My other blogs

May I point you to my other blogs:

Commentary on John's writings in the New Testament.
https://awesomefisherman.blogspot.com/

Commentary on Luke's writings.
https://gospeldynamics.blogspot.com/

Christmas: Roe v Wade to the Eschatological Jubilee

Christmas brings an annual remembrance of the events surrounding the birth of Christ. The slaughter of the innocents (Matthew 2:16-18), reminds us that Satan opposes God’s work with violent evil. A similar attempt to kill Moses at birth also failed in Satan’s scheme. (Exodus 1:15-2:10) In both cases, Satan sought to kill God’s deliverer while still a baby. The modern version of Satan’s infanticide is called abortion on demand, or a woman’s right to choose. 

What great deliverer threatens Satan that will arise from this generation? The next event promised in the cycle of God’s plan is the completion of the great commission. (Matthew 24:14, Mark 13:10) The only interpretation I can give to the flood tide of demonically-inspired war against unborn children is that Satan knows that this generation is destined to finally accomplish the command of Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20) This is not the work of a single tyrant seeking to exterminate possible competition for his throne, but a social consensus brought by the deception of the evil one upon the mass of unbelieving humanity.

What will this generation accomplish? Anyone born since January 22, 1973 is part of a generation that the devil fears, because in completing the great commission, the condition for “the end” that Jesus described will be met. (Matthew 24:14) The exact sequence of eschatological events has been debated endlessly, but I wish to raise the question of when these things might happen. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt approximately 80 years after Pharaoh’s slaughter of the Hebrew babies. Jesus began His ministry approximately 28 years after Herod’s slaughter of the innocents. A generation might be construed to be 30-40 years, but one Old Testament yardstick is the year of Jubilee, which culminated a Sabbath of Sabbath years. After 49 years, including a Sabbath year every seventh, the year of Jubilee observed an additional year of rest for the land. (Leviticus 25:8-16) 

God took this so seriously that when the Jews were carried off to Babylon in captivity as a result of their apostasy, God numbered the years of exile based on the Sabbath years that had not been observed by the Jews since the establishment of the kingdom. He allowed them to be captives long enough for the land to have its allotted rest. (2 Chronicles 36:21) 

What form could a Jubilee take in the context of the modern world? It does not appear to be a direct judgment and removal of those who perform the devil’s bidding by carrying out mass slaughter of infants, because in both Biblical cases those responsible had much earlier been disciplined and removed. The year of Jubilee has more to do with resetting society, with redeeming that which had gone awry: the freeing of slaves, and the return of land to its rightful family ownership. (Leviticus 25) Under the New Covenant, this could take the form of freeing those who are slaves to sin, and God’s children going to the dwelling places God has prepared for them. The marriage feast of the Lamb! 

Book Review: Spirits in Bondage, A Cycle of Lyrics by C. S. Lewis

The poetry in Spirits in Bondage, A Cycle of Lyrics, by C. S. Lewis reveals the worldview, thoughts, and especially feelings of the author written during that period when he struggled with God over his initial decision to become a Christian. Surprised, by Joy, written much later retrospectively, has a more measured, rational narrative of this period. Forty poems in three sections convey the intensity of this struggle. 

Part I, the Prison House, shows the torment of a man who recognizes spiritual reality, reacting to the horrors of the battlefield of World War I and more broadly the battlefield of life on earth. He wrestles with the problem of pain writ large - if God is good, why does evil flourish and why do the innocent suffer? He recognizes Satan but sees a distant God, not yet having grasped the power of the Incarnation and the Atonement, of the price God paid to rescue fallen man. He writhes in emotional pain that the universe is so. 

Part Two, Hesitation, briefly chronicles the invitation the author perceived, both from God to join Him at table, and from the multitude of those who have gone before him to faith. He hears their call to join them, and sees their blessedness. But he also sees the awesomeness of God, which he dreads. It is reminiscent of The Hound of Heaven, in which Francis Thompson recognized God’s love but fled from it, knowing that choosing Him would require the loss of all worldly values.

Part 3, The Escape, reads as though Lewis had a visit to heaven almost on a par with that which Paul described in 2 Cor. 12:2-4. Almost is a caveat because Lewis uses verse to convey the essence of that heavenly experience, which St. Paul was forbidden. There is no attempt to explain the process, of reason or explanation, by which he became a Christian. The inference is that it was experience, direct revelation of the rapture of heaven, of God’s nature and character, that overcame his objections. Lewis worked out his theology over the next forty years and wrote it down plainly for the rest of us. He included hints of his experience at the end of Till We Have Faces and The Last Battle. Curiously, although experience played a significant role in Lewis’ decision, in fiction he included them only at the end, after the hero or heroine had fought through through the obstacles.

We live in a world of desperation, yet unbelievers resist or reject outright Christianity. Whether this rejection is due to misunderstanding, akin to Lewis’, or outright rebellion against authority or any externally defined standards of good is the key difference for each individual. Rebellion akin to Satan’s will be broken by God in the end (Rev. 6:15-17), but mistaking God’s nature and character can be remedied by the gospel. Jesus came to set the captives free. We cannot arrange heavenly visits of divine rapture, but we can promise that God will respond to those who earnestly and honestly seek Him.

Visit Monticello

Monticello embodies the stark contrast between the ideals of our founding fathers and the reality of their lives. The architecture, shown on the obverse of the nickel, is fascinating in detail and in person. Thomas Jefferson wrote the magnificent proclamation in the Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Tours show the extent to which the third president was reliant on the labor of over 100 enslaved people to maintain his lifestyle and the magnificent mansion. Guides discuss his relationship with his slave Sally Hemings, half-sister of his wife, and the children they had together after his wife’s death.

Jefferson was aware of this contradiction. Tour guides mention a statement he often quoted, attributed to Tiberius Caesar, to describe slavery. “But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.”

TJ was not a confederate hero, although he had some of the same issues. Antebellum Southern culture erected an elaborate biblical justification for why slavery was moral and approved by God. Abolitionists believed the Bible taught that slavery was an evil to be fought and ended. Who was misreading Scripture? TJ knew that slavery was unjust, even though he did not hold a high view of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about slavery?

•      The Bible acknowledges slavery as a fact of life in the world, without justifying it. Under Mosaic law, it was recognized that an Israelite might sell himself for his debts, or that foreigners captured in war might be made slaves. (Leviticus 25:39-46)   Moses gave rules for treatment and freeing  (redemption) of slaves; and the year of Jubilee required Israelites to free slaves every 50 years. (Leviticus 25:54)

•      Under the new covenant, in the Roman Empire, slavery was also a fact of life. Paul gave instructions for treatment of slaves (Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 4:1) but also encouraged believing slaves to obtain freedom if they could. (1 Cor 7:21-23) Paul’s epistle to Philemon encouraged (but did not order) Onesimus’ owner to accept him back as a brother, not a slave. (Philemon 16)

•      Paul referred to love-slaves (Exodus 21:5-6) as a type of our relationship to Christ. (1 Peter 2:16), to encourage devoted service to Christ.

How can we summarize the Biblical position on chattel slavery? The above all do not add up to a theological basis for defending it. The most that can be said is that the Bible commends slavery to God as preferable to slavery to man, slavery to sin worst of all, and that believing slaveowners were commanded very specifically as to how they were to treat slaves, as they will be held accountable.

Racism is often conflated with slavery in the modern world. There is a sharp difference between Old & New Testaments in the context and treatment of inter-racial relations.

•      Under the Mosaic law, and during the conquest and occupation of the promised land, Israelites were warned against intermingling with the Canaanites. The evil embedded in the Canaanite culture had to be eradicated to not infect Israel. Even so, Canaanites who came under the Mosaic Law (e.g. Rahab, Ruth) were accepted and lauded for their faith, and are in the bloodline leading to Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31)

•      Under the new covenant there is no racial or cultural distinction in Christ. (Col. 3:11; Galatians 3:28)

Visiting Monticello, I had to wonder how TJ thought of Sally Hemings. (Ecclesiastes 4:1) Did he see her as property to be used for his own enjoyment? As a person with inalienable rights “married” to him, that his society and culture prevented him from acknowledging legally? Did she see herself as a common-law wife? As a doulos - a love-slave according to Ex 21:5-6? Take the slavery tour while at Monticello, and contemplate the consequences of sin, and the consummation of human history:

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)

None of us lives up to God’s call, although that does not excuse us from our duty. How great is the grace of God that one day we, who name Jesus as our Savior, shall stand before Him with those from every race who so name Him. And we shall be found in Him not as slaves, but as welcome sons.

Chemo for sin

Governments believe they can bring a return to Eden by controlling their citizens or by  implementing massive programs of jobs, education, healthcare, public assistance, and so forth. Anti-government militias and non-state actors believe they can bring heaven on earth by destroying existing governments by violence so that they can implement their own programs, typically a rules-based order for society, with their version of the rules.

Jesus laughs (Psalm 2:4). God’s planned for each person individually walk with Him (Jesus) in the garden in the cool of the morning. But since we all have ingrained sin, we need the chemotherapy of Jesus’ blood to cleanse us so that we can walk with Him. Jesus laughs over the ridiculous idea that governments or any human organization, by force or law, can bring paradise on earth.

Cancer might be an apt metaphor for government, but better pictures sin. What is the fundamental difference between cancer and healthy growth and development?

• Healthy cells reproduce to replace cells that are aged, damaged or destroyed. Cancer cells reproduce unchecked, having lost mechanisms to monitor and control reproduction.
• Healthy cells communicate with other cells chemically. Cancer cells do not respond to signals from other cells, hence their uncontrolled reproduction.
• Healthy cells adhere to neighboring cells; cancer cells do not.
• Healthy cells specialize to perform specific functions within the body. Cancer cells are unspecialized and do nothing useful.
• Healthy cells self-destruct when they are damaged or diseased. Cancer cells do not.

All of these attributes might make cancer cells sound royal, powerful or immortal. Actually they reveal that life without context, relationship, purpose, and self-control becomes ultimately destructive of those nearby and of self. When cancer has its way, its victim dies.

Medical science treats cancer with a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.  Surgery removes macroscopic accumulations of cancer cells, and tissue that is infested. Radiation kills all cells within its beam focus without regard to health. Chemotherapy attempts to target cancer cells specifically.

How can God treat our sin? If it is big enough, its consequences will be self-destruction, but may also result in the destruction of the sinner. Sadly this is all-too-common  in those who have rejected God’s pleading. Radical surgery can potentially remove the offensive growth but carries life consequences - similar to a missing limb or organ. It is the blood of Jesus, applied to our life, that has the capability to target sin at a microscopic level and distinguish healthy thoughts, words, and deeds from sinful ones. But … a big but … the predilection of our heart for right or wrong will determine the efficacy of the treatment. If we continue to infect new thoughts, words, and deeds with sin, the treatment fails, leading ultimately to more extreme measures.

God conditions the idyllic life of Eden or heaven on believing His words so that we can fellowship with Him. Genesis 3 is unambiguous. Since all have sinned in the likeness of Adam’s offense, the only remedy is Jesus’ blood. No government can control the behavior of its citizens, and only deters defined crimes like murder, assault, theft, rape and so on. Courts can neither know nor change the heart of offender, and struggle even to establish the facts about actions. Only the promise of the return of Christ to establish His kingdom will bring justice and peace on earth.  His blood is the prerequisite to continuous fellowship with Him, the elimination of sin in our lives.

The Spiritual Carnot Cycle

The spiritual Carnot cycle converts spiritual power into God’s work on earth. Every engineer who has completed a thermodynamics class has learned about thermodynamic cycles of engines that convert heat into mechanical work, for example the Carnot cycle, the Brayton cycle, the Otto cycle, and the Rankine cycle. What is the spiritual Carnot cycle?

• A person at a low state of spirituality enters this cycle when he begins to sense the workings of the Holy Spirit in his life, revealing God’s real presence, nature, and character, drawing that person into a closer relationship. The individual’s spiritual fervor begins to increase. 
• As it continues, a spiritual high point is achieved, not in a pejorative sense of inebriation, but a sense of joy and exhilaration in the Lord’s manifest presence. This spiritual mountaintop brings new wonders of the heavenlies, and amazing answers to prayer, increasing and continuing closeness of the believer to the Lord. 
• The next phase begins when the Lord begins to withdraw the sense of His presence. The believer continues in fervent faith, not slowing in behaviors associated with the manifest presence of the Lord. As he works for the Lord, the fruit is still there but not the sense of His presence. The believer must labor in faith. God’s kingdom is built.
• This phase transitions gradually to the final phase of spiritual deflation, called desolation by Ignatius. All sense of God’s presence and power have vanished. The believer reflects wistfully on how wonderful it once was, and wonders if God’s presence will ever return. Ignatius offered several guidelines for this phase. At some point, God begins to work again, and the cycle starts anew. 

There are two aspects of work accomplished during this cycle. Firstly, God’s power is manifested in the presence of unbelievers when the believer speaks and acts in faith. This is all the more powerful when the believer acts knowing what the Lord calls him to, but without sensing His presence. God’s kingdom is built and He is glorified in the world, and enters the lives of those living without Him. Secondly, the believer learns more of God’s nature and character in the contrast of the phases. He desires to become and be more like God, and learns how dependent he is on a God for even the simplest aspect of godliness. 

The unspiritual Carnot cycle accomplishes exactly the opposite. Without diving into detail, it involves people taking their needs (food, housing, medical problems) to the government. The government provides, resulting both in glorification of human institutions, and codependency between individuals and government. There is no spiritual growth, but the reverse. 

The work of spiritual cycles is not some mystical, mysterious secret. God exhibited His plan in plain sight for all of recorded history. Doubters may whine about God’s unfairness, but He is being gracious in revealing His ways. Although our actions should always exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, our spiritual walk will be stronger as we recognize and cooperate with the Lord, in the way He chooses to deal with us.

The Storm of God's Grace

In Genesis 9:11 & 15, God promised He would never again destroy the world by flood. But that doesn't mean there won’t be storms. The rainbow is His sign that He will not wipe out all mankind by a flood.

The story of Paul’s voyage to Rome (Acts 27) illustrates how bad these storms of life can be. Millennia before global warming triggered frequent superstorms, he spent two weeks with 275 of his closest friends trapped inside a violent storm on a ship as a Roman prisoner. Taking this as a type of a storm of life, perhaps we can learn a bit about God’s dealings with us.

Paul knew the danger and warned the centurion and ship’s captain. However, the professional sailor dissed Paul’s advice and sailed into the storm. (Acts 27:11) At first, they thought they had succeeded. (27:13) But God does not suffer fools to persist long in their self-centered delusions. (27:14)

Recognizing their plight, they began to throw cargo overboard. (27:18) Everyone, regardless of their spiritual condition, knows that dire circumstances require us to shed the less important to get or keep the most important. Why does it take a life-threatening storm for us to remember this?

God was with Paul and all those on board through the storm. He sent an angel to encourage Paul (27:23-24). Paul responded by encouraging everyone on board with a strong statement of faith. (27:25) The angel noted that God had granted Paul the life of all of his traveling companions - even his Roman captors. What a blessing to be able to speak words of life and hope to the unbelievers and desperate around us! Perhaps they will only hear us if we experience the storms of life together.

The sailors wanted to abandon their posts, but were thwarted by Paul and the Roman soldiers. (27:30-32) Lest we condemn these sailors too harshly, how many of us have been tempted to flee tough circumstances, to take the easy way out? But that is not how God works. He forms and refines us in the midst of the fire. There is a gospel song by the Speers about Daniel’s three friends in the fiery furnace, that ends with the chorus, “...He’s still in the fire.” Daniel’s friends were delivered from it, but the Fourth Man did not come out. That’s where God works. Our bonds are consumed and we are set free; He is there with us. God’s Grace even deals with pagan sailors in the storm. The world isn’t terribly enthusiastic about this aspect of God’s ways.

As the ship approached shore, the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to prevent their escape. (27:42-43). However, the centurion spared them and all made it safely to shore. Although disaster tests the souls of men, God is still there.

The Lord was indeed gracious to them in the storm. Is this a type to indicate that ultimately all will be saved? Jesus taught otherwise. He used the metaphor of houses built on sand vs. rock. He warned that “…everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a moron who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great fall.” (Matt. 7:26-27)

The storms of life test us all, whether or not we experience Harvey, Irma, or Maria. Physical storms give us a graphic picture of the consequences of going through them without the Lord at our side.

Eulogy for the Living

 Moving eulogies in the film The Fault in our Stars implicitly ask the question, why do we wait until people are gone to talk about how much they mean to us?

We have a practice in the People of Praise* of honoring people at their birthday celebration. Honoring people is not for the purpose of puffing them up or stroking their ego. It is a Holy Spirit-inspired means to encourage people in their faith-walk. God takes note of acts of faith and obedience, and sometimes those around them do, too. With all the trash talk in the world, why be silent on the fruit of redemption in peoples’ lives until it is time to mourn their passing? What better legacy can we leave the next generation than recognizing the value of serving God?

The great challenge in this is to avoid pitfalls such as:

·        Sounding holier-than-thou, putting on airs that we and the people we hang out with are better, Godlier than others. Sanctimonious self-righteousness is neither attractive nor something we want to encourage in others.

·        Conveying the idea that we can earn salvation, God’s blessing, or His approval, through acts of service to Him.

·        Causing those we honor to have an unhealthy response in their lives and hearts; we have to recognize that it is God’s redemptive work, His power in their lives, that we are recognizing.

Eulogies are literally good words. Those we know and love mean much to us, by enriching our lives in so many ways. Can we at least once per year verbalize our feelings and the reasons for them, to give voice to all that has eternal value?

______________

*The People of Praise is a Christian, Ecumenical, Charismatic fellowship with branches in a variegated assortment of locations.

Damascus Then and Now

Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, “The Road to Damascus”, which aired on June 21, 2017, graphically exemplifies the stark difference between politics and faith. He relates the story of a CIA asset whose identity was compromised in the struggle between the CIA, Congress, and the press.  Malcolm draws the parallel of this individual to the story of Saul of Tarsus who became the apostle Paul. Except that, in this case, the CIA source, who was originally allowed by the CIA  to repent and try to expiate for earlier sins, was later exposed to the judgment of a much larger part of the government, leaked to the press, and murdered by his previous henchmen. Malcolm details the sanctimonious self-righteousness of all the parties involved in the leak. It wasn’t anybody’s fault that the United States government broke trust with this man. It was always somebody else to blame.

Why was the early church able to accept Saul after his conversion experience? It was probably very hard, especially for those whose relatives or friends had been locked up or murdered by Saul.  There are probably a number of factors towards his acceptance.

•     Saul had met Jesus face to face and had a radical transformation. 

•     Peter had his own experience of betrayal and deep repentance and knew that he had no standing to judge Paul for prior actions.

•     The basis of first century Christianity was that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and therefore all must repent and be saved.

What are politics like in the Kingdom of God? Not the College of Cardinals but the throne room of God? They are informed by two over-arching realities: the direct revelation and presence of God; and the universal knowledge by those in God’s presence of the fallen state of mankind and redemption by grace. Christ tells us that we will reign with Him. How will we govern without falling into one of the traps so pervasive in our time, such as legalism, lack of standards, unsanctified mercy, or self-righteousness?

Jesus taught His disciples to pray for His kingdom to come on earth just like it is in heaven, and His kingdom is being built right before our eyes. We have the opportunity to join. Jesus showed us what it will look like when we do. Saul of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle in Jesus’ kingdom. He was ultimately turned over to the Roman Empire for ultimate execution by his former henchmen, but not by the Christians who accepted him. The important point is that his life and death were not in vain in eternal matters, unlike the lives of most of our sanctimonious, self-righteous politicians. 

The cyber-battle of Jericho

News media obsession with cyber meddling in the last election focuses only on the tip of the iceberg. Beneath hacking into voter registration computers are enormous cyber warfare capabilities, likely in all major nations. Disruption by cyber-criminals, who steal credit card information to sell on the dark web, encrypt hard drives for ransom, or cause other disruptions to manipulate stock prices, is only a small sample of what international cyberwar might include.

Our economy’s complete dependence on the internet, coupled with these capabilities to bring it down, risks catastrophe. Firewalls and malware scans unable to keep out cyber-thieves and cyber-data-kidnappers will collapse under the assault of state-sponsored cyberattacks. The denizens of evil have some justification for their belief that they have the upper hand, or so it appears.

When Joshua and the Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days, most likely the residents had no idea what was going on. On the seventh day after seven loops around the city, the Israelites blew their trumpets and the walls fell down. (Joshua 6:20-21) The residents of Jericho were killed (except for Rahab and her family), which probably was not what they expected. And so, when the walls of western civilization are destroyed, whether by cyber-warfare or moral collapse (whatever tools the devil plans to destroy humankind with), the kingdom that God is building in plain sight, unseen by the world, will stand. (Hebrews 12:27)

This kingdom that Christians pray frequently to come is characterized by God's love and operates according to His ways. This includes doing His will on earth, His daily provision, forgiveness by Him and by His people of each other, choices to steer clear of temptation, and His deliverance from evil. (Matthew 6:9-13) Since the Internet aggressively counters all of these values and practices, the coming cyberwar will be God's instrument to destroy it. Western "civilization" may be collateral damage, when that which can be shaken is removed and that which cannot be shaken remains.

Healthcare superficiality

Healthcare Superficiality

What no one wants to discuss. The real challenge in the healthcare debate is the absolutely antipodal desires of more coverage and less cost.  Are these even possible to reconcile?

There seem to be a few key drivers to healthcare costs:

·    Development of new treatments to remediate health problems that were previously untreatable.

·    Extended life expectancy with increasing senior living spans, resulting from the above.

·    Unhealthy life choices.

·    Bureaucracies and infrastructure built to deliver healthcare services.

What can the government, at any level, do about these root causes?

·        It seems unlikely that the government will ever say that some treatment is not cost-effective, except comparatively.

o   For example, generic drugs are generally less costly than name-brand, but if the original developer is not allowed to recoup development costs, life-saving research will cease.

·        It is safe to aver that the government will never adopt a policy that at a certain age, an individual should be left to natural causes because we cannot afford to treat them. Hospice care is simply a result of admitting that no treatment is possible.

·        It is possible that the government might incentivize healthy lifestyles and penalize unhealthy lifestyles, but efforts so far have had marginal results.

·        The government is the very last on anyone’s list of entities that could formulate an effective policy to reduce bloated bureaucracy.

An interpretation of Psalm 84, with apology to David, King of Israel

1 How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts!

2 My soul longs and yearns to live as the Lord’s temple.

My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

3 The Holy Spirit also has found a house,

A nest for Himself, where He may bring His new creations for nurturing,

Even as I offer myself on Your altar, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God.

4 How blessed are those in whom You dwell!

They are ever praising You.

[That  is something to ponder!]

5 How blessed are those people whose strength is in You, In whose hearts are the highways to God’s kingdom.

6 Passing through the valley of Tears they make it a spring of living water;

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit covers it with blessings.

7 They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in His kingdom.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob!

[Let’s meditate on this prayer for a while.]

9 Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of those the Holy Spirit anoints.

10 For a day in Your presence is better than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather stand for one day as God’s dwelling-place than live a long life in sin.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory;

No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

12 O Lord of hosts, How blessed are those who trust in You!

The Course of Empire - Thomas Cole

 According to Wikipedia, "a direct source of literary inspiration for The Course of Empire paintings is Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812–18). Cole quoted this verse, from Canto IV, in his newspaper advertisements for the series:

There is the moral of all human tales;

'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.

First freedom and then Glory – when that fails,

Wealth, vice, corruption – barbarism at last.

And History, with all her volumes vast,

Hath but one page..."

These paintings depict human history, apart from any influence by God. History cries out, "Come Lord Jesus!"

The Savage State idealistically symbolizes the innocence of humankind in a sparsely inhabited natural habitat. But the shopworn phrase "Nature, red in tooth and claw", first penned by Alfred Lord Tennyson, suggests that life this close to nature was a continuous struggle for survival. This is not the innocence of Eden. Man (Adam) was already not walking with God in the cool of the morning.

The Pastoral State depicts farms and sheep folds and families, seemingly at peace with nature. Perhaps the structure in the distance is a temple. Does this come close to fulfilling the original directive to Adam to cultivate and keep the garden? (Genesis 2:15) The verdant meadows and relaxed stances suggest that humankind has risen above subsistence. This scene evokes idyllic peace.

Was Israel in Canaan during the rule of the judges and prophets the golden age of Israel? Every man did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 and 21:25 ) The context of these verses suggests that few actually listened to the priests or prophets. In the first case, brazen idolatry violated the law of Moses. In the second case, tribal leaders searched the Law to find a way to avoid annihilating the tribe of Benjamin. Even in times of abundant grace from God, humankind's heart wanders.

The Consummation of Empire shows a government of power, and an economy flourishing with abundance to excess.  Opulence hints at decadence. The orderly procession attending the emperor connotes a teeming population in step with the government. This is likely closer to depicting Solomon's reign than David's, since David often seemed to shun ceremony. The temple is now dwarfed by government and commercial architecture. Most link this to the height of the Roman Empire, which the architecture suggests.

The lack of reference to God does not imply that all this is sinful or evil, only that people's hearts and minds are focused elsewhere. The problem with forgetting God is that the walk away from the virtues that He commands is subtle. After the wellspring of the virtues is gone, virtues dissipate as liberty becomes license. The collapse of public and private morals ushers in the next phase. God blesses those who serve Him. Natural cause and effect bring the consequences to those who walk away.

Storm clouds overshadow Destruction. How many capital cities thought unassailable have been sacked, pillaged, and plundered? Although the architecture suggests Rome in 410 AD, Rome was sacked multiple times: 387 BC, 410, 455, 546, 1084, and 1527 AD. Biblically we tend to focus on the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. This outcome after moral decadence is inevitable. Prophets were God's voice to plead with Israel to return to Him and His ways. The destruction of the northern kingdom in 722 BC should have been an object lesson, but a few generations later the southern kingdom followed suit. If Israel failed, can any nation succeed?

Desolation. Not even hunters or farmers. In the words of Jeremiah:

How lonely sits the city that was full of people.

She has become like a widow who once was great among the nations!

She who was a princess among the provinces has become a forced laborer!

She weeps bitterly in the night and her tears are on her cheeks.

She has none to comfort her among all her lovers.

All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.

(Lamentation 1:1-2, NASB)

Our nation was founded on the principle that a representative democracy with limited powers could best enable we the people to achieve the objectives stated in the opening sentence of the U.S. constitution. In history, other governments have rested on the divine right of kings, the power of a police state, or a claim of a mandate from God. None of these seem to be able to sustain the practice of public and private virtue in the midst of peace and prosperity. The core source of social well-being does not and cannot come from government, which can regulate external behavior (to some extent) but cannot change hearts. For all the bravado and bluster of politicians, it is the hearts of people that must win the victory over self-satisfaction, self-centeredness, self-indulgence, self-sufficiency, self-will, and self-justification.

All of this exemplifies that we are not living in the kingdom of God on a national or political plane. If we always experienced the immediate presence of Christ in our individual lives, the power of His love and holiness would inspire and empower us to live out the divine attributes He commands, even in peace and prosperity. One day, He will write His law on our hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33) But that is not going to happen on a national basis until the millennium, when the promise that every one will know the Lord will be fulfilled. (Jeremiah 31:34) Our hearts long for that day. Come Lord Jesus! Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!

Book Review - Burning with Love for God

Paul C. DeCelles and M.F. Sparrow's guide to the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, Burning With Love for God, provides rich insight into the ways of God and the spiritual dimensions of love, decisions, and relationships.  Ignatius' original plan was to challenge a new believer in Christ to make a 30-day retreat to discern his calling and state in life, and specifically whether he was called by God to join the order. The framework and methods can be adapted to any believer at any stage of faith, and in any circumstance of life. The primary objective can be seen as empowering the individual, by encouraging a love-relationship with Christ, to be freed from both the bondage of sin and inordinate attachments, so that they can make decisions together with a single will.

Detailed advice addresses many different aspects of the Ignatian retreat; some have been the subject of entire books on their own. The integrated impact of all of these dimensions is intended to produce a fundamental change in the individual's life, even if not choosing to become a Jesuit. After thirty days, a person will have formed the habit of turning to Jesus and discussing with Him as a friend every situation, every decision. Sadly, in modern times, few can spend this much time in seclusion. Hence, each individual believer desiring such a lifestyle must adapt these time-proven principles to their own situation.

Three types of love - implemental, semi-personal, and personal - span the range of how people love God. Some love Him for what He does for them, such as saving, forgiving, protecting and providing for them. Some love Him because of His divine attributes, for example, His perfect love, His unblemished holiness, the beauty of His glory. The meditations' goal is to inspire in us love of God based on who we have found Him to be through personal relationship. The meditations' essence is dedicated contemplation of one of the gospel stories about Jesus, bringing them to life through visualization in our mind's eye of the scene, surroundings, actions, and words of all of the participants. The emotional impact of these visualization opens the door to an affective response to the words and actions of Christ. A colloquy establishes the habit of speaking to the Lord as a friend and hearing His voice. And thus, a personal relationship with Him is built.

The traditional religious paradigm is: God commands, we obey. This is so ingrained into our lives and church culture that to suggest the following is usually viewed as heresy. Just as a child grows from obeying his parents to an adulthood of marriage and making decisions jointly with his or her spouse, so God wants us to grow from merely obeying His commands to jointly making decisions with Him. This is not simply 'my will is to do His will', nor 'His will becomes my will', and certainly not 'I can persuade Him to do my will', but that that through the relationship, we have a joint, merged, indivisible will, because our desires are inextricably fused.

Since this ideal is rarely achieved, the authors explain three decision paradigms. A first-time decision is the direct, unmistakable word of God to our own heart and mind, without prior interaction, of His will for us. We know for certain the first time He speaks, and we make the decision. A second-time decision is based on a series of consolations and desolations, considering how the Lord is speaking to our spirit about the different aspects of a decision, and weighing them until we get a clear sense. A third-time decision is based on a rational assessment of the pros and cons of various courses of action, considered in the light of God's word and the advice of Godly counsellors. None of these models is superior, as God decides which path of decision-making He will lead us.

Other books have expounded on the Ignatian approach to the discernment of spirits. Every believer needs to test the spirits (1 John 4:1) and every believer experiences spiritual consolation and desolations. Ignatius' agere contra strategy is not the only tool for spiritual warfare, but it is effective. Try it out (reviewer's example) - every time a driver tailgates or cuts you off, pray fervently for his salvation. He likely won't start driving like an angel, but you have put a stake in the ground that Satan does not like. A much more challenging discernment is of false consolation that may confuse us, as the devil can masquerade as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:14) This remains one of the most difficult discernments in the Christian life, as even Ignatius wrestled with it in the well-known story of seeking the Lord's will on the exact nature of the vow of poverty that Jesuits were to live.

The bottom line is that every Christian is called to love as God loves, and we ought to strive to.

The Voyage of Life - Thomas Cole

Thomas Cole's four panel sequence, The Voyage of Life, challenges us more today than when painted in 1842.  Its timeless symbolism offers a graphic visualization of the spiritual dimension of situations and choices of life and the outcomes of decisions we make along the way.

Childhood is full of opportunity and promise. The sheltering of young children challenges caregivers to go beyond providing for and protecting their charges. Angels represent our duty to nurture children in the ways and principles of God's kingdom. Is it a stretch to read into the floral beauty on the riverbanks a reference to Eden and therein the presence of God walking with man in the cool of the morning? The challenge to caregivers is to build a relationship between children and God that is so normal that they take it as a given throughout life.

During youth - adolescence and young adulthood - individuals begin to make their own choices:  decisions about their goals, values, and lifestyle. Cole suggests that youth are drawn to a grand vision of earthy empire such as a distant castle or city in the sky. About the youth's immediate surroundings he wrote, "The scenery of the picture—its clear stream, its lofty trees, its towering mountains, its unbounded distance, and transparent atmosphere—figure forth the romantic beauty of youthful imaginings, when the mind elevates the Mean and Common into the Magnificent, before experience teaches what is the Real." But there is more than dreams versus reality in play here. Although angels are still carved on the boat (to represent the form of religion), the guardian angel has disembarked and the young man steers the helm toward the worldly vision.

How can we challenge youth with the reality that there are more important things in life than pursuing what the world offers? Many never even consider that there is an alternative. Doing things that really matter as a teen or young adult is far superior to reconsidering basic choices at a mid-life crisis. Books, such as Do Hard Things (by the Harris brothers), can challenge teens. Retreats encourage young people to make life choices that count in the long term. When young people catch a vision of things eternal, and choose to do great things to build the Kingdom of God with energy, they set a course for their lives. Sadly, Cole shows a youth headed for the world.

Manhood shows reality: Dire trials over which we have no control (the tiller is gone from the boat, the man is praying). Choices made earlier have led this sailor downriver to the rapids of life in a damaged ship. The guardian angel watches from a distant perch while three malevolent powers are much closer (the greenish triangle in the storm clouds symbolizes vices or worse). An alternative metaphor might be that the greatest victories are won in the hardest fought battles. Man at his peak of power decides the fate of his soul, if he has gone down this river. His soul may be changed by the revelation of the forces behind the worldly things he sought, and rejection of them. Or he may be broken by the shattering of his dreams. (Think of Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins.) The challenge is to recognize God behind it all, and respond to Him rather than circumstances. Manhood, mid-life, is the time for the unveiling of the forces behind the world system. If we did not turn to God in youth, God in his infinite mercy and love makes another attempt to gain our allegiance in manhood.

Old age brings the end game. Cole wrote, "The chains of corporeal existence are falling away; and already the mind has glimpses of Immortal Life." The guardian angel is close, while other angels approach. All that is left on earth is barren rock and a battered boat. What does 'finishing well' mean? In the period before death God intervenes a final time to get us to grow more into His image and likeness. Why do so many endure pain and helplessness in extended terminal illness? Perhaps when in pain we turn to Christ with fervor, resulting in an extended season of intimacy with Him. Our character continues to be shaped up to the time of death, so God has one final season for us. For many, God brings crises before terminal illness sets in. We finish well if we pass these tests, but even if we fail, God is refining our soul.

The common theme in this voyage is whether and how we respond to God's challenges. Will we work for Him to do things that matter for eternity, for building His kingdom, in a world that opposes and tries to lure us away from that course? How will we respond to His challenge to live like Jesus, in the sense of doing the Father's will? Guardian angels are part of God's economy, but it is our decisions throughout life that count for eternity.

The original paintings are at the National Gallery of Art.

Holy week and Easter

The events of passion week and following Christ's resurrection vividly illustrate the stark contrast between the ways of the world and the kingdom of God.

The four gospels record different aspects of the conspiracy, arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. The political intrigue, the suborning of Judas' betrayal, arrest of Jesus, show trials, and collusion between the priests and the Roman governor are all simply demonstrations of how the world-system governs. It is ironic that the priests had the Law of Moses, the law as ordained by angels (Gal 3:19), but bought into the ways of the world, and so opened the door to the ruler of this world. God did not simply allow this to happen as a means to accomplish redemption. He used it as a demonstration of the utter antipathy between His kingdom and the world. This was the inevitable outcome of the confrontation of the world-system by God Himself.

The manner in which Jesus revealed Himself following His resurrection demonstrates the completely opposite nature of the ways of God. We might think that God's power manifested in raising Jesus from the dead was like a volcanic eruption, perhaps akin to Mount St. Helens or Krakatoa. But when Jesus rose, He quietly left the tomb, and angels rolled away the stone so the disciples could get in to see that He was not there. When Mary Magdalene came to the garden, He spoke quietly to her but she did not recognize Him until He spoke her name. (John 20:14-17) The disciples on the Emmaus road likewise talked with Him at length without their recognizing Him or His deity.  (Luke 24:13-31) Although Jesus subsequently revealed Himself to as many as five hundred at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6) the only work of power that is recorded is His ascension. God did not manifest His power until Pentecost. Even in the days of Elijah, God was not in the great wind, earthquake, or fire, but spoke to the prophet in a gentle blowing. (1 Kings 19:11-13)

When we consider the power shown in creating the universe ex nihlo, and setting into place the universal principle of causality, our minds are unable to grasp how God can be outside and not subject to the law of cause and effect. He says, "I am that I am." His very essence is perfect holiness and perfect love. Yet in showing Himself to us He seems almost shy, deferential, and definitely low key. Power politics, governance, and society, no matter how noble or well-intentioned, cannot escape the need to show off and bluster.  At their heart, they are insecure in exercising position as unworthy usurpers. God needs no such displays and so does not coerce or even overwhelm. He woos; He pleads; He speaks softly and gently. Would that we hear His voice and respond, tuning out the din of the world-system and rejecting its ways.