Thursday, May 29, 2008

Where we're going we don't need roads.

In the past, I've wondered what it would be like to live in different time periods. One that has always had particular appeal has been the 1950s.

Some notables:
  • 1950s Corvettes
  • Brown vs. The Board of Education (1954)
  • Rosa Parks
  • Marilyn Monroe
  • Elvis
  • Ben-Hur
  • "Leave It to Beaver"
  • "I Love Lucy"
  • "The Honeymooners"
  • Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy
  • Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia books
  • President Eisenhower
  • The Cold War
  • Before the world was tainted by the shenanigans of the 1960s.

I really think I would have enjoyed living in the 1950s. It's nice to receive some confirmation from this quiz.


You Belong in 1956



You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public, alright?

Of course, knowing is half the battle. But, after all these years, I still don't know what makes up the other half.

Anybody know?

My cogitations:

  • Winning? (but 50% seems too small, since "winning is everything")
  • How you play the game?
  • Love ... is a battlefield?
  • Belongs to the Lord?
  • Doing?
  • Being?
  • Chuck Norris on your 911 speed dial?

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Why do you need a hairbrush? You don’t have any hair!

I recently read a piece by Al Mohler (HT Chris Brauns) dealing with the issues of technological distractions and student learning, evidenced by college lectures being in competition with various other things students can do on their computers and/or phones.

(See also the professor who shuts down class if he sees someone texting.)

There were more than a few interesting issues raised, but one particularly stuck with me.

Josh Waitzken went back to his alma mater and sat in on Professor Dalton's lecture ("Mahatma Gandhi's mass civil-disobedience campaign following the Amritsar massacre") and was in disbelief regarding the students' activities.
"A few solely took notes, but many flipped back and forth between multiple windows: shopping on Amazon, cruising Facebook, checking out The New York Times Style section, reorganizing their social calendars, e-mailing, playing solitaire, doing homework for other classes, chatting on AIM, and buying tickets on Expedia."

Waitzken would later write an open letter to those students:
"I understand that your minds move quickly and we are all impacted by a fast paced culture, but do you realize the horror of shopping online while Dalton describes…mothers throwing their children into a well to avoid a barrage of bullets? What are you doing? There comes a day when we must become accountable for our own learning process…Take it on. This is your life. What is the point of neurotically skipping along the surface when all the beauty lies below? Please seize the moment and listen deeply to Dalton's final lectures. Close the computers. Stop typing madly and soak in the themes he develops…Learning is an act of creativity, not mind-numbing, tv watching passive receptivity." (emphasis mine)

I think Waitzken's understanding of why students go to college is flawed, which makes his advice misguided.

By way of caveat, I'm an educator and have been at many levels, having been a Sunday school teacher for elementary school students, youth, adults, and even senior adults. I have taught math and science for junior high students as well church history and preaching to seminary (graduate) students. Pretty much every Sunday morning I stand up and attempt to teach a wide range of people from God's Word, the Bible.

Through it all I have discovered the utilitarian nature of education. By that I mean that people learn for a reason. Education is a means to an end, not the end in an of itself.

Some study a subject because they enjoy the subject, so even their learning for the sake of learning is utilitarian.

Some study a subject to get a grade to get a diploma/degree to become more marketable to get a better job or whatever, to have a better car or house or spouse.

Some study to appear smarter or perform better while watching Jeopardy in the privacy of their own homes,

Why do you study a subject?

Whatever anyone's reason, I assert it's all still utilitarian.

I think the key is for each person to assess beforehand what function any course of learning will serve and approach it in that light.

In other words, I would expect a history major to approach the above mentioned lecture in a different manner than the football player who needs to check the box for that requirement. I would expect the electrical engineering student to approach that lecture in a different manner than the student from India planning on getting a PhD upon returning to the homeland.

So, while the behavior observed above may be disrespectful, rebuking the students because they're not fully devoted to the content is to misunderstand why they're there.

Why should the football player in his last semester before graduation who only needs a "D for diploma" necessarily fret beyond what is necessary to achieve his goals, since he has been drafted by the Cowboys and will still graduate?

I think Waitzken is being naive in presuming that his favorite class from his college days should be theirs, or at least important to them. I seriously doubt he approached all of his classes with equal zeal.

While teaching in the seminary and I first noticed students working on their laptops, I was tempted to be tender that they weren't affording the subject its proper respect.

To me the subject was important enough that I study it and teach it to others, because I long to see expository preachers preaching to change lives to the glory of God.

I think I can say that some of them are foolishly not taking (utilitarian) advantage of the course if they anticipate preaching regularly in their vocation, because that's a huge measure of their "success" and even from a "not so spiritual perspective," good preaching is a key to "climbing the ladder" in Christian ministry.

If they were spiritually minded, I would say that they need to remember the vital role expository preaching plays in the lives of the listeners as they are transformed by the renewing of their minds, etc.

Look, most professors thinks their course/subject is the most important. This is why professors of different departments can nearly go to blows over competition for required hours and funding.

To the students, I give the following advice: Don't believe the hype. Determine what your goals are and then assess where learning fits into your plan, or how learning fits into it.

If you need a "B" average in your major, then study harder for that than for your elective, though it may be more fun, assuming your goal is staying in your major, working in your field, etc.

What your goals should be is a discussion for another time, but you get the idea.

This is true of biblical and theological knowledge as well.

Why do you read the Bible? Why do you memorize Scripture? Why do you show up to work in the nursery at church? Is it to impress others? Is it to feel superior to others? Is it to obligate God or others?

I always teach and preach with the goal of changed lives to the glory of God, as I'm convinced that's our chief assignment, to glorify God.

I study for my own sanctification and for how my growth and knowledge might benefit others. I like to be well-rounded, but even my Bible learning is not for the sake of learning in and of itself, it's to ultimately glorify God, like a good utilitarian Christian.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

many leather-bound books

May Giveaway

Canadian Tim Challies (G'Day, mate!) likes to give away stuff and this may just be his best giveaway yet. I heartily encourage you to enter the contest.

Otherwise, we'll have to say, "Take off, you hoser."

$200 of free books from Monergismbooks.com?!

You can't beat that with a stick. With 200 bones, you could buy many leather-bound books, which would be particularly nice if your apartment smells of rich mahogany.

May Giveaway

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

Is fellowship just "being with" other believers? Or is it something much deeper and potentially much more frightening than that?

From John Loftness, "Chapter 2: Fellowship Rediscovered" in Why Small Groups? ... together for maturity, ed. C.J. Mahaney.
"What is fellowship as defined in the New Testament? Just this: participating together in the life and truth made possible by the Holy Spirit through our union with Christ. Fellowship is sharing something in common on the deepest possible level of human relationship--our experience of God himself." (p. 19)

The 8 Means of Fellowship:
  1. Worship together.
  2. Pray for one another, especially regarding the things that burden us and how God is at work in our lives.
  3. Utilize our spiritual gifts to help others grow in God.
  4. Carry one another's burdens.
  5. Share about our spiritual experiences.
  6. Confess our sins to one another.
  7. Correct one another when we see someone has failed to recognize and take responsibility for his sins.
  8. Serve one another in practical ways. (pp. 24-25)
"We must, however, beware of thinking that the mere act of doing of any of these things will automatically produce fellowship. Remember, these are 'means of fellowship.' They simply put you in a place where fellowship becomes possible, not certain. True fellowship is a work of the Spirit by grace. ... Still, failure to practice these means of fellowship denies us the opportunity to draw on fellowship as a means of grace." (p. 25; emphasis original)

(Download this chapter for FREE.)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Why don't you make like a tree and get out of here.

As we recently planted 6 more baby trees in our yard to balance the adults and the adolescents, I was thinking about trees.

I drove by our old house and looked at the trees we planted 8 years ago. I drove by our older old house and looked at the trees we planted 12 years ago.

Wow, like spirituality, you don't really notice growth on a day to day basis, but inspect again after a few years and you might be surprised.

I've got a little black book with my poems in ... here's one for your edification.

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

-Sgt. Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918),
KIA at the Second Battle of Marne

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Friday, May 16, 2008

What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn't personal to you.

I finished reading Johnny Got His Gun last night, by Dalton Trumbo.

It was originally written in 1938 and made into a movie in 1970. It's a cautionary tale about the reality/brutality of war and it's interesting to see how it's been received by different generations and during different wars.

I found the author's comments in the introduction interesting, for they exhibit a postmodern perspective, before postmodernism was "cool."

In 1959 he wrote that he contemplated making revisions and updates to the book.
"After all, the book is twenty years younger than I, and I have changed so much, and it hasnt'. Or has it?

Is it possible for anything to resist change, even a mere commodity that can be bought, buried, banned, damned, praised, or ignored for all the wrong reasons? Probably not. Johnny held a different meaning for three different wars. Its present meaning is what each reader conceives it to be, and each reader is gloriously different from every other reader, and each is also changing.

I've let it remain as it was to see what it is."
-Dalton Trumbo, Los Angeles, March 25, 1959
(emphasis mine)

For those of you not familiar with a postmodern understanding of the text and meaning, this is a nice indicator of such a mindset.

Authorial intent is irrelevant. Each text is given meaning by the reader, each time the text is read. Meaning is created at that point.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Last time I looked in the dictionary, my name's Ron Burgundy. What's your name?

Brent Thomas has posted about church names and it got me to thinking of church names to avoid.

I'm curious as to what you've seen as well. What are some weird or hokey or confusing church names?

I would avoid the following church names:
  • Freewill Baptist Church
  • Free Love Baptist Church (never actually seen this one)
  • Ebenezer Baptist Church
  • Buelah Land Baptist Church

I would also suggest avoiding the word "Temple" in the name.

Sometimes church names are just funny and/or ironic. Remember Calvin Freewill Baptist Church? (HT Matthew Bradley)

It seems to be popular to put "Community" in the name and I can understand putting locational aspects in the name, but I tend to think of these things from a pastoral perspective. For example, I think it's cool to have some Latin in the name, but I know I'm in the minority.

I'm curious as to what other pastors think about church names, but also what does the common (wo)man think about church names?
  • Is it important to have the denomination identified in the name?
  • Is "Fellowship" preferred to "Church"?
  • Are there benefits to changing a church's name? Like what?
  • How trendy is too much with names?
  • What's the best church name you've come across? the worst?
  • If you could rename your present church, what would it be?

(cf. The significance behind "Providence Church.")

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Would an ape make a human doll that talked?

What is a movie genre?

I enjoy comedies, but some of my favorite movies fall into a peculiar genre that I can easier describe than label.

I really enjoy movies where I find myself (typically at the end) saying, "Hmm. I didn't see that coming" or "Hey, that's an interesting thought" or "I'm gonna have to see that again to soak up the fullness of that."

The best of these can leave me wondering "What if?" for quite some time afterward. The films tend to have a message and are designed more for you to think that to merely be entertained, not that thinking isn't entertaining, mind you.

I've heard these films referred to as being "transcendent," but I would say they have a high slooge quotient, with all the accolades inherent therein.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, I share with you some of my favorite movies that I think have a high slooge quotient.
  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
  2. The Butterfly Effect (director's cut, not the sloogey version)
  3. City of Angels
  4. Crash
  5. The Dead Zone
  6. The Devil's Advocate
  7. Dreamscape
  8. The Family Man
  9. The Forgotten
  10. Flatliners
  11. Groundhog Day
  12. I, Robot
  13. It's a Wonderful Life
  14. The Matrix
  15. Minority Report
  16. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
  17. The Philadelphia Experiment
  18. Planet of the Apes
  19. Premonition
  20. The Prestige
  21. The Recruit
  22. Somewhere in Time
  23. Stranger than Fiction
  24. The Usual Suspects
  25. Vanilla Sky

N.B. These are not typically great "date movies," and my wife is often apathetic, underwhelmed, or whipped by movies with a high slooge quotient. Also, some of these movies are "one-timers," since knowing the ending can ruin the rising action the 2nd time through.

Any others in that "genre," perhaps that I've yet to see?

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Alright, give your mother a kiss, or I'll kick your teeth in.

Happy Mother's Day to those most experienced at sacrificing for others.

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont

A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after. ~Peter De Vries

The phrase "working mother" is redundant. ~Jane Sellman

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other, the whole world would kick the beam. ~Lord Langdale (Henry Bickersteth)

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buck

A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother. ~Author Unknown

Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. ~Ambrose Bierce

Women's Liberation is just a lot of foolishness. It's the men who are discriminated against. They can't bear children. And no one's likely to do anything about that. ~Golda Meir

The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men - from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his. ~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895

He is a poor son whose sonship does not make him desire to serve all men's mothers. ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime. ~William Shakespeare

An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. ~Spanish Proverb

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along. ~Margaret Culkin Banning

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? ~Milton Berle

Motherhood is priced
Of God, at price no man may dare
To lessen or misunderstand.
~Helen Hunt Jackson

Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own. ~Aristotle

Women are aristocrats, and it is always the mother who makes us feel that we belong to the better sort. ~John Lancaster Spalding

Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep

The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
~William Goldsmith Brown

What are Raphael's Madonnas but the shadow of a mother's love, fixed in permanent outline forever? ~Thomas Wentworth Higginson

The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests. ~Author Unknown

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty

[A] mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled. ~Emily Dickinson

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

Any mother could perform the jobs of several air traffic controllers with ease. ~Lisa Alther

A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. ~Victor Hugo

Now, as always, the most automated appliance in a household is the mother. ~Beverly Jones

That best academy, a mother's knee. ~James Russell Lowell

The only mothers it is safe to forget on Mother's Day are the good ones. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.
~George Cooper

A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. ~Honoré de Balzac

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all. ~Washington Irving

My mother is a poem
I'll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother.
~Sharon Doubiago

Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing. ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood. ~Isadora Duncan

One good mother is worth a hundred schoolmasters. ~George Herbert

Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. ~Erich Fromm

Who ran to help me when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My mother.
~Ann Taylor

Mother - that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries. ~T. DeWitt Talmage

The precursor of the mirror is the mother's face. ~D.W. Winnicott, Playing and Reality, 1971

A daughter is a mother's gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self. And mothers are their daughters' role model, their biological and emotional road map, the arbiter of all their relationships. ~Victoria Secunda

Mother's love grows by giving. ~Charles Lamb

I miss thee, my Mother! Thy image is still
The deepest impressed on my heart.
~Eliza Cook

The tie which links mother and child is of such pure and immaculate strength as to be never violated. ~Washington Irving

I cannot forget my mother. She is my bridge. When I needed to get across, she steadied herself long enough for me to run across safely. ~Renita Weems

A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "where mother is." ~Keith L. Brooks

Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends - but only one mother in the whole world. ~Kate Douglas Wiggin

If I was damned of body and soul,
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o' mine, O mother o'mine.
~Rudyard Kipling

Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother's love is not. ~James Joyce

My mother had a slender, small body, but a large heart - a heart so large that everybody's joys found welcome in it, and hospitable accommodation. ~Mark Twain

It's not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it. ~From the television show The Golden Girls

The mother's heart is the child's school-room. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Women know
The way to rear up children (to be just)
They know a simple, merry, tender knack
Of tying sashes, fitting baby shoes,
And stringing pretty words that make no sense,
And kissing full sense into empty words.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The desolation and terror of, for the first time, realizing that the mother can lose you, or you her, and your own abysmal loneliness and helplessness without her. ~Francis Thompson

Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother. ~Moorish Proverb

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. ~Abraham Lincoln

No painter's brush, nor poet's pen
In justice to her fame
Has ever reached half high enough
To write a mother's name.
~Author Unknown

Women who miscalculate are called mothers. ~Abigail Van Buren

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done. ~Author Unknown

One of the very few reasons I had any respect for my mother when I was thirteen was because she would reach into the sink with her bare hands - bare hands - and pick up that lethal gunk and drop it into the garbage. To top that, I saw her reach into the wet garbage bag and fish around in there looking for a lost teaspoon. Bare hands - a kind of mad courage. ~Robert Fulghum

One lamp - thy mother's love - amid the stars
Shall lift its pure flame changeless, and before
The throne of God, burn through eternity -
Holy - as it was lit and lent thee here.
~Nathaniel Parker Willis

No one in the world can take the place of your mother. Right or wrong, from her viewpoint you are always right. She may scold you for little things, but never for the big ones. ~Harry Truman

Life is the fruit she longs to hand you,
Ripe on a plate.
And while you live,
Relentlessly she understands you.
~Phyllis McGinley

All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown

Because I feel that in the heavens above
The angels, whispering one to another,
Can find among their burning tears of love,
None so devotional as that of "Mother,"
Therefore, by that dear name I have long called you,
You who are more than mother unto me.
~Edgar Allan Poe

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. ~Oprah Winfrey

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest. ~Irish Proverb

The Apostle Paul wrote: "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4) Is there any greater human example of this than a mother? ~Gunny Hartman

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Well now, I don't wanna get mad in a biblical place like this.

Today is the 60th birthday of the modern nation of Israel, which became a nation on May 8, 1948.

That one event, perhaps more than anything else, I contend led to the rise in popularity of the dispensational, pretribulational rapture view of the end times and Jesus' 2nd coming.

One of the things I find particularly interesting is the popular opinion in Christian circles that the US needs to be nice to this nation of Israel in order to benefit from the Abrahamic Covenant and to not be cursed by it.

You may recall God's promise to Abraham:
"I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
-Genesis 12:3, ESV

Thus, for many evangelicals their foreign policy has the priority that the US be nice to Israel.

But is this a valid application/understanding?

Is it not those who are of the faith (i.e., Jews and/or Gentiles) who are the true children of Abraham?
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
-Galatians 3:28-29, ESV

Did not Jesus tell the Jewish Pharisees that they were not children of Abraham, but children of the devil?
39They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41You are doing the works your father did." ... 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.
-John 8:39-41, 44, ESV

So, wouldn't it stand to reason that God's blessing is upon those who respond rightly to the children of Abraham, that is Christians?


Just a thought, but shouldn't there be greater concern for the future of the nation with regard to how it treats Christians than how it treats the nation of Israel?

Nonetheless, Happy Birthday, Israel. I mean you no ill will on your special day.

What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor. Real wrath of God type stuff!

The “Fear of the LORD” in the book of Proverbs

Introduction

A theme that seems to be emphasized often in the Bible in general, and in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament in particular, is the fear of the Lord. In Ecclesiastes 12:13, as a concluding statement of that book, the author writes, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” The purpose of this study is to understand what the concept of the fear of the Lord means theologically and then to examine the practical ramifications of this idea in daily life.

There has been much discussion and dissension over the significance of the fear of the Lord and there is a lack of consensus on what it means to fear God. This concept of the fear of the Lord is especially prevalent in the book of Proverbs, which will be the main source of our discussion on the topic. As it seems to be critical to the “whole duty of man,” it will be time well spent to investigate further what this entails.

Meaning of “the Fear of the Lord”

There seem to be two aspects of this fear. It entails a reverential awe and respect of God as well as a psychological fear of God. Some would like to drop that second aspect as it seems inconsistent with a god of love, but that seems unbiblical. When discussing whom to fear, whom not to fear, and why, Jesus gives these words: “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5). To deny this aspect of the fear of the Lord would be tragically close to worshiping another God, if it is not already.

First, although it should seem obvious, it is important to note that the fear of the Lord is not a fear that is God’s fear, but rather fear that humans manifest. They are to fear Him. Upon examination of the references to the fear of the Lord in the book of Proverbs it appears that the verses can be divided into three categories based on the message they portray about the fear one should have of God. The first category of usage seems to link the fear of the Lord with the possession of wisdom and/ or knowledge. The second category entails action and shows those that fear the Lord as abstaining from evil practices and living righteously before God. The third use of the concept of the fear of the Lord in Proverbs gives the benefits associated with fearing God. While all three seem to have a persuasive intent, to motivate one to fear God, this category is most overt in the reasons given for fearing God.

The first category of usage associates the fear of the Lord with having wisdom or knowledge. The first reference to the fear of the Lord in Proverbs is 1:7, which states that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” This verse deals with both wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is stated to be the beginning of knowledge. As knowledge and wisdom are so closely linked, it is no surprise to see Proverbs 9:10 note that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” We are also told that a wise man fears the Lord (14:16) and that the fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom (15:33).

The second category of usage deals with actions. Specifically, this aspect shows that those fearing the Lord will exhibit it through their lifestyles. We see that, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil” (8:13). Also, note that we should be able to spot someone who fears the Lord as his “walk is upright” (14:2). Through the fear of the Lord one avoids (16:6) and shuns evil (3:7 & 14:16). One that is zealous for the fear of the Lord should not envy those who do wickedness (23:17) nor should they be rebellious to God or those in authority (24:21). The fear of the Lord should motivate one to live righteously. It would appear that one’s life can be a good indicator of the presence or absence of the fear of the Lord. The litmus test for that fear will be the actions of the individual.

The third category that seems to be represented in the book of Proverbs lays out the rationale for fearing God. It is as though the writer is answering the question, “Why should I fear God?” The benefits of fearing the Lord are manifold and are laid out clearly. Fearing God will add length to one’s life (10:27) as well as bringing the fearer wealth, honor, and life (22:4). That sub-theme of the fear of the Lord bringing life is often stated. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life (14:27) and leads to life (19:23). Other benefits promise contentment (19:23), security in a “secure fortress” (14:26), and God’s blessing (28:14). We note that more important than charm or beauty is fearing the Lord and that such a fearer ought to be praised (31:30). Finally, a general statement about fearing God notes, “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil” (15:16).

Application

There is a general lack of reverence for God in Christianity today. The Lord Jesus Christ is commonly referred to as, “J. C.”, and praying to God is often called, “Rappin’ with God.” God is not seen as the Almighty Creator of the Universe, but rather as a buddy who is there when we need something. The caviler attitude many take into prayer or worship is shameful. It is so contrary to Scripture that one would think they were worshipping another deity entirely. Perhaps they are, if they assume that God wants to be approached in such a fashion. Although we are His children (John 1:12) and are, thus, encouraged to come to Him, we come boldly, but politely. With common mortals we will say, “Please,” and, “thank you,” but those common manners are rarely displayed when dealing with God.

What is the biblical notion of entering God’s presence? Moses had to remove his sandals as the ground was holy because of God’s presence (Exodus 3:5). Isaiah’s entrance into the presence of God caused him to curse himself as he saw his unholiness in contrast to God’s holiness (Isaiah 6:5). When John saw the risen Lord Jesus on the Isle of Patmos, he fell at His feet as if dead (Revelation 1:17).

A fear of God will motivate one to take prayer and worship seriously. Our prayer should be that of the Psalmist, “Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth; Unite my heart to fear Thy name” (Psalm 86:11, KJV). In worship, we should be less worried about what worship styles we like and focus more on what He likes. After all, worship is for His benefit, not ours.

As was seen in the discourse on the meaning of the fear of the Lord, this lack of reverence and fear demonstrates a corresponding lack of wisdom and knowledge. We should strive to demonstrate our fear of the Lord by our actions. We must abstain from sinful practice to avoid punishment and to demonstrate our loyalty and subordination to God. There were many motivating factors given as incentives to fear God. They are merely the icing on the cake. Even if there were no benefits for individuals in fearing God, they ought to do it as it is their duty. He is worthy of that reverential awe and respect. The Lord our God is still a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24).

The need for a return to the fear of the Lord is obvious. Christian churches have lost sight of the fact that our priority in life is worship. We plan to spend an eternity in heaven worshiping God, but we have no motivation to do it now. In a current worship service, the service looks nothing like true worship that is described in Revelation 4-5. The way Christians treat God must send a message to the heathen. Surely they see Him as a god who is more of a puppet or bell hop for us than the sovereign Lord before whom every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:10). The grace of God has been turned into a license for sin (Jude 4) and we are content with a Christianity that mirrors the lifestyles of the world. The only potential difference between the average professing Christian and a pagan is seen on Sundays at 11 o’clock in the morning where we sacrifice a whole hour to our God.

We are not a people characterized as servants of God, yet that is our calling. May God be gracious with His church and grant us the prayer of Psalm 86:11, that He would unite our hearts to fear His name. Only then will a watching world see that we have a God who is worthy of worship, adoration, and service. May God grant us the wisdom to fear Him. May we never be content with our sinfulness, but rather hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). A holy God deserves obedient servants. May we fear God and keep His commandments, as that is our whole duty (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

For my money, I don't know if it gets any better than when he sings "When a Man Loves a Woman."

An open letter to the "classic rock" radio stations in Dallas (and worldwide) ...

To the Andy Travis of your station,

The following are my top 3 classic rock "beat down" songs. These are songs that either whip me in their own right or have attained beat down status from overexposure.
  1. The Boys Are Back in Town, Thin Lizzy
  2. I Heard It through the Grapevine, Creedence Clearwater Revival
  3. Old Time Rock & Roll, Bob Seger
Please never play these again. Also, in the comments section others may post their top "classic rock beat down" songs, so stand apprised of them as well.

Also, please tell your respective Dr. Johnny Fevers and Venus Flytraps I said, "More rock, less talk."

Lastly, I would like to hear more from the following:
  1. Journey
  2. REO Speedwagon
  3. Electric Light Orchestra
  4. Steve Miller Band
  5. Seals & Croft
  6. Bread
  7. Chicago
  8. Sugarloaf
  9. Atlanta Rhythm Section
  10. The Guess Who
  11. The Who (other than just Pinball Wizard)
  12. Bill Withers (though perhaps not "classic" classic rock)
  13. My Sharona, by The Knack
Rockin' on,
Gunny

P.S. Contrary to what you might hear, Foghat's Slow Ride needs to stay in the rotation.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

I recently came across an argument to the effect that abortion is not so bad, since the aborted babies go to heaven.

In that same discussion was the argument about God never violating our freewill and babies not having freewill to decide if they wanted to go to heaven, so would God take them to heaven without their consent?

(Some crazy stuff out there, eh?)

Say what you want about respecting someone's "freewill," (or "right to choose") but having the choice taken out of one's hands, a choice that is of such eternal consequence ... Well, it would be preferred if it was my life hanging in the balance.

Who in their right mind thinks it's better (for the individual) that God honor the creature's freewill and let him/her spend an eternity in hell than to intervene in such a way to change the creature's disposition?

Nobody would ever take that approach with a child, would they? "I'm going to let my children decide for themselves if they will walk in the street. I told him not to touch the hot stove, so I'll sit here and watch him do so as I honor his freewill."

Yank me back from walking in the street before the bus runs me over.

Knock my hand away before it touches the hot stove.

Back to the issue at hand ...

Always a touchy subject, I would suggest too that aborted babies in heaven is an assumption and not something that we can actually prove exegetically from the biblical text.

I know, some will try to give you 2 Sam 12, but that doesn't prove what some might have you think. It just proves David has resigned himself to the fact that God has done what he said and David will one day die and join the realm of the dead.

The Westminster Confession (X.III) makes the claim that elect infants dying in infancy are good to go. The beauty of that is that it's not all inclusive, but one can think that his/her baby is okay, with the assumption of being elect of God. Others may assume all babies are elect.

This gets into the issue of the alleged "age of accountability," whereby one is okay up to that point, but afterward can be damned. This may be an arbitrary age (e.g., 12), or dependent on the child (i.e., when he/she understands certain things).

If we're honest, I think we evangelicals have to say that we hope aborted babies go to heaven and we are confident the judge of all the earth will do right. We just can't presume that we know what right/good is and assume God has to do that.

The key is that depravity is such that God doesn't owe anyone a trip to heaven (not even babies who are depraved as the rest of us, just without the faculties to show such yet; that's part of personhood), nor does He owe anyone even the opportunity to hear the good news, which is the exit ramp on the highway to hell.

Still, I'm not advocating the murder of babies, but I find this interesting. Is the Houston mom who drowned her 5 kids responsible for sending them to heaven? If so, could she see herself as a hero who sacrificed her own temporal freedom on this planet for their eternal abode?

I'm not being facetious. Who wouldn't give their lives to prison if he/she could ensure an eternity in heaven with God for the children?

In the era of utilitarian religion and being part of the SBC where the most important thing of all is getting people saved and in an era of pragmatic righteousness (i.e., if it words, it's righteous, since you can't argue with results), isn't this something we need to be prepared to answer?

Think of those who say, "I don't want to bring a baby into this world." What if those same people thought, "Hmm. This is an unplanned pregnancy. I could (a) bring this baby into this evil world and go down my own personal road of great sacrifice and difficulties or (b) free myself of this problem and appease my conscience knowing that my baby will enjoy an eternity with God in heaven. What should I do?"

One responder to such a proposal said, "Yeah, but there wouldn't be any rewards for that baby, so his/her heaven wouldn't be that great."

I'll leave you to ponder the ineffectiveness of that response.

From that mom's standpoint, it's a risk-reward issue. The risk is that the baby could grow up, not believe in Jesus, and spend an eternity in hell. The potential reward is that the baby could believe in Jesus, do some good works, and then not have to live in heaven's ghetto.

I said all that to say this ...

If the abortion industry in the country puts 1.5 million in heaven each year, does that lessen or heighten the motivation to stop it?

Or, to ask it another way, if people were convinced abortions were sending babies to hell without any chance to hear the Gospel and be saved, would their efforts look different?

Either way, abortion is murder, and evil. Abortions populating heaven wouldn't make evil good, since the ends don't justify the means, but I wonder if this lessens the heinous nature of the act for some.

God can use evil for good and always does in the life of the Christian (Rom 8:28), but I wonder what the practical/ethical considerations are in this regard.
Caveat: For the record I am in no way tolerant of abortion, taking a hardline position in not even being on board in cases of "rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother."

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