The wrong side of history?

I have heard the phrase "being on the wrong side of history" quite a bit lately from our president and those around him. I am perplexed by how someone can use their best guess about how future generations will evaluate their current actions to guide their current actions? Pragmatism, making decisions based on what you think will work, is a foolish enough guessing game, but I realize those who don't believe in moral absolutes have nothing but pragmatism to guide decisions.

However, this "being on the wrong side of history" notion goes even further into the ridiculous as it allows the decision maker to do what may look pragmatically or statistically foolish today and justify it based on their best guess about how those in the future might look back and evaluate it.

Ok, I realize no pragmatist wants to believe in absolute truth or be obligated to standards outside of their own best thinking. However, isn't their a big inconsistency when you start saying "whatever those in the future look back and think would have been right is right", haven't you just created a morality of sorts, even if it is purely based on your guesses about what those in the future will think?

Let me take a guess at how this has happened - I think they realized that sometimes their wants and desires regarding decisions that need to be made now, can't be justified pragmatically, so by throwing "being on the wrong side of history" into the decision making mix, it allows for any decision, even those that look pragmatically unjustifiable, to be made in the name of those who will look back and evaluate the decisions at some point in the future.

I have no help for the pragmatists, accept to warn them that all men will one day be judged, at the end of history, by God. No matter how you justify or implement pragmatism, the word of God is true and eternal, and it warns us of the dangers of doing what seems best over what God says -

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

The Tolerance "Buzz Saw"

I found this on the Wretched Radio blog. Sad, but not surprising, check it out!

  

Rightly defining love and the gay marriage debate.

I wrote this response to the article below sometime back. Since today is the day North Carolinians are voting on this issue, I thought it worth re-posting. I would also highly recommend a response done by James White to the attempts of some to redefine biblical language to promote gay marriage and other bible condemning lifestyles - here is that link - James White on gay marriage

Below is my earlier article -

The following line began an article on the same sex marriage debate by John Frank. It appeared in the News and Observer Sept. 18, 2001. Read the entire article here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/18/1497957/churches-speak-up-on-gay-marriage.html#ixzz1YgRbmjpt

"Before the same-sex marriage debate enters the voting booth next year, it will pass through the pulpit. Does the Bible dictate that marriage is a union between a man and a woman and that homosexuality is an abomination? Or is the Bible open to interpretation, and is God's love all-encompassing?"

I find the way his answers to the question of homosexuality/gay marriage are framed to be extremely bias at worst and ignorant at best. The error is a common one and I don't think it requires having to read anything into the language of the authors thesis to summarise it as follows -

Either the hate monger extremist Christians who take the Bible literally and think it actually says most things clearly and coherently are right. Of course this way of reading the Bible leads to belief in a God who is hateful towards Gay folk.

Or

You can be one of the moderate "Christians" who say the Bible is not really able to tell us things in an absolute way and it is OK to pick and choose. This way of seeing the Bible as "open to interpretation" leads to the conclusion that God's love is "all encompassing" including His approval of homosexuality and gay marriage.

Clearly we can work backwards in the author's logic here and see that the test of God's love being "all encompassing" is His approval of homosexuality and if that is what we are using as a test for God's love then any Bible teaching that seems to disagree must necessarily fall into the "open to interpretation" category.

I would like to propose the following analogy that, while imperfect, may get to the real point:

Suppose as a loving Father I tell my two sons that running in the street is wrong and dangerous and they are not to do it. I even command them not to do it - because I love them! My two sons both love to run and the younger one is especially good at it and sees it as the most important thing in his life. In conversation the younger son tells his older brother that he doesn't think their father could have really meant that running in the road was forbidden because it comes so natural, means so much to him and doesn't seem to be hurting anyone. The older son considers the argument and then responds by reminding his younger brother that the father's words were quite clear, that he loves them and surely he knows what is best for them. He, as a loving brother, encourages his younger brother to fight the urge and obey the Fathers commands about running in the street. He even tries to help his brother see that where you run is not the most important thing in life and some who don't run at all live joyful lives. This makes no impact as the younger brother who is convinced he was born to run in the streets and he could have no meaningful life without it!

The younger brother may conclude that his father and brother don't love him because they are saying he should not do the one thing that is most important to him. Further, when he does do it in spite of the father's commands, he feels a sense of guilt that takes much of the fun out of it.

The younger son eventually finds a group of people who affirm his suspicions about his father and brother. They tell him that they had once been told these same things, but had united together under the firm conviction that anything that said there behavior was wrong was unloving and could not be true. They even got members of the press to promote their view and help others be set free from the oppression of bad feeling rules!

After several years of running in the street the younger son is killed in an accident that also claims the lives of several others as the car swerved to avoid him. Unfortunately, he died thinking his main problem was not his rebellion against his father's rules, but that his father and his brother did not love him enough to support his lifestyle.

In reality, we need to love our fellow man, individually and society as a whole, enough to tell them the truth, even at the expense of experiencing their rejection and hatred!

Further -

Using our wants and desires as the main interpretive lens for God's love and word would be fine if there is no God and the Bible is just a human book. However, if God has spoken and He says something is wrong, dangerous or even an abomination - are we really being loving by trying to explain it away?

Hello Russia!

I notice I receive quite a few views each day that are from Russia and other distant parts of the world, at least that is what the statistics page for the blog says. I encourage you, and anyone who desires to do so, to comment on this blog from time to time, if you are able, so we can all learn more about each other.

Blessings in Christ!

NC Marriage Amendment

Some people may feel it is a Pastor’s job to tell those under His spiritual authority how to vote, especially when moral issues are at the forefront. I certainly don’t think that is my role as defined by the scriptures, but I do feel an obligation to place the issues at hand in a biblical context so followers of Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, can make this and all decisions with a clear conscious before God. With that said I wanted to just mention a couple of relevant scriptures.

From some very dark days in the life of Israel we see this simple, yet strong warning from God to His people through the prophet Isaiah –

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Without any further explanation we can see that giving a positive stamp of approval to things God defines as evil/darkness, etc. is very bad indeed.

Likewise, we see a similar idea in Romans chapter one when God describes mankind’s rejection of God and the attitude toward sin that reigns when He is not worshipped or obeyed –

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

It is worth noticing that verse 32, as a wrap up of all these various sins God condemns, makes special mention of those who “approve of those who practice them”.

All of these sins are bad and none are forgivable outside being reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning for our sin through the blood He shed for His people on the cross! The Bible makes it clear that we can only make real progress against sin in this life, by the power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in all who believe upon Jesus. Unfortunately, even though we have God's power to fight sin and we are comanded to repent (turn from sin to follow God), we still find sin as an unwelcome reality in our lives until we leave this life.  So we can’t be prideful toward people practicing homosexuality or any sin, just because we don’t now or may never have struggled with that particular sin. However, to call evil good is to disobey God and do great harm to society. Approving of sin not only encourages behavior that is harmful to all people, it also removes from our public life the very language of salvation.

Romans 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The marriage amendment will be on the ballot May 8, a vote for the amendment is saying you want to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. Essentially, a yes vote will make it more difficult for our state to give a stamp of approval to gay marriage in the future.

I pray you will make the decision on this issue based on the teachings of scripture as God guides you through His Holy Spirit!

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson,
Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Spirtual growth requires the word of God AND the Spirit of God!

Bold added for emphasis -

1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Gal. 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?  4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—

The word of God and the Spirit of God are the means God uses to call us to salvation and to aid us in our growth in the faith. It is easy to look at others and think - "Why don't they see this thing about themselves and adjust to the word that was just preached?" OR "Why can I see it and do it in my life, but they don't in their life?"

The reality of God using the word and the Spirit to change people suggests a couple of things -

First, we all should be growing. As I ponder why the thing that I think needs to change in someone else's life was seemingly unaffected by that sermon, am I hearing and adjusting to what that sermon might have said to me?

Next, if they are to hear and change, the word must be read, taught, preached, etc. However, that does not guarantee the Holy Spirit is going to be at work in a particular way in that particular person at this particular time. If just hearing the word properly taught meant all true believers were fixed in all the areas addressed, many would long since have reached perfection.

No, I need to recognize that as I teach the Holy Spirit is the means of hearing, conviction and the power to help believers adjust to the word of God. Further, I need to realize that the Spirit may be working on other things in their life right now and of course I need to make my own walk with the Lord the primary focus as I listen to the word being taught or I read it for myself.

Church discipline is for the purpose of addressing what I believe to be an actual specific sin in someone else's life. It is done in love for the person and a desire for the purity of the church.

However, beyond that I need to check myself -

Rom. 14:4  Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

This reminds me that if I get it God did it, so I better be very thankful and not prideful! So, I should preach, teach, and read the word, encourage others to do as it says, and trust that as the Spirit reveals it and empowers change, for me and them - God's work will be done in them and I, in God's time!

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."