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On August 23, 2020 By In Culture, Politics, Theology

Whose Narrative?

We live in a broken world. From physical suffering to a shaky and crumbling Western (Christian) culture, it can be overwhelming and unsettling to hear the news nowadays. People know something is wrong, and they are grasping at answers. The efforts range from sincere to sinister. Power-brokers sinisterly foment fear to make people look to them, thinking that they will bring in a utopia once they rule (that is, at least for the leaders themselves). Many prominent people are telling blatant lies to create a narrative that will transform our society into an anarcho-socialistic state, convincing people that paradise is just around the corner if we deconstruct the entire law-and-order system and give everyone access to the possessions of others through individual or government looting.

People, having deceived themselves or been deceived by leaders, sincerely seek healing of society at every level, believing that they genuinely are fighting for physical health and social justice, equality for all. While many are wickedly driving this bus as well as many consciously wicked people on it, many are culpably naïve, believing they are doing good. However, what has happened, whether sinisterly or sincerely, is that problems have been assessed incorrectly and, therefore, their solutions are non-sensical and quite dangerous. We all know that there are problems. We all know that there is brokenness at every level of society. But where is it? What is the source? What are the answers?

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On July 6, 2020 By In Politics

Resenting the Successful

One of the most remarkable facts of the American system is that a person with barely any formal education (let’s say only a high school degree) can thrive in this culture and actually save enough wealth to pass on to his children. You have to have lived in other countries to realize how powerful that fact truly is.

The economic freedoms in this country allows someone with a creative or entrepreneurial mind to succeed in his sphere. If that is coupled with healthy savings and a basic view of wealth, that individual has a great possibility of making a decent salary while still being home for dinner at 6.

The entire premise, of course, entails that such individual follows the ethic of the ant. The ant knows his task and he is not hindered by supposed societal oppositions to his vocational aspirations. He establishes his vision early on and moves with intentionality.

The sluggard, on the other hand, views work as a necessary evil. He wakes up only to fulfill his duties, not to convert his duties into offerings of thanks to God. The sluggard quickly succumbs to leftists ideologies which promise equal share in profit and property. American universities are filled with sluggards applying for humanity classes which condemn business owners (often that ambitious young person with no college degree) taught by teachers who grew up resenting the ants among them. But philosophies of resentment is what the sluggard wants. He can get a degree and feel supported by a group of tenured professors who encourage his resentment towards the successful.

It’s indeed the great sign of the American experiment that a high-school graduate develops a sense of self-worth, respectfully views the process of labor, makes a fruitful living, treasures the ant, while the university grad is left with 20 years of loans with a degree in a limited market. But at least, he resents the bourgeois with great stamina; at least he was taught that success is a sign of oppression; at least he can take pride in reading Engels.

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On July 1, 2020 By In Politics, Wisdom

In the State We Trust

One of the great problems in our day has to do with government overreach. Yes? Yes! Now that this simple proposition is settled, let’s move on to another side effect of this ominous reality. And that is that we subtly allow the government to have a greater voice in our affairs when we treat them as the apex of knowledge.

The State is never a neutral institution. She always opines intelligently or not; with data or not. She can’t remain silent. We may all have opinions on all sorts of issues, but if we feel we have to share our opinions on all sorts of issues we are fools. The State, similarly, is supported by the imbecile’s currency. She needs to speak on everything and on everything she must speak in order to preserve her power and authority over the populace.

Our crisis is one of too much information and little wisdom which means we will always be in a position where we feel like we must know precisely what to do at all times in all places. And the State is always there for you to tell you how you are to live, when to mask on, and how to think. We have swallowed the State’s pills without questioning much at all of her intentions and presuppositions. I suspect, by now, we all feel sick in some way.

We need a healthy skepticism of every word that proceeds out of the mouth of D.C. Those men and women are highly syncretistic and are always ready to please their gods before the good of the people. And the very best way to draw the masses is by acting like all power and wisdom resides in one place. Those who are weak will find refuge there. The State will keep talking and talking and doing their very best to tell you that there is only way to do things. But the wise know that very often, too often, the State is basing their opinions on their agendas and even without knowledge they have to opine to keep you at ear’s length.

I believe it was Rushdoony who once noted that “Life is rarely easy, but, with Christ our King, it is always good.” I think that’s a healthy principle to keep in mind. There will be many times when we don’t know what to do; hard decisions will challenge us and our faith; and we may even have a sense that we are being lied to by powerful voices. In such times, when the radar of veracity is going all over the place, it’s all right to trust in local figures who have your best interest in mind. In fact, they may even be wrong at times, but at least you know that they trust in the goodness of God working on your behalf. The same can rarely, if ever, be said of the State.

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On June 14, 2020 By In Church, Culture, History, Politics, Theology, Worship

Kingdom Revolution

We are in the midst of a revolution. Societal structures are being overturned and a new order of government is taking over. Old symbols of tyranny are being toppled. The way we live in relationship with one another is being redefined. Our understandings of what constitutes justice and peace are being reshaped. Language itself is being transformed. Logic and rationality are being turned upside down so that not just what we think but how we think are being radically transformed.

This is what happens in revolution because a revolution is the overturning of one culture and the creation of another.

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On June 13, 2020 By In Church, Culture, Politics

The Priorities of Priests and Protests

It is a remarkable thing, you know, this thing called priority. Just a few weeks ago religious leaders were boldly asserting in their high-dollar on-line videos that it was too dangerous to return to worship and that we needed to listen to our political and health leaders. “They are the experts,” they told us. And so a vast amount of compliant people stayed home following the orders of their health czars and most religious leaders quickly concurred. For some now, it has been 1/3 of the year away from church; that’s approximately 121 days without the church “out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.” (WCF 25.2)

The shocking reality, as Barna pointed out recently, most evangelicals quit the virtual worship experience after four weeks. The hype and enthusiasm of pajamas and brewed coffee in front of a screen lasted no more than 30 days. As if we needed more proof, the reality of virtual worship became virtually unknown shortly after the quarantine.

Then, the tragic death of George Floyd, propelled by other sociological events, urged religious leaders to come out of their basements, put on their clerical garbs and take a stand. Letters were sent out urging pastors to speak up. Many needed practice since it had been a long rhetorical hiatus. Of course, by that time, thousands of protesters were flooding the streets everywhere. The public square was filled again. Then, and only then, did the religious leaders say, “Come, let us go do the work of the Lord!” Yes, even Michigan and New Jersey governors known for their vociferous opposition to that thing called “gathered assembly” now joined the festivities with dance and song. The media which condemned the little children from playing in the streets and prophesied doom to any who would dare take off their masks or gather in greater than the magnanimous number of 10 quickly raised the banner for the protesters.

“Thou shalt worship at home with no more than 10, but thou shalt protest with no less than thousands,” saith the media.

The Christian should and must seek the peace of the city, the welfare of its brothers and sisters, justice and mercy must kiss at the call of righteousness. To protest is the inherent right of human beings, but do you know what else is an inherent right of image-bearers? psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, the wine and the bread, the word of God preached, the fellowship of the saints, hugs and handshakes.

That remarkable thing called priority has a way of showing us our true loves. Would that the zeal of pastors and priests be as elevated for the death of God’s Son as much as the death of one of God’s children. Perhaps one reason many of the protests have turned into a spectacle of shame and destruction is because they failed to be grounded first in the compassion of Jesus which we receive most clearly when God’s people enter his courts with praise and thanksgiving.

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On June 2, 2020 By In Politics, Pro-Life, Theology

The First Principle of Warfare

There is a fundamental principle for understanding a war, and that is to ask, “who” is proposing what and how? I wish to focus only on the conveyor of the message for this post. The “who” is to receive attention before the “what” and “how.” Why? because we can be easily deceived into accepting ideologies of the “who” on the basis of emotional connection to particular causes. We are, after all, humans. But it is essential, nay, necessary, nay, crucial and essential and necessary put together, that we grasp what the underlying agenda of the “who” is. Of course, I am not suggesting we outright reject all ideas coming from the unbelieving mind but anytime a celebrated “who” of our culture or D.C. proposes only two options to solve gigantic matters, we ought to be looking for third.

Abraham Kuyper proposed a solution based on the Gospels called “common grace” which offers a dose of reality to unbelievers on a sunny day and occasionally on a rainy one. Sometimes unbelievers get electrified with common grace from their daily dispensary. I will be that guy in the corner cheering him on when his compatriots turn against him.

But we are poor interpreters of culture when we assume that some sexy Instagram star with 5 trillion followers who daily exposes her body to the virtual vultures is not trying to use her platform to propagate an agenda of dishonesty and disrepute. I am no longer amused by God-haters in Hollywood or in the woods of social media. As far as I can tell, they are all lost looking for meaning in nihilism and trying to find hope where hope is never to be found.

Again, there is truth to be found in all places, but it is fairly clear that even if a little ounce of truth is found in these simpatico characters from my favorite TV shows, by the time I get done with my analysis there will be little meat left in that ideological bone.

In more ways than one, we are imbibers of cultural norms. “We don’t want to be in the world,” we declare; but the first great cause propagated by our beloved artista seems good when it first meets the eye. So, we pour our wholehearted congratulations and kudos into their bucket, thus legitimizing their claim and clause. But, it’s the “who” that matters. The guy who says he loves life can also be the same guy who says you can kill a baby right to the point before he enters the world. The “who” matters, and we better be very confident that before we engage the “what” and “how” we consider from whence comes the “who.”

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On May 25, 2020 By In Politics

Memorial Day: The Virtue of Remembering

I grew up in a country whose last war was in 1828. It was nobly entitled, “The Cisplatine War, Mutiny of the Mercenaries.” When Hillary Clinton went to Brazil asking our then president to join American policies against Iran, Lula replied that America (then led by Obama) was too eager to get into war with Iran. I think he was right, but again, Lula was too eager to ally himself with dictators. They were both ultimately wrong in my estimation. Neo-conservative politics never did attract me from the left or the right and socialism never attracted me. Period.

When I came to the U.S. nearing three decades ago, I was exposed to a world comfortable with the language of war. There was honor and service and respect for those in the military. Police officers, many of them who had served in some capacity, were respected. It was quite a change of view for me, and I found it a delightful one.

I pastor in a community replete with men and women who serve or have served in the military. The military families and individuals who have come through our congregation were/are some of the finest I’ve ever met and when they left, they left a deep void in our body. Once in a while we are even overwhelmed with joy to see that they desire to come back and be among us.

I’ve also had the privilege of meeting widows whose husbands fought valiantly for their country. We honor those faithful laborers and we especially pray for those who mourn them today. Memorial Day should not be a day for intellectual patriotic affirmation. We should remember the dead who fought for our country and even those who fought for wars led by political ambition.

Patriotism is noble; the kind of patriotism that serves the country with eyes wide open. There is a blind patriotism that pervades everything, even church life; the form of patriotic fervor that is too eager to trust in horses and chariots. I despise that form of patriotism. The prophet Jonah was the wrong kind of patriot. He cherished his land above loyalty to God. Any patriotism that speaks of God generically is bound to error. The healthy patriot serves only the Triune God and cherishes his country but is lucid enough to point out its ethical flaws.

From the days of the Israelite wanderings to our own day, the great sin of history is the sin of forgetfulness. Remembering, then, becomes a biblical virtue. Remembering fallen heroes is a way of remembering the nature of sacrifice.

In this post-adamic world, death becomes the pre-requisite to life. We should remember the fallen. Remember the pain of death. Remember the life that comes from those who have died, and then rejoice in freedoms new and freedoms to come. 

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On May 24, 2020 By In Church, Politics, Wisdom, Worship

Who’s In Charge Of The Church’s Worship?

When Jesus reveals himself to John on the isle of Patmos, he is holding seven stars in his right hand. (Rev 1.16) These seven stars are the angels or messengers of the seven churches (Rev 1.20) to whom Jesus will speak in chapters 2 and 3. These angels are not spirit angels but pastors of the churches. They are the ones to whom Jesus speaks directly, who are then expected to deliver his message to the churches and deal with the issues he addresses.

Symbolizing the pastors as stars is not incidental. Describing pastors as stars isn’t an empty image. Stars have a long history of governing in Scripture; a history that begins in Genesis 1. Stars, along with the sun and moon, are the lights in the firmament-heaven for “signs and festival times.” They are set up to rule the earth. (Gen 1.14-19) When Abraham was promised that his children would be as the stars in heaven, (Gen 15.5) that promise included ruling the earth. Jacob, his wife, and their sons were sun, moon, and stars in Joseph’s dream in which Joseph rules them all (Gen 37.9-11). When Isaiah describes the fall of Babylon, the rulers that will fall are stars (Isa 13.10).

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On May 12, 2020 By In Politics

Spiritual Memory

The Church is in the midst of Eastertide. Having celebrated and commemorated the events of Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, our minds go to that

In the gospel of John, one of the works of the Spirit that is highlighted repeatedly is that of remembrance. The Holy Spirit works in us to bring to our memory the person of Jesus, His life, words, and works. 

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On May 2, 2020 By In Politics

When Kansas City Comes After Church Membership

If ever there was a time to heed Francis Schaeffer’s warning against authoritarian government, the time is now. Schaeffer urged the Christian to speak and act on the absolute to combat the arbitrariness of the state. The federal and local governments must avoid at all costs the interference with the sphere of the church. The church functions independent from the state since they offer a different sacramental table than what the government offers. We offer bread and wine to weary sinners and the state offers the sword to wicked sinners.

If there is to be any joint enterprise it must be on the assumption of mutual agreement between the spheres in times of absolute necessity. Kuyper notes that all government authority “originates from the Sovereignty of God alone.” When the state assumes a self-serving authority beyond God’s boundaries, there can be no harmony between the spheres.

As churches all across the country re-open, Kansas City, Mo. is demanding that churchgoers turn over membership lists along with personal data as a way of tracking and isolating individuals exposed to COVID-19. This act is a clear violation of the fundamental nature of the church. Our loyalty is to a heavenly regime and not some local authoritarian eager for notoriety and power. We don’t need much blood to call the attention of a hungry lion, and the government (even at its local level) seeks only a sample of blood to jump at the opportunity to seize a table that belongs only to the church.

There is no virus that can take the authority of the church, and certainly there is no virus powerful enough for the church to hand over her keys to the civil magistrate. The keys of heaven and hell belong to the institution of the church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. Church membership is a distinct document used for the benefit of the local church and her members. It does not belong on the desk of a bureaucrat and it is certainly not to be used for surveillance no matter how well intentioned it may be. Let the church be the church. Leave the bread and the wine where it belongs.

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