I'm realizing more and more the importance of family. I don't think it's anything extremely deep, just a greater awareness that comes with age. In less than 2 years I've conducted 4 funerals for family members. Actually, they were all on my Mom's side of the family which means we all saw each other more than usual, and we all grieved more than usual. Being that I actually performed the ceremonies, I wasn't able to grieve during the time. It always hit me later. And with the tardy remorse came regrets. I wish I had spent more time, made more trips, and slowed down a little more to cherish the times I had.
Then came a family reunion of sorts last month. Every five years my immediate family gets together. We started it in 1995 and there were just 10 of us. We missed the 2000 get-together as we were out of the country (something my siblings still jab me about). This year there were 25 of us, 10 adults and 15 grandchildren. At least that's the best I can remember. We were all in one house too, for a full week! What a challenge to display Christ-like character. I came with certain expectations, more of myself than of others. I really wanted to be an example, to be kind and selfless. But I found myself asking for forgiveness on more than one occasion.
Upon returning I found myself with the same kind of regrets I had after each of the funerals. I wish I had spent more time cherishing the moments and wished I had slowed down a little more. I really wished I had been more selfless.
It seems that with family it is the easiest to be yourself. And maybe that is the most disturbing thing. The wretch that I thought I acted like is actually the wretch that I am. Deep down I am quite the selfish person and I enjoy running my mouth more than I should. Some of the comments may have been founded on truth, but the truth spoken not in love is a harsh thing. There were certainly better ways to handle it.
So my hope is that in another five years, with a little more maturity, I might be a kinder person, might speak a little less, and might look for ways to serve the needs of others rather than my own needs. I hope to not have as many regrets.
martes, 30 de enero de 2007
viernes, 26 de enero de 2007
Pragmatic Orthodoxy
It seems like the orthodoxy of today's Church is pragmatism. The "need" for theology seems to be diminishing for many evangelicals, being replaced with the how-to's of "doing" church. I don't think this has happened intentionally (the dimming of theology). Many evangelical leaders have admirable goals to reach the lost and disciple believers. But these leaders have maintained just enough biblical theology to keep them from being heretics. However, I think heresy may only be a generation away.
The fundamental element of a high view of the Church as the Bride and joy of Christ has seemingly been forgotten. This has happened as theology has vaporized from our seminaries and our pulpits. In an effort to be practical and to apply truth, leaders have missed the mark. Application has the tendency to become man-centered if it is not grounded in truth. And as pragmatism has grown, truth has been left in the dust.
An example of this is in the area of evangelism. Rather than holding to the biblical view that it is God who saves, the Church has spurred the notion that individuals are responsible for saving people. Evangelistic methodology leaves behind the sovereignty of God in favor for submission to His working. It's all done in good faith. Numbers are defended as souls, leaders argue. But Christ's mandate to go to all the World and make disciples was never defined by methodology or numbers. Instead, He said, "as you are going." It is a lifestyle, not a method, or a task. Contemporary leaders argue that their methodology is a lifestyle, but this is not true. Furthermore, Jesus' mandate was under girded by truth. "All that are mine," He said, would be saved. This means that the blood of the lost is not on the hands of individuals. I'm not suggesting a laissez-faire attitude. Rather, I'm proposing that believers ought to be so saturated by the truth that their speech and their actions is at all times evangelistic, not just at moments in a method. Further explanation is needed for the critics, but I think the point stands. Proof enough is that most evangelicals, even the ones trained in methodology, can clearly articulate what the Gospel actually is.
If Jesus is the Head of the Church, and the Church is his Bride and joy, then we who are members of the Body ought to live as subjects of the King. Instead, we act as executives who can rewrite the rules and cook the books, much like many current corporate scandals. Listen to many evangelical pastors and you'll hear them talk more about what numbers they're running in Sunday School than in the real life changes that should be taking place in the Body. Truth will bring about such change, not pragmatism.
If the tide is to turn from an orthodoxy of pragmatism, to an orthodoxy of truth, it must begin in the pulpits. Furthermore, the seminaries must be guarded, as Paul instructed Timothy to guard the trust that had been given to him. As truth transforms lives, real change will come about. Not the kind of change that makes for good books or sell-out conferences, but real dynamic life-change, wrought by the Holy Spirit. The Church will then look like its biblical definition, those who are Christ's, not an event to attract unbelievers.
I hope that in my own life I can really get this. The little Pharisee inside of me likes pragmatism. It's measurable, and that feels good. But God delights in obedience, not a sacrifice (methodology). That is exactly what became of Israel. They prided themselves in their system (not a bad system). But the point of the system was not the system itself. And so our methodology should not be an end in and of itself. Rather, application, when it is grounded in truth, points to a God who saves and sanctifies for His own pleasure, not our gratification. So in my own life, I must begin not with a method, but with a personal relationship that is to the credit of Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory!
The fundamental element of a high view of the Church as the Bride and joy of Christ has seemingly been forgotten. This has happened as theology has vaporized from our seminaries and our pulpits. In an effort to be practical and to apply truth, leaders have missed the mark. Application has the tendency to become man-centered if it is not grounded in truth. And as pragmatism has grown, truth has been left in the dust.
An example of this is in the area of evangelism. Rather than holding to the biblical view that it is God who saves, the Church has spurred the notion that individuals are responsible for saving people. Evangelistic methodology leaves behind the sovereignty of God in favor for submission to His working. It's all done in good faith. Numbers are defended as souls, leaders argue. But Christ's mandate to go to all the World and make disciples was never defined by methodology or numbers. Instead, He said, "as you are going." It is a lifestyle, not a method, or a task. Contemporary leaders argue that their methodology is a lifestyle, but this is not true. Furthermore, Jesus' mandate was under girded by truth. "All that are mine," He said, would be saved. This means that the blood of the lost is not on the hands of individuals. I'm not suggesting a laissez-faire attitude. Rather, I'm proposing that believers ought to be so saturated by the truth that their speech and their actions is at all times evangelistic, not just at moments in a method. Further explanation is needed for the critics, but I think the point stands. Proof enough is that most evangelicals, even the ones trained in methodology, can clearly articulate what the Gospel actually is.
If Jesus is the Head of the Church, and the Church is his Bride and joy, then we who are members of the Body ought to live as subjects of the King. Instead, we act as executives who can rewrite the rules and cook the books, much like many current corporate scandals. Listen to many evangelical pastors and you'll hear them talk more about what numbers they're running in Sunday School than in the real life changes that should be taking place in the Body. Truth will bring about such change, not pragmatism.
If the tide is to turn from an orthodoxy of pragmatism, to an orthodoxy of truth, it must begin in the pulpits. Furthermore, the seminaries must be guarded, as Paul instructed Timothy to guard the trust that had been given to him. As truth transforms lives, real change will come about. Not the kind of change that makes for good books or sell-out conferences, but real dynamic life-change, wrought by the Holy Spirit. The Church will then look like its biblical definition, those who are Christ's, not an event to attract unbelievers.
I hope that in my own life I can really get this. The little Pharisee inside of me likes pragmatism. It's measurable, and that feels good. But God delights in obedience, not a sacrifice (methodology). That is exactly what became of Israel. They prided themselves in their system (not a bad system). But the point of the system was not the system itself. And so our methodology should not be an end in and of itself. Rather, application, when it is grounded in truth, points to a God who saves and sanctifies for His own pleasure, not our gratification. So in my own life, I must begin not with a method, but with a personal relationship that is to the credit of Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory!
jueves, 25 de enero de 2007
The god of ease
I've been thinking quite a bit about our culture's enslavement to materialism and ease. I think most would concur that we live in a materialistic society but I'm not sure how many realize the co-god of convenience has his grip of our lives as well. I think it's more a problem of my generation than my parent's. Their generation knew how to save up for things, to wait for things, to do without and simply how to make things work in their present situation. But my generation has credit cards. When our things break we just replace them. We like things to be disposable. If we don't have money to replace it, we just charge it.
I'm guilty of this enslavement. I look at how I handle problems and how I've simply answered the "needs" and wants of my own life. My parents’ generation learned how to fix things, or they often did without. If my TV were to break, I'd probably go to the store that day and buy a new one. I think that the god of materialism and the god of ease work hand-in-hand.
As with all of our societies' ailments, the problem lies not externally, but internally. These are problems of the heart. Even though my parent's generation may not have always looked to God to meet their needs, their wants were kept in check by the morals that were instilled by their parents (the ones who lived through the Depression and World War 2).
But we (my generation) have been handed everything on a silver platter. We're the generation that has learned that everything should be ours, our way, right away. We're the instant generation. And so, I think as Christians, we have lost sight of God as Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. We don't know how to pray for things, to wait and see God work and provide. We know only how to provide for ourselves, or let Visa provide it for us.
What complicates this problem further is that we have lost what it means to want. I don't mean that we don't want things. We want and lust with the best of them. But what makes desire such a wonderful thing (and it can be a wonderful thing) is so intertwined with desire itself. If we want something and then immediately fulfill that want, then desire has no time to germinate and grow. I can want a good thing, but when I don't wait to fulfill that want, I miss out on the growth and beauty of desire. I go get what I want and satisfy my want, and suddenly I want something else. Desire is never really fulfilled because it was never able to grow. I think of this with my own children. If I immediately fulfill all their wants, they never learn what it really means to have desire fulfilled. They begin to see life merely as a game of getting. And then I duplicate in them the idol worship of ease.
I can illustrate this in my son's desire to play ball. There's nothing wrong with playing ball. It is actually a good thing, and often something we don't have enough time to do. But if I drop everything every time he wants to play ball, and we go play together, I teach him nothing about the reality of life. He doesn't understand that there are some times when Daddy must work, or Daddy needs to spend time with Mom, or he needs to do chores, etc... The same is true with toys. If I buy him everything he wants, he learns nothing of wanting and needing. He just learns to do whatever it takes to get. But when he has to wait for something (a toy, time to play, etc...) his desire grows. He learns patience. And then, when the right time comes, the desire is fulfilled. Yet half the pleasure is not in the fulfillment, but in the waiting for the fulfillment.
So as adults, there are so many times when we miss out on God providing our wants because we fulfill these ourselves. We lose the joy of the fulfillment because we haven't had to wait. The fulfillment is shallow and almost void. And then we move on quickly to fulfill our next want. We have to learn to stop this spiral.
When I entered adulthood, I longed to be married. As a young adult, I almost settled for immediate fulfillment. I was engaged at 19 and thought this would bring me the ultimate happiness. But God protected me and my desire was not fulfilled for nearly 6 years. But my desire grew and grew, and I grew. And when the Lord brought the right young woman into my life, I found the fulfillment that He intended in marriage. Had I settled, I would have had immediate gratification, but it would have been short-lived and would certainly have been followed by years of heartache.
So now, as I look at the present needs and wants in my life, I'm trying to learn to wait. And this is not to be a waiting for waiting's sake, but a waiting on the Lord. As I do this, my desire and yearning grows. Yet, when it is fulfilled in the Lord's timing, I will enjoy true fulfillment. Surely there are many wrong desires in my life. And when I am unsure what my motives are (whether they are righteous or not), I must simply wait. If the Lord doesn't provide, then I know what kind of desire that was.
I hope that as I grow, I will learn to be more content, and more patient. I know that as I do this I will be more likely to be content not in my circumstances but in Christ. It is truly a struggle. Yet if my generation doesn't learn to struggle through this, we will be in danger of gaining the world (materialism) but losing our soul.
I'm guilty of this enslavement. I look at how I handle problems and how I've simply answered the "needs" and wants of my own life. My parents’ generation learned how to fix things, or they often did without. If my TV were to break, I'd probably go to the store that day and buy a new one. I think that the god of materialism and the god of ease work hand-in-hand.
As with all of our societies' ailments, the problem lies not externally, but internally. These are problems of the heart. Even though my parent's generation may not have always looked to God to meet their needs, their wants were kept in check by the morals that were instilled by their parents (the ones who lived through the Depression and World War 2).
But we (my generation) have been handed everything on a silver platter. We're the generation that has learned that everything should be ours, our way, right away. We're the instant generation. And so, I think as Christians, we have lost sight of God as Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. We don't know how to pray for things, to wait and see God work and provide. We know only how to provide for ourselves, or let Visa provide it for us.
What complicates this problem further is that we have lost what it means to want. I don't mean that we don't want things. We want and lust with the best of them. But what makes desire such a wonderful thing (and it can be a wonderful thing) is so intertwined with desire itself. If we want something and then immediately fulfill that want, then desire has no time to germinate and grow. I can want a good thing, but when I don't wait to fulfill that want, I miss out on the growth and beauty of desire. I go get what I want and satisfy my want, and suddenly I want something else. Desire is never really fulfilled because it was never able to grow. I think of this with my own children. If I immediately fulfill all their wants, they never learn what it really means to have desire fulfilled. They begin to see life merely as a game of getting. And then I duplicate in them the idol worship of ease.
I can illustrate this in my son's desire to play ball. There's nothing wrong with playing ball. It is actually a good thing, and often something we don't have enough time to do. But if I drop everything every time he wants to play ball, and we go play together, I teach him nothing about the reality of life. He doesn't understand that there are some times when Daddy must work, or Daddy needs to spend time with Mom, or he needs to do chores, etc... The same is true with toys. If I buy him everything he wants, he learns nothing of wanting and needing. He just learns to do whatever it takes to get. But when he has to wait for something (a toy, time to play, etc...) his desire grows. He learns patience. And then, when the right time comes, the desire is fulfilled. Yet half the pleasure is not in the fulfillment, but in the waiting for the fulfillment.
So as adults, there are so many times when we miss out on God providing our wants because we fulfill these ourselves. We lose the joy of the fulfillment because we haven't had to wait. The fulfillment is shallow and almost void. And then we move on quickly to fulfill our next want. We have to learn to stop this spiral.
When I entered adulthood, I longed to be married. As a young adult, I almost settled for immediate fulfillment. I was engaged at 19 and thought this would bring me the ultimate happiness. But God protected me and my desire was not fulfilled for nearly 6 years. But my desire grew and grew, and I grew. And when the Lord brought the right young woman into my life, I found the fulfillment that He intended in marriage. Had I settled, I would have had immediate gratification, but it would have been short-lived and would certainly have been followed by years of heartache.
So now, as I look at the present needs and wants in my life, I'm trying to learn to wait. And this is not to be a waiting for waiting's sake, but a waiting on the Lord. As I do this, my desire and yearning grows. Yet, when it is fulfilled in the Lord's timing, I will enjoy true fulfillment. Surely there are many wrong desires in my life. And when I am unsure what my motives are (whether they are righteous or not), I must simply wait. If the Lord doesn't provide, then I know what kind of desire that was.
I hope that as I grow, I will learn to be more content, and more patient. I know that as I do this I will be more likely to be content not in my circumstances but in Christ. It is truly a struggle. Yet if my generation doesn't learn to struggle through this, we will be in danger of gaining the world (materialism) but losing our soul.
miércoles, 24 de enero de 2007
Enslaved to Materialism and Convenience
I'm not sure that enslaved is the right word to use, but I've concluded that we are at least (my generation of 30-somethings and younger) obsessed with stuff (materialism) and ease (convenience). I am NOT saying that materialism or convenience-ism is limited to our age group. (I simply believe that we have to answer the problem). I don't think too many people would stand up to argue against the notion that America is consumed in the quest for getting more stuff. It's everywhere...from cars to clothes to electronics to home decor...the rage for more junk never ends. I live in an upper middle-class world of doctors, lawyer, business owners, and executives. But I'm definitely not even middle-class (maybe lower-middle class). The sheet metal in the parking lot (the cars) cost individually more than my annual salary for the most part.
The thing that I've noticed, and why I write those details, is that financial standing is all about perspective. I know one individual who I have regular contact with who equates his financial standing with mine. I always think, "you make a six-figure salary and you're talking about being in the same boat with me making in the low twenties (at the time)?" How could he think his struggles were like mine? His children are grown and married, his wife works, he has his own business and another side income and he wants to compare his financial "struggles" with mine! The answer to these questions is perspective. He doesn't see my struggle compared to his because he only looks at life through his self-centered spectacles. And we all do it! I'm not just picking on one person here. We are all absorbed in our own quest for more junk but we'll never admit it because we don't have a correct perspective.
As Christians I think this is especially sad. We do the same thing the world does by comparing our level of stuff with people who have more and say "I'm not a materialist!" People think that if they only spend $50,000 on an SUV that they are not a materialist because so-and-so spent $80,000 on theirs and that was a little over-the-top. "They're sooo materialistic!" We do this with our houses, our clothes, our... you name it. I don't think I have the simple answer that most of us would like (because of our obsession with convenience), but I feel pretty strong in concluding that we're sick.
So I'll have to come back to this and say more about perspective and then deal with this issue of convenience, which may be indeed what drives much of our materialism...but later.
The thing that I've noticed, and why I write those details, is that financial standing is all about perspective. I know one individual who I have regular contact with who equates his financial standing with mine. I always think, "you make a six-figure salary and you're talking about being in the same boat with me making in the low twenties (at the time)?" How could he think his struggles were like mine? His children are grown and married, his wife works, he has his own business and another side income and he wants to compare his financial "struggles" with mine! The answer to these questions is perspective. He doesn't see my struggle compared to his because he only looks at life through his self-centered spectacles. And we all do it! I'm not just picking on one person here. We are all absorbed in our own quest for more junk but we'll never admit it because we don't have a correct perspective.
As Christians I think this is especially sad. We do the same thing the world does by comparing our level of stuff with people who have more and say "I'm not a materialist!" People think that if they only spend $50,000 on an SUV that they are not a materialist because so-and-so spent $80,000 on theirs and that was a little over-the-top. "They're sooo materialistic!" We do this with our houses, our clothes, our... you name it. I don't think I have the simple answer that most of us would like (because of our obsession with convenience), but I feel pretty strong in concluding that we're sick.
So I'll have to come back to this and say more about perspective and then deal with this issue of convenience, which may be indeed what drives much of our materialism...but later.
domingo, 14 de enero de 2007
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I recently reflected on this post I made last year:
Yesterday was the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. It's kind of a strange day because I think most people don't really think about it other than a day they might have off and the mail doesn't run. Kind of like President's Day or Columbus Day. I think especially for us white people, most just don't get it. We have no clue the sacrifice that King made standing up in the face of hatred and prejudice. I always seem to hear how he wasn't perfect (morally) from white folks. But neither were any of our Presidents or Christopher Columbus. Yet we "celebrate" those days and what they represent. I know I don't get it either. I was born in the early '70's so that by the time I was growing up in the '80's much had changed from the '50's and before. Plus I had parents who were probably a little more intentional about rejecting racism than many in the South. And I grew up in a church that started as a result of a stand against racism in the late '60's. But I still don't get it. But I do know that I hurt and grieve to think how blacks were treated. To think that they were regarded as sub-human is heart-wrenching. I watched the parade in Gainesville yesterday down on the square. As the marchers approached, the singing of "Amen" grew louder and louder. It was almost surreal. Then, like watching a film from the 1960's, I saw a group of a few hundred African Americans (and a few white folks) march by, singing, some smiling, some somber. In the midst of the crowd were two young children (maybe a brother and sister, 8-10 years old). They were lively, like children are, kind of playing. I thought, "they don't even know what this is all about. I wonder if they will ever understand." Then, from behind them came someone who might have been their grandmother. She knew. She was old enough to remember. This was not something to take lightly. She lovingly buth firmly put her arms around them and whispered something. I thought, "that will help." We still have a long way to go; a long way before all men are treated equally. Racism is not a political issue, but a heart issue and the only way it can be dealt with successfully is on the heart level. Sure, legislation is a guide and a guard in all matters moral (all legislation is in some ways moral), but it won't make racism disappear. Only individuals, of all colors, changing their hearts, or rather begging for God to change their hearts, can really bring about change. It will first change homes and families, then communities, cities, states, then the world. Dr. King's dream wasn't for a black America in one corner and a white America in another. His dream was for "all God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants - will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last.'" I hope that my children will live their lives a little more free than I am. Free from prejudice, bigotry, and hatred.
Yesterday was the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. It's kind of a strange day because I think most people don't really think about it other than a day they might have off and the mail doesn't run. Kind of like President's Day or Columbus Day. I think especially for us white people, most just don't get it. We have no clue the sacrifice that King made standing up in the face of hatred and prejudice. I always seem to hear how he wasn't perfect (morally) from white folks. But neither were any of our Presidents or Christopher Columbus. Yet we "celebrate" those days and what they represent. I know I don't get it either. I was born in the early '70's so that by the time I was growing up in the '80's much had changed from the '50's and before. Plus I had parents who were probably a little more intentional about rejecting racism than many in the South. And I grew up in a church that started as a result of a stand against racism in the late '60's. But I still don't get it. But I do know that I hurt and grieve to think how blacks were treated. To think that they were regarded as sub-human is heart-wrenching. I watched the parade in Gainesville yesterday down on the square. As the marchers approached, the singing of "Amen" grew louder and louder. It was almost surreal. Then, like watching a film from the 1960's, I saw a group of a few hundred African Americans (and a few white folks) march by, singing, some smiling, some somber. In the midst of the crowd were two young children (maybe a brother and sister, 8-10 years old). They were lively, like children are, kind of playing. I thought, "they don't even know what this is all about. I wonder if they will ever understand." Then, from behind them came someone who might have been their grandmother. She knew. She was old enough to remember. This was not something to take lightly. She lovingly buth firmly put her arms around them and whispered something. I thought, "that will help." We still have a long way to go; a long way before all men are treated equally. Racism is not a political issue, but a heart issue and the only way it can be dealt with successfully is on the heart level. Sure, legislation is a guide and a guard in all matters moral (all legislation is in some ways moral), but it won't make racism disappear. Only individuals, of all colors, changing their hearts, or rather begging for God to change their hearts, can really bring about change. It will first change homes and families, then communities, cities, states, then the world. Dr. King's dream wasn't for a black America in one corner and a white America in another. His dream was for "all God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants - will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last.'" I hope that my children will live their lives a little more free than I am. Free from prejudice, bigotry, and hatred.
sábado, 13 de enero de 2007
What is bovine theology?
It sounds almost sacrilegious. But the term was born during my preparation to preach my first sermon. I had been asked to preach, on a Sunday night, in the church I was on staff at as a youth pastor. I'd spoken to the youth plenty of times, taught Bible studies to young folks and adults, but never been in the pulpit. I didn't know what to do. I hadn't been to seminary. I was 24 years old. What else was there to do other than plagiarize? So I selected one of my favorite R.C. Sproul tapes and went from there.
There really was nothing original in the sermon, except for my illustrations. The text and the points were all taken from R.C. I don’t even know where that tape is now, and I don’t remember what he titled the sermon. But the text was 1 Samuel 4:18-6:14, and the focus was mainly on the last three verses. The point of the sermon (and there really was only one point) was that God is sovereign even over what seems like very little details in life (like a couple of cows).
I’d been really pounded over the head by this notion. I lived like God was impotent. I never would have said that but I really did act like it. I freaked out all the time. I mean really stressed out over things. But as the moments unfolded in each situation, God suddenly showed me that everything was quite under control and He was indeed working all things together for good. I’d like to tell you that I’ve now, nearly 9 years later, mastered this issue of faith. But I haven’t.
The story went like this. Eli was ruling as a judge in Israel. He had two sons, Hophni and Phineas, who were ungodly to say the least. He failed as a father in many ways, even though he was the spiritual leader of Israel for 40 years (sound familiar?). The Philistines were Israel’s archrival and they were constantly embattled with them. In an attempt to achieve a victory, Israel decided to take the Ark of the Covenant into battle like it was a good luck charm. Well you guessed it, the Philistines won and they took the Ark. Eli’s sons were killed in battle and when he received the news he fell over dead. So the Philistines have this Ark and they have no idea what’s in store for them. God sends plagues against them. They try moving the Ark. Everywhere it goes the plagues follow. They catch on quick enough. So they decide to take a couple of cows and hitch them up to a cart that would carry the Ark. They had better theology that Israel (who thought it was a good luck charm) because they said, “If the cows take it back to Israel then we’ll know this Ark is the reason for the plagues.” One note of import is that the cows shouldn’t have left and gone anywhere. They should have stayed with momma because they’d just been weaned and had never been hitched. In other words, it wouldn’t be natural for them just to take off, let alone in the right direction (toward Israel). But they did. And the Bible says they turned neither to the left or the right but went straight in the direction they were to go.
So a couple of cows taught both the Philistines and Israel a lot about God that day. They had better theology than God’s people whom He’d given a great deal of general and special revelation to. So, my first sermon title was this: “He is There: Arguments for the existence of God according to bovine theology.” I’m not kidding. I actually used that. Oh what fun it was to be young and dumb. It was a lot more fun than being older and dumb like I am now. Oh yes, and the nod to Francis Schaeffer was intentional.
So when I candidated at the next church I served at (even though at the time I didn’t know I was candidating…but that’s another story), I preached that sermon. After all, it was the only one I had. And from that, the term “bovine theology” kind of stuck. Anytime there was an opportunity to trust God’s sovereignty (or an incident where we didn’t) you could often hear a reference to bovine theology.
I like the term and the idea behind it, mainly because it is so profound and really should be life changing…if I would just consistently believe it. But I find myself going through life, getting all stressed out quite regularly when things don’t go as I think they should. So I thought Bovine Theology would make a good theme for a blog. I don’t know that I’ll always write about matters relating to God’s sovereignty, but it seems like a good enough idea to prompt plenty of thoughts for writing. So here’s to yet another attempt to begin blogging (again). Maybe I can stick with it this time. - JSW
There really was nothing original in the sermon, except for my illustrations. The text and the points were all taken from R.C. I don’t even know where that tape is now, and I don’t remember what he titled the sermon. But the text was 1 Samuel 4:18-6:14, and the focus was mainly on the last three verses. The point of the sermon (and there really was only one point) was that God is sovereign even over what seems like very little details in life (like a couple of cows).
I’d been really pounded over the head by this notion. I lived like God was impotent. I never would have said that but I really did act like it. I freaked out all the time. I mean really stressed out over things. But as the moments unfolded in each situation, God suddenly showed me that everything was quite under control and He was indeed working all things together for good. I’d like to tell you that I’ve now, nearly 9 years later, mastered this issue of faith. But I haven’t.
The story went like this. Eli was ruling as a judge in Israel. He had two sons, Hophni and Phineas, who were ungodly to say the least. He failed as a father in many ways, even though he was the spiritual leader of Israel for 40 years (sound familiar?). The Philistines were Israel’s archrival and they were constantly embattled with them. In an attempt to achieve a victory, Israel decided to take the Ark of the Covenant into battle like it was a good luck charm. Well you guessed it, the Philistines won and they took the Ark. Eli’s sons were killed in battle and when he received the news he fell over dead. So the Philistines have this Ark and they have no idea what’s in store for them. God sends plagues against them. They try moving the Ark. Everywhere it goes the plagues follow. They catch on quick enough. So they decide to take a couple of cows and hitch them up to a cart that would carry the Ark. They had better theology that Israel (who thought it was a good luck charm) because they said, “If the cows take it back to Israel then we’ll know this Ark is the reason for the plagues.” One note of import is that the cows shouldn’t have left and gone anywhere. They should have stayed with momma because they’d just been weaned and had never been hitched. In other words, it wouldn’t be natural for them just to take off, let alone in the right direction (toward Israel). But they did. And the Bible says they turned neither to the left or the right but went straight in the direction they were to go.
So a couple of cows taught both the Philistines and Israel a lot about God that day. They had better theology than God’s people whom He’d given a great deal of general and special revelation to. So, my first sermon title was this: “He is There: Arguments for the existence of God according to bovine theology.” I’m not kidding. I actually used that. Oh what fun it was to be young and dumb. It was a lot more fun than being older and dumb like I am now. Oh yes, and the nod to Francis Schaeffer was intentional.
So when I candidated at the next church I served at (even though at the time I didn’t know I was candidating…but that’s another story), I preached that sermon. After all, it was the only one I had. And from that, the term “bovine theology” kind of stuck. Anytime there was an opportunity to trust God’s sovereignty (or an incident where we didn’t) you could often hear a reference to bovine theology.
I like the term and the idea behind it, mainly because it is so profound and really should be life changing…if I would just consistently believe it. But I find myself going through life, getting all stressed out quite regularly when things don’t go as I think they should. So I thought Bovine Theology would make a good theme for a blog. I don’t know that I’ll always write about matters relating to God’s sovereignty, but it seems like a good enough idea to prompt plenty of thoughts for writing. So here’s to yet another attempt to begin blogging (again). Maybe I can stick with it this time. - JSW
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