15 January 2007 at 8:39 pm (God stuff)
There is a phrase that seems to be gaining steam throughout the country we live in. I have actually heard this phrase used for some time but have only recently heard it being used extensively in the church. The phrase I am referring to is more so the introduction to a thought or belief. Are you ready? I am baffled that so many “Christians” are willing to say things like, “The God I know . . .” (fill in the rest).
Some endings to that phrase might be, but are not limited to the following:
1. The God I know is a loving God and would never let anyone experience pain.
2. The God I know would never let anyone spend eternity in hell.
3. The God I know would never let bad things happen to good people.
These phrases speak volumes about one’s belief in God. It has come to my attention that all too often we try to get God to fit into our boxes of conformity. In doing so, we make God into something that He most definitely is not, and if a “Christian” is guilty of such an action, then he not only deceives himself, but he cheats any unbelieving hearers out of the truth. We, as sinful and depraved humans, believe we know best, and by making such statements, produce insight into our theological beliefs whether intentional or not. I will respond to the first statement here and the following two statements later in the week.
#1 – The God I know is a loving God and would never let anyone experience pain.
On the surface, this statement seems to be true, and actually the first part is true. 1 John 4:8 says, “God is love,” but making such a statement meshes biblical truths with human emotions and creations. It is plenty okay to reference God’s love and His abundant grace, but to focus on God’s love leads believers down a dangerous road. God does not possess merely one attribute; instead, He embodies many attributes that work in perfect harmony with one another. It is true that God is love, but He is also just, all-knowing, everywhere, gracious and powerful. These are just a few of His attributes.
Emotional theology is problematic in our churches. When we begin to put God into a box because we don’t like the way things turn out, we diminish who He is. May we never forget, the world we inhabit is filled with depraved humans who can never achieve goodness apart from God. If you don’t believe me, watch a couple of 5-year-olds play for about 10 minutes and see how long it takes for one to do something evil or mean to the other. Trust me, it won’t take 10 minutes.
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13 January 2007 at 2:41 am (Army, Chaplaincy, God stuff)
As I shared in one of my earlier entries, upon resigning from our current church and before making the trip to Ft. Jackson for CHOBC, I must move my family. Since we live in a parsonage, the four of us must move before we can move. This has actually been one of my biggest stressors.
I like to plan. Now this doesn’t mean that I never procrastinate, but when it comes to my family I am on top of things. I am typical man . . . when it comes to wanting to provide for my family, I want to know how to accomplish the providing.
My wife and I have hoped to move closer to her family so while I am at CHOBC, and she is caring for our 2 ½ year old and 3 month old, she can get some help with the kids. So, beginning at the first of the year, her parents began asking around about places for us to live and a few possibilities opened up. Well, yesterday God came through in this specific area with a huge provision. One of the before mentioned places is a parsonage at a church near their community. The pastor doesn’t use the house since the church made the commitment long ago to open it up to missionaries or other ministers in need. Upon hearing of our situation, they have said we can have the house, move into and out of it when ever we please, and we don’t have to pay any rent. All we have to pay are our utilities. God is so awesome.
When all is said and done, the only One who can receive credit is the Lord God Almighty. There have been a number of times over the past few months where God continues to confirm that this is in fact the path He desires us to walk. I would never call them “open doors,” but they are major provisions and once again prove He is still and always will be in control.
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4 January 2007 at 7:41 pm (Army, Chaplaincy, God stuff)
I came across an article as of late that captured my attention. The title of the article was “General Wants Gay Ban Lifted.” Now for those of you that might not know, the military has a policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and concerns those claiming to be homosexuals. The military does not ask applying soldiers their sexual preference (Don’t Ask), but soldiers are not allowed to be homosexuals and if they are found out then they are discharged (Don’t Tell).
Now I want to say up front that I have absolutely no military experience whatsoever. I have fired a 12-guage shotgun a few times in my life and a rifle of some sort once, and this is the extent of my weaponry training. Also, I have not been to any military colleges and taken classes designed to teach our brave men and women about military strategy and how to fight battles and wars. Therefore, I do not address this article militarily but religiously.
I do not know the general from the above article (I encourage you to read the article – just click on the link above) and I do believe it is safe to say that he is not the first person to speak of a “need” to eliminate the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. My question with the article affects chaplains in the military: If soldiers were allowed to practice homosexuality, would chaplains be allowed to call homosexuality a sin? I believe this is a pertinent question that needs addressing since many chaplains (major and hopeful assumption) would in fact take such a position. Another question comes to mind: Now that democrats control the House and Senate (not that all democrats are pro-homosexual marriage), is this actually a real possibility?
To address the main question, I must first state that I am an expository preacher. I say this because I do not go around looking for “topics” to preach on. I tend to preach through books of the Bible and therefore hit a number of the “topics,” homosexuality included, worth preaching on. I also never preach with the intention of “getting” someone, but I do believe the Word of God is offensive at its core. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” – AN OFFENSIVE VERSE!!! If, when preaching through a book of the Bible, say 1 Corinthians, and being true to scripture point out that homosexuality is not an acceptable lifestyle in the eyes of God, would I be in jeopardy of retribution from a soldier whose lifestyle is now condoned by the military?
I really have no answers to my questions although I would like to think that chaplains will always be able to preach their convictions (within reason). I do know that I don’t intentionally preach on topics, but I do address topics of interest as I preach through the Bible. I also know that a chaplain cannot and must not compromise his or her own beliefs to appease a policy. Maybe this will be some food for thought and give you something else to pray for.
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