Get Back to Being The Church

I often hate politics. I am loathe to get into a discussion on social media as I’ve never really found that to be a profitable atmosphere for discussion. That doesn’t mean I don’t have my own opinions. I recently saw a humorous meme depicting the fight of the Holy Spirit to keep me from getting involved in political discussions. I laughed because I can relate. So often I find myself typing a response only to mash the backspace key after crafting a witty retort.

The reason I keep myself from that is because I believe it makes me less effective for the Gospel. Politics is divisive. I think that is pretty clearly on display these days. If I decided that there was a political hill I was going to take a stand on, then that would make me that much less effective for something that has an eternal consequence. If someone is going to reject me, I want it to be for the Gospel and nothing else.

What I see today in the church feels largely tragic. I think Satan LOVES it when the Church gets distracted from things other than the Gospel. Satan loves confusion, misdirection, false truth, and anything that makes the Church forget Her purpose. It serves his purposes when you are invested in anything at the expense of the Gospel. Tragically, I see too many people dying on hills that just don’t matter. So much emotional energy has been spent on endless debates.

I can’t help but think that Satan is sitting back and laughing as we spend so much mental energy on things with such little eternal consequence. This is also something that threatens Church unity. This political season has worked to reveal that those whom we have worshipped and served along side of can have an opposing political view. This has driven a wedge between believers, and that just shouldn’t exist. In the context of the Church, there is neither slave, nor free; male nor female; Republican nor Democrat.

Worst of all, I think the Church loses its effective testimony to the world around us when we fail to exercise a faith that God is in control. I think the Gospel suffers when people so closely attach themselves to any particular party. I think the clarity of holiness is blurred when political personalities are celebrated and embraced even though their own lives stand in direct contrast to the holiness we say we stand for. I think the credibility of the Gospel takes a hit when those who embrace it also embrace every conspiracy theory and invest themselves in gnostic secret knowledges.

What the world needs right now is not someone more committed to a political party. What the world needs right now is a Church that is passionate about Gospel clarity and full of people committed to using their gifts for the glory of Christ within the context of the church. Don’t bite down on the shiny lure, getting entangled in civilian affairs. Resist the temptation to get yourself sucked into a bottomless vortex of political discord. Instead, let’s be passionate about the only thing that can actually change what is wrong with this world: the Gospel.

The Idolatry of ‘Normal’

One of the common themes throughout the course of the last few months has been a desire to get back to ‘normal’.  As the weeks passed by, the idea of a ‘new normal’ slowly worked its way into our future expectations.  It is very clear that this time will leave a lasting impact on our lives, similarly to how 9/11 changed travel.  Now we just accept the precautions and extra layers of security without thinking about it.  It is still funny to watch old shows or movies where people walk their loved ones to the gate for their flight!

What ‘normal’ looks like is different for each of us.  There are often circumstances that arise in our lives where the patterns of our days and weeks are thrown off and we often find ourselves yearning back to a time where things were ‘just right’.  Maybe that ‘just right’ never existed, but you are sure it is somewhere down the road.  Maybe everything will finally be normal once the kids are toilet trained.  Maybe normal will be once you are back to work.  Maybe it is the end of a medical treatment, the end of a school year, a big event that dominates our attention, or just a season’s change.

Whatever the reason is, we often find ourselves in this mindset where we yearn for ‘normal’.  I would like to offer a reason to NOT set your hopes on the future ‘normal’.  God is working in all circumstances for your good.  Romans 8:28 is a very popular source of encouragement for times of uncertainty.  That good that God is working things to is to be like Christ, to find our contentment in Him.  God is using these circumstances to accomplish that in our lives.

Another reason to not set your hopes on ‘normal’ is because that is robbing your hopes from what you should long for: the eternal weight of glory that God has prepared for the redeemed.  We can often find ourselves yearning for circumstances to match our expectations, but that so rarely happens.  Not only does that rarely happen, it keeps us from weaning ourselves from this life and growing our hope in eternity.

I’m not sure if you have had this experience, but I have often found myself so thankful that God wrote a different story for my life than I would have.  When we constantly wait for a time when things meet our desires, we lose out on the goodness of God that meets us in our own lives.  He encourages us to come to him with our cares and anxieties, and that He will give us His yolk and it is light and easy.  This often looks drastically different than we would have made it.

Lastly, I would say that ‘normal’ is not a guarantee.  You can spend your whole life just looking forward to when things get right when that is never promised.  How tragic of life would that be!  We can be thankful for the ‘normal’ we had at one point, but it is nothing compared to what God has in store for us.  Instead of look back, look ahead, focus your attention on the Author and Perfecter of your faith.

Characteristics of False Teachers

In Foundations Bible Study we are currently in the middle of a quick study of the book of Jude.  The theme of the book of Jude is to ‘contend for the faith’ (v.3).   The book of Jude shares much of it’s content II Peter 2, but the main difference is that in II Peter, we are warned that the false teachers are coming, while in Jude the warning is that they are here.  In order to set the scene and prepare his hearers for the reality of those who would twist the truths passed down to them, Jude provides a short history of false teachers.  He presents a series of examples, characteristics, and consequences from different times where false teachers have threatened the truth.  Here are a few take aways from Jude’s presentation:

1. False teachers love discord and disunity.  Truth unites and when you see division, you find error.  Jude presents situations like Korah’s rebellion, where Moses’ leadership was tragically challenged.
2. God brings severe punishment upon false teachers.  In Korah’s rebellion, the ground opened up and swallowed up the rebellion.  Then fire fell from the sky and consumed 250 leaders of the rebellion.  Jude also presents the account of Michael the archangel not debating Satan, but leaving the judgment up to God.  God will deal severely with those that distort the truth.
3. False teachers love to make people comfortable in their sin.  Much of the reason why false teaching is so alluring is because it gives license to sin that should be avoided.  It legitimizes the kind of behavior that should be confronted.
4. False teachers do not operate with fear.  One of the consequences of distorting truth is you make God into your image, which is a great way to lessen any fear of consequences.  When you remake God to fit your agenda, then you get to dictate the terms of what is sinful and how it is dealt with.  If you redefine sin, then you have no fear of punishment.
5. There is a long history of false teaching and its effects on God’s people.  We would be wise to learn from it.  These stories are not presented to be moralistic tales or man centered lessons.  God has recorded these events and rebellions for us to study and learn from.  As the phrase goes, ‘those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.’
6. God demands doctrinal purity.  Truth is important and knowing it is important.  We live in a time where doctrine is down played as being too academic and distracting from being of any earthly good.  It is seen as providing the opportunity for division and isolation.  But one only has to look to the warnings of Christ to realize that the way is narrow and few are those that walk on it.  It is not in our agenda to broaden that which God has narrowed.

What Are You Contending For?

In the Bible study that I teach, we have recently started the small book of Jude.  The theme of Jude is fairly simple: contending for the truth.  It doesn’t take long for the reader to understand that there is a serious conflict underway, and Jude takes some time to give illustrations and examples of what this conflict has looked like in the past.  In the present, Jude tells us that there are certain people who have crept in unnoticed who would want to distort the truth of God and lead others away.

Jude’s plea and admonishment to believers is simple: contend for the truth that has been given to you.  This word ‘contend’ is the word we get ‘agonize’ from.  It is an athletic term that is used to describe the training process an athlete goes through in order to achieve their goals.  It is a singular focus that calls for self denial.  It is an obsession for the sake of Gospel clarity.

I am sure that you have seen a profile on the preparation process that an athlete goes through in order to prepare for an Olympic event.  For years, the athlete treats each waking moment as if that minute will be the determining factor for whether they find themselves on the podium or not.  Every meal, every sleep pattern, every exercise is undertaken with a focus on improving and excelling.  The athlete agonizes over every detail.

As we walked our way through this passage, it became apparent that the clearest danger that faces the church is any distortion of the Gospel.  Jude took the warnings of coming false teachers in II Peter 2 and declares that they have arrived and the danger is real.  Instead of gold medal hanging in the balance, it is eternity that is at stake.  There are no higher stakes.  If someone believes in a false Gospel, their eternity hangs in the balance.  If someone preaches a false Gospel, the eternal consequences of each hearer are threatened.  That is why the Gospel is the one thing that is worth our agonizing and our contention.

I firmly believe that one of the delights of Satan is when believers are more passionate about contending for something that isn’t the Gospel.  There are many good causes that are worthy of fighting for, but none of them should outweigh our contention for the Gospel.  When we find a cause on which the eternal destination of the souls of humanity hangs, then we fight for it.  We agonize over it.  We contend for it.

 

The Church in Isolation

As weeks of social distancing turn into months of social distancing, it is understandable that many are growing antsy with continuing with these restrictions.  It has meant that everyone’s lives are pretty radically changed, changing our routines and surrendering to the calls of putting our lives on hold.  For me and my family, other than the fact that I haven’t been working out of the house, not a whole lot has changed.  We already home schooled, so that was no big change.  My wife stays at home with the kids, so no change there.  For us, the biggest change has been our inability to meet and worship with our church family.

Many states are beginning to map out their pathways to finding a ‘new normal’ and opening their states up in stages.  We have curiously watched for when we will be able to return to worship as a body of believers, and not through our computers or with limited driveway social distancing.  What has become more and more evident is that most state governors are cautious about letting large groups back together.  In Illinois, Gov. Pritzker announced that churches being able to meet would be in their ‘phase 5’, which would only come after a vaccine is widely available.  By all accounts, that is probably 18-24 months away.

How should we approach this?  How should the average Christian react to something like this?  I have seen many call for an ‘underground’ church, meeting without permission.  Others have suggested meeting in small groups, dividing services, or staying online.  What I haven’t read is what I think the biblical thing to do is:  wait on your pastors and elders and submit to their leadership.

God has put a heavy weight on their shoulders to shepherd the flocks God has placed them in.  It is an awesome and weighty responsibility.  I’m sure that when they were preparing for ministry in the USA, none of them would have ever imagined this is an issue they would be faced with.  They are familiar with the call to not abandon meeting together (Hebrews 10).  They know the importance of the sacraments, the value of personal and in person discipleship.  They are just as eager to lift their voices in praise with elect.

Ultimately, what we are going to do in this time isn’t our decision to make and spending too much time on it could prove to threaten unity and promote dissension.  I fear that the coming months are going to be times of second guessing and challenging leaders God has placed in local assemblies.  But the decision is not ours (laypeople) to make, it is their responsibility.   Hebrews 13:17 calls for us to ‘obey your leaders and submit to them…’  This is speaking of our church leaders, and we are to bring ourselves under their leadership.

That doesn’t mean that there is nothing you can do though!  Here are a few things I would encourage you to do:

1. Pray for your pastors and elders.  Like I said, these are not issues that any of them thought they would be having to deal with.  They need wisdom.  They need God’s guidance as they try to shepherd a flock they can’t be with.
2. Reach out to your pastors and elders to let them know you are praying for them and supporting them.  They want to be together just as much, if not more than you do.  Let them know you are following their lead.
3. Make sure that the pastors and elders are not having to do everything themselves.  Many churches don’t have the luxury of a plurality of elders or a large deacon group.  Just because no one is around doesn’t mean that there aren’t needs that still need to be met.
4. If you have a question, go to them yourself.  Don’t use it as an occasion to talk about church leadership behind their back.  That is not submissive and it is divisive.  Let them know your concerns or your ideas.

“It Is Finished!” What exactly was finished?

In the weeks leading up to Easter, I read through Dr William Varner’s newest book “Passionate About the Passion Week” with my family.  The book is full of new insights and observations concerning the final week of Christ’s life through the resurrection and ascension.  Dr Varner brings a wealth of Jewish cultural knowledge, Biblical understanding, and years of interacting with/teaching/studying the original languages to bear upon what the Gospels have to say about Christ’s Passion Week.

As we read through the book, there were a few particular insights that caused a lot of thinking and one that I would love to introduce here.  I will attempt to frame Dr Varner’s argument accurately, but I would recommend reading it for yourself.  This is found in chapter 9 entitled “There Was No ‘Mount’ Calvary!”.

This chapter is full of small insights attempting to correct thoughts that have been generally accepted as God’s truth, but are often just things that were taught because it has been widely propagated and taught for years and based on assumptions or poor information.  What I would like to focus on is the phrase “it is finished.”

Conventionally, we take this phrase to mean that Christ’s atoning, sacrificial work was completed on the cross.  I know I have said this and taught this many times.  But Varner suggests another meaning that I am inclined to see as being a better fit for the context.  Instead, ‘it is finished’ is referring to the finishing of the fulfillment of suffering prophecies, particularly Psalm 22, rather than Christ’s atoning work.

The Greek word is ‘tetelestai‘, and it is used two verses earlier: “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now finished (tetelestai), said, that the scripture be fulfilled, ‘I thirst.’  A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.”  (John 19:28-29)  Varner makes an argument from the Greek, that grammatically, it could also be translated ‘they are finished’ since it is pointing to the plural ‘all things’ in verse 28.  It seems to be clearly pointing to the context of fulfilling prophecies about His suffering.

Dr. Varner also points out that the night before during the Last Supper, Jesus uses the same verb for ‘finished/fulfilled’ in Luke 22:37: “For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled (teleo– the root verb we get tetelestai from) in me: ‘And he was counted among the lawless (Isaiah 53:12)’.  Yes, what is written about me is coming to its fulfillment (telos).”   Varner also points to Acts 13:29, where Paul uses the same word to say that “when the ‘finished’ all the things written about him, they took him down from the tree and buried him in a tomb.”

It seems that by reading the passage in its immediate context (CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT!!!) it is better understood as fulfilling the prophecies concerning his suffering.  But there is something else that Varner covers in a later chapter of the book that further makes this point, specifically pointing to his ascension and taking his seat at the right hand of God.

Dr. Varner makes the point that the book of Hebrews shows us that the work of atonement that started at the cross was completed in Heaven.  In the book of Hebrews is speaks to the sacrificial system, particularly the Day of Atonement.  On the Day Atonement, the high priest would kill an animal and place its blood on the altar in the courtyard.  He would then take some blood into the Holy of Holies where it would be placed on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant.  It was at that point that the sacrifice on the part of the nation of Israel was completed.  Not when the animal was killed, but when the blood was offered in God’s presence, which was in the Holy of Holies.  Leviticus 16:15-16 makes it clear that it is not until the blood is sprinkled on the mercy seat in the presence of God that atonement is made.

Now turning to Hebrews 9:11-12, we see ‘He (Christ) entered once for all into the holy places, not by mans of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”    Later in the chapter, in verses 24 and 26, we see that the second stage of Christ’s sacrifice took place upon his ascension and seating at God’s right hand.  “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf… as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Christ, being the great high priest, brought the sacrifice before God in Heaven and atonement was secured, just like the priests of old brought the blood of the sacrifice before God in the holy of holies.  The atonement was made upon the offering, not upon the death.

These are not observations that should totally transform our worldview, but it is certainly not the way I had been taught or thought about it myself.  I am thankful for Dr Varner leading me to think anew about these things and bringing to teachings of Scripture to bear upon this great moment!

 

Foundations Bible Study Recap- 4/14

Last night, we had our first ‘Virtual Foundations Bible Study’ on Zoom!  I can’t tell you how happy I was to sit down again and see everyone’s faces and walk through the text together.  I understand that there were still many who were not able to be there and I want to offer the opportunity to read through a summation of the class and what our take-aways were.  I hope this offers some encouragement.  We will meet again this Tuesday, the 21st.

The text we are studying is I Corinthians 4:7-12.

4:7- But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

What is ‘this treasure’?  It requires us to turn back and check out the greater context.  From looking at the directly preceding verses and chapter 3 as a whole, we see that this is the Gospel, the light of the Gospel.  This treasure is now kept in jars of clay.  These would be the ancient version of the modern Styrofoam cup.  These jars were very common, prone to breaking, and used for a variety of purposes.  Some would keep valuables in them and some would use them for human waste.  Paul is comparing us to these fragile, disposable vessels.  The idea is that what gave them value is what they held inside of them. The same is true of us.  It is not that we are great in and over ourselves, but that we have the Gospel living and moving in us.  The idea is to show the power of God in a weak vessel, not to show the greatness of the vessel.

4:8-9 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair.  Persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

Paul puts forward a series of four couplets to describe the life of a believer living in the current age.  This is certainly not what you would use in an ‘advertising campaign’ for Christianity.   All of these ‘verbs’ are participles used as passives.  That means that all of these are things being done to believers, not things we are doing to ourselves.  We are passive recipients of these actions.

Verse 8 speaks to the environment that we all find ourselves in.  These are truths about the reality that we find ourselves in.  These are circumstances, trials, cultural realities that often stand in opposition to Biblical morality.  We are afflicted, a word used to describe the crushing of grapes, pressing hard against something.  We are squeezed, but not to the point of being crushed.  It does not destroy us.  We are perplexed, left wanting, possibly embarrassed, and at a loss, but we are not driven to utter despair- renouncing all hope.

Verse 9 speaks more to actual opposition we may face.  Persecution here is an attempt to get you to scatter, run, and abandon your convictions.  The reality is that we are not forsaken.  The truth here is that we are actively being influenced to abandon ship, but there is something stronger than us holding on to us.  I love this verse!  This shows that it is God who is actively holding us through this.  We are struck down, knocked down, and humbled, but not driven to total despair.

It is helpful to turn back to II Corinthians 1:8-10, where Paul tells them about his own experiences and it sounds very similar to what he is speaking of here:  “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.  For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.”  THIS IS PAUL!  He despaired of life itself!  He struggled and the next verse tells us that ‘we felt that we had received the sentence of death.’

Paul certainly felt these trials deeply and often thought it would result in his death.  But look at the next part of verse 9: “But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”  The purpose was to make Paul rely less on himself and more on God.  And even if he should DIE, he knew God raises the dead!  How crazy is that?!  He goes on to say in verse 10, “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”  That is the truth he is speaking of here in chapter 4!

4:10- always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

Paul uses ‘always’ even though it is grammatically redundant.  The participle is active, which means it is ongoing action, but he is emphasizing that ongoing concept.  We are constantly carrying in us the death of Jesus.  The death of Jesus is always present in us.  The word for death here is not the one you would use to describe the state of death, but the process of dying.  Paul was familiar with carrying on the afflictions of Christ, as he says in Colossians.  When people see us suffer, they are seeing us carry on the sufferings of Christ.

What purpose does this serve?  So that the life of Jesus might be manifested and made known in our bodies!  We carry on with the suffering so that life can be seen by others.

4:11- For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

We are always, constantly being given over to death in order to proclaim that true life is found in Christ.  There are echoes of Galatians 2:20 here, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”  It is an ongoing process of dying and displaying life.

4:12- So death is at work in us, but life in you.

The promise of the Christian life is NOT a life free from suffering, it is a promise of a life free of suffering for no purpose.  Paul is showing them that his own suffering was producing life in them, and in turn, their suffering would produce life in someone else.  In order for Paul to bring the truth of the Gospel to them required him to suffer.  That suffering meant that they were brought life through the Gospel.  But that required sacrifice on Paul’s part.  The idea is that we are to continue that in our own lives.

 

UNIVERSAL TRUTHS

The next part of the study is to isolate universal truths we see in the passage.  Here is a list of what was put forward by those in the study:

1. The Gospel is what is valuable, not the messenger
2. All Christians are afflicted.
3. Suffering has a purpose.
4. We are not forsaken!
5. God uses suffering in Christians to bring others to Christ or to build other believers up.
6. Our value is determined by what is in us.
7. God is interested in God receiving the glory.
8. A Christian is never in total despair.

 

APPLICATION

While Scripture has one meaning, one interpretation, it has many applications.  We closed the study with a time of going through the truths one at a time and discussing how it applies to us.  We are all in different life circumstances and it could apply differently to us depending on where we stand and what our lives look like.  I’m not going to go through the points of application, as that is best received by hearing it come from the mouths of those in the study.

We will be meeting again on Tuesday the 21st, from 7-8:30.  If you would like to join in, reach out to me and I can set you up with a invitation!

 

 

Is God Bigger Than the Corona Virus?

Earlier this week, news was made when a Bishop who had openly mocked the strong advice of the CDC and continued on with his church’s services had died of the Corona virus.  As he has been quoted in every news article about him, he said “I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus.”  Predictably, news articles danced around the irony of the situation, implying that he was foolish for his faith in God.  This tragedy has given people open season to ridicule someone’s faith in ‘God’.

There is a question that should be asked, though.  Is God really bigger than the Corona Virus?  The way we answer that question will also necessitate further questions.  Strictly speaking, the Bishop was absolutely right.  God is bigger than the virus.  As the late R.C. Sproul had said, “there is not one piece of cosmic dust that is outside the scope of God’s sovereign providence.”  There is no rogue molecule, certainly no rogue virus.

Colossians 1:17 tells us that in Christ, all things are held together.  This is an issue of constant control.  In Matthew 10, Jesus tells us not to fear because not even an insignificant bird will hit the ground without God’s knowledge.  At the end of Romans 11, Paul exclaims that ‘from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.’  Paul is marveling at God’s sovereign plan and control over His creation.

Perhaps the greatest testimony to God’s control and power is seen in the book of Job, where Job is reduced to a humble puddle at the knowledge of God’s supreme power over not only him and his circumstances, but also over creation itself.  No animal, no sunset, no cloud, no speck of dust is not where God wants it.

Undoubtedly, God is in control and is bigger than the Corona virus.  But that doesn’t mean that the Bishop was totally right.  It is true that the state of Virginia didn’t ban gatherings of more than 10 until the following day, but it is also true that the CDC and the state were issuing strong advisories to everyone to take purposeful steps to keep a distance.  From everything I have seen, those warnings were not heeded at best, mocked at worst.  He said that unless he were in prison or a hospital, he would continue to preach and keep the church open, and that he was happily rebelling against the recommendations of the government.  At the same time there is no way to know if he contracted the virus at the service, either.

The Bishop claimed to have direct communication with God and that God was healing people in his church.  These statements are vague, but clearly make implications. The implication was not that he was necessarily trusting God not matter what came, but that God would not allow anything to happen and would heal even if something bad did happen.  The truth is that God does certainly allow us to suffer.  If anything, it is guaranteed.  Jesus told his disciples to expect opposition.  Paul lived a life of persecution and suffering.  In II Corinthians 4:8-9 we are told that things like affliction and persecution are a part of a life that follows Christ.  We carry in us the death of Jesus, as verse 10 tells us.

While it is true that a vast majority of churches are obediently submitting to local restrictions, it is the few and extreme that are stealing the headlines.  Now is a time for the Church to live out a submission to the government we see called for in Romans 13.  Now is a time for the Church to get creative about still carrying out its mission while still submitting to regulations and restrictions.

So while I would not align myself with this Bishop’s conviction, we can still firmly say that God is in control and is bigger than the virus.  If He were not, then the implications would be frightening.  A God who has no control is no God at all.  The issue is that trust in God does not look like taking irresponsible risks and failing to exercise discernment.  It looks like trusting God through difficult circumstances, knowing that He gives us the grace and strength to overcome our weaknesses.  Even in our suffering, especially in our suffering, God is sovereign.  He is using these circumstances to wean us from comfort, to lift our eyes to the eternal weight of glory, to trust Him through whatever He allows in His sovereignty.  If God were not bigger than this virus, we would have much bigger issues.

Podcast Review: The Intelligence by The Economist

This is the third in a series of reviews of Podcasts that I listen to or have listened to.  My job is to clean homes and offices, so I spend a lot of time listening to lots of podcasts.  Some are better than others, and there are some that I consider ‘must listens’.  What I would like to do is share some of these podcasts with a summary of what they are about, how often they are released, and if they are worth listening to.

I have an iPhone, so there is a podcast player on it.  You can subscribe to any of these podcasts and have them automatically load when they are released.

Title: The Intelligence

Frequency: Daily podcast Monday – Friday

Length: 15-25 minutes

Topic: A daily look with a “fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.”

Review: This is a straight forward presentation on what is going on around the world.  Each day a host presents 3-5 different topics with correspondents who specialize in those fields presenting the featured stories.  There is a presentation of the story and a few questions about the presentation.  It is hosted by The Economist, so if you are looking for a world view, it generally is fiscally conservative and usually socially neutral.  The correspondents can sometimes be a bit more liberal than I would normally like, but usually it is pretty centered.   To give an example, today’s episode is on the presidential situation in Venezuela and an offer made by the US (something I have seen nothing about in the news),  the effect corona virus has had on oil prices during an already unsettled time, and a spot on how to make a good impression while videoconferencing from home.

I think it is very important to have a rounded idea as to what is going on around the world, and this has proven to be a very helpful tool that has become one of my three ‘daily listens’.

Criticism:  This is not from a Christian worldview, so do not approach it with that perspective.  One of the most heart wrenching moments was when they were talking about abortion rights around the world spreading and referred to it as great progress.  There was no thought that it might not be something worth celebrating.  While some of the correspondents let their liberal bias show through more than others, it is generally not an issue.

Episode Recommendations: Being a daily news podcast, there isn’t really one episode that I could recommend over another.

https://theintelligence.economist.com/

Obsessed with Death?

This past week, our Pastor preached on Romans 13:11-12 and the theme of the message was to redeem the time.  This spurred a thought to go back to the Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards.  In researching it, I ran across a frequent criticism of many Puritans and puritanical writers was that they were darkly obsessed with death.

About 10 years ago, I was speaking with someone who had just gone through learning about the Puritans in their high school history class.  Predictably, they were not presented in a positive fashion.  They tended to be shown as full of hatred and dour in attitude.  It is a topic within itself to come to a proper understanding of the Puritans.  Certainly, there were those who came to unfortunate and wrong conclusions with how they applied doctrine, but it is helpful to review some of these accusations.

A classic critique of the Puritans was that they were obsessed with death, to a depressing degree.  Amusingly, the ‘Y’ in the New England Primer featured this line: “While Youth do cheer, death may be near.”  Happy thoughts!  This was how they taught the ABCs!

When reviewing Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions, many of them have the thought of death woven in.  He wanted to live with a perpetual thought of when he would ‘come into the future world’. Here is an example:  “Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.”

The time that Edwards lived in was a time where death was a constant reality.  Life was hard and often short for the average colonial citizen.  They lacked medical advancements and technology we depend on and take for granted.  Ironically, it was an epidemic that brought Edwards’ own life to an end, as he died after complications from a small pox vaccination.  Sickness, pain, and death were a constant presence.  Today, we shuffle our sick and dying to hospitals and hospices.  Many of the aged and afflicted are relegated to nursing homes, often isolating us from the surety of death.

If there was ever a time where we could sympathize about thinking so much of death, it is today!  Each night we are updated with new death totals due to the Covid-19 virus.  We see hospitals who are bringing in freezer trucks just to store the dead bodies that are piling up.  It takes either someone we know, can relate to, or a celebrity we are familiar with to take the possibility of death seriously.  We are not able to avoid it like we typically do.

I think we would be better off to always have the hint of death in our minds.  We should be aware that we are but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow.  Our society has attempted to build itself a culture insulated from death.  We need to bring it back in.  None of us know our days, but God does.  It is that reality that men and women like Jonathan Edwards lived with, and we must to.