Pulling the Idols from Their Pedestals

Posted on January 29, 2022 by salooper57

At a friend’s urging, I once read a dystopian novel set in a post-apocalyptic era in which the civilized world, or, more precisely, the things about the world that made it civilized, had disappeared. History, philosophy, technology, and the knowledge bases on which they were founded, had all been destroyed.

In this uncivilized world, a religious culture had taken hold. The memory of ancient powers like technology and science had given rise to rituals of worship. Cults had sprung up around these gods, cults with their own symbolism, sacred writings, and priesthoods.

I must say that I slogged through the novel. Dystopian stories hold little appeal for me, and I quickly forgot about this one. I cannot recall its title or its author. Yet it came to mind recently when something I read made me think what great idolators we civilized people are.

Were a militarized electromagnetic pulse to take out earth’s digital libraries and if traditional military operations did the same to all public and private book collections, our descendants might be worshiping their own pantheon of gods. Which ones? The ones people worship today.

In the contemporary pantheon of gods, the deity known as Education is highly esteemed. People attribute great power to Education. John Dewey, Education’s high priest in the first half of the 20th century, claimed that “…education is not preparation for life but is life itself.” Franklin Roosevelt believed that Education’s function was to safeguard another of our great gods, which is frequently invoked today: Democracy.

Education is not alone in the pantheon of the gods. Alongside it, standing tall, is mighty Technology. The far-seeing Jacques Ellul said, “Modern technology has become … the defining force of a new social order.” To technology is attributed the power to “heal” the disabled, save the world from resource depletion, and avert environmental disaster.

Pride of place in today’s pantheon of deities goes to the great god Science. Like Zeus of old, Science is a prolific god that has begotten many children. Anyone who doubts Science’s place in the idolatry of the era, needs only listen to our public officials and celebrities. They are constantly preaching, “Follow the science!” “Trust the science.”

Coming from the Christian faith, this sounds familiar. Jesus repeatedly told people, “Follow me.” He told his disciples, “Trust in me.” Today we are told to follow and trust Science.

It is surprising how often the words, “Science will save us” appear in print. Science will save us from COVID and from climate change. The World Economic Forum even titled an interview with Nobel-winning physicist Brian Schmidt, “How Science Will Save the World.” I suspect these writers don’t realize they are using religious language.

Another deity, whose power is feared by all, is the great god “Economy.” It is invoked by national leaders across the globe. It is a ruthless god and must be placated, else it will destroy the lives of millions and bring down nations. Offerings are presented to the Economy daily. Wall Streeters kneel before it. Fed Chairmen sacrifice billions to propitiate it.

Why is it that the Economy and all these gods collapse when humans stop feeding and protecting them? If they are dependent on humans, it can only mean that they are not real gods at all. Humans made them; they were not made for them. They exist to serve humanity, not be served by it.

Only when these idols have been removed from their pedestals can we appreciate how truly wonderful they are. Once science, education, and technology are relieved of the divine responsibility of saving the world, they can be valued for what they are: glorious expressions of humanity’s God-given intelligence and marvelous tools that can improve human life on earth.

For people who are used to thinking of religion and science as competitors, what I’m about to say might be surprising: I think God delights in science, and in all human expressions of genius that benefit humanity. He is happy for us to delight in them too. He just doesn’t want us worshiping them, for that degrades us and keeps us from the true object of our hope.

(First published by Gannett.)

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Wide Angle: The Place of the Skull

Posted on January 26, 2022 by salooper57

(For the background to this post, please read Mark 15 and click back to this post.)

Sometime later, probably around eight in the morning, Jesus and two other prisoners were marched through the narrow streets of the city out to the place of execution. Coming into town was a North African Jew from Cyrene named Simon. It had been his dream for years, as it was the dream of every Jew living outside Israel, to visit the Holy City for Passover. He and his family had probably spent the night outside the city, because of the huge crowds. The next morning, on his way into town, he met a procession of Roman soldiers and criminals carrying their crosses, along with mourners and gawkers, on their way to a crucifixion.

I can imagine him trying to keep his young children from seeing it. But that proved impossible when, right in front of them, one of the criminals fainted from loss of blood. Suddenly the butt of a Roman soldier’s spear tapped Simon on the chest (this would be verse 21). “Carry it for him,” the soldier barked, and Simon could do nothing but obey.

Think of how he must have felt. All his life he had wanted to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He had finally achieved his dream, and now here he was carrying some criminal’s cross for these despised Romans. He would have cursed his luck. He would have said to himself, “Why me?”

That is all Luke has to say about Simon, but it is not the end of the story. In Mark’s gospel we learn that Simon had two sons, Rufus and Alexander. Now why would Mark, writing his gospel for the church at Rome some twenty-five or thirty years later, even mention the names of Simon’s sons? I can think of one reason: because people in the Roman church knew them.

There is more. From Paul’s letter to the Romans, we learn that at the time Mark wrote his gospel there was a prominent man in the church at Rome named Rufus. In fact, Paul calls him chosen in the Lord and says that Rufus’ mother “has been a mother to me” (Romans 16:13).

Here is what might have happened. On that terrible day, Simon saw something in the Nazarene that he could not ignore. He was, perhaps, only a few feet away when they nailed him to the cross; heard him say, “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing”; saw the sun grow dark and the earth shake, and heard a grizzled Roman soldier say, “Surely this is the son of God.” Perhaps this Simon became a follower of Jesus, as well as his wife and his sons, Alexander and Rufus. William Cowper was right: “God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform.”

They reached the place the Jews called Golgotha, and the Romans, Calvary. It was known as “the place of the skull,” though we don’t know why. Some people think that the place was a skull-shaped hill, hence songs like, “I believe in a hill called mount Calvary” or, “On a hill far away, stood an old rugged Cross.” But Scripture nowhere says that Calvary was a hill. One scholar suggested that it got its name because the Romans left the skulls of their victims there as a warning to others. But that is highly unlikely. Such a place would be ceremonially unclean, and Jews would not go there, particularly on a holy day, as was the case when Jesus was executed.

When they reached the place, Jesus and the other two prisoners were forced to the ground by the soldiers who guarded them. They were quickly and efficiently nailed to their respective crosses, which were then hoisted and dropped into place. It was part of the religious leader’s strategy to have Jesus executed alongside notorious criminals. In the court of public opinion, they wanted to convict him of guilt by association. But in so doing, they unwittingly fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah: “He was numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).

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1 Peter 2:9-25: Your Mission If You Decide to Accept It (or not)

Posted on January 24, 2022 by salooper57
Viewing Time (approx): 26 minutes
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Lifestyle, Mission, Sermons | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Bible Theology Class #3: Abraham’s Call (and its Consequences)

Posted on January 23, 2022 by salooper57
Viewing Time: 53 minutes

This class will help students understand what the Bible is about and how its parts – Old Testament and New, Gospels and epistles – fit together. Such an understanding will better prepare Christians to express their faith to others and to live in the world as gospel people.

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Holiness Is Back in Vogue (or Should Be)

Posted on January 22, 2022 by salooper57

H. B. Warner is perhaps best known for playing the drinking druggist Mr. Gower in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but 19 years earlier he was cast by the legendary director Cecil B. DeMille to play Jesus in the silent film “King of Kings.” DeMille bound Warner to a contract that prohibited him from taking any roles for five years that might undermine his “holy” image in “King of Kings.” He wanted to avoid publicity that might negatively impact the film.

Warner was barred from playing cards, going to ballgames, swimming, and riding in a convertible. During filming, DeMille had him transported in a car with blinds drawn. On his way from the car to the set, he was obliged to wear a black veil. He was not allowed to eat with the other cast members.

If DeMille was hoping to impart an aura of holiness to Warner, he was unsuccessful. The pressure to be Christlike without the vision of the beauty and desirability of such a life, drove Warner over the edge. During production, he relapsed into his addiction to alcohol. It was the only way he knew to deal with all the stress.

Cecil B. DeMille seemed to think that holiness was defined by the things a person does not do. The early 20th century mystic Evelyn Underhill corrected such notions when she wrote, “The real mark of … that more lovely, more abundant life … is not an abstraction from this world, but a return to it; There is nothing high-minded about Christian holiness. It is most at home in the slum, the street, the hospital ward.”

Holiness – the very word has lapsed into disuse in contemporary culture – has often been misunderstood, even by those who think themselves holy. Real holiness is, in Underhill’s words, “that more lovely, more abundant, life.” Counterfeit holiness is unattractive and sterile.

Real holiness, again in Underhill’s words, involves a return to the world. Rather than seeking to escape the world, the genuinely holy person is God’s agent of love in the world. Rather than distancing oneself from others, the holy person is welcoming. Rather than being proud, which is the chief mark of counterfeit holiness, the holy person is humble.

A critically important, yet frequently overlooked, biblical passage that illuminates what “that more lovely, more abundant, life” is like is found in Leviticus 19. Many people, some who are earnest Christians, are entirely unaware of this passage, which elucidates the divine command to be holy. Were they to read it closely, they would come away with a different – and more positive – conception of holiness.

Leviticus 19 reveals what real holiness looks like in the real world. It does this by illustrating what it means to be God’s people in everyday situations, for example: in families; at work; in relationships with the opposite sex; and with immigrants. These examples reveal how relevant holiness is to everyday life.

Christopher J. H. Wright nicely summarizes the reach of holiness as it is portrayed in Leviticus 19. He notes that holiness transforms and beautifies family life (vv. 3, 32). It impacts a person’s finances, especially through generosity (vv. 9, 10). It demands economic justice (v. 13). It shows compassion for people with disabilities (v. 14). These are all contemporary concerns. Who would have thought that an antiquated concept like holiness could be so up to date?

There is more. Holiness entails judicial integrity on a societal level (vv. 12, 15). It calls people to show concern and compassion to their neighbors (vv. 16-18). It insists on sexual integrity (vv. 20-22, 29). It treats ethnic minorities with equality before the law, then goes beyond that by showing them practical kindness and compassion (vv. 33-34). It requires honesty in business transactions (vv. 35-36).

This is not what life looks like in most communities, but it is what life would look like if people were holy – that is, if they lived like they belonged to God. Of course, Christians claim they do belong to God. Therefore, this is how their individual lives, and life in their churches, ought to look.

(First published by Gannett.)

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Wide Angle: The Exchange (Barabbas)

Posted on January 19, 2022 by salooper57

In or around 29 A.D., a man named Barabbas found himself in the most secure prison in the country, awaiting execution in the morning. The story is told in Luke 23 but, before we get into it, we need a little background.

While Barabbas lay in prison, Jesus was being tried in another wing of the same huge building. His arrest had been orchestrated by insecure and envious government leaders. These politicians were also the nation’s religions leaders (similar to some contemporary Muslim states, where religious leaders are by default the brokers of political power).

They held an emergency (and unlawful) session of court in order to try Jesus, found him guilty of blasphemy, and sentenced him to death. But these men had a problem: they had to answer to a foreign power, which alone retained the right to impose the death penalty. That meant they needed to work through the Roman procurator, Pilate.

He was, as in prior years, in town for the Jewish Feast of Passover. In their own court, the religious leaders charged Jesus with blasphemy, but before the procurator they brought charges of sedition. It was the only way they could think of to get the case heard in a Roman court.

The headquarters of the imperial government was far away in Caesarea, but when Pilate came to Jerusalem each year for the Feast, he stayed in the residential wing of the palace of Herod, which also housed the imperial guard and contained a high security prison. The district in which the palace was located was Jerusalem’s version of the “green zone”.

Barabbas (not his real name, but a nickname or an alias) sat in that prison on the night Jesus was arrested. He had been tried and found guilty of murder and insurrection and was scheduled for execution in the morning. He had one hope, though. Each year during the Feast, the Roman governor would release one prisoner, as a show of political goodwill. Barabbas knew that his friends and supporters would be at the palace at the crack of dawn, to plead for his release.

But when dawn came, the governor was busy questioning Jesus, the prisoner the Jewish high court had sent. When he then told the Jewish leaders that he had not found sufficient cause to try their case, they were outraged and countered that Jesus had stirred up rebellion from Galilee to Judea.

Hearing that Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate immediately had him transferred to the governor of that province, Herod Antipas, who was also in town for the Feast. But Antipas sent him back without taking the case. Then Pilate brought Jesus out to his accusers, and for the second time announced that he had found no cause to pursue charges. He then offered to free Jesus as part of the annual prisoner release.

That’s when all of Barabbas’ friends and supporters began shouting, “Release Barabbas to us.” The wily politicians who wanted Jesus dead saw their chance and took up the cry: “Barabbas! Barabbas! Release Barabbas!” Now remember: Barabbas was being held in that same building. He may even have heard the shouting, “Barabbas! Barabbas!”

If he did, it must have sparked his hope. He never dreamt there would be so many people come to support him. Of course, he would not have been able to make out much of what was being said, but perhaps he heard the shouts: “Barabbas! Barabbas!” He would have smiled to himself. That brings us through Luke 23:18.

Pilate did not want to release Barabbas, who really was guilty of sedition. He wanted to release Jesus, whom he knew to be innocent. So, he appealed to them, verse 20, on Jesus’ behalf. That’s when (verse 21) the religious leaders started the chant, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Now put yourself in Barabbas’ place. You’ve heard your name being shouted by a huge crowd, and it’s given you hope. But after the shouts, “Barabbas! Barabbas!” the next thing you hear is the crowd shouting “Crucify! Crucify!” Something must have gone horribly wrong.

You would strain every nerve to hear the next sounds, but all you could make out was a jubilant shout and, shortly after, the Roman guards tramping toward your cell. Think of how you would feel: the time of reckoning had come. You were about to pay for your sins.

A guard, who hates you, says, “Get on your feet!” But instead of hauling you off to your doom, he unlocks your shackles. They open the door wide, and he tells you to get out; you’re free. Dumbfounded, you ask “Why?” And he answers, “Because the Nazarene, Jesus, took your place.”

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Secret Identity: 1 Peter 2:4-9

Posted on January 17, 2022 by salooper57
Approximately 27 minutes

A biblical reminder of who Christians are and helping them to know what they should do.

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Genesis 3-11(Biblical Theology, Class 2)

Posted on January 16, 2022 by salooper57
Class Time: 55 minutes
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Falling from Faith: The Anatomy of Apostasy

Posted on January 15, 2022 by salooper57

(Read time: approx. 31/2 minutes.)

I have been acquainted with numerous people who have fallen away from the faith. One I knew well and remains a friend. Some have been Christian ministers.

I am distressed when people leave the faith. I find myself wondering why it happens – what are the dynamics involved? Is there a reason why some people stick, and others do not? Is there a way to predict who will make it and who will wash out?

Apostasy is hardly a new thing. People were falling away from the faith and from the faithful even in biblical times. The Bible does not attempt to hide the fact; rather, it warns of the possibility and encourages people to take steps against it.

One of St. Paul’s colleagues was a man named Demas, which was probably short for Demetrius, a common enough name in Greek-speaking regions in the first century. Demas is mentioned three times in Paul’s letters.

The first time he is mentioned, he (along with three others) is described as one of Paul’s fellow workers. High praise indeed to be called a fellow worker by the great apostle. It is comparable to being called a teammate by Lebron James or a business partner by Warren Buffett.

Demas is mentioned again in another list of Paul’s associates. This time, five other men and one woman are mentioned and each of these receives comment. For example, Luke is “beloved.” Nympha hosts the church at her home. Epaphras is a servant of Christ.

In this list, only Demas receives no commendation of any kind. This cannot be without significance. What could have been in Paul’s mind that he offered commendation to everyone but Demas?

The answer comes in St. Paul’s final biblical letter. During his imprisonment, he wrote his closest colleague, Timothy, a final letter. Paul knew that death would soon take him from this “son in the faith,” so he wrote to offer encouragement and guidance while he still could.

Near the end of the letter, he urges Timothy to do his best to come quickly. The shocking reason for this is that Demas had deserted him. The man who had once been his fellow worker had left him in the lurch.

There seems to be a progression here – or perhaps a regression. On first mention, Demas was a member of the company of the committed, the great apostle’s fellow-worker. The second time, he stands apart from the company, for Paul can find nothing positive to say about him. And by the third time, Demas is gone. He has deserted the apostle and possibly even the faith.

The author of the Book of Hebrews had warned believers to “pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” This, I believe, is what happened to Demas. He didn’t wake up one day to say, “Today, I am going to desert my post, abandon my friends, and leave the faith.” Rather, he drifted away into competing desires and diminishing commitment.

Marooned in the dead waters of diminishing commitment, faith flounders and doubts grow. People like Demas, who thrive in the current of love, lose their focus and sometimes even their faith when they leave it. Outside that current, they drift, and it is rare indeed that someone drifts to their goal.

This is not to say that intellectual problems do not contribute to apostasy. Thoughtful people wrestle with real and troubling questions concerning the faith. It is possible to find answers to those questions in the swift current of love and obedience. They are impenetrable everywhere else.

When European and American adventure-seekers raft the wild waters of the Zambezi River, their guides caution them to stay in the current when – not if – they are thrown from the boat. Their team will come and get them but, whatever they do, they must not swim to shore. Why? Because crocodiles are waiting to eat them in the calm waters near the shore.

Doubts do not live in the current of love and obedience, but they consume people who try to get as near to the shoreline of cultural accommodation as possible.

(First published by Gannett.)

Posted in Bible, Peace with God, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

New Class in Biblical Theology Offered

Posted on January 13, 2022 by salooper57

The Bible is a big book, containing around three-quarters of a million words. It’s easy to get lost in its pages. Readers often wonder what the Old Testament has to do with the New Testament and what Leviticus has to do with anything!

I have the privilege of co-teaching a class on how it all fits together, and I’m doing it with one of my favorite teachers: Kevin Looper. Kevin is an awesome teacher. His knowledge of the Old Testament, of original biblical languages and, even more, his love of the Bible and profound commitment to Jesus, make him the ideal teacher for this class.

As a pastor, I’ve known many sincere people who simply don’t have a solid grasp of what the Bible is about, which is to say, what God is doing in the world. Some only read the New Testament. Some only read the Gospels. And occasionally I meet someone who spends all their time in the Old Testament. A poor understanding of the entire message of the Bible inevitably leads to a narrow, culturally colored view of God.

So, Kevin and I are teaching a class on how it fits together. This, of course, means that we must leave a great deal out. Our goal is not to be exhaustive (which would be exhausting for class members and is more than we are qualified to do) but to be informative and helpful in bringing together the great passages of the Bible to understand God’s ongoing work with humanity.

Each Sunday, throughout the duration of the class, I will post a video session of the class. We will discuss the high points of revelation – Creation, the Fall, the Call of Abraham, etc. – in their context. We will then see how they contribute to the overall biblical message and how they connect to Jesus.

Hope you enjoy! If you have comments, please share them to make the class even better.

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