Last week the superintendent of the Putnam City School District, Dr. Paul Hurst, received a letter from an organization called "Freedom From Religion Foundation" out of Madison Wisconsin. The subject of the letter was their objection to the baccalaureates of Putnam City West High School and Putnam City North High Schools respectively. This is a radical left wing Atheist organization (with a staff of only 7 people!) whose mission is to eradicate religion from the public square. The letter threatened a law suit because of the implication that these two events, neither of which were actually sponsored by the schools, were a violation of the principles of "separation of church and state" in the U.S. constitution.
It was somewhat ironic that Chris Wall was the guest speaker at P.C. West and I was the guest speaker at the P.C. North baccalaureate. A further irony was that the subject of my talk that night was the etymology of the word "baccalaureate" in the English language and in Western civilization. Despite what many secular humanists might think, the history and meaning of this event goes back into antiquity- even predating the advent of the most historic educational institutions. It is an old Latin word that means in essence "bequeathing authority to teach".
I am very proud of our school district for not backing down to a very small radical fringe group from Wisconsin that has probably never even stepped foot in Oklahoma City and wouldn't know the difference between Council and Rockwell. Although there was a lot of chatter from the parents, teachers and administration about the letter, the events went on undeterred.
The two primary reasons I believe our community should never stop this very important milestone for high schools seniors are:
1. History. The reason these events have a somewhat religious meaning is that the very first institutions of learning in Western culture were Christian institutions. That is a fact that even the single-minded and passionate "Freedom from Religion" organization cannot deny. For our schools to stop the tradition of baccalaureates would mean that they would end a tradition that goes back not just to the beginning of public school systems in America, but to earliest centuries in Western culture.
In fact, there is a place in scripture in which the implication of this concept is clear. In Acts chapter 4 the disciples were challenged for their very effective and authoritative teaching that had resulted in thousands of conversions. The religious leaders and political authorities were not so much upset by what the disciples were teaching, but by the authority and swagger of their teaching.
"The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?""
They were in affect asking about their "baccaulareas"- their authority to teach- they wanted to know their credentials. How dare these uneducated men come into Jerusalem and teach with such authority!
The history of this event goes back much deeper into our culture than the concepts of school systems, school boards, and even democracy and the Bill of Rights. It is a sad day indeed when we as a people begin to deconstruct the very moorings upon which our philosophy of freedom and moral law have been carefully constructed.
2. The fallacy of their argument. A second reason I would object is that there is really no such thing as freedom from religion. Every human being is seeking meaning and purpose in something- whether it be the religion that is found in churches and synagogues and mosques or it is the religion that is found in an office building (ironically, a converted church building) in Madison Wisconsin that says its purpose is to promote Atheism. The issue at the center of the human heart is a need to find meaning and purpose - a person will look for that in God or in some substitute for God. In this case, this organization is passionately promoting their religion as aggressively as any evangelical church. They are not true atheists. Because a true atheist would be completely ambivalent about another persons belief and wouldn't care less whether a person attended a ceremony that just happens to have a tradition centuries old, regardless of the premise of the event. But they are not ambivelent- they are passionate and aggessive and are acting as if their very life (soul?) depends upon it. Thier behavior is the behavior of true religonists and believers. So if we truly seek freedom from religion it would mean that we would seek freedom from the Freedom from Religion Foundation and therefore we should not pay attention to their silly letter.
And that is exactly what I hope Putnam City Schools continues to do.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
i'm just sayin
This morning I found an interesting article on msnbc.com called “Winning at all costs is for losers.”
In it, Bruce Weinstein from Business Week Magazine makes the following observations about good business leadership as he reflects on the current economic crisis:
1. What's good for the gander is good for the goose- If your cutting back on the compensation of your employees, then be prepared to cut back on your own compensation.
2. Know your product- Don’t sell something you don’t really know about- like bundled loans that turned out to be “toxic” investments.
3. Winning at all costs is for losers- It is unethical to try to make profits at the expense of the greater good.
4. Tell the truth.
5. Prevent harm- Don’t do something you know will cause harm no matter how much profit you might get in the short run.
6. Don't exploit- It is unethical and immoral to sell something to someone that will ultimately harm them.
7. Don't make promises you can't keep.
8. Take responsibility for your mistakes.
9. People, not profits- “For the good leader, this means that the ultimate goal in business — and life — is not hoarding riches but making things better for all, especially the neediest.”
10. Be kind, not king- “Yes, good leaders are enthusiastically devoted to accomplishing their mission, but this pursuit cannot be at the expense of the well being of others.”
What I found interesting about this article, coming from a secular website reprinted from a secular business magazine, is how closely these particular principles were related to the teaching of Christ on the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Look closely, and you will find the teaching of the Ten Commandments as well.
Listed below are just a few of the parallels between the teaching of Christ and what Weinstein sees as important leadership principles:
1. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (5:5)
2. Let your light shine before men that they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (5:16)
3. You cannot serve both God and money (6;24)
4. Enter through the narrow gate, for broad is the way that leads to destruction. (7:13)
5. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. (6:19)
6. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles (5:41)
7. Simply let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no”; anything beyond this comes from the Evil One. (5:33)
8. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (5:23-24)
9. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. (5:12)
10. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (7:19)
All of this has made me think- could there be a parallel between our current economic crisis and the loss of a biblical worldview in American culture?
Of course it is certainly true that all of the issues we deal with in our lives have some kind of derivative from our fallen nature.
It is something to think about for sure.
After all, if you buy into the secular humanist Western Enlightenment concepts of atheism, existentialism and relativism, from where do you get your moral bearings and final moral authority when making business or employment decisions? Why not exploit the weak and look out for number one and go for the short term gain no matter what the long term cost?
I’m not saying that Christians are not susceptible to the same greed and immorality that many have fallen prey to and that has brought about our current economic crisis, I’m just making the point that a good healthy understanding of biblical content and Christian principles is somewhat indirectly being promoted here by a secular business writer as something that is desperately needed in strong leadership to get us through the perilous economic time we are in.
Maybe the Sermon on the Mount should be taught in business schools.
Maybe the Ten Commandments should be posted on the walls of corporate offices.
I’m just sayin…
In it, Bruce Weinstein from Business Week Magazine makes the following observations about good business leadership as he reflects on the current economic crisis:
1. What's good for the gander is good for the goose- If your cutting back on the compensation of your employees, then be prepared to cut back on your own compensation.
2. Know your product- Don’t sell something you don’t really know about- like bundled loans that turned out to be “toxic” investments.
3. Winning at all costs is for losers- It is unethical to try to make profits at the expense of the greater good.
4. Tell the truth.
5. Prevent harm- Don’t do something you know will cause harm no matter how much profit you might get in the short run.
6. Don't exploit- It is unethical and immoral to sell something to someone that will ultimately harm them.
7. Don't make promises you can't keep.
8. Take responsibility for your mistakes.
9. People, not profits- “For the good leader, this means that the ultimate goal in business — and life — is not hoarding riches but making things better for all, especially the neediest.”
10. Be kind, not king- “Yes, good leaders are enthusiastically devoted to accomplishing their mission, but this pursuit cannot be at the expense of the well being of others.”
What I found interesting about this article, coming from a secular website reprinted from a secular business magazine, is how closely these particular principles were related to the teaching of Christ on the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Look closely, and you will find the teaching of the Ten Commandments as well.
Listed below are just a few of the parallels between the teaching of Christ and what Weinstein sees as important leadership principles:
1. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (5:5)
2. Let your light shine before men that they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (5:16)
3. You cannot serve both God and money (6;24)
4. Enter through the narrow gate, for broad is the way that leads to destruction. (7:13)
5. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. (6:19)
6. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles (5:41)
7. Simply let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no”; anything beyond this comes from the Evil One. (5:33)
8. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (5:23-24)
9. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. (5:12)
10. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (7:19)
All of this has made me think- could there be a parallel between our current economic crisis and the loss of a biblical worldview in American culture?
Of course it is certainly true that all of the issues we deal with in our lives have some kind of derivative from our fallen nature.
It is something to think about for sure.
After all, if you buy into the secular humanist Western Enlightenment concepts of atheism, existentialism and relativism, from where do you get your moral bearings and final moral authority when making business or employment decisions? Why not exploit the weak and look out for number one and go for the short term gain no matter what the long term cost?
I’m not saying that Christians are not susceptible to the same greed and immorality that many have fallen prey to and that has brought about our current economic crisis, I’m just making the point that a good healthy understanding of biblical content and Christian principles is somewhat indirectly being promoted here by a secular business writer as something that is desperately needed in strong leadership to get us through the perilous economic time we are in.
Maybe the Sermon on the Mount should be taught in business schools.
Maybe the Ten Commandments should be posted on the walls of corporate offices.
I’m just sayin…
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
He is on His throne
Today I was reading Iain H. Murray's "Spurgeon V. Hypercalvinism" and found a story I had not heard before about the great English preacher. In October of 1856 during a Sunday morning service in which thousands of people were packed into the Metropolitan Tabernacle to hear the eloquant young preacher, someone in the crowd yelled "Fire!" The stampede from one of the balconies resulted in 7 deaths. The commotion was so far from Spurgeon that he continued preaching without knowing what had happened. When he was told later about the tragedy, he collapsed in his office and many feared it might be the end of his preaching ministry.
It was a passage of scripture that finally lifted him out of his depression:
9"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
(Philippians 2:9-11)
The next time he preached, he told his congregation that it was because of these words that he was instantly lifted out of the clouds of his depression and able to go on- it was the knowledge that in spite of what kinds of tragedies we go through in this life- that Christ is still on his throne.
The account reminded me of a story I once heard about Dr. Robert G. Lee, the former pastor of Bellvue Baptist Church in Memphis Tennessee. A family in his church was overcome by the grief of losing a young child in a kind of freak accident at their home. The boy had fallen off their roof on to a picket fence and had been killed instantly. In anquish, the mother asked Lee, "Where was God when my boy fell off that roof?"
Lee comforted her by saying softly, "He was in the same place as He was when they pulled the lifeless body of His Son off that cross- He was on His throne."
There is no greater knowledge in good times or bad than the central truth of our own existence- that God is in control in spite of our circumstances. The greatest tragedy that has ever occurred in human history is also the greatest victory. This means that as Christians we can always see that no matter what our circumstances bring, all things work for His glory.
He is on His throne.
It was a passage of scripture that finally lifted him out of his depression:
9"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
(Philippians 2:9-11)
The next time he preached, he told his congregation that it was because of these words that he was instantly lifted out of the clouds of his depression and able to go on- it was the knowledge that in spite of what kinds of tragedies we go through in this life- that Christ is still on his throne.
The account reminded me of a story I once heard about Dr. Robert G. Lee, the former pastor of Bellvue Baptist Church in Memphis Tennessee. A family in his church was overcome by the grief of losing a young child in a kind of freak accident at their home. The boy had fallen off their roof on to a picket fence and had been killed instantly. In anquish, the mother asked Lee, "Where was God when my boy fell off that roof?"
Lee comforted her by saying softly, "He was in the same place as He was when they pulled the lifeless body of His Son off that cross- He was on His throne."
There is no greater knowledge in good times or bad than the central truth of our own existence- that God is in control in spite of our circumstances. The greatest tragedy that has ever occurred in human history is also the greatest victory. This means that as Christians we can always see that no matter what our circumstances bring, all things work for His glory.
He is on His throne.
Monday, March 9, 2009
blessings flow from the hard places
They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink."
Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?"
Last week I was talking to a friend of mine who is a financial adviser and estate planner. He was telling me that these days he spends a good part of his time trying to calm people down. "People need to know that their life isn't destroyed as the stock market goes down", he told me.
My friend could see that the key issue people deal with in a panicked financial environment is essentially a spiritual one. There is a reason that the first commandment was that we are to have no other gods before the Lord God- anything else at the center of our heart will ultimately crush us to the ground. In his greater catechism, Martin Luther observed that all the commandments essentially feed off the first one, and that the reason we struggle with issues of money, sex and power is because we have something else at the center of our lives besides the Lord God.
We learn in the Exodus event that the desert is the place where one comes to the understanding that one has no other resource available other than what is given by the grace and mercy of God.
The wilderness teaches me that until I know that God is all I have I will never know that God is all I need.
The desert is where all the other brooks dry up. But the reality is as long as I am drinking from any other source, I will never taste the sweetness of His fountain.
The desert is where God leads me to the hard places- the places where His abundant blessing flows. And as a believer I know this to be true because I can see that the ultimate hard place was the cross- and that Jesus is the rock struck.
Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?"
But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me."The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." (Exodus 17:2-5)
Last week I was talking to a friend of mine who is a financial adviser and estate planner. He was telling me that these days he spends a good part of his time trying to calm people down. "People need to know that their life isn't destroyed as the stock market goes down", he told me.
My friend could see that the key issue people deal with in a panicked financial environment is essentially a spiritual one. There is a reason that the first commandment was that we are to have no other gods before the Lord God- anything else at the center of our heart will ultimately crush us to the ground. In his greater catechism, Martin Luther observed that all the commandments essentially feed off the first one, and that the reason we struggle with issues of money, sex and power is because we have something else at the center of our lives besides the Lord God.
We learn in the Exodus event that the desert is the place where one comes to the understanding that one has no other resource available other than what is given by the grace and mercy of God.
The wilderness teaches me that until I know that God is all I have I will never know that God is all I need.
The desert is where all the other brooks dry up. But the reality is as long as I am drinking from any other source, I will never taste the sweetness of His fountain.
The desert is where God leads me to the hard places- the places where His abundant blessing flows. And as a believer I know this to be true because I can see that the ultimate hard place was the cross- and that Jesus is the rock struck.
Monday, March 2, 2009
it takes a season
We are one of those rare Baptist churches that actually celebrates the Lent season- and I know that this fact always raises a few eyebrows and causes more than a few questions from some of the people we encounter in the community. "I thought you were Baptist..." or "I didn't know you were Catholic" are just a few of the responses I've heard people encounter during this season.
I always like to remind people of a few things whenever we talk about this season:
1. The Lenton season predates denominationalism as we know it. It has been a Christian tradition for at least 1,100 years- therefore it does not reside with any particular faith tradition exclusively. In fact, the earliest history of a forty day fast before Easter Sunday actually dates to the first century in the earliest church- there is strong evidence that the earliest believers set aside this time before Easter as a time of training and preparing new believers for baptism. It is a tradition that is now practiced by Christians from all stripes- including conservative evanglelicals. Several years ago when the movie "The Passion of Christ" came out, popular Baptist pastor and theologian John Piper wrote a series of devotions for Lent season focusing on the meaning of the cross.
2. We started the tradition in our church because we have come to see the value of long seasons. Our desire is to take the Christian holidays back from secular culture. Our desire is to turn the holidays into Holy Days again. Secular society has made Christmas about Santa Clause and Easter about the Easter Bunny. We believe that as followers of Christ we have a responsibility to reclaim the holy ground lost over the past 100 years or so in Western culture. There is value in taking a season of time, in this case 40 days of fasting, and focus your heart and attention on the one thing that is most important in your life and to your existence- the cross of Christ and His resurrection.
3. It is a great way for families to help their children understand the importance of the teaching of the cross. Our family has celebrated the Lent season since our children were small. The result is that it has become a very important part of their lives- to take time out in the Spring season, when the days are lengthening and the weather is beginning to turn mild, to focus on the most important issue to human life and existence- the substituionary death of Christ on the cross and the life that that event has brought to us.
The truth of "boast only in the cross' is not something one only thinks of in a passing way. It is a truth to be meditated on, contemplated, chewed up and digested. It is a truth that should become manna and should grow in it's meaning and understanding and eventually become a part of your being and even possess you and take a place of prominence in your heart and thinking.
In order for a person to come to that point of understanding that everything in this life that I have to boast about was brought to me as a result of the cross and purchased by His blood one has to really dig down and think. I mean really think. A person has to think for more than thirty seconds during the commericals or at the stop light- a person has to think about it a long time and over a long period of time.
A person has to come to it every day and make it daily bread. A person can't just look at a diamond like this one time and then put it down. That person has to hold it in his hand for days on end and turn it over and over again and hold it out and really look at it through the light.
That doesn't happen in just a day or an hour.
It takes a season.
And even after many years of seasons you will come to realize if you haven't already that as incredible and beautiful the reality of the gospel really is to you, you have really only begun to scratch the surface of the true meaning of it.
I always like to remind people of a few things whenever we talk about this season:
1. The Lenton season predates denominationalism as we know it. It has been a Christian tradition for at least 1,100 years- therefore it does not reside with any particular faith tradition exclusively. In fact, the earliest history of a forty day fast before Easter Sunday actually dates to the first century in the earliest church- there is strong evidence that the earliest believers set aside this time before Easter as a time of training and preparing new believers for baptism. It is a tradition that is now practiced by Christians from all stripes- including conservative evanglelicals. Several years ago when the movie "The Passion of Christ" came out, popular Baptist pastor and theologian John Piper wrote a series of devotions for Lent season focusing on the meaning of the cross.
2. We started the tradition in our church because we have come to see the value of long seasons. Our desire is to take the Christian holidays back from secular culture. Our desire is to turn the holidays into Holy Days again. Secular society has made Christmas about Santa Clause and Easter about the Easter Bunny. We believe that as followers of Christ we have a responsibility to reclaim the holy ground lost over the past 100 years or so in Western culture. There is value in taking a season of time, in this case 40 days of fasting, and focus your heart and attention on the one thing that is most important in your life and to your existence- the cross of Christ and His resurrection.
3. It is a great way for families to help their children understand the importance of the teaching of the cross. Our family has celebrated the Lent season since our children were small. The result is that it has become a very important part of their lives- to take time out in the Spring season, when the days are lengthening and the weather is beginning to turn mild, to focus on the most important issue to human life and existence- the substituionary death of Christ on the cross and the life that that event has brought to us.
The truth of "boast only in the cross' is not something one only thinks of in a passing way. It is a truth to be meditated on, contemplated, chewed up and digested. It is a truth that should become manna and should grow in it's meaning and understanding and eventually become a part of your being and even possess you and take a place of prominence in your heart and thinking.
In order for a person to come to that point of understanding that everything in this life that I have to boast about was brought to me as a result of the cross and purchased by His blood one has to really dig down and think. I mean really think. A person has to think for more than thirty seconds during the commericals or at the stop light- a person has to think about it a long time and over a long period of time.
A person has to come to it every day and make it daily bread. A person can't just look at a diamond like this one time and then put it down. That person has to hold it in his hand for days on end and turn it over and over again and hold it out and really look at it through the light.
That doesn't happen in just a day or an hour.
It takes a season.
And even after many years of seasons you will come to realize if you haven't already that as incredible and beautiful the reality of the gospel really is to you, you have really only begun to scratch the surface of the true meaning of it.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
a book a month in 2009
Last year at this time I made the suggestion that we all commit to reading at least one book a month. In keeping with that tradition, here is the next installment of my suggestions for "a book a month":
1. The Reason for God by Tim Keller. Keller is one of those guys who can explain things in a way that makes you say "I wish I'd thought of that". The book pokes holes in many of the objections people have against the concept of God.
2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. This past year I dusted off my old copy of this great Christian classic. It reminded me of why Lewis has had such an impact on me through the years.
3. Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan. If you want to know why your world atlas looks the way it does, you have to go back to Paris in 1919. A fascinating look at one of the most important years in modern world history.
4. In My Place Condemned He Stood by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever. A terrific study into the meaning of atonement.
5. Modern Physics and Ancient Faith by Stephen Barr. A physicist takes a skeptical look at the meaning of the universe and to his surprise finds himself on the side of ancient religion.
6. Dying in the Land of Promise by Donald E. Wagner. If you have ever wondered what happened to the descendants of the first century church- this book is part of your answer.
7. A History of Christianity in Asia by Samuel Moffitt. You know how Christianity moved west into Macedonia, Rome and Europe, but do you know how it moved east into Persia, India and China? This book tells the fascinating story of Christianity's eastern advance.
8. Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. In my five years on the personnel committee of the International Mission Board, I have observed that a high percentage of young missionaries going on the field have read and been captivated by this book. Read it if you dare.
9. Sailing the Wine Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill. Most of the framework for Western culture was providentially built upon the foundation of Greek philosophy. This book explains how that happened.
10. St. Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox by G.K. Chesterton. A brilliant biography about a brilliant theologian written by a brilliant apologist.
11. Christ and Culture Revisited by Dan Carson. Carson is voice of impeccable reason and intellect in the debate over how Christians should engage culture.
12. Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Bersheers. Driscoll isn't for everyone, but I enjoy his earthy, plain spoken style of teaching and writing.
1. The Reason for God by Tim Keller. Keller is one of those guys who can explain things in a way that makes you say "I wish I'd thought of that". The book pokes holes in many of the objections people have against the concept of God.
2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. This past year I dusted off my old copy of this great Christian classic. It reminded me of why Lewis has had such an impact on me through the years.
3. Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan. If you want to know why your world atlas looks the way it does, you have to go back to Paris in 1919. A fascinating look at one of the most important years in modern world history.
4. In My Place Condemned He Stood by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever. A terrific study into the meaning of atonement.
5. Modern Physics and Ancient Faith by Stephen Barr. A physicist takes a skeptical look at the meaning of the universe and to his surprise finds himself on the side of ancient religion.
6. Dying in the Land of Promise by Donald E. Wagner. If you have ever wondered what happened to the descendants of the first century church- this book is part of your answer.
7. A History of Christianity in Asia by Samuel Moffitt. You know how Christianity moved west into Macedonia, Rome and Europe, but do you know how it moved east into Persia, India and China? This book tells the fascinating story of Christianity's eastern advance.
8. Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. In my five years on the personnel committee of the International Mission Board, I have observed that a high percentage of young missionaries going on the field have read and been captivated by this book. Read it if you dare.
9. Sailing the Wine Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill. Most of the framework for Western culture was providentially built upon the foundation of Greek philosophy. This book explains how that happened.
10. St. Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox by G.K. Chesterton. A brilliant biography about a brilliant theologian written by a brilliant apologist.
11. Christ and Culture Revisited by Dan Carson. Carson is voice of impeccable reason and intellect in the debate over how Christians should engage culture.
12. Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Bersheers. Driscoll isn't for everyone, but I enjoy his earthy, plain spoken style of teaching and writing.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
why i can't be good for goodness sake
A couple of weeks ago the "American Humanist Association" started a 40,000 dollar ad campaign in Washington D.C. promoting their cause for leaving Christ out of Christmas. "Why believe in God? Just be good for goodness sake" the advertisement says.
2. A second observation I would make is that it is irrational and not critical thinking for a group that claims to be atheist and therefore does not want a holiday promoting a religious view to then want to promote their own world view. After all, are they not then guilty of the very thing they are criticizing? If a person is trying to make the argument that no truth is absolute and therefore we should live in a world without any faith assumptions, without any religions or expressions of religion (like Christmas) because after all truth is not knowable and so we should live in harmony without having all these faiths pushed upon us, then by virtue of their own argument they should not be trying to promote their view.
The humanist objection to religion is that it is "unscientific" and superstitious. The humanist believes that truth is relative and therefore religious claims on absolute truth are irrational. But to say "Truth is relative" is a statement of truth and therefore should be considered not dependable and irrational. To the person who says "There is no such thing as absolute truth", we should always ask, "Are you absolutely sure about that?" If truth is unknowable then that truth is unknowable and therefore the belief about what is not knowable is by virtue of it's own definition a faith assumption. Make no mistake about it, the American Humanist Association is a faith organization. Their expressions of non-religion are in and of themselves religious views. They are faith assumptions about the meaning of life, being and salvation. "Be good for goodness sake" is as much a religious statement as "Oh come let us adore Him".
3. It is irrational to think that if everyone in America believed like the AMA that somehow the world would be a better place. Nothing could be further from the truth (and I believe that absolutely). Imagine what it would be like if everyone of us relied upon our own version of goodness.
For thousands of years Christian culture has believed that man's sense of morality and goodness came from outside of humanity and is therefore not determined by his feelings, sensitivities or emotions. Morality has always been understood as something that has come to us. In fact, the very celebration of Christmas points to Immanuel- God has come to us. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..." (John1:1)
The influence of humanism in our culture is increasing. This is seen in a new kind of morality that says that truth is not found in a higher authority, but is found in the personal whims and feelings within the human heart.
Think of how destructive this belief truly is.
Imagine if Western culture had continued in the Greco-Roman ethic of the first century that women were little more than property and that weak, handicapped and female newborn babies could be cast into garbage dumps and that lower castes are destined for exploitation. What if Christianity had not reversed these terrible paganisitc beliefs in the third century?
What would it have been like if Christianity had not taken hold and Western culture bought into the Humanistic idea that we can find goodness in ourselves?
Imagine what our world would be like if it had not been for great men of faith and science like Augustine, Anselm and Ambrose- who were inspired by their reading of scripture and from a desire to know His creation sewed the seeds of scientific method and philosophy.
Imagine our world without hospitals or universities, public education and health care, all the result of Christianity's influence in the Middle Ages.
What if Western cultures had just relied on their own sense of goodness and not begun the exploration of a created universe as a way of better understanding the glory of God?
Imagine if their had been no Luther who held up Scripture and pointed to the injustices of a bloated institution that was operating more out of it's own need for power than it was an understanding of the sacred text.
What if 18th century England had not mandated the end of slavery because of their biblical understanding of the value of all human life?
Imagine if their had been no Puritan movement that dreamed of a society based on the Biblical concepts of community and righteousness and so acted on that belief by sailing to a new world and risking everything to establish the American colonies.
Imagine how terrible the outcome if Atheists and Humanist world views promoted by men like Hitler, Marx, Stalin, Lennon, Mao and Pol Pot had prevailed in the early 20th centuries .
Imagine an America without the Great Awakenings in which social movements, inspired by spiritual renewal and the teaching of scripture such as the abolition of slavery, child labor laws, property rights, and women's right to vote had never been enacted.
Imagine if there had been no Martin Luther King who led a movement across the south for racial equality based on his view that there was a higher moral law that superseded the laws and "feelings" of man.
The AHA is neither rational nor thinking critically in their advertisement and I hope their ideas do not prevail. But they have every right to promote their beliefs and to do what they can to convince others to believe in their religion.
But they only have that right because they are beneficiaries of a society that was established on the biblical concept of soul competency and freedom of the conscience of belief promoted by theologians like Roger Williams, the 17th century Baptist minister who founded Rhode Island and whose beliefs, rooted in scripture, were formalized into law and became the precursor to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
To say that we can simply rely on the goodness of the human heart is not just irrational, it is also terribly naive. If there is no God, there is no moral absolute that defines the meaning of goodness. The lessons of history very clearly teach that man is incapable of finding his own goodness.
That is why I can't be good for goodness sake.
And it is the reason that this is the time of the year we so vigorously celebrate His incarnation by singing songs like "Joy to the World" that have words like this:
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
A spokesperson for the group said, "we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds."
Here's why I think that seed would never take root if we are thinking rationally or critically:
1. It is irrational to think that a person can believe there is no God and then to say he will be good "for goodness sake". That statement is as much of a faith statement as any religious assumption and does not hold up to critical scrutiny. My question to the AHA would be, "How does one define goodness?" Or maybe an even better question would be, "How does one know that there is such a thing as goodness?"
When a person makes a statement that we should be good for goodness sake he is presupposing that goodness has been defined in some way and is broadly understood and has influence and meaning. To assume goodness is to assume some kind of moral absolute- a kind of higher authority has to be in place to define that goodness. Otherwise, what makes MY assumption of goodness any better than anyone else's? Who says your definition of goodness is really good? By what standard are you defining your goodness?
For instance, what is the moral authority in Atheistic humanism? Isn't it true that Darwinian atheism would have to say that the highest good is that which advances the species? Is it not true that in nature big fish eat little fish and big cells eat small cells? Does it not stand to reason then that if your definition of goodness is "survival of the fittest" that murder and pestilence and rape and racial genocide are all as equally good and acceptable as any expression of love or kindness?
So I have no problem with the atheist who wants to advertise his world view on Washington city buses saying something like "Be good for your own sake but don't push your sense of goodness on me!" or "Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die!" and claiming to be rational and consistent in his beliefs in those expressions, but it is intellectually dishonest for him to say "Just be good for goodness sake" when the very philosophical world-view he is trying to promote assumes that "goodness" is an unprovable and even irrelevant concept.
Here's why I think that seed would never take root if we are thinking rationally or critically:
1. It is irrational to think that a person can believe there is no God and then to say he will be good "for goodness sake". That statement is as much of a faith statement as any religious assumption and does not hold up to critical scrutiny. My question to the AHA would be, "How does one define goodness?" Or maybe an even better question would be, "How does one know that there is such a thing as goodness?"
When a person makes a statement that we should be good for goodness sake he is presupposing that goodness has been defined in some way and is broadly understood and has influence and meaning. To assume goodness is to assume some kind of moral absolute- a kind of higher authority has to be in place to define that goodness. Otherwise, what makes MY assumption of goodness any better than anyone else's? Who says your definition of goodness is really good? By what standard are you defining your goodness?
For instance, what is the moral authority in Atheistic humanism? Isn't it true that Darwinian atheism would have to say that the highest good is that which advances the species? Is it not true that in nature big fish eat little fish and big cells eat small cells? Does it not stand to reason then that if your definition of goodness is "survival of the fittest" that murder and pestilence and rape and racial genocide are all as equally good and acceptable as any expression of love or kindness?
So I have no problem with the atheist who wants to advertise his world view on Washington city buses saying something like "Be good for your own sake but don't push your sense of goodness on me!" or "Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die!" and claiming to be rational and consistent in his beliefs in those expressions, but it is intellectually dishonest for him to say "Just be good for goodness sake" when the very philosophical world-view he is trying to promote assumes that "goodness" is an unprovable and even irrelevant concept.
2. A second observation I would make is that it is irrational and not critical thinking for a group that claims to be atheist and therefore does not want a holiday promoting a religious view to then want to promote their own world view. After all, are they not then guilty of the very thing they are criticizing? If a person is trying to make the argument that no truth is absolute and therefore we should live in a world without any faith assumptions, without any religions or expressions of religion (like Christmas) because after all truth is not knowable and so we should live in harmony without having all these faiths pushed upon us, then by virtue of their own argument they should not be trying to promote their view.
The humanist objection to religion is that it is "unscientific" and superstitious. The humanist believes that truth is relative and therefore religious claims on absolute truth are irrational. But to say "Truth is relative" is a statement of truth and therefore should be considered not dependable and irrational. To the person who says "There is no such thing as absolute truth", we should always ask, "Are you absolutely sure about that?" If truth is unknowable then that truth is unknowable and therefore the belief about what is not knowable is by virtue of it's own definition a faith assumption. Make no mistake about it, the American Humanist Association is a faith organization. Their expressions of non-religion are in and of themselves religious views. They are faith assumptions about the meaning of life, being and salvation. "Be good for goodness sake" is as much a religious statement as "Oh come let us adore Him".
3. It is irrational to think that if everyone in America believed like the AMA that somehow the world would be a better place. Nothing could be further from the truth (and I believe that absolutely). Imagine what it would be like if everyone of us relied upon our own version of goodness.
For thousands of years Christian culture has believed that man's sense of morality and goodness came from outside of humanity and is therefore not determined by his feelings, sensitivities or emotions. Morality has always been understood as something that has come to us. In fact, the very celebration of Christmas points to Immanuel- God has come to us. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..." (John1:1)
The influence of humanism in our culture is increasing. This is seen in a new kind of morality that says that truth is not found in a higher authority, but is found in the personal whims and feelings within the human heart.
Think of how destructive this belief truly is.
Imagine if Western culture had continued in the Greco-Roman ethic of the first century that women were little more than property and that weak, handicapped and female newborn babies could be cast into garbage dumps and that lower castes are destined for exploitation. What if Christianity had not reversed these terrible paganisitc beliefs in the third century?
What would it have been like if Christianity had not taken hold and Western culture bought into the Humanistic idea that we can find goodness in ourselves?
Imagine what our world would be like if it had not been for great men of faith and science like Augustine, Anselm and Ambrose- who were inspired by their reading of scripture and from a desire to know His creation sewed the seeds of scientific method and philosophy.
Imagine our world without hospitals or universities, public education and health care, all the result of Christianity's influence in the Middle Ages.
What if Western cultures had just relied on their own sense of goodness and not begun the exploration of a created universe as a way of better understanding the glory of God?
Imagine if their had been no Luther who held up Scripture and pointed to the injustices of a bloated institution that was operating more out of it's own need for power than it was an understanding of the sacred text.
What if 18th century England had not mandated the end of slavery because of their biblical understanding of the value of all human life?
Imagine if their had been no Puritan movement that dreamed of a society based on the Biblical concepts of community and righteousness and so acted on that belief by sailing to a new world and risking everything to establish the American colonies.
Imagine how terrible the outcome if Atheists and Humanist world views promoted by men like Hitler, Marx, Stalin, Lennon, Mao and Pol Pot had prevailed in the early 20th centuries .
Imagine an America without the Great Awakenings in which social movements, inspired by spiritual renewal and the teaching of scripture such as the abolition of slavery, child labor laws, property rights, and women's right to vote had never been enacted.
Imagine if there had been no Martin Luther King who led a movement across the south for racial equality based on his view that there was a higher moral law that superseded the laws and "feelings" of man.
The AHA is neither rational nor thinking critically in their advertisement and I hope their ideas do not prevail. But they have every right to promote their beliefs and to do what they can to convince others to believe in their religion.
But they only have that right because they are beneficiaries of a society that was established on the biblical concept of soul competency and freedom of the conscience of belief promoted by theologians like Roger Williams, the 17th century Baptist minister who founded Rhode Island and whose beliefs, rooted in scripture, were formalized into law and became the precursor to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
To say that we can simply rely on the goodness of the human heart is not just irrational, it is also terribly naive. If there is no God, there is no moral absolute that defines the meaning of goodness. The lessons of history very clearly teach that man is incapable of finding his own goodness.
That is why I can't be good for goodness sake.
And it is the reason that this is the time of the year we so vigorously celebrate His incarnation by singing songs like "Joy to the World" that have words like this:
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
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