Will We Recognize Each Other in Heaven?
Posted on January 12, 2017 Leave a Comment
Art has done a lot to ruin the biblical image of heaven. Most images of heaven depict fat baby-people floating around in the clouds while playing harps. While this concept of heaven is common, it is anything but true. The Bible says nothing about heaven functioning as a place anything remotely like that…and thank the good Lord for that!
But because heaven is seen by many as this sort of ethereal, intangible existence, it has seriously messed up our picture of the place Jesus calls paradise. Though all Christians who die before the second coming of Christ are parted from their earthly bodies, that does not mean they continue on in some kind of completely non-physical or non-visual existence. Scripture says the opposite. Though deceased believers must wait until our bodies are resurrected to enjoy our fully redeemed and restored condition, those who are currently in heaven are still able to see and know each other, despite being separated from their earthly bodies.
A few examples from Scripture:
- Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man were all recognizable to each other after death (Luke 16:19-31). They all maintain their same identities, and are able to remember their past lives.
- When Moses and Elijah appeared on the mount of transfiguration, they were recognizable to Jesus, Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:3-4). In fact, this may indicate that we will somehow be able to immediately recognize people we have never even met before, since the disciples lived hundreds of years after these two men had walked the earth.
- A post-death appearance of Samuel the prophet was recognizable to king Saul (1 Samuel 28:8-17).
- Christians who have been martyred were seen by John the apostle during his heavenly vision in Revelation 6:9-11. These “souls” were “crying out”, meaning they could express themselves. They asked God when he would “avenge their blood”, meaning they could remember that they had been killed on earth, and were aware that God had not yet brought judgment on the earth. They were “each given a white robe”, which means they have some sort of out-of-their-earthly-body existence that still makes them visible and able to wear clothing. They were “told to wait a little longer”, which means even in heaven there is some concept of time.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 says “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” When we get to heaven and see Jesus face to face, our knowledge will increase, not decrease. Our awareness of God, ourselves, and each other will be clear, not muddled like it currently is.
All of these and more seem to make it clear that heaven is a place where people keep their earthly identities and memories. We do not transform into different people or become reincarnated. Rather, we are there who we are now, but separated from our earthly bodies (until they are resurrected at Jesus’ second coming, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), and away from the curse of sin on the earth. We will know each other and be known by each other, and will only grow in that knowledge for the rest of eternity.
Two Leadership Pitfalls to Avoid
Posted on January 4, 2017 Leave a Comment
Like many things in life, leadership styles tend to default toward extremes. Just as a person needs to balance things like hard work and rest, seriousness and levity, intellect and emotion, so leaders need to guard their leadership from falling into equal but opposite dangers.
The Timid Leader
Some leaders are simply too timid. Part of the calling of leadership is courage, assertiveness, and the ability to get it done. Leadership is inherently results-driven. The whole point of leadership is to move others toward a common goal, and if leaders are too timid, they will inevitably fail at what they are called to do.
A lack of leadership always creates a vacuum. If the appointed leader is too timid in carrying out their charges, someone else will step up and exert their own influence, even if they are never actually identified as the new “leader”. This happens in organizations and in churches all the time.
Some leaders are far too passive and lack the passion, zeal, and grit to carry out their responsibilities. Leadership is hard work, lonely, and emotionally draining. As such, many leaders are tempted to coast and settle for second-best. Over time, if not checked, this habit will strip a leader of their ability to influence others, and rather than driving the mission forward, they become a manager of the status quo.
Leaders with passive personalities, fear-of-man issues, and overly-sensitive egos are particularly prone to become too timid. It is important for every leader to know their own weaknesses and face them accordingly. Do you prefer to let others take the reigns simply because you are lazy? Do you take the path of least resistance? Are you afraid of making tough choices because of how others might respond to them? Do you get all worked up at conflict or criticism?
If so, that’s okay—we all have weaknesses—but you can’t let it control you. Leaders must be aware of their vulnerable spots and work on them. They must do the hard work of getting outside of their comfort zone on a regular basis and doing that which scares them.
The Tyrant Leader
On the other hand, some leaders use their power to become tyrants. They never feel timid or shy about exercising their authority. Instead, they over-use it to the point of crushing people. Tyrant leaders tend to have dominant personalities, and they don’t back down from a challenge. Unfortunately, this aggression can get the better of them. And while they are no doubt effective and moving things forward, they run over people in the process.
Christian leadership is unique from other forms of leadership in that the main “product” is people. We are not striving for bottom-lines or technological advancements, but spiritual life and growth in human beings. Therefore, if a leader runs over people in pursuit of a goal, they are pursuing the wrong goal.
Christian leaders who lean toward being more tyrant than timid need to be aware of their own weaknesses too. Tyrant leaders are often combative, unnecessarily harsh, and unable to discern when a tender word might be more effective than a harsh rebuke. After all, Jesus used both in his encounters with people.
Though it may not seem like it, tyrant leaders struggle with the same thing timid leaders do: fear. While fear causes the timid leader to shut down, it causes the tyrant leader to put up his dukes. As they say: fight or flight! Tyrant leaders fear failure, or sometimes they deal with insecurities that cause them to get their back up at perceived threats. Like timid leaders, they need to be aware of their own weaknesses and combat them directly.
Leadership in Balance
Healthy leaders are those that are neither timid nor tyrants. They aren’t overly soft, and they aren’t overly hard. They find the proper balance in the middle, where they are able to be firm but understanding, confident but humble, assertive but caring. They put people in places where they can flourish and contribute. Sometimes a leader needs to stick to their guns and not cave to what others think; other times they need to be more open-minded to the ideas of people around them. Discernment, humility, and wisdom are key to good leadership. These skills take time to hone, but a good leader is pressing after them.
While no leader will ever strike the perfect balance, we all need to keep away from the extremes we naturally gravitate towards. If leaders will allow God to guide them and speak to them, he will use imperfect people like us to advance the most important task on the planet, for the salvation of souls and the praise of his glory, not our own.
Reflection Questions
- Which do you naturally gravitate towards being: timid or tyrant?
- What tendencies make you come to that conclusion?
- Think of one or two examples when being too extreme caused a negative effect in your leadership. How could things have gone differently if you kept a better balance?
- What fears drive your leadership decisions?
- What is one practical thing you can do to avoid going overboard in your leadership style?
Canadian Teens: “I’m not the same person on Instagram that I am in real life”
Posted on December 15, 2016 Leave a Comment
It’s a changing world out there.
The National Post came out with a new study focusing on the online lives of teen guys in Canada. The study set out to discover what the digital world is like for today’s young men. When I read the article (which is composed 90% of quotes from teenagers), I was not shocked as much as I was saddened. As a youth pastor, I have seen the dark side of the digital revolution in the lives of young people close-up. It’s an ugly thing to behold. But when you listen to teenagers talk so frankly about the strange world that they are growing up in, and all of the ways they interact with it and how it affects them, it really does make your stomach turn.
The following are a few of my reflections on the article. However I would strongly encourage you to read it first—you can do so by clicking HERE.
- Online experiences are not all the same. Some of the teens quoted talk about how bullying or sexting dominate their digital lives. Others say they have never experienced either of these phenomenons. The internet seems to open up different worlds to different people. What causes this is not really known. Is it what the individual teens are willing to engage in? Is it the peer group to which they belong? Does their age, race, social status etc. have anything to do with it? It probably is a combination of factors. But one thing is clear: it would be a mistake to assume that one person’s online experience is everyone’s online experience.
- Many young people live dual lives. A common thread revealed in the study is that teens live in two worlds: the real one (home, school, sports, work) and the online one. For many, this is more than a different life experience. It is two different lives altogether. A lot of teens admit they are different people in person than they are online. This is concerning on many levels. But adults should be aware that just because a young person exhibits a particular character in person does not necessarily mean that is reflected in their online engagements.
- Sex is everywhere. No surprise here: sex dominates the internet. But it’s not just pornography that is out there; much of the sex that teens interact with online comes from people they know. Sending nude pictures (or at least sexually suggestive ones) is shockingly commonplace. One teen quoted in the study talks about getting many different nude pics from girls he knows and almost yawns at it. There’s so much out there that it seems boring. Whether or not teens are intentionally seeking out sexual content or simply stumbling across it, there’s no doubt that the internet and social media are overly-sexualized places.
- There’s so much pressure. Teen after teen talk about the pressure that comes in the digital world. Girls are pressured to be sexy. Guys are pressured to be macho. Everyone is pressured to be popular. In short, the social media experience for many teens is not a particularly enjoyable one. It’s actually more like a chore. The need to have a perfected online presence is dominant and leads young people to compromise on their values and stress out to get it.
- Fame is where it’s at. Speaking of popularity….social media is built on idea that everyone deserves to have themselves put out there, and the false premise that the world out there actually cares. The craving for likes and retweets becomes possessive for some. And this is starting at a younger and younger age. The Washington Post recently ran an article about the rise of kid bloggers and vloggers that I could barely get through without cringing to death. It’s so sad, but far too many young people build their lives on the approval of people they’ll never even meet.
- Teens are aware of the dangers, but often don’t heed them. One teen in the study tells how he started sharing nude pics with someone online who said they were a 16 year-old girl. Yet when he asked for some in return, she found reason after reason to decline. He says that he started to suspect that this person could be a 40 year-old man for all he knows….yet he still sends nude pictures to people online. This is just one head-scratching example of how young people are aware of the dangers of the internet, yet still use it in unsafe ways.
- Parents need to know what’s up. If there is any takeaway from this piece for those of us with young people in our care, it’s that we need to know what is going on in the digital lives of the teens that we care for. Not that we need to be a part of every single detail—to do so is virtually impossible—but we need to create ways to keep healthy dialogue open and aim to set good boundaries. This is easier said than done, but it is simply too important for us to ignore.
The world is an ugly place. Many teens are encountering it at a life-stage where they simply lack the maturity, wisdom, and self-confidence to make good decisions. The internet and social media has caused the veil to be lifted on the more perverse and debased sides of humanity, and literally millions of young people are being invited into this world and swept up in it. There’s probably not a lot we can do on a global scale to stop this, but there are little things we can do on a smaller scale. We can love teens. We can give them attention. We can affirm their admirable qualities. We can help them develop as human beings. We can provide healthy outlets for creativity and invention. We can make their real lives so fulfilling that their online one doesn’t dominate them. If we each do our part, we may not be able to change the world for everyone, but perhaps we can change the world for someone. And that is worth fighting for.
Finding Truth in a Post-Truth World
Posted on December 8, 2016 Leave a Comment
Oxford Dictionaries recently announced that their word of the year for 2016 is “post-truth”. The term is defined as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”. In other words, it means that people are more likely to form their beliefs not based on objective truth but on their own subjective feelings.
In my estimation, post-truth is a fitting choice for word of the year, because it captures a lot of how we see modern-day society functioning. While science is often championed as the conqueror over religion, you would think that would lead to a society that values objective truth over such flighty things as feelings. Yet that is not the case at all. We have a culture that is simultaneously jettisoning religion under the banner of science and reason while at the same time discovering and structuring values based on anything but science and reason.
In a sermon I preached on this subject recently, I used the example of Harambe. In case you missed it, in May of 2016 a three-year-old child managed to climb into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo and was the subject of one curious gorilla named Harambe. The child was in the enclosure for about 10 minutes, during which time the animal, on a few different occasions, grabbed the child by the leg and dragged him through the moat, coming perilously close to whacking the child’s head against rocks in the process. And while the gorilla seemed to have no particular interest in harming the child, it is also obvious that the child’s safety was in danger, and as a result the zoo staff shot and killed Harambe to save the boy’s life.
Given the outcry from much of the public over the killing, you would think that a living legend had been unjustly shot down in the streets by bloodthirsty gang members. Harambe became an overnight celebrity, dominating internet conversation and social media outlets, having statues erected in his memory, and launching a variety of Harambe-themed memorabilia for purchase. In addition, both the parents and the zoo came under severe criticism. A petition was started to have the “negligent” parents charged for the gorilla’s murder. Likewise, the zoo staff were subject to critique by those who felt that other measures could have been taken in order to spare the gorilla’s life.
However, this response seems to be out-of-step with the reality of the situation. What we know about the facts of the incident help us get a better picture of what was really going on here.
- Fact: The gorilla enclosure met zoo safety regulation standards and was inspected at least twice a year.
- Fact: The enclosure had never been breached in the 38 years of existence at the Cincinnati Zoo.
- Fact: Silverback gorillas possess the strength of six men and can literally crush a coconut with one hand.
- Fact: A three-year-old child being dragged by such an animal in a terrain of water, rocks, and trees is in significant danger of being harmed or killed.
- Fact: The zoo staff rang the gong that the gorilla’s are trained to respond to by going into the inner part of the enclosure. Two of the gorillas obeyed; Harambe uncharacteristically did not.
- Fact: Tranquilizing an animal of that size takes about 10 minutes to take effect. It also (not surprisingly) agitates the animal and can make them aggressive.
- Fact: No one knew the behaviour of Harambe better than his keepers, who are on record as saying he was confused and acting erratically.
- Fact: Most of the people who criticized the zoo know nothing about gorillas and had never seen Harambe in person.
- Fact: No one wanted to shoot the gorilla less than the zoo staff who have dedicated their lives to his survival and care.
All of this is to say that, using this story as an exemplary scenario, we can see how the world that we live in is increasingly post-truth. Facts don’t shape public opinion. Feelings do.
And an entire generation that grew up watching Tarzan be raised by animated gorillas is evidently not prepared to recognize the obvious: that a child’s life was in serious danger, and shooting the animal was an unfortunate but necessary course of action.
The situation we find ourselves in is of our own creation. We have done this to ourselves. When we set up our highest educational institutions to teach young people that truth doesn’t exist and is only relative, we can only look into the cultural mirror to find the culprit of fostering such insanity. The same professor who lectures at length about how there is no such thing as objective truth goes home and grounds his 12 year-old for not obeying his order to clean his room. How badly I want that child to turn to his hypocritical father and declare, “clean is relative”. While there are obviously situations where truth is relative (saying “Tommy is tall” only is true in relation to what you are comparing him to), it is also true that as a society we live with basic agreed upon standards of measurement that help us function in everyday life. Sure, it is technically true that “clean is relative”, but the father can retort with “you know what I meant” and still enforce a fair punishment, knowing full-well that his son knows full-well what he meant by the command “clean your room”.
Truth is real. There is such a thing as objective reality. And if we dispense with such a notion, we do so at our own peril. We do so with great hypocrisy, since every person on the planet functions in everyday life as if truth were a knowable reality.
While it is bothersome that the wider culture is willing to embrace such nonsense, it is truly unconscionable that this has crept into the Christian church. The church is supposed to be a pillar and buttress of truth (1 Timothy 3:15), and yet has capitulated to the sway of society on such essential grounds as the existence of truth. While many Christians will not come out with the boldness of Pontius Pilate and snidely retort “What is truth?” in the face of Jesus, our actions and words still send a similar message. Far too much of the Christian church has done away with or minimized the importance and knowability of truth. Scripture warns that such a thing would occur:
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
An increasing number of people within the church will grow tired of the truth, and will seek out teachers and preachers who will instead affirm what their sinful hearts already want to hear. So now we have Christian leaders who will bless homosexuality, embrace the equality of all religions, and deny the existence of hell. Why? Not because such things are true (they aren’t), but because that’s what will scratch people where they itch. Ungodly church leadership has cowered under the pressure of society’s expectations and morphed the message of the gospel into something that it isn’t.
We are post-truth because the truth confronts us. It forces us to humble ourselves and change, but we are simply unwilling to do so. As a result, we conveniently discard the truth and replace it with our own subjective feelings. We take as real whatever goes along with our momentary whims. But we are injuring ourselves as a result. Human beings were not meant to flourish under the cloud of deception. They were meant to flourish in the light of truth. We do ourselves a disservice when we put our own feelings above the truth. It can lead to nothing but self-destruction on both an individual and cultural level.
My plea is that we would become lovers of the truth. That we would allow the truth to confront our false beliefs and distorted feelings and rather than resist it, embrace it. In doing so we will experience what Jesus himself promised, that we would know the truth, and have the truth set us free.
4 Kinds of Churches
Posted on November 29, 2016 1 Comment
Churches come in all shapes, styles, and sizes, and we should not judge churches based on such trivial matters as these. But that is not to say that all churches are equal. Quite the contrary, not all churches are equal, as can be seen by reading Jesus’ scathing reviews of seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. The reality is that some churches are better than others, but the question is, how can we evaluate that?
Here I propose one model of evaluation. It is not the model, but hopefully it is a helpful model in terms of simplicity and usefulness. I am suggesting that we judge churches based on three different categories of Christian life, and how those three categories relate to each other. These categories first came to me from Mark Yarhouse, though I am not sure if they are his idea or taken from elsewhere. Nevertheless, it has helped me think through what makes churches stack up so differently from one another.
Category #1 – Believe
True Christianity is comprised in part of true doctrine. To be a believer, one must necessarily believe certain things. This is one category of Christian living.
Category #2 – Behave
True Christianity also contains a set of moral standards for our behaviour. It is not enough to just believe the right things, because our actions must line up with our knowledge. This is another category of Christian living.
Category #3 – Belong
Churches are by definition communities. They are partly social entities where relationships can and should be fostered. Having a church family is a necessary component of the Christian life.
Using these three categories and how they relate to one another, we can determine four basic kinds of churches and better understand how they function.
The Fundamentalist Church
behave –> belong
I use the word fundamentalist here in a negative sense. A fundamentalist church’s top priority is morality. They place a premium on Christian ethical standards and demand people live up to them—even if those people are not Christians. These are the churches that try to impose their moral views on the culture around them, and once people shape up, then they are permitted to be a part of the church. You belong only once you behave the way we demand. In many fundamentalist churches, whether or not someone actually believes the gospel is not that important. In fact, these churches don’t really seem to understand what the gospel is anyways. They are likened to the Pharisees of the New Testament, focused on external obedience and not inward renewal.
The Liberal Church
belong
Liberal churches are really not that interested in doctrine. They usually follow the sway of culture when it comes to their beliefs and moral standards. All they really want is to create a place where anyone can belong. They are driven by relationships at the expense of truth and holiness. Their goal is not to make people feel welcome in order to share the gospel with them, as much as to make people feel comfortable for the sake of personal peace and happiness. The language of Christianity—Jesus, love, grace—is mainly a veneer to make it seem like biblical Christianity, when in reality it is not.
The Safe Church
behave –> believe –> belong
The safe church is truly interested in evangelism. They want people to receive the gospel and so be saved. The problem is that they are only willing to tolerate non-Christians who are already relatively moral people. If you are basically an upstanding citizen, then you are welcome within our walls. Once there, we aim for your conversion, at which point you really become one of us. But if you are someone who is inconvenient to love and don’t present an aura of respectability when you first show up, then you will find these churches a lot more reluctant to take on a messy challenge like the one you present.
The Missional Church
belong –> believe –> behave
The missional church, like the safe church, desires true conversion. But they are willing to bring among them people who are far from God right away, without any moral standards being imposed on them first. Missional churches are full of people you might never expect to be in church, because they are willing to accept you as you are in order to be one of them. But they also have no intention of letting you stay where you are; they want to see you repent of sin and come to faith in Christ, and then out of that genuine faith grow in a life of holiness. In other words, missional churches open their doors to anyone, trusting that God will, in his own timing, bring about true faith and a life of change.
I suppose that this 3-category model could help define several other types of churches. I also suppose that this model force-fits certain churches into overly-simplified characterizations that lack nuance. Any time to you try to simplify things, it will have limitations. Yet I have found that how churches relate the categories of belief, behaviour, and belonging is important and clarifying.
In my own estimation, the missional church is the closest model to biblical Christianity. Christ himself was often chastised for hanging out with social outcasts, the tax collectors and Pharisees of his day. He did this before they repented of sin, and before they believed on him for salvation. This means that we must give people a place to belong and forge relationships just as they are.
But Jesus wasn’t just into relationships for the sake of relationships. He had an end goal in mind. He desired their repentance and faith. He wanted people to be born-again and then walk in the new life that the Spirit had wrought in their hearts. And as best as I can tell, that means Jesus exemplified the model of belong –> believe –> behave. If I am accurate in my assessment, then I hope to be a part of a church that follows Christ’s lead. The term “missional” is disposable; it’s the concept that matters. But if missional is a word that captures the essence of the ministry of Jesus, then I hope to imitate it as best as I can and facilitate a church that does the same.
The Self-Centred Gospel of Glennon Doyle Melton
Posted on November 22, 2016 4 Comments
Image from oprah.com
The book of Jude is one of the most interesting in the New Testament. This short epistle opens up by Jude explaining that he is going to address an ugly, controversial issue (false teachers in the church) because he feels like he has to, though he would much rather write about the great gift of salvation in Christ.
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 1:3)
I feel the exact same way whenever I write something like this. I don’t like to criticize people. I don’t like to do the ugly, controversial work of saying negative things about other people. But sometimes it can be necessary for the greater good. I hope that this is the case here.
Glennon Doyle Melton became famous in Christian circles first for her “mommy blog”, where she writes mainly for women on all sorts of subjects, from housework to body image to family to addictions. Her audience grew quickly, and it is estimated that her blog reaches roughly 7 million readers per week. Since then she’s written 3 books, her most recent of which has become a New York Times best-seller and is part of the Oprah Book Club. She also is a frequent guest speaker, particularly at women’s conferences. Simply put, her voice is out there and has influence on a lot of people.
There’s a lot to like about Glennon. She’s an extremely gifted writer; articulate, winsome, and witty. When reading her, there’s absolutely no doubt that she is a caring person and genuinely wants to help people. Her writing is shockingly vulnerable, brutally honest almost to a fault. But that is part of the attraction—as she opens up about all the ups and downs of her personal life, it resonates with others who face similar obstacles. No topic is off limits with her, as she talks openly about her struggles with alcoholism, binge-eating, mental illness, thoughts of suicide, and significant marital strife.
Her message is one of unconditional love and acceptance, both of others and of self. This combination of gifted writing, openness on issues many are hush-hush about, and positivity, makes for quite the enjoyable recipe. No wonder her impact has spread so far.
But therein lies the problem. While Doyle Melton sets out to free women from their own self-made cages, she does so in a way that is, in my own estimation, entirely unbiblical. This would be no big deal except that Glennon absolutely professes to be a follower of Christ. It’s one thing to get false messages from unbelievers, but when it comes from within the church, that’s a whole different story.
There are a few reasons why Glennon’s influence worries me. For one, before the release of her latest book—in which she details at length the struggles of her marriage including her husband’s porn addiction and adultery—she announced on her blog that she was leaving her husband. This seems strange, since the book was largely about not giving up on a rocky marriage. She explains on her blog:
But what can happen over time is this: You wake up one day and realize that you have put yourself back together completely differently. That you are whole, finally, and strong – but you are now a different shape, a different size. This sort of change — the change that occurs when you sit inside your own pain — it’s revolutionary. When you let yourself die, there is suddenly one day: new life. You are Different. New. And no matter how hard you try, you simply cannot fit into your old life anymore. You are like a snake trying to fit into old, dead skin, or a butterfly trying to crawl back into the cocoon, or new wine trying to pour itself back into an old wineskin. This new you is equal parts undeniable and terrifying.
Because you just do not fit. And suddenly you know that. And you have become a woman who doesn’t ignore her knowing. Who doesn’t pretend she doesn’t know. Because pretending makes you sick. And because you never promised yourself an easy life, but you did promise yourself a true one. You did promise – back when you were putting yourself back together – that you’d never betray you again.
Now, far be it from me to accuse her of a wrongful divorce. She technically has biblical grounds for a divorce. But what seems strange is that this happens after her and her husband started to heal their relationship. And the explanation she gives quoted above is mainly about herself: how staying in a relationship where she didn’t fit would be a betrayal of the new, true her.
Perhaps you could argue that I’m being too harsh or reading between the lines too much. And you might be justified in saying that, up to this point. But the plot twist that comes next changes the story. Glennon announced earlier this month on her Facebook page that she is in a relationship (only a few months after leaving her husband) with a woman. Actually, not that it necessarily matters, with a famous female soccer player. Then again, maybe it does matter. She explains:
Now we are entering a new time which calls for a different type of leadership. And now it is my job as a leader not to concern myself too deeply about what you think and feel about me- about the way I live my life. That is what I want to model now, because that is what I want for YOU: I want you to grow so comfortable in your own being, your own skin, your own knowing – that you become more interested in your own joy and freedom and integrity than in what others think about you. That you remember that you only live once, that this is not a dress rehearsal and so you must BE who you are. I want you to refuse to betray yourself. Not just for you. For ALL OF US. Because what the world needs — in order to grow, in order to relax, in order to find peace, in order to become brave — is to watch one woman at a time live her truth without asking for permission or offering explanation. The most revolutionary thing a woman can do is not explain herself.
These are startling words coming from a Christian leader. Essentially she says that she gets to do whatever she thinks will bring her the most fulfillment and peace in life, and she doesn’t give a rip about what you think because she doesn’t answer to you. And, on top of that, you don’t answer to anyone either, so don’t feel like you ever need to explain yourself or justify your actions to anyone.
While there is a measure of truth in living by your own convictions, and not letting others around you dictate your life, there is also an extreme in the other direction to be avoided. The reality is that Christians are accountable to one another. We are supposed to hold each other to biblical standards of morality and doctrine. We do answer to God and to each other. God has placed us in communities of accountability for our own good. Yet Doyle Melton seems bent on removing any sense of accountability whatsoever. She’s advocating for a kind of moral code that sees the highest good as pleasing yourself and being true to who you are, despite any objections from others. While this may sound good to the ears, it is most certainly not biblical Christianity.
This pains me because this kind of self-centred gospel of freedom offers no gospel and no freedom at all. Christ did not call us to be true to ourselves, but rather to deny ourselves. In doing so, he promised we would find true life (Mark 8:34-35). This means that what Glennon advocates for is the exact opposite of what Christ calls us to. She offers not the denial of self, but the unmitigated fulfillment of self. And she suggests that in being true to ourselves we will find life, when in fact Jesus promises that in doing so we would lose it. Plainly speaking, she is someone who is inverting the message of Jesus Christ while doing so as a “Christian leader”. Therefore, we have an obligation to say it like it is: Glennon Doyle Melton is a false teacher leading people away from Christ, not towards him.
I hope that does not remain the case. I hope that she repents and discovers that the true life she seeks will come from an unwavering commitment to Christ, and not to self. I hope that she will realize that the glory of God is the goal of every Christian, and that pursuing that goal, even at great cost to oneself, is the most fulfilling life possible.
There are other issues that I’ve seen in her life and teachings. She advocates for a sort of social gospel. She refers to God as “her”. She evidently believes that same-sex relationships are morally acceptable in God’s eyes. But as I see it, these are merely symptoms of a heart that is refusing to adopt the Lordship of Christ in every area of life, and a penchant for self-love at the expense of how it may affect others or rob God of glory. It’s unfortunate, but I hope it’s not the last chapter of her story.
I really don’t like saying these kinds of things. I would much rather talk about Christ, his sacrificial love for sinners like Glennon and you and I, his death on the cross to forgive our sins. I would much rather praise God and tell of his greatness, that he offers eternal life to all those who repent and believe the gospel. But sometimes there are moments when, like Jude says, it is necessary to address a pressing problem. I hope that I have done so in a spirit of fairness and truth and love. I sincerely hope that Glennon finds what she is looking for, though I am sure she is looking for it in the wrong places. As she wrote about her new lesbian relationship:
What I need you to know — and what I know you need to know — is that I am deeply, finally, FINE. Fine through my bones and soul and mind and just every fiber of me.
Sadly, what she fails to see is that her new lover isn’t what will finally make her “fine”. The wholeness that she wrongly believes she has found in her girlfriend is only found in Christ. Not only do I pray that she comes to that realization, I pray that those who are influenced by her would be led by God to discover the truth.
Christ is better than anything this world has to offer. The only way we can have him and experience life to fullest is to get outside of our own self-centred world and value Jesus above all else. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear what God would have to say to us in his Word, and not be led astray by our own selfish desires.
What is God Like?
Posted on November 16, 2016 1 Comment
It’s one of the most important questions in the universe: What is God like? Getting the answer to this question right matters if we care about truth, life, humanity, and happiness. The following is some of what God is like, with support from the Bible, and a few practical implications of each point. I’m sure a lot more could be said, but hopefully this is a good start.
There is Only One God
- Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
- Deuteronomy 4:35, 39 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him….[39] know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
- James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
Practical implications
- It’s possible to believe in or worship a false god.
- Simply believing in God is not enough. Even demons believe that! We must not only believe in the one true God but also love and obey him (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
God is the Creator of All
- Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
- Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
- John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Practical implications
- It is wrong to believe that the universe and human beings came about through purely evolutionary means.
- As created beings we have a life purpose.
- As created beings we are accountable to our Creator.
God is Holy
- Leviticus 19:2 Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
- Isaiah 6:3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
- Psalm 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Practical implications
- God never makes mistakes, never lies, never does anything wrong.
- God is worthy of worship, devotion, and trust.
- We do not belong in God’s presence, because our unholiness is offensive and contrary to his holiness.
- God is uniquely qualified to be our judge and to choose fitting punishments for wrongdoing, as well as fitting rewards for righteousness.
- God is just; he will let no wrong go unpunished; he will always do the right thing.
God is Sovereign (In Control)
- Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
- Daniel 4:35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
- Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
Practical implications
- We cannot thwart God’s plans.
- Nothing happens apart from God’s permission.
- God is steering human history towards his own appointed end for it.
- God is powerful enough to bring good from something bad.
God is Eternal
- Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
- Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
- Romans 16:26 [God’s truth] has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God…
Practical implications
- He had no beginning and will have no end.
- God is self-sufficient. He relies on nothing outside of himself for existence, meaning, or happiness.
- He knows the past, present, and future.
God is Immutable (Unchanging)
- Malachi 4:6 For I the LORD do not change…
- James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
- Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Practical implications
- God is not moody; he is consistent.
- God’s promises hold fast. He will not change his mind about them.
- God can be trusted.
- God is the greatest source of stability in the universe.
God is Omniscient (All-Knowing)
- Psalm 139:1-4 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! [2] You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. [3] You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. [4] Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
- Isaiah 46:9-10 …I am God, and there is none like me, [10] declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done
- 1 John 3:20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
Practical implications
- God know everything there is to know.
- He knows everything about you. We should let this affect the way we live and pray.
- God is not surprised by anything.
- God knows the outcomes of his decisions before he makes them.
- God is not naive to anything.
God is Omnipotent (All-Powerful)
- Jeremiah 32:17 Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
- Job 42:2 I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
- Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.
Practical implications
- God can do anything he wants, so long as it does not contradict his own nature.
- God can answer any prayer if he so chooses, no matter how impossible it seems to us.
- Nothing can overpower God’s plan or works.
- Evil will not win out in the universe.
God is Omnipresent (Everywhere)
- Jeremiah 23:24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.
- Psalm 139:7-12 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? [8] If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! [9] If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, [10] even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. [11] If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” [12] even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
- Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Practical implications
- You are never really alone.
- God sees everything everyone does and thinks.
- You’ll never be able to escape God, no matter how hard you try. You’ll only ever be ignoring him.
- God cares about his creation; he did not abandon us, nor will he ever do so.
God is Love
- 1 John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
- Romans 5:8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Practical implications
- All love in the universe has its origin in God.
- God must necessarily hate the things that destroy what he loves.
- God does nothing out of revenge or uncontrolled anger.
- Love is the highest good.
- God loved us before we loved him. He is the initiator of a loving relationship with him.
- God’s love is most powerfully displayed in the cross of Christ, where God died to atone for the sins of the world, that we might be restored to him.
How Are Christians “More Than Conquerors”?
Posted on November 14, 2016 1 Comment
It’s a phrase that gets thrown around quite a bit by Christians, usually in the midst of a rah-rah speech meant to build up believers and help them gain some God-given confidence. It might sound something like, Don’t let the negatives in life get you down! You can choose to be bitter or you can choose to be better. You can rise above it all. Your end is not defeat. Your end is victory! You are more than a conqueror!
While that sounds all well and good, I’m worried that a lot of people don’t actually know what they mean when they say “you are more than a conqueror”. That’s a statement that comes from the Bible, but I fear that it might be dreadfully misused. This is the verse in full:
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)
Any good Bible teacher will tell you that to get the meaning of a verse you first need to look at the context. So I offer up a few quick observations of the surrounding context.
1. Our victory comes through Christ.
It is significant to note that we are more than conquerors “through him who loved us”. We are not, in ourselves, conquerors. But in Christ we are. So the victory that this verse speaks of is not our own doing, but by the power of God.
2. The victory we experience is mainly an experience of God’s love.
What does the conqueror enjoy? The very next verses tell us:
[38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The word “for” at the beginning of verse 38 is key. We are more than conquerors—why? For nothing will separate us from God’s love. That is the spoil of the victor.
3. The victory comes through trials, not in the absence from them.
The verses preceding this passage set up the context of the battle we are in:
[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [36] As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
So the believers here are in various severe trials, and “in all these things” they are more than conquerors. And this is where I think some Christians get it wrong. They tend to use the “more than conquerors” promise to believe that they are in control of their lives and able to defeat and escape all the challenges that come their way. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! Christians are not conquerors in the absence of trials, but rather in the midst of them.
Why say “MORE than conquerors”?
So it’s safe to establish that the conquering which Christians experience is that the trials of life will never separate them from God’s love. That is the victory. So why does the verse say we are more than conquerors? Why doesn’t it just say, we are conquerors? What can be better than conquest? What’s the next level? What is the “more” promised here?
Some suggest (like those here) that being more than a conqueror simply expresses the scope of defeat. It was not a victory by a slim margin, but a total annihilation of the enemy. Just as an overmatched hockey team might lose 10-0, we also are not just victors, but victors by a long shot!
While I think that’s a valid view, it’s not what I think the verse means. Pastor John Piper offers another view which I think is very compelling. In his perspective, the difference between being a conqueror and more than a conqueror is something like this: a conqueror is one who defeats his enemies and eliminates their threat, but one who is more than a conqueror has not only defeated his enemies and eliminated their threat, but also subdues them and makes them his servants.
In the context of Christian living, this then means that the trials we face are not only defeated, but actually serve our greater good. The threat that trials bring is not only eliminated, but is turned upside down and becomes a helper. A foe becomes a friend.
Here’s a practical illustration. Say you are facing a significant trial in life. The devil’s intention with that trial is to discourage you, destroy you, and crush your faith. But because of Christ, you will not only withstand that trial (and thus be a conqueror), the trial will actually end up making you stronger as a result, and aid you in running your race with Christ (and thus be more than a conqueror). The enemy that threatened you is now that which serves your good.
This is exactly what the apostle Paul experienced in 2 Corinthians 12. He describes how he was pained with a “thorn in the flesh”. We are not told the exact nature of this “thorn”. Was it a person? A physical malady? A demonic spirit? It is up for debate. Regardless, he prayed three times for God to take it away, and each time God essentially said “no”. God’s exact response: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
What was Paul’s reaction to this? [9] …Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
In other words, Paul looked at his trial and rather than simply trying to endure through it, he saw it as an occasion to see Christ’s power all the more. He turned a trial into an opportunity. He not only conquered, but became more than a conqueror.
This is the consistent pattern of Scripture. Trials are not just things to be endured but the chosen methods of God to grow us and build us into the people he wants us to be.
[2] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)
So make no mistake about it, fellow Christian. You are more than a conqueror. No, that doesn’t mean your life will be trial free. It’s actually much better than that! Your life will be full of trials that God will use to make you a better Christian than if you had not had to go through them at all. His love, which nothing can separate you from, will be experienced all the more as the things Satan intends to take you down with are used to build you up. You don’t just defeat your enemy. You make him your servant. Such is the power of Christ for those who know him!
The Day Before All Hell Breaks Loose…Or Maybe Not?
Posted on November 7, 2016 Leave a Comment
Tomorrow is the 2016 election day for the United States of America, and it is expected that either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be voted in as the next President. As a Canadian who has been able to watch this whole saga unfold from a relatively close distance without actually being in the middle of it, I would have to say this is easily the most interesting political situation I have witnessed in my relatively short life. Despite all the hoopla going down these last several months, I have been virtually silent on the whole issue other than the occasional conversation with people I know in real life. Not that I expect anyone to really give 2 cents about what I think, I nevertheless offer up a few observations for your consideration.
1. Which candidate should a Christian vote for?
Despite what you may think, there is only one right answer to this question. The only right answer is that there is no right answer to this question.
God has given us through his Word guiding principles for how we should make decisions on matters that are not directly addressed in Scripture. This is one such case. There is no direct call in the Bible for how Christians should vote in a democratic society, probably because the authors of the Bible knew of no such society. So we are left to take biblical principles and apply them to our decisions.
There are lots of viewpoints. One is to abstain from voting altogether. Another is to vote for who you think is the lesser of two evils. Another is to vote for whomever is going to reduce the likelihood of abortions. Another is to consider that a Presidential candidate must have Christian character, and thus vote for neither of them but a write-in who meets that criteria. And the list goes on.
The truth is that all of these views are biblically acceptable. It boils down to a matter of conscience. The Spirit of God will lead each individual Christian to vote as he chooses. God will also guide the hearts of unbelievers, even though they won’t be aware of it. And ultimately the candidate that gains office will be the one whom God has raised up at this point in time.
2. God is behind all of this.
Believe it or not, God is in control of this whole mess.
“He removes kings, and sets up kings.” (Daniel 2:21)
If you think that sounds controversial, consider that neither Clinton or Trump are anywhere near the level of crazy that other kings were whom God raised up in biblical times. Vicious tyrants like Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Herod, Alexander the Great, and so on, all came to power under the rulership of God. Their wickedness, for which they are responsible, was part of a larger plan that God used in the unfolding events of history. The exact same thing is at play before our eyes. Though it really is mind-blowing that the two best people America could produce for Presidency somehow ended up being these two individuals, it is not so surprising knowing that God has allowed these kinds of things to happen in the past to serve his purposes.
3. Is this a sign of the end times?
Maybe. There are some good reasons to believe that we are moving towards the last days as the Bible lays them out. But I wouldn’t be too quick to assume that. The return of Christ has delayed for over 2,000 years, and at many points over the centuries Christians have thought themselves to be living in the last days. While it wouldn’t surprise me that a turn of events like this could be an essential link in the chain that leads to the eventual rise of the anti-Christ, we simply don’t know for sure if that will be the case. Who knows? Could America, and the rest of the world, not see from this a revival in Christianity that goes global, before later seeing another collapse bringing the end? And another cycle after that? And then another? I don’t believe that Bible is definitive either way.
4. As Christians, we are called to pray for and submit to governing authorities.
God is shockingly clear that believers are called to obey the government:
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. [2] Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. (Romans 13:1-2)
And also:
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, [14] or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. [15] For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (1 Peter 2:13-15)
The only exception is on matters that directly contradict the commands of God. The apostles, for example, disobeyed authority when they were told to stop preaching the gospel:
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)
Similarly, the three young Hebrews refused to participate in government-forced pagan worship:
“…be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18)
Christians are also commanded to pray for those who are in authority:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3] This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior… (1 Timothy 2:1-3)
Put together, the biblical portrait is that Christians ought to obey the government, pray for those in positions of leadership, and thus lead peaceful and quiet lives. Once a candidate takes over office, we will see how seriously American Christians take these words.
5. Don’t forget your true citizenship.
For all who are Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). Earth is not our home. We are strangers and aliens and exiles on the earth (Ephesians 2:19, Hebrews 11:13), and that means that we don’t really belong here. Because we are united to Christ, we are not of this world. Heaven is our home, and we are mere passerbys sojourning on earth for a brief time.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing for me to see as this election has unfolded is that so many Christians in America seem to put their hope in the government, rather than God. They believe that electing the right official will be the answer to their de-Christianized nation. They assume that the President can put into place Christian values and thereby stop the country from going to hell in a handbasket.
But hear me on this: what will make America great, or any other nation of this world, is not anything the government can do, but only what the Church of Christ can do. It does not ultimately matter who is in power, because all human powers are subject to the power that lives in us, the power of God. Our world will not be saved by legislating morality. It will be saved through hearts that are transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So while it matters who the next President is, it does not matter more than—or even remotely close to—whether or not Christians in America and around the world are bearing witness with their lives to the beauty and glory of God, calling upon him in fervent prayer, and focusing on the evangelization of our neighbours, family, and friends in everyday life.
Fellow believer, don’t be fooled. The President isn’t the greatest power in America. You are, because the Spirit of God is in you!
So, yes, consider how to vote. Pray it through. Weigh the options and decide carefully. But don’t spend nearly the energy, time, or effort on that as you do serving in your local church, loving your neighbour, praying for people, living for Christ, and sharing the good news. Don’t allow yourself to get off track. All hell already has broken loose; it happened in the Garden of Eden.
The Church is here to bring the light, so whether the world around you seems to be getting darker or not, keep on shining!
499 Years of Reformation
Posted on October 31, 2016 Leave a Comment
Today marks the 499th year since Martin Luther unintentionally sparked the Protestant Reformation. Noticing what he deemed to be beliefs and actions from the Catholic Church that were contrary to true Christianity, Luther penned his 95 theses and nailed it to the door of Wittenberg Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, 1517.
It was a relatively small gesture that sent Christianity and the modern world in a whole new direction. To this very day, Catholics and Protestants are still divided over certain doctrinal and ecclesiastical differences. Though there have been many attempts over the centuries to find full reconciliation—including some current-day efforts by Pope Francis—the Reformation continues forward without finding satisfactory resolution.
What’s the Reformation All About?
Luther’s primary issues in his 95 theses were twofold: the emphasis on indulgences and the abuse of papal authority.
Indulgences are Catholic sacraments which can alleviate some of the temporal punishment of sin. Though Catholics believe that confession and repentance will absolve one of the guilt of sin (and thus deliverance from hell), that does not mean that further temporal punishment may not be necessary. This temporary punishment can be paid off in this life and, if it is not done so in full, is exacted in purgatory.
Enter into this scenario “indulgences”, methods by which a sinner can absolve themselves or loved ones of temporary guilt. In Luther’s day, the main way indulgences were obtained was through monetary payment. A convenient system, don’t you think? If you don’t want to suffer in purgatory for a while, or you don’t want that for a deceased loved one, just give the church some money and they will declare you to be off the hook.
Luther saw this as a serious affront to Christianity. He believed it was a manipulative scheme to acquire wealth, preyed on vulnerable and poverty-stricken people, and diminished the work of Christ’s wrath-bearing sacrifice on the cross. Not to mention, if the church really did have the power to alleviate the temporary punishment of sinners at will…why did they not extend that grace freely, but instead profit from it?
Another issue was that of papal authority. Luther accused the Catholic Church, and in particular the popes, of abusing their authority and overstepping their God-given bounds. He saw that they established the traditions of men as being on par with the teaching of God’s Word and wrongly placed the Church as a mediator between sinners and God. Luther strongly believed in what is commonly known as “the priesthood of all believers”, which is a doctrine that teaches that every Christian has direct access to God the Father through Jesus Christ, and does not need the intercessory work of a priest or church or anyone else to have a real relationship with God.
An Evolving Reformation
Luther was not the first to take issue with the Catholic Church over some of these issues, and he would not be the last. Evidently, his critique of the Church resonated with some and quickly sprang into a movement which it doesn’t appear he really expected it to snowball in to. As the Reformation gained steam, the split between Catholics and what we now call Protestants grew and developed. Other disagreements besides those mentioned in the 95 theses cropped up, including:
- The canonization of saints
- Praying to Mary
- The perpetual virginity of Mary
- The immaculate conception of Mary
- The books canonized in the New Testament
- The existence and function of purgatory
- The office and authority of the Pope
- The role of the Bible and tradition in church authority
- And, most significantly, the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone
The last three of these probably constitute the majority of the discussion between Catholics and Protestants today, and represent the most significant divides. As we enter into the 499th year of the Reformation, there is still enough lack of agreement on these central issues that the two branches of Christianity don’t typically mingle very well.
How Should We Think About These Things?
There are a few major schools of thought when it comes to the Reformation. One is to minimize the differences between Catholics and Protestants and wonder why we can’t just all get along. To those who think this way, consider that the disagreements between the two groups are on issues that quite literally define Christianity. They are core doctrines. To be in error on them is to lose the essence of Christianity. Therefore to pretend like the differences are minor and assume we can overlook them easily to achieve unity is to trivialize the seriousness and gravity of the issues debated.
Another school of thought is to go beyond division into resentment. It is one thing to sharply disagree over matters that are important; it is quite another to let that foster anger towards the other side. While I agree that the disagreements are important enough that Catholics and Protestants should be slow and careful to find unity, and not do so at the expense of truth….they still should seek unity around truth. And in that sense I am glad that the Reformation continues to exist. It is clear that the problems on the table have not been resolved, and as long as they continue to be unresolved, there should be reformation and discussion and debate about these matters. It’s simply too important to just move on from.
And that leads to the third school of thought, which is to be honest about the actual differences that still exist, to admit that they matter, to refuse to compromise on your own convictions, and to pray for God to bring unity around truth while seeking that out in practical ways. We need to be charitable in the process, without demeaning the other side with careless words. (Though that is not to say that clear and strong words are inappropriate.)
Rolling Into Year 500
As we hit the half-century mark a year from today, I hope that we are closer to resolution than it appears. Five hundred years is an awfully long time to have dug in our heels, and the longer the rift exists, the more entrenched each side is likely to become. God will need to do two supernatural works if we are to unite: (1) he will need to clearly reveal the truth on these matters to the hearts of those involved, and (2) he will need to humble those who are in need of repentance and correction.
Perhaps he intends to do these mighty works in the not-too-distant-future. Perhaps he intends for the fight to continue on as part of his plan moving towards the end of human history. Either way, I would encourage anyone who is interested in these matters with a few recommendations:
- Realize that these are weighty issues.
- Study, think, and pray them through for yourself.
- Be kind, respectful, and patient with those who disagree with you.
- Remember that we are all, as individuals and collectively as a church, going through some kind of reformation to make us more like Christ.
- Bank on the truth that God has a plan for all of this that will ultimately result in his own glory.
May God’s truth prevail and his Church be a bride that is without spot or wrinkle.
Canadian Bible Guy 