Christopher Hitchens Is Right!

Noted atheist, Christorper Hitchens, was recently interviewed by a Unitarian minister, Marilyn Sewell, for The Portland Monthly Magazine. In the discussion, Hitchens laid down some seriously good theology. The following exchange took place near the start of the interview:

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Talk about nailing it. You can call yourself anything you like, but if you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins and then rose from the dead, you are not “in any meaningful sense” a Christian.

What a delicious ironies that an outspoken atheist grasps the central tenet of Christianity better than many Christians do. What you believe about Jesus Christ really does make a difference.

Interestingly, too, is Hitchens’ grasp of a further fact, as he goes on to declare: “Christianity, remember, is really founded by St. Paul, not by Jesus. Paul says, very clearly, that if it is not true that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, then we the Christians are of all people the most unhappy.”

You can read the entire transcript of the interview here.

Maranatha!

The Day After Christmas

Christmas night often finds folks in a bit of a melancholy mood. After weeks of anticipation, the celebrations have flashed by and are suddenly gone, fading into the night.

This is natural, understandable and probably the best teaching moment of the whole season. As long as the beautifully wrapped gifts remain unopened and the celebrations still future, they appear to be the hope we are waiting for. But when all are opened and the merriment past, we sense we are still longing for something more, something lasting.

I had one of those teachable moments with my granddaughter, Hanna, yesterday. After opening gifts and eating a good meal, she was sitting on the stair in a rather pensive mood. I sat next to her to talk about what she was feeling. I’ve learned that children don’t know what is happening to their emotions or why, so I generally don’t ask the “Why?” question but rather explain the “What” to them.

I pointed out to Hanna that she was learning a lessons many grown-ups haven’t yet grasp:

1. Gifts and events can’t fill you soul. They are expressions of generosity but are not designed to satisfy. They’re designed to point us to the Giver.

2. Putting our hopes in gifts will leave us empty inside. We will ask, “Is that all?” because we know deep down that’s not all there is. We are designed to treasure a Person, not His things.

3. It is more blessed to give than receive. What makes you feel richer, getting the presents you wanted or making someone else happy with something you gave to them? A greedy heart lives in a small, lonely world. A generous heart lives in a wide world of love.

I hope she remembers some of grandpa’s sagged advice! I learned it from someone; I pass it along in hopes it helps others as much as it helps me.

It is just the way of God’s grace to let the glitter and flash of celebrations (even in His honor) pass and then even in the melancholic void they leave teach us once again, “It’s not I, but Christ.”

Marantha!

On Saying, "Merry Christmas!"

I think I've changed my mind. Through most of my adult life I have resisted the “Merry Christmas” club. Not because I have anything against gift giving or having great family times, but the whole thing is born of pagan folly. This year, however, I’ve begun to look at it a bit differently.

“Christmas” is simply “Christ” (our Savior) plus “mas” (a coming together, as in the Catholic “mass”), and originated in the Roman Catholic attempt to assimilate pagans and their culture under the control of their Church. Hence my problem with the term/event.

As an aside, it is important to remember that the real miracle of the coming of Christ was not His birth/nativity (although there were certain miraculous things involved in that too!), but the real miracle took place at His conception. Being born of a virgin makes Him unique, indeed! Luke 1 gives the historical details necessary to locate the time of the conception of Jesus Christ as being in late December. Hence the pagans attempt to commandeer that season for their own corrupted ends.

But now it has become “politically incorrect” to use the “Merry Christmas” greeting. Employees, for example, are told not to mention “Christmas,” but instead to say, “Happy Holidays.” But herein lies a bit of humor: The word “holiday” comes from “holy” (as in, holy is the Lord) plus “day.”

I find it ironically amazing that our language is so rooted in Biblical tradition that even the attempts to root out every reference to the Savior falls so flat on its face. Oh, the worldly wise don’t get it, but I’m sure the God of Heaven finds such things amusing (as should we)!

So I’ve put “merry Christmas” back into my vocabulary—just for the fun of it. Cynthia has been saying it to store employees just to see their reaction! When they respond, “happy holidays,” we just ask if they are believers too! Its made the shopping lots of fun.

Merry Christmas!

The Truth about Oral and Ebeneezer

Famous Pentecostal “faith healer” Oral Roberts died of pneumonia on December 15 at age 91. This act demonstrated with great finality that he was a false teacher. He often said that it is God’s will to heal every sickness, declaring, “Sickness is not part of God’s plan and not devised by God’s will.” When he breathed his last he gave conclusive proof that his teaching was false. No one dies of healthiness!

On another front, I ran across a fascinating article written in defense of the much maligned Ebeneezer Scrooge. Often we forget that great “classic” novels were written with political and social messages in mind. Dickens was such a writer. In The Case for Ebeneezer, Butler Shaffer takes up the defense of Dickens' villain in a most interesting fashion—demonstrating how the classic tail has modern overtones. In part he writes:

“Pay close attention to Mr. Dickens' allegations. His case [against Ebeneezer] down to just two points:

1. my client has managed to become very rich, and,

2. he insists on keeping his money for himself.

That's it! That is the essence of his alleged wrongdoing.”

“Taking my client as the miserable fellow Dickens has presented him, let me be the first to admit that if Ebeneezer's obsession with materialistic pursuits rendered him an unhappy person….But it is not my client's happiness that the prosecution endeavors to obtain, but his money.

“The case against Ebeneezer Scrooge is nothing more than a well-orchestrated, vicious conspiracy to extort from my client as much of his money as can be acquired through terror, threats of his death, and other appeals to fear….

“[P]ay particular attention to the utter contradiction underlying Dickens's case: my client is charged with being a greedy, money-hungry scoundrel, and yet it is the conspirators against him who want nothing more than his money! Scrooge — unlike his antagonists — earned his money in the marketplace by satisfying the demands of customers and clients who continue to do business with him, and did not, as far as we are told, resort to terror or threats of death to get it.

“Charles Dickens — writing at the peak of the Industrial Revolution — missed this essential feature of the period. To those who view wealth in such a limited way, the only question becomes "how is this fixed body of wealth to be most 'fairly' redistributed?" The question of "how can more wealth be created?" — and what conditions would be necessary for accomplishing such ends — never enters their minds, for the pursuit of such conditions would utterly destroy all socialist systems. The beneficiaries of such redistribution are looked upon as passive and dependent recipients of other people's decision making. In this connection, Bob Cratchit is the prototypical "proletarian."


“Like other opportunistic parasites who tell us that they "feel our pain" even as they are causing us more pain, let us have no more of the self-serving guilt-peddling that keeps men and women subservient to those who threaten to cut off their dependencies.”


Hope ya have a great holiday—and just so I don’t sound like a WalMart employee, “Merry Christmas!”


Maranatha!

Great Meetings

I've driven almost four thousand miles over the past three weeks. Hard to believe; hard on the "getting older" body (tomorrow marks another birthday)! But warming to the heart.

Last week I was in Ohio. Wednesday and Thursday we had very interesting meetings in Massillon. Our good friend Edward Yarber is the bishop of Canton Grace Fellowship. He has been teaching right division at the Adult Sunday School Class of Grace Community Church for the past three months. Edward goes there for the class and then hurries to CGF (about 10 minutes away) for their morning service. When he asked about using GCC's church building for meetings, they volunteered to co-sponsor them.

I spoke both evenings on Mid-Acts dispensationalism and the distinctive ministry/message of Paul. Their responsiveness was overwhelming. They actually "cleaned out" most of the material on the Literature Tables I had with me! It is wonderful to see such hunger for spiritual light!

We had a "radio rally" type meeting in Columbus. David Reid heads up the Columbus Bible Church, which sponsors Daily Bible Time on a local radio station. We get good response to the broadcast and wanted to see if some folks would come to a "live" meeting. And they did! One lady, for example, who has been listening for almost two years gave testimony to having her life transformed by the message of grace she has learned. Numerous others were of the same mind. Two ladies actually drove from Indiana to attend, having heard about the meeting via FaceBook! Two other ladies drove about half way across the state to attend. Interest in and hunger for the light on God's Word that right division offers is a great motivator! It was a privilege to help introduce some of our listeners to the local ministry where they can fellowship and grow in grace.

Then we were in Beavercreek at Mid-Acts Grace Fellowship on Saturday and Sunday. The saints there were went overboard in their hospitality and interest. Their response to the six messages on The Gospel Driven Life was refreshing. Matt Hawley is doing a tremendous job leading this assembly. They have weathered numerous storms over the past few years and are a strong, grounded group of determined grace believers who value the work of the ministry they are engaged in. Folks came from as far away as Cincinnati--as well as Indiana and Columbus (as well as wonderful friends from Chillicothe). The happy spirit of these folks was a touching benediction to my weary spirit.

One great privilege for me in trips like this is to get to spend some time in the homes of some really wonderful saints. Ed and Sharrie are by nature a barrel of fun, but more importantly, always active in the ministry. While there I not only spoke both evenings but had a live radio interview and preached in chapel at Heritage Christian School. I also had the opportunity to spend some time with longtime and special friends, Ted and Sue Fellows of nearby Berean Bible Church, Minerva.

The Reid boys were great entertainment for me, demonstrating their Lego and Wii talents. Mom and Dad are ok too, but being the dad of three boys myself I always have a soft spot for others in that category!

It was my first time to spend time with the Hawley family and I quickly discovered that they could make me feel quite at home. It is important for a man in the ministry to be backed up by a godly wife and Matt is blessed in this area. Their three young children (well, one has four legs so they might claim only two as their actual prodigy) were great company.

The icing on the cake, sort of speaking, for the weekend was calling home Saturday evening and having Cynthia tell me how Alabama won their football game with Florida. My precious wife is an enthusiastic Bama fan; well, that's too mild of a description. Hard as it is to picture, I must admit she is a fanatical fan. And a happy one too! So I drove home Sunday afternoon knowing I'd find her in good spirits!

The Women's Fellowship of Shorewood had an evangelistic luncheon Sunday. They had a good number of visitors to hear some outstanding testimonies and a good gospel message. When I arrived at the church building Sunday evening they had already finished resetting the fellowship area for the upcoming children's program scheduled for next Saturday. So, they'd been busy while I was gone--and with Alex to preach, don't really miss me anyway! There lots for me to be thankful for these days.

I'll turn another year on the calendar tomorrow. Today (December 7) is Pearl Harbor Day. We must never forget. I fly to Detroit in the morning to do five more TV programs. I can't think of anything I'd rather do on my birthday than "preach the Word."

Maranatha!

Let Me Count the Ways

In marriage, the importance of speaking well of each other, of praising each other, is crucial. In fact, the presence or absence of public praise is one of the clearest signs of marital harmony or marital discord. So here’s a list you and your spouse can use as an example/exercise for saying things to each other. Go ahead and give it a try. We think this is one marriage exercise that will make you smile. Ladies first!

You look great tonight.
That was a wonderful meal.
Thank you for not getting mad at me.
You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.
You’re a super listener.
I really appreciate the way you spend time with my parents.
Thanks for being honest with me.
That’s a great idea.
I enjoy spending time with you.
Congratulations! I’m taking you out to dinner to celebrate.
Before I met you, my life was boring.
So what if they didn’t like your idea? I thought it was great.
You’re the best husband in the whole world.
I hope our boys marry girls just like their mother.
I bought this just for you. I hope you like it.
Thanks for laughing at my corny jokes.
You’re a big help around the house.
I’m looking forward to growing old with you.
You deserve a kiss. I’m so proud of you.
You’ve got a great sense of humor.
You are the reason I’m excited about the future.
That’s a great idea. How did you think of it?
I’m glad you were right about that.
Thank you for working so hard for our family.
I’m the luckiest man in the whole world.
When I think of you, I can’t help smiling.
I’m glad I said, “I do.”
Somebody ought to make a movie of our marriage. It would make a great romantic comedy. You’re more beautiful today than you were the day we got married.
I’m so glad God brought us together.
Have I told you lately how much I love you?
I still believe in you.

Maranatha!

Home Again

Cynthia and I arrived back home yesterday afternoon. We had a delightful time in Arizona enjoying our kids and the saints of Southwest Bible Fellowship. Their second annual conference went off without a hitch, all their work paying real dividends.

The messages are available at www.ButNow.org. I'd recommend at least listening to John Verstegen's study on prayer; its outstanding. The attendance was actually larger than expected (a high-grade problem) and the Saturday afternoon Q&A demonstrated folks are really studying the Word! The sessions covers several "grace alternative" topics--practical instructions indeed.

Sunday afternoon I had to opportunity to preach at the Maricopa County jail. "Sheriff Joe" bills himself as "America's toughest sheriff." Upon entering the jail, I was immediately impressed with how clean and efficient it is. The staff is professional and no-nonsense, yet very helpful. Sheriff Joe considers the volunteers his "secret weapon," so Calvin and Rick have good access to the inmates. I've preached in a lot of jails and prisons but don't recall one of this caliber. My hats off to Sheriff Joe and his deputies. The inmates may be criminals, but they are clearly treated with respect and dignity--unless they prove themselves otherwise (this is the sheriff who puts rule offenders in pink shorts to identify them).

We were announced and a group of over 20 gathered in the meeting room. I taught for the whole hour, going over the gospel and basic right division. There were several first timers, but most meet weekly with Calvin Wright and have a good grasp of the gospel and issues of grace.

It is a benediction for a dad to be able to labor with his son in the work of the ministry and I praise God for the work in Mesa--September marked their 10th anniversary. Rick is clearly his own man and the men who are working with him seem to have a genuine appreciation for his leadership and vision. That too blesses a dad's heart. When you have mature men (and women!) to do the work of ministry with you, you are blessed indeed. My son is, indeed, so blessed--and his ministry is a blessing.

I have another follow-up check up with my urologist this week. So far the cancer seems to be well into remission. Although I'm still enjoying a few lingering symptoms they are nothing I can't deal with--they keep me mindful of my "age & stage" as I progress through life. Just "bumps in the road," as the saying goes. Thanks to so many who keep asking about my progress. I do appreciate your interest and prayers.

Tomorrow I'll be doing radio--4 half hour programs and 20 quarter hour ones. Next week I go to Detroit to do TV. Also trying to finish the next Grace Journal and getting ready to teach John 3 tomorrow night. I love being a preacher of the message of grace!

Maranatha!