“Socrates describe a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall.  The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Plato’s Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality.”    – extract from ’ Plato’s Cave‘ wikipedia entry.

The latter stages of the allegory go on the describe how the philosopher is like one who has been freed from the chains and has seen life in its full reality and colour.  When the philosopher returns to the cave to convince the prisoners of reality, they refuse to believe him.

In my experience, there are two clear applications of this story for us as Christians today:

1: As followers of Christ, we know that those who do not know Jesus are ignorant to the freedom and marvelous future that is outside the cave.   We may even be accused by the shadow dwellers of being arrogant with our ‘strange message’.   The temptation can be to not even return to the cave and to leave the cave dwellers to their own fate.   As believers in the great commission, we cannot and must not do this.  Without trying to fulfil Einstien’s definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result), we should pragmatically try new methods of evangelism and en-lighting the shadow dwellers without changing the message of reality.   Underlying all of this is the need to pray that the Holy Spirit will remove the shackles from their eyes.

2: As we continue to follow Christ, we often inadvertently create new caves.    Our churches become insular and form the boundaries of our social construct.   Often a ‘Man of God’ will be the one who projects images of reality on the new walls of our minds.   Catholics who look to papal decrees are often guilt of this.   However, non-catholics, can also suffer from shadow interpretation when they only receive their spiritual food from the preacher.   To maintain a view of life in its full reality, we must develop our philosophy directly from Jesus.   It is also healthy read books from various authors and to listen to multiple preachers from different circles of influence.   If we are confident in the inerrancy of God’s Word, then we can and should critically engage and evalute ‘Christianity’ without the need of narrow cave walls to protect us.   As we are aware of our tendencies to develop new shadows, we can more fully focus on the Christian life in all its colours.

Blessings

-JC

Let me put my cards on the table about marriage:

I don’t believe the government should have any say in marriage.  Marriage is a religious ceremony established by God.  So to be consistent, why should atheists even bother getting married?    To be further consistent, why should Christian couples bother getting a marriage certificate issued by the state.

But the reality is that since the reformation, the jurisdiction of nation states has overlapped with religious institutions.   As governments have become increasingly secular, should we be surprised or complain that they seek to reinterpret laws to apply to the civil union practices of all its citizens?  including polygamists or homosexuals?

Since the fall, homosexuality has always been present.  However the global push for homosexual marriage is unprecedented.  But why do homosexuals want to get married?

1. To receive civil union rights such as  tax/employment benefits?   These mostly now exist for both defacto and gay couples.

2. To receive validation of their relationship?  Most people who are going to agree with gay relationships already accept it.  Homosexuality is not only legal, but openly celebrated on TV and in most institutions (excluding religious ones).

3. To destroy heterosexual marriage?   This seems to be the plan.   Let me elaborate.

Ephesians 5:22+ clearly states that marriage is a divine symbol of Christ redemption of his bride – the church.    Redefining marriage then becomes a symbolic attack on the gospel.    That is why gay marriage activism is subtly anti-gospel activism.     If marriage was established by God as between a man and woman, then gay marriage is an attack on the created order.   Redefining ‘martial love’ as more than a husband and a wife, is  by extension redefining  the gospel love that Christ has for his church.

As Christians, we can sometimes be disturbed at the moral decay of social conventions.  However, at the end of the day, even when our government legalizes gay marriage, it will not be bona fida.   God established marriage and only He can authorize true marriage.   Legitimacy is determined by His view and it is only His view that counts.

Apart from our voting and democratic petitioning privileges, the best way we can respond to gay marriage activism is to cultivate our own heterosexual marriages and to teach our children accordingly.    We must not modify or be ashamed of true marriage and the gospel.  As we grow in our marriages before God, then the gospel will shine more brightly in our lives.   Furthermore, we will long all the more for the coming marriage supper of the Lamb where the redemptive gospel will be fulfilled.

Blessings

-JC

This week we saw the passing of Steve Jobs.  Without doubt he achieved remarkable feats in technology, business, his career and social change.   I admire much of what he did with his 56 years.   He was a man who was productive and focused.   I own several Apple products.

However, it has been fascinating to see the blogosphere’s tributes to the passing of their idol.   God-like adoration and post-humerus worship have filled our news feeds for days.   Without knowing what ‘Jobs’ believe personally, I do wonder what his thoughts are now.  The creator of Apple is now facing the Creator of the universe.    Did the accolades he earned cloud his thinking about eternity?  How does he now view his earthly achievements through the lens of his own mortality?

Personally, I don’t ever expect to reach the heights that Steve Jobs did.  However, I am SO thankful that my eternal reward is not based on my earthly outcomes.  My comfort about my mortality is Jesus’ achievements.    We can all rejoice that the path to God is not through inventing an app, but rather the application of Jesus.

Blessings

- JC

Through history, Christ’s followers have fought long and significant battles for doctrinal purity.   While some battles such as the Reformation were not sought, they were necessary and costly.  I treasure the stand for the Bible that many of the reformers took, even if I do not adopt their belief systems entirely.  Some gospel doctrines are non-negotiable.

Fast-forward 500 years and divisions within God’s Church have exploded exponentially.  As western-church persecution decreased, internal separation increased.  We now separate over more than just the gospel.  We abandon fellowship over music styles, associations, eschatology, translations, administrations, non-core interpretations, etc.  It must be enough to make God weep (John 17).

These distinctive divisions are known by labels which represent particular interpretations or positions.  Depending on who is using it, each label can be applied as a badge of honour or a heretical insult (i.e. They are Pre-millenial).   But one label is never enough, so we further break down our cliques into ’4 point or 5 point Calvinism’ for example.    Often  we must string together 3 or 4 labels in order to communicate perfect purity or the complete insult.  (i.e.  KJV, Independent, Fundamental, Baptist).   The end result is that Christ’s body is clinically dissected with just a few words.

However, Christian labels are not as clear cut as we may think.  Often a label is defined by our prejudices or based on our experience.    We may have met an arrogant preacher who calls himself  a ‘fundamentalist’ and then extrapolate that all ‘fundamentalists’ believe and act the same way.   Alternatively, we may have seen a ‘Pentecostal preacher’ abuse the gifts of the Spirit, and conveniently conclude that all ‘charismatics’ are weak theologically.   Sadly this lazy approach strokes our pride and creates unnecessary hurt.

Ultimately, if we really believe that the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice, we must not dismiss others with a broad stroke.  We must treat every believer and every congregation individually, with love and grace.   None of this says that we cannot have a position on non-gospel issues or that hermeneutics is irrelevant, but it should cause us to ask ‘Would Christ ‘deny fellowship’ over it?’.   Just because we disagree, does not mean we must take a divided stand.

We must take time to listen to other believers to see if our understanding is grounded in Scripture or a theological system.   By uplifting underlying truths, we can devalue unnecessary labels.   How many straw men have we created that will be incinerated in the light of Christ’s glory?   Are our motives to build and fortify a ‘Religious empire’ or to grow in His Spirit?   We may be pleasantly surprised to discover that there is fellowship outside our artificial boundaries.  If we are confident that God is building His Kingdom, then let’s not allow our insecurities to make God’s church smaller than Jesus does.

The more I grow into Christ, the more I grow out of man-made labels.   I want to be known as a follower of Jesus, rather than by an obscure Christian formula.  I still have growth to go, but I pray that when the world looks at God’s Church, it may see less of a dismembered cadaver, and more of a beautiful and living Bride of Christ.

Blessings

• Housing is an appreciating asset not a liability  (i.e. house prices only go up)
• Mortgages are good debt, not bad  (i.e. borrow as much as the bank will lend)
• Rent is dead money  (i.e.  renters are poor stewards of money)

1. Let’s have a value adjustment.    As Christian’s we all have a physical and luxurious mansion being built in heaven  (John 14:2).   So let’s not be consumed by building our castle here on earth.

2. Let’s limit debt.   Debt is not a intrinsically a sin, but being a slave to debt is.   Let’s cast aside debt so we are free to serve Christ.

3.  Let’s model contentment, fiscal restraint and godly priorities in our buying habits and thought life.

4. Where we have enslaved ourselves, lets show ask for wisdom on how to recover.    It may mean cutting up a credit card, renting a home, or driving an old car.

At the end of the day, our life is not our house.   Our life is found in Jesus.   As the old song says, “This World is not my home, I am just passing through”

Disclaimer: I do have a home mortgage. Everyday I must remind myself of its correct place in my life. It is a struggle.

God has never been silent on sex, so why have we?  Maybe it is because we hate that our old nature still desires sexual perversion.   Maybe it is because fundamentalism is wrongly proud in its outward standards.   It is time we lifted the veil of embarrassment and false morality, and started to speak openly and truthfully.   The following 10 point approach is a suggested framework for considering how to start this change.

1.  Genesis needs more emphasis.   We are God’s creation – male and female – with a body and a spirit.  The gender roles and our physical and emotional desires were all formed by God before the fall.  We need to lay the correct foundation before we can build using other precepts.

2.  Sexual topics must be preached from the front regularly (but after the kids go out).   Each of us face sexual temptation daily, so lets make our preaching application driven towards our issues.  When was the last time we preached through Song of Songs expositionally?

3.  Technology has put sex on steroids.   Every Christian should use internet and mobile devices filters, foxtel and iTunes restrictions, etc.   This has helped me as I battle my old nature.  It is not fool proof, but it does reduce the amount of instant temptation.  And porn is not just a guy issue.

4. Let’s be honest about our temptations and weaknesses.  We respect leaders who are open and honest about their struggles.   Too many church leaders have pretended they are not tempted only to suddenly leave their wife for a mistress.

5.  We should be more explicit in appropriate contexts.   Topics such as masturbation, oral sex, iPhone porn, vibrators, birth control, hormones, secrets etc should be discussed openly, but face to face, in gender specific groups.  We all read www.news.com.au or similar, so lets bring God’s thinking on these topics to the fore.

6. Homosexuality, gay marriage and orgies are the issues of the day.   Let’s boldly and humbly promote God’s view.  Our opinion is no more valid than the world’s opinion.  It is not us against them, but it is recognising that all sex outside male/female marriage is not authorised by God.

7. Self-control.  We must talk about techniques for battling temptation.  From Scripture memory, to Christian music, to prayer, to choosing relationships wisely, to a cold shower, to fleeing lust, to accountability and recovery.  We must arm ourselves with tools to prevent and repair.

8.  If we, or our children, do not have the gift of singleness, we should promote opportunities towards godly marriage early in life.   Delayed adulthood and delayed marriage has promoted promiscuity and devalued commitment.

9. We must promote sex as a good thing.   As it has been said, ’the best way to counter something that should not be done, it to explain how it should be done’.  Amorous sex in marriage should be encouraged.

10.  Sex can be used as a segue to the gospel.   God created the marriage union as a picture of redeeming his bride.  Once we accept that sex does not provide eternal satisfaction, then we will be open for embracing God’s everlasting saving grace.

In all of this, grace, humility and purity need to be maintained.   You may or may not agree with all these ideas, but I welcome your feedback on how we can tackle this elephant more effectively.

Blessings

I think it’s unwillingness to change.

From my perch at the beginning of the 21^st century, it seems obvious to say that the last 100 years have brought more change to the world that any previous century in time.  Speed and frequency of communication transmit ideas and trends lightning fast and then discard many of them just as rapidly.  Our culture is constantly morphing to adjust to new information, new public personalities, new interest groups.

Many churches, however, remain untouched by changes in the world around them.  Although a church’s position on various issues may have been relevant when it began fifty years ago, that position now looks like a museum relic in the culture of today.  Few outside of the “faithful remnant” can connect with this church’s emphasis on issues of a bygone era.  It has lost its relevance and therefore its true mission.  Proudly people sing of the “Ol’ Time Religion” and think it equals suits, slow hymns and seventeeth century English.

Let’s take time for a reality check.  The timeless truths of historic Christianity have nothing to do with what we wear, what style of music we prefer, or the archaic suffixes we add to our verbs.  Biblical doctrine is far more robust than many give it credit for.  Substitutionary atonement and the sovereignty of God apply equally to Wall Street, to outback Australia, and to urban squalor in south-east Asia.  The transforming power of the Bible and the Holy Spirit is not tethered to anyone’s culture.  Truth is for all people.

So what does this have to do with church stagnation?  My observation is that leaders in many of the tired churches I have visited are unwilling to listen to others.  They made their stand decades ago and consider change to be sinful compromise.  They don’t realise that being teachable connects intrinsically with growth.

How can we cultivate a culture of growth in the church?  The foremost requirement is a spirit of humility and inquiry that says, “I’m willing to change for the sake of the gospel in my community.” Paul explained this thinking in 1 Corinthians 9:18-23: “I have become all things to all people that by all means I might save some.”

Given that foundational attitude of meekness and flexibility, here are a few questions to help us evaluate how well we are encouraging a teachable spirit within the church.

1.  Are we encouraging each other to read widely and to discuss what we read?

2.  Are church leaders seeking input from the congregation about what the church needs?  Not just an obligatory vote in a business meeting of the congregation—we need to have real and prayerful discussions about genuine needs.  Do church leaders feel threatened when approached by a church member about a need in the church?  Do church members feel that their suggestions are being prayerfully considered?

3.  Are we praying openly and regularly for God to lead the church in the direction that He is working?  Is it possible that some churches are so tenacious about their “stand” on culture issues that God has moved on and they don’t even know it?  May it never be said of us that “ICHABOD” is written over our church door!

4.  Do we get involved in inter-church fellowships?  Do such fellowship meetings involve sharing of ideas and testimonies of how God is working?

5.  Do we fellowship outside of our “safe” circle.  Do we really think God is only working in churches that are just like ours?  What would happen if we encouraged attendance at conferences outside our circle?

Join the discussion and add your ideas about how we can foster a teachable spirit in our churches.

“A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it.  People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the proving questions of a smart skeptic.  A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.  Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts – not only their own but their friends’ and neighbors’.  It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them.  Only if you struggle long and hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself, that are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive…”

The two questions I wrote in the margin of the book were as follows: “what do I doubt” and “what is the role of doubt within the context of Christian education?”  I would like to talk through the former more personal question now and the latter question in my next post.

When I asked myself the question – what do I doubt?  The answer was not immediately apparent.  The first place I looked was at the traditional culprit – crisis.  At the time of reflection and at the time of writing there is no crisis in my life, relationships, or circumstances.  While many people seem to be living in a Dickens novel my life at this time feels more like an Asterix comic (near the inevitable banquet scene).

In the absence of identifiable doubt I started looking at the environment that could lead to doubt and this stark warning “A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.”  I thought about the following questions in the context of my own spiritual life and I believe they have wider application among believers:

Am I relying on past spiritual experiences instead of present day spiritual vitality?  Do I refer to things that God has done last year or even decades ago without any thought to what God is doing in my own life right now?

Does the absence of doubt reflect spiritual contentment or indifference?  It is very easy (especially as men) to become invested in work or lifestyle pursuits that appear to fill the God-sized hole that we have in our lives.  If life was a game of charades would I be labeled as content or indifferent?

Am I living towards my ultimate purpose?  There are many good things that I could be doing with my time and relationships – but are they the best things?  How does my life reflect my ultimate purpose?

JK

My question

Is this fascination with Jewish religious practices helpful, harmless, or dangerous?

This is the question I’ve been wrestling with recently as I prepare to speak on the topic later in the year. I’ll lay out my thoughts at this stage in propositional form.

Proposition #1 — Jewish religious practices are not Christian.

Proposition #2 — Inasmuch as learning about Jewish religious practices helps to understand the history and context of the Christian Scriptures, they may be beneficial to the Christian church.

Proposition #3 — Just as with any study of manners and customs, great care must be taken not to impose Jewish religious tradition on the Scriptures in ways that strain reasonable interpretation.

Proposition #4 — Inasmuch as Jewish religious practices are strictly optional opportunities to learn about Jewish history and custom, they are harmless.

Proposition #5 — Inasmuch as Jewish practices blur the distinction between Judaism and Christianity, they are dangerous.

Proposition #6 — Inasmuch as Jewish practices are held to be required of Christians, they have become an expression of the legalism of the Judaiasers of Paul’s Galatia and are a threat to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Proposition #7 — Inasmuch as Christianity fulfilled Judaism rather than perpetuating it, a continued focus on the “shadow” of Judaism (Colossians 2:17) distracts from the “substance” of Christianity and constitutes a threat to the gospel of Jesus Christ itself.

Your input

This is an issue that I think needs to be of special concern to us in Australia because of the prevalence of Jewish practices among Christians here. I would appreciate your input on these propositions. Are they true? Precise? Are there angles that I’m missing? Can you suggest additional propositions?

Grace to you.

“Mum! Why do I have to study all this boring history stuff? I’ll never use it!”

“I just want practical training. I don’t want to go to a university where they make you do all those extra classes like history and stuff.”

“Bible college students need to be learning soul winning, not wasting their time studying a bunch of Catholics and heretics in history class. After all, the Bible is our final rule for faith and practice.”

“I’d like to read history and biography, but I just can’t justify the time investment.”

Why learn history?

Several years ago, I jumped in the car to grab some quick takeaway on my lunch break. Our carpark was right next to the highway, so as I was leaving, I pulled up behind a coworker who was waiting for a break in the traffic. But my coworker had to be extra careful about pulling out. You see, he only had one eye.

Having two eyes is helpful. It gives us a broader field of vision. It also gives us depth perception.

Depth perception

History gives depth perception to life. It allows us to see angles and perspectives to which others are blind. It allows us to foresee and avert disaster. It allows us to understand in deeper, more nuanced ways. It allows us to know what will happen before it happens.

That’s why you can’t afford not to know history.

The image above shows a plaque citing the oft quoted saying: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The statement is true. Very true.

Condemned to repeat it

It was 1976 and the Governor of California¹ had gathered with other dignitaries at a dinner to honour a local leader, Pastor Jones. Pastor Jones led a large church with various satelite groups and as well as at least one mission post.

The following year, Pastor Jones led hundreds of his church members to relocate to their mission post in the small South American country of Guyana. Here he set up a communal society which increasingly resembled a cult. As public scrutiny and media pressure mounted, Jones became more and more paranoid and controlling.

On 14 November, 1978, United States Congressman Leo Ryan landed in Guyana to personally investigate claims of abuse at “Jonestown.” After a brief visit to Jonestown, the Congressman was assasinated on an airstrip on Jones’ orders. That evening, Rev. Jones made up a large vat of flavoured drink² laced with poison and led the community in a mass suicide.

Over 900 people died at Jonestown that day.

The horrible irony of the image on your right is that this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. And it won’t be the last.

Though Jonestown may seem like a far and distant story, Jonestown is still in the heart of every man. If we forget about Jonestown, we forget about a part of ourselves that we cannot afford to forget.

History is worth learning. It’s worth knowing. It’s worth rehearsing.

Grace to you.

¹His name was Jerry Brown. Brown was elected to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor in 2010 and currently serves in that position.

²Americans call this drink “Kool Aid.” To “drink the Kool Aid” has become a commonly used metaphor for buying into dangerous thinking.