Old Erich Proverb - Accommodate

It is easier to look for a God who accommodates us than to really accommodate ourselves to who God wants us to be. 

A Voice from the Past - Calvin

It ought, indeed, to be sufficient for us that the Lord declares himself  to be our protector. But when we see ourselves beset by so many perils, so many injuries, so many kinds of enemies, such is our is our frailty and effeminacy, that we might at times be filled with alarm, or driven to despair, did not the Lord proclaim his gracious presence by some means in accordance with our feeble capacities.For this reason, he not only promises to take care of us, but assures us that he has numberless attendants, to whom he has committed the charge of our safety, - that whatever dangers may impend, so long as we are encircled by their protection and guardianship; we are placed beyond all hazard of evil.

John Calvin, 1509-1564, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter XIV, 11, (translated by Henry Beveridge, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1973, Vol. 1, p. 149)

What influence do angels have in our lives? Is it important for us to know this?

The Mystery of Mark

There has been a recent discovery of a fragment of the gospel of Mark that has been dated about 90 AD. If this holds up to scrutiny, it will be the earliest extant manuscript of the New Testament. And it brings up certain questions regarding this gospel. Why is it so much like the other two gospels Matthew and Luke? Why is it so much shorter than they are, and why does it leave out what it leaves out? Yet it also appears to be the most vivid of the three, putting in little details, like the greenness of the grass.

People write differently in different times. Today it is considered vital to be original and different from other writers.  Back then it was considered important to hand down the story the way you received it. The Roman histories of the period closely follow the older ones in telling the story. Now it must be noted that the gospels are not word-for-word copies. But there did develop a standard way to tell the story of Jesus. The writers of the first three gospels followed this pattern, adding and subtracting things as it suited their purposes.

Now some think Mark was the original and the other gospels followed it. The more vivid language is seen as supporting this. But the earliest records claim that Mark wrote his gospel from the reminiscences of Peter, which would by itself explain its greater vividness. Now a conclusion that has been drawn from this is that Mark wrote everything he knew and the other writers followed suit. But there are events in Mark not found in the other gospels (Mark 7:31-37; 8:22-26; 14:51,52). There are events in Mark found only in Matthew (Mark 7:1-8:21 except 7:31-37, Matthew 15:1-16:12; Mark 10:1-12, Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 11:11-24, Matthew 21:18-22) or only in Luke (Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37; Mark 9:38-50, Luke 9:49-40; Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4). It is not surprising, since Mark is shorter, that it includes less unique material than the other two . But the impression is that each gospel writer chose what he wanted to include.

Now Mark seems to have left out much of the generalized moral teaching, and it emphasizes Jesus' personal mission and the events connected with it. And this is a problem if you consider that Jesus originally was a great moral teacher and the miracles were added later. The impression we get from Mark's gospel is that he saw Jesus as the Son of God, a great miracle-worker who conquered death. This has the advantage of agreeing with the rest of the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15:1-20; Romans 10:4-11; Acts 2:22-24). Now we would expect such an individual to give us some general moral instruction. But Mark shows what was considered to be the heart of the Christian story. And whether or not it was the first gospel (a question on which I have no strong opinion one way or the other), it calls into question the whole great moral teacher concept.

Fear of Having Your Faith Challenged

One fear Christians commonly have is a fear of having our faith challenged. But this is a situation we need to face rather than run away from. Now I started out as an agnostic. I accepted Christianity because it made rational sense. I am convinced there are good arguments in its favor. I am not going to detail them here, but I have spent a good deal of the rest of this blog putting them forth.

I obviously cannot guarantee that a person who examines the evidence will reach my conclusions. But I believe an unexamined faith, afraid to face the issues, will lead to someone who lacks the confidence to face the world or do the things that God has called them to do. And such a faith is not likely to be able to stand up to real challenges when they come, and they generally will. Also, I question whether a faith that collapses when challenged was really a genuine faith. So I would encourage people to examine their faith, but I would admonish them to be sure to look at the arguments on both sides of the issue.  

Mere Intellectualism

One of the great fears of modern Evangelicalism is of being too intellectual. As far as the strict sense of the word goes, this seems to be an example of Screwtape's advice (in C. S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters) of getting people running as fast as possible from the error they are least likely to commit. This problem has been a real one in church history. And one does see it crop up in the occasional seminary student or seminary professor. But I see very little danger of it taking over. However, there is a kind of inverted form of the problem that in my mind is a serious concern.

There is a danger of the basic truths of Christianity becoming mere facts we affirm rather than deeply held convictions that actually change our lives. This turns Christian doctrine into a mere flag we fly, showing our allegiance to a particular group. And we can often divide and fight over things we do not understand. The most strident defender of a position is often the person who understands it least. And we often end up fighting over the superficial differences and ignoring the substance of the issues. While it is not always true, I have found it is often the person who understands their position and is confident of why they hold it who can approach others with the kind of gentleness Scripture requires (2 Timothy 2:24-26; 1 Peter 3:15; Galatians 6:1). It is often the person who is just reciting a formula who will allow not the slightest deviation. For they do not understand the issues well enough to know what differences are significant. But both types of intellectualism have one thing in common: they see Christian truth as simply abstract facts, bits of information. However, Christian truth is meant to be something that is meditated on and integrated into life so it affects our behavior (1 Timothy 3:16,17; Colossians 3:16; Psalms 1:1,2). It is only as we gain a deep understanding of these truths that they can fully impact our lives.

This is one reason I have problems with the current divided state of the Christian church over every minor teaching (1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:18-23; 8:1-3). There are, I am convinced, basic truths of the Christian faith that we are required to stand up for (Jude 3; Galatians 1:8,9; 1 John 4:1-3). But by making a point of every minor issue (many of which may not have any deep significance), we make it hard for people to think things out, for fear of ending up with some variation from the party line. And we can end up with people who ape truths rather than understanding them. And therefore missing the real things the truths are about.

A Touch of Humor - Good Thing

What can be said to the argument that money is a good thing and therefore we should seek as much as possible? Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?

Old Erich Proverb - Mirror

Our grace and forgiveness toward others should mirror God's grace and forgiveness toward us.