A Biblical approach to judging politicians?

Does the Bible allow rulers to exercise arbitrary authority without censure? A long story....

The first Biblical mention of human authority is in Genesis 1&2, in which God gave authority to Adam over the plant kingdom (2:15-17) and the animal kingdom (1:26&28; 2:19-20). Implicit in this account is the context.  Eden was a perfect garden. Apparently God walked in the garden in the cool of the evening (3:8) and since He called for Adam, we might reasonably infer Adam usually walked with Him (until the fall).

Of course, we also know that because of Adam’s disobedience, caring for plants would become tedious labor, not  the labor of the joy of loving plants, but of pulling weeds. (Genesis 3:17-19, 23) The effect of Adam’s sin on his authority over animals was not immediately identified, but it is plain that wild beasts became a source of fear and danger. Despite the fall of man, many human occupations involve caring for, tending, and controlling both plants and animals. Farmers, gardeners, landscapers, environmental scientists, and many others plant, fertilize, weed, and prune vegetation both for food and beauty. Ranchers, veterinarians, zookeepers, and pet-owners care for animals and control them. Either kingdom left to itself would run amok.

God later told Moses to appoint judges to interpret and apply His law, and gave instructions for kings. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20) When Israel demanded that Samuel appoint a king for them, he repeated God’s warning. (1 Samuel 8:10-17) Although David was a man after God’s heart, it was downhill after him; the history of Israel demonstrates both the blessings of godly rulers and the consequences of rulers who lead the people to rebel against God. (2 Chronicles 36:15-16)

There are many dimensions of Biblical standards for those in authority; even David did not meet all of them. But in the New Testament, Paul told his readers to obey, serve, and honor those in authority (Romans 13:1-7). Separately he told them to pray for them with a specific outcome in mind: that they may live in peace (2 Timothy 2:1-2). The primary historical and prophetic narrative in the New Testament is the failure of rulers to exercise authority under God’s commission, leading ultimately to their judgment. (Revelation 6:15-17) 

But what of our present day? The founders of our nation, and the most illustrious leaders since then, held a very strong Christian Faith. They were not infallible. The Civil War had running competition of theological narratives regarding slavery. Few in the 19th century said that the standard of right and wrong was separate from Christian and Biblical values - that is a modern fiction - but argued over interpretation.  At the core of government and political dysfunction, then as well as now, are unmentioned questions: how well do those in authority walk with Jesus in the quiet of the day, hear His voice, learn His will, and share His holiness? 

This line of thought leads to another. Who are we to question leaders, or they to question each other on this score? How well do we individually if we are questioned like this? If we do indeed retreat to the wilderness to be alone with God in the secret place, what then is our attitude towards others? After we experience just a bit of His holiness in our time with Him, dare we judge another? Our leaders may not measure up to our standards, but in the fear of God we should tread lightly in judging them. Perhaps we should pray that He not remind us publicly of how we have failed to meet His standards. 

Does this mean we should never judge anyone, as Jesus commands in Matthew 7:1, and hence no one should ever be accountable? Obviously, since the Lord told Moses to appoint judges, there is an earthly accountability. The New Testament balance is probably best captured when Paul told his readers, “... if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) Two elements: gentleness (humility) in correcting; and self-awareness of the risk of sharing in like sin. John told his readers that the only limitation to seeking restoration is for mortal sin, which  he does not further define. (1 John 5:16)

Since the world rejects Christ, His ways,  and His kingdom (which is evidenced by its behavior), He will return in power and will judge it, as He is the only one qualified to pass judgment in love and holiness. (Revelation 20:11-12) What happens in the world in the meantime, apart from God’s kingdom, is likely to resemble the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Practical predestination and free will

The opposite of free will is not predestination, but God’s sovereignty. C. S. Lewis explains predestination in his essay, Miracles:

“When we are praying about the result, say, of a battle or a medical consultation the thought will often cross our minds that (if only we knew it) the event is already decided one way or the other. I believe this to be no good reason for ceasing our prayers. The event certainly has been decided—in a sense it was decided ‘before all worlds’. But one of the things taken into account in deciding it, and therefore one of the things that really cause it to happen, may be this very prayer that we are now offering. Thus, shocking as it may sound, I conclude that we can at noon become part causes of an event occurring at ten a.m. (Some scientists would find this easier than popular thought does.) The imagination will, no doubt, try to play all sorts of tricks on us at this point. It will ask, ‘Then if I stop praying can God go back and alter what has already happened?’ No. The event has already happened and one of its causes has been the fact that you are asking such questions instead of praying. It will ask, ‘Then if I begin to pray can God go back and alter what has already happened?’ No. The event has already happened and one of its causes is your present prayer. Thus something does really depend on my choice. My free act contributes to the cosmic shape. That contribution is made in eternity or ‘before all worlds’; but my consciousness of contributing reaches me at a particular point in the time-series.”

Thus, predestination misconstrues how God and time relate, which is easily misunderstood because we live in time and He does not. The harder question is this: if God is sovereign, how can we have genuine free will to obey Him or, more importantly, to defy Him? The answer seems to be, because He sovereignly respects our choices. 

But why? Why does a sovereign God allow us free will? Adam and Eve wanted to choose for themselves, instead of accepting God’s choice. They wanted to be like God. (Genesis 3:5-6) The builders of the Tower of Babel planned a tower to reach heaven, in their own power, not trusting God to get them there. (Genesis 11:4-6) God allowed these choices to be made, but limited the consequences of ambitious choices. Not that amateur gods could supplant Him (even Satan could not do that!), but in mercy He did not allow the fruit of errant free will to ripen fully.

Why did God create humankind with free will? We cannot discuss this meaningfully because God is beyond our comprehension, the uncreated creator of the universe. However, He revealed His nature and character in the Incarnation of Christ. In this context, we can choose for ourselves or accept His choices; we can try to exert power of our own, or trust that He will use His power on our behalf. Ultimately, it is His universe. 

Even if we complain or say it is unfair, justice is a concept He gave us and commands us to observe. (Genesis 18:25, Zephaniah 3:5) He apparently finds our struggle to overcome human frailty and temptation, to be like Him in nature and character, so desirable that He created the universe so it would happen. And we succeed only when we receive His grace. What does this say about our future? It is entirely up to the participants, not predestined. Do we trust God enough to do what He says, to ask Him what He wants? Grace is readily available to all who ask, but will never be forced on anyone. There is no predestined outcome. But there is a sovereign and omnipotent God who says, in effect, to receive His grace, or we will reap what we sow. As Solomon wrote, The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

To focus on predestination is to miss the primary point. Consider the Virgin Mary. We often see her as a young, sheltered girl to whom an angel was sent to announce to her that she would bear the Messiah. But isn’t it much more consistent with God’s modus operandi that she had an active life of faith as a child? My inference is that while growing up, she knew His voice, interacted with Him and talked with Him frequently, did what He asked, and learned that she could trust and lean on Him through experience. So that when the time came, even though the virgin birth was miraculous, she was prepared to trust God and continue her daily walk with Him. I think this is the only way she could have raised Jesus as a child. This was not predestined, but simply her loving God as the basis of her life. 

So how should we respond to this rather theological question? If believing in predestination encourages or causes us to accept what is wrong, especially in our own life, then James’ advice is to obey God and resist the devil. (James 4:7) Perhaps it takes the form of honoring others when you really are unhappy with them, for the sake of Christ and others (Romans 13:7), or abstaining from a lawful activity because it is a stumbling block for others. (1 Cor 8:7-13) Believing in free will does not free us from God’s sovereignty in the practical outworking of our daily lives. Obeying and trusting Him is a decision that must be made afresh every day.

Tribal Hearts - Nations and Cultures vs. Jesus

Natural human  loyalty to one’s own group - tribe, peer group, economic or social class, political party,  etc. - directly conflicts with the gospel of Christ. The twelve tribes of Israel lost their distinctive identities during the diaspora, but the thousands of human language and culture groups around the world present a two-fold challenge. The first is that Jesus told His disciples that He would not return and the present age would not end until the gospel has been preached to every nation. (Matthew 24:14, Mark 13:10). (More on this later.) The second is that every person must value his or her connection to Christ above all other identifications, including that of ancestry, language, culture, peer group, social class - any competing loyalty. 

Although Paul identified his credentials for potentially boasting in ancestry and tribal identity (2 Cor 11:22, Phil. 3:5), he wrote to the Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28, NASB). He elaborated with respect to his own identity to the Philippians: 

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. [Philippians 3:8-11, NASB].

The key point is that there is nothing meritorious in God’s eyes about tribalism; it is a residual of the Tower of Babel curse (Genesis 11:7-9). God judged humankind for wanting to be like God by confounding their language; sadly, we humans came to love the judgment. Later, God mocked the Israelites’ ancestor worship (Jeremiah 11:10) even before the Incarnation. Any version of Christianity that does not call believers to leave ancestor worship and tribal loyalties does not bring them into the direct connection of knowing Christ experientially (as Paul exhorted, above), however wonderful its doctrine and practices. 

We know that tribalism will persist until Jesus’ return. (Matthew 24:30). The mention of the worship of Christ by every tribe at the time of the end and in heaven (Revelation 1:7, 5:9, 7:9) illustrates God’s final triumph over the sin of Babel. That is why the gospel must be preached to every nation. But it also reinforces the necessity that we must derive our identity from Jesus - who He is and what He calls us to be - through direct experience with Him. Our political allegiances must fall away in the light of the eternal Son of God, or we will perish with them. (Revelation 6:16).

Verboten Reconciliation

At the end of the Civil War, a number of key leaders chose the path of reconciliation. Jay Winik details the leaders and the decisions they made in his book, April 1865: The Month That Saved America. In the present day, we do not fight internally with weapons that kill, but with words that tear asunder the social fabric. When the current process ends (as it must, eventually, one way or another) will the nation be permanently divided? 

An eloquent plea can be found in the peace prayer attributed to St. Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy;  

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love. 

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.  

Such a prayer may well express the heartfelt desire of many on all sides of political rancor. But there is a problem. It is verboten. It is politically incorrect to express Christian thoughts, ideas, or sentiments in political life. In some contexts, the courts have ruled it illegal and unconstitutional.  

This cultural norm has even more poisonous implications than current politics in Washington, D.C. We have rejected and excluded from our nation’s public life the only possible source of life itself. We are rejecting the very Gift of Christmas, Him of whom the angels sang “Peace on Earth, Good Will toward men.” In accepting the lie of the devil that Jesus has no place in public discourse, we have condemned our public forum to separation from Him, into the outer darkness of divine separation.

Overcoming the Curse of the Sins of the Fathers

As I watch my peers age into the final retirement from life, I cannot escape the observation of how closely the law of cause and effect tracks with Moses’ warning that the sins of the fathers would be visited on the children to the third and fourth generation. (e.g. Numbers 14:18: The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; ) There is nothing mysterious about the children of an abusive or narcissistic parent having crippling self-esteem issues or lacking normal relationship skills —  these being natural consequences in the psychological realm. 

Consequences in the natural realm are equally obvious. Illegitimate children historically were scorned or shunned or worse, despite no fault of their own. In ancient times the children of debtors might be sold into slavery to satisfy the debts of the father. Habits of men, such as drug use, criminal activity, or sexual promiscuity, are often inescapable for children growing up seeing them as normal.

God promises similar inheritance in the spiritual realm. Deuteronomy 5:7-9 is the clearest statement of His punishment for idolatry. The first and second commandments carry the warning of spiritual cause and effect, linked to God’s nature and character. There is evidently an invisible but powerful spiritual dynamic that transmits spiritual adultery - worship of false gods - to descendants. 

And yet, there is also the possibility of redemption even under O.T. Law. Deuteronomy 24:16. Jeremiah 31:29-34 goes even further, promising a new covenant, written on our hearts, in the context of transcending the law of generational curses. 

What happens, all too often, is that children grow up with optimism that hard work will build their lives, not recognizing the curse that clings. The curse was in fact broken through the blood of Christ on the cross (Galatians 3:13),  but His Blood must be applied to our lives individually through identification  with Christ. Not just once through a declaration of faith (the starting point), but daily through a relationship with the risen and ascended Christ. Not just a generic petition or statement of faith, but a discussion with Him of the specific issues of our life, our unique struggles, and His specific will for our life. It is through this (and the discipline/discipling that He applies — Hebrews 12:5-11) that we are changed into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18), and at the end of our earthly journey, will have shed the baggage of our forebears’ sins, going back four generations. 

The alternative approach, most sadly, is to trust in God’s forgiveness and continue to live out the lifestyle and choices of our forebears and our own worldly decisions.  The consequences cannot be avoided forever. As we reap them later in life, we cannot pretend to not see the truth of Virgil’s observation: facilis descensum Averno.

The Scriptures are clear on this point. Striving against sin (clearly our own sin, regardless of generational curse) involves not only the shed blood of Christ in the spiritual realm, but pain in the natural and psychological realms on our part. Self-denial. Grief over consequences of our actions. Payment in the physical world. We can’t purchase holiness, but when we pay a price for sin it helps motivate us to change our ways. The first verse of “I’d Rather Have Jesus” captures this mindset.  But deliverance from original sin, from the curse, only happens if we choose to actively work for it. And it is in this context that the power of the Holy Spirit overcomes the curses we inherit from our forebears, going back to Adam.

Guerrilla Redemption?

When at Appomattox, Robert E. Lee did not dispatch his army into the field to wage guerrilla war against the North, he chose the road less traveled. The choice of unconventional warfare would have been easy to justify on the surface - continued struggle for their righteous cause, hope that will to fight would soon crumble in the North. The colonists had engaged in it as part of the American Revolution. Instead, he chose the hard path of reunion and reconciliation. Many before and after him have chosen to fight.

When does guerrilla warfare become terrorism? It is oft quoted that one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. We certainly have modern examples in the Mideast, Northern Ireland, Somalia ... the list is endless, of causes that have degenerated from political advocacy to pure terrorism motivated by hatred. The unforeseen consequence of beginning a campaign of unconventional warfare is that most of the time it devolves. To engage in a sustained guerrilla war is to take the position that one’s cause is so important, so righteous, that everyone must be deprived of any kind of stability and social peace unless the rebels can get their way (or until they are annihilated to the last man). Rebel fighters choose this for both themselves and their enemies, but also for their own families.  

It sounds simple (perhaps obvious) to say that such people have been duped by the devil. He is the ultimate source of evil. Look at the choice that he and the rest of the fallen angels made. Being in the presence of YHWH and experiencing His glory, they chose to rebel. And this knowing that the consequences would be defeat, and ultimately eternal imprisonment in the lake of fire. In the meantime, they inspire humans to follow them into ultimately futile rebellion, bringing chaos to humanity, justifying evil in the service of some “higher” cause. (Terrorists are far from the only purveyors of evil, but often the most brazen.)

How is the human condition different than the angels? Simply this. We live (for now) in time and do not know the future. We have free will and can choose good or evil and then change our mind. Evidently, because the angels knew with full certainty the consequences of rebellion and choose it anyway, they are beyond repentance and redemption. But God so loved the world that He sent His uniquely begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. We are reconciled to God not because we negotiated a peace treaty, but because He paid the price for our sins, our evil choices, and delivers us from their consequences and power, through the blood of Jesus. And we have in this life the freedom to repent and choose!

What does this mean for the current political animus in our capitol? Is reconciliation possible? If there were a revival, perhaps. If Billy Graham were to rise from the dead to hold evangelistic services at the Capitol and the White House, if the Holy Spirit were to come with power, if self-righteous pols were to repent, it might be possible. Realistically, to quote Virgil, facilis descensum Averno. Grace to the politician who proves my skepticism wrong, by revealing God’s glory.

Gun Control vs. Evil in the land

No one should dispute that daily mass shootings manifest evil in our land. Unfortunately, proposed remedies do not address the root cause. The government facilitated the moral collapse of America, but is not the agent to remedy it.

Why did Germans accept the Third Reich and its extermination of 6 million Jews, or Russians accept Stalin’s pogroms and murder of 20 million of their nation? How does evil become commonplace and tolerated in a land? Sadly, it appears to be the same process that leads to individual corruption. A Biblical example can be traced in Judas: a human sin, theft (John 12:6); yielding to the devil’s temptation (John 13:2); being fully under Satan’s Control (Luke 22:3).  Trace a modern example in the heartbreaking song by Casting Crowns, It’s A Slow Fade (from the sound track of the movie Fireproof). Each violation of our conscience and the conviction of the Holy Spirit makes the next easier.

What does the individual’s path to perdition tell us about national moral collapse? The process of hardening the conscience of a nation is simply that of sharing our values, for good or bad, through common channels such as media (news, entertainment), public behavior, and ultimately social institutions and governments. What was once frowned upon becomes acceptable, and those advocating “traditional values” are labeled, marginalized, and ultimately ignored. Each new breach of a sin threshold becomes easier.

But wait! You say, only a segment of society has subscribed to that degradation. Sadly, even though only approximately one third of Germans supported the Nazi party, very few of the majority actively opposed their oppressive rule. Shirer’s tome, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, records this sad chapter.

The current vituperation of political partisanship parallels that of the pre-Civil War era. The issue then was slavery. Both sides claimed Biblical support for their position, but ultimately one side prevailed and the decision was made.[1] What issue divides us today? Sadly, it seems that we argue about whether there is any place for faith in, and obedience to God in our political life. Where did our government facilitate rebellion against God? Was it Roe vs. Wade (1973)? Engel v. Vitale (1962)?

Facilis descensus Averno.[2]  [Virgil, Aeneid, book VI, line 126]

The degradation of society can biblically be traced via Romans 1:18-32. Professing to be wise they became fools ... and rebelled against God. At both a personal and group level, rebellion against God opens the door to evil.  As Paul explained to the Romans, in rejecting God’s direction, we, with His permission, give ourselves over to vile passions and a reprobate mind, and ultimately reap what we sow. (Proverbs 22:8, Hosea 8:7, Galatians 6:7)

Since we now harvest decades of sowing, what hope is there of recovery? Even if we admit this root cause of evil in the land, how do we recover? Biblical examples are bleak. Only Rahab and her family were saved from Jericho, only Lot and his daughters from Sodom. Remember Lot’s wife. (Luke 17:32) Since the time of Christ there are examples of nations, including our own, that have had tremendous revivals in response to the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit. However, it seems that modern culture is impervious.

There is a political and social point that bears further discussion. The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution starts with “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” This was interpreted in Engel v. Vitale, using the 14th amendment, to apply to the states. Thru various subsequent cases, this ultimately ended with a ban on student-led prayer, in Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe (2000). Students and school districts aren’t the Congress or a state, but dropping context allowed the Supreme Court to legalistically bam them anyway.

Gun control as a remedy for resident evil is a bit like taking aspirin for cancer. It may alleviate immediate symptoms, but does not address the root cause. We may argue that the 14th amendment was implemented in the environment of abolishing slavery and establishing federal sovereignty for that purpose. Gun ownership and exercise of religion are protected in the same bill of rights (2^nd & first amendments, respectively), but they are not the same kind of thing. The legal interpretation of some rights as absolutes and others as context-sensitive seems Pharisaical. (Matthew 23:24) The missing element is that in rebellion against God, evil is free to flourish irregardless of legal rights or restraining laws. We can’t legislate what is in people’s hearts. But if we have legislated God out of the picture, we have removed the only potential remedy for evil.

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[1] The connection of the Emancipation Proclamation to the victory of the Union is discussed in my Memorial Day blog.

[2] The descent to hell is easy

Too Realistically X-rated for the Hallmark Channel

Book Review - The Masterpiece - by Francine Rivers

This “romance” novel could never be made into a Hallmark channel movie, in any conceivable space-time continuum. The gritty but realistic, in-depth depiction of the impact of parents’ dysfunctional lives on children when they grow up cannot be shown in a G-rated program. The story asks , can these people find love in any real sense (something beyond elevated pulse rates and swooning over steamy kisses)? Depends on a few things:

• What love is: a decision to commit to another person’s well-being.
• Growing up enough to make that kind of decision, not being driven by sentimentality, nor wallowing in wants and feelings.
• Overcoming the generational curses that adult children inherit from their parents 
• Being willing to learn from the school of hard knocks.

These are the themes that this book explores in graphic but fascinating detail.

If there is any shortcoming in this novel, it is the deus ex machina conclusion that results in the protagonists living happily ever after. Really? Three months of pre-marital counseling that is passed over in one paragraph. Granted, for a novel of this length, the reader is ready for the author to resolve all issues keeping happiness away from our heroes. But this is the Hallmark Channel approach to romantic tension and conflict. Could a novel be written (and would it be subsequently read?) that walks through the storms of counseling, of confronting deeply buried childhood wounds, breaking agreement with ghosts of the sins of the fathers visited on the second and third generation? The realism of conflict in life trumped by the fantasy of fairy tale endings. Perhaps we need these endings because our own life is so painful. 

One takeaway challenge: we as parents have transmitted our own dysfunction to our children. Everyone has, since Adam and Eve. What can we do? I see three specific thrusts, not part of this or any novel I have ever read:

• Seek out appropriate help to confront and renounce our own inherited and self-chosen sin: Counseling; pastoral care; personal self-examination (The examen prayer).
• Be honest with our children about our own failures and encourage them to seek and receive whatever practical help they can to shed the baggage we have left them. To renounce all agreements they have made with the world, the flesh, and the devil.
• In prayer, plead the blood of Jesus over our children, to break the curse of generational inherited sin.

Migrants & Human Sacrifice: A Warning From Herman Cortes

Human sacrifice is the thread that connects the ancient Israelites, Herman Cortes, and the current flood of migration. More specifically, God’s hatred of it.

• God’s judgment on societies that brazenly endorse lawlessness usually comes through external parties, such as the Israelites destruction of the Canaanites. (But not always, cf. Genesis 19:24-25). Cortes, unwittingly or intentionally, brought such to the Aztec nation.
• The Canaanites feared the Israelites because they recognized YHWH among them, and sensed that their gods could not protect them. (Joshua 2:9-11) Is fear of migrants really fear that God’s favor is not on us?
• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwelt in tents as a sign to the Canaanites of impending judgment. However, it is faith and obedience that God honors, not external behaviors. 

Abraham was a migrant who is credited with looking for that city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10) He did not find a resting place in the world, did not receive what was promised, because God has provided something better than a city of gold. (Hebrews 11:39) The Israelites later left Egypt under duress. Joshua led them to dispossess and destroy the Canaanites under orders, because their iniquity was ripe. (Genesis 15:16)

Was Herman Cortes directed by God like Joshua, or simply God’s unwitting tool, to end an evil culture that worshipped false gods through human sacrifice? The church eventually sent missionaries and priests to follow and travel with the soldiers as the Spanish empire developed. Visible reminders of this can be seen  along the Rio Grande in New Mexico and El Camino Real in California. Coronado later searched in vain for cities of gold, with no mention of human sacrifice by the Zuni (that I can find).

In Scripture, reference to cities and streets of gold (Rev. 21:18 & 21) has the purpose of symbolizing God’s nature and character. Other places connect gold to the great harlot of Revelation. (17:4, 18:16) The difference between can be best understood in Hebrews 11:10.

Contrast this with the pilgrims and puritans who came to New England. They came looking for freedom, especially to worship without being under the thumb of the Church of England. They attempted to convert the native Americans. They prospered, but not in the sense of finding treasure troves of gold. Their legacy is the culture and belief system that underlies the founding of this nation. 

What are modern migrants seeking? Most likely, a better life. Is the attraction of moving from Central America to the U. S. as a citadel of faith and freedom to worship God according to their own conscience? Fleeing poverty and oppression?  Perhaps is the opportunity they seek framed entirely in economic and political terms? The streets of Los Angeles are not paved with gold. The most recent pictures suggest that what awaits migrants is much more akin (in physical terms) to dwelling in tents, but even so, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? (Hebrews 11:9). Unfortunately, the homeless tent encampments in major cities seem to be largely characterized by drug abuse, crime (the homeless being mostly victims), and begging for survival.  

The city of The Angels in Southern California is not the earthly realization of that City described in Revelation 21, which the heroes of faith sought per their encomium in Hebrews 11. Those already living in the U.S. and enjoying the earthly fruit of early immigrants’ heritage may or may not be inclined to share with new migrant arrivals, depending on their political persuasion. Their souls are just as much at risk as the souls of those seeking earthly empire like Cortes, if they focus on the things of this world instead of seeking the God of creation and redemption. 

Do modern human sacrifices of abortion to the gods of convenience, pleasure, craven lust, irresponsibility, or ambition result in God using migrants to destroy our society and culture just as Joshua did the Canaanites and Cortez the Aztecs? Is this really about migrants, or God’s chastisement (and warning) to us? Several states have instituted laws significantly limiting abortion, which the liberal establishment hopes to nullify through the courts. But what of the people of our nation? It makes little difference who wins in courts or legislatures if we, the people, rebel against God. Redemption is found only through repenting of and changing our mind about our own sin, and receiving the gracious gift of God, so that we change our lives.

A closing observation: The gods whom the Canaanites served with human sacrifice were powerless against YHWH. The evil of human sacrifice is ultimately impotent.  (Joshua 2:24)

The cold, hard reality of love - a review of C. S. Lewis’ The Four Loves.

What this book is not: a sentimental love prescription or description; a claim that love will fix all your problems; or an advert for The Hallmark Channel (not that their staff would have time & inclination to read such a book). Lewis translates four Greek words from the New Testament into modern language and explores them: affection (storge), friendship (Phileo), romantic love (Eros), and charity (agape). [To be clear, Lewis distinguishes Eros, romantic love, from Venus, sexual activity, despite the modern usage of “erotic”.] It is not as though types of love are mutually exclusive either in our day or in the New Testament, but to the extent they have conceptual focus, their practice and implications can be intellectually addressed.  One form of love, practiced consistently, can lead to another, or a blurring in which no clear line is drawable.

Two books bookend Lewis’ marriage to Joy Davidman. Lewis married her in 1956, the year that Till We Have Faces was published; she passed away in 1960, when The Four Loves was published. Lewis draws on his academic background in literature to cite examples that were perhaps familiar to his contemporaries, but often mysteries to us of the 21st century. He equally fluently refers to the Bible. I suspect his marriage was the strongest influence on this book.

Lewis begins by defining Need-love and Gift-love. These span the gamut of above-identified types as a basic description of human behavior. Some love out of need - for companionship, affirmation, devotion of another, sexual desire, and so forth. Others (primarily God, but humans can) love because that is their innate nature, to pour out their blessings, their life for the benefit of another. So mothers typically love their children.

Pain colors Lewis’ entire discussion of love. In the chapter on Eros, Lewis points out that Ephesians 5:25 links the headship of husband  over wife to Christ giving Himself for His bride, the church. There is pain for the lover (the crown of thorns, the cross) and pain for the beloved rising from being corrected and chastened (as the Church is). Anyone who has been married for a period understands this. But this is only one example. How does agape love respond when:

•      A son asks for his inheritance while his father is alive, then squanders it in riotous living?

•      A woman is caught in the act of adultery?

•      A leader brought from being a shepherd to ruling as a king commits adultery and arranges the murder of his lover’s husband?

•      Ones’ closest friends and disciples deny knowing him?

Phileo, storge, and Eros would all be destroyed by such actions unless there is underneath them an artesian well of agape. And so our transactional loves must give way to eternal gift-love to prepare us for eternity with God in Heaven, where we will be like the angels.

Ultimately, loving God with all of our being is still need-love because we need Him, but it also empowers loving our neighbors as ourselves. How do we respond when Love is betrayed? Humanly we would say the relationship has been smashed beyond repair. Agape that transcends comes from faith that is not merely a theoretical or abstract desire or prayer for another’s blessing, but a painful, transactional redemption - embracing the crown of thorns, the scourging, the lashes, and the cross. This is the gateway to heaven, resurrection, and eternity.

Book Review: The Lost World of the Flood by Longman & Walton

The Lost World of the Flood, by Tremper Longman III & John H. Walton, follows the paradigm of Walton’s earlier books on Genesis 1 and Adam & Eve. The core of his ansatz is that we can best understand Scripture by taking account of the culture of the people to and through whom God revealed His word, as He communicated to them (the original recipients) in language they would understand. This is not just words and figures of speech, but includes their cultural view of existence based on beliefs, history, and mythology. Professor Walton has access to a large body of archaeological ancient texts from ancient Mesopotamia. This approach confronts the literalist approach to interpreting Scripture, in that metaphors and hyperbole are taken as meaning how people of that time understood them, and not as we of the 21st century would understand them. “The whole earth,” for example, to people of ancient Mesopotamia could have meant the world they knew about or perhaps, for rhetorical purposes, to emphasize how great destruction was.

The important point of the flood narrative in Genesis is not the scientific description of a destructive flood, but the divine imperatives that God is communicating to His people. As humankind filled the earth, they had been directed to bring order out of chaos, and given other specific directives by God. As the generations passed, ignorance and rejection of divine imperatives led to a chaotic, wicked state ... but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The authors go into considerable detail about how God’s direction and intervention in the flood differed from the interpretations of other extant flood legends which invoked pagan deities. 

Part of the book considers the arguments for and against a literal worldwide flood as we would understand it today. This is probably the weakest part of the book. Geological evidence is strong but not compelling, as it may well in the future be interpreted differently. The authors’ rebuttal to the argument that the existence of flood legends around the world point to a worldwide flood is weak, amounting to mere assertion. Fortunately, this is not the primary focus of the book. The point is to understand how the flood account fits into the Biblical narrative of sin, judgment, and redemption from Adam to Abraham. God’s plan for mankind was stymied by humanity, but maintained a continuity of faith, until He was able to initiate the plan of  salvation with the call to Abraham.

The Reality of Transcendent Prayer

Jesus’ Transcendent Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13 records Jesus’ response to the disciples’ request (Luke 11:1) to teach them to pray.  He taught them to plead with God to empower them to transcend.

Verse 9 Hallelu YHWH Ab: Eternal Father, Your Name is worthy to be praised. You are perfectly holy and perfectly loving, a perfect Father, who never approves of sin and yet always loves Your children. We cannot reconcile these except through the cross of Christ (which was yet future when Jesus taught). 

Verses 10 & 13 speak of overcoming the world, the flesh, and Satan (1 John 2:14-16) and thus package the realities of daily life (vs 11-12).

Verse 10 While we may eagerly anticipate Jesus’ second coming, His kingdom is established here and now in our daily life when we do His will. There seems to be ambiguity in the passive voice as to who is to do His will ... but as C. S. Lewis wrote, “I fully agree that ‘Thy will be done’ should principally be taken in the sense ‘God’s will has blank well got to be done even if I have to go and do it myself.’” (Letter to Valerie Pitt, May 17, 1956) The world is thus transcended with our participation in building His kingdom, before His parousia.

Verse 11 Throughout human history, probably most of mankind had to rely on God’s provision to avoid starvation. Practice of daily faith and relationship with Him thereby brings daily experience of His supernatural intervention. Talk to the homeless. That is their reality. To those of us with enough physical provision, He said “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:48-51) Manna in the wilderness, the bread of the Passover, the Lord’s supper all picture for us this spiritual reality. Our spiritual life depends on daily partaking of Him as bread for our spirit. Without His daily spiritual provision our spirit will starve to death.

Verse 12 This simple principle is terrifying in implication, transforming in application. If we do not forgive others, He will not forgive us. Eternal judgment awaits our sin unless....  But when we follow His example (Luke 23:34), we experience not only His forgiveness, but the amazing redemption of our relationships with others. He supernaturally works to bring conviction, repentance, and redemption to those who annoy us, even to those we deem evil beyond hope of salvation. 

Verse 13 The flesh is weak, and Satan seeks to destroy us. God does not tempt - that is the devil’s tool (Genesis 3:1-5). To be led away from the vicinity of temptation is to be in the proximity of the Lord. Jesus overcame both sin and evil on the cross; we need to receive His provision. He tells us to ask for it. 

And all these petitions bring us into His eternal kingdom right now: His power manifest in our life; His glory revealed; a foretaste of eternity with Him. So be it!

President’s Day - Make America Great Again?

Several possible definitions of greatness allow the speaker or listeners to apply the concept of overarching size or dominance differently. 

• The Ronald Reagan/Donald Trump call to make America great again is generally interpreted to mean economic and military pre-eminence in the world; affluence and unchallengeable military power.
• This aligns well with Jim Collins’ book Good to Great, in which greatness is operationally defined according to a number of metrics, most prominently financial performance that exceeds market averages by several orders of magnitude over a sustained period of time. 
• The Greatest Generation references our forebears who endured the Great Depression and then fought and won World War 2.  In his book, Tom Brokaw wrote, "it is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced,” because these individuals fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the ‘right thing to do.’
• The sons of Korah sang of the attributes of God that emanate from His greatness. These include His stronghold being a joy to the earth, because human kings are terrified and defeated; the establishment of His city forever; His righteous judgments; His lovingkindness; His guidance of His people forever. (Psalm 48)
• Jesus, when asked about the great commandment of the Law, replied: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40) 
• The author of the epistle to the Hebrews makes it clear why Jesus is the great high priest over the house of God: “... we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.” (Hebrews 10:19-21) This living way is the new covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34 (Hebrews 10:16-17), and made possible by God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The ever-present danger of ambition is that we choose the wrong goal. Jesus did not exhibit greatness in any humanly recognizable form while He was on earth, nor exhort His followers to greatness. He defined greatness by service and self-sacrifice, becoming the least in human terms. (Mark 10:43) 

Getting past the personalities of current political leaders (it’s hard, I know), can we reach a social consensus of what a greatness looks like? Mother Teresa immediately comes to mind as a role model, but as Oliver North pointed out in Congressional testimony, “Mother Teresa doesn’t go to Tehran.” King David is perhaps a more appropriate role model, or perhaps George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. What were the core characteristics that made these people great leaders? 

• Most prominent is their unwavering determination to do the right thing, as Tom Brokaw observed. They had some human failures (Romans 3:23) but defined their public life by moral and ethical choices rooted in God’s character.
• They were committed to stay the course during dark days when ruin knocked on their doorstep. David fled from King Saul for many years. George Washington led his men through Valley Forge’s cold winter, also retreating from Boston and New York City. Abraham Lincoln dealt with an unbroken string of military defeats in the first two years of his Presidency.
• They opposed members of their own government who sought to compromise principle to gain practical advantages. They were going to achieve good ends solely by moral means.
• They focused, perhaps by circumstances of their times, on righting the most important wrongs. It may be that the times make the man - that great crises produce great men - but these leaders were distinguished by rising to the challenge, both moral and social.

Is our perception of great political leadership is forged only in war or national calamity? Despite the goals of President Johnson’s ‘Great Society’, his name is seldom mentioned in a list of great presidents. FDR is more commonly (but not by universal acclaim) noted as great, because he led the nation through both the Great Depression and World War 2. Although King Solomon led ancient Israel to prosperity, built the temple, and epitomized wisdom, few classify  him in the same level of greatness with his father, King David. 

Looking beyond President’s Day and individual heroes, is greatness found in a society that is just, generous, tolerant, compassionate, and so forth, or in a society that challenges each individual to rise in moral character? Mother Teresa exhibited compassion and generosity, and challenged her fellow nuns and her donors to likewise rise to this standard (as per Matthew 25:35-40). I do not know if her ministry encouraged the objects of their charity to rise to moral excellence. When people are borderline starving, should Jesus’ sheep go beyond feeding them to share with them the empowerment of the gospel, to be free from the penalty and power of sin through the blood of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit? Are such qualities already the norm among the homeless living on the edge of starvation?

It is not the role of Caesar to share the gospel, and any effort by any human government to force Christ-like behavior would be both tyrannical and ludicrous. From this perspective, it is impossible for any governing authority - politician, law, or court - to make a nation great. While we have a concept of in loco parentis, usually applied to schools or foster parents, it would be effectively a dictatorship to extend that role to the government as a whole. Since the greatness of God’s character (holiness and love) only rises in individuals by their voluntary decisions,   the challenge of our time, and of every age, is how to encourage these choices. We share Jesus’ greatness only when we follow in His footsteps.