Theology; Demonic, Unavoidable, or both?

A while back I was in a discussion with a friend about theology and some teachings that he embraced which I thought were dangerous. At one point in the discussion he quoted the man who he was receiving most of his teachings from and said, "All theology is demonic. Always." The man he got this idea from is named Brandon Barthrop. The next paragraph contains some of his similar teachings. After these sayings I'd like to address the issue of theology and how it's not only not demonic but unavoidable.

1) "In Jesus' day the demoniacs were naked and lived in the cemetery. Now they wear suits and teach at the seminary." 2) "Religious demons learn the bible in hell by exegesis." 3) "Theology is 100% the tree of knowledge of good and evil, pure soulishness, another name for that tree is... satan." 4) "There is no such thing as 'good theology.' All theology is demonic, and is the knowledge satan had as lucifer while he was a cheribim." 5) "Theology is religious fantasy... it does not contain life." 6) "There is always perfect unity at the top of Mt. Zion. Any division is a result of not knowing the Father. All theology divides." 7) "What's the reason for denominations? Answer: Theology. If everyone's Christianity was based on experience in heaven there would be unity." 8) "The problem with theology is that it is entirely based on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Jesus' tree is experiential, always." 9) "If you need to exegesis, you need an exorcist."

First I'll address the problem with calling theology demonic and then I'll address the unavoidable nature of theology and how we ought to look at it.

The first question we must ask is "What is theology?" Simply, theology is the study of God. It is the study of 'theos' (God in greek). So what then is study? What does it mean to study?

Study is the application of the mind to the acquisition of knowledge, as by reading, investigation, or reflection. In other words, theology is the pursuit of setting our mind towards God. We often use the term 'theology' to speak of both the process and the results of study towards God. (be it reading about God, investigating a matter involving God, or reflecting upon something dealing with God). 

There is no arguing the meaning of theology. The word defines itself. If Barthrop is using theology to mean something other than what has been explained here when he speaks of theology then it is unknown to the public for he never provides a clarification for what he means by the term and he uses the term in the same manner as everyone else. Therefore, he is in agreement, it seems, on the meaning of the term 'theology.'

Is it true that the study of God is demonic, based entirely off Satan or that theology is truly the knowledge of Satan as Barthrop claims? According to scripture, no. Do Satan and the demons, in fact, possess a theology? Of course! In fact, despite their rebellious nature, they often have better theology than humans for they know who God is and it makes them shudder (James 2:19)! They reflect upon God and respond accordingly.

If theology were a tool of Satan, belonging to and deriving from him, then why would his theology allow him to know who God is, in truth, and properly react to him with shudders when encountering him? After all, a house divided against itself can not stand according to Christ Jesus! If theology belongs to Satan then it would work against God. Yet, by it's very name we know it is a part of pursuing the truth of God!* 

More must be said about theology before we are able to expound upon why it is not demonic. Earlier I gave a definition for study. This is key to understanding theology. Study is not mere book learning and philosophical theories. 

Study occurs whenever we hear, see, feel, taste, smell. We have study whenever we encounter an opinion, truth, falsehood, thought, or anything at all and proceed to process it mentally (this is called thought), and then have an idea about the matter/object of which we have encountered. Study is unavoidable for it happens as we live. 

The same is equally true of theology since the world and everything in it is God's (Psalm 89:11, Acts 17:24) and we can't help but have an idea about anything and everything we encounter. When we encounter anything in creation we also experience processes that literally force us to formulate a mental response (and/or conclusion). 

Thus, whenever we hear or read a bit of information we quickly agree, disagree, or settle in confusion about the matter. Even in confusion we form views about that confusion or the contributing factors of that confusion. This is study, this is theology. Since everything we encounter speaks to us in some small way about God and the reality in which he has placed us, and that reality always affects the way we view God, then theology is unavoidable. 

We are all theologians, like it or not. Because we encounter information, we process information, and because we process information we make conclusions about information, and because of this reality we are, without choice, both students and theologians. We can not escape theology. We can either study well or poorly. We can have correct or incorrect conclusions. We can react wisely or foolishly to the theological process with our day to day lives.

When we make study and theology out to be purely academic terms we do ourselves a disservice for we forget that life is a classroom and as human beings we are continually learning and growing, whether we are doing it intentionally or not, whether we are using textbooks or philosophical methods and frameworks of interpretation or not. We are always studying and theologizing. Always. Experience is study, but not the only form of study.

Study happens even as we grow close to others in a relational sense. We don't always call it studying each other, but we're doing exactly that! As we begin to experience one another or learn new information about one another we begin to better understand one another and formulate opinions on how to further interact with one another. It's not at all incorrect to call this natural process 'study.' When we allow others to know more about us through the sharing of information or the granting of experience/encounter then we give them 'revelation.' 

Revelation is a large part of theology. Whenever we encounter revelation we learn something about God (because he's told us something about himself, ourself, or reality itself), and thus our view on God is changed; our theology is engaged and it is altered. 

Revelation comes about through nature (Romans 1:19-20, Psalm 8:3-4) as well as experience and education. Revelation has come through scriptures, prophets, angels, miracles, and the incarnation of God known as Jesus Christ. Revelation is ever occurring and thus study and theology are ever occurring. We learn about God and are theological when we smell the wind carrying the fragrance of fruit from the trees, when we read the words of scripture or song lyrics, when we hear someone's words about truth, life, God or anything at all. This is good.

God, through giving us revelation and the ability to study (both in our senses and in our mental processing) has given us theology. It is a gift, more than anything else we would want to call it, and it is a gift which is to be used to know God more intimately so that we may grow in relationship with him, and carry out his will as a final result. Good theology results in deep love and true intimacy with God. Experience and study are like lovers or best friends, they are bound up together, needing one another, always helping and growing one another. The more we learn of God the more we may experience him and the more we experience him the more we learn of him. It's a complimentary cycle to be embraced. The two bleed into one another and this is why we can say experience is study but there are forms of study which are not based on the five senses.

By default, we engage theology, but we are also directly encouraged to engage in study throughout the scriptures. We are told to seek knowledge and wisdom, to reason and pay attention to instruction, so that we may live well and know God rightly. If theology were satanic then this would make God evil for he is the author and helper of theology, always teaching us about himself through revelation found in creation, our neighbors, the scriptures, and Christ via the work of his Holy Spirit. 

If this were not true then the prophets and apostles and all those who have learned about Christ and spoken of him have been demoniacs for they have also been theologians (without choice). They learned about God, they made conclusions about God, and they even taught others these things which they processed about God! Any person who wants to claim theology is demonic must also claim that no person is able to speak or even think of God without being demonic themselves. Even experiencing God would be demonic in this line of thought. This, of course, turns the person who makes the claim against themselves and thus, their house can not stand. The argument destroys itself. Theology can not be demonic in it's nature. 

Theology can be poor. Someone can have bad theology. By that I mean a person can study poorly by ignoring resources and methods which have bee made readily available to them (such as logic, reason, literacy [if so blessed] etc.) and/or they can reach false or foolish conclusions which result in them having a damaging view of God. Theology is not, by itself, demonic but a person can be demonically influenced and thus have a theology which may be worthily classified as demonic (see footnote).  

We must be careful not to hold study too highly in our hearts. It is entirely possible to neglect experience in the pursuit of knowledge. The two need one another desperately. Knowledge without experience is near pointless as it becomes mere theory and impractical. Also, experience without knowledge goes nowhere of profit, like a waterfall that never hits a pool but carries into an abyss. Knowing about someone (even God) does not mean we truly know him. Experiencing God but never reacting to the experience in any form is not truly experiencing or knowing God either. All experience must be, and undeniably is, mentally processed in some form. 

Experience alone is a horrifying thing because we experience a great many ungodly things and we can be led astray from truth and a healthy relationship with God when we do not have the knowledge and wisdom necessary to compliment our experiences. We may be encountering feelings that amaze or flatter us, but that doesn't mean they build us up. This is why we study the revelations God has given to us in scripture and in Christ; so that we may test what we experience! This is why we are instructed to test the spirits in the New Testament (1 John 4:1-6). We do not do this on prayers and faith in the Holy Spirit alone but in a partnership with the Spirit which consists of our own efforts towards knowing the scriptures and engaging in intentionally study.

Just as the men and women in scripture did not abandon themselves to experience or knowledge alone so we must combine the two, also learning moment to moment. We are responsible and God-honoring when we use all our resources to our fullest ability. If there is good we ought to do and we do not do it then we sin (James 4:17). If we know we can and should learn more of God through the study of scriptures then we ought to do it as we pray, dream, and love. 

Brandon Barthrop teaches that thinking is sinning**, that theology is demonic (deriving from Satan), and that exegesis is an evil tool belonging to hell. 

Exegesis means "to pull meaning out of" something. It's opposer is Eisegesis, which means "to put meaning into."  When we talk about exegetical readings of scriptures we simply mean that we are seeking to understand the original and intended meaning of the text, allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us what this text means. The Holy Spirit uses the gifts of logic and reason in this process, helping us discern what is right and wrong as we think and process what we've read. 

Eisegesis means that when we read something we apply our own meaning to the text, forcing it say what we desire for it to say. This is not a healthy way to read the scripture because, with this strategy, we are forcing the text to mean something that God did not intend but rather that we intended. Eisegesis is a self-serving way to read scripture, it is, in fact, an abuse of God's revelation. 

Barthrop is an expert of eisegesis and has clearly stated his hatred for exegesis. He not only doesn't value the intended meaning of scripture, thinking, and having a view of God but he detests all these things. His own words have confirmed it. This is why he shows such a great lacking for Biblical literacy, making claims that don't contain any reason or sense within them. 

This is also why he desires for people to base everything upon experience alone. He hates God and for people to come close to God. He is doing the work of the enemy by leading people away from thinking, logic, reason, knowledge, wisdom, the intended meaning of scripture, and a true understanding of revelation. He calls what God has given to man for the sake of knowing him 'evil.' Without a doubt, he is a false prophet, and his own words prove it when they stand against the truths of scripture.

So much more could be said concerning Barthrop's words and the need for study alongside experience (we haven't even touched on church tradition or the saints) but I'll let the reader carry that discussion on within themselves or within the comments section of this article. At the end of this, I simply want to encourage everyone to seek God in every possible way, testing all the spirits and teachings with the revelations which God has already given us so that we are not led astray. May we have a healthy and full theology which values exegesis, experience, knowledge, and the Holy Spirit. Peace of Christ be with you.

*At the same time, Satan uses his theology against humanity, for he even tempts Jesus with scripture. As Jesus' responses prove, however, Satan uses a corrupt theology when he desires, twisting the scriptures to do the exact opposite of what God intended for them to do. His theology is good enough to wield it in a rogue manner. His theology is also good enough to know when he has been beat and this is why he does not deny Christ's rebuttals but rather attempts to sway Jesus with another theological twisting. 

**Elsewhere Barthrop writes, "...if ur thinkin ur sinnin." He contrasts this with "if ur drinkin ur winnin..." which is connected to his teachings that the Holy Spirit intoxicates those whom he indwells and that one ought to rely upon the experience and feelings of the Holy Spirit and neglect fleshly activities such as thinking or being reasonable.

Heretical Proverbs

In the past, I wrote a couple blogs about a man named Brandon Barthrop and his Red Letter Ministries. Barthrop claims to have a 7 fold ministry gift of judge, king, apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist, and pastor.  Barthrop has released a second online booklet of his proverbs. I wanted to share a few of his proverbs with you and provide commentary on them. I'm posting this because Barthrop has some heavy influence in my local area recently and his teachings are thus worth examining. 

"Goodness can be so terrible that it corrupts evil." - Goodness can't be terrible; it's good. Goodness can't corrupt; it's good. Evil is evil, it can't be made corrupt, and certainly not by good. However, good can overcome evil according to scripture. This teaching confuses what is good and what is evil. Just as evil can not make evil better, so goodness can not make evil worse. Such claims are rebuked in scripture and, according to certain scholars, are called blasphemies against the Holy Spirit when aimed at the work of God (Matthew 12:22-31). 

"Physical Christ emanating through your pores reveals who you are... A God." - There is only one (1) God. We are humans, not gods. We can never be God. This is made clear in the opening chapters of the Bible when God's eternal nature and man's created nature are revealed. This is also taught throughout the scriptures as people claim there is only one God and it is Yahweh (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) or when they declare the great differences between God and man. Even God himself repeatedly makes it clear that he is vastly different and superior to man (Job 38-42). This is heresy in it's greatest form. This is the same type of lie the serpent told Adam and Eve in the garden; that we can be like God (Genesis 3:4). Literally, the oldest trick in the book. 

"The Hubble telescope is searching for your spirit." - Actually, the Hubble telescope is a piece of man-made technology from the 1990s which takes pictures of space. That's not a lack of faith either, it's just being reasonable. Nothing in scripture gives us reason to think that such man-made inventions actively search for our spirit. Inanimate objects are never spoken of in this way in the scriptures.

"If you ain't high on God, you're low on the devil!" - If God and Satan (the devil) are in opposition then if a prson isn't high, or filled up to a high level, on God, then how can one be low on the devil? This equation makes it seem like you can get more God by getting more devil; the more Satan in your life then the more God in your life. That doesn't make sense and once again makes what is good evil and what is evil good for it makes them the same thing. Perhaps Barthrop is trying to be catchy here but his wit fails him as he makes God and the devil one in the same.

"Love is God. God is Light. Love is Glory." - Scripture says God is love. It does not say that love is God. There is a difference between the two. To say love is God is to make love an idol that replaces the one true God who is the fullness of love and characterized by his love. Love is an attribute of God but not a god itself. God can be defined by love but love can not be defined as God. To call anything less than God "God" is to displace one's worship.

"If ur drinkin ur winnin, if ur thinking ur sinnin." - The Bible never claims that thinking is a sinful activity. In fact, a lack of thought results in a lack of wisdom and knowledge; two things that scripture puts a heavy emphasis on. The result of not thinking is not righteousness or purity but rather foolishness and then sinfulness. Barthrop is promoting a lack of thinking and thus promoting foolishness. He wants to replace a life of experience, feeling, reason and thought with one of feeling and experience alone. Without thinking (a mental processing of information) there is no discernment and with no discernment no one can call out false prophets, which puts the apostles in a really bad spot since that was something they often did. Being aware of false prophets is something that Christians are taught to be. Brandon Barthrop seems to disagree with this and it makes sense since he is a false prophet and doesn't want to be called out. If he can convince his followers to lack the ability or will to think for themselves and use discernment then he can convince them of anything he desires. This is a classic strategy of a cult leader; he leads them to abandon individual thinking and discernment so that his teaching is the only present reality for the follower and this gains him absolute loyalty from the follower and absolute power/influence over the follower.

There you go, a few proverbs from a man who claims to be a prophet of God. Don't take my word for it though, read his words, read the scriptures, and come to a conclusion (also, listen to the Church at large on these issues since she is the body of Christ on earth who carries out the work of God). Any sober reading of scripture will prove that this man is greatly deceived and greatly deceiving in regards to some very important issues. 

You'll Never Be An Angel

Many people have a notion that when they die they shall be given wings and transformed into an angel, maybe even a loved-one's guardian angel. It is a popular belief that angels are an elevated form of human; an improved or superior type of being when compared with man. This is part of the reason why people will call a loved one their "angel" (though I like to think people use it to mean that the person is a messenger/servant of God in disguise as seen in the story of Lot when he lived in Sodom). 

Some Christians even believe these things about angels and humans to be true. In fact, I recently came across a teaching of a man named Brian Barthrop, a false prophet/teacher, who stated, "The more you grow in the glory the more you feel and actually are an angel with a little body suit on." Because these views are so popular I want to try and set the record straight on the issue of angels, humans, their differences, and resurrection in a few short words.

The word for angel in the greek is 'angelos' (αγγελος) which primarily means messenger. An angel's primary function is to relay messages of God through both words and deed. Scripture shows angels relaying God's messages to humans (Acts 7:53), helping to protect humans (Genesis 19:15, Psalm 91:11), destroying (Psalm 78:49, 2 Samuel 24:16), killing (Revelation 9:15), aiding in judgment (Matthew 13:49), and even ministering to Jesus (Matthew 4:11). From the way angels are spoken of in scripture (especially the ones which depict the return of Christ) we can conclude that while they function here on earth they also derive from another place or plain in which God is present (John 1:51,Mark 13:27 and 32). 

The creation account tells us that humans are made in the image of God (imago dei). This is never said of angelic beings. At the same time, both angels and humans have the free will to rebel against God as we see with Satan and the demons. It is debated whether or not these rebellious angels will be able to be redeemed as humans were. Billy Graham argued that they will not get to experience redemption since they rebelled without influence whereas humans were influenced by already rebellious beings. This argument looks to Matthew 25:41 for support. In 1 Corinthians 6:3, Paul makes it clear that humans will one day judge the angels (most likely in reference to rebellious angels which we call demons). A distinction is made between the two created beings in this verse. 

In Hebrews 2, the author reminds the reader of Psalm 8:4-6 which states, "...what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet," This speaks of both Jesus (who was to come) and humanity in general. Jesus made himself lower than the angels in bodily form, taking on the form of a human who already was lower in form than the angels. 

It is here, through a misunderstanding, that people get the idea that humans shall one day become angels. The passage says that humans and Christ shall, for a while, be lower than the angels. Doesn't this mean there shall come a time when men shall be angels? Not quite. It does mean that humans shall become like angels. This leads us into the discussion on resurrection. Christ was resurrected, the first of all who would be resurrected. When he was resurrected he had a different form of body, a heavenly body. This same transformation is promised to humans upon their resurrection.

In 1 Corinthians 15:35-49, Paul gives some explanation for the differences in the natural/earthly body and the spiritual/heavenly body and why we must first experience the natural/earthly body before experiencing the spiritual/heavenly body. For our purposes we can simply say that the two are different and that we are like Adam in our earthly state but shall be raised and made like Christ in our resurrection state. In Luke 20:36, Jesus also teaches on the post-resurrection nature of humans saying,, "...they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection"  (Luke 20:36). But what is that post-resurrection body like? How is it no longer lower than the angels? How is it similar or equal?

Right away we can determine from this teaching that angels don't die and their bodies are thus imperishable. This shall be true of those humans who are resurrected. Paul continues his teaching that we examined a moment ago in verses 50-58 by stating that this transformation is a mystery. He also states, "...we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality" (vv. 52-53).

Jesus examples this spiritual body when he visits his followers after his resurrection. Mark 16:12 communicates that Jesus appeared in different forms to different people in this body.*  We're told that angels can be disguised as humans (Hebrews 13:2) and we see this happen in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19).  It seems that the spiritual body is able to transform in these ways. Luke 24:31 shows the post-resurrected Christ being able to vanish before the eyes of two men. Perhaps this is also a characteristic of such a body. Later in the same chapter Jesus shows the wounds of his hands and feet to the followers to convince them that he is who he is. Perhaps this is part of his ability to transform and perhaps the marks are truly still there (many would argue that the marks remained and that it is not a trick). 

Ultimately, being imperishable is the defining characteristic of this spiritual body which the angels already possess and which we shall inherit through the resurrection we receive and share in Christ Jesus. When the scriptures say than humans are lower than the angels it means that they are in bodies which are perishable. One day, those who are resurrected will have imperishable bodies, like the angels, but they will not be angels, they will be resurrected humans. 

Matthew 22:30 says that we will be similar to angels after resurrection but it does not say that we will be angels. It is at that point that we shall share more similarities than we currently do, such as not being concerned with earthly bonds as found among spouses, but we will continue to be different from the angels. This passage gives a pretty clear picture as to why the notion of being a guardian angel for a loved one doesn't make sense biblically. When we enter into the resurrection we shall no longer have such concerns for God shall be everyone's all in all. A similar teaching can be found in Luke 20:27-39.

At the end of the day, scripture never gives the impression that a human shall become any angel or that an human has ever been an angel. Rather, scripture tells us directly that certain humans shall be resurrected just like Christ was resurrected and in that time they shall be transformed from a perishable body into an imperishable body. From that time forward humans will also be similar to angels in the way that they will no longer be concerned with things such as marriage or other unique bonds found only upon perishable earth. At no point are we instructed that humans shall return to their previous angel state or that they shall become angels, we are merely told that the two will have similarities as eternal beings who experience God as their all in all in his realized kingdom of heaven.

So the next time someone says you'll become an angel when you die or tries to convince you that you're already an angel in a human disguise, tell them that scripture paints a different picture. 

*Some manuscripts don't include this passage.

Constructing Our Theology Through Fear

When I face a theological view that I disagree with (a view which would change many of my corresponding views if I recognized it as true) I work very hard to discern whether I disagree with it in actuality through exegetical knowledge of the scriptures and reasonableness or merely through fear. Too often we continue to hold the views that we hold out of fear and not faith or any type of reasonable certainty. 

This means that what we claim to believe is not the thing we truly believe. We believe in fear at that point. Why would it be fear that we live in instead of what we claim to believe? Simply because it is no longer the view we've held that is important and powerful within our heart and mind but rather it is the opposing view that holds all the importance and power. It it this opposing view which we feel we must stand against lest it bring drastic change into our lives which would bring great discomfort. If this were not true then it would not be our focus.

Perhaps it is the view but more likely it is the consequences of possessing that view which we fear. After all, change is scary, especially when some changes of perspective also mean a change in the expectation of actions and even our own identity. We fear the consequences of that view, or the very view itself, and when it is this motivation that keeps us devoted to our original position, to claiming what we have previously believed, as opposed to the power and faith in the view we've previously held bringing motivation to continuing our possession of that view, we must call the motivation nothing but fear.

When we speak more about what we don't believe than what we do believe, or we only state what we do believe in an attacking manner then there is a good chance we are dedicated our belief by the motivation of fear. Those who are not ruled by fear are able to communicate what they believe in with full confidence and without the need to prove the view. A person who is confident in their view knows that if it is indeed true that it will prove itself true whether by it's own power or by the downfall of the opposing view. For is the opposing view is indeed false then it shall eventually come to it's end.

Then, whenever we find ourselves in disagreement with someone over an important view, let us ask ourselves if we disagree because we truly have confidence in what we currently believe and are fully persuaded by it's support or if we are disagreeing because we are afraid to agree. We must be willing to entertain the possibility of agreeing with our opponents if we desire to truly and fully disagree with any legitimate certainty. 

The only type of disagreement that can breed an honest confidence in one's position is the kind which derives from having already walked in the shoes of the opposing position and seeing where it leads in terms of consequences. A tried opponent is the only defeated opponent. A tried victor is the only kind of victor. If we are unwilling or unable to entertain a position which is opposed to our own, and entertain the consequences of such a position (in humble honesty I might add) then we know for a fact that we are overcome and ruled by fear and that faith is not the driving force behind our claims.

 It is my hope that I, and all my brothers and sisters in Christ, would be able to construct theological views through faith and reason rather than fear. May we never be afraid of change, no matter how intimidating it may be. My we be willing, like Abraham, to lay our firstborn (or what we've come to believe) on the alter, trusting God the entire time, knowing that he leads us faithfully and lovingly so that we may be closer to him in every way.

Sin, Confession, Forgiveness, & Jesus Christ Collide

When I fall (or jump) into sin and then enter into heartfelt confession and the desire to repent I often find myself quickly inspired. It's a funny thing, an unexpected, and almost hypocritical seeming (in my own guilty heart) thing when I find myself writing, singing, and speaking beautiful Godly truths like a a babbling brook only minutes or moments after indulging in sin (no matter what variety of evil it may be).

I must always shake the notion that it's empty rhetoric and that I am regurgitating mere knowledge which pours out of me in those moments. I know for a fact that it is God's Spirit moving in me, teaching me (even if he has taught me the lesson before), and building me up, allowing me to enter back into his presence in a way which pushes me forward as his ambassador (after all, who else will tell the good news but those who have just witnessed/experienced it?). 

That is the scandalous and unbelievable aspect of God's grace which often slips through my mental grasp; the fact that after I've sinned he still desires me and even uses me for his good purposes in a way that is not shaming. Where I expect, and even sometimes desire, punishment which will bloody and scar me I find nothing but acceptance and encouragement. I find atonement and full confidence covering me like a soaked cloth when all I think I should see is blood stained on my palms and sunk beneath my nails. 

I imagine that even if I were not a beggar God would give me the bread of life which I so desperately need. When I beg (confess) I anticipate a long wait so that I may experience a sort of cleansing in my soul, and yet it is almost always immediately that God pulls me out of a pit and onto a flat surface. It is as though my confession, my begging, is itself my cleansing process. 

Because Christ has already performed the necessary work for the forgiveness of sins I don't need to undergo a punishment or cleansing ritual. That way of things, that burden, has passed thanks to Christ's death and resurrection. With this reality of Christ as victor over sin present, I have only to confess and be made right. God has made things right and I only have to recognize and embrace this reality. Confession is exactly this; it is agreeing with God on the matter of my sin and his undoing of that sin. Repentance is living in the reality of undone sin, leaving it behind and in the "not" of reality.

It should be no wonder to me when God works within me from the moment of confession and yet it always is. I am still taken by his scandalous love every time I return to it. Every time I turn my eyes once again upon his cross, his throne, and his open arms, I can't help but be dumbfounded at the unrelenting forgiveness he pursues me with. The eagerness with which he employs in making me into his image, doing his work, taking up his name and ministry astounds me for I feel completing undeserving of it since my sin is not far from my mind though it be removed from his. 

He has buried that sin beneath the oceans and hidden it behind the distance between east and west, making it nonexistent. He has literally wiped it away and made it no more. Never does he hold my sin above my head, though I may continue to do so. I am only surprised at his grace because I've not grasped the truth that this has happened and I have not grasped the ability to trust it enough to do the same. Though I may never forget all my sins, acknowledging that they exist in the wiped away past, and though my fellow humans may hold onto my sins and we all live out the consequences of those evils, God moves.

When I pray for God to do a new work in me, I too often have forgotten the old work he has done, which becomes ever anew when it needs to be such. He is always moving, always doing new things, but it is always through what he has already done in Christ and so it is to that work and person that we cling, always remembering his death and resurrection for it there where victory of sin is found. Our hope and future rest in that work of Christ. It is our past and our future. It is our redeeming present. It is worth our confession and it spurs on our repentance.

Therefore, let us be quick to confession should we find ourselves in sin. May we be in agreement with God concerning our sin and his work which has undone that sin so that we may, be his Spirit live out the life he has promised and intended toward us. May we abandon our hiding and expect to shine in the open as free and empowered children.

Voting; The Only Voice You Have

My brother Stephen asked his Facebook friends, "Is it 'un-patriotic' to choose not to vote of there is no candidate you feel you can support with a clean conscience?" One of the responses that got a bit of support was "All I will say is if you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain about the results." I've often heard this argument. Sometimes people say "If you don't vote you can't say anything about the political system" or "If you're silent in the booth then be silent for 4 years." The basic idea is that if you don't vote then you don't have the right to bring criticism or complaints into the public square.

I think the notion that someone doesn't have the right to some form of public criticism of the political and social sphere because they don't vote is 1) illogical and 2) unpatriotic and should be discussed. Before I get into it, I just want to say that I'm not against voting in the least. 

I agree that (on average) a person who is apathetic and intentionally removed from contribution to the social and political sphere doesn't deserve the ear of the rest of those involved in those spheres because they lack any context to make their input valuable enough to be of much profit. Also, with motives so selfish and lazy it is hard for them to produce a credible argument of any kind. Motivation of the individual is key in this debate. There is a great difference between the politically aware non-voter and the politically unaware non-voter. 

Giving the benefit of the doubt to the people who make this claim, I'd say that they probably agree with most of what was just presented. Most don't really want a hard and fast rule that one must vote or shut up. Most want people to contribute. It's fair to say that if someone doesn't contribute they aren't worthy of the blessings of the work, but this issue is more complicated than that. This is where the big problem lies in this debate. The camp that says "vote or shut up" damages their position's legitimacy when it simplifies their view into a bumper sticker styled phrase. Sound bytes do not make for socially profitable discussion.

If we are persuaded that voting is the most powerful or even the only action [able to grant worthiness of voice] that one can take to engage in the social and political sphere of this nation then we have been greatly deceived. Voting is not what brings value to a person as a patriot or citizen. It is a small opportunity in which a citizen can participate if they so desire but it is not at all a yard stick with which to test their value as a citizen or patriot. That yardstick would more likely look like love. A good citizen takes care of other citizens and uplifts the social sphere of which they are apart. But even then, we're measure people's value in a limited and thus ignorant way.

We have to be able to recognize that voting is not the end all of political engagement. People can have a voice and make a difference without ever voting. We know this is true because there are numerous countries throughout our world both currently and historically which were not democracies or any type of system which used the means of popular voting (or electoral colleges). In those cultures we have seen many people make deep impact through social action, prayer, and speaking truth to power (and it is these three things which have legitimate grounding in scripture unlike the notion that one ought to vote for a president). In U.S. history we this is evident. 

Voting is a right. A right is not an obligation. I don't have to carry a handgun. I don't have to have an abortion. I don't have to get married. I don't have to vote. None of these decisions should disqualify me from having a voice, even a negative voice, about these issues because I am a part of the social sphere and the political sphere affects that sphere and thus my life. In turn, that life and social sphere affect the political sphere. As a gear in the machine I always have a voice and when the other gears of the machine fail to recognize that the machine begins to slow down until it breaks down. The United States has made voting a right and not a forced obligation and the United States has made it a right to speak out publicly with political and social criticisms. In it's nature, in it's founding, the Untied States has absolutely said "you can choose to not vote and still complain, it is your right to do so." To disagree would be unpatriotic. To disagree would mean that one is pushing a legalistic agenda that is at odds with the values of the nation of which they are trying to raise support for. This position actually works against itself. 

Voting for political change is an opportunity most people don't have. It's an opportunity to speak out in a confined capacity. It allows us to say yes or no to a limited amount of already decided upon options. Sometimes that's worth investing in and sometimes it's not worth investing in. If someone is convinced or convicted that the options on the table before them by the ruler is not sufficient then they are patriotic to abstain from making a choice between the limited options and crying out for something else, something better. It is wise for them to help create that option, putting their money where their mouth is so to speak (again, let it be pointed out that great change comes from more than mere voting). We can be thankful for authorities that grant us a voice and include us more intimately in the political sphere than many other nations, but that doesn't mean the voice they offer us is always good or enough. Sometimes it is not enough and sometimes it is damaging when we consider it to be our only venue of engagement or the options offered are insufficient for edification.

We must be a discerning people and not a simple-minded people who see in black and white alone. We have to be willing to say that the extremist notion that not voting should mean not speaking out is oppressive and against the very spirit of the gift of voting which was established at the onset of U.S. history. When we are honest we will be able to look at voting in the United States and conclude that it isn't the end all of political involvement, that it isn't a duty, that it can be abstained from without compromising someone's patriotism, and that it should never be used as the payment for one to have a criticizing voice towards the authorities of the nation.

If we are Christians, then we must especially agree with this because we know that it is God who leads us, provides for us, and gives us a voice. Our authorities are to serve God just as we are and they have given us nothing that God did not already give us and they have never given us more or as good a thing as God has ever given us. We can honor God, be patriotic, and edify our nation (which is a foreign land to us) free of guilt even without voting should we so choose. 

At the end of the day, casting a vote among millions of others for one of two leaders won't do anything when compared to speaking truth to power boldly and consistently, working hard in our communities to improve the lives of our neighbors, and praying to the God whom all the authorities exist for, by, and through. When we look to God for direction and not our citizenship or political leanings then we can love our neighbor and their voice more than voting or any other national value or right. Vote or don't vote, so long as you don't step on a neighbor in the process. 

Envy & How to Defeat It

Growing up in the United States can be difficult in many respects. To be sure, there are many blessings living in this land but there are also pitfalls. For those who wish to know God and serve him whole heartedly, the "American Dream", capitalistic perspective, and consumeristic lifestyle are often heavy threats. 

I'd say that it might just be me but I know I'd be lying. For many of us who wish to follow Christ and love God while living in the U.S. there are hurdles to jump over. Our culture tells us that we need more of everything and we need it to be fully ours. The new car, the trophy spouse, the nice job, the big bank account, the luxurious home, etc. Even in our congregations some of us have been told that we need to prioritizing obtaining a good spouse, to make money, to own a home, and more. 

Marriage is good. Hard work and a job are good. Making money is not bad. Luxuries aren't evil. However, there is a vast difference between the perspective that claims a person must obtain all these things since they are high priorities and the perspective which claims that these are gifts and blessings that are given by God to a person in due time. 

I often find myself looking at the lives of my friends. I see their marriages, jobs, families, homes, incomes, and the different blessings that they have. Instead of rejoicing in what God has given them I envy what they have, wishing it were mine. It's one of those moments where the grass looks infinitely greener on the other side of the fence. "If only I had this or that I'd be content" I tell myself. Yet, I know this to be untrue and unhealthy. I've been raised by my culture to think that I'm missing out and even failing because, at the age of 27, I do not presently have a wife, great job, impressive income, property, family, or the luxuries that my friends have. 

I'm often told to value these things more highly than they deserve. After all, as good as these things are, they are all fleeting. They all fade away. I was not born with them and I can't carry them through the grave. 

 Too often I forget that all these things are gifts from God so that I may praise him with them. Too often I think they are things I seize for myself. Marriage is not for me. Family, home, income, a job; these things are not merely for me. If I had none of these things I would survive and I would even live richly in spirit. Many have. Many shall. 

When I want what others have I must remind myself of several truths. 1) Whatever God does and does not give me is gift and worthy of thanksgiving and praise. 2) The blessings that others receive is worthy of my thanks and praise. 3) Whatever is given to me is not merely for my sake but for the building up of others and the glory of the God who gave the gift(s) to me. 4) Whatever I possess right now on earth is fleeting and thus it can not be nearly as valuable as love. 5) God wants to give me the desires of my heart when I am faithful to him and he will not leave me high and dry. 6) I can trust God at all times for he brought me into this world, gives me all I need, and will take me out of the grave and give me all I need for eternity. 

When envy finds its way into my heart I return to a few key scriptures. I remember to pray that God my Father in heaven would provide me and all others with our daily bread, giving us enough (like with manna in the desert). Then I turn to Matthew 6:19-34 which states,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

^"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

^"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

^"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

For those of us who get caught up in the rat race, these scriptures serve as a good reminder that our God knows what it is we need and it faithful to provide it. We, in return, must live in thankfulness, faith, hope, and contentment. I am not my friends and I do not need their lives for I am who God has made me to be and, accordingly, I have my life. I can trust God with my life, allowing him to be my master and for my heart to be in his kingdom and not here on earth seeking to serve and obtain all that the world tells me I should.

May our hearts be at peace, giving life to our bodies, so that we do not envy others and find our bones brought to rotting (Proverbs 14:30).