Wednesday, November 29, 2006, 16:24

Betrayal, Bigotry and Conventionality

Four things from my meditation this week:

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Betrayal- by H.H. Cholmondeley

Still as of old
Men by themselves are priced -
For thirty pieces Judas sold
Himself, not Christ

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Bigot - by Eleanor Slater

Though you be scholarly, beware
The bigotry of doubt.
Some people take a strange delight
In blowing candles out.

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Conventionality - by Eloise Hackett

Men wrap themselves in smug cocoons
Of dogmas they believe are wise,
And look askance at one who sees
In worms potential butterflies.

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Gone With the Wind - by Malcolm Muggeridge

"We look back upon history, and what do we see? Empires rising and falling. Revolutions and Counterrevolutions. Wealth accumulated and wealth disbursed. Shakespeare has written of the rise and fall of great ones, that ebb and flow with the moon. I look back upon my own fellow countrymen, once upon a time dominating a quarter of the world, most of them convinced, in the words of what is still a popular song, that the God who made them mighty, shall make them mightier yet.

I've heard a crazed, cracked Austrian announce to the world the establishment of a Reich that would last a thousand years. I have seen an Italian clown say he was going to stop and restart the calendar with his own ascension to power. I've heard a murderous Georgian brigand in the Kremlin, acclaimed by the intellectual elite of the world as wiser than Solomon, more humane than Marcus Aurelius, more enlightened than Ashoka.

I have seen America, wealthier and in terms of military weaponry, more powerful than the rest of the world put together, so that had the American people so desired, they could have outdone a Caesar, or an Alexander in the range and scale of their conquests.

All in one lifetime, all in one lifetime, all gone. Gone with the wind. England part of a tiny island off the coast of Europe, threatened with dismemberment and even bankruptcy. Hitler and Mussolini dead, remembered only in infamy. Stalin a forbidden name in the regime he helped found and dominate for some three decades. America haunted by fears of running our of those precious fluids that keeps their motorways roaring, and the smog settling, with troubled memories of a disastrous campaign in Vietnam, and the victories of the Don Quixotes of the media as they charged the windmills of Watergate. All in one lifetime, all in one lifetime, all gone. Gone with the wind."

[Ravi Zacharias adds this last line:]

Behind the debris of these solemn supermen, and self-styled imperial diplomatists, there stands the gigantic figure of one, because of whom, by whom, in whom and through whom alone, mankind may still have peace: The person of Jesus Christ.

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Thursday, November 02, 2006, 16:33

Wanted: Men for a Hazardous Journey

"WANTED: MEN FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY.
SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD,
LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS,
CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL.
HONOR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS."

When this ad was placed in that London newspaper back in 1912, by Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922, the British Antarctic explorer), nearly 30 men signed up. Shackleton was on the hunt for recruits for his 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition; including a possible attempt to reach the South Pole. However during this particular trek, Shakleton and his men never reached the South Pole, and instead were faced with some of the most horrifying and ghastly hardships in sub-zero temperatures. But the astounding fact, and to make a long story short, is that all of Shackleton's men came back alive.

Jesus makes a similar call to you and me, if you'll excuse the secular origin of the story:

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." - Luke 9:23-26

The Call rings clear and true. Men are wanted for a perilous journey. The wages are small and meager. There will be bitter cold, and long months of obscurity and gloom. There will be constant danger (2 Tim. 3:12). The world will persecute you. It is obligatory. In other words, Jesus can't promise you an easy, painless, care-free life. No assurance in given that He will inhibit the trials and storms of your life. He only promises us one thing: and that is to shield us. Jesus Christ promises that He will facilitate us on this journey heavenward; on this perilous journey. And that is really the only reality of any significance; no matter how monumental the circumstances.

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Monday, August 14, 2006, 21:19

The Guessage

I've always wondered how God's Word squared with Eugene Peterson's words in The Message. Let's find out.

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD" (Jer. 29:13-14)

Number one, I don't wish to pass judgment towards Peterson. I don't know the authenticity of his spiritual condition. I never met him, nor have I a yearning to do so. But what I do want is that the populace abroad would know the truth. Jesus said that in the last days, deception and perfidication would exponentiate.

"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thes. 2:9-10)

The Eternal God has never, in the past, attuned Himself to the tastes of mere men. Why should He start now? The true God must be sought on His terms alone. God never uses flesh-appealing gimmicks to try to attract and lure naïve youth. He never uses icons, candles, or other rituals to create an aura of "sacredness" and "inviolability" around a seemingly innocent gospel. The true seeker must come to God in repentance and cry out to Him for their soul.

Is Eugene Peterson accurate in declaring his book a valid "version of the Bible." "The Bible as it was intended to be" [God's needs our help?] "A new approach to Scripture" [from Catholic mystic tradition?] "The NRSV: Most Accepted" [accepted by whom?] "Most Accurate" [by what measure?] "Most Ecumenical" [Bingo!!]

The Message mirrors the "higher criticism" movement in which intellectuals question the authorship and authenticity of Scripture portions, particularly prophetic passages. It is interesting to note that The Message and The Renovare Study Bible are both published by Zondervan. The NIV is also owned by Zondervan. The big fish, HaperCollins ate little fish Zondervan some years ago, and so The Message is owned by HaperCollins. My curiosity was also spiked when I learned that HaperCollins also publishes The Satanic Bible by Anton La Vey, and various other pro-homosexual media. HarperCollins is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's "The News Corporation" which owns Twentieth Century Fox and Fox Broadcasting. Fox Broadcasting produces some very immoral, anti-family television shows. Murdoch also owns a whole slew of daily newspapers; 18 of some of the largest ones in the world. In the U.K. alone, Murdoch owns 40% of the national press. Murdoch - to whom Pat Robertson sold the Family Channel (paid for by CBN donors) for $1.9 billion - was knighted by the Pope after donating $10 million for a new Catholic cathedral in Los Angeles. And Rick Warren claims to be Murdoch's pastor. His communications empire is worth about $30 billion. Murdoch's net worth is about $5.5 billion. In 1985, Murdoch renounced his Australian citizenship and became a U.S. citizen in order to comply with U.S. laws that prohibited non-citizens from owning a monopoly of U.S television stations. In terms of his global reach and his diversity of interests, he is the most powerful media tycoon in the history of the world. [Read More]

And so, I wonder if my concerns are justified about The Message. I wonder if my apprehension is justified when Eugene Peterson is yoked with the largest media cartel. Or maybe it's just me ...

But the following examples - a few among many - show that The Message dilutes the power of, and even changes the very words of God. My purpose, as I've stated before, is not to tear anyone down. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. And I realize that, when we see the faults of others, we have to capability to harbor the same things ourselves. But, we do need to love the Truth, so as to be saved. From sin. From self. And from Satan. May God help us.

- - - -

KJV: "In the beginning was the Word...."(Jn 1:1)

THE MESSAGE: "The Word was first...." [first? There is no first or second in the Godhead.]

- - - -

KJV: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (Jn 3:5)

THE MESSAGE: "Unless a person submits to this original creation–the 'wind hovering over the water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life–it's not possible to enter God's kingdom." [Original creation? God has been created? "Baptism into a new life"? Does that mean to be "born again"?]

- - - -

KJV: "...that the world through him might be saved."(Jn 3:17)

THE MESSAGE: "He came to help, to put the world right again." [Help?! Political, social action? Jesus said that He didn't come to bring socialistic peace (Matt. 10:34)]

- - - -

KJV: "He that cometh from above is above all...." (Jn 3:31)

THE MESSAGE: "The One who comes from above is head and shoulders over other messengers from God." [Head and Shoulders? What, are we talking about shampoo? No, God is infinitely above everything; I don't see Peterson's point.]

- - - -

KJV: "...the wrath of God abideth on him." (Jn 3:36)

THE MESSAGE: "All he experiences of God is darkness; and an angry darkness at that." [In God there is "no darkness," nor is wrath mere darkness.]

- - - -

KJV: "...shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (Jn 5:24)

THE MESSAGE: "...is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living." [Outsider? No, I don't think so. Giant step by man's strength? No, it is not I who live, but Jesus Christ within me.]

- - - -

KJV: "...ye shall...die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come." (Jn 8:21)

THE MESSAGE: "...you're missing God in this and are headed for a dead end." ["Missing God" instead of "die in your sins?" Dead end?]

- - - -

KJV: "...ye are of this world; I am not of this world...." (Jn 8:23)

THE MESSAGE: "You're tied down to the mundane; I'm in touch with what is beyond your horizons." [Mundane is not the biblical meaning of this world. Beyond your horizons? "In touch"?]

- - - -

KJV: "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth...." (Rom1:16)

THE MESSAGE: "It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him." [Proud? God condemned all pride. Gospel, Christ, and salvation are not mentioned.]

- - - -

KJV: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report." (Heb 11:1).

THE MESSAGE: "...faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living...what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd." [Changed meaning completely.]

- - - -

KJV: "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus...." (1Pt 5:10)

THE MESSAGE: "It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet...." ["Put together and on your feet" in this life instead of eternal glory?]

- - - -

KJV: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." (Rv 3:22)

THE MESSAGE: "Listen...to the Wind Words blowing through the churches." [The Holy Spirit speaks 'Wind Words'? Maybe if you're dabbling in some narcotic.]

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Monday, July 31, 2006, 18:44

Clinging to an Antebellum Epoch

I'm in a John Greenleaf Whittier rut. Perhaps you noticed.

Being the Quaker that he was, John Whittier was an ardent abolitionist. In fact, I think he penned the first formal document in America that suggested the elimination of slavery. Moreover, so graphic were his poems and essays in describing American slavery, that little eyes and ears have no business reading them. This being said, I have chosen one of his more tame poems for this blog.

While I am not in total agreement with Whittier, on his views of political action, and activism, etc., I do think that his message rings true today. Alas, too many Christians are austerely unfamiliar with the harsh reality of slavery.

In a publication of L. F. Tasistro (Random Shots and Southern Breezes) is a description of a slave auction at New Orleans, at which the auctioneer recommended the woman on the stand as "A GOOD CHRISTIAN!" It was not uncommon to see advertisements of slaves for sale, in which they were described as pious or as members of the church. In one advertisement a slave was noted as "a Baptist preacher." This was the inspiration for Whittier's 1843 poem, in which he acquaints his readers with a slave auction in a country of so-called Christians as opposed to a Muslim country. If some parents think this poem too graphic, please feel free to edit it.

THE CHRISTIAN SLAVE

A CHRISTIAN! going, gone!
Who bids for God's own image? for his grace,
Which that poor victim of the market-place
Hath in her suffering won?

My God! can such things be?
Hast Thou not said that whatsoe'er is done
Unto Thy weakest and Thy humblest one
Is even done to Thee?

In that sad victim, then,
Child of Thy pitying love, I see Thee stand;
Once more the jest-word of a mocking band,
Bound, sold, and scourged again!

A Christian up for sale!
Wet with her blood your whips, o'er task her frame,
Make her life loathsome with your wrong and shame,
Her patience shall not fail!

A heathen hand might deal
Back on your heads the gathered wrong of years:
But her low, broken prayer and nightly tears,
Ye neither heed nor feel.

Con well thy lesson o'er,
Thou prudent teacher, tell the toiling slave
No dangerous tale of Him who came to save
The outcast and the poor.

But wisely shut the ray
Of God's free Gospel from her simple heart,
And to her darkened mind alone impart
One stern command, Obey!
One stern command: OBEY!
ONE STERN COMMAND: OBEY!

So shalt thou deftly raise
The market price of human flesh; and while
On thee, their pampered guest, the planters smile,
Thy church shall praise.

Grave, reverend men shall tell
From Northern pulpits how thy work was blest,
While in that vile South Sodom first and best,
Thy poor disciples sell.

Oh, shame! the Moslem thrall,
Who, with his master, to the Prophet kneels,
While turning to the sacred Kebla feels
His fetters break and fall.

Cheers for the turbaned Bey
Of robber-peopled Tunis! he hath torn
The dark slave-dungeons open, and hath borne
Their inmates into day:

But our poor slave in vain
Turns to the Christian shrine his aching eyes;
Its rites will only swell his market price,
And rivet on his chain.

God of all right! how long
Shall priestly robbers at Thine altar stand,
Lifting in prayer to Thee, the bloody hand
And haughty brow of wrong?

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Saturday, July 08, 2006, 17:39

Take Such Pains

[Dirk Willems saved the life of a man who was hunting him down like an animal.]

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” – Ghandi

In another instance, once upon a time, an Indian evangelist was approached by a Hindu man. The Hindu said to the evangelist: “You Christians! You make such extraordinary claims, but you live such ordinary lives!”

Do Christians in America or anywhere make claims that we don’t live up to? Is the bar too high that we can’t reach it? Is Christ really alive within us? Or are we masquerading? What made the early Christians so fervent? So zealous? What made Christianity something worthy to die over? Who gave them the strength to endure? Who caused them to be faithful, even until death? Is our “ordinary” life actually doing harm to the Gospel of Christ?

Lord Jesus, bring us out into the light, and expose us. Some day we’ll realize how worthy you really are to receive all that Glory. And we’ll be so glad we didn’t touch it, while we were here on earth.

- - - -

"Do you then take such pains to seek souls? Well then, go into the city, to every place, to the drunkards, whoremongers, swearers... these are still your brethren; go and seek their souls; Christ has found mine." - Hans van Overdam

"I am ready any way, to put off this flesh, whether in the fire or in the water, before the hall of justice or here in this fire (the fire on the hearth); it is not big enough, make it bigger." - Joos Kindt

"I cannot thank and praise the Lord sufficiently, that He so comforts me in my tribulation, and that my mind is still fixed to fear the Lord with all my heart all the days of my life, according to my weak ability." - Clement Hendrickss

"Here I forsake wife and children, house and home, body and life, for the faith and the divine truth." - George Raeck

"Wake up, and give heed; you certainly see it is not in human power what the Lord enables us to do, that we can leave our dear children, yea, joyfully resign our lives, for the honor of God." - Claesken

"The thiefcatcher following him broke through [the ice], when Dirk Willems, perceiving that the former was in danger of his life, quickly returned..." - from the story of Dirk Willems

"Behold, my children, this way has no retreats; there are also no byways, that lie on the right hand of the left... If you do what I write, you will see me again in great glory..." - Maeyken van Deventer

All quotes from the Martyr's Mirror

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