friend was at the point of exhaustion, and so I asked him the question: “Why are you doing this?” He looked over at me as if to indicate that my question was a foolish one, and he replied simply: “Because it’s the right thing to do.”In stark contrast to that, in this past year I have witnessed the worst type of corruption within the church that I have seen in my lifetime. I was chairing the board of a Christian institution of learning as we dealt with a question of the propriety of the teaching of one of the professors. The task of the board was to guard the purity of the doctrine of the institution. The motion was made to suspend the professor for a brief period of time in order to give him an opportunity to amend his views. As chairman, I did not vote, but the motion carried by a vote of eight to two.During the discussion, one of the men who voted against the resolution asked this question: “Can’t we deal with this question in a more pragmatic way?” Another board member responded by saying, “No, it is our responsibility to act not according to pragmatism but according to principle.” The motion to suspend was passed by a margin of eight-to-two. The pragmatist who was outvoted, instead of submitting to the vote or bringing in a minority report, went around the board and did everything in his power to have the board’s decision overthrown. Accomplishing this, his next move was to see to it that board members with whom he disagreed were ousted from the board. Through Machiavellian machinations of corruption, this pragmatist was able to succeed. In his wake, he left the demolition of a strategically important institution of Christian learning.What is pragmatism? Pragmatism is the only philosophy native to America. Pragmatism eschews any hope of discovering ultimate truth. It is skeptical with respect to objective principles of righteousness and defines truth as “that which works.” In this philosophy, the end always justifies the means. The driving force behind decisions within the scope of pragmatism is the force of expediency.We remember in the days of the trial of Jesus of Nazareth, two of the important players were Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate. Both men made their decisions to have Jesus executed on the basis of expediency (Mark 15:15; John 11:45–53). Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate were pragmatists with a vengeance.Several years ago, I had the opportunity to have lunch with a ranking senator of the United States Congress. During our discussion, I raised an ethical issue that the Senate faced at that time and asked him why the Senate didn’t act on that particular issue. He replied that he agreed with me that the Senate certainly should act on it, but he added that they could not do it that year because it was an election year. I moved to my second question and asked about another issue that needed the Senate’s attention. Again he agreed that it should be addressed, but not that particular year because it was an election year. After we got to the sixth or seventh question where the mantra was repeated again (“not this year because it’s an election year”), I looked at the senator and asked, “Is there anybody up here on Capitol Hill who thinks about the next generation instead of the next election?” I guess it was too idealistic of me to think that our nation’s leaders would be a bit more concerned for the welfare of the nation than for their own political war chest. No nation (or Christian institution, for that matter) can survive when its leaders are driven by a spirit of pragmatism or make their decisions according to political expediency.Expediency is an obscene word. It is the word that is ever and always at war with principle. A person who is a Christian is called of God to live by biblical principles. The principles that the Bible reveals to guide our steps are the necessary elements for authentic righteousness. Take away principle, and righteousness is slain in the streets. We need an awakening in the culture and in the church to principle — to working according to truth and to living according to biblical revelation. Without principle, the church as well as the culture will decay, and the church will become a mere echo of the unprincipled pragmatism of secularism.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Book Review
I read a lot of books. The Courage to Be Protestant by David Wells is one of the best I've read recently. I highly recommend it. The sub-title is Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World. The words on the flap of the inside-front cover begin, "It takes no courage to sign up as a Protestant." These words begin this bold new work--the culmination of David Well's long-standing critique of the evangelical landscape. But to live as a true Protestant--well, that's another matter. This book is a jeremiad against "new" versions of evangelicalism--marketers and emergents--and a summons to return to the historic faith, defined by the Reformation solas (grace, faith, and Scripture alone) and by a high regard for doctrine. Wells argues that historic, classical evangelicalism is marked by doctrinal seriousness, as opposed to the new movements of the marketing church and the emergent church. He energetically confronts the marketing communities and their tendency to try to win parishioners as consumers rather than worshipers, advertising the most palatable environment rather than trusting the truth to be attractive. I will stop there with the inside-cover comments. David Wells calls God's people back to biblical Christianity as opposed to cultural Christianity (if there is truly such a thing for how can one possibly be unbiblical but Christian? That is nonsense--a total contradiction. David Wells calls Christian people and the church back to the position of faith, grace, and Scripture alone as the means by which the church will fulfill its mission and bring glory to our Savior. He calls true believers to have their hearts and minds molded by the Scripture, to resist cultural pressures that would form us into the image of the world, and take a stand for and be firmly rooted in biblical truth. I highly recommend this book.
Scary Predictions
Today I received an email from my brother. In the subject line were the words "Predictions Scary." I read the email message that consisted of dire predictions for our nation that concerned him. He believed they were legitimate, and they may well be. In my reply, I hoped to help him gain some perspective. Here's what I said:
Surely there can be no doubt among those of us who know our Bibles fairly well that our country is in a mess--for that matter our world is in a mess. Our founding fathers tried an experiment in government that has been unmatched throughout the ages in regard to prosperity in the matters of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Much of their governmental philosophy was grounded in the Word of God and their approach to matters of law was built upon the model of Blackstone's legal principles that formed the body of jurisprudence that governed England and which had at their center Ten Commandments. Now that America has departed from it's initial foundation, everything is up for grabs. It is almost beyond belief that we would look to philosophies of European countries for answers to our present needs recognizing that those countries are failing and their peoples are enduring a much less satisfying manner of life than that which forr many years we have known in America. The systems that have been set in place to govern socialistic countries have produced pretty much nothing but misery for their people. All of this is very sad, but it is not surprising. The Bible explains that in the Last Days, our world will go from bad to worse, selfishness and sin will be the dominating factors of our society, foolishness will rule people's lives, and the pursuit of pleasure and a wanton lust for self-fulfillment will dominate the societies of the world. The fact is, God's judgment is coming. And those of us who know Jesus should have our lives focused on Him--growing to love Him more; growing to love our neighbors more (showing that love in tangible ways and being faithful witnesses of the good news of Jesus Christ); and serving the world. Our hope is not in this world, but the world to come. The Word says, "Set your mind on things above and not on things below." With our minds and hearts rooted in the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom to come of which we truly are citizens, we can gain a healthier perspective of this world in which we are only (to use a John Wayne word) pilgrims, and which is only temporary. Hebrews uses a term I love of the Kingdom to which Christians have aligned themselves in Christ. It is called "The unshakable kingdom." The world is the "shakable kingdom." Presently we feel the tremors; eventually the people of this world will experience the earthquake. Praise God that in Christ we are safe. Praise God that He has given us the wisdom to "flee from the wrath to come." Praise God that we are safe in His arms even in the midst of such foolishness and misguided governmental policies that we are seeing practiced at the highest levels of our government today and that are filtering down through our American society. The only answer for our world is Christ. He lives to give life and liberty to those who would call upon His name. What a beautiful name it is--Jesus. God's prediction is judgment for the world; God's promise is that the judgment that I deserve because of my sin has been born by my Savior and He is now preparing a place for me in His unshakable kingdom. This life is as a vapor that passes away quickly; eternal life is forever. It is a fool who would give up what he cannot lose for that which he cannot keep. My prayer is that our Lord in these difficult days will move us, His people, to be "Heavenly Rooted" as we live out our days in this shaky world.
Surely there can be no doubt among those of us who know our Bibles fairly well that our country is in a mess--for that matter our world is in a mess. Our founding fathers tried an experiment in government that has been unmatched throughout the ages in regard to prosperity in the matters of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Much of their governmental philosophy was grounded in the Word of God and their approach to matters of law was built upon the model of Blackstone's legal principles that formed the body of jurisprudence that governed England and which had at their center Ten Commandments. Now that America has departed from it's initial foundation, everything is up for grabs. It is almost beyond belief that we would look to philosophies of European countries for answers to our present needs recognizing that those countries are failing and their peoples are enduring a much less satisfying manner of life than that which forr many years we have known in America. The systems that have been set in place to govern socialistic countries have produced pretty much nothing but misery for their people. All of this is very sad, but it is not surprising. The Bible explains that in the Last Days, our world will go from bad to worse, selfishness and sin will be the dominating factors of our society, foolishness will rule people's lives, and the pursuit of pleasure and a wanton lust for self-fulfillment will dominate the societies of the world. The fact is, God's judgment is coming. And those of us who know Jesus should have our lives focused on Him--growing to love Him more; growing to love our neighbors more (showing that love in tangible ways and being faithful witnesses of the good news of Jesus Christ); and serving the world. Our hope is not in this world, but the world to come. The Word says, "Set your mind on things above and not on things below." With our minds and hearts rooted in the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom to come of which we truly are citizens, we can gain a healthier perspective of this world in which we are only (to use a John Wayne word) pilgrims, and which is only temporary. Hebrews uses a term I love of the Kingdom to which Christians have aligned themselves in Christ. It is called "The unshakable kingdom." The world is the "shakable kingdom." Presently we feel the tremors; eventually the people of this world will experience the earthquake. Praise God that in Christ we are safe. Praise God that He has given us the wisdom to "flee from the wrath to come." Praise God that we are safe in His arms even in the midst of such foolishness and misguided governmental policies that we are seeing practiced at the highest levels of our government today and that are filtering down through our American society. The only answer for our world is Christ. He lives to give life and liberty to those who would call upon His name. What a beautiful name it is--Jesus. God's prediction is judgment for the world; God's promise is that the judgment that I deserve because of my sin has been born by my Savior and He is now preparing a place for me in His unshakable kingdom. This life is as a vapor that passes away quickly; eternal life is forever. It is a fool who would give up what he cannot lose for that which he cannot keep. My prayer is that our Lord in these difficult days will move us, His people, to be "Heavenly Rooted" as we live out our days in this shaky world.
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