Sermon Video: Quarreling in the Church: A sign of stunted growth - 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Where there are jealousies and quarrels within a church, there you will find the immaturity of stunted growth.  Paul warned the church at Corinth that they had failed to mature as they ought to have done, a diagnosis he was confident of because he had heard reports of the fights among them, and something they needed to grow beyond.  Every Christian must begin with the basics, whether they are young or old when they first believe, but if we are to mature into useful servants of the kingdom of God, we must adopt the humble attitude of a servant that Jesus modeled by putting away our pride and ambition.  In the end, we as a Church must be of one purpose, united in our effort to share the Gospel and make disciples.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Pastors may be legally able to engage in partisan politics? No thanks.

The President of the United States recently spoke in favor of repealing the 1954 Johnson Amendment which prohibits endorsements of political candidates by those working for non-profits (including churches) with the possibility of the organization's tax exempt status potentially being revoked for violations.  This law is rarely enforced, during the past election cycle a significant number of prominent religious figures made endorsements and even actively campaigned for a political candidate, in violation of the law, without apparent consequence.  It is apparent that these men and women have some sort of justification in mind for their violation of the teaching of Romans 13, it will of course be God who judges the heart on this matter.
It isn't the law which prevents me from making political endorsements, or even speaking publicly on politics in general (aside from encouraging democratic principles and good citizenship), but a deeply held belief that any marriage between the Church and a political party is destined to be an uneven and abusive relationship.  Politics offers a Faustian bargain to pastors, promising them access to power in exchange for their reputation, in the end, power will prove an illusion, betrayal will occur, and one's reputation will never be the same.
I already have a boss, the God of the heavens and the earth, the judge of the living and the dead, I don't need another, I won't yoke myself willingly to a political boss.  I already have a mission, to spread the Gospel and make disciples, I don't need another, especially one that has the potential to weaken or destroy my effectiveness to do the first.  I am a firm believer in Free Speech, without it, Freedom of Religion could not exist.  That I have the freedom to say or do something does not mean that it is wise, prudent, or morally upright to do so.  I choose to self-limit my political speech, that I might better serve the kingdom of God, that I might better be the salt and light that our world so desperately needs.
If the Johnson Amendment is repealed, it won't change my actions at all, but it will tempt others of my brothers and sisters serving the Church to exchange the unchanging Truth of the Gospel for the changeable power plays of politics.  Not all speech is free, some of it comes as a cost, this cost is too high.

The Gospel or the Gun: Which do you trust?

In 1945, General George Patton wanted to invade the Soviet Union and wipe out the Communists with the help of the remnant of the shattered Nazi army.  In 1951, General Douglas MacArthur wanted to nuke China during the Korean War, forcing President Harry Truman to fire him.  There are always those who believe that the answer to a threat is the barrel of a gun.  It is indeed true that the strong must protect the weak, and a military solution may be the only moral option, but it is also true that militancy and nationalism can run amok with potentially peaceful solutions (or at least less violent ones) lost in the hysteria of fear and fear-mongering.

It is becoming increasingly clear that a number of American and European Christians, including some famous people in leadership positions, view a global war with Islam as inevitable, and perhaps even preferable.  One of the reasons for this militant stance is often a Pre-Tribulation Eschatology that sees a WWIII style conflict as a precursor to the Rapture, and something that cannot or should not be avoided, as it would usher in the return of Christ.  I've written before about the dangers of letting a particular view of Eschatology color your morality and attitude, so that's nothing new, but the issue of confronting Islam has another element that is also troubling.  It would appear that many of those in the pro-war camp are leaning that way because they envision Islam spreading globally and taking over the West through immigration and higher birth rates.  While such an argument might hold water with a statistician, how is it that those who believe in the power of faith, and the triumph of the Gospel, are terrified of the spread of Islam?  If this is simply a battle of ideas, like the Communism vs. Capitalism debate of the Cold War, then it truly would be a confrontation with an unknown outcome, but this is not what Christians believe, at least they shouldn't.  Christianity is based upon historical fact, and those who follow Jesus Christ believe in the triumph of the Gospel over the forces of darkness, whatever they may be.  In Philippians 2:5-11, the Apostle Paul speaks of the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ, and foretells the day when "every knee should bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."  Do God's people really believe these words, or do they put more faith in the power of the gun?  How could a professing Christian's priorities be so eschew that he/she would prefer a war, and with it the tens if not hundreds of millions of civilian casualties that would result, to letting the Gospel contend, as it has since the founding of the Church 2,000 years ago, with whatever philosophies, ideologies, or religions which oppose it?

The triumph of the Gospel, foretold in Scripture, is found in the conversion of the Lost, the redeeming of those apart from God, not in the obliteration of those who disbelieve in the explosion of a bomb.  I believe in the power of the Gospel, it will triumph over Islam, and all other beliefs, no matter what they may be, in the end, I'm not looking to destroy those who oppose the will of God, it is my responsibility as a disciple of Jesus Christ to share the wonderful grace of Jesus with them, that they too might willingly and gladly bow their knee before the King of Kings.

Sermon Video: Spiritual Discernment - 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16

Why is it that two people can look at the same evidence and arrive at contradictory conclusions?  In the case of the spiritual things of faith, it should come as no surprise when an unbelievers and a believers do not see things the same way.  That which we know about God has been self-revealed by God, but it also requires a further act of grace on God's part to enable us to comprehend spiritual truths because it is not only sin that separates humanity from God, but a rebellious heart and darkened mind as well.  Those who have been reborn in the spirit have also been given the Holy Spirit to indwell them as a counselor and guide, thus enabling them to bridge that gap and begin to understand the mind of God.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

When cooperation becomes capitulation: The Koran in Church

Those who have followed this blog for any length of time, or who know me personally, are well aware that I am an advocate for intra-Christian ecumenism.  I believe, on the basis of the teaching of Scripture, that all those who are truly disciples of Jesus Christ ought to be working together for the sake of the kingdom of God, as partners not rivals.  There will always be debate and discussion, a healthy thing, regarding our definition of who is and who is not a Christian, with some drawing the circle smaller, and some larger, than others.  I wrote a good deal about that particular question with respect to the teaching of I John some years ago, a booklet you can read by clicking on this link: Christianity's Big Tent: The Ecumenism of 1 John.

The subject of this post is not intra-Christian ecumenism, however, but inter-faith cooperation.  If we're talking about something like disaster relief, peace initiatives for war torn regions, or a campaign for civil rights of a persecuted minority, it is not unreasonable for Christians to work with non-Christians on these issues, including those of other faiths, Muslims for example.  These are not issues that are particular to Christians, and are areas in which we can work with anyone who is willing to truly help those in need.  There are ways in which these things can be done that do not require a Christian to compromise his/her faith.

The waters get murky when we begin to talk about inter-faith worship.  The elephant in the room is of course the obvious observation that Christians, Muslims, and Jews (to pick the most common groups that might consider such things) cannot all be right in their declarations of what is true, in particular regarding the person of Jesus Christ.  If one proclaims him to be a false Messiah, one a respected prophet, but the third the very Son of God, God in the flesh, these three groups can hardly pray to God or praise God in any meaningful way without one or more of the groups being compromised.  In the end, it is demeaning to all involved if we try to call on the greatest common denominator (to use a math term) that we are supposedly worshiping the same God, when we have such radical departures on what God has done, and is doing, in our world.

The latest episode to illustrate the pitfall of intra-faith worship happened during an Epiphany celebration in Glasgow, Scotland.  The Anglican Cathedral there, St. Mary's, invited a local Muslim teen to read from the Koran about Jesus during the worship service which is supposed to be celebrating the arrival of the Magi to worship Jesus.  The biggest problem with this reading, other than the question of why someone would allow the Koran to be read in Christian worship, is that the passage in question directly contradicts the Gospel accounts by denying the deity of Christ.  Much has been written about this episode, and the backlash it has spawned in England and around the world, for a good article on it, click on the following: Cathedral Marks Epiphany with Koran reading

The most important question now is this: What went wrong in the theological understanding of the leadership of St. Mary's that they didn't see the utter foolishness of allowing the Koran to be read during a service of Christian worship?  There was a failure here to understand the implications of this gesture of cooperation, which was in fact far closer to an act of blasphemy toward Jesus than it was an act of Christian bridge building with a minority.  This is not what ecumenism is, this is not an example of fostering peace and brotherhood, it is instead an act of capitulation that will only confuse those who don't understand the differences between the Bible and the Koran, between Christianity and Islam, and at the same time it will be used by those who oppose legitimate intra-Christian ecumenism to build up the wall and moat around their church even more.

I'm all for intra-Christian ecumenism, and happy to have the necessary discussion of how we define those who are Christian and those who are not.  What happened in Glasgow is a whole different topic, and one that rightly will cause significant ripples throughout the UK and beyond.  The Koran being read in a Christian church is not only a bridge too far, it is an abandonment of the exclusive claims of the gospel about Jesus Christ.

Note: I'm not saying that Christians shouldn't learn about Islam, every Christian should know the Five Pillars of Islam, and the basics of what the Koran teaches, just as they should know about the beliefs of Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, etc.  One can teach and learn about another religion while showing respect to those who follow it, without including those teachings in Christian acts of prayer and worship.