Monthly Archives: June 2013

MOST MISINTERPRETED BIBLE VERSES?

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At the end of May, Scot McKnight asked his readers what they thought were the most commonly misinterpreted verses in the Bible.  Even though there were many responses, I was surprised to find most of the ones on my own list missing.   http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2013/05/31/most-mis-interpreted-bible-verses-whats-at-the-top-of-your-list/
Among an array which I hope to write about in the near future, let me mention just one: I Cor. 8:1.
The pithy “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” is frequently slung out as a warning that knowledge is somehow intrinsically corrosive.  The conclusion many tragically make is to steer clear from acquiring too much knowledge for it will make you arrogant.  Love is where it is at.  The first commandment after all is to love God, not know about Him!
There are many problems with this line of thinking.  Let me briefly sketch out a few.  The context of I Cor. 8:1 addresses those who feel the freedom to eat food sacrificed to idols and those who don’t.  Paul warns against allowing “this knowledge” (as the ESV helpfully renders it) which gives some the freedom to eat the food to guard against being critical of those who don’t have the same freedom.  It is knowledge misused not knowledge in and of itself that Paul is warning about.
Furthermore, we know that Paul makes many appeals to knowledge and right thinking throughout his teaching on Christian growth, so knowledge per se is not in Paul’s spiritual cross hairs.  A brief, but wise summary of these is found in John R.W. Stott, Your Mind Matters (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1972), 41-42.
It would make no sense for the apostle Paul to diminish the importance of knowledge when he warns against “thinking like children” and the need to be “mature in our thinking.”   And this occurs in the same book as the misapplied verse of I Cor. 8:1 (see I Cor. 14:20)!
Our real nemesis is pride not knowledge.  Pride can tempt those who know a lot, but pride can equally tempt those who may not know as much, but are prideful about how zealous they are.  I can attest to pride’s seductive allure with both extremes.
Acquiring knowledge is viewed as virtuous in the book of Proverbs.  And knowledge is much more closely related to wisdom there (and vice versa) than many Christians appreciate, but that will have to wait for another day.
In our pursuit of knowledge (again a noble endeavor) we must remember that pride often lurks to flatter our egos, but knowledge is not our enemy.  Pride is our true nemesis and it is ever-present to entice knowledgeable Christians who look down on those who don’t think in very sophisticated categories.  It also tempts those who are zealous to look down their spiritual noses at those who are not “doing so much for the kingdom.”  As some of my Cru friends used to say, “We are the Green Berets” of American Christianity.  Many times we were encouraged to “attack hell with a squirt gun” while being warned over pursuing too much education.
We need to remember pride is one of the seven deadly sins not knowledge!

YOUR FAMILY IS NOT YOUR HOBBY!

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Below is a classic example of what I have seen on many résumés.  This particular one comes from a seminary professor, but I’ve seen a bunch on the résumés of pastors as well.  In the case below with our seminary friend, we can find solace that mowing the yard got nudged out by his interest in his family!

Our seminary professor at least uses the word “interest” rather than the more ghastly label of “hobby.”  Here is how he ordered his interests:

Interests: baseball, reading historical novels, psychology and faith, spending time with family, working in yard, traveling, guitar, movies.

What are your interests or hobbies?  Whatever they may be please delete family from your résumé if you have it listed there!
 

WAR IS HELL

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African Americans picking up bones of Civil War dead

Columbia professor, Andrew Delbanco, has memorably said, “Before the Civil War people believed in the providence of God.  After the war, they believed in luck.”

Ambrose Bierce is best known for his satirical work, The Devil’s Dictionary.  He experienced the brutal fighting at the Battle of Shiloh.

Allen Guelzo in his fine new book, Fateful Lightning, mentions a soldier who was “shot in the head but still alive.”  Guelzo proceeds to add the graphic and oft quoted observation Bierce supplied of the scene.  Here is just a bit:

“…taking in his breath in convulsive, rattling snorts, and blowing it out in sputters of froth which crawled creamily down his cheeks…”

There is a lot of reality to process when it comes to horrific events like the Civil War.  As Christians, we need to be ready to offer thoughtful, compassionate, and honest reflections to life’s most vexing issues.

PASTORAL BLUNDERS

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Over the years I have read hundreds of résumés.   Actually, it is probably more than that.  In any case, between interviewing many people on radio and TV, I have also given input to some churches on pastoral searches.  Recently, I evaluated dozens of résumés for a preaching pastor position.  Here are a few things which you may want to share with a friend who is applying for a pastoral position:

*First impressions are huge.  I was amazed by how poorly several of the résumés looked.  The lack of attention to aesthetics was shocking.  I am not advocating lots of fancy stuff.  I am saying that using Courier font and inconsistent borders is not quite passing muster.

*The lack of good writing was painful to see.  Poor writing for someone going into a preaching ministry is troubling.

*The word passion is way overused.  When I see someone has a “passion” for this or that, I grow impatient.  I beg pastors to use some other word.

*Family is listed as hobby and many times not even the first one!  Some put family under a category called “interests,” but the same problem remains.  I have seen too many put gardening and golf or reading and travel on the same list as family!

*No reason is given for leaving a particular church.  One candidate who was candid about the reason for leaving his previous position was put at the top of my pile.

*Stop using trivialities, sloganeering, platitudes, and playing to the crowd.  Since this last church I helped leans toward dispensationalism it was painful to read the pandering descriptions of how committed some candidates are to this particular system of theology.

*No references given from previous church.

*Stop saying the predictable “my wife is the most beautiful and my children are simply amazing.” 

*Dates of experience have gaps and these are not explained.

 

D MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: GREATEST PREACHER?

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I don’t know how many times I have heard someone say, “Lloyd-Jones is the greatest preacher of the twentieth-century.”  It is said with conviction.  It is said with certainty.  It is supposedly a self-evident fact.

No doubt the good doctor was impressive in many ways, but it is not possible for any human to say “he is the greatest.”  First, what are our criteria?  Second, who can know another man’s motives?  And third, one would have to be aware of every single other preacher to make such an assessment, and who knows that except God?!

I read recently where someone said preachers need to stop introducing their wives as the most beautiful which indeed is good counsel.  I would like to extend that to preachers and everyone else for that matter.

 

 

 

 

 

TRUE PROGRESS

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I am scribbling away at a book on The Pilgrim’s Progress.  Here is an excerpt:

Bunyan’s understanding of progress is not at all like our modern version.  Progress for Bunyan was anchored to ancient traditions which had stood the test of time.  Wise people believe these ancient paths are the only ones which offer “rest for the soul.” (Jer. 6:16)[1] 

Fools in the modern age blithely discard the old for the new.  Of course, the new never stays new so the discarding never stops.  It is why people in the modern age not only flit from one fad to another; it is also why we feel the compulsion to keep reinventing ourselves.  Even we are getting old (a very bad thing in our culture) and the only way we have for dealing with it is to try some newfangled gimmick which gives the impression that we are not so old after all.  It is why cosmetics, plastic surgery, and adultery with more youthful partners are big in America.  And it is why suicide, depression, and various addictions also exist. 

We modern folk view progress as anything which helps us do a desired task faster and more efficiently.  This is the only way “forward.”  Bunyan believed the way forward might be slow at times.  He also knew it could be fraught with all kinds of challenges which need ample time for preparation.  Going too fast may cause one to make serious mistakes.  Our fast-paced culture typically finds such methodical preparation a liability. 

It matters a lot who is defining progress.  Joe Sobran said, “If termites could talk, they would call what they do to a huge house “progress.”[2] 


[1]One cultural historian says giving up long-standing categories of right and wrong has led to “inarticulate dread.”  See Andrew Delbanco, The Death of Satan: How Americans Have Lost the Sense of Evil (New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995), 9.

[2]Accessed on www.dougwils.com, Dec. 8, 2008.

 

OLD AND WISE

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One of my favorite books is The Life of St. Antony by Athanasius.  It is not a long read, but chock-full of fascinating stories.  It is hard to know whether all the stories are true, but one thing is clear: there is much wisdom in it.

We modern-day Christians tend to think heretics pose the primary danger to a church’s integrity, but St. Antony added another category: schismatics.  These are folks who may be orthodox in doctrine, but divisive and so not committed to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:3)

Here is some of St. Antony’s last counsel to fellow monks.  By the way, St. Antony was nearly 105 years old!

“Don’t grow idle in your labors.  Live as though dying daily.  Stay away from heretics like the Arians and stay away from schismatics.”

(The Life of St. Antony by Athanasius)

PREACHING ON JOB…FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS!

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Don’t be impatient with your pastor if he takes a year to go through Romans.

One Puritan preacher spent twenty-five years preaching through the book of Job!

“Joseph Caryl, a member of the Westminster Assembly, published an enormous twelve-volume commentary on the book of Job, an effort that grew out of more than twenty-five years of continually preaching on this single biblical text.”

(From Ravished by Beauty: The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality, by Belden Lane).