Discussions

Galatians 5:1-12
Subject:
Nobody likes to start watching a movie half way through, so we should probably rewind and retell what has lead us to Galatians 5. Let’s rewind to a garden…..

Retelling the Biblical Story:
Creation:
A calming, carefree, peaceful and pleasant garden where God and Adam and Eve, lived as one family. They would share meals together, accept one another and affirm the goodness of God, rejoice over the differences and share deeply. There was a sense of belonging and unity.

Fall:
But what happened in Genesis 3? There was an intruder who tempted the family into defecting from the good life they had. And as a result, the good relationships were broken, corrupted and disconnected. There was backbiting, disunity, jealously, rumors, racial prejudice, and many other positive encouraging words as we entered into an evil age. At that point, God could have disaffiliated from humanity and started over but instead he chose to redeem it. The rest of the Bible is the outworking of God’s redemption plan.

Redemption Plan:
The plan was activated through a man named Abram who was later renamed Abraham. God spoke to this man and said that he would bless him and the ENTIRE WORLD through one of his descendants. So Abraham had children who had other children and eventually the nation of Israel was born. God spoke to one of the leaders of this nation, a man named Moses. He gave Moses laws which the nation was to follow. Let’s talk about those laws….

The Role of the Nation with the Laws
By some counts there were 613 laws, does anyone want to name a few? I’ve broadly categorized them. There was calendar, cleansing, dietary, moral and ritual laws. We’re familiar with some of these laws. For example, calendar laws about resting on the Sabbath, cleansing laws about washing your hands before eating meals, dietary laws which prohibited certain foods like pork, moral laws which we know as the Ten Commandments, and ritual laws performed for the forgiveness of sins. The laws were unique and wide ranging. So what was the role of the laws? Israel was marching to the beat of a different drum(in a good way). God wanted to raise a people that would be attractive. A nation that would be “a city on a hill.” A nation that all the other nations would look at and think “I want what they got.” The laws were to be an outward sign to the rest of the world that the true God was with these people. Not only were they an outward sign but they were also an inward sign within the community. Many of us carry a sign or symbol which grounds us. Some people wear crosses, others have tattoos; others carry photos of their children. These signs and symbols work as signposts, pointing and reminding us of what is important. Does the fact that I wear a cross make me a Christian?

Covenant Nomism
Now, here is an important point. Contrary to popular belief, these laws weren’t a condition by which Israel earned their way. Israelites believed that God had graciously initiated a relationship with their ancestors, that he would redeem the world through them, they understood that they had a part to play in that redemption but by no means did they think that they earned their part. In other words, when two people get married, they don’t earn each others love by getting married. No, they get married BECAUSE they love each other, the marriage announces, demonstrates, identifies and sets apart this couple to the world as ‘married.’ The laws worked in a similar way. The laws were a badge, a badge of identification.

The Badge of Circumcision
There was one badge which was incredibly important to Israel. God commanded the Israelites to circumcise every male. Circumcision is the act by which the foreskin of male anatomy is separated or cut off. In order for someone to be identified as a member of the community they had to take on these various Laws. When the Israelites were defeated in various wars with they would always deport the Israelites to foreign lands. While in these foreign lands, they stuck out like a sore thumb with all of there distinctive rules and regulations. This wasn’t like where is Waldo, it was more like, who is that guy? How many of you have ever been to a sporting event where your outfit is of the oppsing team. 49er fans, how welcomed do you feel when you go to a Raiders game? This was the environment the Israelites found themselves in with foreigners. I recently went to a game at Oakland Raider stadium and I happened to be wearing my favorite sports teams jersey and lets just say that those Raider fans had a few choice words for me. I mean imagine, this was the environment the Israelites constantly found themselves in. Being put down, spit on, treated unfairly, and all because God spoke to one of their ancestors and commanded them to follow these laws. As a little boy this was engrained in your psyche.

The Good Side of the Law:
Now these laws functioned well in some respects because they created a sense of unity and common fellowship. Just like Adam & Eve, the Israelites found themselves once again able to eat together under these Laws. And there were less issues of dissension because everyone was under the same standard. So the law had its good side but it also had its bad side.

Locked Up Under Sin:
The old saying goes, “rules are made to be broken.” And so even though Israel had these Laws from God, they were still a world of hurt because they weren’t able to obey them and by the way this isn’t just an Israel thing. This is a human thing. Philosophers study what is good in order to teach others so that they can do well. Many religions teach that they hold the keys to what is good and they can lead a person to the good life. Most people believe they are good based on their own moral standard right? People may disagree on what good morality is but nonetheless, everybody, in their own world, wants to be morally sound. Even people who don’t believe in God have ideas about what is good or bad. Even the worst ghettos have a moral standard. Morality exists within Christian and non-Christian circles but the one thing that Christians acknowledge is that Christians aren’t able to keep the moral standard they know to be correct. But at the end of the day, both Jews and non-Jews found themselves in the same boat. Backbiting, slander, jealousy, racial prejidice. And so, the law, rather then being a primary vehicle which established a world-wide family of God, it became a primary indicator that world-wide of family was in disarray. And so then what was the purpose of the law? What was the point of all these awkward and meticulous laws?

Purpose Of The Law:
The purpose of the law was to keep that community of Israel together until Messiah showed up. Without the law, without the distinguishing factor of a common set of laws, the chances are that Israel, the descendants of Israel would become extinct or fade off into obscurity. God had told Abraham that he would bless the ENTIRE WORLD through him and God intended on keeping that promise.

Jesus came on the scene and enacted a new covenant.
This was the world Jesus was born in. The next stage of development in God’s plan took a totally unexpected turn when the same God who made the promise to Abraham took matters into his own hands so to speak and was born of the virgin Mary. Jesus, God incarnate came on the scene and what was his attitude toward these laws? Jesus was the only one who was able to obey these laws. Jesus wore the badge of membership, after all Jesus was a Jew. Jesus had a good attitude towards the law. During one of his sermons, Jesus said, “I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.” Jesus did for Israel and the world what it could not do for itself. Jesus fulfilled the mission of Israel by being nailed to a Roman Cross. It was there that He absorbed in Himself the brokenness, corruption, and disconnection of the entire world. God’s justice towars those who disobey him was satisfied and his love for the entire world was made known through the cross. After His death He was raised from the dead. He was resurrected. This resurrection was a sign to the entire world that the community of God could now be redeemed from all the brokenness, corruption, and disconnected relationships. Jesus was the seed, Jesus was the descendant of Abraham which would bless the entire world. The resurrection of Jesus was the initiation of a new race, a new creation, which no longer got its membership, it’s badge by the works of the law. The entire world could now be forgiven for their disobedience to the laws by trusting in the work of Jesus on the Roman Cross. One of the early Christians, a man named John said that Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus was the true Israel. And now, the entire world could be blessed through him. The entire world could be apart of the community of God, not by becoming ethnic Israel. So this brings up an interesting question……..

The Role of the Law Part 2
What should the nation of Israel do with the badges? What about the calendar, cleansing, dietary, moral and ritual laws? Should those who come to faith in Jesus be circumcised? Now you gotta understand, this was an incredibly volatile topic for the Israelites to swallow. Oh yes, one more small tidbit of information. Rome granted Jews special benefits because of their Jewishness. So, losing the badges meant losing important privledges and potentially losing their place as a nation. Imagine with me, you’ve spent your whole life obeying these laws, teaching them to your children, and forming your identity around keeping them and spreading them to others. You’ve traveled long distances and circumcised many non-Jews and now the God who gave you these laws makes a way for people to come to him without obeying them! DRAMA, THIS IS DRAMA! I’m convinced that this issue, “what should ethnic Israel do now that it has fulfilled its mission”, is one of the main issues facing the early church. This question is at the heart of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1st Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians. It’s all over the place. So, I’ve been talking for about 20 minutes so far, do you still have your Bible open to Galatians? Now, here is the cool part of the sermon. We’re going to read Galatians 5:1-12 and if I’ve done my job then you should be able to understand what is going on with very little explanation from me.

Galatians 5:1-12
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. 7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. 11 Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Conclusion:
The new community is not identified through its ethnic background but by the Spirit of Christ which is available to all people regardless of their race, religious background, gender or age. The new community was to be known for its faith expressing itself through love. The circumcision group couldn’t handle letting go of the old way. These people were walking out into the cold snowy winter with their summer clothes on. They just couldn’t imagine that a new day had dawned.

2 Applications
1. What is the new badge of the community of God (the church)?
a. Faith expressed through acts of love.
Now, lets fast forward 2,000 years. Here we are. Followers of Jesus the Jew. Followers of Jesus the Messiah.
What are these acts of love? I spent a lot of time wondering what this “faith expressing itself through love” looks like and then it suddenly hit me. If the passage, if the book of Galatians is about breaking down the racial hostilities between Jews and Gentiles then surely the “faith expressing itself through love” refers to Jews being able to eat with Gentiles! The circumcised and non-circumcised siting togeher being united in Christ. Maybe you are here and you don’t have any problems with different races, i’ll grant you that. So, I won’t dwell on the race card but what about the taboo card. As a Christian, identified by grace through faith in Christ, are you able to eat with people who are different then you? Are you able to with those who have tatoos, speak a different language, have a different value system, have a different skin tone, are on a different poltical spectrum then you? Has your salvation in Christ freed you to be able to eat with those who are not like you? What would happen to this church, what would happen to this community, what would happen to this country, what would happen to this world if Christians started having table fellowship with those who were different then them? What would happen if Catholics and Protestants started talking about the differences? What would happen if Prysbeterians, Episcoplians, Methodists, Charasimatics, Dispensationalits, started to eat with one another? What would happen if Christians, like their leader Jesus, were known as friends of sinners? Please do not mistake what I am saying. I am not saying put yourself in a position of harm. I am not saying that we should actively seek those who are harmful to us and try to spend time with them. Don’t miss what I’m saying. Don’t miss what the Scriptures are saying. Don’t miss what Paul is saying. The community of God is no longer defined by its ability to segregate from the community at large but by its ability to minister to all people where they’re at. To minister to people in a way that makes sense to them.

2. The problem with ethnic Israel was that they had a hard time adjusting to the new day. They were wearing shorts and flip flops in the middle of the winter, hoping that it was still Summer. They were reverting back to their old ways. In what ways are tempted to do the same thing?

Maybe there are people who are luring you back into some old ways, some youthful ways that you’ve out grown. Maybe you can remember it is for freedom that Christ set me free.

Does a school define and set the life path of its students?  Haven’t some of the best scholars been the ones that weren’t afraid to modify and negate what their teachers taught them? (Jesus of Nazareth, Karl Barth)  Could a new possibility emerge out of the straight and narrow?  Is ones theology formed primarily through books and teachers or a multiple array of factors?

As a recent Dallas Seminary graduate, I’ve wondered if my application would be looked at by all churches?  Dallas Seminary has a reputation, among many, for being an ultra-conservative, dispensational, pre-tribulation rapture, women fearing, fire and brimstone breading ground.   During my job search, I have often asked myself, “Will this church even consider someone with a Dallas Seminary background?”  I have received many of the following responses to my resume;

“We have reviewed your resume but feel it does not fall within our hiring parameters.”

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that many will reject my resume for good reason but I find it fascinating that I’m not even considered for positions where my resume exceedingly meets the qualifications.  I have the experience, but for some reason, I don’t meet their hiring parameters?  While many churches are eagerly seeking and hoping for a Dallas Seminary grad, others are less than excited about Dallas Seminary students.  I’ve heard one Senior Pastor say “When I see Dallas Seminary on a resume, it’s a RED flag.”  This puts me, a Dallas Seminary graduate, in an awkward position.  I once tried to contrast the prejudice against female pastors with the prejudice against Dallas seminary grads with a  female pastor of a prominent church in Texas.  Her response was that women didn’t have the ability to choose gender but Dallas Seminary graduates had a choice in the school they chose.  She was right……but is there more to the story?

Is Dallas Seminary Narrow?

There are a couple different ways of dealing with this situation.  I could, as some have done, explain how Dallas Seminary is no longer your your fathers seminary.  I could talk about some of the different theological arguments that are floating around and how views have evolved over the years to become more ecumenically friendly.  I could talk about how revised dispensationalism is very different from classical dispensationalism.  I could even post some of the required and recommended reading lists for classes that I took which include books by Rob Bell, Brian Mclaren, N.T. Wright and others who would be considered on the other end of the Dallas Seminary spectrum.  I could also talk about how the majority of my professors were more interested in my ability to argue a point than they were my actual point.  One of my fondest memories from Dallas Seminary was when my Greek professor would say, “I don’t care if you agree with me but I want to see what evidence and method you use to defend your points.”  Another student once said to me, “There are no answers, just good or bad arguments.”  The bottom line is that Dallas Seminary is an institution which is set in its beliefs but also open to how those beliefs are communicated.  Different definitions are on the rise which emphasize the old but communicate in the new.  The professors are more than open to feedback and have often times researched further when legitimately challenged.  Many professors go out of their way to have different Christian and non-Christian traditions challenge their work through conferences.  (ETS, SBL).  One of my favorite activities during my time at Dallas Seminary was attending debates between professors who respected one another and yet held different theological convictions.   Instead of going into detail about those areas, I would like to raise another point which was mentioned in my opening paragraph…..

Again I Ask:

Is a persons theology formed primarily through books and teachers or a multiple array of factors?

Dallas Seminary is one chapter or maybe a couple chapters in the novel of my life.  Since when did a school become the end-all of a persons education?  Where does the role of family of origin, important experiences, music, and the Holy Spirit fit into a persons theological makeup?  Granted, there are many in the “Christian” subculture who have subscribed to one group as the director of their faith but not everyone has to jump on one bandwagon.  Not everyone feels compelled to throw pep rallies for their school of choice.  Some of my favorite theologians have gone to multiple different schools for their theological training.  Not only have some of my favorite theologians come from a variety of different schools but some of my favorite people have come from a unique mixture of people, schools and experiences.

Have you ever seen the “Evangelist Idol Complex”?  This happens when one person, we’ll call them “the evangelist”, leads another person to faith, and the new convert forever exalts that persons teachings .  The error in this complex is that the new convert fails to recognize that “the evangelist” while playing a significant role in the conversion is not responsible or even a major part of the conversion.  The new convert fails to recognize that Jesus has been trying reach out to them way before “the evangelist” ever showed up.  At some point or another, the new convert becomes an old convert and must deal with this issue.  The new convert must learn that God has been trying to “woo” them through all sorts of experiences, people and avenues before and after the initial decision to come to faith.  I believe that God has shaped me through MANY different avenues.

What Shaped Me?

I was raised in a small town named Turlock in the heart of Central Valley California.  This region has a personality of its own which is known for its rich agriculture and of course…. cows.  My parents emigrated from Iran in 1981 and I was born in November of that year.  My parents raised me Roman Catholic although we did not attend church regularly.  I loved watching the Ninja Turtles and Parker Lewis Can’t Lose.  I went to Crowell School elementary where I had some wonderful teachers who impacted me with required readings such as Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.  I was deeply impacted by my “Introduction to World Literature” class during my senior year of high school.  It was in that class where Mr. Avey prodded his students to look deeper and think critically.  I was the chaplain for Theta Chi fraternity for 3 years and it was there that I learned a lot about different world-views.  Theta Chi was filled with members from all different types of religions and I still look back at that time as one of the most formative times of my theological life.  I spent a few too many dollars and hours at West Village Starbucks in Dallas, where I enjoyed intense theological conversations with Atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, non-religious skeptics and many Christians.

The Point

Any person or organization that judges my theological framework strictly based off of my seminary experience is selling the story of my life short.  They are selling how God works short and are impairing what could be.   I believe that there is more to a person then their schooling and that every person, regardless of their theological background, should be given an equal opportunity at a job.  There are a few bad apples on every tree but that doesn’t mean the tree is all that bad and that the rest of the apples should be discounted.  Perhaps you can be a catalyst in changing the perception by allowing an interview or entertaining a different worldview? I am glad that I was able study at Dallas Seminary and more importantly I am thankful to have had the professors that I did.  But I also remember that a school doesn’t make a person.  The school exists for the scholar and NOT the other way around.

Bible?  Who Said Anything About the Bible?

I love how leaders in the Bible responded those who preached about God from different backgrounds.

Numbers 11:28-29  Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”

John 9:38-40 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”  “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.

Acts 5:34-39 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. ^ Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ^Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. ^After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ^ Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. ^But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Philippians 1:15-18 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Thoughts?

I’ve heard Paul quoted many times from the book of Romans, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” I always understood what it meant metaphorically in that someone who brings good news will appear beautiful because of their message. However, I think there is a more vivid picture we could employ.
Paul is actually paraphrasing a verse found in Isaiah 52:7 where it says,

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

The question then becomes, what did Isaiah have in mind? The entire book of Isaiah can be broken up into two parts. Chapters 1-39 basically depict a God who is angry because his people have broken their covenant. Chapters 40-66 depict a new hope for the people. Israel had been taken over by the Assyrians who treated the Jews rather harshly. The Jews were deported from their land in a violent and gruesome manner. Psalm 137 is a reflection upon one of the deportations.
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

So these people are deported from their land and taken to a foreign land where they are forced to sing songs for their captors. Asking someone to smile while they are weeping tears of pain is probably one of the cruelest things you could do. These people had lost everything. For years and years they lived in these circumstances…….Not knowing whether they would see their homeland again, their family, friends, loved ones, romantic relationships, facebook friends or any of that stuff. They were forced into slavery and had to speak to a people who did not speak their language……………until one day…………one day when they saw some feet on a mountain. Dirty feet that had traveled a long distance to announce some good news. To announce that the exile was over, the captives would be set free and allowed to return to their homes. How beautiful did those dirty feet look then? Announcements were usually made on tops of hills so that many people could listen. Listen to the good news that they would no longer be tormented by their enemies and that they could return home to their family and friends.

Paul, understood Isaiah very well which is why I find it incredibly fascinating that he chose this phrase in speaking of one who shares the good news of Jesus. First century Christians were also in exile. Even though they were living in their own land, they were still under the evil Roman empire. The 1st century Christians never got out from under the rule of the Romans which begs the question…..what did the good news free them from? If the feet of those who brought good news during Isaiah’s time were beautiful because they announced freedom from exile then what did the good news of Jesus free the 1st century Christians from?

Obviously in a blog this size, it is impossible to go through all the mentions of justification in the New Testament or the Messianic expectations. However, one thing we can mention is that, Paul understood that the first century Christians may not have escaped from the Romans during their time but they were still freed from many other battles. It was Christ who could save them from the evil arguments which waged war against their dignity.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

So, how many people in our world are being tormented by evil oppressors? How could we announce to them that those evil oppressors really don’t have power? How could we disarm those who are in “power” and announce good news to those held hostage? Not just in physical prisons but also those in destructive patterns of abuse. Those who are held hostage by abuse, depression, drugs, loneliness, lust, and many other ailments the destructive one has to offer?

How could we notify everyone that the God of love reigns?

Hey friends, this is a talk which I will be giving at a college group on Tuesday night. My disclaimer is that I’m simply opening up a huge can of worms and I do not intend on dealing with every objection. I’m not entirely sure that this whole article makes any sense. I would appreciate feedback on clarity if you have any.

Disclaimers

1. I am simply giving the first word on the subject.
2. This topic could open up many different paths to explore.  That’s okay.
3. I cannot deal with every aspect of the question.

God of the Old Testament Vs. the God of the New Testament:

When I was in college, I was in a fraternity.  The fraternity was an excellent experience.  Just like a lot of things in life, there were some good things and some bad things.  The one thing that I was very thankful about was that the guys in the fraternity didn’t hold back, nothing was set in stone and cliché answers didn’t work.  Many of my fraternity brothers knew I was a Christian and so they would hurl huge questions my way about the God of the Bible.  After working through some basic questions they usually had some deeper questions.  Questions not so much about the reliability of the Bible but questions about the reliability of the God of the Bible.  Questions about the nature of God.  The main hiccup was that whenever someone had preached to them, they would always tell them about how Jesus loved them and wanted a relationship with them.  This was all well and good but one of the main issue they had was that while the Bible revealed a compassionate, forgiving, graceful, and loving God found in Jesus, it also revealed, what appeared to be, a flagrant, harsh, killing, violent and vindictive God in the Old Testament.  This was quite the problem for my fraternity brothers.  Some of the feedback I got was “don’t tell me about a loving Jesus until you can explain to me how the God of the Old Testament commanded the Hebrews to slaughter thousands of people.” 

Bridging the Apparent Gap:

That was just one objection but there were MANY more…. Like, why did God choose the Jews?  And, did God choosing the Jews mean that all the other religions went to hell?  What about some of the stories of unfair treatment of women?  What about when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, or when the prophets of Baal got slaughtered or the little boys who called Elijah baldy, or many other complicated Bible stories  These were some of the key issues that I zeroed because I didn’t want to blindly believe in a nonsensical God.  Also, if I’m being honest, I found myself asking the same questions.  These were things that puzzled me but I wasn’t taught how to deal….  Most of the time, I was told to “trust and believe” or that “God can do whatever he wants.”  Others would give some sort of justification for God’s actions but they’d hardly ever go into detail.  Usually God would get off the hook through some spiritual maxim that somehow excused him.  These responses didn’t really help and so I researched further.  In my research, I came across some reasons which had solid logic to back them.  What I learned was not just reasons but also a framework for dealing with these issues.  A legend to a apparently perplexing map.  I’d like to apply one event to this framework and see if it reveals a logical or illogical God.  I have learned this framework from others and so I am simply passing it along.  Perhaps it can be reworked or expunged but it is certainly worth looking at if we are to love the Lord with all our MIND.  But before we continue, I wanted to open up our time for a few minutes of discussion.  First off, does any of this ring a bell for anyone?  Does it spark any interest?  (If nobody says anything, here are some basic questions).

1. Were these fair objections for my non-believing friends to have?
2. Are these good questions for Christians to ask?
3. What are some possible suggestions for dealing with these things?  How should a Christian respond?

Bible Texts:

Turn with me to Numbers 21:1-2 Before, I read the passage, let me do a quick review of what has happened in the Bible up to this point.  We all know it starts with Adam & Eve in the good garden that God had created for them to enjoy but we also know there was an intruder who raped and ravaged the good garden.  God could have trashed the whole thing and started over but instead he decided to continue, so Adam & Eve got kicked out of the garden and life goes unhealthily goes on.  Then God spoke to one of their great, great, great, great, great grandchildren named Abraham.  And what did he tell Abraham?  In a nutshell, that he would bless Abraham and the ENTIRE WORLD through him.  He said that one day he would give him a better land.  A land flowing with milk and honey, by the way, that is not as the Bud light commercials say, a metaphor for cigarettes and beer.  (lol).  I’m kidding, he said he was going to give him a land which was not just like the Garden of Eden but better then the Garden of Eden.  So, Abraham started moving toward that land and ended up having kids who eventually became the leaders of a group called the Hebrews.  The Hebrews, ended up becoming slaves to the Egyptians who beat them and treated them horribly. This caused them to doubt whether God had promised anything to Abraham but God reaffirmed his promise by showing up to another Hebrew named Moses. God reassured Moses of the promise and he helped the people flee from the Egyptians. They fled and now were heading toward the Promised Land!  That is where we are going to pick up the story.  PS. That is the cliff notes on Genesis and Exodus in case you were wondering.  Here is the account.  When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel(also known as the Hebrews) was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them.  Numbers 21:2 Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns.  It was passages like this that stood out to my fraternity brothers.  God’s plan included killing people?  The text says that they would completely destroy them….women….children…and everyone?  How could the loving God of the New Testament found in Jesus help the Israelites slaughter people?  I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound hopeful to me.  That doesn’t sound very logical or loving.

Let’s  get going on the framework I talked about earlier.     

 1.  Literal or Figurative or Both?

The first thing we need to do is evaluate whether or not the stories were meant to be taken literally or figuratively.  When Jim Morrison says “I’m going to love you until the stars fall from the sky”, he obviously doesn’t intend his hearers to believe that a Super Mario fireball is going to destroy the earth.  Some books such as Song of Songs or Proverbs are written in genres that are not meant to be taken literally.  The passage we just looked at is a historical event being reflected upon.  Therefore, we cannot sweep it under the rug as if it didn’t happen.  We can’t just say they were made up stories.  Once we’ve established that they actually happened we’ll need to look at context.

2.  Context

Understanding the context will allow us to determine whether these events portray an illogical God. Exploring context has two layers.  The first layer is historical.  There are aspects of these texts in which our vision is disabled because we are thousands of years removed.  In between us and the Old Testament are cultural, economic, political and social blinders.  The world of the Old Testament had its own cultural, political and social norms.  Usually we can alleviate some of the tension with a passage by locating the main blinder.  The main blinder for us in this text is that in the Ancient Near East, to quote Rambo, “when you’re forced….killing is as easy as breathing.”  This was the type of civilization that they lived in (might I add that some in our day still live like this).  This was the air they breathed and the water they drank.  In the Ancient Near East kingdoms established and maintained power through military force.  So the goal of Ancient Near Eastern kingdoms was to establish an empire.  What do the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans all have in common?  They all tried to establish a world empire by overthrowing their neighbors and by making them their slaves.  This was how you got bigger, stronger, faster.  So, so far our historical context has revealed that the Hebrews were doing nothing out of the ordinary for their day.  With that in mind, we must now ask the question with respect to the event we are studying, is the God of the Bible simply doing what all the other nations were doing by trying to become an empire through military force?  If that is the case then surely we have no reason to trust the God of the Bible anymore then we trust the Canaanite gods. 

3.  Biblical Context

So the second layer of context is Biblical.  What are some of the things in the story of the Bible which have infused this event.  The account in Numbers occurred when the Hebrews had recently been liberated from the dominant Egyptian world power which was oppressing them as slaves.  These Hebrew slaves were escaping from their oppressors and these slaves were planning on starting a new kingdom where there were no slaves.  God helped the Hebrews to overthrow the Canaanites but he had given them some conditions once they took over.  Look with me at Exodus 23:9 This is a command that God gave to the Hebrews right before they were to take over the land of the Canaanites. “Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.”  The God of the Bible, commanded his people NOT to hurt the alien.  Yes, he said, I’ve got your back in wiping out the inhabitants of the land but once you take over the land, treat the aliens around you with respect.  Therefore, it is clear that God is working under a different underlying principle then the surrounding nations.  God is not trying to create an oppressive empire which is what the other nations were doing.  There is a huge difference in intent. 

4.  Text With Context Reveals Principle

Therefore, one of the things we lose when we read this commandment to “not oppress the foreigner” is that for the Ancient Near East, it was a BRAND NEW IDEA.  During the time in which the event took place, taking over the land was how things were, that is how they functioned, but treating the alien with respect?  This was not apart of their world-view.  This was a fresh movement of God in the world.  For those people then, this was a progressive way of seeing the world, it was a graceful and caring way of seeing the world.  In both the Old and New Testament God is always calling humanity toward a better way.  However, in order to move humanity toward a better way he must speak in terms that they understand.  He must work with their world.  Ask yourself this question, what if God would have shown up and said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”; would the Israelites have understood what he was saying?  Would that type of forward thinking have been beyond their ability to comprehend?  It isn’t that God takes pleasure in destroying people but he does take pleasure in helping people get to the next right step. (Ezekiel 23:11^)  And that is precisely what we see with the Canaanite wars.  God spoke to them as they understood without lowering his standard.  This is something which is mimicked by Jesus (Philippians 2:7-8).  The principle stays the same but the application is different.  God is still working in a progressive way even when dealing with some barbaric situations. 

Illustration

I have a 4 year old niece, totally beautiful, full of energy and always looking for a fight.  I picked her up from school the other day and she immediately asked me why here mom didn’t pick her up.  I let her know that her mom had some work to do and that she sent me to pick her up.  So, we get home and she immediately says that she needs to tell me something but that she needs to do it upstairs.  So, we go upstairs, I notice that she is anxiously looking around upstairs to see if anyone is home.  Then she quietly asks me where her mom is.  As soon as she hears her mom on the phone in the other room she quickly walks off.  It occurred to me after she heard her mom in the office that that’s what this whole thing was about.  She didn’t really have anything to tell me.  She was nervous, she had a fear that she would walk upstairs, nobody would be home and that I would leave her alone.  Yes, I understand that it sounds illogical but for some reason she was afraid.  So, what should I have done?  What was the proper response?  Should I have talked to her about how she has abandonment issues and how the best way to work through those was many hours in silence and solitude?  No of course not!  The only caring response would be to speak to her and to respond to her in a way that makes sense to her.  Eventually my niece will get older and I will be able to communicate with her in that way but in the mean time what am I to do?  I mention this event with my niece because I think it coincides with the story of the Bible. Humanity has been at different stages in its development and God has worked with them where they were, always pointing them toward the next right step.  The next right step for them was to over throw the Canaanites but to not establish an oppressive empire as the other nations were doing.  Perhaps this doesn’t sit well with some of you and you might think there was a better way to do it.  Perhaps but could we dream of a better way?  In my opinion this was the best possible and most gracious way for God to continue the ongoing story of redeeming the world.  What should God have done?  Should God have given up on humanity because of how barbaric they were?  What is more barbaric, to give up on humanity or to try to help it towards the next right step.

Gas Powered Cars

Some of you might be thinking, no that’s a cop out.  These people were totally messed up.  God shouldn’t have even wasted his time.  But lets take a look at our current world.  I recently finished up with a 3 year seminary program.  During that time, money was tight.  Occasionally, friends and family from back home would send me a care package or some money.  Usually there would be a nice note attached to the check or card.  Something that read like this, “Steve, during my daily prayers, I felt an intuition from God to send you gas-card.  I hope you can use this gas-card at a gas station near you.”  So what did I do with that gas-card?  I filled my car up with gas.  Now, imagine, 3000 years into the future.  The air is incredibly polluted and they are breathing bad air because there was a civilization before them where soccer moms drove army vehicles called Hummers, which polluted the environment, to go the grocery store and buy a half a gallon of milk.  They are no longer using gas-powered cars.  They came up with a new technology where the atmosphere doesn’t get polluted.  They have progressed culturally and are living totally differently than we are today.  Archeologists happen to dig up a folder from the year 2010.  The folder has a diploma in it from a Christian school, and it also has a little note about a gas-card in it.  Historians analyze the note, they do research on the language and figure out that the note meant exactly what it said!  Would it be fair of them to conclude that the God who the Christian school endorsed didn’t care about the environment?

Conclusion:

The only logical conclusion is that God cared for the people who were living in some awful ways and that his intention was to carry them into a good future.  It isn’t so much that God wanted some of these things to happen but it’s more so that God didn’t want to give up on humanity.  He has a plan to redeem humanity and his plan included working with people through every step of their development.  God never acted out of his character, he always treated people in a way that made sense to them and in a way that would be redeeming.  God was and is leading his people into a good future.  We still live in a world that is barbaric in many ways but the story isn’t over.  Christian hope is that Jesus will come back and put the world to rights.  In the mean time, God is working with us towards living rightly.     

Straight From Jesus Mouth

Lets look at another passage which takes place about 1500 years after the conquest event.

Mark 10:2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ^3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied. ^4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” ^5 Jesus replied “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law.” ^6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ In other words, Jesus is saying, “look it isn’t that God likes bad things like divorce or genocide, but God works with people where they’re at.”  At the end of the day, I think that, that response, that way of looking at the Scriptures is a lot more reliable and hopeful then simply brushing these passages off. 

A Review of the Method

1. Literal or Figurative.
2. Context.
3. Text applied to context.
4. Text with context reveals underlying principle.

Application:

Once we figure out the underlying principle we can then ask some questions about how this applies to our life.  Many of us find ourselves doing some barbaric things.  We find ourselves sometimes caught in the grasp of some sin.  Maybe some of you are in some really dark places and you don’t think there is anyway that God would meet you there because it’s just too barbaric.  Rest assured that he is there and he is pointing you toward the next right step.  Whether it’s an addiction, or a hurt, or a selfish desire that you can’t get rid of, he is there, point you toward the next-step.  We can have hope that God has not given up on us just as he did not give up on the people in the past.  What if the Israelites would have not treated their neighbor good?  Where would the plan of God be now?  Every little step counts. 

Perhaps the event would seem less barbaric in its proper perspective.  Would anyone fault Bonhoeffer or the many others who tried to assassinate Hitler before his evil spread?  Many of us do not see it this way because we are so far removed from the culture in which those people lived.

Does God only exist in certain places at certain times?  Do holier people have more access to God than say your common everyday Joe?

I grew up during a time in which the secular was pinned up AGAINST the spiritual. God was not at the bars, he was at the church. God didn’t approve secular music, he approved Christian music. God was not at the kegger, he was at the Bible study. This was a conviction which was heavily impressed upon me. I was encourage to buy Christian books, Christian clothes, Christian music cd’s and pay lots of money to go to Christian concerts.  Many leaders didn’t drink beer for fear of being called a hypocrite and ruing their “witness”. Instead of drinking responsibly, they fled the thought of thinking altogether. Instead of enjoying the world which God created/creates, we were prompted to focus on heaven and spreading the message so that others could one day go to heaven. The message was that this world is tainted and that God will one day do away with it and give us a blissful spiritual existence. So which one is it?  Does God love the world and interact in it or is the world a godless place where we suffer until we die?

Parts of that message were true but other parts were horribly misguided. There isn’t enough room on this blog to go into the inner workings of this escape/evacuation/exclusive message but I believe it to be false. I’m interested in a message which is a bit more integrated then that.  Aren’t you?  A theology which marries heaven and earth the way that the Bible does. Revelation 21:2 saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

God uses ordinary people and places to accomplish the extraordinary. God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush. Burning bushes were very common and most people would walk right past them but some say that Moses stared at the bush for a few moments and that was when God appeared. Moses, somehow understood that God could be found in the ordinary.  This is conjecture but there are many other examples of God being among the ordinary or even the insignificant. In fact most of the Bible was written by people who were in horrible circumstances such as prison, and/or exile from their homeland.  Jesus was known for eating with sinners. Not just regular sinners but “notorious” sinners.  People didn’t expect God to be among the sinners but apparently Jesus didn’t get the memo? I recently had an experience that illustrates for me the power of Gods presence in any situation.

My favorite football team, the New Orleans Saints, went to and won their first ever Super Bowl a couple months ago. I couldn’t miss this once in a lifetime experiences to see the Saints win it all and so I went to New Orleans to be apart of the madness? Yes, I made the trip. I couldn’t miss my place in Saints history. I wasn’t able to enjoy experiences like this until about 4 years ago when I first started to realize that God doesn’t look down on me for enjoying myself at sporting events. So now, I make it a point to not only go to the places where I was prompted not to go but to look for the spiritual, to see how God is at work and present.

After the Saints won the Super Bowl they had a parade. The city of New Orleans is approximately 340,000 in population but guess how many people were estimated to have shown up to the parade? A whopping 800,000!!!! It was quite the experience. One of the security guards let me into a restricted area which was designated only for city workers but the guard knew that I was by myself and wouldn’t take up too much space so he let me through.

After crossing the gate I proceeded to wait for the Saints players and coaches to pass through on the floats.  I happened to strike up a conversation with another Saints fan who was standing around and instantly I had a light bulb come on.   In the middle of our conversation, it occurred to me that God was there at the parade.  This man, Reginald, began to talk to me about his life and the role that the Saints had played in it.  It was an instant reminder of how God uses insignificant things like football to deeply impact peoples lives and that was what I needed to hear at that moment in time.  I live in a world full of hustle and bustle.  I live in a world where moving up in the ranks is what proves your worth.  I live in a world where the significant are recognized and the insignificant are forgotten.  If I come across a situation that merges the “significant” with the “insignificant” then I make sure to take special note of it because it is not far from Gods heart.  (1 Corinthians 1:18-30).  I video taped Reginald giving his testimony and I posted it on youtube.  For those of you who read this blog and have trouble with profanity, please be warned.  There is one cuss word.  If you do not feel comfortable with cuss words then do not watch this video.

In case you don’t know, Sean Payton is the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. You gotta love Reginald and you gotta love Sean Payton. A class act and fine example of great leadership. Most of all I appreciate how Reginald recognized that God allowed him to see Sean Payton with the weed eater. God used Reginald to encourage me and others about hard work. The funny thing was that we weren’t in a church building or a Bible study and God still blessed me in the “secular”. I thank Reginald and I thank God for allowing me to be at the parade and witness what I did.

Resurrection, what is resurrection? Are you interested in resurrection? Well, you must be interested in resurrection because you are here and because it is the most important event in Christianity right? Paul said that if the resurrection didn’t happen then it is pointless to be a Christian. In fact, Paul said that it is not only pointless but foolish. 1 Corinthians 15:17. Now, if Paul elevated the resurrection to the point where without it our faith becomes USELESS then we ought to take the resurrection pretty seriously as well right? Don’t you love that word, resurrection? Let me say it a few more times, resurrection, resurrection, resurrection.

The body of Jesus was nowhere to be found after he had been resurrected (Lk. 24:3). The reason his body was nowhere to be found is because it had been recreated into the resurrected body which was later seen and touched (John 20:17). Paul gives details about the resurrected body in 1st Corinthians 15:50-55. In this passage Paul affirms that the resurrected body of the righteous will no endure any death or decay. Death will be destroyed and the body will never die.

The other day, I went to in and out with some friends and ate and the plan was to go to Walmart afterwards but for some reason the driver wasn’t heading in that direction. So my friend in the back said “Walmart is the other way.” Well the driver wasn’t paying much attention because she was fiddling with the radio and so my friend in backseat said it again “Walmart is the other way.” And the driver kept driving until a couple minutes later when she said “Wait a second Walmart is behind us” Both my friend in the back and I were thinking “duuuhhhh we tried to tell you that two times.” Often times I feel like that is what has happened to Resurrection in Christian theology. The Bible is constantly screaming Resurrection ****Ding ding ding*** resurrection and yet people keep talking about heaven, salvation, baptism, the importance of sharing your faith, and the wrath of God while resurrection sits in the back seat and says ****What about me? Hello, resurrection?

For many people, the idea that Jesus was raised from the dead (resurrected) serves as a proof positive that, to quote Dennis Green “he was who he said he was“. That’s it. Hardly ever do I hear Christians talking about the resurrection of the dead, rather it is always about going to heaven. IE: We will make it to heaven one day if we trust in Jesus. For many the resurrection is only significant in that it shows God as the winner and that we can count on him to get us into heaven. But is that all there is to the story? Doesn’t that sort of thinking lead to the kind of people who are so “heavenly minded, that they’re no EARTHLY good?” Why clean the brass on a sinking ship? Why recycle when this earth will be destroyed? Why stay in shape when really it’s all about going to heaven and getting an immaterial body while sitting on the clouds and playing harps? Why care about the environment or relationships when heaven is around the corner? It is easy to be obsessed with the after-life when the NOW-life isn’t flowing the way we’d like. It is even easier to manipulate our theology into hope for a better tomorrow by forgetting about today. Doesn’t the Resurrection provide any hope for TODAY? Doesn’t the Resurrection make any kind of difference in who I am or what I do now? It seems to me that there is a major disconnect between the Resurrection of Jesus and our hope in Christianity. That is, how many people would say that there hope is to be resurrected? Don’t most Christians say they’re hope is to “go to heaven?” Many people are obsessed with going to heaven yet going to heaven is not the most important goal in Scriptures. N.T. Wright says “Heaven is important but it isn’t the end of the world.”

Hasn’t the gospel become a guilt exchange for a ticket to heaven? It is such a simple transaction right? I call it the “Generally Accepted Assurance Paradigm” (GAAP), Jesus paid the penalty for our sins thereby insuring a free-ride into heaven? I know that there is obviously more to the story but some would argue that the basic message is what I have written in the previous sentence. Jesus + guilt reduction = Heaven

So what happens to the Resurrection in that equation? Is it even mentioned? What role does Resurrection play in the day to day life of a Christian?

For example, the hope of most Christians today is that they will some day make it into heaven. You hear it all the time right? “I’m saved, I know where I’m going.” Some claim that one cannot know whether or not they are saved but even their hope is to be saved. Isn’t it interesting that being saved is often times associated with going to heaven but not necessarily with being resurrected? Why is this? It is because Resurrection has taken a back seat in our current church climate. While the Resurrection certainly affirms that Jesus was who he said he was, it also plays a much bigger role in the grand narrative of scriptures and the course upon which our world is heading. How can we extrapolate this further?

The problem is that our resurrection theology is NOT connected to our day to day life in a natural way. It is sort of like going on a vacation to tell people that you went on a vacation. It doesn’t serve its own purpose. So what that you took a vacation? Did you enjoy yourself or rest? So what that Jesus was resurrected if heaven is the goal? What does Resurrection have to do with heaven?

Culture.

I have been involved with certain cultures that were repressive at best. For example, certain groups of people are very judgmental, insecure, and resistant to change. These cultures are driven by certain principles about the way the world works. There are all sorts of reasons for this climate and I’m simply stating the fact that they do exist. They exist and often times we find ourselves inside of them or dare I say endorsing them. Then someone comes along who is different than that culture and brings a new attitude. He or she, connects with those that others would not and lets those who aren’t necessarily in their field associate with him. They are, therefore, creating a new culture which is a lot more progressive because it allows for those who in the past were ignored to be heard. Those who were not listened to have something to contribute and they are by being heard opening the door to new possibilities. Granted some of those ideas may be bad but usually it has been the underneath person who sees what the high and mighty cannot see.

The resurrection is the ultimate hope for repressed cultures. The resurrection reminds us that something good can still come from the darkest of situations. The resurrection reminds us that our failing bodies will one day be renewed and that this isn’t the end of the situation. The resurrection reminds us that we should take care of our bodies and that we should take care of this earth because will keep it forever and ever. The resurrection is a sign of new life bursting forth in the midst of the dead. The resurrection is the life we all hope for.

Romans 8: 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3: 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there,(from there??????????, shouldn’t he have written, “to go there”) the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

John 5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

A couple passages that have riddled me for a while now are found in Luke 15:31 and 1 Corinthians 13:5b. In the discipline of hermeneutics, or as some call it, Bible study, there are many different barriers. Barriers to getting at the heart of what the text is actually saying. Some of those barriers can be dealt with very scientifically through understanding the background of the text, the grammatical construction, and various other methods for digging out the main point. However, there are some passages I come across that are beyond my bible study abilities. They take something of a moral study, they demand something of a moral fiber which will then connect the reader with the text. A thief understands another thief but hardly ever can an arrogant man understand the humble. So there are times during my Bible study where I’m forced to throw up my arms in defeat, sheepishly admitting that I am missing the moral fiber which is needed to experience a certain text. An example of this lack of moral fiber can be found in the two verses stated above. Both of these versus seem to be pretty straight forward and yet I am convinced that the depth of meaning is beyond where I’m at.

Luke 15: 31″ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

Hmm. Everything I have is yours? How does that work? What does that mean? Should we cease to work because we are guaranteed to already possess all that is worth possessing? Or do we try to have everything while possessing nothing? Do we move in the tension without depending on it? “Everything I have is yours”. Whoa. What if that is true? Do I give up my pursuits of justice, peace and mercy? How does he share all things and yet desire us to take things to the next level? My lack of clarity is an indicator.

1 Corinthians 13:5b “love is not self-seeking”. Who is not self-seeking? How do you seek without being self-seeking? Should no one seek at all? Can a person look without looking? What kind of release is necessary to be free from the things we want? How can we want and not be self-seeking? Moral fiber. Does my desire for a certain moral fiber disqualify me from attaining it?

Randomness on a precise day. Thoughts? Reactions?

I just finished reading a Severe Mercy and it is easily one of the best book I’ve EVER read. It is a rather difficult read, if you are not good at reading books which have a lot detailed imagery. However, if you can get past that, then you’ll enjoy a wonderful gift.

The book is about the love story between Sheldon Vanauken and his wife Jean ‘Davy’ Vanauken but truly it is about more then their love. It is about the motivating factor behind their love. I am no expert in love stories but this was one I could believe in. This love pointed to much more.

The couple fell in love while atheists and created all kinds of excellent elaborate schemes for securing their love. In fact there is a chapter called “The Shining Barrier (the Pagan Love) which highlights these rules. It is quite magnificent to read the attempt which is made at securing their love. CS Lewis was instrumental in their conversion and the book contains actual copies of letters he had written to Sheldon during his conversion.

I had to pause many times and meditate upon what I had just read. CS Lewis is extraordinarily succinct. If he had a blog, it wd. contain few words and v. deep thoughts. I don’t want to say much more about the book because I might botch it.

Here are a few quotes which I highlighted.

“One who has never been in love might mistake either infatuation or a mixture of affection and sexual attraction for being in love. But when the ‘real thing’ happens, there is no doubt. A man in the jungle at night, as someone said, may suppose a hyena’s growl to be a lion’s; but when he hears the lion’s grown, he knows damn’ well it’s a lion. So with the genuine inloveness. So with Davy and me. A sudden glory.” Pg. 29

“Our love of course seemed to us a miracle. First love always does the old, old story sung by poets and sneered at by wrinkled of heart. And yet it is a miracle, an unbelievable miracle, just as every springtime of the earth is a miracle.” Pg. 30

“What we did see was that jealousy is fear: it can corrode even if quite baseless.” Pg. 32

“Over-valued possessions, we decided, were a burden, possessing their owners.” Pg. 33

“But death is no respecter of love.” Pg. 44

“The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians – when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.” Pg. 85

“Some people run away from grief, go on world cruises or move to another town. But they do not escape, I think. The memories, unbidden, spring into their minds, scattered perhaps over the years. There is, maybe, something to be said for facing them all deliberately and straightaway. ” Pg. 195

“All our most lovely moments are perhaps timeless.” Pg. 201

“Disobedience is not the way to get nearer to the obedient.” Pg. 210

That is all for now. Check it out if you need another book to read.

This is a great website for more information. http://www.willvaus.com/sheldon_vanauken

This video can almost get me in tears every time I see it.

Or maybe there is something right with me? Maybe the New Orleans Saints point to their maker, their creator. The Creator of all things who himself is likened to a CHAMPION.

Psalm 19: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; ……………5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

A CHAMPION. A CHAMPION.

Religious People are like referees they never break a sweat, they never score any points, they never feel the highs and lows of the game, they just run around blowing their whistles. And when they retire nobody cares. – Matt Chandler