Today is Memorial Day on which we in America remember those who have served and died in the defense of their country. For many, it is just another day to be off from work and an excuse to drink beer and eat barbecue. Some within the Christian community question whether Christians should have anything to do with this holiday, or with the military at all.
Philip Gulley, a Quaker minister, in If the Church Were Christian (***), recounts how one Quaker church erupted into controversy after one of its members joined the military. Quakers take a pacifist stance and many say that a Christian can not be a soldier.
Perhaps some of them have been listening to their Inner Light more than to their Bible. There is a proper respect due to government and the military and they serve a useful function; the protection of the people and the preservation of the peace. That subject is for a later post to this blog.
On the subject of soldiers themselves, the attitude of the Bible is generally that they are honorable men, especially the Roman Centurions who were entrusted with the supervision of 100 soldiers. Two of the Centurions are named; Cornelius (Acts 10) and Julius (Acts 27).
Mentions of Roman Centurions in the Bible:
Matthew 8: 5-13; 27:54; Luke 7: 2-10; Acts 10; 22: 25; 23:17; 27:1-43
*** : I am preparing a detailed, chapter by chapter response to Philip Gulley's book, If the Church Were Christian. Rediscovering the Values of Jesus (2010).
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
W. A. Criswell About His Church ... And Yours
"I would be shocked to find half of my church in Heaven." Wally Amos Criswell
He meant exactly what it sounds like he meant. He knew that people "join the church" for numerous reasons; some for social connections, some because someone they love wants them to, some to demonstrate what a good person they are, some because it will good for the kids, some for the opportunity to be part of something, some to meet girls, some because it's the right thing to do, and on and on and on. Oh, and a few really do love the Lord.
He meant exactly what it sounds like he meant. He knew that people "join the church" for numerous reasons; some for social connections, some because someone they love wants them to, some to demonstrate what a good person they are, some because it will good for the kids, some for the opportunity to be part of something, some to meet girls, some because it's the right thing to do, and on and on and on. Oh, and a few really do love the Lord.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Christians
At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian. Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions. This is a recurring segment in this blog.
Arius: (b. ca. 250/256, Egypt or Libya – d. 336) Arius was a priest in Alexandria who taught that Jesus was a created being, a man elevated to deity through his obedience to God. His teachings were declared to be heretical.
Zaccheus: Zaccheus was the chief tax collector at Jericho. In Luke 19:1-10 his story is told. As a very short man, he couldn’t see over the crowd so he climbed a tree in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus called him down from the tree by name and ate that night at his house. Zaccheus responded to Jesus’s call by more than paying back anyone he had ever cheated and becoming a benefactor rather than a taker. Roman Catholic tradition says he was also named Mathias and took the place of Judas Iscariot among the Twelve Apostles. He was possibly the first bishop of Caesarea.
Master of the Playing Cards: (fl. 1430-1450, Germany or Switzerland) An engraver, painter, and printer named for his 106 known engravings.
Rich Mullins: (b. 1955, Indiana – d. 1997) Quaker, songwriter, singer, musician. All profits from his recordings and concerts went directly to his church, from which he drew only a small salary. He died in a traffic accident.
Marva J. Gersmehl: (b. 1948, Ohio, aka: Marva J. Dawn) Theologian, educator, musician, author. She teaches that small acts of faith can have profound consequences on the world. She believes that “entertainment based” worship services are not true evangelism or true worship.
Arius: (b. ca. 250/256, Egypt or Libya – d. 336) Arius was a priest in Alexandria who taught that Jesus was a created being, a man elevated to deity through his obedience to God. His teachings were declared to be heretical.
Zaccheus: Zaccheus was the chief tax collector at Jericho. In Luke 19:1-10 his story is told. As a very short man, he couldn’t see over the crowd so he climbed a tree in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus called him down from the tree by name and ate that night at his house. Zaccheus responded to Jesus’s call by more than paying back anyone he had ever cheated and becoming a benefactor rather than a taker. Roman Catholic tradition says he was also named Mathias and took the place of Judas Iscariot among the Twelve Apostles. He was possibly the first bishop of Caesarea.
Master of the Playing Cards: (fl. 1430-1450, Germany or Switzerland) An engraver, painter, and printer named for his 106 known engravings.
Rich Mullins: (b. 1955, Indiana – d. 1997) Quaker, songwriter, singer, musician. All profits from his recordings and concerts went directly to his church, from which he drew only a small salary. He died in a traffic accident.
Marva J. Gersmehl: (b. 1948, Ohio, aka: Marva J. Dawn) Theologian, educator, musician, author. She teaches that small acts of faith can have profound consequences on the world. She believes that “entertainment based” worship services are not true evangelism or true worship.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Book Comment: Fifty Key Christian Thinkers
Fifty Key Christian Thinkers, by Peter McEnhill and George Newlands, is an anthology of biographies and discussions about what its title says; "fifty key christian thinkers." It really adds nothing special to the discussion but is a useful introduction to the highly interesting field of Christian biography. Some of the persons mentioned are Justin Martyr, Jurgen Moltmann, Peter Abelard, Basil of Caesarea, Karl Barth, and Friedrich Schleiermacher.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A Rodeo Ministry
Rodeo Ministries is a Pentecostal evangelistic ministry based in Emory, Texas led by Tony and Cindy Shoulders. Their website is at http://www.rodeoministries.org/
Another rodeo based group is www.christianyouthrodeoassociation.com
Another rodeo based group is www.christianyouthrodeoassociation.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Pretzels
The next time you are at a baseball game and are about to stick your giant salted pretzel into the dollop of mustard the vendor gave you, think about this: pretzels have their origins in Christian symbolism.
The baked bread was created by monks (possibly in 610 AD/BCE in Italy) to hand out as treats to children who successfully remembered their prayers. Pretzels rapidly spread across Europe, always carrying their religious significance with them. Dough was formed into long strips which were crossed in the characteristic pattern to resemble a heart in shape, and then were baked. The crossed pattern in the center of the pretzels represented children's arms folded over their chests in prayer and the three holes in the pretzel were meant to stand for the Trinity.
Various derivations have been offered for the name. "Pretiola," Italian for "little rewards," has been suggested. The Italians claim to have made the first pretzels, as do some Greeks, French, and Germans. The German name is "brezel." Some claim the word is derived from the Latin words "bracellus" ("bracelet") or "bracchiola" ("little arms").
Trivia: The marriage euphemism, "tying the knot," reflects the practice of using a pretzel to represent the tying together of two families in marriage.
The baked bread was created by monks (possibly in 610 AD/BCE in Italy) to hand out as treats to children who successfully remembered their prayers. Pretzels rapidly spread across Europe, always carrying their religious significance with them. Dough was formed into long strips which were crossed in the characteristic pattern to resemble a heart in shape, and then were baked. The crossed pattern in the center of the pretzels represented children's arms folded over their chests in prayer and the three holes in the pretzel were meant to stand for the Trinity.
Various derivations have been offered for the name. "Pretiola," Italian for "little rewards," has been suggested. The Italians claim to have made the first pretzels, as do some Greeks, French, and Germans. The German name is "brezel." Some claim the word is derived from the Latin words "bracellus" ("bracelet") or "bracchiola" ("little arms").
Trivia: The marriage euphemism, "tying the knot," reflects the practice of using a pretzel to represent the tying together of two families in marriage.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Book Comment: A Song for Lovers
A Song for Lovers, by S. Craig Glickman, is a new take on The Song of Solomon. There were over 500 known commentaries written before 1700 Ad/CE and no one has stopped yet. In 1657, The Westminster Assembly said that all the commentaries served mainly to increase the cloud of obscurity surrounding the book. Glickman says that this may be because most of the commentaries work overtime to avoid a literal reading of the book, which would provide a Biblical affirmation of sex.
The interpretations include:
1. The book is a collection of unconnected love poems, with no coherent story or moral teaching.
2. The book is a liturgy for an unknown fertility cult.
3. The book is a piece of dramatic fiction about Shulamith's faithfulness to her shepherd lover in spite of Solomon's advances..
4. The book is a spiritual allegory with God as the groom and Israel as the bride; this is the traditional view of Orthodox judaism. Christian versions of this view substitute the Church, the New Israel as the bride. A few have said that the book is a pagan allegory about the deities Baal and Astarte.
5. The Syrian Wedding Feast Theory says the book is a collection of wedding songs for a seven-day festival. One objection to this idea is that the groom is crowned but the supposed queen is not.
Glickman prepared a new interpretation of the Hebrew text and noted especially that that Hebrew has a clearly defined male "you" and a female "you" so that it is possible to tell who is speaking to whom. He says it shows a chaste but intense courtship, a marriage ceremony, and a consummation, described enthusiastically and without flinching.
As Howard G. Hendricks, a professor of Christian Education at the Dallas Theological Seminary says in his introduction to the book, "Sensuous love with erotic overtones is God's intent for the marriage relationship.'
So, is The Song of Solomon an affirmation of chaste but highly sexual married love or is it an allegorical description of the relationship between God and His people?
Maybe it is both. God's ways are not our ways and His mind dwarfs ours. Regular readers of this blog know that, while not convinced, I am at least open to the possibility of the existence of the Bible Codes in, at least, the Torah. This would require a mind able to imbed phrases in seemingly unrelated material using complex mathematical formulae which can best be discovered using super computers. Perhaps God thinks on multiple levels at once. I would be willing to say He does.
The interpretations include:
1. The book is a collection of unconnected love poems, with no coherent story or moral teaching.
2. The book is a liturgy for an unknown fertility cult.
3. The book is a piece of dramatic fiction about Shulamith's faithfulness to her shepherd lover in spite of Solomon's advances..
4. The book is a spiritual allegory with God as the groom and Israel as the bride; this is the traditional view of Orthodox judaism. Christian versions of this view substitute the Church, the New Israel as the bride. A few have said that the book is a pagan allegory about the deities Baal and Astarte.
5. The Syrian Wedding Feast Theory says the book is a collection of wedding songs for a seven-day festival. One objection to this idea is that the groom is crowned but the supposed queen is not.
Glickman prepared a new interpretation of the Hebrew text and noted especially that that Hebrew has a clearly defined male "you" and a female "you" so that it is possible to tell who is speaking to whom. He says it shows a chaste but intense courtship, a marriage ceremony, and a consummation, described enthusiastically and without flinching.
As Howard G. Hendricks, a professor of Christian Education at the Dallas Theological Seminary says in his introduction to the book, "Sensuous love with erotic overtones is God's intent for the marriage relationship.'
So, is The Song of Solomon an affirmation of chaste but highly sexual married love or is it an allegorical description of the relationship between God and His people?
Maybe it is both. God's ways are not our ways and His mind dwarfs ours. Regular readers of this blog know that, while not convinced, I am at least open to the possibility of the existence of the Bible Codes in, at least, the Torah. This would require a mind able to imbed phrases in seemingly unrelated material using complex mathematical formulae which can best be discovered using super computers. Perhaps God thinks on multiple levels at once. I would be willing to say He does.
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