Turning Point USA ignores the warning of Matthew 6:24

The money cannon being worked by 'Bang Girls' at the Turing Point USA conference

Every organization needs funding.  Compassion International has child sponsors, the Salvation Army has their kettle drive at Christmas, and your local high school sports boosters probably has a 50/50 drawing at home football or basketball games.  How an organization generates the revenue it needs to fulfill its mission is an important question, especially if that organization purports to be a Christian one or to champion Christian ethics.  Case in point, Turning Point USA, founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, who has a partnership with Liberty University (the Falkirk Center along with Eric Metaxas: The Downward Spiral of Bonhoeffer biographer Eric Metaxas the person interviewing Metaxas is Kirk) which gave him an honorary doctorate.  At the Republican National Convention in 2016, Kirk said this, “I have never had the opportunity to visit a university that embodies the teachings of Jesus Christ better than Liberty University, If you decide to profess your faith and say you are a Christian, this world is going to make it difficult. For those of you who are believers in Jesus Christ, wear that badge proudly.”  It seems clear that Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA are seeking to present themselves as a 'Christian' organization, or at least one aligned with Christian ethics.

Which brings us to this extraordinary moment at the just completed Turning Point USA conference where the event sponsor, Bang Energy (they make energy drinks) utilized young women in skin-tight revealing outfits (whom they referred to as 'Bang Girls', itself a disgusting double entendre) to work a 'money cannon' shooting out into the crowd of (unmasked during the height of the pandemic, another troubling aspect of this event) screaming young people.  There is so much wrong with this moment that it almost seems self-explanatory why this organization should forfeit any credibility with, or access to, Christian universities or partnerships with Christian organizations {If you want to see the video of the event for yourself, or read Dreher's similar criticism: Charlie Kirk's Hooters Conservatism - by Rod Dreher at the American Conservative}

You can be a Christian conservative, or a Christian liberal, you can be a Christian believer in the Free Market, or a Christian advocate for a Planned Economy.  Being a Christian does not require that we adopt a set of beliefs regarding politics, or even become involved in politics at all {Some would disagree, but I believe that minority view to be in error: Beware of the Political Church: John MacArthur declares, "any real true believer" can only vote one way}.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

The Bible spends an enormous amount of its space discussing the morality of money and the danger of greed.  It is a topic addressed pointedly in the Law of Moses with the requirements to leave a portion of the field unharvested for the gleaners and the debt-relief program of the Year of Jubilee.  It is one of a handful of topics that Jesus repeatedly addresses, going so far as to tell his followers that they must choose between loving God and loving money.  Long story short, the ethics of how a Christian should act toward money is a field with a wide and firm foundation.

It is no secret that the Church in America struggles with materialism.  This nation is where the heretical Prosperity Gospel was invented, and where it continues to thrive.  It is also well known that many of the Church's worst abuses and most scandalous sins have involved the love of money (and/or earthly power, the two are intertwined).  The only other sin that has plagued the Church as readily as the love of money/power is lust, here too the Church has had its most shameful moments, especially regarding the failings of its leaders.

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

From a Christian perspective, things like pornography, prostitution, and promiscuity are sins to be rejected and temptations to be avoided.  The Church certainly struggles with how it portrays the ethics of human sexuality, but we need to do significantly better than using sexuality to entice people to purchase products (the foundation of much of the advertising industry, I know, that's fodder for another post).

As I said before, if your study of the Word of God and your commitment to discipleship leads you toward advocating conservative political views, so be it.  If your study and commitment leads you toward advocating liberal political views, then do that instead.  Whichever direction our politics may take us, if the road is sponsored by the love of money and lust, it is NOT a Christian path.

Why take the time to write about Turning Point USA or Charlie Kirk?  Two reasons: (1) My Facebook feed is filled with memes and links that people share from the organization, (2) they claim to represent Christianity against their 'godless' political opponents.

The American Church needs to do better than this type of affiliation, for it only feeds our own failings of greed and lust and makes a mockery of the name of Christ.  Charlie Kirk believes he's fighting a Culture War to save America, the problem is that this version of America is the one that Christianity should be denouncing, not embracing.

An unhealthy overemphasis on politics

 

I'll admit, I've been sucked toward the rabbit hole of politics more in 2020 than any year since my youthful fascination decades ago.  With so much of consequence happening, between the pandemic, race relations, and the election, I can't be alone in this.  At the same time, the ongoing Culture War and hyper-partisanship have made our political theatre more and more toxic to those who both participate in it, and to those who observe it.

Perspective is lacking.  We need to refocus, particularly as Christians, on 'things above', {Colossians 3:1 (NIV) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.} but how do we do that?  By putting politics back in its rightful, secondary, place.

1. God directs history, not man - Psalm 2

 Psalm 2:1-6 (NIV)

1 Why do the nations conspire

    and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up

    and the rulers band together

    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains

    and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

    the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger

    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king

    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

The thing is, as impactful as human decisions and choices are in our own lives, and as important as our collective decisions are for the future of our nation and culture, God is still in control, both individually and collectively.  The will of God is not gainsaid by anything that human beings do, or fail to do.  The ultimate example of the futility of striving against God is the 'victory' of Satan when Jesus Christ was betrayed, falsely convicted, sentenced to death, and horribly murdered on a cross.  This apparent defeat of God's champion, whether Satan knew him to truly be the Son of God or not, was not a derailment of God's purpose in sending the Messiah, but its fulfillment.  In 'defeat', God was victorious in establishing his will, destroying both Sin and Death through the resurrection of Jesus.  Because God was able to accomplish this humanly impossible victory, he certainly can handle the simple plots of, relatively, powerless humans.  This is not a denial of human freewill, but rather advocacy for the supremacy of God's will.  God, being God, is able to give humanity freewill AND still accomplish his will.  Another example?  Joseph's time in Egypt as a slave: Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  Likewise, note the futility of Saul of Tarsus' efforts to thwart the will of God: Acts 26:14 (NLT) We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.[b]’ [26:14b Greek It is hard for you to kick against the oxgoads.]  Whatever politics is, it is not what determines the future.  We have given it too much credit, at the expense of trusting in God.

2. Human nature is unaffected by governments/society - Ecclesiastes 1:9

Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV)

What has been will be again,

    what has been done will be done again;

    there is nothing new under the sun.

Solomon, in his wisdom, grasped that human nature doesn't change.  This may seem like a fantastic claim to post-modern individuals living in the information age in a democratic society, but the people in our modern world are no different than the people of the Ancient Near East who lived in an agrarian society of kingdoms and empires where oral history was the primary means of retaining knowledge.  As much as technology and information availability have changed since the Industrial Revolution, a pace of change that has accelerated dramatically since the invention of the internet, human nature has 'evolved' not at all.  Human beings still respond to the same motivations, still have the same flaws, hope, and dreams.  The details change, but the substance does not.

What then is the impact of the static nature of humanity on politics?  It reminds us that whatever change a new election or new form of government may bring, that change impacts the surface.  Deep down, humanity remains what we have always been.  Beings created in the image of God who have fallen from grace and are powerless to alter that state and are thus dependent upon a Savior.  Those truths remain the same, whether one lives under a despotic emperor or has the right to vote for representatives.  Don't get me wrong, humanity is better off with political freedom, those blessings are of great value, but even they don't change human nature.  Our ancestors were less free, but they were no less human, and our freedom hasn't made us any more human.

3. The Church's victory is not dependent upon temporal power (or a lack thereof) - Matthew 16:18

Matthew 16:18 (NIV) And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

The Church does not require power to fulfill its mission.  In fact, the more power in society that the Church has wielded, the more mixed the results of evangelism and discipleship.  While the history of Christianity in Japan is the prime example that, 'the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church' is a myth.  Extreme and prolonged persecution can destroy a church.  The opposite of persecution, power, is also a danger to the church.  When Calvin merged the Church in Geneva with the State, making city business into church business, it was not 'heaven on earth', nor was it sustained long-term.  Likewise, when the Lutheran Church in German was at its most elevated status, it fell prey to Bonhoeffer's 'Cheap Grace', a form of religion without the commitment of the heart.

In the end, neither persecution nor power can deny the universal Church its final destiny as the Bride of Christ.  While local churches, denominations, or even national churches may thrive or fail as time wears on, the mission of the Church is not to conquer the physical/political world, but to share the Gospel with all peoples.  We are called to be servants, not rulers, and that calling is irrevocable. 

Revelation 19:6-9 (NIV)

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!

    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and be glad

    and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

    and his bride has made herself ready.

8 Fine linen, bright and clean,

    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

The final victory was secured at the Empty Tomb, the final chapter of the story has already been written.  The ebb and flow of human striving for temporal power pales in comparison to the drama unfolding through the generations as individuals are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb.

4. The corrosive nature of politics - Philippians 4:8

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

The most detrimental thing to me, personally, during the heightened awareness to politics throughout 2020 has been the emotional pain caused by experiencing despicable human behavior being rewarded as 'good politics'.  When fellow citizens are pitted against one another, competing to outdo 'them' in duplicity and character assassination, we turn character and honor into a weakness, and make a lack of conscience or integrity a strength.  This may win elections, but it warps and degrades the electorate.  Christians, unless they choose to forgo these tactics and compete with integrity, are stained by joining in with 'politics as usual'.  

In addition to the corrosive impact of the way in which politics is waged, there is also the influence of vast sums of money.  It was Lord Acton who famously warned, "Power tends to corrupt, absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely."  The same is true with money.  Money tends to corrupt, vast amounts of money tends to vastly corrupt.  We should not be surprised by this in the least: 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Maybe after November 3rd things will calm down a bit.  Maybe our fascination with the machinations in Washington will subside for a while and we can get back to focusing on what's happening with our families and community.  But it won't happen if we don't make it happen.  Elections matter, who governs our nation and how they govern matters, they just don't matter nearly as much as our current toxic political drama implies.

Paula White: Charlatan, Heretic, and White House employee - terrifying in any administration

Paula White-Cain, the famous Prosperity Gospel huckster who has made millions of dollars telling people to send her money so that they will receive God's financial blessing, is now an official White House employee.  {For further information on Paul White: Paula White:The Prosperity Gospel, Celebrity, and Politics - A trifecta of Gospel compromise}.  As this article from CNN explains, Paula White stated that when she was asked to serve, "To say no to President Trump would be saying no to God", evidence of a disturbing level of idolatry: Paula White: Trump's televangelist in the White House - by Jeremy Diamond  When asked if Paula White was a good choice to represent the evangelical community (and Christians in general), the White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere called White "someone who has the respect and admiration of the faith community across the country."  With apologies to Judd Deere, whom I do not know, that statement flies in the face of reality.  Paula White is not respected and admired by the Christian community, she is however, rich, famous, and a gate-keeper to the most powerful politician in America.  IF it becomes true that Paula White is "respected and admired" by the faith community, and there can be little doubt that her popularity is growing rapidly, it will be powerful evidence of rot and decay within the American Church, a cancer of materialism and the love of power.
1. Paula White-Cain is a charlatan and a heretic.
2. Paula White-Cain is being heavily promoted as a leader of the Church in America.
3. Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to President Trump, the elevation by the White House of Paula White is a threat to the purity and integrity of the Church and the Gospel.
For those who support President Trump, his embrace of Paula White, while not new, he has supported her for decades, should be a disturbing sign, a further reason to pray for him.  For those who do not support the President, his embrace of Paula White will further confirm their low opinion of him.  Either way, the Church is being placed in danger, and the Gospel message is being clouded by the ongoing and increasing placement of an unashamed Prosperity Gospel huckster as a representative of American Christians.  I often hear about threats to the Church of persecution from the outside, whether or not such things are based in reality {some are, some are not}, this threat is real and it is already on the inside.
This is NOT about politics, the elevation of Paula White would be endangering the Church no matter which party she had chosen to support.  As I have warned repeatedly, the marriage of Church and politics is an uneven one, resulting in stains upon the reputation of the Bride of Christ, this is a prime example.  Do you want political power at any cost?  The bill is now due.  If the Church gains political power by embracing the Prosperity Gospel, it will have forfeited its soul.

The Culture War rages on; the Church's role in it is toxic.

Why "winning" as the goal ought to be anathema to Christians

Uncontrolled Capitalism is as Anti-Christian as Communism

What is the philosophical basis of  the economic system of Capitalism?  In simple terms: People do what is in their own self-interest, allowing them to do so is the key to prosperity.  You might recognize the pop culture version of this viewpoint from Oliver Stone's Wall Street where Gordon Gekko states unabashedly, "Greed is good".  Capitalism works more efficiently than a demand economy (whether that be at the direction of a monarch, dictator, or communist planning committee) because it spreads out the decision making, allowing individuals and companies to best decide where to invest their time, effort, and capital.  Capitalism is indeed the best economic system that mankind has thus far developed, there's no question that it creates more wealth and opportunity than its rivals, but that does not mean that Capitalism, left unregulated or uncontrolled, is by nature any more "Christian" than the less-efficient systems that it outproduces.

As an example of how unfettered Capitalism can be hostile to the morals and principles of Christianity, consider the case of Trevor Foltz an American child from Rhode Island whose life saving medication for seizures has risen in cost from $40 a vial in the year 2000, to $39,000 a vial in 2018, an astounding 97,000% increase in less than 20 years.  Please, read the whole article in the link, before finishing this post, it is worth your time.

Anatomy of a 97,000% drug price hike: One family's fight to save their son - by Wayne Drash, CNN

What then should a Christian perspective be regarding the tendency of Capitalism to reward greed on a level such as this?

What then should a Christian perspective be regarding the tendency of Capitalism to let slip through the cracks the most needy and vulnerable among us?


This is not a post about a proposed solution to problems such as those encountered by the Foltz family, not an advocacy for a particular way to regulate the Health Care industry, nor it is support for or criticism of, a particular politician or party.  What this is, instead, is a call for reflection on the part of those committed to following the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, as to how they ought to think, feel, and act in response to the inevitable abuses of the capitalist system.  If Christians think, feel, and act like people whose first priority is imitating Jesus Christ, the subsequent questions of how or what can/should be done in our particular political and economic circumstances to remedy the flaws particular to capitalism that have become manifest, have a chance of being answered with wisdom.

What then is the attitude of the Word of God, our definitive guide for morality, regarding the topics of greed and those in need?  You might not believe it from what Christians often focus upon, but the primary topic regarding our interactions with our fellow man in the Bible is money.  The Bible repeatedly, in strong and foreboding terms, rejects greed and compels the people of God to be generous with those in need.  A few examples will suffice to demonstrate the pattern:

Deuteronomy 15:11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Deuteronomy 24:17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

These are 4 examples, all part of larger conversations within Scripture about the issues of money, greed, justice, and generosity.  There are literally hundreds of other references related to a economic issues (both relating to personal behavior and that of a nation as a whole) for the people of God contained in the Scriptures, whether it be Israel or the Church, that speak to the seriousness to God (and thus to us) of how we treat those in need.

If the system, whatever it may be, rewards a select few with riches beyond the scale of ancient kings, and leaves by the wayside without help a multitude beyond count, then that system cannot be just, nor morally upright, as it is.  Such as system would need to be held accountable for its excesses and flaws, it would need to be made to remember those being left behind, even if by design it does not naturally do so.  No economic system is perfect, just as no political system is perfect.  There will be flaws, there will be injustices, and therefore there needs to be advocates who champion the poor, the downtrodden, the orphans, aliens, widows, and outcasts, a role that is tailor made for those who would be disciples of Jesus.

Sermon Video: "My house will be called a house of prayer" Matthew 21:12-13

When Jesus entered the outer court of the Temple, after his recent triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he encountered something that had no place in that sacred space: commerce.  What was supposed to be a place for worship and prayer, in particular for Gentile converts to Judaism, had been transformed into a place of business.  Zeal for the purity of the worship due to God led Jesus to drive the merchants from that space, in the process quoting Isaiah's warning that God welcomed outcasts among his people, and Jeremiah's warning that impure worship/immorality would cause God to expel the people from the sacred space in which they had put their trust.

The most readily apparent parallels for the Church, today and throughout its history, are the twin pursuit of money and power, both of which have infected portions of the Church, tainting the worship of God's people and blunting the effectiveness of their ministry.  We too have failed to make all welcome with us as we worship, and we have certainly in some cases allowed the pursuit of money and/or the desire to influence political power to creep into both the ministry of the church, and even more alarmingly, for some churches the worship time/space as well.

If both the temple in Jeremiah's day, and the one that Jesus walked in, were destroyed because of impure worship on the part of the people, ought not churches whose worship is diluted by their own interests and priorities and hence not wholly devoted to God be fearful that they too will face God's displeasure?

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Commercialism and Politics interrupt worship at a Baptist Church

It saddens me that some of the most head-shaking things that happen within the "church" in America today happen at Baptist Churches.  On one hand you have the screeching hate/conspiracy theories coming out of Westboro Baptist in Topeka, Kansas whose website is primarily dedicated to the things they're currently yelling about, and with them you can place Steven Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, who at least puts forth a normal website, but a quick Youtube search will find plenty of videos of his favorite targets for yelling.  Contrasting those in the us vs. the world camp, are those who have embraced the power that this world offers, going so far as to carve out time during Sunday's worship service to bring in a TV political celebrity to advocate for a new movie and of course promote the latest book from the famous pastor who himself regularly goes on the TV show of the famous guest.  Scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

Pastor Jeffress interviews Sean Hannity during the worship service

First Baptist Church of Dallas, with Dr. Robert Jeffress as pastor of the mega-church, interviewed Fox News host Sean Hannity this past Sunday for fourteen minutes, at the end of which pastor Jeffress encouraged his audience to go see the movie that Hannity was there to promote.  Hannity received a standing ovation from the congregation (or is audience the right word here?).  This wouldn't be the first time that I've warned about the danger of how readily Pastor Jeffress is mixing politics with the Church, (blog post: Assassination, Pastor Jeffress, and Romans 13) as he has made quite a name for himself since the start of the 2016 election cycle, appearing on TV thousands of times and becoming a regular contributor to Fox News. 

At one point Hannity said, "I don't like liberals", which earned laughter and applause from the audience, then said, "I'm in the right church" as Jeffress laughingly said, "Hannity country right here".

At the end, as Jeffress indicated that his producers were telling him to wrap it up, Hannity joked, "We haven't even talked about Trump yet", leading Pastor Jeffress to chuckle and respond, "That's another sermon".

Perhaps this doesn't seem wrong to you, maybe you applaud the melding together of Fox News and First Baptist Church of Dallas, if so you probably won't be swayed by the mountain of historical evidence that shows the danger to the Church of getting in bed with political power, money, and fame.

At what point is the attention turned from the worship of God and the edification of his people onto the things of man, the pursuit of wealth and power?  If this isn't too far, how far can it possibly go, during a worship service, before you think it is a problem?  Will it be too far when they have commercial breaks during the service??

At what point does a pastor stop being a shepherd and start becoming a celebrity?  Is it not a problem when a pastor hocks products and helps people make money instead of leading people in worship of Jesus?  Whatever came before or after this point in the service, these 15 minutes were not in service to the Gospel.


If only Jesus had a book to sell, or was running for office...



 

Sermon Video: The Gospel vs. the Love of Money - Acts 19:21-41

Since the beginning, the desire to have more than we already have has led many to greed which often manifests itself as a love of money.  While in Ephesus, the success of Paul's ministry for the Gospel inspired a reaction against the new Christian religion on behalf of those who were making a considerable sum of money from the pilgrims who came to worship at the Temple of Artemis.  Because Paul preached that idols were mere objects made by the hands of men, and no god at all, the growth of Christianity in Ephesus and its surrounding areas threatened their economic prosperity, for only those who believed in the value of idols would spend their money at the Temple.

The hostility toward the new religion led to a near riot in Ephesus, one that was only prevented from leading to violence through the intervention of a local politician who suggested taking any grievance into the courts instead of seeking mob justice.  In the end, the people who came to the Temple, and spent their hard earned money, were being robbed as surely as by any thief, for the idol of Artemis was indeed but a hunk of rock, it could neither hear nor respond to the prayers sent its way, invalidating the commerce of all those who benefited from the pilgrims.  What the Gospel offered was of true value, for Christ offers to the Lost not only forgiveness and reconciliation, but transformation, a purpose, hope, and peace as well.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Not a dime for politics, not ever.

There is talk in the air of changing or eliminating the 1954 Johnson Amendment, a provision in the U.S. tax code which bars non-profits (including churches) from engaging in partisan political activity, either for or against a candidate or party.  Although rarely enforced, the code calls for the 501(c)3 status of the charity to be revoked if they violate it.  In other words, if a non-profit wanted to engage in politics, it need only give up its tax-exempt status.  Some of those proposing to change or eliminate the amendment are saying that they are doing so in the name of religious freedom, that their action will "unshackle" churches and allow them a voice in the political arena.  The reality, however, could not  be further from the truth.
If the Johnson Amendment is eliminated, some churches/denominations will be tempted to use their funds to support or denounce political candidates/parties, they will in essence become just another PAC through whom money is funneled.  If the amendment is modified to allow such activity, while retaining the ability of those making donations to do so as a tax-deductible "charitable" gift, it will be an unmitigated disaster.  How would the average church or pastor avoid the corrupting influence of money and power if millions of dollars suddenly appear in the collection plate earmarked for politics?  How successful will the average church or pastor be at remaining true to the calling to preach the Word of God, without modification, if millions of dollars are suddenly at stake as the message of the politicians is supposed to be echoed in order to fulfill the obligation that always comes with the flow of power and money?  Does anyone really expect that the churches will be an independent voice, free of the horse trading and principle compromises of politics?
My calling, and that of my church, is to declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ and train disciples to follow him.  In addition, we are to be a beacon of hope to the poor and oppressed, in imitation of the actions of Jesus.  I will not allow one dime of the funds given to this church to be diverted to any other cause, and I will not accept any donation, no matter how large, that is not intended solely for the purpose of fulfilling the mission that God has given us.  We are not a PAC, and we will never be one.
If the Johnson Amendment is repealed or modified to allow churches to become political actors, it will be the most hostile thing done to the Church in America in many years.  This proposed action is being sold as a way to "free" churches, it will end up laying a chain of money and power on them, and it will destroy the Gospel witness of many.
Do we really need to be reminded of the words of Lord Acton?  "Power corrupts, absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely."

Sermon Video: Pride in Humble Circumstances - James 1:9-12

Continuing his discussion on perseverance, James brings the factors of wealth and poverty into the discussion by saying that the poor believer ought to take pride in his "high position" and the rich believer ought to take pride in his "low position".  What makes poverty "high" and wealth "low"?  We know that Jesus warned repeatedly about the dangers of wealth as a hindrance to entrance into the kingdom of God, so that can account for riches being called low, but what elevates poverty?  The simple truth of the fallen nature of humanity is that we turn toward God more readily when we feel a greater dependence upon him for our survival.  The more material things one has, the less likely he/she is to recognize the need for God in his/her life.  There are exceptions, of course, but generally this principle holds true.  The Church has always had far more poor people in it than rich people (of course the world contains far more poor people than rich, but they also believe at a higher rate than the rich do).  If dependence upon God for daily needs leads to acceptance of the Gospel's call for repentance, it is certainly something worth taking pride in.
Those Christians who happen to be rich, while a minority they do exist, can take pride in knowing that their wealth had absolutely nothing to do with their salvation.  They can to God by grace, just like the poorest among us, and they need God just as much.
In the end, rich or poor, high or low, we all need to persevere in our faith.  Whatever the circumstances we must endure, however hard the test, by faith we must stand firm in our commitment to God.  When we do stand, when our faith passes the test, we know that one day we will receive a reward from God.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "No servant can serve two masters" - Luke 16:1-13

In a parable given to his disciples, Jesus tells a story where a corrupt business manager is unexpectedly commended after having defrauded his employer because after he was caught initially he continued to defraud his employer but did so by forgiving portions of the debts owed to his boss so that after he was fired he would have the gratitude of those who had benefited from his fraud to fall back upon.  This "shrewd" use of wealth is what is commended in the parable.  Why would Jesus tell a parable where an unrepentant thief is commended for being a shrewd thief?  Jesus uses this parable to illustrate that the "people of this world" understand that money is a tool in a way that the "people of the light", i.e. God's people, often don't understand.  Wealth is not an end in itself, it is simply a means to an end, one that should be directed toward eternal and not temporary goals whenever possible.
The parable reminds us of the needs to use wealth shrewdly, and the words of Jesus following it put the emphasis on being trustworthy as well.  God desires to entrust his people with great things, provided they show themselves worthy of trust in the little things.  The conclusion of Jesus' teaching on wealth leaves no room for Christians to be under the impression that the pursuit of wealth is compatible with our discipleship of Christ: "You cannot serve both God and Money."  We are all servants, we all serve, our pride may insist that we don't, but we do; the only question is, whom do you serve?  God isn't interested in sharing his servants, he desires 100% of our commitment, a level of commitment which is, by the way, the best way to ensure that we are what we need to be in all of our relationships and responsibilities, for the one who serves God fully will also love his neighbor as himself.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

The peril of fear mongering among Christians

In a recent interview with Time magazine, the president of Faith and Action, Rob Schenck, a noted anti-abortion activist, spoke of the danger posed by fear mongering when it is used by conservative politicians and pastors, he said this: "Within our conservative ranks, there seems to be an almost rampant fear mongering that's used as a device to build audiences and readership.  And I think it's contrary to the optimism of the Gospel."  It doesn't take much searching to find a self-proclaimed conservative or evangelical politicians whose primary rhetorical tool is utilizing fear.  The same holds true, sadly, for several prominent conservative and/or evangelical pastors, and many less prominent ones.  Many congregations are given a steady dose of fear from the pulpit, fear of the government, fear of persecution, fear of the future.
There are two major problems with this use of fear, first that it doesn't represent reality, as Schenck went on to say, "Christians, especially evangelicals, often fear persecution by government.  And that does occur in other places.  So we project it here."  I've heard many a well-meaning Christians, and perhaps some not of noble purpose, speaking as if America is one small step away from being Nazi Germany, as if the government were compiling lists of Churches to raid and shut down, as if storm troopers will soon be in the streets.  There are things that require legitimate concern about our culture, our government, and our future as a Church and a nation, but when such fantastic claims are made, when the spectre of persecution is raised to frighten those who don't know better, not only are the real issues buried by fear and obscured, the far too real and deadly persecution of Christians around the world is trivialized by American whining and paranoia.
The second problem inherent in the fear mongering is that it is used primarily by those interested in your vote or your money.  The motive behind the appeal to fear is almost always a dark one, the response that it breeds in people is far more likely to be hatred than love.  It is contrary to the Gospel.  In the first century, the Church faced far more difficult circumstances, Paul was beaten and left for dead, unjustly jailed, and ultimately put to death, but he did not give in to fear, nor did he spread it, he responded with hope.
As I have said many times before, and will continue to say as often as need be, the Church is not a castle under siege, a timid force hiding behind a moat; the Church of Jesus Christ is an army, conquering in his name, by his power, a force that the gates of hell will not prevail against.  Why, oh why, do we let ourselves be led by men (and women) whose pessimism and appeal to fear is leading the Church from proclaiming the Gospel proudly to hiding in fear, fear of a persecution that isn't even real.
Lastly, Schenck's interview ended with a sentiment that deserves an amen from anyone who believes in the necessity of the Gospel as the sole path to salvation for humanity, "the deepest of moral, ethical and spiritual questions can't be answered by a political party."  Nor, I might add, by a politician or pastor looking for votes, book sales, or donations.

Sermon Video - "Who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" Luke 12:13-21

In this passage, Jesus uses the occasion of an inheritance dispute that is brought to him to instead give a warning about the perils of greed which he illustrates with a parable about a rich man with an abundant harvest who in his prosperity fails to consider his obligations to God.  The words of Jesus are a direct attack on the notion that the accumulation of things can somehow have anything to do with the purpose and meaning of life, "a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  Wealth is a fickle purpose in life, dependent upon factors beyond our control and liable to be taken away as quickly as it may come, far better to devout oneself to being "rich toward God", a purpose with lasting implications and eternal rewards.  With death as the inevitable end to life, and everything we accumulate destined to be left behind for others to claim, only a fool would chase after wealth and neglect God.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Clash of Clans, sub-prime mortgages, and Dave Ramsey

Stay with me for a minute as I explain why a game that I play on my iphone is connected in my mind to the financial meltdown that happened in America nearly a decade ago and the financial guy from the radio.  For most of the free apps that people play on phones or tablets, the way in which they make money is to get you to purchase the ability to speed things up.  Clash of Clans is much the same, in it you build castle walls to defend your settlement and raise armies to attack the castles of other players.  Each task has a countdown timer ranging from a few seconds for small tasks to several days for the large ones.  If you have the patience to wait for the timer to run its course, the game is entirely free, but if you can't wait that long and want to speed it up, the game makers are more than happy to sell you that ability.
I was re-reading Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of Money this week, it is a brilliant primer on the history of finance, much like all of his books, and it contains a chapter on home ownership that among other things, explains the debacle of the sub-prime mortgage crisis that engulfed the American housing market during the mid 2000's.  That crisis was, in part, the result of people not being willing to wait until they were financially sound enough to afford a traditional long-term fixed mortgage, or not being willing to wait to save up money for other purposes but instead choosing to utilize the equity in their home by re-financing to give themselves money but at the cost of taking on a mortgage whose terms were certainly not sound in the long-term.
Both of these situations revolve around patience, a virtue that I'm sure has been in short supply throughout history, but also one that seems to be more difficult to uphold in a society that offers so many ways to try to get around having to develop patience.  All of this reminds me of the mantra repeated over and over by Dave Ramsey on his radio program that debt is the enemy and to be avoided at all cost.  Ramsey often tells people, for example, not to take out a loan for a car but instead to save up the cash needed to pay for it outright.  This sort of delayed gratification is of course hard to do, ensuring that short-term gain will always look good to those unwilling to invest in their own future.
This same discussion about patience could be applied to how we take care of ourselves, how we eat and whether or not we regularly exercise, and certainly it applies to our political choices because politicians are consistently going to tell the public what they want to hear now in order to get elected instead of what they need to hear about the future.
As we begin Holy Week, the virtue of patience and long-term investment is necessary for all those who plan on attending church on Easter to fulfill their Christmas-Easter twice a year obligation.  Being a Christian is hard work, it takes dedication and commitment, it takes regular participation, it takes more than being in the house of God twice a year.
If you want to spend $5 to speed up that game on your tablet, go ahead, but when it comes to the important things in life, there's a reason why patience is a virtue.

Avoiding the fool's bargain

While working on my sermon for this week, I was reading Matthew Henry’s commentary on II Chronicles that was written in 1708.  The text tells of Levites who left their homes and land in the northern ten tribes of Israel and migrated south to Judah because their new king, Jeroboam, had replaced worship of the LORD with idolatry in order to keep his people from going to Jerusalem to worship.  Jeroboam’s political decision proved to be utterly disastrous as it started Israel down a road of moral decline that ended in the destruction of the kingdom in 722 at the hands of the Assyrians.  The Levites, seeing that they were no longer welcome, and that they could not continue to serve God as they had done, decided to leave the land that had been given to support them while they ministered.  It was a costly decision for them, one that took away a certain income and left them hoping for the best in a new land.  It was also clearly a wise and brave decision, to choose morality over money, a choice that continues to be put before God's people in our world today as it was when Matthew Henry commented on the decision of the Levites three hundred years ago.  In response to their choice, Henry wrote, “No secular advantages whatsoever should draw us thither, or detain us there, where we are in danger of making shipwreck of faith and good conscience.”  Whether that advantage is money, fame, or influence, it just isn’t worth it.  To risk your reputation, your honor, and your faith in God for such things will always be a fool’s bargain.  

The lust of humanity for gold that glitters

There's a line in The Lord of the Rings that reads, "all that is gold does not glitter" which is Tolkien's rearranging of the well known proverb from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, "all that glitters is not gold".  Tolkien was trying to emphasize that not all things of value shine on the outside, whereas Shakespeare's point is that not everything that looks good on the outside is worth it on the inside, but both metaphors utilize the fact that gold has a hold on the imagination of humanity.  It has been sought after, fought after, killed and died for, for as far back as we have records.  I just finished watching "Klondike" on the History Channel last night, a mini-series based on the actual experiences of miners who went to Dawson City in the Yukon during the gold rush that lasted from 1896 to 1899.  In those few years, an estimated 100,000 people headed for the Yukon with only about 30-40,000 surviving the journey and only about 4,000 of them finding any gold.  After Dawson City the gold craze moved on, just as it had before from California and before that North Dakota; the list goes on and on back into history.  The craze for gold continues to this day, it actually has intrinsic value now in the electronics industry beyond its age-old use for currency and jewellery.  The show "Gold Rush" on the Discovery Channel chronicles the lives of would-be gold miners, some of whom work like professionals and some of whom appear to be still amateurs.  The human stories behind the quest for gold are interesting, but the question of why man has been so fascinated with this substance remains.
Gold isn't the only rare thing that has caused empires to rise and fall in history, but it does seem to rise above more practical commodities and has certainly been a part of some of the worst crimes of humanity against itself from the horrid working conditions of the South American mines of the Spanish Empire to the gold extracted from the teeth of Jews killed by the Nazis.  The insatiable quest for gold over thousands of years has yielded roughly 377 million pounds of gold; surprisingly, that amount would only be a cube of 68 ft. on each side.  All that risk, all that killing and death, for a pool sized cube of metal?
If gold didn't exist, humanity would be fixated on something else.  Gold isn't the cause of the sickness that is associated with it, simply the window through which the human soul is illuminated.  The same attributes and potential terrors can be ascribed to the pieces of colored paper that replaced gold as the currency of humanity, or even the electronic money that doesn't even exist apart from the computers that keep track of it.
Which topic does the Bible spend the most time talking about?  Which human vice fills more pages of God's Word than any other?  To hear many preachers and Christian lay people talk, you think it would be sexual sin, whether that be pre-marital or extra-marital sex, pornography, homosexuality, or abortion.  We certainly have great troubles in society connected to our misuse of God's gift of sex, but it isn't the number one vice discussed in the Bible.  The Bible spends more time talking about the proper use of, and abuse of, money than anything else (over 800 times) except love.  So why are we so reluctant to talk about money?  Perhaps it is because we as Americans have so much of it.  Perhaps it is because we do such a lousy job of utilizing our money for the good of the kingdom of God and such a great job spending it on ourselves. 
How often do I preach about money?  I haven't analyzed each of my sermons over last seven years to have stats, but since I normally preach verse by verse through a book on the Bible once I start, I'm guessing that its pretty often.  Do yourself a favor, don't skip over the next part of the Bible you read about money, actually take some time and figure out if you're doing what the Bible says you should be doing with the money that you've earned through the blessings of work, life, and health that God has given you. 

"They never stop to ask if they should do something"

Those are the words of Michael Crichton expressed through the character of Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park.  Malcolm is explaining his objection to the creation of dinosaurs by Hammond's scientists by insisting that the only type of questions science can answer are whether or not something is possible; never whether or not something is right.  One of the themes throughout Michael Crichton's writings is that science is a tool like any other.  When put in the hands of people with evil intention, it can cause grave consequences.  In this he is most correct.  The same could be said of politics, economics, psychology, and a host of other disciplines.  The thing that sets science apart is that in the modern world it can clearly lead humanity down paths that endanger us all without 99% of the world even knowing it.  Our latent fear of science, as evidenced in countless science fiction novels, comics, and movies comes to life more and more as new breakthroughs are announced on a regular basis.
I wrote recently that we need both faith and science.  The complete lack of morality within the scientific process is another reason why.  The Christian needs to utilize both science and faith, and the scientist certainly needs to let faith enlighten his/her decisions as well.  Faith certainly can enlighten science on issues related to the sanctity of life; not only life between conception and birth, but also quality of life issues and end of life issues.  There have been recent articles explaining that a "reliable" test to determine if a child will likely have Down Syndrome is now available.  Can science really be expected to see the value in the life of that child and not simply encourage frightened parents to abort? 
Added to the mix of moral ambiguity surrounding science is the pressure that many researchers are under to make their efforts pay off financially.  Science cannot possibly make moral choices when dollar signs are the determining factor.  It may seem naive to try to contain the influence of money in the realm of scientific research, especially when other less scrupulous countries would do research that scientists of conscience balk at, but if we give up and don't even try to instill a Christian morality in the research lab and medical facility, what will prevent us from walking down the paths that the late Michael Crichton's fiction spoke of?

You have to do more.

The philosopher Edmund Burke wrote, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".  It seems that in all of the explosion of coverage about Penn State this sentiment hits the nail right on the head.  Evil doesn't take vacations, evil doesn't call in sick, evil doesn't turn a blind eye when good is at work.  We live in a world where the lines of obligation have been blurred, where strangers can walk by a child dying in the streets and do nothing (as happened recently in China).  You may think that this is a testament to the downfall of modern man, but remind yourself that Jesus spoke the parable of the Good Samaritan with this same theme in mind.  In the parable (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus warns against those who feel that only a select part of humanity is their neighbor.  He reminds us that we all are created in the image of our Father, and therefore it doesn't matter who is in need or in trouble, our obligation remains the same.  We must act.  We must do whatever we can to safeguard the weak, to protect the innocent, and yes, to save children from those who would prey on them.
It isn't a choice we have, it is a moral obligation.  One of the students protesting the decision to fire Paterno mentioned that she was aware that he had violated "morality or whatever", but she didn't see what the big deal about that was.  Why let something as uminportant as morality get in the way of football.  There is money to be made, fans to satisfy, and entertainment to be produced.  Why would anyone object on moral grounds?  Sad, but true, and very un-Biblical.  The reason we have a faith that can save us from our sins is because Jesus considered us all worth saving.  We hadn't done anything to warrant God's love, in fact we were in rebellion against him, but Jesus came just the same.
In the end, you have to do more.  I don't care about the legal obligations, they always fall short of our duty to others.  I do care very much about our moral obligations.  Everyone is your neighbor.  Any child in danger is your business.  You have to do more.

Sermon Video: James 1:9-11, "the value of being rich"

This sermon is from James 1:9-11 and deals with the temporary nature of wealth along with the hidden value of being poor.
to watch the appx. 20 minute sermon, click on the link below
Sermon video: James 1:9-11