I've been reading through a condensed version of John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion and ran across this the other day. It's thought-provoking.
Of course ivory, gold and wealth are God's good gifts, permitted, indeed designed by His Providence for man's use. Laughter, good food and drink, possessions and music have never been forbidden. But wrong use can be made of them all if we wallow in luxury and constantly seek new pleasures. God's gifts must be used in moderation, without pride or arrogance. Moderation allows legitimate use: without it even ordinary pleasures can become excessive. A proud mind can live in modest clothes, and true humility be cloaked with fine linen. So everyone must remember that God's gifts are fore life, not luxury.
Book Three, part ten, chapter 19
The truth of these ramifications are visible daily. I know so many Christians that live to excess on either side, to legalism or to license. It comes through with use of time, use of drink, use of media, and use of language. The legalistic person thinks all time must be dedicated to work, that no one should drink alchoholic beverages, that watching just about any movie or television show should be barred, and that many many words are out of bounds. The licentious person thinks it's okay to be lazy, drinks any beverage at any time, watches whatever they please, and uses whatever language they wish. The wise person treads the middle path.
12/20/08
12/17/08
Religious News of the Year
Time does a decent job of reflection, which is generally a lost art in our culture. So they reflect on the previous year, most notably in the Person of the Year. No surprise this year. But they also do a List Issue, reflecting on a various list of Top 10s from the mundane to the fantastic, from global news to pop culture. Here's their list of the top 10 religious news stories of the year. Some commentary provided.
1. The economy trumps religion in the election.
I suppose we saw this coming. Generally, the American public cares a lot more about money than God. The odd thing is: when many people don't have money or it is taken away, many are prone to pray more. Does our culture really need God? Truman said a recession is when your neighbor loses his job and a depression is when you lose yours. I, on the other hand, guage economic security/insecurity by how many more people feel like they need God. I'd say the economy's fine based no that guage. See number 8 below.
2. The Mormons are a powerful force in culture shaping (see: California's ban on gay marriage)
Evangelicals are generally the most culturally powerful religious group in the country, because generally they have the largest voting bloc. So generally the media covers them (see 7 below). But the Mormons have money, and lots of it. This is proof that money wins elections (see 1 above and Obama's campaign coffers).
3. The Pope's visit to the US goes well.
It was great to see the Pope offer apologies in humility to those who were victimized by the sex scandals here.
4. The worldwide Anglican meeting every 10 years was a non-event with many conservatives no-showing. American Episcopals continue to defect.
Generally speaking, church division is a bad thing. But sometimes it purifies the church. Paul cared as much about truth as he did church unity. Sometimes this is a delicate balance. Other times its obvious. In my opinion, defection to African bishops is obvious (see the whole Bible).
5. The big Pew Research poll back in the summer.
I don't think this study is as revealing as people think it is. Catholics, mainline, and evangelicals are all classified differently. As an evangelical, do I think that Catholics and mainline folks can have a relationship with Jesus? Yes. So on this study that means that I think others can go to heaven outside of my belief system. And there are plenty of "unaffiliated" folks that go to church and believe in Jesus. This wasn't that revealing then.
6. Tibetan Buddhist monks protest against China.
7. The birth of the New Evangelicalism.
The media gobbles stuff like this up. "Ooh! Evangelicals care about the environment and the poor (hint: we always have and we've generally done a better job than most at it). Maybe now those darn evangelicals will take up the lead of Sider, Wallis, and Campolo (all of whom spoke or will speak at Denver Seminary) and care about the things we care about," says the media. Of course, we can't forget about the unborn, who are still dying at an enormously high rate. But I don't want to belittle this movement, because evangelicals can change the face of the African continent, for example. Let's focus on what is true, and not on what will make those around us happier with our views.
8. The challenge of recession on church budgets and ministry.
I have a conflict of interest here. I work at a church. But maybe this recession will challenge churches to engage mission in a different way than before. I go to a local pub and meet people every week. It doesn't cost that much. I didn't have to put on a big event. Maybe our mission will be more intentional, regular, and relational from now on. We could stand to learn the lesson.
9. The bust of a kosher packing plant in Iowa.
10. The Vatican's announcement that if extraterrestrials exist, they may already be saved.
1. The economy trumps religion in the election.
I suppose we saw this coming. Generally, the American public cares a lot more about money than God. The odd thing is: when many people don't have money or it is taken away, many are prone to pray more. Does our culture really need God? Truman said a recession is when your neighbor loses his job and a depression is when you lose yours. I, on the other hand, guage economic security/insecurity by how many more people feel like they need God. I'd say the economy's fine based no that guage. See number 8 below.
2. The Mormons are a powerful force in culture shaping (see: California's ban on gay marriage)
Evangelicals are generally the most culturally powerful religious group in the country, because generally they have the largest voting bloc. So generally the media covers them (see 7 below). But the Mormons have money, and lots of it. This is proof that money wins elections (see 1 above and Obama's campaign coffers).
3. The Pope's visit to the US goes well.
It was great to see the Pope offer apologies in humility to those who were victimized by the sex scandals here.
4. The worldwide Anglican meeting every 10 years was a non-event with many conservatives no-showing. American Episcopals continue to defect.
Generally speaking, church division is a bad thing. But sometimes it purifies the church. Paul cared as much about truth as he did church unity. Sometimes this is a delicate balance. Other times its obvious. In my opinion, defection to African bishops is obvious (see the whole Bible).
5. The big Pew Research poll back in the summer.
I don't think this study is as revealing as people think it is. Catholics, mainline, and evangelicals are all classified differently. As an evangelical, do I think that Catholics and mainline folks can have a relationship with Jesus? Yes. So on this study that means that I think others can go to heaven outside of my belief system. And there are plenty of "unaffiliated" folks that go to church and believe in Jesus. This wasn't that revealing then.
6. Tibetan Buddhist monks protest against China.
7. The birth of the New Evangelicalism.
The media gobbles stuff like this up. "Ooh! Evangelicals care about the environment and the poor (hint: we always have and we've generally done a better job than most at it). Maybe now those darn evangelicals will take up the lead of Sider, Wallis, and Campolo (all of whom spoke or will speak at Denver Seminary) and care about the things we care about," says the media. Of course, we can't forget about the unborn, who are still dying at an enormously high rate. But I don't want to belittle this movement, because evangelicals can change the face of the African continent, for example. Let's focus on what is true, and not on what will make those around us happier with our views.
8. The challenge of recession on church budgets and ministry.
I have a conflict of interest here. I work at a church. But maybe this recession will challenge churches to engage mission in a different way than before. I go to a local pub and meet people every week. It doesn't cost that much. I didn't have to put on a big event. Maybe our mission will be more intentional, regular, and relational from now on. We could stand to learn the lesson.
9. The bust of a kosher packing plant in Iowa.
10. The Vatican's announcement that if extraterrestrials exist, they may already be saved.
12/11/08
Think Long-Term
With the unfortunate news that the House of Representatives is going to bail out the Detroit auto industry (note: notice how Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and many other companies that make cars in the US don't need a bailout), I think it's time to reflect a little bit on the national debt. Obama is talking about an even larger stimulus package, different from the over-7 billion dollars already committed to the financial industry. So, here's my claim:
Debt isn't always good. Here's Michael Kinsley's analysis of it:
But is there a downside here at all [to a larger stimulus package]? Maybe these economists (and the Economist) think the downside is obvious, but it obviously isn't obvious, or we wouldn't have run up what seemed until a few weeks ago to be the very large deficits of the past 30 years. Unless there is a downside, why stop at a trillion? Why choose between cutting taxes and spending on infrastructure? Heck, let's do both. Party on!...
The answer is yes, there is a downside. Even though amounts this large inevitably seem like toy money, it's a real trillion dollars we are talking about spending. Even if we spend the money wisely (on bridges to somewhere), we or future generations will still have to pay it off, with interest. Or, more likely, we will inflate it away, along with the life savings of those who were foolish enough to save all their lives. It's just that the downside of doing nothing is worse. It's an easy choice, I guess. But let's not pretend that it's a happy one.
Agreed. Debt isn't always good. Maybe it does have some upside, and a down economy affects us all (churches get less tithing, retailers get less shoppers, many people lose jobs). I'm certainly not a macro-economist, and so I concede that a new public works project may benefit many as today's Denver Post editorial acknowledges. Public works bring jobs and renewed infrastructure, to be sure. But I'm not so sure we're selling away our future. Where is true wisdom in this mess? I appeal to some thoughts from Proverbs.
Proverbs 3:9 (NIV)
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.
"Firstfruits" imply that money to God comes first. It isn't a luxury. It isn't a mere 10%. It's the best we have to offer and we do it first.
Proverbs 21:17
He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.
Watch out, America! This is a good reminder for the Christmas season.
Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Who is America going to be a servant to now? China, inflation, Mid-East oil companies?
Proverbs 11:28
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
This is a helpful reminder to us all.
Proverbs contains a lot of wisdom about the topic of money. It's littered throughout the book. Check it out.
Debt isn't always good. Here's Michael Kinsley's analysis of it:
But is there a downside here at all [to a larger stimulus package]? Maybe these economists (and the Economist) think the downside is obvious, but it obviously isn't obvious, or we wouldn't have run up what seemed until a few weeks ago to be the very large deficits of the past 30 years. Unless there is a downside, why stop at a trillion? Why choose between cutting taxes and spending on infrastructure? Heck, let's do both. Party on!...
The answer is yes, there is a downside. Even though amounts this large inevitably seem like toy money, it's a real trillion dollars we are talking about spending. Even if we spend the money wisely (on bridges to somewhere), we or future generations will still have to pay it off, with interest. Or, more likely, we will inflate it away, along with the life savings of those who were foolish enough to save all their lives. It's just that the downside of doing nothing is worse. It's an easy choice, I guess. But let's not pretend that it's a happy one.
Agreed. Debt isn't always good. Maybe it does have some upside, and a down economy affects us all (churches get less tithing, retailers get less shoppers, many people lose jobs). I'm certainly not a macro-economist, and so I concede that a new public works project may benefit many as today's Denver Post editorial acknowledges. Public works bring jobs and renewed infrastructure, to be sure. But I'm not so sure we're selling away our future. Where is true wisdom in this mess? I appeal to some thoughts from Proverbs.
Proverbs 3:9 (NIV)
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.
"Firstfruits" imply that money to God comes first. It isn't a luxury. It isn't a mere 10%. It's the best we have to offer and we do it first.
Proverbs 21:17
He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.
Watch out, America! This is a good reminder for the Christmas season.
Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Who is America going to be a servant to now? China, inflation, Mid-East oil companies?
Proverbs 11:28
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
This is a helpful reminder to us all.
Proverbs contains a lot of wisdom about the topic of money. It's littered throughout the book. Check it out.
12/9/08
Why Evangelicals Need Advent
Pastor Don Sweeting offers some advice on why evangelicals need a time of preparing for Christ.
In this busy season, we need to be quiet more, not do more.
In this busy season, we need to be quiet more, not do more.
12/5/08
Straining for Pro-Life Language
We can talk about the law and voting all day long, but it wasn't until this Colson article did I really reflect on the fact that somebody has to perform murder, so long as the practice is legal.
So, how consistent are you? If you think it should be legal, would you perform the procedure yourself? And if you wouldn't, would you make exceptions for when you would?
So, how consistent are you? If you think it should be legal, would you perform the procedure yourself? And if you wouldn't, would you make exceptions for when you would?
12/4/08
Justice is Inevitable
Justice is inevitable. Read the words of Amos 5:21-24.
5:21 “I absolutely despise your festivals!
I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies!
5:22 Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied;
I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves.
5:23 Take away from me your noisy songs;
I don’t want to hear the music of your stringed instruments.
5:24 Justice must flow like torrents of water,
righteous actions like a stream that never dries up.
I've done some exegesis on this passage recently for some coursework. Verse 24 can also be taken as "justice will roll down" or "let justice roll down," as God speaks to the nation of Israel. And my prof. consistently tells us to look for the conversations that may arise from the text. It's not that the text gives us definitive answers in our context, but it can speak to our issues in a unique way.
So I begin to think and converse back and forth with Amos.
1) Do you hate our religious festivities of Christmas? What do we do that's in vain? Asking these questions makes me think of the Advent Conspiracy.
2) Will justice really roll down and heal our land? What must we do or not do to ensure this happens? I woke up this morning enjoying the snow, but then thought of the hundreds and thousands of homeless that are barely surviving the cold. When will they get justice? Do they deserve justice? Amos has a lot to say about the oppression of the poor.....
3) Righteousness still matters. Real, righteous acts can be performed. It isn't an abstract concept. It looks like something, but what will that look like in my life?
Lots of conversations, and Amos still speaks.
5:21 “I absolutely despise your festivals!
I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies!
5:22 Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied;
I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves.
5:23 Take away from me your noisy songs;
I don’t want to hear the music of your stringed instruments.
5:24 Justice must flow like torrents of water,
righteous actions like a stream that never dries up.
I've done some exegesis on this passage recently for some coursework. Verse 24 can also be taken as "justice will roll down" or "let justice roll down," as God speaks to the nation of Israel. And my prof. consistently tells us to look for the conversations that may arise from the text. It's not that the text gives us definitive answers in our context, but it can speak to our issues in a unique way.
So I begin to think and converse back and forth with Amos.
1) Do you hate our religious festivities of Christmas? What do we do that's in vain? Asking these questions makes me think of the Advent Conspiracy.
2) Will justice really roll down and heal our land? What must we do or not do to ensure this happens? I woke up this morning enjoying the snow, but then thought of the hundreds and thousands of homeless that are barely surviving the cold. When will they get justice? Do they deserve justice? Amos has a lot to say about the oppression of the poor.....
3) Righteousness still matters. Real, righteous acts can be performed. It isn't an abstract concept. It looks like something, but what will that look like in my life?
Lots of conversations, and Amos still speaks.
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