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  • Learning from September 11, 2001

    by Henry Neufeld, Publisher of Energion Publications

    Henry Neufeld
    There are things we must not forget.
    Why is that? Because we need to learn and apply certain lessons. There are changes we make in who we are and how we behave because of those events. Historical events, or more precisely our perception of them, shape us as families, groups, nations, and yes, churches.
    Americans remember the Revolutionary War, the framing of our constitution, the Civil War, December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor), the Vietnam War, and now 9/11. Those events (or periods of time) shaped us. What we were taught about them shaped us, and our perception of them shapes us. Our perception also helps to shape the next generation.
    The first Gulf War shaped my life in a major way. I didn’t slog through the sand as soldiers and marines do. I was in the U. S. Air Force, and I did my job in the back of an airplane. My experience in the service, and in various conflicts also shape me. I hear the news differently. Occasionally my wife and I will see a news story and I’ll comment that in the old days, I would have gone and packed my bag, waiting for the inevitable phone call that would tell me I was deploying.
    I want to emphasize that I don’t regard my time in the Air Force as some sort of hardship or trial. I enjoyed what I did. I had the opportunity to avoid that first gulf war. I had just returned from deployment, and was asked whether I’d like to volunteer. Most people didn’t have that choice!
    My perspective on 9/11 and following events grows out of those experiences. As an American, that is.
    But I have a different set of formative experiences as well. Those experiences center around a man dying on a cross outside Jerusalem about 33 CE. I understand that event not only through my own experiences (none of us can avoid our own experience!), but also through other stories of the faith: the creation, the exodus from Egypt, Israel’s exile and return, shaped by and shaping so much of the message of the prophets, and the Maccabean Revolt. (It is unfortunate, in my view, that the books of Maccabees are not part of the protestant canon.)
    Those events form my view of what happens as a Christian, or even better as a follower of Jesus Christ. That latter distinction is important. I can see the cross as the horrible moment when the Romans, aided and encouraged by Jewish collaborators, killed Jesus. That hateful and fearful view has shaped the behavior of many who have called themselves Christians. They have, in turn hated and feared Jews. The result of that hatred was killing and the building of further hatred.
    It is important to note that our perception of an event sets the way we are formed by it. In the gospel According to John Jesus tells us that we are to love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34). That sets a perspective on the cross. We are to be shaped by it as an act of love, performed on our behalf by Jesus, and thus be set on a path of love for others. And not just any sort of love, but love that makes us willing to sacrifice our very lives.
    It was that sort of love that said, “Father forgive them,” regarding people who were in the process of crucifying the One who spoke.
    How we remember the event impacts how we act because of it.
    This is illustrated in the Passover Seder where actions are taken to remember with sadness what happened to the Egyptians. (See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-daniel-brenner/does-passover-celebrate-the-death-of-innocent-egyptians_b_2821971.html as an example.)
    I think the intersection of these two sets of formative stories, the “myths” (in the most positive sense of that word) of our country and our faith community, illustrate a number of things. Most importantly, they show us that the two foundations are not identical. As an American I am drawn to restoration of power, to the accomplishment of justice (I hope) through means of power, and yes, even to revenge. As a Christian, shaped by the story of One who died on the cross, I am called to be different.
    I wrote about the word “revenge” back in 2003 just before we invaded Iraq a second time, in the second gulf war. I titled my piece Revenge! Some have objected that their support of the war in Iraq was not based on revenge. But any time you talk about how a group of people, especially one as large as a nation, comes to a decision there are many factors.
    I know that there was an element of revenge. Why? Because there was an element of revenge for me. It took me some time in thinking of the war to get past it. At the end of the first gulf war many of us had that feeling that we really hadn’t accomplished the mission because Saddam Hussein was still there and still being obnoxious and dangerous (perhaps) as ever. The thought of seeing Saddam Hussein removed was a joyful one to me.
    Until I asked this question: How are things going to be better when we’re done?
    As I re-read my piece from 2003 and saw my suggestion of a power vacuum opening up to more problems with Iran, I thought about our current news. Are we better off now because Iraq was invaded in 2003?
    But then there is a second question that comes from that second set of formative stories: Are they better off because we invaded in 2003?
    This discussion should not be seen as one about our veterans. In a democracy we need a military that obeys civilian authority. There are many ways in which civilian authority can misuse the military, but I believe those are as nothing compared to the way in which a military not under civilian control might abuse its own power. The young men and women who carry out our political will should always be honored, however we feel about the orders they are given. In fact, one of the greatest moral failures of our country, in my opinion, is that we expect this service and then fail these people as veterans. Complete care for those injured or killed in a war should be considered a basic part of the cost of that war by any nation that wants to claim moral high ground.
    Yet that second set of stories tells me that I need to be caring about every Iraqi killed, and now about those killed in the current wars there, wars which resulted in part from our changing the political and military calculus of an entire region, a region few of us understand.
    I cannot tie all the loose ends in a blog post, but even more importantly, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to do so.
    What I’d like you to do is ask yourself about these defining events (and many more; your list may be different), and how they have shaped you. The two lists conflict and overlap. I would suggest that one shaped by both may need to resolve conflicts. It is hard to both love one’s enemies and also bomb them into oblivion. It is also hard not to respond with force when innocent people are slaughtered.
    While I believe that our ultimate allegiance belongs to God and his kingdom, I do believe that allegiance calls us to take positive action in this world and at this time. At the same time, my allegiance to God’s kingdom means that the way I respond will be controlled not by anger, fear, hate, or the desire for revenge, but rather by the desire to make life better for others.
    God’s love is not diminished because a person lives in another country, belongs to another faith community, or even because that person is a terrorist.
    What about mine?

  • The homeless epidemic: real or journalistic sensationalism?

    by Renee Crosby

    CoverIs homelessness in our country really an epidemic, or is the media just making a big stink out of it for journalistic sensationalism?
    You tell me. What are your thoughts? Here is something for you to think about:  In America based on an average classroom size of 30, in every state, in every city, in every town, in every school, in every classroom, there is one homeless student. (http://new.homelesschildreneamerica.org/mediadocs/275.pdf)
    Well if that is not enough for us to classify homelessness as an epidemic in our country—then I don’t know what is. Let’s get a visual, shall we?
    Yankee Stadium“For baseball games, Yankee Stadium seats 50,287. If all the homeless people who now live in New York City used the stadium for a gathering, several thousand of them would have to stand.”- source http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/10/28/hidden-city
    Realistically, nothing I can say or show you can convict your heart to ponder the homeless in our country. You probably already believe we have a problem or you don’t. So, I will cut to the chase. What are we to do? What do you think we should do? How can we help? Who should be helping? Is this a government evaluation of social programs and their effectiveness? Is it a charity issue of taking from the haves and giving to the have nots? Is this about not giving a man a fish, but teaching him how to fish?
    Well, all I can say is that if you don’t know much about the homeless and the life of a homeless person, maybe it’s time to take a peek into their world to try to figure out what if anything can be done.
    In my book The Fringe- A Secret Society, one homeless woman comes to break the silence and mystery of their world. She shares true stories of those she met living as a homeless woman on the run from an abuser. In the end, as she learns about their plight, she hopes to build a bridge between the ignorance of society to their private world with compassion and awareness for who they are.

     

  • What do the homeless want from us?

    by Renee Crosby

    CoverAre you getting a visual of a panhandler on a street corner with a cardboard sign inscribed with something close to “anything helps?” Have you ever thought to wonder what they really want? Most of us, me included, assume they want us to open the window and hand them a few bucks. Which most of us won’t do, because we assume they will just use it to go buy another “bottle.” In the city I used to live in, one mayor even put up signs on the corner where panhandlers often worked that said, “Don’t give to panhandlers, it only feeds their addiction.”
    OK, I get that. But can we move beyond that image? Let’s just take money off the plate. What else could that sign mean? What could possibly help? What do they want from us?
    In my book The Fringe—A Secret Society, one of the true stories shared is about a homeless man named Ralph. As a do-gooder, a woman engages in conversation to learn this man’s name—Ralph, and then he asks for help. He asks for her to run to the grocery and get a few items for him. The list did not include alcohol by the way.
    But, she had grandiose ideas for Ralph. She wanted to shower him with a listening ear and share a meal with him at the restaurant that was right next door to where they were. She was sure he was probably lonely and would enjoy some company and some conversation, and some good grub!
    Only Ralph refuses, stating that if he ate that good food, then when his next meal that came out of a can was eaten he would be real disappointed. It would only remind him of what he couldn’t have on a regular basis.
    So what did Ralph want? Perhaps he only wanted food. He only wanted some basic needs met. But perhaps it was more. Perhaps he wanted someone to just ask and say his name. Perhaps someone saying his name validated his basic human need for acknowledging his existence. It’s what I describe in my book as intentional dignity giving (IDG).
    Homeless people are not invisible, so quit acting like they are. You can give them dignity by asking their name, and saying hello. You can just roll down your window and say, hey man. What’s your name? Then say, well, “John” I want to wish you well today.
    In answer to the question, what do the homeless want from us, many just want a friendly hello, or a smile. Don’t just fixate your eyes forward hoping to avoid eye contact with them. By George, acknowledge them. Uncomfortable—maybe?
    But power through. If you feel like a dork, just open your window to “chat.” Then get beyond it and give it a purpose. Hi, what’s your name? Hi, “John.” I don’t have any extra money today, but I have a bottle of water. Or, I have a new toothbrush and toothpaste. Or, I have a book here I finished reading if you want it. You get the picture?
    Does this take the heat off you? Can you maybe now look them in the eye and say hi? The homeless want you to acknowledge them and maybe even give them a bit of dignity by not judging them and ignoring them.

     

  • I believe we cannot end homelessness in our country, do you?

    by Renee Crosby

    CoverI believe we cannot end homelessness in our country, do you? I mean after all, Jesus said, “you will always have the poor among you.” [John 12:8] Is it time for us to just reconcile that it is a cause without end? Let’s face it people, it’s a daunting, worldly, far reaching problem that will never stop! There I said it.
    So how do we approach the problem of homelessness in our country? First, let’s stop naming programs that guarantee failure and lead to mass disappointment to end these problems to the point where we throw in the towel.
    Here are a few examples of what I am talking about:

    • Seattle, WA: Names Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness
    • June 2010, Obama administration: set a goal of ending homelessness among veterans by 2015.
    • Nashville, TN: In 2013 the city launched How’s Nashville, a concerted effort to end chronic homelessness by the end of the decade.
    • Denver, CO: Denver’s Road Home Program, 10 year plan to end homelessness
    • Chicago, IL: Chicago’s Plan 2.0, is a broad ranging 7 year action plan.
    • Portland, OR: in 2004 pledged to end homelessness by 2014.

    Are we all so delusional to think that we can really end homelessness- and why is the magic number seem often be 10 years? Let’s scrap it and start over! Our first concern is one I have pointed out in my book, The Fringe. Who the government labels as homeless—are they really homeless? Well, interestingly enough, the definition used by the government, of those meeting those guidelines—the majority of them do not believe they are homeless. What’s up with that?
    Are we throwing money and time into a problem that doesn’t really exist? Ha! No, the problem of homelessness really does exist. But here is how I see as a reclassification of the term homeless.
    Our social structure and government programs have long held onto the theory that there is the upper class, the middle class and the lower class. There needs to be a dramatic shift in the social paradigm of our country.
    Here is what I state in my book, “perhaps it is time for the Urban Dictionary to add a new term for our times, Permanently Adaptive Temporally Housed. I proclaim PATH people, a brave people blazing a new trail, a new path in society.” (page 77) These people, mostly families, are without a permanent residence. By government definition, they are homeless. They are the majority that do not believe they themselves are homeless. They have “shelter,” albeit doubled or tripled up in homes or living from one motel to another. These are PATH people. They have a very different level of socio-economic needs that cannot be addressed until the government quits calling them homeless and lumping them into the same category of homeless.
    Then and only then can we develop social programs to help elevate their quality of life while at the same time focus homeless funding on the “real” homeless. I believe for all intents and purposes the term homeless should only include those that have no shelter. They have a completely different set of life complications that need to be addressed as compared to those that are PATH people. We are wasting government funding by throwing money at these two groups as if they are the same. They are not! If you don’t fully understand either of these life styles, please read my book, The Fringe, A Secret Society. It gives a very realistic and true picture based on true stories of homeless people and what their lives are really like.
    I truly believe that once we establish two separate groups from the one group of government labeled “homeless” can we then really come to end homelessness. But the way it stands now, I have my serious doubts.
    How about you? What do you feel about our social programs from Roosevelt on? Are they working? Do they work for everyone? Do you think the approach to these two different levels of low income should be clarified?

  • Law and Grace

    by H. Van Dyke Parunak

    CoverAbout the time that my book Except for Fornication (Energion, 2011) appeared, a gentleman with a troubled marital history visited our assembly. His wife had left him and married someone else. Then she left her new husband, and our friend joyfully announced one day that she wanted him to remarry her.
    If you’ve read my book, you’ll realize that the Lord’s prohibition of divorce and remarriage strongly affirms Moses’ instruction in Deut. 24:1-4. You’ll also understand that Moses is not presenting three laws in this passage, but just one: if a divorce takes place and if it is followed by remarriage, and if something happens to the second marriage, then the original couple is forbidden to remarry. Moses characterizes such remarriage as “abomination before the Lord.” I felt compelled to share this insight with our friend.
    His response was interesting. He didn’t challenge my analysis of Deuteronomy 24. He didn’t question my claim that the Lord’s teaching is based on that instruction, and reinforces it. His defense was, “I’m not under the law; I’m under grace.” What he meant is that the commands of Scripture are irrelevant to the daily life of a believer. He felt that the work of the Holy Spirit replaces the role of God’s written revelation, so that we are not bound by the old standards.
    Wow! I am certainly acquainted with the distinction that Paul draws between the letter (that is, the OT law) and the Spirit. I recognize the role of the Spirit in guiding the believer. But I’d never met somebody who was willing to jettison the authority of Scripture so directly. I should add that my friend would insist on the truth of the propositional content of the Bible. The point of disagreement was the third of Moses’ principles from Deut. 29:29, that God’s word is practical in the life of the believer today.
    Now, most of you would probably not agree with my friend’s bald rejection of God’s written commands. But one consequence of my analysis in the book is that the fornication “exception” isn’t really an exception. It doesn’t give Christians the excuse that many are seeking to get out of a painful relation. Faced with such a stringent instruction, some may be tempted to fall back on my friend’s logic in an attempt to evade our Lord’s plain teaching that marriage is permanent.
    I was so exercised by this discussion that I undertook a study on the role of the law in the Christian’s life. You can read it at http://www.cyber-chapel.org/LawAndTheChristianLife.pdf. I’ll summarize for you what I found.
    Recall from our discussion of intertextuality the Scriptural principle that new revelation is accepted only if it conforms to what has already been revealed. The Bible describes God’s righteous standard as everlasting:
    Ps. 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
    The standards of right and wrong have not changed over the years. Behavior that was abomination before God in the Old Testament is still abomination before him now. What has changed is how God conforms our lives to his standard. Under the old covenant, the constraint was external, the law of God enforced through a civil structure. Under the new covenant, those same righteous standards are embedded in our hearts by the work of the Spirit (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 36:25-27).
    But that process of embedding takes time. It begins with a new birth, which yields a person that Paul calls a “babe in Christ” (1 Cor 3:1-3). The life of such a person looks like that of an unsaved person: ye … walk as men (1 Cor 3:3). At the other extreme is the spiritual believer, whose life is beyond reproach (1 Cor 2:15). John refines these two extremes into three levels of maturity: little children, young men, and fathers (1 John 2:12-14).
    This process of growth is nourished by the Word of God (1 Pet. 2:2), which includes the OT law. As young believers, we have not learned to recognize the Spirit’s guiding voice, and need the explicit instruction of Scripture. So it’s no surprise that when Paul is exhorting immature believers, he frequently gives lists of commands that sound a lot like the Old Testament law (Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Eph. 5:3-5), and sometimes even quotes the law for support (Eph. 6:28-31; 6:1-3; 1 Cor. 9:8-11). As we mature, the Spirit’s voice becomes clearer, and we know what is right and wrong without needing to cite chapter and verse. But the standard itself hasn’t changed, and God’s Spirit will never disagree with God’s Word. In fact, we are to test the spiritual voices we hear by their agreement with written revelation (1 John 4:1-3).
    We dare not discard the law of God. Romans 7, which describes a carnal believer (v. 14), shows that we should delight in the law of God (v. 22), even though we are frustrated with how far our lives differ from it (v. 24). The solution is not to discard the law, but (as Romans 8 goes on to show) to learn to recognize and follow the voice of the Holy Spirit, “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (8:4).

    To order Except for Fornication, click here:
    https://energiondirect.info/biblical-studies/except-for-fornication

     
     

  • The Authority of Scripture

    by H. Van Dyke Parunak

    CoverReaders of Except for Fornication (Energion, 2011) will recognize that I hold a very high view of Scripture. In my own pilgrimage, I find Deut. 29:29 a useful guide to the implications of such a view, and it shaped the exposition in the book.
    “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
    Let me share these implications with you.
    The first insight is that there are secret things that are in principle inaccessible to us. When I graduated from Dallas Seminary, and then added a Ph.D. from Harvard in preparation (I thought) for a teaching career, I believed that if I knew Hebrew and Greek (and Ugaritic, and Akkadian, and Syriac, and …) well enough, and were expert enough in the cultures of the ancient world, I could resolve any question about the Bible. This attitude has a parallel in the physical world. The eighteenth century French scientist Pierre-Simon Laplace thought that someone who knew the position and velocity of every particle in the universe at a point in time could reconstruct the entire history of the universe, past and future. This view of a clockwork universe fell into disrepute in the last century, with two developments. The first, quantum mechanics, claims that one can only predict the universe probabilistically. The second is more severe. The growing understanding of chaotic regimes in nonlinear systems led to the realization that for some systems (including most realistic ones), we can’t even make probabilistic forecasts very far into the system. It appears to be part of the nature of the universe that there are secret things that are inaccessible to human reason.
    Moses would not be surprised. He told us 3400 years ago that God has secret things. Moses’ concern is less with the equations of physics and more with God’s revelation of himself. Revelation is, he asserts, partial. The best exegetical tools in the world do not entitle us to claim an answer for any question we choose to ask. God has reserved some answers for himself. Often these reserved answers include those to the question “Why?” that we, like petulant children, like to throw back against God’s commands. Our parents sometimes refused to answer anything more than “Because I said so.” Similarly, God sometimes does not explain his moral imperatives such as his prohibition of divorce and remarriage. As I worked through what the Bible commands about divorce, often I would ask, “Why must it be this way?” I would love to be able to give my readers a complete account of God’s reasons for his commands, but I can’t always find them. Moses’ first principle suggests that they may simply not be part of what he has chosen to reveal.
    The second insight is that what God has revealed is just that, a revelation. One ought not to need years of study of arcane lore to discern the mind of God. The more I read the Bible, the more I realize that the most important Bible study tool is a deep and broad knowledge of the rest of Scripture. The value of intertextuality, highlighted in my previous blog, reflects this principle. The solution to the fornication puzzle in Matthew doesn’t rely on lots of linguistic details. Even the dual meaning of απολυω, which turns out to be the crux of the puzzle, doesn’t require in-depth knowledge of other Greek literature, but can be demonstrated within the biblical text itself (though I do give other examples for those who may be skeptical). I think it’s fair to expect God’s people to learn to read the Scriptures in the languages in which he gave them, and I have known people who have acquired such capability without the benefit of seminary. So I don’t apologize for pointing out how a particular Greek word is used elsewhere in the NT or in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). But God has given his word to tell us something, not to play games with us. We can expect it to be plain, once we see the answer. I’ve tried to make my understanding of the fornication clause clear in the book. You will have to judge whether I’ve done justice to the principle that God’s revelation is plain.
    The third insight is that God’s revelation is practical, “that we may do all the words of this law.” The Lord has really had to deal with me on this principle. The student in me loves to figure out the propositional content of Scripture. The flesh in me struggles against God’s expectation that having understood it, I will do it. There is a solution to this dilemma. Paul outlines it in Romans 7-8, and I will discuss it in my next posting. Our Lord cares at least as much about our orthopraxy as he does our orthodoxy. We can confess every element of the creed, but if we don’t obey the Lord, he will not be happy with us. My greatest burden in writing Except for Fornication is not to establish a theoretical understanding of the text, but to help saints who are wrestling with the pain of marital strife to reach a decision that will honor the Lord.
    God’s revelation is partial, but it is plain, and it is practical. That perspective is humbling to those who have devoted years of study to abstruse knowledge and abstract theology, but it ought to be a great encouragement to ordinary believers.

    To order Except for Fornication, click here:
    https://energiondirect.info/biblical-studies/except-for-fornication

     

  • Comparing Spiritual Things with Spiritual

    by H. Van Dyke Parunak

    CoverIn studying the fornication clause in our Lord’s teaching on divorce and remarriage (Except for Fornication, Energion, 2011), I was impressed with how much later portions of the Bible assume the reader’s familiarity with earlier portions. (A scholar would call this phenomenon “intertextuality.”) In my book, the central insight is the dependence of our Lord’s words on Deuteronomy 22 and 24, along with his deliberate avoidance of the Old Testament vocabulary for divorce. Instead, he uses a contemporary term that (again based on the Old Testament) has a double meaning that is central to his position. I hope that these insights enable readers to come to understand the true meaning of the fornication clause. More generally, I hope they inspire readers to look for such linkages on other topics elsewhere in the Bible as well.
    The longer I study the Bible, the more I am impressed with how often such references to earlier revelation occur. We ought not to be surprised at such references. Throughout biblical history, the people of God are challenged to evaluate new ideas by comparing them with earlier revelation. In Deut 13:12-17, Moses warns the nation not to tolerate the introduction of “other gods, whom you have not known” (v. 13). The Lord succinctly states the principle in Isaiah 8:19-20:
    And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
    God’s people are to reject any new revelation that does not conform to previous revelation. Our Lord makes the same point when he says,  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. [Matt. 5:17-18]

    So it is entirely natural that a New Testament teacher would draw heavily from Old Testament passages in expressing his meaning. It is a way of assuring his hearers that he is not departing from the received truth, but rather building upon it.
    This linkage of new writings to older ones happens within each testament, as well as between them. In the OT, Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving in 1 Samuel 2 draws heavily on the patriarchal narratives in Genesis. The prophets are full of allusions to Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Proverbs, and Jeremiah and Ezekiel refer constantly to Isaiah. Within the NT, the book of Acts clearly reflects the teaching of the synoptic gospels, Paul regularly refers to the earthly teaching of the Lord Jesus, and the general epistles draw heavily on the Sermon on the Mount.
    Of course, applying this method requires that the Bible student take a position with regard to the dates of the various biblical books. Modern “scholarship” often claims to reverse the dates that the biblical authors claim for their own works. Perhaps that’s why many commentators overlook these references between different parts of the Bible. For example, I believe that Moses wrote Deut. 18:20-22 in the second millennium B.C., so to me that passage sheds a great deal of light on the imprisonment of Micaiah in 2 Kings 22 (ninth century B.C.). However, many modern scholars think that Deuteronomy is a product of Josiah’s reform in the late seventh century B.C., long after the time of Micaiah, so they would never make this connection. My own commitment to the accuracy of Scripture leads me to accept the text’s own claims for its dating, and my personal experience is that the resulting sequence yields rich insights in later passages. Try taking this approach, and see what you find.

    To order Except for Fornication, click here:
    https://energiondirect.info/biblical-studies/except-for-fornication

  • Why don’t Christians have peace in this world?

    by Chris Surber

    RenderingIn John 14:27 Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (ESV) The promise of peace is common in the Bible but it is rare in the lives of Christians. In fact, I’d say the opposite is true. We not only don’t have peace in our lives, but there is a veritable epidemic of anxiety among Christians.
    Why don’t Christians have peace in this world?
    Interestingly, and I’m speaking almost entirely from personal experience, persecuted Christians have a greater sense of peace than Christians in the west. From conversations with friends of mine who work with persecuted churches around the world, those Christians have a depth of presence of God that we seldom see among American Christians.
    Very poor Christians in Haiti, where I minister and have many Christian friends, tend to have a kind of depth of faith in God I seldom see in America. As a Pastor I can attest to the frequency of counsel I provide for followers of Jesus who follow Him while wringing their hands, clenching their teeth, and pausing occasionally to take their anxiety and blood pressure medications. Something is very wrong.
    I’m convinced that at least a part of the problem, and maybe even its foundation, is the reality that a significant part of our hearts’ affection has been stolen by Caesar. We have forfeited peace for political influence. We have traded a contended heart for angst over the next election. The world asked for the Church’s hand in marriage and we said, “Sure, as long as you’ll give me a place at the table of political influence.”
    In my book, Rendering Unto Caesar, I wrote, “We decry society for taking Christ out of Christmas but we have removed Him from Christian discipleship. We condemn the immorality common in the world instead of living holy lives as a people apart from the world. We are filled with anxiety because we are filled every kind of care of this world. Caesar has taken something that is not his – our affections – and consequently, we are filled with anxiety.” (Page 36)
    Today’s Conservative Christian spends more time in the voting booth than in the prayer closet. We lack peace because we are filled with concern over the world’s problems rather than the presence of the only one who solves problems.
    John Wesley said it this way, “My soul, thou canst not be fully comforted, nor have perfect delight but in God, the comforter of the poor, and the helper of the humble. Wait a while, O my soul, wait the Divine promise, and thou shalt have abundance of all good things. Use temporal things, desire eternal.” (John Wesley, The Christian’s Pattern (Salem, OHIO: Schmul Publishers, 1975), 67.)
    We will never have peace so long as we wrestle in this world with problems that will never cease, instead of resting in the One who has already given us eternal answers to our eternal problems.

     

  • Should Christians get involved in politics?

    by Chris Surber

    RenderingPolitical elections in Haiti are always difficult. My family and I are living and doing ministry in Haiti this year. From demonstrations to riots, corruption and coercion, what we witnessed this year, first hand, makes me wonder if political involvement ought to be even an option for a Christian. On the other hand, I wonder if there is any hope for politics to become a benevolent force in Haiti without Christians becoming very actively engaged.
    Should Christians get involved in politics?
    By involvement, I’m begging a discussion on a spectrum of possible levels of involvement. Should Christians even vote? When they do they are taking part in what is very often a farce, an illusion of Democracy. Further, who says that anything about Democracy is inherently godly or even beneficial in any way to the Gospel message? Democracy has its roots in Greek philosophy more than the Bible, doesn’t it?
    What about running for office? Christians often get involved in politics in an effort to shine a light into a dark arena of society only to find politics putting a lampshade over their light. I’m convinced that any Christian that gets involved in politics on any level is in serious danger of losing themselves to the allure of power and prowess that is inherent to the political process.
    In my book Rendering Unto Caesar, I wrote, “Every Christian who makes it their burden to cling to political leaders, and to press political ideologies as though they have the power to bring more hope into the world, will only find themselves filled with more anxiety and less peace. The hope of Christ can only be found in distinctly Christian gatherings of transformed sinners. That hope can never be pressed into or pushed upon the kingdoms of the world, no matter how hard or sincerely we press.” (Page 35)
    Living a year in Haiti has made me both much more appreciative of the freedoms and democracy we enjoy in America and less inclined to trust in it. I love being an American, but even the best kingdom of this world can never be fully just. I’m convinced that while we should influence as we are able, vote for the candidates that most closely reflect godly principles for society, followers of Jesus must follow Jesus on a parallel path to politics, not in step with politics.
    Apart from a distinct call from God through the leading of the Holy Spirit into a political arena, I’m convinced that followers of Christ will walk closer to God the further from the political process that they walk. I’ve never walked through mud without getting muddy, and no matter how much pure water your pour on mud it will still be dirty. Better to purify the world one repentant sinner at a time than to pour pure living water into the mire of modern politics.
    If you walk to the political road as a Christian you better walk it very carefully, or rather than shinning a light, you’ll have your light covered.

     

  • Can the Kingdom ever come through our engagement in politics?

    by Chris Surber

    RenderingWhat is the central mission of the individual Christian? What is the central mission of the Church? How can any person be effective at any thing if they fail to identify with clarity their central mission? A lot of believers today are living as though their central mission was to purify society – to somehow inaugurate the Kingdom through our effort in this world. But it is it?
    Can the Kingdom ever come through our engagement in politics?
    In Romans 8:19-23 the Apostle Paul writes,
    For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (ESV)
    I hate to be a pessimist, but the simple answer is no. The Scripture makes it pretty clear in this passage that the world is an agony because of the curse of sin and even though we have the Holy Spirit in us, we are in agony in this groaning world, too. What is inside of us is a foretaste of future glory that will only be inaugurated when Christ returns.
    I remember when I was in the ninth grade and on the journey of faith. A discussion arose in my social studies class about making the world a better place. In typical adolescent fashion, most of the class droned on with idealistic, inexperienced, enthusiastic rabble. I added my thoughts saying that the world is corrupt. The world is full of corrupt people. The world will always be corrupt until Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom in fullness and recreate this world.
    I can remember the teacher’s words perfectly. “I’ve never met anyone as articulately cynical as you and you’re only fourteen.” My response? (After I asked him the definition of cynical…) “I’m not cynical. I’m hopeful about Christ’s return and realistic about what I’ve seen in the world.” There is no hope in politics. I’m not saying that Christians can’t make efforts to influence the political process. I’m saying that it cannot be a central or even a closely guarded interest of the Church or of individual Christians.
    Pray for your nation, vote, even run for an office, but be very careful about guarding your heart that it is not corrupted by a false hope in a fading world.
    In my book, Rendering Unto Caesar, I wrote, “Battle axes don’t belong on harvest fields. Sadly, many Christians today approach the spiritual battles that wage all around us in our land and in the world from a purely worldly vantage point. As a result, we are losing the wars.” The Kingdom of God is today a spiritual Kingdom whose primary influence is through spiritual battles, evangelism, and Christ-like witness in the world. (Acts 1:8, Ephesians 6:10-20, I Peter 2:12)
    The Kingdom will come in fullness when Christ comes in flesh. Guard your hearts from the corrupting influence of evil men concerned more with worldly kingdoms than godly influence.

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