God on a Leash

There is a danger of seeing God as our servant who comes when we call Him and does what we want Him to. We can have this on a theological level, a God who we occasionally tip our hat to and helps us when we get into trouble. We can even believe He will make us rich with this world's goods if we just have enough faith. We can hold this on the philosophical level and believe in some form of unmoved mover, you starts the universe going and then leaves us to manage our own affairs. Or we can see God as a political God who supports our country or our political position. God is seen as (with apologize to C. S. Lewis) as a tame God, who serves our personal selfish ends.

I am convinced this is one of the reasons for the deplorable deeds done in the name of Christianity. People use God as simply a way to justify the things, even the nefarious things they already want to do. Evil generally justifies itself by doing things in the name of something people respect whether it is Christianity or liberty or helping the working man. That does not make any of these things bad. Now it needs to noted that the other main source of such deeds is the use of governmental power to force others to accept our beliefs. This is not limited to Christianity or "religion". The Communists applied it with atheism and proved themselves as bad or worse than any exponent of "religion". The solution to this is for all not to use violence to enforce  what they believe, whatever that belief is.And in the ultimate analysis the Christian must remember that a forced faith is not a genuine faith.

But could this limited concept of God is the real God? To ask this question is to answer it. Can we really believe that God, if there is a God and I am convinced there is, would conform to our whims. Can we expect Him to respect our limits and only do as much as we want Him to do. Is not such a God obviously a product of our own fantasy. And may we not be forced to accept God as He is rather then who we want Him to be. For that is the only God that can be real.

A Touch of Humor - A Word from Our Sponsor

How far should we go toward commercializing an event? How do we avoid going overboard?

Old Erich Proverb - Extremes

Extremes are dangerous places, except extreme love for God and for our neighbor.

A Voice from the Past - Benedict of Nursa

(This was originally written about an abbot, but it could apply to any leader of God's people.)

The Abbot ought always to remember what he is and what he is called, and to know that to whom much hath been entrusted, from him much will be required; and let him understand what a difficult and arduous task he assumeth in governing souls and accommodating himself to a variety of characters. Let him so adjust and adapt himself to everyone—to one gentleness of speech, to another by reproofs, and to still another by entreaties, to each one according to his bent and understanding—that he not only suffer no loss in his flock, but may rejoice in the increase of a worthy fold.

Benedict of Nursa, 480-547 AD, The Holy Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter II, What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be (translated by Rev. Boniface Verheyen, OSB of St. Benedict's Abbey, Atchison, Kansas, 1946 Edition, from Calvin College, Christian Classics Ethereal Library)

Should a Christian leader be concerned about the character of the flock and how best to minister to each of them? How can this be accomplished?

Benedict - Organizer of Monks

Benedict of Nursa was a key figure in the history of western monasticism. And the key question that must be asked is was this a good thing? Monasticism had been around for some time before Benedict's days. And it had gone to various extremes, people sitting on poles and living in caves in the desert. It represented too extreme an idea of Christians escaping from the world. But it also stood in contrast to the generality of professed Christianity of the day which was conformed to the world. Therefore while monasticism attracted its share of narrow, trenchant legalists, it also attracted those who seriously wanted to serve God. As a result, though it often degenerated into self-righteousness, it also did a large degree of good. It helped those in need, preserved learning and offered some (though not always the correct) view of what serious Christianity looks like. And while I would advocate a church structure that lays somewhere between the reclusive monk and the conformed cultural church, the existence of monks in that context may have been on the balance a good thing, even if a a qualified one.

In this context Benedict was a good influence in working for balance and moderation among the monks. He tried to balance the spiritual and the intellectual and the practical. He required prayer and singing and reading of Scripture and meditation, but he also required manual labor and work to help others. He changed the emphasis from that of hermits living in total solitude avoiding all contact with others, to that of brothers living in community helping each other and others. Monasticism was never a perfect institution and many times when down the wrong path. But Benedict by pursuing a more balanced path helped to preserve what was good in it and helped it to maintain a more helpful and even-handed approach to life.     

Not Ashamed - Romans 1:16,17

Thinking Small

Small groups are sometimes seen as the panacea for the problems of the modern church. I am opposed to panaceas. But I am still partial to small groups. Where do we find the balance?

The need for smaller groups in a congregation stems from the fact that it is difficult to know and interact with people in a deep way in just the formal church service. To reach the point where we rejoice with one another, cry with one another and pray for one another (1 Corinthians 12:26,27; Romans 12:15,16; James 5:13-16). What is involved here is a matter of trust. You need to know someone to be willing to tell them your real struggles and heartaches and go out of your way to help them in time of need. Also it can provide a forum where people can have their questions regarding the Christian faith answered and their difficulties discussed. This whole issue becomes more acute in the present times. In former days congregations were part of a smaller community and people knew each other outside of the formal service. But we live in a more isolated world where someone can walk in and out of a service unmarked and never relating beyond the superficial level. We need to make a special effort to relate to people and small groups can help make that possible.

But it is possible for small groups to go bad. If they are used simply to serve some agenda not shared by most of the members of the group they can become a battleground.(If you want to convince people of things they are hostile toward a sermon is a better method.) It is possible to carry over the self-righteous mask, the one that will not admit we are sinners into the group (Matthew 23:23-26; Galatians 1:10; Isaiah 65:5), creating a stiff, formal atmosphere. Or forgetting we are sinners (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9) not exercise any kind of restrain and end up hurting others by trying to be ourselves. There is also the danger that small groups can become factions within the church and tend to exclude those who are different. At the very least we need the presence of the larger congregation to remind us of being part of something broader and more diverse then our small group.

Like all structures a small group is useful in the right context. But it is no magic formula. It needs to be used in the context of the grace and forgiveness of God (Ephesians 1:7; Romans 8:33,34; Colossians 3:12-14) and of God's power working in us to transform us (1 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:29). And we also must beware of putting this or any other method on too high a pedestal. For while God can use them to accomplish His purposes, we must not confuse the gift with the Giver.