"Theology is a form of loving God with the mind."
- Hendrikus Berkhof,
Christ The Meaning of History (1966, Wipf & Stock Publishers).
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Christian Clergy: Managers & Leaders v. Pastors
This month I have written two articles about managers and leaders. One is under my blog, Dr. Rob's Podium, and takes a secular approach to this topic. Here in the second article, I am extending that post to the local church. So, it would behoove the reader to first read my article, "Managers and Leaders."
In this present blog, my basic argument is this: Churches today have too many clergy that are managers and leaders, but not pastors. That is, we have many clergy that are managers who see their job primarily in terms of running a religious organization with a here-and-now focus on church issues. At the same time, there are a fewer number of clergy who are leaders and builders who take a future orientation on the organization, while at the same time have developed management skills in running a large church. Such men often have built up a church into a mega-church.
The problem arises when such pastors take a managerial and leadership perspective that neglects the pastoral role needed in all churches. In a previous blog, "Pastors: an endangered species," I wrote about the need for more pastors in our churches. I argued that,
Clergy who have a future orientation can be either leaders/builders or transformers. One might ask, "Aren't leaders those who transform their organization or society?" The answer is that they, indeed, can be transformers, but more often are not. Transformers are rare.
Those clergy who are leaders, but not transformers, have a future orientation towards their organization, and seek to become professionals in order to grow their organization. However, the focus of such a leader is often on growing their respective church organizations in order to transform society, not on transforming society by way of discipling individuals. Indeed, such leaders may have discipleship and mentoring programs as a means to grow their churches, but take an impersonal approach to such endeavors. They have such a big-picture orientation that church members, as individuals, are left out of their focus. Although such individuals are a minority among clergy, they are more numerous, I suspect, than clergy who are transformers.
Indeed, clergy who are transformers have traits of managers, leaders, pastors and scholars. As managers, they have learned to manage their churches or rely on others to manage such organizations. As leaders, such clergy have a vision of their organizations and strategically work to achieve its mission. However, as transformers, they do not view success in terms of becoming a "big church." Why? It is because as pastors, they understand both the need for a strong personal element in discipleship, and that big organizations lose that element by the nature of being big. Max Weber, the German sociologist, noted that large organizations must be governed by impersonal rules enforced by individuals holding impersonal offices.
To counter this problem, clergy often try to grow big organizations made up of small groups. Their goal is to build mega-churches with a personal touch. The problem is that such small-groups often lack real pastoring because they either lack the personal element needed in pastoring, or they lack other elements needed in pastoring such as theological training, interpersonal skills, etc. Thus, such small groups are sheep without a personal shepherd (Mark 6:34).
I believe in the role of lay pastors in a church and think such positions need to be expanded. However, such callings cannot be made through organizational systems made up of impersonal rules, which are the very characteristics of large organizations. Such lay pastors must have extensive theological and interpersonal training beyond that provided by most churches. People qualified for such positions are rare because it requires both an intellectual and interpersonal orientation, as well as extensive mentoring by a pastor. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul noted that individual Christians do not possess all of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit in the Church (see I Corinthians chapter 12), which means God has not called everyone to such roles.
So, evangelical churches have many clergy who are managers. They do not have a future orientation towards their congregations or their organizations. Often, they have a strong internal focus without a true evangelical focus on preaching the gospel and making disciples outside their congregation.
Although fewer in number than managers, there are many evangelical clergy who are leaders building large organizations governed by impersonal rules. Such churches have discipleship and mentoring programs run by lay leaders in the church who have inadequate theological and interpersonal training needed to make such programs spiritually successful.
Still rarer are clergy who are transformers. These are the pastor-theologians who have elements of managers and leaders, but retain the personal element throughout their ministry along with a strong theological orientation. Such people see how people, ideas, and organization all go together. They do not shy away from the intellectual element of theology, but rather, seek to explain theological ideas in language accessible to their congregation. They also do not shy away from the personal element because they understand that discipleship cannot be accomplished through large impersonal organizations. Finally, they do not shy away from management because they realize that people need organization in order to support the mission our Lord Jesus gave us to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Sprit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV). If they do not have the gift of administration, they value and rely on others in their organization who have such skills (maybe deacons?). They certainly must have a future orientation to their ministry, seeing the mission of the church as a prophetic certainty (Matthew 16:18-19).
Because clergy who are transformers do not focus on the size of their church, they often focus on building networks among churches within and between denominations, and as such are missionary-pastors who seek to expand the Kingdom of God on earth until Jesus returns.
Clergy who are transformers are not simply managers and leaders. God calls clergy to be transformers. They transform their organizations and society through personal relationships on a small level. They are pastors and missionaries at the same time. Because of this, they develop managerial and leadership skills, but such skills do not define their mission. They are more defined by their roles as pastors.
We need more pastors in our churches.
A book I recommend written by a member of the clergy is John Piper's, Brothers, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry, Updated and Expanded Edition. My recommendation in no way implies an endorsement of my views by Rev. Piper.
In this present blog, my basic argument is this: Churches today have too many clergy that are managers and leaders, but not pastors. That is, we have many clergy that are managers who see their job primarily in terms of running a religious organization with a here-and-now focus on church issues. At the same time, there are a fewer number of clergy who are leaders and builders who take a future orientation on the organization, while at the same time have developed management skills in running a large church. Such men often have built up a church into a mega-church.
The problem arises when such pastors take a managerial and leadership perspective that neglects the pastoral role needed in all churches. In a previous blog, "Pastors: an endangered species," I wrote about the need for more pastors in our churches. I argued that,
"Most clergy I know are preachers, builders, managers, and some are scholars, but few are pastors. A pastor is one who shepherds a people. ...Pastoring is personal, while preaching, building, and managing are all personal at best only to a few in the church who work with the pastor in these endeavors."What happens when we include a clergy's orientation towards the future? Those that do not have a future orientation and do not include the personal element in their ministry can be regarded as managers. They work very hard, but their ministry is mostly formal. I have known quite a few such clergy, and suspect they may be in the majority of clergy in evangelical churches in the United States today.
Clergy who have a future orientation can be either leaders/builders or transformers. One might ask, "Aren't leaders those who transform their organization or society?" The answer is that they, indeed, can be transformers, but more often are not. Transformers are rare.
Those clergy who are leaders, but not transformers, have a future orientation towards their organization, and seek to become professionals in order to grow their organization. However, the focus of such a leader is often on growing their respective church organizations in order to transform society, not on transforming society by way of discipling individuals. Indeed, such leaders may have discipleship and mentoring programs as a means to grow their churches, but take an impersonal approach to such endeavors. They have such a big-picture orientation that church members, as individuals, are left out of their focus. Although such individuals are a minority among clergy, they are more numerous, I suspect, than clergy who are transformers.
Indeed, clergy who are transformers have traits of managers, leaders, pastors and scholars. As managers, they have learned to manage their churches or rely on others to manage such organizations. As leaders, such clergy have a vision of their organizations and strategically work to achieve its mission. However, as transformers, they do not view success in terms of becoming a "big church." Why? It is because as pastors, they understand both the need for a strong personal element in discipleship, and that big organizations lose that element by the nature of being big. Max Weber, the German sociologist, noted that large organizations must be governed by impersonal rules enforced by individuals holding impersonal offices.
To counter this problem, clergy often try to grow big organizations made up of small groups. Their goal is to build mega-churches with a personal touch. The problem is that such small-groups often lack real pastoring because they either lack the personal element needed in pastoring, or they lack other elements needed in pastoring such as theological training, interpersonal skills, etc. Thus, such small groups are sheep without a personal shepherd (Mark 6:34).
I believe in the role of lay pastors in a church and think such positions need to be expanded. However, such callings cannot be made through organizational systems made up of impersonal rules, which are the very characteristics of large organizations. Such lay pastors must have extensive theological and interpersonal training beyond that provided by most churches. People qualified for such positions are rare because it requires both an intellectual and interpersonal orientation, as well as extensive mentoring by a pastor. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul noted that individual Christians do not possess all of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit in the Church (see I Corinthians chapter 12), which means God has not called everyone to such roles.
So, evangelical churches have many clergy who are managers. They do not have a future orientation towards their congregations or their organizations. Often, they have a strong internal focus without a true evangelical focus on preaching the gospel and making disciples outside their congregation.
Although fewer in number than managers, there are many evangelical clergy who are leaders building large organizations governed by impersonal rules. Such churches have discipleship and mentoring programs run by lay leaders in the church who have inadequate theological and interpersonal training needed to make such programs spiritually successful.
Still rarer are clergy who are transformers. These are the pastor-theologians who have elements of managers and leaders, but retain the personal element throughout their ministry along with a strong theological orientation. Such people see how people, ideas, and organization all go together. They do not shy away from the intellectual element of theology, but rather, seek to explain theological ideas in language accessible to their congregation. They also do not shy away from the personal element because they understand that discipleship cannot be accomplished through large impersonal organizations. Finally, they do not shy away from management because they realize that people need organization in order to support the mission our Lord Jesus gave us to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Sprit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV). If they do not have the gift of administration, they value and rely on others in their organization who have such skills (maybe deacons?). They certainly must have a future orientation to their ministry, seeing the mission of the church as a prophetic certainty (Matthew 16:18-19).
Because clergy who are transformers do not focus on the size of their church, they often focus on building networks among churches within and between denominations, and as such are missionary-pastors who seek to expand the Kingdom of God on earth until Jesus returns.
Clergy who are transformers are not simply managers and leaders. God calls clergy to be transformers. They transform their organizations and society through personal relationships on a small level. They are pastors and missionaries at the same time. Because of this, they develop managerial and leadership skills, but such skills do not define their mission. They are more defined by their roles as pastors.
We need more pastors in our churches.
A book I recommend written by a member of the clergy is John Piper's, Brothers, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry, Updated and Expanded Edition. My recommendation in no way implies an endorsement of my views by Rev. Piper.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
"All creatures are effects which declare a first cause. All finite existence, whether natural or moral, is the product of omnipotent power. The great wheels of Divine providence are turned round by the hand of God. The motions of our souls and bodies are alike directed by the agent of him who rolls the stars along."
- Rev. Lemuel Haynes, "Outline of a Sermon on Acts 26:22," Black Preacher to White America: The Collected Writings of Lemuel Haynes, 1774-1833, edited by Richard Newman (Brooklyn, NY: Carlson Publishing Inc.,), p. 233. Preached in 1833 when almost 80 years old in Granville, Massachusetts.
- Rev. Lemuel Haynes, "Outline of a Sermon on Acts 26:22," Black Preacher to White America: The Collected Writings of Lemuel Haynes, 1774-1833, edited by Richard Newman (Brooklyn, NY: Carlson Publishing Inc.,), p. 233. Preached in 1833 when almost 80 years old in Granville, Massachusetts.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Loving Success...
"To love our success more than God and our neighbor hardens the heart, making us less able to feel and to sense."
- Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God.
- Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
"I don't do Facebooks": The Gospel Message and Relevance in Society
This morning I listened to a Christian radio station on the way to work. The program covered the recent elections, and the radio host, a "pro-family" conservative, made some interesting comments as he interviewed a number of people.
I had only listened to the program for about 15 minutes or so when something in the interview came up about Facebook. In response, this radio host said, "I don't do Facebooks." Not, "I am not on Facebook," or "I do not post on Facebook." His attitude was arrogant, and his choice of words showed his ignorance about the society he is supposed to be influencing.
This was not the Apostle Paul's attitude. For example, I Corinthians 9:19-23 is a good passage written by Paul about influencing people for the Gospel. He said,
This attitude is important because the current political situation in the United States is an expression of its culture, for good and for bad. It has been said that, "politics is downstream from culture." This is true.
It is also important to remember that Christians can and do disagree about politics. I hold that there is no one political ideology that is universally "Christian." However, the Gospel certainly can make many political ideologies better by helping us to view all humans as image bearers of God. So, if a Christian wants to positively influence politics, he or she should focus on explaining the Gospel in terms and with means relevant to people in that society.
Presently, how can anyone influence society politically in the United States, especially generations younger than 50 years old, by "not doing Facebooks" ? In my view, this radio host basically said that he was irrelevant to society, that he was only preaching to the choir, so to say.
And we wonder why people hold the values and vote the way they do!
I had only listened to the program for about 15 minutes or so when something in the interview came up about Facebook. In response, this radio host said, "I don't do Facebooks." Not, "I am not on Facebook," or "I do not post on Facebook." His attitude was arrogant, and his choice of words showed his ignorance about the society he is supposed to be influencing.
This was not the Apostle Paul's attitude. For example, I Corinthians 9:19-23 is a good passage written by Paul about influencing people for the Gospel. He said,
"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them...I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some...". (English Standard Version)
I think the Apostle Paul would post on Facebook today if it meant reaching others for Christ.This attitude is important because the current political situation in the United States is an expression of its culture, for good and for bad. It has been said that, "politics is downstream from culture." This is true.
It is also important to remember that Christians can and do disagree about politics. I hold that there is no one political ideology that is universally "Christian." However, the Gospel certainly can make many political ideologies better by helping us to view all humans as image bearers of God. So, if a Christian wants to positively influence politics, he or she should focus on explaining the Gospel in terms and with means relevant to people in that society.
Presently, how can anyone influence society politically in the United States, especially generations younger than 50 years old, by "not doing Facebooks" ? In my view, this radio host basically said that he was irrelevant to society, that he was only preaching to the choir, so to say.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Excellent summation of Reformed Theology
This is one of the best explanations of Reformed theology I have found: "Reformed Theology in a Nutshell," which is an excerpt from The Theology Project at The Fellowship of Presbyterians, by Dr. Laura Smit: http://vimeo.com/37444466 .
Friday, September 19, 2014
Struggling with Churches while Struggling with Same-Sex Attraction...
The Gospel Coalition has posted an excellent article by Rev. Sam Allberry entitled, "How Can The Church Help Those Battling Same-Sex Attraction?" Before moving on with this blog, I recommend clicking on this link and reading this article.
One thing I found impressive about this article is that it is more about church culture than it is about same-sex attraction. Here, Rev. Allberry shares "five steps that can guide churches in helping Christians with same-sex attraction." Below, I list these five steps and make observations from my experiences of being a Christian and attending various churches for over forty years. Regrettably, I have found most churches do not value the things needed to help people who struggle with same sex attraction. Therefore, my comments are more about church culture than same-sex attraction.
"1. Make it easy to talk about."
This is essential to help anyone struggling with any sin in his or her life. However, I have found that churches have a culturally-based hierarchy of sin that is taught informally church. That is, they unofficially teach that some sins are unacceptable while others are more acceptable, and same-sex attraction is an unacceptable sin. As a result, same-sex attraction cannot be talked about openly, even with pastors. To do so opens such a person up to shame and ridicule, not to mention isolation from being able to minister to others in the church. So, where can such a person go to talk with a concerned Christian about such temptations? There are many secular counselors who will encourage them to explore their sexuality, meaning to try living a homosexual lifestyle.
"2. Honor singleness."
This is also rarely followed because churches are intentionally built around families. Indeed, families are more stable regarding church attendance than are singles. For example, I was advised by a pastor to focus on families in my community for this reason when starting a small community group. It is not that he was incorrect about stability. It is that churches tend to devalue single people in their respective congregations, as a result. I remember being a single adult years ago, and most single groups at churches reminded me of dog breeding: "Put them together and see if they match up," seemed to be the attitude. As a result, many people struggling with same-sex attraction are marginalized in church if they choose to remain single.
"3. Remember the church is a family."
Amen! (Please forgive my outburst...I am a former Baptist). For many years, I have seen churches run as businesses focusing on market shares and managed for numerical growth. An excellent book addressing this approach to ministry is by John Piper entitled, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. Indeed, radical Christian ministry cannot be compared to secular occupations. When ministry is treated as a profession, churches often also treat members as workers, and workers can be fired or transfered to another business. If ministry is treated as a radical calling from God and church members are treated as a family, people struggling with same-sex attraction would not be "fired" from their church or encouraged to "transfer" to another church.
"4. Deal with biblical models of masculinity and femininity, rather than promote cultural stereotypes."
Excellent advice! I have attended too many churches that treat gender roles in fictional ways. For example, I have heard many a teacher in church promote the idea that women are passive and men are aggressive; that women are caring and nurturing, and men are logical and objective. This is simply not true! I have known many logical and objective women, and nurturing and caring men. An argument might be made that women express aggressiveness differently than do men. The problem is that when a man expresses nurturing and caring traits, he is often considered effeminate. When doing this, christians are actually encouraging gender confusion because they focus on traits that are neither strictly masculine nor feminine.
"5. Provide good pastoral support."
For many years, I have noticed that churches have many preachers, teachers, builders, executives, and managers leading churches, but few pastors. One of the few exceptions was my mother-in-law's pastor. This man was a real pastor, and I admire him. He is ordained in one of the more theologically liberal denominations (Presbyterian Church - USA), and I am sure he and I have some significant theological differences (I am also a Presbyterian, but evangelical and more theologically conservative). However, this man really pastored his congregation. He knew my mother-in-law personally, and was with her in the hospital along with our other family members when she died. In contrast, my immediate family and I left a church several years ago when we realized we had no pastors in this church that knew us personally, even though I was a teacher there. If facing a spiritual crisis, we had no one to turn to for pastoral help. Today, too many evangelical churches are run as businesses, leaving the pastoring to lay members of the congregation. When a person struggling with same-sex attraction needs to talk with a pastor, they are often left with no one to talk to except other lay members who may not understand what to say or what to do.
I should note that I do not struggle with same sex attraction, but have talked with Christians who do. They live in shame and fear, experiencing loneliness and depression that can lead to thoughts of suicide.
The church's response is often a cultural one that encourages the shame, threatens such people so they live in fear, and shuns them such that their loneliness and depression increases. As a result, I must conclude:
We are so rich and self-sufficient that we think we need nothing else and nobody else. In reality, we have many brothers and sisters who struggle with same-sex attraction, and we need these people in our churches. They have spiritual gifts God has given them to help us in our spiritual mission. Without such people, we are incomplete (see Hebrews 11:40).
Finally, another thing I found impressive about this article is that its author, Rev. Sam Allberry, shared how he struggles with same-sex attraction. How many of us would publically admit to struggling with our own sins, especially when they are not on the unofficial "approved" list of acceptable sins in our culture? This takes courage!
My hope is that we can foster the kind of growth in our own churches that makes them safe havens for members struggling with same-sex attraction. This will happen when such brothers and sisters in Christ are able to share their struggles with us.
One thing I found impressive about this article is that it is more about church culture than it is about same-sex attraction. Here, Rev. Allberry shares "five steps that can guide churches in helping Christians with same-sex attraction." Below, I list these five steps and make observations from my experiences of being a Christian and attending various churches for over forty years. Regrettably, I have found most churches do not value the things needed to help people who struggle with same sex attraction. Therefore, my comments are more about church culture than same-sex attraction.
"1. Make it easy to talk about."
This is essential to help anyone struggling with any sin in his or her life. However, I have found that churches have a culturally-based hierarchy of sin that is taught informally church. That is, they unofficially teach that some sins are unacceptable while others are more acceptable, and same-sex attraction is an unacceptable sin. As a result, same-sex attraction cannot be talked about openly, even with pastors. To do so opens such a person up to shame and ridicule, not to mention isolation from being able to minister to others in the church. So, where can such a person go to talk with a concerned Christian about such temptations? There are many secular counselors who will encourage them to explore their sexuality, meaning to try living a homosexual lifestyle.
"2. Honor singleness."
This is also rarely followed because churches are intentionally built around families. Indeed, families are more stable regarding church attendance than are singles. For example, I was advised by a pastor to focus on families in my community for this reason when starting a small community group. It is not that he was incorrect about stability. It is that churches tend to devalue single people in their respective congregations, as a result. I remember being a single adult years ago, and most single groups at churches reminded me of dog breeding: "Put them together and see if they match up," seemed to be the attitude. As a result, many people struggling with same-sex attraction are marginalized in church if they choose to remain single.
"3. Remember the church is a family."
Amen! (Please forgive my outburst...I am a former Baptist). For many years, I have seen churches run as businesses focusing on market shares and managed for numerical growth. An excellent book addressing this approach to ministry is by John Piper entitled, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. Indeed, radical Christian ministry cannot be compared to secular occupations. When ministry is treated as a profession, churches often also treat members as workers, and workers can be fired or transfered to another business. If ministry is treated as a radical calling from God and church members are treated as a family, people struggling with same-sex attraction would not be "fired" from their church or encouraged to "transfer" to another church.
"4. Deal with biblical models of masculinity and femininity, rather than promote cultural stereotypes."
Excellent advice! I have attended too many churches that treat gender roles in fictional ways. For example, I have heard many a teacher in church promote the idea that women are passive and men are aggressive; that women are caring and nurturing, and men are logical and objective. This is simply not true! I have known many logical and objective women, and nurturing and caring men. An argument might be made that women express aggressiveness differently than do men. The problem is that when a man expresses nurturing and caring traits, he is often considered effeminate. When doing this, christians are actually encouraging gender confusion because they focus on traits that are neither strictly masculine nor feminine.
"5. Provide good pastoral support."
For many years, I have noticed that churches have many preachers, teachers, builders, executives, and managers leading churches, but few pastors. One of the few exceptions was my mother-in-law's pastor. This man was a real pastor, and I admire him. He is ordained in one of the more theologically liberal denominations (Presbyterian Church - USA), and I am sure he and I have some significant theological differences (I am also a Presbyterian, but evangelical and more theologically conservative). However, this man really pastored his congregation. He knew my mother-in-law personally, and was with her in the hospital along with our other family members when she died. In contrast, my immediate family and I left a church several years ago when we realized we had no pastors in this church that knew us personally, even though I was a teacher there. If facing a spiritual crisis, we had no one to turn to for pastoral help. Today, too many evangelical churches are run as businesses, leaving the pastoring to lay members of the congregation. When a person struggling with same-sex attraction needs to talk with a pastor, they are often left with no one to talk to except other lay members who may not understand what to say or what to do.
I should note that I do not struggle with same sex attraction, but have talked with Christians who do. They live in shame and fear, experiencing loneliness and depression that can lead to thoughts of suicide.
The church's response is often a cultural one that encourages the shame, threatens such people so they live in fear, and shuns them such that their loneliness and depression increases. As a result, I must conclude:
We are truly the church of Laodicea!
(see Revelation 3:14-22)
We are so rich and self-sufficient that we think we need nothing else and nobody else. In reality, we have many brothers and sisters who struggle with same-sex attraction, and we need these people in our churches. They have spiritual gifts God has given them to help us in our spiritual mission. Without such people, we are incomplete (see Hebrews 11:40).
Finally, another thing I found impressive about this article is that its author, Rev. Sam Allberry, shared how he struggles with same-sex attraction. How many of us would publically admit to struggling with our own sins, especially when they are not on the unofficial "approved" list of acceptable sins in our culture? This takes courage!
My hope is that we can foster the kind of growth in our own churches that makes them safe havens for members struggling with same-sex attraction. This will happen when such brothers and sisters in Christ are able to share their struggles with us.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Sunday Prayer...
"We confess we have forfeited all our mercies; we have heard much of God, Christ and heaven with our ears, but there is little of God, Christ and heaven in our hearts. We confess, many of us by hearing sermons, are grown sermon-proof; we know how to scoff and mock at sermons, but we know not how to live sermons..."
"Make us Christians not only by outward profession, but an inward heart-experience, that we may live in heaven while we are on earth and come to heaven when we shall leave the earth."- Edmund Calamy the Elder, Prayer at Aldermanbury, excerpt.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
If God Did Not Exist...
If God did not exist, I would be an atheist rather than an idolator. I would not want to set up a false God of my own making, which is an idol. Such idols consume those who worship them, and do not return anything that meets the amount of devotion we would spend worshiping them. Yet, I cannot avoid setting up idols.
John Calvin wrote about this in The Institutions of the Christian Religion. After reviewing the origins of idol making among humans, he concluded, "...the human mind is, so to speak, a perpetual forge of idols..." He went on to note,
"The human mind, stuffed as it is with presumptuous rashness, dares to imagine a god suited to its own capacity; as it labors under dullness, nay, is sunk in the grossest ignorance, it substitutes vanity and an empty phantom in the place of God. To these evils another is added. The god whom man has thus conceived inwardly he attempts to embody outwardly. The mind, in this way, conceives the idol, and the hand gives it birth. That idolatry has its origin in the idea which men have, that God is not present with them unless his presence is carnally exhibited...
- Calvin, John (2008-04-03). Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, Chapter XI (Kindle Locations 1963-1966). Signalman Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Indeed, this reminds me of the passage in Isaiah chapter 44 verses 14-20 describing those who make idols:
"He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
"They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, 'Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?' He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
- Crossway Bibles (2011-02-09). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Kindle Locations 28816-28821). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.
Certainly, we have progressed beyond those days of making wood idols. Have we not progressed beyond such "primitive" thinking? I may try to fool myself and think that I am too intelligent to make an idol out of wood, but as Tim Keller notes in his book, Counterfeit Gods,
"What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.
"A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living"
- "Introduction: The Idol Factory," p. xvii - xviii, 2009, Dutton/Penguin Group (U.S.A.) Inc.
So much for my self-righteousness and pride. I am an idol maker! Indeed, I am a 21st century idol maker in that I have replaced idols of wood with modern idols of ambition, pride, lust, and many other vices.
What this adds up to is this: my desire to make idols out of material or immaterial things points to a need in my heart to worship the true God. However, at the same time I also have a will that rebels against the true God. So, I resort to making idols, and become a hypocrite.
As I noted, above, if God did not exist, I would be an atheist. I would not want to set up a false God of my own making. Yet, even if I do not believe in God, I still set up idols of various sorts. Some of my idols are good such as family, work, and the like. Some idols are vices. All of my idols consume me, thus, revealing their false nature.
My only escape from such idols is worshiping the true God. How can I know the true God? John tells us,
"No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known"
- John chapter 1 verse 18. Crossway Bibles (2011-02-09). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Kindle Locations 41828-41830). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.
This is the man we call Jesus, who was fully man and fully God at the same time. He is my escape from idols, for if I worship Him, I worship the true God.
John Calvin wrote about this in The Institutions of the Christian Religion. After reviewing the origins of idol making among humans, he concluded, "...the human mind is, so to speak, a perpetual forge of idols..." He went on to note,
"The human mind, stuffed as it is with presumptuous rashness, dares to imagine a god suited to its own capacity; as it labors under dullness, nay, is sunk in the grossest ignorance, it substitutes vanity and an empty phantom in the place of God. To these evils another is added. The god whom man has thus conceived inwardly he attempts to embody outwardly. The mind, in this way, conceives the idol, and the hand gives it birth. That idolatry has its origin in the idea which men have, that God is not present with them unless his presence is carnally exhibited...
- Calvin, John (2008-04-03). Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, Chapter XI (Kindle Locations 1963-1966). Signalman Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Indeed, this reminds me of the passage in Isaiah chapter 44 verses 14-20 describing those who make idols:
"He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
"They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, 'Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?' He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
- Crossway Bibles (2011-02-09). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Kindle Locations 28816-28821). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.
Certainly, we have progressed beyond those days of making wood idols. Have we not progressed beyond such "primitive" thinking? I may try to fool myself and think that I am too intelligent to make an idol out of wood, but as Tim Keller notes in his book, Counterfeit Gods,
"What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.
"A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living"
- "Introduction: The Idol Factory," p. xvii - xviii, 2009, Dutton/Penguin Group (U.S.A.) Inc.
So much for my self-righteousness and pride. I am an idol maker! Indeed, I am a 21st century idol maker in that I have replaced idols of wood with modern idols of ambition, pride, lust, and many other vices.
What this adds up to is this: my desire to make idols out of material or immaterial things points to a need in my heart to worship the true God. However, at the same time I also have a will that rebels against the true God. So, I resort to making idols, and become a hypocrite.
As I noted, above, if God did not exist, I would be an atheist. I would not want to set up a false God of my own making. Yet, even if I do not believe in God, I still set up idols of various sorts. Some of my idols are good such as family, work, and the like. Some idols are vices. All of my idols consume me, thus, revealing their false nature.
My only escape from such idols is worshiping the true God. How can I know the true God? John tells us,
"No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known"
- John chapter 1 verse 18. Crossway Bibles (2011-02-09). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Kindle Locations 41828-41830). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.
This is the man we call Jesus, who was fully man and fully God at the same time. He is my escape from idols, for if I worship Him, I worship the true God.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Untangling Moral Absolutes from Ethical Certainty - link
I have posted an article in my blog, Dr. Rob's Podium, that may be of interest to some people. It is not theological per se, but does touch on morality and theology.
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