Friday, October 28, 2011

Psalm 8, the Majesty of God, & that Pale Blue Dot

Sunday morning we will be studying Psalm 8 - a Psalm about the majesty of God.  One of the famous verses in that passage is vs. 4 which says, What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? As I study this text, I can't help but think about the difference between atheism and Christianity as we both look up at the skies.  Atheism studies the cosmos and sees our small, seemingly insignificant planet of existence and finds purposelessness.  In other words, atheism sees the cosmos and all they can see is our insignificance.  Christianity, on the other hand, looks up at the skies and is overwhelmed by God's majesty.  In atheism, we are small.  In Christianity, God is majestic. This makes that question in verse 4 all the more relevant, What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?

This is the point raised in world renown astronomer and agnostic (atheist?) Carl Sagan.  The picture above, known as the Pale Blue Dot, portrays the earth taken from 3.7 billion miles away in space.  The earth, in the vastness of the cosmos, is nothing more than a pale blue dot.  Sagan, who encouraged NASA to take the picture, was inspired by the picture to write a book by the same title.  Below is the famous section of the book where Sagan offers the emptiness of atheism/agnosticism.  He sees our insignificance, but Christians see the amazing fact of our worth and the power of our God.





Here is the quote written out:

Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known
.


For More:
Blogizomai - There Is No Such Thing As Atheists: Hawking's Curious Theism
Blogizomai - Before There Was Time: Hawking on the Origina of Everything
Blogizomai - Causation and the Existence of God:  How Scientists Continue to Prove Aquinas's Point
Blogizomai - Just Add Universes: The Foolishness and Motivation Behind Atheism's Leap of Faith
Blogizomai - Creation or Manipulation:  The Limits of Man and the Evidence for God
Blogizomai - Evolution Animated & Refuted 
Blogizomai - Justice and the Implications of Atheism: Doug Wilson Hits the Nail on Its Head
Blogizomai - On Why Darwin Still Matters
Blogizomai - Expelled: A Film About Freedom, Evolution, and Intelligent Design
Blogizomai - Expelled:  A Movie We Must Take Seriously 
Blogiozmai - D'Souza:  Ben Stein Exposes Richard Dawkins
Blogizomai - Collision:  An Important Documentary About Faith and Atheism  
Blogizomai -The Atheist Debates
Blogizomai -Atheism Is Not Great - The D'Souza and Hitchens Debate
Blogizomai -John Lennox: The New Atheism and the Gospel 
Blogizomai - Natural Morality:  The Disconnect Between Darwinism and Morality  
Blogizomai -D'Souza: Are Atheists Cultural Christians
Blogizomai -Survival of the Moral: Can Man Be Moral Without God?
Blogizomai - Re: Survival of the Moral: Can Man Be Moral Without God?
Blogizomai -Freud's Wish Fulfillment: Why Atheism Can't Explain Atheism
Blogizmai - "Why God Won't Go Away" by Alister McGrath
Review - "Why God Won't Go Away" by Alister McGrath  
Review -"Atheism Remix" by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Review -"The Delusion of Disbelief" by David Aikman
Review -"The End of Reason" by Ravi Zacharias
Review -What's So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D'Souza

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Repost | "It Pleased God": MacArthur on the Darkness and Drama at the Cross

Sunday evening I was on my way to a near-by hospital to make an important visit of one of our members who is suffering severely and who's condition continues to deteriorate. While on the road, I listened to two sermons by John MacArthur I had just received in the mail from his Grace To You ministry titled Darkness and Drama at the Cross, Parts 1 and 2.  The sermons was originally titled Divine Mercy for the Blasphemers and God Visits Calvary and were exposition of Mark 15:22-41.

The first sermon was particularly powerful and I want to pass it along to you.  After surveying the mockings, beatings, and abuse of Jesus on the cross, MacArthur raises the question why doesn’t God come down and kill these sinners?  His answer is important:  because God was pleased to kill His Son for those sinners. That’s Isaiah 53, “It pleased God to crush Him.” It pleased God.

I couldn't help but clap and worship God while on my way to pray with a dear loved one and church member who is suffering as I thought about the cross, my Savior, and my God.  I hope the following sermons are as touching to you as they were to me.


Darkness and Drama at the Cross, Part 1 or Divine Mercy for the Blasphemers:





Darkness and Drama At the Cross, Part 2 or God Visits Calvary:





For more:
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | MacArthur: A Tale of Two Sons
Blogizomai - Reformed in Grace But Arminian Everywhere Else: MacArthur on the Future of the YRR Movement
Blogizomai - He Turned the Water Into Wine: MacArthur, Alcohol, & Christian Liberty
Blogizomai - Alcohol Today, Marijuana Tomorrow: When Money Changes Our Values   
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | Theology and Ministry: An Interview With John MacArthur  

Blogizomai - MacArthur:  How to Confront the Culture
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | MacArthur and the Gospel
Blogizomai - Weekly Recommendation - "Slave" by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - Weekly Recommendation - John MacArthur Study Bible
Reviews - A Tale of Two Sons
Reviews - The Prodigal God

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Third Day - King of Glory



Who is this King of glory is the question we'll be answering in tomorrow's sermon.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

More on the King James Bible

Tonight we will be studying the history and legacy of the most read and most influential book in English history - the King James Version of the Bible.  Below are some videos and other resources on the translation.


CBN:




More on the King James translation: (a bit over the top)





On William Tyndale:











For more:
GBC - Book Recommendation - "God's Secretaries" 

Book Recommendation - "God's Secretaries"

Tonight we have moved our regular Wednesday night services to Fordsville Baptist Church in order to listen to Dr. Chad Owen Brand talk about the history of the translating of the King James Version.  It is a fascinating story and I strongly encourage everyone to join us tonight in Fordsville for this fascinating conversation.  I preparation of that, I want to repost an old review I wrote on an important book on the translation of the King James Version called "God's Secretaries."  I highly recommend the book.

The review is a little dated, but the point is still made.


My pastor preaches from the King James Bible. Whenever he had open heart surgery and was spending a lot of time recovering unable to do much I gave him a copy of the book, "God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible." I always thought that the book would be interesting to read, and so, once I found it for real cheap at a used bookstore, I thought I might read it. And I am glad that I did.

I am not a KJV-only kind of person. The KJV has a lot of flaws. Perhaps the two biggest flaws it has are first, it's language (my favorite verse coming from John 11:39, "by this time he stinketh") and secondly, it's use of bad manuscripts (it was the best they had at the time, but since then, we have been able to uncover a more accurate Bible). Therefore, I do not teach or preach from the King James. Usually I will teach and preach from the New King James Version because I know my audience. However, my personal favorite is the New American Standard Bible along with the English Standard Version and the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

But with all of that aside, what the King James Bible has done for the English language and for Western culture in general cannot be overlooked. 200 years prior to the 1611 Bible, it would have been unthinkable that a Bible would have been translated into English with the full authority of a protestant king.

The work of men like Tyndale, Wycliffe, Luther, and others had finally come to fruition. These ground breaker's deaths had not been in vain.

The book as a whole is an excellent read. The author looks at many of the translators, the events leading to the translation, and the events surrounding the translation. I was most surprised by the "terrorist" attack that took place by the hands of some Catholics who tried to kill the King and others in his court.

One thing is obvious about the author, he loves the language of the King James Version. Throughout the book, especially at the end, he gives example after example of the richness of the language and translation of the KJV. He does this best whenever he compares the KJV to other versions available at the time and even translations since. One of the advantages of such a study reveals the benefits of having a committee of translators (like the KJV) rather than just one person doing all of the translation (like the Tyndale Bible and Luther's Translation).

One cannot deny the richness and precision of the translation. The only problem today, with most people, is the that the language is a bit outdated. Though I do not use the KJV myself (for reasons mentioned above), I have great respect and even refer to it in my own personal Bible study. Just because the KJV is hard to understand doesn't mean we should abandon it. What it means for Western Christianity, culture, and literature is profound.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book comes at the end where the author looks into some of the printing mistakes of the KJV. One such mistake is a known as the "'Wicked Bible." The Wicked Bible had one one inherent flaw: it was missing a word in the seventh commandment. Instead of saying, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." It said, "Thou shalt commit adultery." Therefore, the Bible was replaced with a more accurate copy.

Overall, if anyone is interested in the history of King James, his translation and the events surrounding it, I highly recommend this book. It is a good read, with excellent research, and is a story that keeps your attention. I have walked away with a better understanding of it's legacy and a greater appreciation of it.

The one thing the author emphasized throughout the book was the purpose of King James making this translation: unity. And though it took sometime, unity was reached (though at times strained). How important it is to note that what should bring us together is the Word of God above everything else. Perhaps this is the greatest of legacies of the KJV: unity among the brethren.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

"Unforgetful You" by Jars of Clay

Recently, I went back to the music archives and pulled out an old album by Jars of Clay and listened to one of its singles, "Unforgetful You" and was challenged by its message.  I encourage you to give it a listen below followed by the lyrics.






I never minded calling You a King
If that meant that I could count on You
To give me everything
I never thought to ask You
I always thought You knew
It was never my intention to question You
You never minded calling me a child
Well, I guess that's how I acted all the while
But You live through every tantrum, You see through every lie
Though they seem to be more common
I just wanted You to know why oh why

Unforgetful You, unforgetful
Unforgetful You, so unforgetful

You never minded giving us the stars
Then showing us how blind and unaware of You we are
You painted me a picture and showed me how to see
Though I just won't behold it
Unless it pertains to me...


For more:
GBC - It is Well With My Soul: The Story of Horatio Spafford
GBC - Nothing But the Blood
GBC - Third Day: Our God is a "Consuming Fire"
GBC - Unified Diversity: The Church & Flyleaf's Beautiful Bride  

Friday, October 14, 2011

October 9, 2011 | Galatians 6:1-5 - The Growing Church

Last Sunday we completed our series on the church entitled Mere Churchianity.  I hope it has been helpful and below is the final sermon in that series.  Right now I do not have any audio for it, but I pray that the notes will be helpful.  Next week we will begin a new series on the Psalms that should be fascinating. 


Notes 


For more:
Sermon - October 2, 2011 | John 2:13-22 - The Worshipping Church  
Sermon - September 18, 2011 | Ephesians 4:11-25 - The Training of the Church   
Sermon - August 21, 2011 | The Trinity and the Church: Unified Diversity   
Sermon - August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church  
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family  
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant? 
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!":  Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant 
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church  
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out  
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy:  Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs  

October 2, 2011 | John 2:13-22 - The Worshipping Church

A few weeks ago, we looked at John 2:13-22 and the story of Jesus cleansing the temple.  This is an important text and its application is particularly timely and needed.


Notes 
Audio





For more:
GBC - Driscoll on Consumers vs. Worshippers
Sermon - September 18, 2011 | Ephesians 4:11-25 - The Training of the Church   
Sermon - August 21, 2011 | The Trinity and the Church: Unified Diversity   
Sermon - August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church  
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family  
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant? 
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!":  Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant 
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church  
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out  
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy:  Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs  

September 18, 2011 | Ephesians 4:11-25 - The Training of the Church

I am really far behind on posting past sermons, but things have been really busy.  Here are the notes (my battery died on my recorder) on the sermon from Ephesians 4:11-25 regarding the trained church. I hope it is helpful.


Notes


For more:
GBC - Driscoll on Consumers vs. Worshippers  
Sermon - August 21, 2011 | The Trinity and the Church: Unified Diversity   

Sermon - August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church  
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church   
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family  
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant? 
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!":  Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant 
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church  
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out  
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy:  Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs  

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Faith in the Midst of God-Ordained Storms Sermon Series

During the summer months, we looked at what Scripture has to say on the issue of suffering well.  The past few years have been difficult for our church as we have suffered a lot of tragic losses.  The gospel shows us how to suffer well and how to respond to tragedy.  Below is the list of sermons and articles published during that series and I pray that it is a helpful resource.

We began by looking at the book of Habakkuk verse by verse (my favorite Old Testament book).  There the prophet asks the questions we all ask and he is forced to trust in the Providential Sovereignty of God.  Afterward, we highlighted a number of important biblical texts that discuss the issue of suffering.

Sermon:

May 22, 2011 | Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 - Praying From the Watchtower:  When God's Answer Leaves Us Unsatisfied
May 29, 2011 | Habakkuk 2:2-20
June 5, 2011 | Habakkuk 3:1-19
June 12, 2011 | Job - Saving Faith is Persevering Faith: Job and the Suffering of the Righteous
July 10, 2011 - Hebrews 12:1-3 - His and Our Suffering: The Cross of Christ and A Faith That Endures
July 17, 2011 | Romans 8:31-39 - Sorrow Like Sea Billows:  Immanent Love in Suffering

July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared


Articles:

It is Well With My Soul: The Story of Horatio Spafford
Stomach Virus' and the Humanity of Christ: Moore on the Suffering and Sick Servant 
Some Helpful Answers To Common Questions: DA Carson Weighs In
Theodicy as Evidence of a Theos
Weekly Recommendation - "A Grief Observed"


Other Series:
God: Proper Theology Proper Sermon Series  
The Sermon on the Mount Series
Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5
The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series
Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit
Basic Christianity Series
Revelation Study

Friday, October 7, 2011

Tim Hawkins on Worship Styles

This is just hilarious!





HT:  Thabiti


And here is an extra clip from Tim Hawkins discussing denominations and the Message Bible.





For more:
GBC - Christian Comedy: Church Greeters and Hand Sanitizers - Tim Hawkins  

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Repost | The Hidden, Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs

Everyone is talking about the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who changed the world with innovation.  In fact, as I type this on my laptop (a Microsoft, sorry Mr. Jobs), next to me is an iPhone and an iPad (the blogger apps on them is terrible).  For Christmas, I intend on upgrading my phone to the newest iPhone and right now I'm getting a reminder that I need to update my iTunes and other Apple products on my computer.  We simply cannot escape Jobs' influence; and I'm not one of those die-hard Apple-only fans but even I cannot escape their products. 

But unlike most bloggers and news articles highlighting Jobs' amazing rise-fall-and-rise-again biography, I am wanting to share with you CNN's article on the spiritual side of Jobs.  Jobs, like most other aspects of his life, was private in regards to his faith.  But as CNN highlights, Jobs was influenced by and a believer in some form of Buddhism.  CNN writes:

The name of Jobs' company is said to be inspired by the Beatles' Apple Corps, which repeatedly sued the electronics maker for trademark infringement until signing an exclusive digital distribution deal with iTunes. Like the Beatles, Jobs took a spiritual retreat to India and regularly walked around his neighborhood and the office barefoot.

Traversing India sparked Jobs' conversion to Buddhism. Kobun Chino, a monk, presided over his wedding to Laurene Powell, a Stanford University MBA . . .


Rebirth is a precept of Buddhism, and Apple experienced rebirth of sorts when Jobs returned, after he was fired, to remake a company that had fallen the verge of bankruptcy.

"I believe life is an intelligent thing, that things aren't random," Jobs said in a 1997 interview with Time, providing a glimpse into his complicated belief system that extends well beyond the Buddhist teachings.

Karma is another principle of the religion, but it didn't appear to be a system Jobs lived by. If he feared karma coming back to bite him, the sentiment wasn't evident in his public statements about competitors and former colleagues, calling them "bozos" lacking taste. Those who worked for Jobs described him as a tyrant they feared meeting in an elevator.

The article goes on to offer more of a personal biography than a spiritual biography of the technology giant seeking to apply his theological beliefs to how it applied to his work and his company.  Read the rest here.


Here is a biographical piece done by CNET on the work of Jobs at Apple.





HT: Denny Burk


CNN - The Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs  


For more:
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. - Steve Jobs, 1955-2011  
Blogozimai - Repost | The Hidden, Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs
Blogizomai - My Top 10 Free iPhone Apps For the Pastor

Monday, October 3, 2011

Repost | The Gospel and Pulpit Freedom Sunday: How Christians Have Missed the Point

Yesterday was Pulpit Freedom Sunday.  Last year I wrote on the subject and am reposting it here.

This past Sunday was an important date.  Not because Christians worldwide gathered together to celebrate the resurrection of their Lord, but because a group of 100 pastors endorsed political candidates in their church's pulpits baiting the Internal Revenue Service to remove the church's tax exempt status.  This is not the first time such an event took place, but everytime such a stunt is performed by well-meaning church leaders, the coverage increases.

USA Today reports:

On Sunday, a group of 100 preachers nationwide will step into the pulpit and say the only words they're forbidden by law from speaking in a church. 


They plan to use the pulpit as a platform for political endorsements, flouting a federal law that threatens churches with the loss of their nonprofit status if they stray too far into partisan politics.

While other church and nonprofit leaders cringe at the deliberate mix of the secular and the religious, participants in the annual Pulpit Freedom Sunday protest hope this act of deliberate lawbreaking will lead to a change in the law.

The support from the Christian community is robust in this situation.  Perhaps the most prominent voice supporting the even has come from Christian author, thinker, and influential voice Charles Colson.  In an article titled Legislated Laryngitis Colson lays out the origin of church's being silenced by the IRS.  He shows that then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson silenced the church in an re-election effort.  He writes:

In 1954, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson was in the middle of a particularly bruising re-election battle. Two nonprofit groups had been especially troublesome to the senator, vocally opposing his candidacy.
So, on a hot summer day in Washington, D.C., Johnson slipped an amendment into the IRS 501(c)(3) code that governs nonprofit organizations in order to restrict their speech -- including the speech of churches. Johnson’s amendment stated that nonprofits could not “participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing and distributing of statements) any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.” 

The penalty for such “participation?” Revocation of their tax-exempt status. 

Without debate, the Senate held a quick voice vote on the amendment. As the chamber filled with a chorus of “Ayes,” the church became infected with an instant case of laryngitis, thanks to the Senator from Texas.

Colson goes on to note that prior to Johnson's amendment, the church was always at the center of public and political debate.  And, thanks to an encroaching government, the church has been silenced and thus unwelcomed in the public debate. This begs the question, posed by Colson, then:

It’s now time to ask the question: Who decides what the church can and cannot say? 

Should it be the government? Or should it be the church? 

Colson makes an important point from a citizenship perspective.  Traditionally Christians and those of other religious beliefs have had a robust influence in the political and public arena.  Now, however, the government is abusing the tax code to silence unwanted political free speech.  The last question quoted above by Colson is an important question for Christians to ask.  Who decides what the church can and cannot say?  It does seem that in this one instance (not to mention the countless hate speech codes being passed throughout the nation and throughout the West) the government is determining not what the Church can say (that's the business of hate speech laws) but what they can't say.  Should not the Church, rooted in the gospel and Scripture, determine what the Church says?

I offer a loud Yes!  Yes, the Church should be free.  Yes the Church should speak for itself and have the liberty to say, proclaim, and believe whatever she wishes.  But I am afraid that even this misses the point.

Other Christians have offered their criticism of Pulpit Freedom Sunday.  The head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Richard Land, raised his concern by saying "It puts congregations in an awkward position. It's not a wise thing for churches to endorse candidates. We think candidates should endorse us."  As the head of the ERLC, Land finds himself very much involved in the political arena and as a Southern Baptist I wholeheartedly respect and support Dr. Land.  However, I believe that even he has missed the point.

Colson is concerned with the issue of freedom and the 1st Amendment and rightly so.  Dr. Land is concerned with the State aligning with the Church and not the other way around and rightly so.  But neither response is the correct one.

When we as pastors stand up in the pulpit and proclaim politics we have missed the point.  Certainly there are political implications of the gospel, but to campaign for the ways of man at the cost of the ways of God is not the duty of preachers.  As a pastor and as a voting citizen I know what I believe and already know how and who I am going to vote for.  However, when we meet on Sunday's to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord we meet to celebrate the resurrection and worship the God of our salvation.  Our priority at worship is worship, not politics.

I do believe that the government is walking on dangerous Constitutional lines disallowing religious institutions to endorse political candidates.  I also am against the government passing hate speech laws that silence religious believers and leaders from espousing their convictions and faiths.  I am first and foremost loyal to the gospel, not the tax code. However, when the Church gets more press regarding who they are going to vote for than the message they are called to proclaim everyday, we have missed the point.

The Bible is clear on this issue.  The gospel is more important and ought to be our utmost priority than anything else including public policy.  Yes Jesus did comment on political issues (like paying taxes), but he needed protested political policy.  Yes Paul certainly used his Roman citizenship to his own benefit but still expected believers to submit to government (even government ruled by the wicked Nero) as we submit to our Lord.  Yes Peter refused to obey the political and religious leaders of his day when they asked him to stop proclaiming Christ, but otherwise called on Christians to live peaceably among men and to obey the governmental authorities.

Furthermore, it is the priority of preachers and pastors to proclaim the gospel.  When God called Ezekiel, he described him as a watchman on the wall.  If he fails to proclaim the message of God, the blood of men's souls falls on his hands.  But if he does proclaim God's message and they refuse to obey, their blood is on their own hands.  In other words, "Preach the Word!" (2 Timothy 4:1ff).

Everything is about the gospel. Everything.  And the minute we take up precious time of worship and gospel proclamation we have cheapened the gospel.  If we really want to influence politics, we must proclaim the gospel.  Are we trying to moralize the unconverted or convert the immoral?  If we want real solutions, then we must preach Christ.  The gospel is central to all that we are and believe.  Unless our vote is centered on a gospel worldview, then it is empty.  Unless our sermons on centered on the gospel then they are nothing more than self-help, empty psychological babble.

Clearly I did not participate in Pulpit Freedom Sunday at the church where I pastor not because politics is insignificant but because the gospel is too important.  Let us preach Christ and trust in the power of the gospel.  You know its a sad day in the health of the Church when trust in the policies of Washington more than the transcendent message of our immutable God.

Preach Christ!

Townhall (Charles Colson) - Legislated Laryngitis  
USA Today - Pastors plan to 'bait' IRS with pulpit politics    
CBN - Pastors to Challenge IRS on 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday'


For more:
Blogizomai -  Endowed by Who?:  President Obama and the Source of Liberty - A Gaff or a Statement?
Blogizomai - The Ongoing Conversation on Religious Liberty  
Blogizomai - The Politics of Cowardice:  Health Care Passes
Blogizomai - To Build or Not to Build, That is Not the Question:  Where is the Gospel in the Ground Zero Debate? 
Blogizomai - To Build or Not to Build, That is Not the Question:  Where is the Gospel in the Koran Burning Debate?
Blogizomai - Have We Forgotten the Gospel?  Glenn Beck, Social Justice, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ   
Blogizomai - Why I (Hesitantly) Signed the Manhattan Declaration 
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide: The Separation of State and Church  (Part 1)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide:  Under God or Under Government? (Part 2)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide:  The Necessity of Government in a Fallen World (Part 3)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide:  The Birth of the American Concept of Separation of State and Church 
Blogizomai - Where Does the Madness End?:  Where the Homosexual Agenda Ends - Part 2
Blogizomai - What is to Be Our Response?:  Living As a Christian in an Obama Administration