Author: Joel

The toughest decisions in life are those we must make with inadequate information. This takes faith. To prefer knowledge to faith as a guiding principle is normal. Who wouldn’t? But some of life’s most crucial decisions must be made while vital knowledge is unavailable.

Few knew this better than General George Washington (1732 – 1799), a leader well known for his hunger for intelligence that could make wartime decisions easier. In the fall of 1776, with information low and risk high, his indecision after losses on Long Island, in New York, and at White Plains, led to the added losses of Forts Washington and Lee—severe blows to the cause. Washington was harshly criticized in hindsight, even by some close to his confidence. He handled the criticism gracefully and wisely retained officers that other leaders might have been tempted to blame. He saw a bigger picture.

Washington was the practical founder. While the other founding fathers were signing founding documents, Washington was in the field training an army in the courage, stamina and skill required to stand behind the words on those documents. In his book “1776,” David McCullough suggested that Washington was well taught by experience. His greatness was not in avoiding failures but in learning from them. His wisdom and determination after failure was exceptional. This indispensable quality was rooted in his faith in providence, a word our Founders often personified with a capital “P”. Washington knew that Providence out-ranked him and could be trusted when risks were high and failure loomed large. Some trust can be rooted in practical experience but the future remains, like fate, up for grabs. McCullough surmised that Washington was not a great strategist or orator, but he never forgot what was at stake and he never gave up. Though a great pragmatist, he never lost his faith in Providence.

Washington’s army seldom numbered more than 15,000 (usually much less) and his ability to keep his troops together under dire circumstances is what set him apart. Only a man of his stature and dignity could have commanded the respect of his men under the conditions they faced. Great trust is inspired when a leader displays confidence and optimism rooted in faith through the worst of times. When his men see him making the same sacrifices he asks them to make, they stand by him in support. Washington was long known for being fearless under fire and for his ability to see things as they were rather than as he wished them to be. He had an indispensable grasp on the vast difference between faith and wishful thinking.

The incredible twists of fate sustained by Washington and his men have enthralled many a reader of Revolutionary War history. The good General had a capacity for keeping an even keel through it all. He did not regard twists of fate as random accidents. He believed there was a plan and he trusted the ultimate Planner. Accordingly, his men trusted him with the unknown when much was unknown. They did know well, however, that Washington sustained more defeats in battle than victories. Yet, they persevered to win the war. Faith is contagious.

After winning a nearly impossible victory in 1781 against the greatest military power on earth, Washington resigned his commission rather than ride his popularity to great personal power. In 1787, he presided at the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, bringing high credibility to the process. In 1789, he was elected as our nation’s first President. Amid chaotic times, he garnered so much prestige that calls to for him to rule for life were frequent and loud. But again, in 1797, he gave up power and returned to his farm, refusing to trade hard-earned liberty for the personal prestige of a crown. For over 2,000 years since Cincinnatus returned to his plow, no leader in similar circumstances had willingly done what Washington did. He symbolized the American spirit at its best with his personal virtue, renowned integrity, undying perseverance and unselfish sacrifice. Even King George III called his nemesis “the most distinguished man alive.”

Washington’s biographer, James Flexner, called him the “indispensable man” of US history. Washington himself might disagree. In his Farewell Address in 1796, this lifelong Episcopalian churchman told us what he considered truly indispensable:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

President Obama was re-elected in 2012. Some want to forget this and others are still celebrating. I am in neither camp. Those who forget what happened and how are being especially irresponsible. Memory matters! Truth suffers without it.

Remember when President Obama declared that the use of chemical weapons by Syria represented a “red line” that must not be crossed? He asked, “What kind of world will we live in if the United States of America sees a dictator brazenly violate international law with poison gas and we choose to look the other way?” (September 10, 2012).

Good question. Voters were impressed.

Within a year, the Syrian government conducted a lethal poison gas attack on its own people. The line was brazenly crossed. Two weeks later, at a press conference in Sweden (September 4, 2013), our President said “I didn’t set a red line. The world set a red line…” Seriously? He said congress also set the red line with The Syria Accountability Act. He continued, “My credibility is not on the line. The international community’s credibility is on the line, and America and Congress’ credibility is on the line, because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important.”

Did he say, “lip service?”

Is there an Olympic medal for mendacity or shifting blame? If so, no one could compete with President Obama. He simply denied saying what we all knew he said and blamed congress and the international community instead. With a straight face, he criticized the cheap “lip service” of the international community, America and congress, and it worked!

Throughout the 2012 campaign, Democrats led by Obama claimed that their Republican opponents were so incredibly vile that they were actually conducting a “war on women.” How so? Governor Romney, in an effort to hire more women and increase their influence, apparently had used a “binder” to gather qualified names. Outrageous! Also, Republicans wanted all women to have access to contraception at their own expense. Millions of voters fell for it.

Another fantasy was that simply requiring a valid ID to vote was repressive racism. Again, it worked.

At a community college in Maryland (March, 2012), the president derided Republicans as “members of the Flat Earth Society” for opposing his “investments” of taxpayer money in “green” energy. Was his misrepresentation silly in the extreme? Yes, but the students cheered.

When four Americas (including an ambassador) were murdered on September 112, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya, the Obama administration immediately fled toward fantasy, a safe haven for them. Without evidence (in fact, against the evidence they had), they blamed some film-maker in America for inciting a spontaneous demonstration that allegedly caused the killings. Obama’s campaign had been promoting the fantasy that Al Qaeda and such terrorist groups were on the run. When the facts stood in opposition to the fantasy, the fantasy held sway. And the voters swooned.

Meanwhile, countless conservative groups like the TEA Party were languishing under targeted IRS scrutiny and harassment. The Obama administration’s claim that the IRS corruption just involved a few “rouge” employees in Cincinnati was disproven. The public was successfully deceived about the extent of IRS wrongdoing and the deception stands to this day.

President Obama also resorted to fantasy to sell his signature health coverage plan. He repeated the following promise to America long after he knew it was not true: “No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people. If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your healthcare plan, you’ll be able to keep your healthcare plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.” (speech to the American Medical Association in June 2009). Reality eventually raised its ugly head and blew this promise out of the water. But the fantasy worked like a charm for years.

Whatever happened to Superman’s motto: “Truth, justice and the America way!”? Why can’t American’s even recognize truth anymore? Perhaps, the French scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal had the answer back in 1670. He wrote; “Truth is so obscured nowadays and lies so well established that unless we love the truth we shall never recognize it.” (Pensées).

I no longer think truth is an America value. Oh, we still use the word, much like the Soviets used the Russian word for “truth” for their state run newspaper: Pravda. But using words and valuing truth are two different things.

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Christians have a message for the world. It pivots around the problem of sin and centers on Jesus as its only solution. However, our culture glorifies sin even while denying its reality. Attempts to define sin for what it is are rarely appreciated. Efforts to suppress it are disparaged as “puritanical.” This is ‘old hat.’ A brief look at four great British preachers from the 17th through 20th centuries well illustrates how common this collective unconsciousness of sin has been, even in times when sin ran rampant.

Richard Baxter (1615 – 1691)

Remember the Puritans? They were 16th and 17th century reformers who emerged through turbulent times out of the Church of England which needed much reforming. The great Puritan preacher, Richard Baxter, once said of his fellow preachers, “From the general strain of some men’s preaching, one would almost be ready to conclude that there were no sinners in their congregations to be converted.” The severity of sin and its consequences inspired Baxter to say, “I preach as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” (from, Love Breathing Thanks and Praise). Indeed, the English Civil War (1642–1651) produced many dying men.

John Angell James (1785-1859)

Over a century later, John Angell James penned an inspiring classic titled, An Earnest Ministry, which every young minister should read. In it he asked, “How came the spirit of slumber over the church? Was it not from the pulpit?” James served one church for 55 years with a firm grasp on the severity of sin. This gave him a burning sense of mission and a life-long zeal for God’s grace. He astutely observed, “Men will care little about pardon, till they are convinced of sin.” Still, his preaching was even-handed: “If in one hand the preacher of the gospel carry the sword of the Spirit, it is only to slay the sin; while he holds forth the olive branch in the other, as the token of peace and life to the sinner.” James challenged his fellow preachers thusly, “He who does not supremely aim to bring sinners into friendship with God, falls short of the design of the sacred office.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 – 1892)

The next generation brought Charles H. Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” to prominence. He served one London congregation for 38 years and preached to some 10,000,000 souls. He wrote, “You cannot preach conviction of sin unless you have suffered it. You cannot preach repentance unless you have practiced it. You cannot preach faith unless you have exercised it. True preaching is artesian; it wells up from the great depths of the soul. If Christ has not made a well within us, there will be no overflow from us.”

John R.W. Stott (1921 – 2011)

A 20th century witness to the power of Christian preaching comes from the late great British churchman John Stott. In his book, Between Two Worlds: The Art of Preaching in the Twentieth Century, Stott wrote: “A deaf church is a dead church… God quickens, feeds, inspires and guides his people by his Word. For whenever the Bible is truly and systematically expounded, God uses it to give his people the vision without which they perish.”

One More Sermon!

Illusions of innocence are not new. Jesus confronted Pharisees full of such illusions. In 1973, Psychologist Karl Menninger wrote a book entitled, Whatever Became of Sin? to affirm the reality of sin in a sin-denying culture. Christian preaching begins with the severity of sin and moves straight to Jesus, the one man whose claim to innocence was no illusion. He faced sin and death head on and emerged from that fatal (but not final) confrontation as the only real solution sinners can turn to for hope. The apostle John summed up Jesus’ mission thusly: “He appeared in order to take away sins;” (1 John 3:5).

The four great preachers above may have found fame preaching to millions, but they were well aware of how unpopular preaching could be. Spurgeon had some advice for those who ran away from real gospel preaching. He said, “Oh, what would the damned in hell give for a sermon, could they but listen once more.”

Part one, Preaching Enterprise, in this series on the Preaching Enterprise affirmed that criticism is not a preacher’s worst fear. Rather, it is no response at all. Good preachers first root their preaching in God’s truth and love and then pray for a fair response. He humbly knows, however, that he has more control over the message than the response.

Now, we turn to Jesus, the preacher. That’s no cliché. Preaching is what He came to do. Jesus told His disciples, “Let us go somewhere else… so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (Mark 1:38). It was His divine anointing: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” (Luke 4:18).

We often envision Jesus preaching on a mountain side surrounded by flowers near the Sea of Galilee with sparrows flitting by. Nice. However, the third gospel makes it clear that He also “…kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” (Luke 4:44). As a preacher and teacher, Jesus also made heavy use of the Bible, which He knew well. His favorite sources (among many) were Isaiah, Psalms and Deuteronomy.

“Preacher” may be the best word to use for Jesus to explain why He was so loved and hated. He had one main message and here’s how the first gospel summed it up: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matthew 4:17). This same message made soft hearts softer and hard hearts harder. Humble and honest hearts hear the word “repent” differently than self-righteous hearts. To the humble, repentance offers their only hope. For the proud, it’s an insult– an excuse to hate the preacher.

Jesus’ parable of the four soils was about His preaching ministry, and ours. He came to cast the seed (God’s truth) but He knew its fate depended on what kind of soil it lands on: a hard path, rocky ground, thorny dirt, or good soil. If Jesus’ preaching did not get glowing results from all who heard it, why should ours?

When Jesus sent out the Twelve, He charged them to “preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matthew 10:7). The second gospel added, “They went out and preached that people should repent.” (Mark 6:12). He warned his disciples about the mistreatment that such topics would bring but told them to go anyway.

With His fate on the cross around the corner, Jesus stopped in Bethany where a woman poured some pricey perfume on His head. Observers were indignant over such a waste noting that it could have been sold on behalf of the poor. Jesus, however, saw her deed as “beautiful” (Mark 14:6, NIV, 1984) and put an end to their scolding. Doing good to the poor could be done, “whenever you wish,” Jesus told them, “but you do not always have me.” (vs. 7).

Was Jesus being selfish? Hardly. He was on the brink of making the most unselfish sacrifice ever and He saw her anointing as preparation for His burial. He knew that the result of his impending death, burial and resurrection would be the eternal redemption of sinners like you and me. That’s the good news we are commissioned to preach to the end of time. Jesus knew that all earthly wealth was worthless to any and all who stay stuck in sin. So he said, “I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:9).

Before his crucifixion, Jesus warned His followers of dire times ahead. He spoke of nations and kingdoms in conflict, earthquakes and famines as mere “birth pangs.” They would be dragged before officials, governors and kings to be flogged and persecuted. Nevertheless, He said, “the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” (Mark 13:10). Preaching must pervade the entire process. Matthew quoted Jesus this way, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14). Again, after His resurrection, Jesus told his disciples that “repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:47).

Saint Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226) once said, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” Jesus did and he paid the ultimate price for it. And that payment (His life) failed to shut Him up because we are here now to carry on in His steps.

Don’t forget to mention that humble and generous woman at Bethany.

If nothing is sacred, then everything is disposable. In today’s highly disposable world, reverence is getting rare. With secularism on the rise, we need a better grip on what is sacred. This takes faith. Webster defines sacred as that which is devoted or dedicated to a deity or a spiritual purpose, or entitled to veneration or religious respect. Christians hold that anything God selects for us or sets apart for special use is sacred. Here’s a short list of sacred gifts from the greatest gift-giver of all:

Human Life:

The sanctity of human life is foundational for seeking its meaning.

• “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27).
• “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” ~ The Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Marriage:

Matrimony is holy! Add fatherhood and motherhood to this since the demise of marriage replaces them with “whateverhood.”

• “[At] the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female…’For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh,’ hey are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” ~ Jesus (Matthew 19:4-6).
• “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled.” (Hebrews 13:4).

Truth:

God is Truth like water is wet. Get rid of God and Truth will no longer exist, even as a museum piece. Cleanliness is next to godliness but truthfulness is its full embrace! By contrast, lies make us putty in Satan’s claws.

• “Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being.” ~ David (Psalm 51:6).
• “The Bible may hurt you with the truth but it will never comfort you with a lie.” (Author unknown).

Beauty:

When a woman anointed Jesus with expensive perfume, Jesus’ disciples failed to behold her deed as beautiful. When Jesus said, “she did a beautiful thing” (Matthew 26:10), he affirmed that beauty was found in the deed itself and not in the “eyes” of the disciples.

• “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).
• “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Words:

Words are a vital carrier for truth or lies. When we abuse and exploit words for ill-gotten-gains, the enterprise of human communication is distorted and often destroyed. The keepers of nomenclature hold great power to manipulate and control you. Thought itself is degraded. Words can hallow or profane. Use them to hallow.

• “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.” ~ Jesus (Matthew 15:11).
• “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ~ Jesus (Matthew 12:36-37).

Repentance:

God is love. Thus, He hates evil. Evil not only destroys people, it kills love itself. Jesus said, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12). Indeed, when evil goes up, love goes down. Evil must not be ignored. Repentance is the sacred ground from which love grows.

• “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17).
• “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation.’” (Isaiah 30:15).

Forgiveness:

Repentance may be sacred but it is not a blessing if not followed by forgiveness. Then, forgiveness creates the church (the assembly of the forgiven). Our popular culture considers the church as “primitive,” “narrow,” “irrelevant,” and “provincial.” The truth is, popular culture will soon be all those things in the eyes of future generations. Jesus’ bride (the church), by contrast, is eternal.

• “You know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.” (1 John 3:5, describing Jesus’ mission).
• “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” ~ Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744).

A Sacred Blessing:

Butterflies are not particularly sacred. However, if one flutters peacefully by when you desperately need a sign of hope from God, it takes on a sacred role. Most rocks are not sacred, but I have a “sacred” one in Malibu where I have sung and played many a song to a canyon. Then there are rainbows. If they are not sacred, I’m not sure what is. God uses such things to bless His children.

Actually, what may be sacred is the painful softness of the human heart that creates our need for butterflies, rocks and rainbows. If nothing is sacred, then pain is unredeemable. But God says it is! There is even transportation power in pain. It can transport some straight to bitterness and grudge-grinding envy. For others, it is the soil from which many tender virtues grow. The invisible factor that makes the difference between these two directions is sacred.

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

The following tombstone inscription is in the Grove Street cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut:

In memory of Mrs. Chloe, late wife of Mr. Peter Johnson and daughter of Capt. Andrew Tuttle deceased. She was a dutiful child, a faithful wife, a tender mother, a friend of the distressed and a lover of virtue. Died, 1773, age 34. She is gone we trust to inherit the promises…

The rest was unreadable.

Chloe Johnson died before the Declaration of Independence was penned. As a subject of King George III, she probably never heard of George Washington. I dare say that for centuries her memory has been entirely lost on the world, until now.

One day, I noticed Chloe’s humble tombstone and felt moved to copy down the message above that honored her memory with adjectives like “dutiful”, “faithful”, “tender”, “friend” and “lover”. Her character qualities, inscribed in stone, made me say; “Wow!”

Throughout the consecrated ground on Grove Street, near Yale University, women are honored for noble choices. Many beloved women resting beneath the grassy turf were admired with epitaphs using words like integrity, virtue, duty and faithfulness. One stone simply says, “What a woman!” Legacies of love abound in the countless tributes to women of times past on stones still standing in their memory. Women were praised for their tireless devotion to family, church, community, friends and the needy (men were often noted for military offices, public service or vocational accomplishments). The selfless service of women, when laid to rest, did not go unappreciated in the so-called “olden days” and old cemeteries convey this with profound eloquence.

Life was hard and opportunities were few for women and men in centuries past. I am grateful for our progress over time. But if you have the impression that women long ago were not well loved and honored, exceptions notwithstanding, then you have been misled by angry agenda historians. Old cemeteries (and countless other primary resources) prove my point. Actually, it was not so much “men” or “women” being honored in such primary sources, but virtue! Virtue transcends gender.

Today, Chloe Johnson would make a boring guest on daytime TV. By current standards (or lack of), her love of virtue alone would disqualify her. But even today, if women became steadfast lovers of virtue in greater numbers, men would reform–rushing toward kindness and character– as fast as you can say, “Chloe Johnson.” I wonder if women realize how much their love motivates men. As virtue lovers, women today would decimate ratings for daytime trash TV. Exploitation entertainment would vaporize under the sunlight of feminine admiration for better things. What enormous power!

Chloe Johnson could have chosen another legacy. She could have mocked virtue. She could have sought pleasure over purity, might over right, feeling over faith and consequences over truth. Instead, she chose a legacy of love—REAL love. Such legacies never come easy or by accident. They require a lifetime of tough choices.

Women, more than men, have long been known to make more room in their lives for family. Thus, home erosion often hurts women more. In her book, Choices, Mary Farrar wrote, “The well-being of women has always been tied to the well-being of the home.” Protect the family and you stand tall against the vulnerability of women (of all ages) to the things that hurt them most. Do we admire women enough for their sacrificial pro-family choices? Not lately.

The home-enriching choices made by the Chloe Johnsons of the world rarely bring fame or fortune. Sometimes, you have to visit old cemeteries to see such women praised. I often see it at church too. But in a celebrity culture bent on glitter, glory, glamor, wealth, power, pride and pleasure, we rarely see such virtues as selflessness and humility being actively praised and pursued in public.

What if the epitaph for Chloe Johnson went like this?

She graduated summa cum laude from Yale, organized humanitarian aid for millions, owned a thriving business empire, served on the Supreme Court and became the first female president of the United States.

I would be greatly impressed. But I wouldn’t be any more impressed than I already am with the legacy inscribed on Mrs. Johnson’s tombstone. I fully support any woman’s right to develop her gifts and make her own choices. I respect a wide variety of alternative options. Virtue can be well lived and loved under widely diverse circumstances. Cookie-cutter virtue is not the point. Nevertheless, a woman’s freedom to make great choices is hindered when old legacies of love, like those of Chloe Johnson, are forgotten or dismissed.

As a single man, here the two things I want most:

1. A close relationship with God made possible by His forgiveness.
2. A close relationship with a woman of honor who has #1 above.

The second desire is a far cry from the first. Nevertheless, it is the focus of my thoughts below.

Unfortunately, I live in a culture holds honor in low regard, especially for women. Yet, my hope springs eternal because women still exist who hold their honor and faith above and beyond culture. More power to such women.

Dishonoring women (or women dishonoring themselves) defines much of modern American culture today. It generates big bucks. Rap music that dishonors women is a fast track to fame and fortune. Porn dishonors women and it is more rampant in today’s America than ever before. Using women to sell things is not new, but degrading them in the process has reached lower depths than ever.

Notice the way Obamacare was advertised. At our expense, a group called ProgressNow marketed the “Affordable Health Act” to Millennials suggesting that it would enable them to sleep around with no consequences. Consider the text of one ‘brosurance’ ad:

OMG, he’s so hot! Let’s hope he’s as easy to get as this birth control. My health insurance covers to pill, which means all I have to worry about is getting him between the covers. I got insurance. Now you can too, thanks to Obamacare.

Update: Rampant sexual chaos dishonors women.

Seeing Miley Cyrus dishonor herself on stage is considered as wildly exciting entertainment today. Her image on a major magazine cover recently was used dishonorably (see last week’s post: Cosmopolitan Concerns). Culture icon Lady Gaga is not known for honor and her influence on young celebrities (and others) is also huge. She dishonors her own fans by calling them “little monsters.” This is postured as a term of alleged affection and her fans love it, but that does not make it honorable. Even Super Bowl halftime shows, featuring “wardrobe malfunctions,” are not safe for honorable young girls any longer. We honor the wrong women in America all too often.

Why is this happening? One possible motive is that if powerful men can get more women to see themselves as dishonorable, it becomes easier to manipulate them to behave dishonorably. Getting dishonor to stick in a woman’s minds places her in the clutches of dishonorable men for dishonorable purposes. Using women is a lot easier than loving them.

Dishonoring motherhood is another way for a culture to dishonor women. Nothing dishonors motherhood more than widespread legal abortion. Actually, it dishonors life itself and motherhood is a huge collateral casualty. America has glorified legal abortion to the extent that our government helps pay for them. Even the slightest opposition to it brings the vicious accusation from the most powerful political party in the nation that you are waging a “war against women.” That’s perversion but it’s popular enough to get many politicians on the left elected. We are also redefining marriage to minimize the merits of motherhood. In some 16 states today, marriage has been redefined so that motherhood and fatherhood (functioning as a family unit) has been replaced with “whateverhood,” as if we don’t care that children grow up with a mother and father in the home.

As for men, a word from C.S. Lewis will suffice:

In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.(The Abolition of Man)

Women of honor, don’t lower your price tag. Our culture often switches price tags so that things that are truly valuable (like modesty, purity, fidelity, patience and unselfish love) are devalued while things that destroy (porn, M-TV, adultery, homosexuality and more) are glorified and rewarded richly. That’s America today! That’s why too many men undervalue women and why too many women surrender their honor so easily. It’s time for a moral rebellion — time for women of honor to hold out for men who honor them and protect their honor. Don’t be available to dishonorable men at a discount.

Finally, pain, heartbache, disappointment and trials are no reason to abandon your honor. When all is said and done, if you come away from adversity with your honor standing tall, you win! You are better for it. And for those who have slipped in the past, look first to the highest priority on my list above: a close relationship with the God who made you and can re-make you in His image as you seek His forgiveness.

Today, while waiting for a beef burrito at a Zip Trip gas station, I was jolted by my cultural cluelessness. What planet I have been living on for 30 years? That’s the amount of time that has passed since I last looked at Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Its current cover features Miley Cyrus decked out in a bejeweled flesh-colored outfit with the following headline: “It’s Party Time: Eat, Drink and Twerk Your A** Off.” Another headline expressed an exciting holiday wish: “Sex Up your Holiday: 38 Naughty…”

You get the idea.

“Cosmos” is the ancient Greek word for the world. “Cosmopolitan” is the modern English world for worldly. Indeed, worldliness is nothing new. And yes, I was well aware that bad taste sells magazines. Still, those of you rolling your eyes at my naiveté’ may need a renewed sense of how much has changed in 30 years. I remember when Cosmopolitan Magazine featured beauty tips, home décor and a little harmless idolatry offered up to celebrities.

Maybe I was more naïve back when I took our culture’s idolatry so lightly. Maybe I am more naïve today in terms of how God works in the midst of evil to do His good. Maybe God is working behind our current cultural rot to help us distinguish the things of God from the things of “Caesar” more clearly. Maybe God is using shock and awe to awaken His followers from the moral hibernation that inhabits Western Christianity.

Instead of ranting against cultural rot (as if it was something new), I must confess to a struggle over knowing what to do with it. It’s not easy to think straight when it comes to culture. I cannot embrace it or ignore it. I sometimes hate it and sometimes love it. I need some Scriptural insight to help me think straight.

Oops, the Bible also seems to convey mixed feelings about the world. A love / hate relationship between God and the world can be seen in the New Testament.

First, the love:

• “For God so loved the cosmos, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
• Jesus calls us to be the light of the cosmos (Matthew 5:14).
• Jesus was sent to be the savior of the cosmos (1 John 4:14)
• The apostle Paul spoke of the gospel growing and bearing fruit all over the cosmos (Colossians 1:6).

Next, the hate (so to speak):

• Cosmos is what Satan offered to Jesus during his temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:8). Jesus knew that the cosmos hated him and would also hate His followers (John 15:18). He offered a peace that the cosmos cannot give (John 14:26). He told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this cosmos. (John 18:36).
• Paul equated the forces of the cosmos with the forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). He knew that the god of this cosmos blinds unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4) and that the real God considers the wisdom of this cosmos as foolishness (1 Corinthians 3:19). Paul advised against holding cosmos-based desires (Titus 2:12) and reminded us that the things of this cosmos are passing away (1 Corinthians 7:31).
• The apostle Peter warned against the defilements of the cosmos (2 Peter 2:20).
• The apostle James defined true religion as remaining unstained by the cosmos (James 1:27). He warned that friendship with the cosmos is hostility toward God (4:4).
• The apostle John cautioned against loving the cosmos and its’ things (1 John 2:15). After all, the cosmos lies in the power of the evil one (5:19).

In context, many of the passages above do not actually convey confusion about our relationship with the world. Perhaps I bring my own confusion to the table. Still, it is easy for sincere Bible readers to wonder whether we are supposed to love the world or not. The answer is both yes and no.

Here’s what I wish Miley Cyrus knew: As dangerous and corrupt as the cosmos is, God sent His beloved Son to save it! We can never understand the extent of God’s gracious love until we see how evil the cosmos is—the cosmos that Jesus came to save.

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Photo Credits

Cosmopolitan

Hands holding Earth

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., from his “I Have a Dream” speech, August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

I share this dream. Bigotry disgusts me. Bullying is for cowards. Human beings should be treated as equal in worth and dignity, regardless of their skin color, gender or class. Racists, on the other hand, focus on surface characteristics to make judgments about people they don’t even know. America is not about unifying people around their common physical traits, party labels, ethnicities or pedigrees. We unify around common principles and convictions, like liberty, truth and justice.

Below is a video I want you to view before continuing. Please consider how it impacts you before reading my take on it.

Jane Elliot is a teacher and diversity trainer. She is also a bully, paid to abuse and intimidate. I realize her bullying was part of a role-playing “learning” activity. However, it remains unjustified because the “lesson” being taught was itself deceitful, destructive and nightmarish. Here’s why:

1. The teacher’s use of profanity evidenced her irrational hostility to dissenting points of view.
2. Her reference regarding a girl’s legs being spread apart to achieve an “openposture” was inexcusable. Then she said, “Bring it on, honey!” A man would be fired for such disrespect.
3. When a girl left the room after being verbally berated, the teacher immediately referred to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and Emmett Till’s hanging as pretexts for justifying her own abuse of the student. The teacher also presumed that her abuse was okay because the girl was not in “physical danger.”
4. It dehumanizes people of color to claim that they have no choice on how to respond to abuse. It was intellectually dishonest to expel a returning student involuntarily while claiming that the student made the choice.
5. The student who refused to apologize said, “I will not apologize because it’s not a matter of race always.” Her use of the word “always” made her spot on right. Yet, she was ejected and demeaned after she left.
6. The student who wanted to be seen as a “male” was being taught to sell himself short. He should rather want to be seen as a “man” and manhood has nothing to do with body parts, facial hair or voice pitch.
7. The teacher asked a black student if his color was important to him and he said it was “because that is who I am.” Actually, he is much more than that! It lowers everything that is best about human beings for them to fundamentally define themselves (or be defined by others) on the basis of inborn surface traits that have nothing to do with their character.

Today, Americans are being bullied into buying health coverage plans they don’t like and having the ones they do like canceled, by force. Christian bakers and photographers are being brutally bullied into betraying their faith as they are forced to offer their services to sanction homosexual marriages. The government attempted to bully Hobby Lobby into supporting abortions. E-Harmony was bullied into adding a homosexual dating branch to their business. Bullying is big time business today and while unscrupulous lawyers lead the way, many politicians and teachers foment it as well.

The video featured above infuriated me. It promotes state-sponsored racism and turns King’s dream into a social nightmare! The teacher exploited the youth and inexperience of students to manipulate them into a more divisive race-based mentality. She did this through cruelty, disrespect, profanity and crassness. She undermines the good that needs to be done to unify people rather than isolate them on the basis of surface qualities that should have little to do with how we treat each other. She breeds bitterness for a living. Please, do not let yourself be intimidated by racialists like this teacher. Rather work for unity, kindness, grace and respect for all regardless of race.

Pontius Pilate was a politician. He was the Roman governor of Judea and like many first century Romans, he was a pragmatist. His job was to keep the peace and he had five infantry cohorts and a cavalry regiment under his command (5,000 men) to maintain order.

The Jewish rulers who convicted Jesus of blasphemy needed Pilate’s authority to get a death sentence. And they were willing to disturb the peace. The accusations the chief priests, temple officers, scribes and elders brought to Pilate against Jesus were largely political. In Pilate’s court, Jesus was tried as a tax rebel and a pseudo king. Pilate never really grasped Jesus’ admission that he was indeed a King, but he did get that Jesus was innocent. Even his wife saw Jesus as a “righteous man.” So, “innocent” was Pilate’s initial decision rendered for Jesus.

Then, Pilate’s pathetic pragmatism kicked in. Jesus’ accusers found the crowds to be easy to manipulate. Pilate learned that once their anger was stirred, they were not easily appeased. He offered the people a choice between releasing Jesus or a notorious prisoner (a robber and murderer) named Barabbas. We all know who they chose, but we seldom reflect on the fact that Pilate made such a cynical offer in the first place. He governed with no apparent concern for justice. He just wanted to appease those with the loudest mouths and to manipulate a convenient political outcome. When he asked the people what evil Jesus had done, Pilate just let their loud shouts carry the day. Persistent passion smothered all concern for justice. He caved. Then he washed his hands, proving that unbelievers can also be ridiculously legalistic and superficial when it comes to self-justification.

During Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus, the defendant said he was born to testify to the truth (John 18:37). Jesus was not speaking the language of pragmatism so Pilate was clueless. He asked, “What is truth?” (vs. 38) but took no interest in a reply. He went out to declare Jesus’ innocence to his angry accusers.

Are you shocked that a politician who cared little for justice would care even less for truth?

As Pilate deliberated, the demands for Jesus to be crucified heated up. Pilate’s strategy to just have Jesus flogged went nowhere. They told Pilate, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” (John 19:7). Then Pilate became “even more afraid.” He returned to Jesus seeking a last resort excuse to release him. Then Jesus’ accusers made the ultimate threat: “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” (John 19:12). They used political pretext to get their way. They had religious titles but were pragmatic politicians to their core.

Pilate’s final sentence was that a man he knew to be innocent should die. His verdict was purely to placate the Sanhedrin and the crowds. Consequences mattered to Pilate, not truth. He feared conflict. Others suffered for his moral cowardice. His soldiers scourged Jesus and ridiculed him mercilessly with mock reverence, face-slaps and public expectoration. Pilate had clean hands but a corrupt heart. He was weak before Jesus’ accusers throughout the trial but with Jesus dying on the cross, he suddenly held firm when the Jewish rulers asked him to take down Pilate’s note saying, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Whether capitulating or holding firm, Pilate’s focus remained on emotional reaction and pragmatic politics. He ignored principle.

A 4th century bishop named Eusebius records that Pilate eventually committed suicide after an investigation in Rome led to his condemnation for his part in a massacre of innocents. His pragmatism failed him in the end.

Today, when you see a politician distort truth and justice to get elected, that’s Pilate. If lies are needed to get a bill passed, politicians like Pilate will lie. What is “truth” anyway? Judges who play activist politics on the bench rather seek justice are Pilate incarnate. A Pilate could stand up tall for traditional marriage in a campaign and decimate it when in power if political rewards are forthcoming. They can flip on a dime to please people or avoid conflict. I could see Pilate blaming everyone but himself when difficulties rise and claiming top credit for positive developments. If others are hurt, that’s politics. Pilate would thrive today.