Pastor Jimmy's Blog

Rant follows…. you’ve been warned!

Mark Driscoll says marriage is about women giving men what they “need”. None of this wimpy “Submit to one another as unto the Lord” stuff for Driscoll. Where would you read that kind of garbage, anyway? Oh, yeah…. (Ephesians 5:21)

(While Driscoll’s vision might sound fun for a while, I want a partner to share all of life with, not merely an eternal sex slave.)

John Piper says that Christianity is mostly masculine. So forget all that garbage about God gathering us under God’s wings like a mother bird. Who made that image up anyway? Oh, yeah…. (Matthew 23:37)

Why do I single these thoughts out? Because these men present themselves as important speakers and writers. Because too many innocent people will find their books in stores and assume the authors write with Biblical authority. Because these men are “conservative” (whatever that means), many will never question anything they say or write.

Where in the scriptures are women second-class citizens? Is real grace only available for “he-men”, macho jock-types, and not for male artists, musicians, poets, and dreamers?

I hope this seems like a silly debate to you. The problem is that too many are falling for this garbage because it’s the current “in” thing. (“Itching ears” anyone?)

Our church (Memorial Baptist, Columbus, Indiana) and our denomination (the American Baptist Churches in the USA) are blessed through many women with leadership gifts. I’m proud to say that I’ve learned much from the women God has placed in my life. (I’ll put Molly Marshall, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, up against any theologian or preacher any where any time. Period.)

When will we realize we’re missing out on the movement of God’s Spirit by insisting on limiting that movement to men? (Or white men? Or educated men? Or rich men? Or…….??)

I was eager to read Francis Chan’s “Erasing Hell”, having read and appreciated “Crazy Love” and “Forgotten God” (both of which I highly recommend). Chan writes in response to Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” (see last blog post), the book at the center of a recent firestorm of controversy.

Chan should be commended for his introduction. Discussing hell shouldn’t be enjoyable. We shouldn’t relish the idea that some will reject God and choose hell over grace. We cannot put ourselves in the role of “Holy Bouncer” and decide who gets in and who doesn’t.

Somehow I never knew that Chan was a graduate of John MacArthur’s The Master’s College and Seminary, institutions firmly rooted in the Reformed (Zwingli/Calvin/Knox/Beza, frequently mislabeled “Calvinist”) tradition. This tradition is known for academic discipline and an emphasis on God’s sovereignty over all else.

(Ironically, this same Reformed tradition also gave us the universalist movement Chan is writing against. The progression of early universalist logic: if God’s will is always done, and God’s will is that all be saved, then all will be saved.)

Herein lies, for me, the disappointment in Chan’s arguments. Objective truth as a system of logic seems to be primary, and a sense of loving relationship with God comes across as secondary. Having read Chan’s other books (again, which I highly recommend), I know this is not what he believes.

The dividing question I see here is “What is your dominant image of God?” For many, the dominant image is a judge in a courtroom. God has decreed a law, and is now honor-bound to see that that law is enforced. Everything therefore revolves around guilt and punishment. Jesus takes our punishment for us.

The problem with that view? In what human court would a judge allow me to accept the death penalty for someone else? While most courts wouldn’t care who pays a fine, no court will allow a substitute for jail time or execution. That would defeat the purpose of punishment.

A perhaps bigger problem with that view? The image of a courtroom comes primarily from Paul’s sermon illustrations of justification (“pardon”). (Never base all your theology on one sermon illustration!) From Jesus’ teachings we see a picture of God as “Abba” (“Daddy”), the loving father of the lost sons in Luke 15, as the one we pray to in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

Bell gravitates toward the loving parent image, while Chan relies heavily on the courtroom. These are two diverging perspectives. The courtroom image emphasizes law and punishment; the parent image emphasizes restoration and relationship.

My conclusion? No one theological system has all the answers. Theological systems are human attempts to understand what the scriptures describe as a “mystery.” “Mystery” doesn’t mean “hidden secrets waiting to be found,” but “this is beyond what you can fully understand.” God’s love and grace are truly beyond description.

If I have to choose between these two options, I’m going with the Prodigal God every time! If God is love (1 John 4:8), then God doesn’t remained detached and objective; God is personal and involved. Therefore, more is going on than Chan’s book allows for. Bell’s book doesn’t have all the answers, but at least he’s willing to ask the questions.

Next time: Balancing love and law, because I know someone will tell me I’m not taking sin seriously

A couple of Sunday nights ago I presented these questions as ways to use the Bible for spiritual formation. This is quite different from using the Bible to "defend the faith" or trying to prove the Bible’s historical and scientific truthfulness. These questions will help us get at what God is saying to us here and now through the scriptures, with a focus on making my everyday life reflect Jesus better every day.

1. PRAY! OK, that’s not a question, but no serious use of the scriptures can begin without an openness to God’s Spirit as we read, study, and meditate. Pray for "ears to hear" what God is saying. And remember that prayer is primarily about us opening up to the life-changing work of God’s Spirit, not us getting what we want from God.

2. How did the original audience understand this passage? Historical events, cultural habits, and common imagery of the language would all have had an impact on how the first hearers (notice I didn’t say "readers") would have understood this. A warning: never let understanding the historical, cultural, or linguistic background of the scriptures be the goal of study. It is an important tool, but no substitute for listening to God through the scriptures.

3. What was God saying to the original audiences? This is a dual question– what was God saying to the people involved in the passage, and what was God saying to the people who first heard the stories told? Listen for core principles that can serve as foundations for Christ-like living.

4. Why did God say that? For example, many of the prohibitions in the Law of Moses that seem a bit excessive to us were addressing the religious practices of the Canaanites (especially the sexual warnings). Most of Israel’s neighbors sought to manipulate (or at least convince) their gods to do what they people wanted. Israel was to trust that God is looking out for them, and that God will guide them and provide for their needs. Again, listen for core principles that can serve as foundations for Christ-like living.

5. How does what God said back then translate into my world now? Is there a similar situation this applies to? How do the core principles from this passage apply to other situations?

6. What is God saying to me now? Is God calling me to a particular task? To abandon a sinful habit or attitude? To what is God calling me? There’s no "if" here; God is calling each of us to something, to serve God and others, and to live more like Jesus.

7. The most important question: What am I going to do about what God is saying to me now? All of this is a useless exercise unless I act upon God’s call (James 1:22-25).

I’m sure there are questions that could be added to this list. These are the questions I use in preparing Bible studies and sermons, and I present them as merely a starting point for discussion.

The Bible is a collection of stories and poems that grew out of the interaction between God and humanity. The Bible is the story of the relationships between God and people, and of the relationships among God’s people. (Even all those "thou shalt nots" of the books of Moses were given to help the Hebrews live out their relationship with God as God’s covenant people.)

This makes the Bible different from a "technical manual" such as we would use to work on a car or computer, and different from a "set of instructions" like a recipe. The Bible’s stories and poems help us see into the character of God, and help us see who we are in light of who God is.

The ancient world had a very different view of history and authorship than we do. We look for technical journalistic precision in reporting events, and a clear "paper trail" connecting exact quotes to their original speakers or writers. The scriptures come out of a very different world. Instead of merely reporting events and quotations, the scriptures seek to interpret those events and sayings to help us in our lives with God. The value of the scriptures lies in their ability through ancient voices to help us hear the voice of God’s Spirit today.

Therefore, interpreting the scriptures involves going beyond history and culture to listen to the voice of God’s Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21). Historical and cultural facts help enlighten the listening process, but historical and cultural knowledge is not the goal of Bible reading. The purpose of the scriptures is transforming our lives into lives that reflect the character of God as revealed in Jesus (Romans 12:1-2, 2 Timothy 3:14-17).

Next post: questions I use in reading the scriptures for spiritual formation.

On Sunday nights, I have begun a teaching series on Using Your Bible More Effectively. (Can you call it a “series” when we’re out most of the next month?) We started last night (June 27) with an overview, and will continue on July 25 with a deeper look at the Old Testament.

We are going to focus on using the Bible as a tool for personal spiritual formation, rather than on using the Bible as a tool for defending the faith, or trying to prove that the Bible is scientifically and historically reliable. (Using “My” Bible rather than Using “The” Bible.)

Why this particular focus? Because I believe that the Bible’s own job description says that God gave us the scriptures to help us move toward God, to make us more like Jesus, and to prepare us for living out God’s calling in our lives. (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

Let’s start with how the scriptures came to us. 2 Kings 22 records the discovery of a scroll in the Temple at Jerusalem during Temple renovations. We find almost no record of a written scripture before this time. In fact, we have almost no mention of the Law of Moses being kept after the time of Joshua. There is no mention of Passover in the books of Judges, Samuel, or Kings until this point.

Why is this important for studying the written scriptures? It tells me that the Bible didn’t come to us as “golden tablets” mysteriously appearing in their complete form, nor were the scriptures dictated with exact wordings. The scriptures were born out of the interaction between God and God’s people, out of the movement of God’s Holy Spirit among humanity. The Bible was given to us over centuries of time as a signpost pointing the way to God.

If the Bible came to us out of the activity of God’s Spirit among humanity, then that is also how it must be interpreted (2 Peter 1:19-21) . God’s Holy Spirit guides our interpretation of the scriptures to help us discern what God is saying to our world.

I am convinced that God is speaking to our world, and that the scriptures are an important part of that process.

I hope to expand upon these ideas in the next few blog posts. Questions and/or suggestions are always welcome.

Yeah– what he said…..

The Biblical languages are languages of word pictures. They had to be; the ancients lived in a world where few could read and write, and fewer still had access to scrolls or books. Words with vivid imagery helped hearers retain the ideas they heard so those ideas could be passed along to others.

Take Psalm 46:10, for instance. A well known verse– “Be still, and know that I am God!” (NRSV) The word picture behind “Be still” is someone fighting a losing battle and just flailing away, yet accomplishing nothing, like a shadow boxer, or the image of a fidgety child who just can’t sit still, expending much energy but going nowhere. The key image is great effort with no gain.

The Good News Translation (one of my personal favorites, and the pew Bibles at Memorial) handles this verse well: “‘Stop fighting,’ he says, ‘and know that I am God…’” The idea is that our constant attempts to do everything on our own don’t really get that much done, and in fact can keep us distracted from what God is doing. Stop our fighting, and let God show us who God has been all along.

In what part of our lives are we doing all the work rather than relying on God? Do we tend to follow our plans until they fail and only then turn to God?

Sometimes we need to close our eyes and try tosee what the scriptures are saying to us. Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit says…. those who have eyes, let them see what the Spirit says.

On Sunday, I challenged us to read a psalm a day this week, listening for God to speak to us. Some suggestions: Psalm 1, 8, 19, 46, 24, 42, 51, 73, 148, 149.

Ask questions like, “What is God encouraging me to do here? What is God asking me to stop doing? What does this passage tell me about what God is like? What does this passage tell me about who God wants me to be?”

For example, let’s take Psalm 1. Notice the progression away from God’s path toward those who reject God. Where am I taking “harmless” baby-steps away from God? How do I come back to God’s path before things get out of control? If things are already out of control, how do I let God bring me back?

Another suggestion for this type of scripture reading. Eugene Peterson’s The Message paraphrase provides an insightful commentary on the scriptures from just this perspective.

On Sunday,  January 17th, I mentioned studying works by authors that have trustworthy track records. While by no means an exhaustive list, the writers mentioned below are among my favorites for personal spiritual growth. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say, I don’t believe you will go wrong with these authors:

Brennan Manning (particularly A Ragamuffin Gospel)

Philip Yancey (What’s So Amazing About Grace, The Jesus I Never Knew)

Mike Yaconelli (Messy Spirituality)

Rob Bell (Drops Like Stars, Velvet Elvis, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, Sex God, the Nooma video series for groups)

C.S. Lewis (The Screwtape Letters is a personal favorite, but he wrote much more)

As I think of more, I’ll go back and edit this list. This is not a list of recommended Bible experts or church leadership experts. These writers, I believe, will challenge you in your personal spiritual development. (Small group study guides are available for many of their books.)