Jonathan Edwards Resolutions: Maintaining and Establishing Peace

In today's political environment, many Christians approve of name calling, stereotyping, and opposing just about anything done by those of the other party or political ideology. Given this, Jonathan Edwards resolutions remind us that Christians are called to be both faithful in our beliefs and peacemakers:
33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining and establishing peace, when it can be without over-balancing detriment in other respects. [[Dec. 26, 1722.]]
34. Resolved, in narrations never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity.
[[35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.]]
36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. [[Dec. 19, 1722.]]
- from Resolutions, by Jonathan Edwards [1716], Letters and Personal Writings (WJE Online Vol. 16) , Ed. George S. Claghorn. From the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University: http://edwards.yale.edu/archive?path=aHR0cDovL2Vkd2FyZHMueWFsZS5lZHUvY2dpLWJpbi9uZXdwaGlsby9nZXRvYmplY3QucGw/Yy4xNTo3NDoxLndqZW8= 

Political Fear

I love to study politics. That is why I worked hard to earn my doctorate in political science. I learned that a good scholar listens to all sides and tries to understand different perspectives (no, not all political scientists do this, unfortunately).

One thing that needs to be done more in election years is for people to listen to understand different opinions. Yet, fear drives people to stereotype the opposition, and when confronted with facts that challenge these stereotypes, such people often resort to name calling. Willful ignorance is the ally of fear.

What bothers me is this tactic works to reinforce the stereotypes, and is often used by Christians in violation of Exodus 20:16, I Peter 3:15, and many other verses in the Bible.

As an educator, I try to teach my students that there is nothing to fear in listening to others to understand why they believe they way they do. Furthermore, we Christians need to be reminded that the Kingdom of God will continue to grow on earth until Jesus returns in spite of what happens in politics:

"...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - Jesus in Matthew 16:18

 "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirity teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20.

And finally,

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts our fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." - 1st John 4:18

No amount of fear will make the future better or help change the future to accomplish God's mission. Each of us needs to vote and argue on the basis on intelligent facts, and resolve in our hearts to allow others to disagree without receiving our condemnation. We need to focus on the "what" rather than the "who" in such political conversations.

The goal of Satan is to get an individual to take his or her mind's eye off of Jesus. Fear is a primary tool to accomplish this. Political fear is very effective in getting Christians to forget that God is in charge, even when the political outcome is bad. When this happens, politics becomes a dreadful idol in the human heart.

Advice to Pastors: Let us know we are welcome back...

As a professor, I often have students who must drop my class due to a variety of reasons (e.g. work, health, personal issues, etc.). When such students approach me about dropping the class, they are often afraid I will be upset or disappointed in them. Therefore, I let them know I understand the situation they are in and that they are always welcome to take my class in the future. In fact, I have encouraged some students to retake my class if their performance to date suggests they will fail the class and there is no reasonable way for the student to recover. The key here is that I want them to know that they are welcome back to my class after they have resolved whatever it is that prevents them from performing well in class. I encourage them to resolve the issue, and I look forward to their return in the future.

This is something ministers in churches should do. I have attended churches where I subsequently left for some reason (other than moving from the immediate area). More times than not, I do not return. I am not an advocate of church hopping, but situations come up that have lead me to leave a church.

There have been times, though, where I have reconsidered my original decision, and knowing the pastor would welcome me back would help my decision on whether to return to the congregation. However, I cannot recall a minister letting me know that I am welcome back should I change my mind in the future (I do recall one lay elder letting me know I was always welcome back). I have had pastors ask me if I would reconsider staying with the church. The problem with this approach is that it feels like a door is shut should I decline to stay. However, if the pastor added that I am always welcome back, this helps me understand that the door is open for me to return.

Returning to a congregation can be somewhat embarrassing because it can appear that the original decision to leave was in error. This is not necessarily so. In fact, leaving can help an individual or family realize how well they fit into their former church.

It is much like applying for a job. I once knew a Dean of a college who encouraged his faculty to apply for other faculty positions should they find one they desired. He said such applicants often find by going through the interview process that they like their present faculty position better, and such faculty find they appreciate the support they received from the Dean during the process. In a similar way, a pastor who verbally lets individuals and families know they are always welcome to return shows that he respects them.

I do wonder if the reason pastors have not said such welcoming words is because they feel rejected by the members leaving. In my case, as a professor, I let my students know that I do not take their decision personally, and that they must do what is best for them in their academic career. Likewise, a pastor letting individuals and families know they are always welcome back lets them know he is not hurt by their decision. Plus, by doing so, should he come to doubt himself in his ministry, the pastor can assure himself that he has done what he can to make such people feel welcome.

Finally, I recently listened to a talk (podcast) by Reverend Alistair Begg entitled, "The Dangers and Delights of Long Term Ministry in One Place," given at The Gospel Coalition 2013 National Conference (April 09), where he said one of the delights in a long ministry in one place is to see people return to his church. He said some members have the "Little Bo Peep Syndrome" (leave them alone and they'll come home, dragging their tails behind them) where members leave because of something they do not like about the church (youth ministry, politics, etc.). He noted that a minister should let such members know he hopes they will come back. Furthermore, should a minister stay at a church long enough, he said such ministers will find many of these members do return believing things have gotten better. He recommends the minister let these people know he is sincerely glad they have returned and that he is privileged to preach the Word of God to them. I think this is an excellent attitude to have.

Beware of "Christian" Political Candidates

Michael Wear at Christianity Today (May 5, 2016) has written an excellent article about Gov. Kasich's faith, entitled, "The Kasich Conundrum." From the article: "...Kasich explained to reporters that he thinks it “cheapens God…to go out and try to win a vote by using God.”

Also from the article: regarding a fundraising event hosted by the wealth Koch brothers, "Kasich was asked by one woman why he agreed to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, extending health insurance to more low-income people...Kasich responded, in front of an audience of wealthy, libertarian-leaning donors: “I don’t know about you, lady, but when I get to the pearly gates, I’m going to have an answer for what I’ve done for the poor.” According to Politico, about 20 donors left the room and his fellow panelists, Gov. Nikki Haley and Gov. Bobby Jindal, spoke up to disagree. Kasich has not been invited back to a Koch gathering since."

I also share his views. There are other aspects of Kasich's politics I especially like that are contained in this article.

From my experience of being a political activist years ago, and also form my years being a political scientist who is a Christian, I advise people to beware of candidates who try to get your vote because they are a Christian, and also beware of candidates who claim their faith is so personal that they do not talk about it at all. The former merely use God as a means to winning elections, the later might be covering up their lack of faith (although they might be shy about sharing their faith). There is a balanced middle ground, and Gov. Kasich tried to keep that balance.

Regarding leaders who claim to keep the law

Because we have an election coming up next year, we hear many politicians claim to uphold the law and criticize those who do not keep the law. Thinking on this, the following verses came to mind:

"For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
- Jesus in Matthew 23:3-4 (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Good News Publishers/Crossway Books)

"Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?"
- The Apostle Peter in Acts 15:10 (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Good News Publishers/Crossway Books).

The Offspring of Racists

Racism breeds racism, and the recipients are subject to be tempted to become the offspring of such racists unless they believe all people are created in the image of God. In fact, one silent purpose of a racist is to create more people like him.

Therefore, those who have been the targets of racism may not realize the goal is to make them believe that race is the core problem of humankind. For such people, when they die, they may see God in the form of the race they hate.

Do you believe God is white? He may appear to you as a person of color. Do you believe God is black? He may appear to you white. Why? Because all people are created in His image.

Ultimately, our core problem is always with God. As the Apostle John wrote in 1st John 4:20-21 (ESV):

"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."

Christians Deceived v. Christians on a Mission

Molly Worthen has written an excellent article for The New York Times entitled, "Donald Trump and the Rise of the Moral Minority." My main critique of her analysis is that I do not like being called a member of the "Moral Minority" because I do not consider myself moral. I want to be moral, but find that I need God's forgiveness daily. Still, the bulk of the article is excellent.

In the article, Worthen writes: "In books titled “Radical” and “Counter Culture,” Dr. Platt urges evangelicals to reject Christian nationalism, “cap” their materialistic lifestyles and give more to charity....“We’ve chosen to be passionate about issues that have been the least costly to us,” he told me. “Countering culture” means recognizing the ways American Christians have mistaken both material and social comfort for spiritual rewards."
and
"Who are the heroes of these countercultural warriors? They have assembled a selective genealogy that omits evangelicals who once used the language of martyrdom and resistance to defend white supremacy. They trace their heritage from Paul and the Apostles (contemporary America reminds Dr. Platt of the fleshpots of first-century Corinth, “a city filled with sexual immorality”) to the Christian reformers of the 18th and 19th centuries, especially William Wilberforce, the evangelical politician who helped end slavery in the British Empire."

My view: Too many Christians are telling themselves stories of how we will "take back" America, as if we had it in the first place. This attitude opens up Christians to being deceived.

For example, I am baffled how so many Evangelical Christians can be so deceived by men such as Donald Trump and others in politics who obviously use them for their own purposes. Then, when I think of how many Evangelical churches see evangelism as a form of marketing and sales, I realize I should not be baffled. Salesmanship Christianity defends the easy life of America, and tells itself stories that all we need is more marketing and sales to bring in converts and win elections. Given this disposition, men like Trump and other in politics use marketing and sales tactics to win their support, and unfortunately often succeed.

Being a Christian is not the result of marketing or sales tactics, and being wealthy is not necessarily a reward for being spiritual. See Revelation 3:14-22. In this passage we see a good description in many ways of so many contemporary Evangelical churches.

You see, God is still in charge, just as He was in the early days of Christianity in a very immoral world. Furthermore, He is also in charge of a person's salvation because in our natural state, we cannot choose Him. He must choose us. See what Jesus told His disciples in John 15:16-17. No marketing or sales tactics can bring a person to Christ. "We love because he first loved us" (I John 4:19 ESV).

Christians Suffering from Collective Amnesia

The following quote by Craig L. Blomberg is very insightful:

"Every time things take a turn for the worse in the Middle East, some enterprising Christian publishes the latest unabashed analysis of  how end-times prophecies are being fulfilled and believers will soon be escaping from this world. And a frightening percentage of the evangelical Christian public seems always to suffer a collective amnesia, forgetting how the same kinds of publications just a decade or two earlier turned out to include a considerable amount of false prophecy. The one statistic that remains unvarying is that to date, 100 percent of all such scenarios have proven wrong. This alone should inspire a certain amount of reluctance to pin our hopes on the next round of speculation. Perhaps we ought actively to look in a different direction altogether."
- Craig L. Blomberg, "The Posttribulationism of the New Testament: Leaving "Left Behind" Behind," in A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to "Left Behind" Eschatology, edited by Craig L. Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung (2009, Baker Academic Publishing Group), p. 70.

Likewise, I have found such so-called prophetic teaching to be more like divination and interpreting omens. This is clearly prohibited in Deuteronomy 18:10: "There shall not be found among you anyone...who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens..."

Likewise, Jesus instructed us not to waste our time predicting the end times, but rather be engaged in the work of the Church: "So when they [the apostles] had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' He [Jesus] said to then, 'It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'" (Acts 1:6-8).

Craig L. Blomberg noted that many councilors and therapists say that the present generation of Christians "may be the least theologically equipped generation in church history when it comes to dealing with personal and collective suffering and evil" (p. 70). Yet, Jesus warned His disciples, ""See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name , saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray...Then they will deliver you up to tribulations and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved..." (Matthew 24:4-5 & 9-12).

Indeed, Jesus is coming again. In the last chapter of the last book in the Bible, Jesus said, "'And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.'" (Revelation 22:7).

Therefore, we must beware of contemporary false prophets who reduce Biblical prophecy to divining world events and omens, and false prophets who reduce Biblical prophecy to entertainment and fortune-telling.

Cheating in and Disdain for Higher Education

As a professor who has graded many papers, I have done my best to evaluate the work of each of my students. Most of my students are honest, but unfortunately there are too many students trying to buy papers or copy other sources and have these accepted as their own work. The Chronicle of Higher Education has an excellent article, "The Shadow Scholar," published in 2010, which describes one process for cheating written by "Ed Dante," a pseudonym for a person who writes papers for students.

Some, perhaps most students cheat simply because they panic or have bad character. However, I have also encountered students who cheat because they disdain their professors and therefore feel justified to cheat in order to pass a class. This disdain for higher education is encouraged by many political commentators, and I have found most of these commentators to be political conservatives.

The effect of such attitudes towards higher education are disturbing. For example, I often read about so-called "scholars" in the popular media who claim to be scholars in politics and history, and yet have no academic training in these fields. They are usually dealing with politics and history, but I have also found such people to be in theology. They do not claim to be commentators, which would be honest and valid, but as scholars. This implies that they have completed formal training in a field in an accredited university. However, such men refuse to pay the price to go through the discipline of an academic program and complete a degree, and they succeed by preying on their readers and listeners (the Apostle Paul warned us about such men in I Timothy 4:3). The disdain these commentators have for higher education can encourage students to disdain their professors in college.

This is troubling because I take my profession as a calling from God, and therefore do not cheat or try to deceive people, and I do not try to claim to be a scholar in areas in which I have no expertise. Each degree I earned was from an accredited university. Furthermore, I wrote every paper for my undergraduate and graduate classes, and I always strove to give credit to authors by citing their works in my papers. Likewise, my wife edited my dissertation for grammar, and my dissertation committee (the professors who guided my research) also edited my dissertation for content. However, the work was original, which means I extensively researched the topic and wrote the book-sized dissertation (which took years to complete). As I went through my doctoral program, it seemed at times as if I did more things wrong than right given the amount of criticism I received on my papers, but I persisted. Eventually, I came to appreciate the criticism each professor offered because I realized they were helping me become a better scholar. It was a long and hard process, and very humbling, but it was worth it.

Yet, I find that pseudo-scholars have poisoned the hearts and minds of well meaning people to the point that I have had both family and friends openly show contempt for my profession. This is sad because there are many Christians who have paid the price by completing a challenging academic program in an accredited university, and thus, earning their respective degrees. Some are politically conservative, too, which means the issue is not about being politically conservative or liberal. The issue concerns disdain for higher education.

Is it no wonder, then, that many students cheat when they are taught to disdain the their professors?

Political, Ethnic, Socio-economic, Intellectual, and Moral Identities

"If we get our very identity, our sense of worth, from our political position, then politics is not really about politics, it is about us. Through our cause we are getting a self, our worth. That means we must despise and demonize the opposition. If we get our identity from our ethnicity or socioeconomic status, then we have to feel superior to those of other classes and races. If you are profoundly around of being an open-minded, tolerant soul, you will be extremely indignant toward people you think are bigots. If you are a very moral person, you will feel very superior to people you think are licentious.

"...Whatever you base your life on -- you have to live up to that. Jesus is the one Lord you can live for who died for you -- who breathed his last breath for you. Does that sound oppressive?"

- Tim Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.