Christianity in Politics

A recent article in The New York Times took up the issue of Christianity in politics and, though I disagree with much the article says (and would LOVE to discuss that!), I thought the author made an interesting point that I wanted to mention here.

The author offers a critique of American politics and how politicians seem willing to parade adherence to a "faith" before the public MERELY for "tactical reasons," for appearances' sake.

In this I would have to agree with the author of the article. There ARE serious problems with those candidates who APPEAR to be Christian or "religious" for no other reason but that a majority of the American public associates "religious" people with "moral" people, those of character and integrity.

It does seem as though we have lost the days in which our politicians actually WERE people of character and integrity. Those days have been replaced by days in which politicians simply want to APPEAR to be people of character and integrity.

The author goes on to argue that these "tactical" politicians are embracing something akin to Pascal's famous "wager" (the idea that the non-Christian takes a much greater risk in betting that there is no God than the Christian does in believing that there is a God--if the Christian is wrong, it's no big deal; but if the non-Christian is wrong, he or she will face the fires of hell for eternity) by "believing" in God because it is politically the least risky position.

Comments?

Children's evening on Sunday

On Sunday night, the children of our congregation led us in singing praise to God with their program on the Christmas story. They did an excellent job of presenting what is the great wonder of Christmas...Jesus, the Lord of glory, the image of the invisible God. It was heart-warming to see the young children singing songs and reciting Bible passages that they had memorized. We trust that the Spirit will continue to use those words now hidden in their hearts, so that they might all grow to love and serve the very same Jesus they sang about.

Psalm 127:3 (ESV), "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."

Psalm 119:10 (ESV), "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

Evolution and Pregnant Women?

I stumbled across a news story today that documents a recent "scientific" find. And since it dovetails with what we have been discussing on Sunday nights, I thought I would share it with you. Here is what the article states: "Anthropologists studying the human spine have found that women's lower vertebrae evolved in ways that reduce back pressure during pregnancy."

Now I am intrigued by this article. The study cited in the article was conducted only on humans (19 pregnant women) and, as a result, found that "the lumbar, or lower back, curve in women extends across three vertebrae, as opposed to two in men." That was what they found. So far, so good. Obviously I have no problems with the findings such as they are stated. But the conclusion they reached is an entirely different story: "What they found...was evidence that evolution had produced a stronger and more flexible lower spine for women."

Talk about leaps in the dark and flights of fancy! Where in the world did that one come from? What ever happened to science reporting on observable and justifiable facts? Did these "scientists" actually test and observe the vertebrae evolving into what it looks like today? If not, how do they know that evolution was the cause? And if they don't know that evolution was the cause, why splash it all over the conclusions. Why not simply report what they found, namely, that women's bodies are different from men in a special way that makes them better able to bear children.

An equally possible explanation to the one they put forward (in fact, it is MUCH MORE likely than is evolution) is that a personal and intelligent Creator intentionally created women different from men, specially designing them to carry children.

Christmas Cantata, December 9

Wow! What a day we had on Sunday. The choir sung beautifully and the orchestra played equally as well. If you missed our Christmas cantata on Sunday, you missed a wonderful time of worship. Let me encourage you to make it a point to be with us next year...to bring a friend (or two!)...and to arrive early, because we had quite a crowd!

Thanks go out to Tammy and to the choir, handbell choir, and orchestra for all their hard work and dedication. Thanks also go to our sound guys, especially James Jordan and Chris Carter, and to all who gave their time and talents to make this special service possible.

As a result of the singing and the preaching, many of you told me that you experienced the reality of 1 Corinthians 14:25, that the secrets of your heart were laid bare and, falling on your face, you were led to worship God and declare 'surely God is in this place'." What a testimony to our great God and Savior! May He be praised this Christmas time for the great things He has done and continues to do!

Why I'm (begrudgingly!) a Gator fan

The Heisman Trophy awards were held this past Saturday evening in New York. This is the highly-sought-after award that goes to the best overall player in college football. It has been in existence since 1935, I think.

This year, Tim Tebow, the Florida Gators' sophomore quarterback, won the award, marking the first time in history that a sophomore has won the Heisman Trophy.

Well, I have to admit that I haven never been much of a Florida fan--there is too much Auburn in me to cheer for Florida! But I will say that I am now on the bandwagon (at least as much as my Auburn blood will allow me to be). And the main reason for that is Tim Tebow.

Now, let me explain. All the hype surrounding this young man for the last two or so years did nothing to win me over. I have to confess that it actually turned me off a bit. But what won me over to Tebow's side was his evident profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his desire to live a life that is pleasing to God.

During the Heisman award ceremony, I saw a side of Tim Tebow that I didn't know about before. Perhaps I wasn't listening. Perhaps the press wasn't talking about this aspect of Tebow's life. I suspect it was probably more the latter than the former, because the Sunday papers (the next day) mentioned nothing about Tebow's faith when the TV ceremony had been chock-full of it.

This is what I learned from the TV ceremony: Tim Tebow is a committed Christian, whose parents were (from what I could tell) missionaries in the Philippines. Tebow openly and repeatedly discussed his faith in Christ and the fact that his parents taught him the Bible and had him memorizing it from his earliest days.

Tebow's comments painted the entire Gator football program in a positive light, from the athletic director to the head coach, Urban Meyer, to the assistant coaches, down to the players and fans themselves. It was a day that every Gator fan and many non-Gator fans should be proud of, day when a super athlete who is ALSO a man of character and deep faith was honored in our society.

So, as much as it may pain me, I must admit that I am now a fan and will be praying for Mr. Tebow in the future!

Pray Acts 13:42, 44

In this week's staff meeting, we read from Acts 13, and I made much of asking the staff to pray according to vv. 42 and 44. I'd like to ask the same of you.

Let me explain. In verse 42 we are told that after Paul preached in the synagogue in Antioch (in Pisidia) and "the people begged that these things [that Paul had just been speaking about] might be told them the next Sabbath" (v. 42, ESV). In other words, they couldn't get enough of Paul's preaching; they actually begged to hear more! Then we are told in v. 44 that on the next Sabbath, "almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord" (ESV)! Apparently that is far more people than had gathered the first Sabbath and had heard Paul the first time. We know this because we are told that the religious leaders became envious when they saw the crowds on the second week and "began to contradict what was spoken by Paul" (v. 45, ESV).

The point I want us each to see and to pray for is not just that the people were gripped by an overwhelming desire to hear God's Word preached, though that is definitely true and clearly what I would love to see happen here on the Coast. The point that I want us to see and to be praying for is that those who heard Paul the first week apparently went right out and told people about Paul and what he had said. Apparently, they invited people to church the next Sabbath, saying things like this: "You have got to come and hear the Word of God!" and "You will not want to miss this!"

Please pray:
1. that I and my fellow ministers around the community would preach the Word faithfully, clearly, and yet provocatively.
2. that it will penetrate through to the hearts and minds of the people who hear and will trigger something within them.
3. that those who hear would be like the first-week-listeners in Acts 13:42 and tell others about what they have seen and heard.
4. that "almost the whole city" will gather to hear the Word of God preached.

Soli Deo gloria!

John 14:6

On Sunday, I preached on John 14:6, the well known verse in which Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." I responded to an article that I had come across that actually argued that John 14:6 taught that Jesus was ONE AMONG MANY WAYS rather than the ONLY WAY TO GOD. The article claimed that John 14:2 taught that there are MANY ROOMS in the Father's house and that Jesus goes to prepare only ONE of those many ROOMS for His followers. The idea is that the other rooms in the Father's house are left open for other religions' followers. Here are some of the reasons I gave on Sunday as to why this article is way off base:

1. The "rooms" (i.e., the many rooms) and "place" (i.e., the place that Jesus goes to prepare) of v. 2 are two different words in the original Greek. We would expect, therefore, that they would refer to two different things unless the context tells us otherwise. (And the context doesn't tell us otherwise.)

2. Jesus' whole point in the passage really has nothing to do with the "rooms" themselves but with the fact that there is ample space for all His disciples in His Father's house.

3. Verse 6b uses absolute and universal language to state that "no one" comes to the Father (and, thus, to His house) except through the Son. Jesus doesn't say, "you" (in speaking to His disciples) cannot come to the Father except through the Son. He doesn't say, "some" cannot come to the Father except through the Son. And He doesn't say, "Christians" cannot come to the Father except through the Son. He uses absolute universal language to rule out any ambiguity: "no one" or "nothing" comes to the Father except through the Son.

4. This understanding of v. 6 just mentioned in #3 above is necessary. If Jesus is not the only way to God, if there are other ways to God besides Jesus, then Jesus' death is an utter waste. Why would God put Jesus, His only Son, whom He loves, to death if there were other ways to get to heaven? even ONE other way to get there? The God who would do such a thing would be an evil and capricious God, not the God of the Bible. The first rule of Biblical interpretation (Scripture interprets Scripture) prevents our interpreting John 14:1-6 in any way besides that Jesus is the ONLY way to God. The teaching of Scripture about the nature of God prohibits our understanding John 14 to be teaching that Jesus is only one of many different ways to God.

5. If Jesus' death is meaningless and God is capricious and evil, then all of Christianity collapses!

John 14 clearly is teaching that Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven ("Father's house" = heaven, because, as v. 3 says, it's where Jesus will be; and, as v. 6 states, coming to the Father's house is the same as coming to the Father).

Closing of Camp Hope, December 1

Those of you who have seen the movie “You’ve Got Mail” will remember the scene in which Meg Ryan’s character is faced with closing her children’s book store and with dealing with the flood of memories that that sad event brings to her mind. Well, in one sense, closing Camp Hope has produced something similar in myself and in many of those to whom I have spoken lately. True, it was only a part of our lives for a relatively short period of time (not quite 2 ½ years). But it was such a huge encouragement for so many of us during those 2 ½ years, especially in the months that immediately followed the hurricane. Camp Hope helped many of us to go on putting one foot in front of the other. It helped others of us to refocus our priorities away from the things of this world and onto serving Christ and His Church (after all, what will continue to bear fruit when we are dead and gone? the activities we were involved in? our résumé? the money we made? the possessions we accumulated? Or, will it be the work we have done for the sake of Christ?). Camp Hope reminded all of us that God is real, that His Church is real, and that His Church is alive and well and is FAR bigger than Gulfport, Mississippi.

It is always a sad occasion when we are forced to say goodbye to those things that have played important parts in our lives. And such events do bring back a flood of memories. For me, Camp Hope’s closing has brought back memories of the early days, before there ever was such a thing as “Camp Hope;” of the very first crews from Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church in Greer, SC, who came down to build the bath house; of the many Wednesday nights early on that we spent together (outside, mind you!) to eat dinner, to enjoy rich fellowship, and to praise our Great God and Savior; and of the many, many faces that I can still see in my mind’s eye and that I hope I will continue to see for some time to come.

Closing Camp Hope will be a sad occasion. But if we neglect to finish what Camp Hope has started in our midst and fail to refocus our efforts as a congregation on reaching out and serving our community in new and different ways, then Camp Hope’s closing really will be sad. It will then mark not just the end of one chapter of our lives and the beginning of a new one but the end of our attempts to reach and impact our community, a turning of our backs on what we have learned after Katrina.

Please continue to pray for us here on the Gulf Coast, that we will never forget the lessons of Camp Hope. Pray for us as we now start the process of building our new church facility. And thank you for everything you have done to encourage us and to stand by our sides during these most difficult of times. You have been a fulfillment of Galatians 6:2, bearing our burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ.