dev181

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires”

2 Timothy 4:3

I have been recently reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Being an American, Franklin is a man who is of great interest to me. Undoubtedly a genius, Franklin made contributions in fields ranging from the American government to electricity. Yet, as I have read through his words, my respect level for this man has actually dropped, as I think he had a big problem with his philosophy on life.

On one occasion in his life, Franklin decided that he wanted to achieve moral perfection for the sake of being a good citizen. He made a list of all the vices that he could think of and determined to rid his soul of their influence. He would take the first vice he had listed and attempt to live a few days without falling into that error. Then, after achieving perfection with that sin, he would move on to the next. What he had not understood, however, was that to even attempt this was to open the door and commit an even graver vice.

His friends began to complain that his attempts were causing him to become proud. It is evident throughout his autobiography how his pride had eaten his soul. He did try to correct his pride after being rebuked, but he came to see that he could never conquer it. The reason it was insurmountable to him is extremely evident to me. Ben Franklin rejected Christ.

He recounts how, being raised Presbyterian but having problems with some of his doctrines, he visited a Presbyterian church after he moved to Philadelphia upon being befriended by the pastor. Although he went a few Sundays in a row, he stopped going because he didn’t like the preaching. The pastor preached the doctrines of Christ and not morality. He said, “His discourses were chiefly either polemic arguments, or explications of the peculiar doctrines of our sect, and were all to me very dry, uninteresting, and unedifying, since not a single moral principle was inculcated or enforc'd, their aim seeming to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens.”

Now, having an understanding of Presbyterian doctrine and being much in agreement with much of the basics that they believe, it is easy for me to see what happened. The pastor taught that moral perfection was impossible. It was only in Christ that righteousness could be found because all people had a sinful nature. Sound doctrine required that Franklin give up his quest for moral perfection, admit not only that he couldn’t do it but that he had committed tremendous and eternal errors against His Creator, and bow before Him in humility. He had attempted to conquer his pride with more pride, while Jesus was his only answer.

Franklin’s life communicates the problem with a morality system that seeks legitimacy without God. Sure, one can become a good citizen and benefit others (who could argue that Franklin didn’t do that), but that worldview will cause even the good things that one does to rise up against his own soul. One cannot put their own deeds in perspective without the Lord.

While I do not know the content of this particular pastor’s sermons, I can affirm that Franklin’s ideas about what ought to be preached were not the answer. Teaching morality was not necessary, as God has already communicated right and wrong to the hearts of each person born into this world. The message people need is the sound doctrine that teaches us how to respond when we realize that our attempts for moral perfection are done in vain and that a righteous judge must judge sin. Some want to have their ears tickled and be told that what they are doing is good and that they don’t need to change. Those will surround themselves with teachers that won’t challenge them. But those who want Christ need to have their pride shattered on the sold rock of the gospel.

While having your ears tickled might be a lot more comfortable than the assault the word of God takes on our pride, in the end it will cause great damage to our souls. Blessed is the pastor who brings the heat.

dev180 - Version Française

“Grâces soient rendues à Dieu, qui nous fait toujours triompher en Christ, et qui répand par nous en tout
lieu l'odeur de sa connaissance !”

2 Corinthiens 2:14

J'ai eu le coeur brisé en entendant parler de la tragédie en Norvège. Pendant les trois années que j'ai passées en Europe, j’ai developpé un grand respect pour ce pays. Je n’ai pas été content, cependant, du traitement de cette histoire par les medias, car il me semble qu'ils se sont plu à mettre sur l’assassin une étiquette de “chrétien fondamentaliste.“ En mettant l’accent sur cette étiquette, ils ont laissé entendre que ce sont les croyances d’une vision chrétienne fondamentaliste du monde qui provoquent de telles atrocités. Etant moi-même un chrétien fondamentaliste (selon ma definition du mot “fondamentaliste“), je prends cela non seulement comme une offense mais également comme la preuve d'un journalisme irresponsable.

Peut-etre qu'il est facile de comprendre pourquoi je me suis offensé, mais pourquoi parlerais-je de journalisme irresponsable ? Parce que je crois que les chrétiens qui s’en tiennent à l'enseignement fondamental de Jésus devraient maintenant être mieux vus. Après tout, ce sont des chrétiens fondamentalistes qui ont été les premiers à arriver à la Nouvelle Orleans avec de l'aide après l’ouragan Katrina. Ce sont des chrétiens fondamentalistes qui ont sacrifié leurs temps et leur argent pour aller aider après le tsunami en Asie du sud, les tremblements de terre au Japon et en Haiti, et qui sont à la tête des actions contre la faim dans le monde. Chaque ministère parmi les SDF avec lesquels j’ai servi aux Etats-Unis a été commencé par des chrétiens fondamentalistes, et ce sont eux aussi qui sont en train de reconstruire ma ville Tuscaloosa, en Alabama après les tornades meurtrières d'avril dernier.

Je m'arrêterai là, mais je pourrais continuer longtemps sur la justice sociale faite par les chrétiens fondamentalistes depuis des siècles et encore aujourd'hui. Malgré tout le mérite que notre peuple devrait posséder, il suffit d'un homme mauvais qui se définit comme chrétien sur son profil facebook pour profaner notre nom et faire puer celui de Jésus. Bien que cela me contrarie, je ne devrais pas m'en étonner, et je vais donc passer d’une plainte contre nos juges hypocrites à une leçon très précieuse que nous, les chrétiens fondamentalistes, devrions tirer de tout cela.

Le monde cherchera toujours à mettre en évidence les péchés de l’Eglise et à ignorer le bien qu'elle fait. Pourquoi? Parce que tout mérite qu’ils accordent à l’Eglise est un mérite accordé à Dieu, et c’est Lui qu’ils rejettent. Le monde ne veut pas accepter Dieu, parce qu’il est sous une autre puissance. Bien des athées citent les guerres commencées par la religion comme raison pour ne pas croire en Dieu, mais en réalité c’est une raison qu’ils ont trouvée car ils n'ont pas envie de croire en Dieu. Les bonnes oeuvres de l’Eglise seront toujours ignorées par ceux qui sont destinés à la destruction.

Cependant, nous sommes appelés à être la bonne odeur de Christ. Beaucoup de gens partout dans le monde disent qu'ils se sont intéressés à l'évangile au début parce qu'ils ont remarqué la façon de vivre d'un chrétien fondamentaliste. Ils ont trouvé que cette personne était droite. Elle était digne de confiance. Elle était heureuse. Elle se souciait du bien-être des autres. Elle avait un arôme doux qu’ils n’ont pas trouvé dans le monde. Suivre Jésus d'une manière fondamentale consiste à propager le parfum de Dieu parmi les nations, et il n’y a pas de parfum plus doux.

Alors que que le monde prétendra toujours que l’odeur de Christ pue, la vie de ceux qui suivent réellement Jésus d'une manière fondamentale prouvera toujours le contraire. Ne soyons pas surpris quand le monde calomnie le nom de Jésus et essaye de le faire puer; laissons plutôt notre arôme répandre sa connaissance en tout lieu.

The Waters

The waters that lay still before me

Are threatening all that I once knew.

The appearance of tranquility

Invites me to enter in the pool,

Yet I know the storm that will rage when

I submit my corpse to plunge its depths.

A corpse, indeed, a corpse I will be

For these waters call me to a death.

But could there be a resurrection?

For me the waters are but a pool,

But for Him t’was a flowing river,

Whose currents lead to a sea called Death.

This Man whose joy it was to perish

Willing to live for a higher cause

Became obedient to this death

Even the death of these mighty waters.

He said his death would bring life to men,

But could He have a resurrection?

The waters appear to have a song

And its music sooths my broken soul.

Their surface seems to break out in dance

In harmony with eternity.

They stand for all that is beautiful

Against all that would threaten true life.

Who could resist their strong attraction?

Who would despise their invitation?

Surely they preach a resurrection.

Yet I know the sacrifice it takes

To be drenched in its peaceful fury.

For I know my foot should not enter

Unless I submerge my head as well.

And if my nose should there go under,

No doubt its last breath will have been drawn

Forever after my breath will come

From a Wind that can not be measured.

Yet this Wind brings a resurrection.

I can see the need I have for death,

For life in bondage is not real life.

My wayward nature can’t be mended,

My broken spirit can not be fixed.

Yes death, and death alone, is my cure

The grave is my road to liberty.

I can be buried in these waters

My soul drowned in its unyielding waves

With a hope for a resurrection.

There are things, to be sure, I will miss

From my life of death that I will flee.

The waters will take my sovereignty

They will take away all of my rights.

Yet in my new chains is true freedom

And those regrets will be but shadows

For no one who swims and then looks back,

Is worthy of the death of the pool,

Is worthy of the resurrection.

With decision made, I enter in,

This fountain full of wrathful pardon.

The elements burn my broken skin

And instructs me that the pain is real.

For sin is not easily repaired,

And death necessitates agony.

Yet I clench my fists against my pride

And prepare my corpse for sacrifice.

While longing for my resurrection.

Death, then burial, then three days passed

In a brief moment of submersion

My lungs received a new kind of air

From the Wind that blows where it wishes

And my voice which knew only to curse

Found the song for which it had been made.

For these waters bound me to the man

Whose joy it was to suffer and die,

And I share in His resurrection.

dev180

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. “

2 Corinthians 2:14

I was heartbroken recently upon hearing of the tragedy in Norway. After living in Europe for almost three years now, I have grown to respect this country very much. I have been unhappy, however, with the media’s coverage of this story, as it seems that they have enjoyed labeling the killer as a “fundamentalist Christian.” By placing emphasis on this label, they have made an implication that beliefs that line up with a fundamental Christian view lead to such atrocities. As one who is a fundamentalist Christian (depending on your definition of “fundamentalist”), I find this not only offensive but irresponsible journalism.

Perhaps it is easy to understand why I would be offended, but why would I call it irresponsible? The reason is because I believe Christians who hold to the fundamentals of what Jesus taught should have by now earned a better reputation than that. After all, it was fundamentalist Christians who were the first to be in New Orleans with aid after hurricane Katrina. It was fundamentalist Christians who sacrificed their time and money to go and help after the Tsunami in South Asia, the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti, and have led the charge in fighting global hunger. Every homeless ministry I worked with in America had been started by fundamentalist Christians, and it is fundamentalist Christians who are helping rebuild my hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

I’ll stop there, but I could go on for pages about the social justice done by fundamentalist Christians through the centuries and in this present age. Despite all the merit that our people should have earned, it only takes one evil man that has “Christian” on his Facebook profile to profane our name and cause the name of Jesus to stink. While this upsets me, it should not surprise me, and it causes me to turn this from a gripe against our plank-in-the-eye judges to an invaluable lesson that we “fundamentalist Christians” should take from this.

The world will always search out the sins of the church and ignore the good. Why? Because any merit they give to the church is a merit given to God, and it is He they do not want. The world will not accept God, for they are under a different reign. There are many atheists who cite the wars started by religion as the reason they don’t believe in God, but in reality this is more of a reason they found because they already didn’t want to believe in God. The good works of the church will always be ignored by those destined for destruction.

Yet, we are called to be the aroma of Christ. There are many individuals all around the world who have stated that the reason they first became open to the gospel was because they watched the life of some “fundamentalist Christian.” They were upright. They were trustworthy. They were happy. They cared about the well-being of others. They, so to say, had a sweet aroma that they had not found in the world. To follow Jesus in a fundamental way is to spread the perfume of God amongst the nations, and there is no sweeter fragrance.

While the world will always claim that the odor of Christ stinks, the life of people who truly follow Christ in a fundamental way will always prove otherwise. Let us not be surprised when the world spreads its slander and its stink; rather, let our aroma spread the knowledge of him in every place.