Baptists, Ash Wednesday, and Lent

The title of my post would, in previous years, probably been viewed as either the beginning of a humorous piece, or else a rant against Popes, incense, and human traditions.  Neither is going to follow.

I know that recent years have brought a great interest in long-standing Christian traditions and practices that are not mandated in Scripture but have been used through ages as means of devotion to God.  Sometimes these means have taken on more value in the minds of many than they should have, as if using the means meant extra grace or favor with God.

Reacting against the traditionalism of Rome, some Protestants, though not all, rejected all forms of devotion and practice, including the celebration of any seasons and holy days.  Puritans went the farthest, rejecting Advent, Christmas, Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, and any references to the historic church calendar and liturgy.  Since Baptists in America grew out of the larger Puritan movement, it is no wonder that we have had a long history of opposition and ignorance toward most of the above.  I still have good Baptist pastor friends who will not acknowledge either Christmas or Easter in their pulpits or church life, as a matter of principled resistance to what they see as Roman Catholic traditionalism with trappings of old pagan celebrations.

However, as time passed, most Baptists joined other Protestants and embraced Easter and Christmas celebrations in the 1800s , and eventually added in Good Friday and Palm Sunday.  More recently, Advent has been "rediscovered" and used within our circles.  But what about Lent?

For those unfamiliar with its meanings, here is a quick primer on the season.  Lent begins today, 46 days before Easter.  While it is "officially" a 40 day season, the Western Church (Roman Catholics and Protestant denominatons) does not count the Sundays, so it always starts on a Wednesday, and ends on the day before Good Friday.  It is a 40 day season that began as a time of fasting.  The forty days symbolized the 40 years in the wilderness experienced by Israel awaiting entry to the Promised Land, and the 40 days of Jesus in the wilderness, being tempted by the Devil.  At the end of those 40 days he faced the greatest temptations.  Likewise, the Church was to see itself as facing a great trial as she remembers Jesus moving through his last weeks toward the Cross.

From general fasting, Lent became a time when Christians would "give up" something as a means of expressing devotion, and seeking to focus more fully on what Christ was going to accomplish on the Cross.  Growing up as I did in a town heavily populated by Roman Catholics, I got the impression that this was just one more "duty" being imposed by a rigid Church, just like eating only fish on Fridays instead of meat.  Many of my friends saw it that way, or as a way of gaining favor to offset sins.  But now I understand that it could mean more, even if for many it didn't and doesn't.

Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, was often marked by going to church and having ashed put on one's forehead in the sign of a cross, to identify oneself with Christ and this special time of remembrance.  The ashes were usually from the burning of palms that had been used the previous year in Palm Sunday services.  As you may know, the day before Ash Wednesday (which began the fast) was often called "Fat Tuesday" or in French, Mardi Gras.  It would be one last time of indulgence before everyone had to fast and be good.  It was also the time for Catholics to "live it up," since they would go to confession afterwards, to be more "holy" during Lent.  So what was meant to create devotion became for many a calendar that set a special time for the opposite.  But that does not mean we should view the original ideas behind the practice as evil, does it?

Now, many are deciding to revisit this tradition.  What should we make of this?  Having just preached about principles of liberty in Romans 14, my first response is that whatever we might decide to do to honor Jesus and grow closer to him is a legitimate pursuit, as long as we remember two things.

One is that we do not pursue Jesus by any means that diminishes the Gospel.  If we believe that Lent will make us more acceptable to God, especially through self-purification, we diminish the gospel of grace.  If we think giving something up for Lent will count for something in God's economy, we are undermining the gospel of grace.  If, however, we want to draw closer to our Lord, to concentrate effort in understanding his earthly life, ministry, and suffering through a time focused more on him and involving letting go of certain things for a time, this does not diminish the Gospel, but flows from it.

The second thing to remember is that we do not judge those who see no need for what we choose to practice, and those who choose not to practice do not judge those who decide to observe a special season.  Each one is to be convinced in his own mind that this is the best way for him to seek God in this moment.

I know we have some in our Grace Family who are observing Lent (in some cases for the first time).  I pray it will be a time when the Lord Jesus becomes even more central to their days, especially as we move closer to Good Friday and Easter.  Others have no interest or desire to follow the practice, and I pray that the very same will be true--that Christ will make himself powerfully present in their lives through whatever "normal" pattern of devotion they follow.

For those who would like to consider this issue, the following are some resources I have become aware of:

Ann Voskamp has, on her blog, a free devotional, and also some thoughts about Lenten observance.

Desiring God Ministries has a devotional for Lent from Noel Piper that begins here.

A cautionary note about Lent for Baptists is given by Kevin Mungors here.  He follows counsel from Roger Olson that worries about how we might easily fall into past abuses of this and other spiritual practices that are not commanded in Scripture.

UPDATE: I was just made aware of this guide from the Gospel Coalition.

"Let each be convinced in his own mind."

Follow Up to the "Nine Reasons" Message

Thanks for all the encouragements I received following Sunday's rather different (for me) message on "Nine Reasons Why Answers are Hard to Find and Harder to Share."

In my introduction, I referenced Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman's book unChristian: What a New Generation Thinks About Christianity...And Why It Matters.  It was a powerful and disturbing survey of the attitudes people have toward the Evangelical Church generally.  If you click on the title above, or use the Amazon widget to the right,  you can find out how to purchase it.

In my last point, I referenced a book by a friend of mine, Larry Osborne, entitled Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith.  Again, go to the widget to the right or click on this link if you want more information on how to buy it.

Another book I didn't mention but is a worthwhile read on where young evangelical teens are in their understanding of faith and its relevance to life (and I warn  you, it isn't a pretty picture) is Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church.

Resources to Help Understand Pro-Life Issues and Arguments

In trying to narrow down a list of resources, I have opted to include just a few books and some web links that will take you much further in this subject.  It is certainly not an exhaustive list; however, these are good resources for understanding, assisting, and articulating a consistently pro-life view.

Life Training Institute Blog:  http://lti-blog.blogspot.com/

Randy Alcorn’s Eternal Perspectives Ministries:  www.epm.org

Two of Randy’s books on the subject:

• Pro-Life Answers toPro-Choice Arguments
• Why Pro-Life? Caringfor the Unborn and their Mothers

Focus on the Family has many resources available at www.family.org

Care Net—a network of pro-life pregnancy centers.  www.care-net.org

National Right to Life, the oldest “pro-life” advocacy group  www.nrlc.org

Two more books:

The Case for Life:Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture, by Scott Klusendorf

Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue, by R. C. Sproul

And here is an amazing apologetic video from Ray Comfort that tackles the issue through a historic perspective.  WARNING: This is not for children, and has some disturbing images.

Resources on Racial Reconciliation

Since I am  no expert, but have just staked out some ground regarding the challenge and choice to pursue racial reconciliation, I figured I better let everyone know about resources that I believe are helpful in this discussion.  I'm listing  a few books, articles, and links, below.  In the Amazon tool to the right, I will seek to put links to the books so that you can get them if you wish.  I have also made book titles links to other sites where they are available.  I'm not saying every line of every book or article or sermon is something I might say or endorse, but these are very good resources to get us thinking, and hopefully moving.

Books:
Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian. by John Piper (you can also order the book or get a free PDF file for download here)

One Race, One Blood, by Charles Ware and Ken Ham, available through Answers in Genesis.

A Credible Witness, by Brenda Salter NcNeil (highly recommended by Dr. Jeff Cook)

One, but Not the Same: God's Diverse Kingdom Come Through Race, Class, and Gender, by Chris Williamson (Pastor Williamson is a Trustee at CU)

Prejudice and the People of God, by A. Charles Ware (president of Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis, Indiana)

More than Equals, Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel, by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice (these men have worked to establish a multi-racial church, and Perkins' father is John Perkins, a legendary Christian leader in civil rights).

The Sneetches and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss.  Yes, this is a children's book that deals with differences, and was recommended by Jessica Dyson on behalf of her father, and my friend, Greg Dyson.

Web resources:
John Piper, "I Was a Racist."  This excerpt from his book, Bloodlines, (listed above) tells of Piper's own story in the journey from boyhood in the racially segregated South to a passion for racial reconciliation.

"Every Race to Reign and Worship," audio sermon by John Piper.

Desiring God Ministries has a number of resources from the Racial Harmony Sunday sermons preached by John Piper.

"What Carlton Banks, Ice Cube, and Denzel Washington Teach Us About Hiring," by Bryan Loritts.  I include this as a helpful reflection on what this process needs to consider, especially in church leadership.

"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  If you have never read this, you should.  If you are a pastor, it will especially prick the conscience as you ask yourself, "Where would I have been in 1963?"  I know where my church, in the North, was in 1968, when Dr. King was shot, and it was not a God-honoring stance.

If you have other good resources to recommend, you can let me know!

The Absence of God

Imagine having a walk with God so sweet that at times you are swept away by a sense of being in his glorious presence and enveloped in his love.  Such was the experience of David Brainerd, famous missionary to American Indians in the 18th century.  He writes of such ecstasies in his journals.

But just as profound and powerful, in a negative way were times he went through where God was lost to him.  Read his journal entry from one of those times.

"My spiritual conflicts today were unspeakably dreadful, heavier than the mountains and overflowing floods. I seemed enclosed, as it were, in Hell itself; I was deprived of all sense of God, even of the being of a God; and that was my misery. I had no awful apprehensions of God as angry. This was distress, the nearest akin to the damned's torments, that I ever endured; their torment, I am sure, will consist much in a privation (lack) of God, and consequently of all good. This taught me the absolute dependence of a creature upon God the Creator, for every crumb of happiness it enjoys. Oh I feel that, if there is no God, though I might live for ever here, and enjoy not only this but all other worlds, I should be ten thousand times more miserable than a reptile. My soul was in such anguish I could not eat; but felt as I suppose a poor wretch would that is just going to the place of execution."

No wonder Brainerd gave his life for the effort to bring the gospel to native peoples who were in danger of such a permanent state.  May God grant us both passion for his presence and abhorrence of the sense of his "absence."

(Quote taken from a short biographical article from Christianity.com.  The fuller article is here.)

Happy Epiphany!

I meant to mention this in services today, but forgot to do so in the 9:15 service.  Today is Epiphany Sunday on the traditional Church Calendar.  This day marks both the end of the 12 Days of Christmas (also a season in the Calendar), and celebrates the arrival of the Magi in response to the appearance of the Star.  The word "epiphany" means "appearance" or "revealing" or "manifestation," and the appearance of the star led to the appearance of the Wise Men.

What makes the day worth celebrating is that it reminds us the Messiah was not just King of the Jews, but was truly for all people--the Magi, after all, were all Gentiles.  If you want an insight into how they might have known in Persia what this Star meant, read my previous post below.

Since the story in Matthew tells us that the Magi visited a house and a young child in Bethlehem, not a baby, it is most likely that the Magi did not arrive until after the birth, and possibly much later than just 12 days!  This is why I liked to put the Wise Men from our manger set on the other side of the room when the kids were small!

In any event, rejoice that the Messiah has come, and that he has come for all people!

The Fourth Wise Man That Wasn't

[For your Christmas enjoyment, and maybe a little edification, I offer this short story I wrote a few years back.]

           The assembly had disintegrated into raucous shouts and groans only minutes after the Grand Vizier had called it to order.  He should have known that this would be the case, since Balthasar and his colleagues were known for their controversial notions.  Why, the vizier wondered, did they insist on putting such ludicrous theories forward?  Legends surrounding that foreign master of the magi of long ago had been nearly erased from their collective memory, but now Balthasar was bringing them up again.   The suggestion that the appearance of one particular conjunction of stars was the fulfillment of some long-forgotten promise of a king with universal significance strained the patience of even the most open-minded of the wise.  And this was no time to be thinking about off-beat ideas that could derail the progress the magi had been making.

            The Vizier let his thoughts turn with satisfaction to the steady increase in importance that their exclusive fraternity had experienced during his leadership.  The world’s leaders were once again interested in what the wise men from the east had to say.  It had been a rough few centuries for them, ever since Alexander and his armies had swept through Persia like a grass fire in late summer, displacing not only the old empire, but the old empire’s advisers as well.  Now, following the disintegration of Greek rule and the ascendancy of the Romans, kings throughout the east (and even toward Rome in the west) were seeking out the magi once again. 

            They had carefully protected and cultivated their reputation for special wisdom, studying their books and rehearsing their legends.  Those who practiced the magic arts could always amaze, but such tricks did little more than keep the general population in awe.  It took the vast reservoir of facts and insights gained over centuries for the skillful wise man to create in his king or prince that sense of dependence that secured the magi’s power.  Rulers, fearful of the threat of the Romans or the challenge of the Parthians, were offering great wealth and honor to obtain the services of some of the magi for their courts.

It was at such an opportune moment that Balthasar chose to present his ideas and plan, asking his compatriots to risk the ridicule of all those kings and princes whose support has been so difficult to regain.  And for what purpose?  To follow an unfamiliar star foramtion toward the heart of unfriendly territory to find this mysterious king of a people that has no real political significance.  The Jews groaned under Roman rule through the puppet king, Herod (an obnoxious and vain man whose enemies had a nasty habit of dying untimely deaths).  They had no need of magi—new king or not.  They needed a better army than Rome’s, and no one seems to have found one. 

            The Vizier thought about Balthasar’s words.  “We believe that our ancient master, Belteshazzar, was more than just a wise man,” he had proclaimed once again.  “His wisdom was unparalleled in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, who believed him a prophet of the one true God.”

            This had sparked the first reaction among his fellow magi, of course, for their own belief in one god had put them at odds with much of society.

            Balthasar had continued, “Belteshazzar received many visions and dreams that spoke of the future of his people and of the kingdoms that would rise and fall around them.  His words accurately foretold Alexander’s rise and fall, and the coming of the Romans.”

Some of the magi scoffed at this, others bristled at the suggestion that one of their number had accurately foretold what so many others had missed.

“He predicted the coming of a king among his people who would be God’s deliverer of mankind.  We believe this new star is the announcement of that king’s birth.”

No more could be said above the assembly’s shouts of derision.  Balthasar’s friends, Melchior and Gaspar, both touched his arm and shook their heads in disappointment.  They were alone in their convictions, and their fellow magi would not listen any further.

Most of their number had left the meeting place, but those three still stood together, talking quietly among themselves.  The Vizier felt compelled to speak to them.

“I told you it was useless, Balthasar.  No one wants to be reminded of old fables that put most of our ancestors in an unfavorable light.”

“The truth about our past is reflected in our stubbornness today,” replied the old man. “Daniel’s (Balthasar slipped into using Belteshazzar’s Hebrew name) truthfulness was not diminished by the jealousy of the other magi then, and we believe we can trust what we have learned through studying his life and teachings.  Why can’t a man like yourself see that our plan holds out the promise of a discovery beyond any of our wildest dreams?”

The Vizier thought for a second before replying.  “You are correct in saying that, if you are right, your discovery might be amazing.  But consider the risks.  This proposed expedition will cost you more than just your fortunes.  If you are wrong, your reputations will be lost forever, as would that of anyone willing to go with you.  You are staking all on the words of a long dead sage.  You believe the deliverer of the world may be born among an enslaved people, and that a star has appeared to announce this?  No, my friends, your quest is too ridiculous to imagine joining.  I urge you to forget this nonsense, stay at home, and enjoy your privileges and prosperity.  Few have what you possess.”

“That is true, wise one.  But we have decided we would trade all we have to discover if God has truly sent this promised King.  If such a king has been born, then we will gladly lose all else to know of him.”

What would it be like to discover the savior of the world, the Vizier wondered.  Certainly such a journey, with a company of genuinely interesting (if slightly unpredictable) men in search of this king would be remarkable.  But it would undoubtedly be for nothing.  No, he would not go.  He would do what magi did best—go with the established wisdom.  And the established wisdom was that money and power in one’s possession secured all the future you could hope to have.

“Farewell, my friends.  I shall miss your company.  When you return, I shall do what I can to help you get back to your normal lives here.

“Thank you, wise one,” Balthasar replied, “but if we return, we believe we will have news that will keep life from ever being what it was.”

As they left his presence, the Vizier said to himself that if that were to be the case, then perhaps it would be best for them not to come back.

Newtown, Yellow Springs, and Bethlehem

Like everyone else, I was stunned and saddened beyond words as the reports of the slaughter of Newtown, Connecticut's children came in.  20 youngsters died at the hands of one marauding murderer who killed his mother first.  We will learn more about him and the heart-wrenching losses suffered by families in the coming days.  I appreciated the governor of Connecticut's words, saying that "Evil visited" Sandy Hook School yesterday.  It was and is evil in our world that impels such violence and harm.  We must pray for the families who suffered loss of children, and those who lost parents, friends, co-workers, and spouses.

Even as those reports continued today, we left the house for me to officiate at the wedding of Matt Brooker and Hannah Lamos, two wonderful young people in our Grace family and students at CU.  It was an joyous morning, more informal than most weddings, and simple as could be.  The happiness in their faces was what I love to see on any wedding day, and their shared desire to exalt Jesus and celebrate with their families was a blessing to me.  It was a celebration with unmixed joy.

Matteo di Giovanni's "Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem", 

1488.  Note how the artist made the crime look as if it was in his

own time.  The innocents are slaughtered in every age.

What a contrast in emotions I went through in 24 hours:  sadness at the tragedy of so many in Connecticut, and joy at the sight of this newly married couple.  It seems almost bizarre that one can go through such a large swing in such as short time.  In fact, it isn't just a "swing," but rather the co-existence of sadness and joy in the same day.

Tomorrow, we gather for the third Sunday in Advent, with its theme of Joy.  We should remember that the joy we celebrate in Advent and Christmas is always accompanied, in this world at least, with the continuing presence of sorrows and sadness.  Even in the Christmas story, we learn of both great joy, as manifested by the wise men when they saw the star and it led them to Bethlehem, and horrendous sorrow experienced by the parents in that tiny village just days later.  It really was a little town, probably with only few dozen families.  But since Herod had heard that the future King of the Jews had been born there, he sent his soldiers to kill all their youngest children.  I just read this past week that it probably was about 20 children that died--just the same as in Newtown.


 By God's intervention, the murdering Herod did not find Jesus there, for Joseph had been warned in a dream to flee to Egypt.  By God's intervention, Adam Lanza killed himself before he could kill more victims.  I wonder if the families of Bethlehem ever knew why Herod attacked them as he did--there is no indication that they did.  The grieving families in Newtown will never know why their children died yesterday.

Such tragedies remind us of the destructive power of evil, and of the Evil One whose sole purpose is, like the thief described in John 10, "to steal and kill and destroy."

But in the midst of such tragedies, joys still come.  Messages from faraway loved ones bring smiles.  Couples get married.  Kids come home from school.  Families and friends get together at Christmas.  It is God reminding us, "Yes the world is evil.  But evil does not always win--will not always win."

Advent is the season of longing and anticipating the coming of Jesus.  That longing should get stronger in the face of heinous evil.  And it should get stronger when the joys that come our way provide a foretaste of what life will always be like when Jesus takes up his throne and kingdom here.  God allows both because they are the realities of life in a fallen world where the hope of redemption and renewal is offered in Jesus.

Forgiving the Seriously Fallen

Two matters came my way today that both made me stop, think, and wonder.  The first was a question from a friend who knows a Christian man (former church worker and teacher) who is facing serious jail time for molesting underage boys--repeatedly.  Much like the Jerry Sandusky case, it has generated a lot of hatred and recrimination, and it has devastated his wife.  He expresses repentance, remorse, regret, sorrow--you name it.  He will be punished for his crimes, and should be.  But Christians, including some that my friend talked to, hold out no hope of this man ever being changed, or even worthy of redemption.  Society and mental health professionals tend to agree that he is hopeless.  Christians join others in saying they hope there is a special place in hell for such people.  But will he be in hell?  Could he be truly saved and that messed up?  The question that I was asked: has this become the unpardonable sin--perhaps not to God, but to us?  Do we just let such people be locked away and forget about them?

The second was an article I'd actually seen when it popped up in my email in a newsletter I read.  I saw the title Going to Hell with Ted Haggard, and wasn't sure I'd be interested.  Then I saw it was the most-read article of any week that this long-time Christian publication has been on the web, so I thought I would read it.  It was convicting.  I'd urge you to click on the linked title and go read it.  Now.  I'll wait.

OK, welcome back.  Interesting to contemplate, isn't it, especially the statement by the atheist that the thing that keeps him from ever becoming a Christian is that we say that God accepts you just as you are, but when one of us in the church falls publicly, we tend to "eat our own."

As a church with multiple children's and youth ministries, we take protection of children seriously.  And as believers in the high and holy calling of a pastor/overseer/elder, we know that the public sins of leaders can have far-reaching consequences inside and outside the church.  Yet, does the gospel of grace extend to repentant child molesters, and if so, is it grace strong enough to make them a functioning part of a local assembly?  And does God's grace ever forgive and restore fallen leaders to any usefulness beyond sitting quietly in the shadows?

I guess I have another question to wrestle with in my "No Easy Answers" series.

Why We Celebrate Advent

[I have had a few requests for an explanation of Advent, and why we celebrate it.  So I am posting something I wrote for another setting to give some background and perspective.]

Celebrating Advent

Who celebrates Advent?

Christians have a history, but we also have a history of forgetting our history.  Because of this, we have churches that celebrate certain days, and other churches that don’t.  Some churches used to celebrate certain occasions but have stopped; others have begun celebrating days that they didn’t used to.   It would probably surprise most English-speaking Christians that in our early “Protestant” days, we celebrated Christmas and Advent; then, under the influence of Puritans who felt that anything not specifically commanded in Scripture should be disallowed, we stopped celebrating it.  Some of our Puritan and Baptist forefathers went so far as to urge the banning of any public displays for Christmas—and disciplining members who celebrated or even said, “Merry Christmas.”  However, as time went by these groups relaxed their anti-Christmas views, and by the middle of the 19^th century, almost all Protestants were once again celebrating Christmas.  However, Advent was not universally restored.   Churches that followed the traditional church calendar (six seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, and two stretches of what were called “ordinary time”) celebrated it, while those who ignored the other seasons ignored Advent, too.  But many churches, including ours, are rediscovering the ways that Advent can be a blessing to our lives as we move toward Christmas.

Where did Advent come from?

Advent goes back into the 4^th century, around the time Christianity became a legal religion in the Roman Empire.  During that era, churches became very creative in their new-found freedom as many new people began to attend Christian services but with no understanding of what Christians believed.  Out of this situation, churches began to follow regular lesson plans for worship, both in the elements of worship services (the liturgy) and in the schedule of what would be taught (the church year of seasons mentioned above).  People did not own Bibles, but the Bible would be taught systematically through the year.  In this way, it was hoped that the basic truths of the faith would be passed on as people did certain things every week, recited certain words, heard certain scriptures read regularly, and celebrated particular seasons in order.  

Advent was the first season of the year, and it was meant to remind Christians that we were in need of a Savior.  The sense of longing and waiting that Israel had known was adopted as the Christian attitude of longing for Christ’s second coming.  The season involved both calls to repentance and preparation (similar to the message of John the Baptist) and joyful anticipation of the Messiah.  It usually began with a feast, then moved into fasting, and ended with feasting again.

What about Advent traditions?

Different traditions associated with Advent sprung up throughout the various countries where it was celebrated.  One set of traditions involved the development of four themes of Advent.  There has been some variation in them, but the third Sunday of Advent was always marked by the concept of joy.  We have taken as our themes the order of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love—themes that were prominent in many places that celebrated Advent.

Another tradition involves candles.  Typically there were four Advent candles in a wreath.  Often one of the candles would be pink (for joy), for the third week, and the other candles would be purple, symbolizing both repentance and royalty.  Each Sunday, and throughout the week, the candle for that week would be lit, with each week adding another candle.  Many wreaths would have a white candle in the middle, called the Christ candle.  It would not be lit until Christmas Eve, which began the traditional 12 day Christmas celebration that would end on January 6^th.    

So why do we choose Advent?

Churches like ours that have adopted the celebration of Advent believe that it is a positive replacement for Christians of the general “holiday spirit” that focuses more on presents and some nebulous call to be cheerful.  Instead, we choose to focus on the One whose birth is being celebrated, and specifically on why He came and what His coming promises to all of us.  We also want this to be a time of intentional reminder that we are still waiting for the completion of our hope.  Christian faith is still pointed toward the future and the coming of Jesus back to this world.  

The Re-election of President Obama and the Future of America.

In my reading of people I respect and conversations with many around me about the election results, I have noted a larger level of disappointment and despair than I've seen in previous elections where a candidate favored by most evangelicals has lost.

Was the election a demonstration that we are no longer the nation of our founders or of the generation that won World War 2?  Cal Thomas thinks that is the case, and says so quite clearly here.  Maybe he is right.

One pastor writes passionately that to vote for President Obama was a wicked act because of his stated desires to continue all forms of abortion and make same sex marriage legal.  Further, he argues that America is not just wicked, but has been made collectively stupid because of our societal sins.  I found his powerful statement here.  Maybe he is right.

Of course, there are Christians, especially among the young, women and minorities if the polls are to be believed, who felt that the President's positions on abortion, same sex marriage, and limits to religious freedom were not reasons to vote against him, and that his four years in office provided enough reason to re-elect him.  Jim Wallis did not endorse the President in this post on religious consistency and hypocrisy in politics, but he gives the framework for those who might have done so by raising numerous issues the Bible addresses (poverty, care for children who are dying around the world due to what are curable diseases, and care for the strangers among us who are undocumented immigrants) in addition to those I've mentioned and saying we must weigh the importance of each and vote accordingly.

I disagree with Mr. Wallis in terms of what seems to be the moral equivalence he strikes. The deaths of 20,000 children around the world daily due to preventable causes is a genuine tragedy.  However, they are not all within the reach (or responsibility) of the American government, and the church is free to act and leads the way in caring for such children to prevent the deaths of many more.  Only the government of our country can prevent the legal murder of unborn infants here.  Therefore, as a moral decision, the abortion issue is more important when it comes to choosing government leaders.

But, I am  not here to rehash the arguments of the election.  I understand the disappointment of those who supported Mr. Romney and cannot believe that our country would, after watching the record of the last four years, re-elect the President Obama for another four years.  I congratulate those whose votes for President Obama overwhelmed all the supposed momentum for his opponent, even though I cannot actually rejoice in your victory.

What I want to say is this: America's future, while unknown to me in its specifics, will be the same as all the kingdoms of this world.  It will ultimately fall, either before the Lord's return or at that time.  The nation will be judged, as all nations will be, for its rejection of God's rule and God's ruler--Jesus Christ.  And it will not only be overthrown, it will be replaced by the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.  Like many nations before us, we have been blessed by God in ways other nations of the same era have not.  And like those blessed nations who have gone before us, from the Babylonians with a humbled, repentant Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4), to Persia with its God-appointed King Cyrus (see Isaiah 45), all the way to spiritually awakened Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries, we will forget God's goodness, love our sin and ourselves, and bring decline as well as wrath upon ourselves instead of mercy.  That isn't very encouraging to patriotic Americans, is it?

God makes clear that there is one remedy that a nation can find that turns away his wrath, and it isn't conservatism, or progressivism, or libertarianism, or any other political -ism.  It is repentance.  Repentance can come quickly, and it can work powerfully to change matters.  However, it is a spiritual blessing that is sought by God's people for themselves and their nation.  Many Christians I know are ready to confess the sins of others, but we must confess our own as well, including placing our trust in men, in nations, and in politics.

Let me close with the reminder I shared with the staff the day after the election from 1 Timothy 2:1-4.  Paul tells Christians that our first obligation in corporate prayer is for all people, and then he specifically tells us who rises to the top of that large category--kings (or presidents in our case) and all in high positions.  Do we offer supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving for our leaders?  We should, and when we do it allows us to rest in God's sovereignty and experience "a peaceful and quiet life" and to live in a "godly" way--which means living in the realization that God is always present and active.  We also live "dignified" lives this way--a life that is worthy of looking at with respect.  Exemplary lives are part of God's strategy to see people "saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  Could fervent prayer for our leaders and repentance within the church be the key turning away wrath and an outpouring of mercy?

Perhaps a great disappointment is necessary to make many of us look at what really matters to us, and whether the troubled state of our nation or the lack of a powerful corporate Christian testimony to those who are perishing is the greater disaster.

My thoughts on voting, and David Jeremiah's sermon on the election.

It's election time, and as someone who has always had an interest in politics, a passion for truth and justice, and a concern for my own nation's well being, I take voting seriously.  I also value God's kingdom over the kingdoms of this world, and my calling as a son of God and pastor in the Church over being a citizen of the USA.  I know how easily political passions are stirred, and how we can blur the line between political desires and biblical priorities.  What to do?

First, we bow before God's sovereign will, knowing that He will guide events according to his plan for the ages and while we must exercise our responsibilities and will be held accountable for our free actions, He is bringing all of history to its God-glorifying, justice-rendering, mercy- and grace-filled, conclusion.  And we are to preach the Gospel  of Jesus to the ends of the earth to hasten that day!

Second, we acknowledge that Christ is King over His kingdom, and while it is not here in its fullness, we who are its citizens are to live as such and demonstrate the difference it makes in our choices and in where our confidence lies.  

Third, we recognize that in a fallen world, we must often choose the lesser of two evils.  No one we could respect would argue that one candidate in our national election for president is God's man, while the other is the forerunner of the Antichrist!  They are both flawed men who hold positions and beliefs that do not reflect righteousness fully.  But we must still choose and should choose the lesser of the two evils (also known as the better of two alternatives).  I read a great post on that subject here.  The best reminder there: "Not only are the choices imperfect, but so also is the chooser."

Fourth, we should vote for the candidate that best reflects our understanding of biblical values.  I've said my peace about my prioritizing of those values in an earlier post.

David Jeremiah is one of the more well-known evangelical pastors of our day, serving Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon (outside of San Diego), CA.  Before that he was the founding pastor of Blackhawk Ministries in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  And long before that, he was a charter member of Grace Baptist Church in his youth and during his time as a student at Cedarville College, where his father was the first Baptist president of the school.

We have a long connection with and respect for Dr. Jeremiah, and I was recently made aware of a sermon he preached on the upcoming election.  A link was sent to me, and as I watched the video, I was impressed at his attempt to frame the choice that Christians face in light of our answering some basic questions about the actions and views of both candidates.  He makes no "endorsement," but draws clear lines when it comes to issues such as demonstrating reverence for God, protection of life and liberty, and promotion of biblical family concerns and values.  I post the video so that you can watch and decide what you think about it.  Disclaimer: the video is from the AFA site, and I do not endorse all actions taken by the AFA, so do not assume otherwise.

And if you have been wondering how Dr. Billy Graham decided to urge Americans to vote for "biblical values" related to protection of the biblical view of marriage, the sanctity of human life in the womb, and protection of religious liberty and conscience, you will find out in the video.

One more thing: before raising the other issues related to biblical justice that are not addressed in this sermon and saying they are just as important, see my previous blog post here.



David Jeremiah on Vimeo.