This post is actually a reply to my Gun Violence post. I'm putting it here because it refuses to post as a comment. Thank you for taking the time for your well-written reply. Over the years, many people have told me when God made me He broke the mold :).





One of the great things about the world God has created is that He has made individuals unique. As I recently read, God broke the mold after He created each one of us. There can never be another who is the exact same. Let me say this is an excellent read and very thought provoking. Obviously, there are things that people will agree with and disagree with. I'll just hit on a few things that speak to me.

1) It is extremely sad to see how unaware "modern" society has gone to distance itself from our Heavenly Father. I believe that society has put the awareness of our Savior aside in order to justify their own misdeeds; and yet they keep Him close enough to be able to call on Him when they need something or catastrophe strikes. If children and adults alike were to be brought up and nurtured in the Gospel rather that in the "participant trophy" easily offended day in which we live, things would be SO much different. It would be phenomenal to go out into the world every day and easily feel God's presence with every contact we have. Unfortunately, it won't happen because "the days are evil."

2) Something certainly has to be done to address all of the violence occuring in our schools (not to mention in addition to drug use, pornography, and all other sinful activity that is dragging our society down). It should have been more adequately addressed a long time ago. I honestly believe that things will only continue to get worse until the Lord returns on that white horse to recreate the world. The day is getting closer. Every creature is important to God and it would be foolish to sit idly by and do nothing while we wait for the Lord's return. We have to at least try.

3) How to try is the issue. Everyone has their own "perfect answer" which can, and will, be met with hesitation. In Psalm 82:3-4, we are told to "Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." The ultimate question is how to do this without stripping people of their rights and putting additional people into danger. Someone somewhere is going to have to make that decision. I hope they are a believer who will consult the Creator of All to direct their paths before announcing a decision that will affect so many people.

4) In closing, I am a gun owner. I carry it when, and where, I am permitted. I personally would like to see more security in schools. It's factual that the overwhelming vast majority of mass shootings occur in gun free zones. As it is beginning to come to light, there are so many issues with coordination of the current investigative, reporting, and mental health areas that we cannot get an accurate picture of how well the current system and laws work because they are just being blown off and "oops" is said when something happens. There are stories going around the internet (which all have to be taken with a grain of salt) that talk about how many times the army, FBI, and others have failed to communicate effectively to prevent incidents from happening. Only the Lord knows how things would be different if things were handled better and events were hopefully stopped before they could happen. Until a better means of communication and accountability are put into place, we cannot, and should not, be judging what laws already in place are, or aren't enough. 

Gun Violence

Guns + Violence=Gun Violence

02/19/2018

In the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shootings social media and news networks have generally been focused on gun control. Over the weekend surviving students from Marjory Stone Douglas High School have become quite outspoken about what they perceive to be the failure of our political leadership. They of course have every right to speak out-some would argue they have an obligation to speak out-against gun violence in our schools. While the “I call BS” quote seems to be gaining lots of traction, my favorite is the response to second the amendment rights question, stated emphatically: “I have the right to live!”. We should be listening; we should also be thinking about why they are taking the lead here, and not us ‘responsible adults’. We are finally being held accountable by those who are most affected and I wholeheartedly support their efforts, and their message.

As my title suggests, gun violence has two components; guns and violence. Today I will set the gun half aside-our children seem to be doing fine addressing this and hopefully the passion and determination of youth will get the appropriate attention. What has not been getting much attention is the violence side. Maybe I should re-phrase that. Violence has been getting attention insofar as gun rights advocates point to all manner of violence, apart from guns, to make their case that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. As if to say violence is acceptable because it always has been and always will be part and parcel of our culture. Since it always has and always will exist, the only reasonable deterrent is to meet violence head on with more violence. Following this logic to its inevitable conclusion leads us to armed guards in every school-hopefully carrying automatic weapons only because hand-held nukes are not yet practical. In response, to paraphrase Paul, let me propose a better way.

            First, a few disclaimers. I am not coming after anyone’s guns, even if I fail to understand Conservative Evangelicalism’s fascination with all things guns and military. Violence always has and probably always will be with us, at least until out Lord returns. There are and will continue to be situations where armed resistance is necessary; such times are best left to highly trained and skilled professionals. Nor is this about the Second Amendment, although I will touch on that. Now, with that out of the way let me say violence is a lie and a sin against God. Responding to violence with more violence is two lies and two sins against God and for a Christian-especially a Christian leader-to respond to violence with the threat of more violence is three lies and three sins against God.

Violence is a lie because it assumes the only acceptable response to any given situation is the imposition one’s beliefs by force of will upon another. It is a lie and a sin because in committing a violent act I am saying I am more important than you; you must bow to my wishes. Violence is a sin before God not only for that reason but because God, secure in the knowledge that He alone is capable of determining right and wrong, must now watch His creatures usurp His authority and decide right and wrong for ourselves (“Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden…for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5; italics mine).  The questions now become ‘whose good is greater; who gets to decide, how will the decision be enforced’ (see also James 4:1-10, esp. vs.5). Because God forbid we let Him decide or tell us what to do-who knows where that will end up.

Responding to violence with violence is two lies, first because of the violence itself; second because of the assumption that a violent response is necessary. That somehow violence can only be contained or controlled by greater violence. Of course, this greater violence is acceptable because it is being perpetrated by the “good guys”. The Biblical principle is a little different: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). Jesus unpacks this in Mt. 5:21-26; 38-41, His point being ending the cycle of violence wherever possible is always preferable to perpetuating it, even in the name of justice and especially where justice is decided by whoever has the most firepower. Most arguments I have heard favoring a violent response to violence are thinly disguised justifications for second amendment rights. I will say it again because it bears repeating: I do not understand the Conservative Evangelical infatuation with all things guns and military. (That isn’t completely true. I do think I might understand it as it fits nicely with the false worldview of Nationalism. I just can’t quite believe it’s happening). One more point-I do not believe armed guards in schools to be the deterrent their proponents believe them to be; they simply run the risk of encouraging ever greater violence (ex. Oh good, I can get the guards first. Need more guns. Need more ammo.)  I’m old enough to remember the college student who placed a flower in the barrel of a National Guard rifle at Kent State. That would have worked out better for all involved had there been a little more Gospel present.

Which leads me to Christian leaders advocating violent response (or, for that matter, encouraging armed students in their colleges and armed parishioners in their churches). Three lies-the lie of violence itself, the lie of a necessary violent response, and the lie that the Gospel is somehow insufficient or impractical; as though the Gospel message is fine for the Sunday pulpit or daily meditation in the privacy of our homes but out there in the real world we need serious protection. Because everybody knows God just can’t protect our kids, right? And anyway, we kicked Him out of our schools. Another lie-an omnipresent God cannot be kicked out of anything anywhere. What’s missing is the awareness of His presence, which we should be cultivating in our own lives and teaching our kids. And since He isn’t allowed in our schools we’re pretty much on our own, aren’t we? Listen to the voices of the Parkland survivors. They are crying out for our God. Every Christian-but especially every Christian leader-who posts some pithy pro-second amendment saying or some cute meme featuring a smoking gun or an AR-15 in defense their personal rights has just seen any credible influence or ability to preach the Gospel instantly evaporate. These kids-the whole of society, for that matter-do not need a culturally compromised Gospel. They do not need a faith focused on a behavior-reward system designed, as someone else I can’t remember put it, to procure a good exit strategy and they-we-certainly do not need more guns. They need-and they know they need-a faith which impacts day to day, minute by minute life. They need someone whom they can trust with their lives and follow with all their hearts. So do you. So do I. To paraphrase Paul “woe to us if we do not preach the Gospel”.

I know that faith, even if I fail to practice it a lot more frequently than I should. I know that God, even if I fail to follow Him a lot more closely than I should. So here is my final point; final answer. I publicly condemn in the strongest possible terms violence of any and every type. Adult shooters firing into a concert? Nope. Young adult drivers driving into a crowd of protesters? Uh-uh. Kids bring semi-automatic weapons into schools bent upon maximum destruction? No way. Firefights in the halls? Oh hell no. We have reached the point-we are way past the point-where we must ask ourselves what is more important-the right to keep and bear semi-automatic weapons or the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? We might even ask ourselves about the deeper meaning of Jesus’ statement “He who loves his life will lose it”. I know a couple teachers might be willing to help us out with that one. We have the answer. Will we render it null and void by proclaiming it is somehow not enough, or will we trust in The Lord with all our hearts, not on our own understanding? Will we acknowledge Him in all our ways and allow Him to direct our paths? Or will we reserve a few things for ourselves? After all, we are only being practical……

Tipping point or turning point

I believe we have reached a new norm in our country. It is driven from the top down and is fueled by individual imposition of rights by force of will. It is rooted in the conviction that my opinion is the correct opinion simply because it is mine and features perpetual anger, the dehumanization of any and all opponents, resolute refusal to listen and devotion to ideology over humanity and the common good. 

Jesus, on the other hand, taught a way of life that stands diametrically opposed to the norms of His day and ours as well. His way must be recovered if we are to move forward. Speaking out from the pulpit is not enough; simply knowing about Jesus changes little. A renewed focus on discipleship is required-a new way of living and interacting with one another based following Jesus as Lord, undertaken to produce the personal transformation (or sanctification, if you prefer) seen in the Christian Scriptures. The stakes are high but the reward is great. It is time to put politics aside and come together. The ancient way can and must be recovered. 

“To whom will he teach knowledge,

and to whom will he explain the message?

Those who are weaned from the milk,

those taken from the breast?

For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,

line upon line, line upon line,

here a little, there a little.” (Isa 28:9-10, ESV)

Isaiah repeats this refrain two times. Many commentators believe the words in the original Hebrew may be gibberish; the point being since Isaiah’s hearers believed his warnings nonsense they would hear true nonsense-in a foreign tongue as they are being led away into captivity. Isaiah’s words also have a modern day application-line upon line, precept upon precept may be understood as the way of discipleship, or the way foolishness (cf. 1 Co1:18-31). 

I suggest we (and especially me) might begin with an extended meditation on Phi 2:1-11. If we are ever to eliminate our incessant desire to have everything our way all the time, this is the place to start. Several days minimum would be good; a week or more is not out of the question. Remember, we are not accumulating knowledge here but learning a new way of being. I would even be so bold as to suggest reading Ps 130 before and Ps 131 after your meditation. I would love to hear how this works for you. 

Peace

JRG

 10 Oct 2017

As a veteran I choose to stand for our national anthem. If you, for whatever reason, choose to sit or kneel that is your choice and it is fine with me. Whether we stand or sit or kneel has no eternal significance; how we disagree with one other does. This is classic divide and conquer strategy and the constant bickering-retreating into our tribal trenches and lobbing artillery shells at one another-has led to a disconnectedness that is the antithesis of everything Jesus said and taught. It is the great moral crisis of our time, a collective dark night of the soul.

We are lights-the light of the world. Connected we will shine with a brilliance that will dispel this present darkness. We are light. You are light. Be the light. Be the Kingdom. 

October 2 2017

The other day a friend told me a story about a woman he knows who seemed unusually depressed. When my friend pressed her for a reason, it turned out she was upset because the world did not end on September 23. Biblical prophecy has always been a popular subject; human  nature consistently seeks to alleviate the uncertainty of not knowing the future and there will always be those eager to profit by leading the faithful astray. Scripture, however, is very clear-no one, not even our Lord Himself, knows when the the end will come (Mt.24:36)-which might cause some of you to rethink your understanding of the relationship between Father and Son.

Scripture is also clear that the Lord is not slow in coming but patient, not desiring that any should be lost (2 Pe.3:9); it is this second point that I would briefly address. I am afraid many today are not patient, who do not care if any are lost. In fact, it seems many today are more concerned with judgement than mercy; many who claim salvation by grace through faith for themselves but would deny that same grace to anyone with whom they disagree. Those among us who want to hasten the Lord's coming may want to spend less time chasing after false prophets (Mt.24:11) and more time leading lives of holiness and Godliness, hastening the Lord's coming (2 Pe.3:11-12).

I believe this desire to prematurely end the world is one of many indications that there is a lot of questionable theology out there today. While I am certainly not saying theology has no value, I am saying any attempt to wrap God up into a nice tight package in order to better understand Him is going to fall short. God is simply too big, to mysterious. Any attempt to figure Him out runs the risk of making Him in our image, no matter how well educated we are. We can, however, know God-we can know Him by knowing Him the same way we know our spouse or our children or anyone else with whom we have any kind of loving relationship. We can know God by simply spending time in His presence sharing our thoughts, our concerns, our joys, our frustrations. God is just as interested in our failed dinner attempts as He is in our most noble intercessory prayers; I do not believe He hides His eyes when we dance around the kitchen to some old rock and roll song any more than He does when we teach a Bible class or lead a small group.

We exclude God in the little, day to day stuff of our lives to our great peril; I am convinced there are times-lots of times-when God is perfectly content just to be with us; just to hang out together. Don't get me wrong; prayer and Bible study and worship and the other disciplines are important but only to the extent that they allow us to know God on a personal level. And make no mistake-knowing God on a personal level is both possible and highly desirable. I don't understand how this works but I don't need to either. I do know this- if you bring God into the little things in your life you will be better for it.

Peace. JRG

New Stuff

29 July 2017

My mom has a unique way of reading books. She begins at the end-she reads the ending first. If she likes the ending she'll read the rest of the book; if not she won't. I used to tease her about it but these days I'm just pleased she's still reading so I don't say anything. I'm pretty sure she never read the bible that way, but I she may have. She certainly could. Might not be a bad idea for us once in a while either. 

The Bible is bookended with creation stories. The first two chapters speak of God's original creation; the last two God's re-creation. The first two describe the original, perfect environment for humankind; the last two God's perfect recreation for restored humankind. As believers we know how the story ends. It's a good ending, a perfect ending, an eternal ending and we would all do well to spend some time meditating on what God has prepared for those who love Him. Let's take a look. 

The first thing is a new heaven and a new earth. Everything is new, fully restored. Most commentators focus on the New Jerusalem but my sense is, with a new earth (and no more sea) there will be plenty of room for billions of us to live and work and grow stuff and still have space. When the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven the first thing we hear is “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people" (Revelation 21:3). This is important. God fully intends to live among us here and be our God. This was the plan from the beginning and it will be fulfilled. God, who already loves us to death (pun intended) longs to spend eternity hanging out with us, being our God, doing God stuff with us and for us. And giving us life, all the life we can handle. Life inexhaustible supplied by God Himself. The best part about all this is its already started. God is our God right now. He lives with us right now. He gives us His life right now. 

He says "I am making all things new" and "It is done". There is no doubt. Take it to the bank. All things. Not just earth, the planet, the physical environment. The whole system. No more death. No pain. No crying. The old order of things has passed away. Authority will no longer come from the imposition of will. Humanity will no longer be divided into the haves and have nots. No more exploitation, no more marginalization. All you guys out there that rail against socialism are gonna be in trouble. And disappointed. Think about this for a minute. Let it sink in because this is how things were meant to be. It's what Jesus Himself taught and what Paul, Peter, James and John reinforced. Both Testaments are saturated with this teaching. My point here is not so much what you have ( or don't have) but what you're attached to-where your heart lies. What we do in this life matters. The slate may be wiped clean but there will be consequences-God is not mocked. We are sowing now and the reaping will come. 

While we're on the subject vs.8 gives us a list of those who 'don't make it in' and why. We like to turn that into a hit list or a punishment list or an 'I'm holier than you because I don't do that stuff' list-a judging, Bible-thumping, guilt producing list but that's not what it is. These people are not kept out and sent to the second death because of what they do. They are already dead, because they have judged and rejected God. This is an important point and worth spending some time thinking about. Christians today love to make the unpardonable sin some behavioral thing but it is not. It is, judging and rejecting God to the point that one is simply not capable of accepting Him even while standing in His presence. It is not just refusing to acknowledge Him as God but refusing even to allow Him to love you and then hating Him more because He lets you do it. 

So, here's  what we have so far. All things will be made new, heaven and earth. The old socio-economic structures will be replaced. We will be fully restored by God; He will continually give us life and will Himself live here with us. Those who are miserable without Him now will be allowed to remain miserable without Him for eternity. Stay tuned. There's more. 

Peace

JRG

Revelation: A Cautionary Tale

24 July 2017

            I read revelation for the first time in July 1969. A high school friend and I spent the better part of that summer on the west coast. My friend’s grandmother lived in a small town outside Portland, Oregon; we stayed with her and worked on his uncle’s blueberry farm/chicken ranch. She had a copy of Good News for Modern Man and that’s where I read revelation. My friend’s family were Baptists, and I am convinced I am a Christian today because of his grandmother’s faithful prayers on my behalf.

            Now, at 18 the only thing I got from revelation was scared. My (miss)understanding of the book has morphed several times over the decades, going from the extreme confidence of my Dispensational days to pretty much total surrendered to unknowing today. I’ve a few books on Revelation over the years; The Late Great planet Earth being the first. There was a scholarly commentary by Dr. John Walvoord I struggled through. Dr. Walvoord was once asked what he would do if his theory on revelation was shown to be incorrected; he replied, ‘write another book’. Then there was a book around, I think, 2003 or 2004 whose author did a detailed study of all the prophetic works in both testaments. I don’t remember much about that one, except he was convinced every household would be required to own some sort of religious statue. These statues would be inhabited by demons who would report the goings on in the household to the beast or false prophet or somebody and there would be hell to pay for misbehavior. This was a serious work complete with a fold-out, poster-sized chart. My favorite is Breaking the Code by Dr. Bruce Metzger, mainly because I can understand it. And let’s not forget the Left Behind series, which I haven’t read but remains extremely popular. The one thing these books have in common is none of them are the Bible; they are interpretations or commentaries or fictional works and, as such, require caution, discernment and critical thinking in the reading.

             I’ve never been much of a conspiracy theory person but there are lots of them out there and Revelation is a favorite, in part, I think, because it is so difficult to properly exegete. Back in the early to mid-90’s I had a friend who was, among many other things, a survivalist. He was determined that, if the apocalypse came, he and his family would survive. Whenever we would talk about apocalyptic survival Revelation 13:9-10 invariably came to mind. Which leads me to my main point.

            My thinking on Revelation today is that the most important chapters, apart from 13:9-10, are 1-3 and 21-22. One to three, because they address our situation today; 20-21 because they confirm God’s plan for total restoration-the new heaven and new earth. Particularly important to me are 1:5-6-He (Christ) has washed us and freed us from our sins so that we would be a kingdom, priests serving His (and our) God and Father, to Him be the glory. I believe this to be one of the best Gospel summaries in the Bible-what Jesus did and why. We have a job to do in the here and now, and it does not involve worrying about who will die and who will be taken captive and who will escape. That is up to God and no one else.

            Regarding our situation today, to be sure there will be problems. They are described in Chs.2 & 3. Issues are addressed, solutions are given. Every church in those two chapters is today’s church; every church issue is our personal issue to some extent or other. This is a clear picture of how Jesus sees His church; this is, in my opinion, where our focus should be. But wait; there’s more. Let’s not forget we know how the story ends.

            God promises total restoration; all things made new. God Himself will dwell with us. Take some time to meditate on this promise. The new creation is described in terms of gold and precious gems-the only things John had to describe an indescribable glory. Chapters 1-3 may be read as instruction; chapters 21-22 need to be read devotionally, with what Dr. Metzger calls a disciplined imagination. I cannot emphasize this point enough-all things new, God with us, creation as it was meant to be. Christ allowed Himself to be judged, rejected and executed for this-this is who our God is, this is what He does. To paraphrase Patton, compared to this all conspiracy theories, all interpretations, pale to insignificance.         

            One more point. If God intends to dwell with us in the future-if that is why Jesus came-why would He not want to dwell with us now? I submit, with the utmost respect and humility, if our theology does not lead us into an ever-deeper relationship with our God working its way out in our relationships with one another, perhaps we need a new theology. If we don’t want Him around now-and it is possible to be a believer and not want God interfering in our lives-why would we ever want to spend eternity with Him? Let us seek His presence now, in this life, and get good and comfortable with Him. It will only get better,

Peace

JRG