Do Not Allow Hate To Win

Please take the time to watch this video at The Gospel Coalition: VICTIMS’ FAMILIES FORGIVE THE MAN WHO MURDERED THEIR LOVED ONES AND CALL FOR HIM TO REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.

These families are hurting real bad. Yet, they extend God's offer of love and forgiveness to the killer.

That is Christianity in practice!

"Letter from Birmingham Jail"; Complete Text aand Outline

If you have not read this, Justin Taylor has posted Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" with an outline over at The Gospel Coaliton. I highly recommend reading this letter.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. not only wrote intelligently and on a foundation of Christian love, he wrote prophetically reaching the reader's conscience. It is an excellent work.

Praying doctrine...

"Doctrine cannot be understood unless it is prayed...And doctrine, if it is to be prayed, must also be lived..."
- Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church, new edition, Penguin Books, 1997, page207.

That Dangerous "Slippery Slope": It runs both ways...

Recently, I have found the "slippery slope" argument being used quite a bit among conservative Evangelical Christians to argue that holding certain beliefs will inevitably lead to belief in a number of bad things, usually theological liberalism. Do you believe in: women in ministry; continuation of the spiritual gifts; or, a different interpretation of any passage in the Bible that threatens the status quo? Then, as the argument goes, you may be on the "slippery slope" towards liberalism.

Yet, there are several problems in using the "slippery slope" argument. For example, today's comic by Scott Adams (June 06th, 2015) shows how Dilbert's boss uses a "slippery slope" argument as a way to stop a conversation and avoid solving a problem at work. You can access this comic here. As seen in this comic, a "slippery slope" argument does not answer questions, resolve arguments, or provide solutions to problems.

Given this, why do people invoke this argument? It can be used to shut down debate. It is a conversation stopper! In using this argument, a person conveys the message that it is more important to control the argument than to answer questions or debate important concepts. 

A few other problems include:

1. The misuse of the truth is a slippery slope, itself. I have noticed that people invoking the slippery slope argument only see one slippery slope that leads to liberal doctrine and diluting the Gospel message. They do not see how their refusal to debate an issue on its own merits can be a slippery slope towards legalism and intellectual rigidity, even if they are doctrinally correct.

2. Those who invoke the "slippery slope" argument do not see how this argument can be used against them, as well. For example, I once had a Roman Catholic friend who argued that the Reformation was wrong because it put the Church on the "slippery slope" to disunity and opened the door to doctrinal heresy. Ironically, many of my friends today who invoke the "slippery slope" argument are Protestants who do not see how this argument can be used against them.

3. Invoking the "slippery slope" argument does not prove or disprove a proposition. Much like an ad hominem argument, if you cannot win with logic and facts, attack the man. That is, if you cannot win an argument, resort to the "slippery slope" to shut down debate. 

Indeed, I find it hard to refute "slippery slope" arguments because it shuts down the discussion. It suggests that no matter how correct my proposition may be, it must be wrong because it inevitably leads to something worse. This is why it is so important to understand that "slippery slopes" go both ways: they not only can lead to false doctrine and a dilution of the Gospel, "Slippery slopes" can also lead to legalism and rigidity.

One way to avoid the temptation to use the "slippery slope" argument is to check one's motives. Paul wrote, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person" (Colossians 4:6 ESV). Are you trying to provide a proper answer, or are you trying to control the argument and control the other person?

Again, one can avoid the “slippery slope” argument by addressing issues each on their own merit. If something is true (for example, that salvation is by faith in Christ alone, and not by works - Ephesians 2:8-10), then we must argue for this truth and not be swayed that such beliefs may be "slippery slopes" towards Church disunity. Can you argue for a doctrine on its own merits?

Certainly, if a belief or doctrine is wrong, then one must persuade others of its error. In doing so, we must be like the Jews of Berea who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11 ESV). This is necessary because, as John Locke wrote,

All the Life and Power of true Religion consists in the inward and full perswasion of the mind: and Faith is not Faith without believing…true and saving Religion consists in the inward perswasion of the Mind, without which nothing can be acceptable to God.

- A Letter Concerning Toleration, edited by James H. Tully, 1983, Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., p. 26-27.

Using the "slippery slope" argument does not effectively persuade someone about the truth of a belief or proposition. At best, this argument installs an unhealthy fear in a person rather than nurturing a living faith. At worse, it fails to refute bad doctrine or promote the message of Christ. It is an argument based on fear, and is motivated by fear. Therefore, Christians must seek to persuade others of the truth of a doctrine with the help of the Holy Spirit rather than shut the argument down with fear.

Where is Moral Decay Found: Government or Business?

"In this growing -- we fear it must be said rapid -- decay of virtue and integrity in legislative halls, in some quarters even in courts of justice, and in leading financial circles, the most portentous evils are opening before us. Can they be arrested? The answer to this question depends upon another. Have we vital Christianity enough among us to check the progress of moral decay? Is there that fear of God and love of truth and right among our countrymen, which will insist on honesty and integrity in the administration of public affairs and in the conduct of financial corporations and commercial enterprises?"

- William Henry Green, Conflict and Triumph: The Argument of the Book of Job Unfolded (1999, Banner of Truth Trust), p. 17. William Henry Green (1825-1900), a linguist and Old Testament scholar, and was the chair of Biblical and Oriental Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1851 to 1900.

I like in this quote because Dr. Green applies the need to have virtue and integrity in both government ("the administration of public affairs") and business ("the conduct of financial corporations and commercial enterprises"). It has been rightly said before that politics is downstream from culture, and Dr. Green notes the need for vital Christianity in our culture.

Too often, contemporary politics distorts the Christian message, such that conservatives decry big government and liberals decry big business. Each is a biased view. Dr. Green properly applies the standards of honesty and integrity to both government and business, and notes that all individuals need the eternal foundation of authentic faith in Christ.

The Church's Destructive Power

"God has put into his church, when he is in it, a most wonderful, destructive power as against spiritual wickedness. A healthy church kills error, and tears in pieces evil. Not so very long ago our nation tolerated slavery in our colonies. Philanthropists endeavored to 
destroy slavery; but when was it utterly abolished? It was when Wilberforce roused the church of God, and when the church of God addressed herself to the conflict, then she tore the evil thing to pieces. I have been amused with what Wilberforce said the day after they passed the Act of Emancipation. He merrily said to a friend when it was all done, “Is there not something else we can abolish?” That was said playfully, but it shows the spirit of the church of God. She lives in conflict and victory; her mission is to destroy everything that is bad in the land."

- Charles Spurgeon, "The Best War Cry."

Who was Seth's Wife?

Conservative theologians believe Moses wrote the Pentateuch, or at least someone wrote his words down in these first five books of the Bible. This means Genesis had the same author as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Therefore, whatever is written in these books came from the same human being, Moses, who was inspired by the Holy Spirit (see I Timothy 3:16).

This means Moses wrote both about the sons of Adam and Eve, and also about the law contained in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. What was written? Specifically, “Cain knew his wife…” (Genesis 4:17), and “Seth…fathered Enosh… (Genesis 5:6). Cain and Seth were the sons of Adam and Eve. Who were the women they married if Adam and Eve were the first and only human beings created? I was taught these men each married one of their sisters, respectively.

Yet, Moses also wrote the following about marrying one’s sister:

Leviticus 18:9 – 11 “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, brought up in your father's family, since she is your sister.”

Again,

Leviticus 20:17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity.
“

And finally,

Deuteronomy 27:22 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”

Now, I was taught that brothers and sisters marrying was ok until human DNA was corrupted, and then it was prohibited. Notice, however, that the same author who wrote about Cain and Seth being married did not indicate that each man married his sister. This is adding something to scripture that is not implied. Rather, the same author made it clear sexual relations between a brother and sister was prohibited. Likewise, nothing is mentioned about a brother’s and sister’s offspring bearing the iniquity. Review the above scriptures and you will see that the man who commits this act bears the iniquity. Nothing is mentioned about the children being cursed.

Also, nothing is mentioned in these passages that while men at one time could marry their respective sisters, now God is prohibiting such practices. Indeed, Leviticus chapter 18:1-6 begins as follows:

“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.

“None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD.”

From this passage we see that marriage between brothers and sisters had been ongoing in the lands around Israel. From the sense of these passages, God always prohibited this act.

So, who was the woman Seth married? She cannot be Seth’s sister because Moses, the author of Genesis, noted in Leviticus and Deuteronomy that this was prohibited. We do know that God created her. Likewise, I do not conclude that Genesis contradicts Leviticus and Deuteronomy, as is implied by some theologians and clergy.

Rather, these must have been other people created by God, as were Adam and Eve, for Moses wrote,

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

“So God created man in his own image,    

in the image of God he created him;    

male and female he created them.”

- Genesis 1:26-27

God creating “them” may have a plural meaning going beyond one man and one woman. Clearly, to claim that God later changed his mind about brothers and sisters marrying goes against the clear intent of scripture, and is reading into scripture words and meaning that are not there. Clearly, Adam and Eve are real people, as were Seth and his wife. Clearly, God is the Creator.

Much more could be written, but that is enough to think about for now. May the Holy Spirit guide our understanding of scripture.

(Scripture passages, above, are quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition).

The Police are NOT the Authority in the Bible.

As an Evangelical Christian, I am very concerned with a trend I see among politically conservative Christians in the United States. I see many such Christians supporting right-wing authoritarian policies, and claiming the Bible supports such policies. This can be seen in their various responses to several shootings of African-American men by police officers recently.

Today, many of us saw a video of an ugly scene where a police officer shot an African-American man, Walter Scott, as he ran away. As noted in a CNN article:

"Regardless of why Walter Scott ran, "running from an officer doesn't result in the death penalty," family attorney Chris Stewart said." Well said!

Over the past year, I have read many comments by politically conservative Christians supporting the police in other cases where the police have shot African-Americans. Such politically conservative Christians give unqualified support for the police, and they base this upon the idea the police are the authority and must be obeyed. Yet, the Bible does not teach that police officers are the authority.

Rather, the ultimate authority the police must answer to is God (See Romans 13:1). After than, they are under the authority of the US Constitution, the legal sovereign of the United States of America. In civil societies, the rule of law is practiced. Police are NOT the ultimate authority as many conservative Christians claim.

This idea that police are not the authority is seen in the Gospel of Luke. There, we read of a Roman centurion who sent word to Jesus requesting He heal his servant. When Jesus went to the centurion, he sent his friends to Jesus with a message saying he was unworthy to receive Jesus. However, he had faith that Jesus could heal his servant. The centurion said:

"For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me...." (Luke 7:8 ESV).

Note, he did not claim to be the authority, but a man "set under authority." So it is with our military personnel and with our police. They are set under the authority of our sovereign, the US Constitution, and ultimately under the authority of God. This means they must act within the bounds of the law.

Indeed, I truly support honest police and sympathize with the pressures they must face day to day. It is a most difficult, and needed profession in a civil society. Therefore, when an officer goes beyond the law in his actions, he is no longer acting under the authority of the US Constitution or God.

Now, think of a few consequences of the police officer shooting Walter Scott:
- the family of Walter Scott grieves over his death. He cannot be replaced.
- respect and support for the law diminishes in such communities.
- honest police officers are viewed through the lens of this action by many citizens. Corrupt police officers stain the reputations of honest police officers and make it harder for them to enforce the law.

When I lived in Los Angeles, California, I read of cases where men were routinely beat up and women routinely raped by corrupt police officers in an anti-gang unit. So, I ask my conservative brothers and sisters in Christ to think of your son or daughter in such a situation. Would you support the police? Would you tell your sons and daughters to submit to beatings and rape?

Again, think of your sons in the situation Walter Scott was in: would you support the police shooting your son if he ran away?

It is time Christians stand up for justice instead of trusting human power. Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God" (ESV). Christians giving unqualified support to corrupt police officers show that they trust force rather than justice and the rule of law.

God's presence is our cover, our hiding place

God's presence is our cover, a hiding place:

Psalms 32:7 (ESV)

You are a hiding place for me;

you preserve me from trouble;

you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Psalms 119:114 (ESV)

You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in your word.

Psalms 27:5 (ESV)

For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

Psalms 31:20 (ESV)

In the cover of your presence you hide them

from the plots of men;

you store them in your shelter

from the strife of tongues.

Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV)

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place [literally "tent"] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

God's presence is our hiding place, His cover, and one day will be openly shown in the New Heaven and New Earth. 

Loving God with the Mind...

"Theology is a form of loving God with the mind."

- Hendrikus Berkhof,
  Christ The Meaning of History (1966, Wipf & Stock Publishers).