Shit Theology

A few months ago, I was having a conversation with a guy about life. He was asking me some very pointed questions about religion and God, among other things. In the course of the dialogue, he asked me if I thought a child molestor or murderer could go to heaven. My reply was that they could if they put their faith in Jesus Christ to atone for those sins and to forgive them. My friend, at first glance at least, began to cringe and look like he was struggling with my form of Christianity. I then pointed out a few things to help clarify my theology: (1) Paul was a murderer who even took part in the death of Christianity's first martyr, Stephen, and received deliverance and forgiveness for his killing Christians (you can imagine that they were a little hesitant to receive him into their small group when he was converted). (2) David (as a Christian) committed not only murder, but the sin of adultery. (3) Jesus pointed out that if we have lusted in our hearts after a woman, we have all committed adultery (which he agreed with me that we men, at least, have all done that). (4) Jesus pointed out that if we have hated someone in our hearts, we have committed murder (which he also agreed with me that we have all done that). He then followed this up with one of the clearest pieces of theology that I have heard in years. He said, "Jason, if that is the case I am a piece of shit." With that, I responded to him and said, "Sir, I am a piece of shit, too, and we all are. That is why Jesus came to die, so that pieces of shit like us could be forgiven of our sins and delivered from their stinch and sway in our lives, and so that we could be saved from a burning hell.

Now,when some of you read the word that I just said, you will care more about the appropriateness of my saying that word than you will with the theology or truth that I am representing. If that word offends you, then you have probably missed the greater point I am trying to convey, which is that we all suck when we are compared to God. These words might be offensive to some, but it is only because they fail to see the real world in which they live. People will stress out over someone using the word that I just used, and then turn around and use the word "poop" with their grandson. You say tomato and I say tomotto, but we're talking about the same thing.

The point is that we are all sons of Adam or daughters of Eve, and without Christ saving us from the genetic disease called sin that we have, we are helpless and hopeless to die and suffer in a real place called hell. This is not some made up fairy tale, but a true geographical location that Jesus died for us to escape. But the reality that many often miss is that people do not go to hell, because they are pieces of shit, but because they fail to value Christ as the most awesome treasure in the universe. It is much like C.S. Lewis has said, "We have settled for the mud pies of this world, when the greater joy awaits us with a holiday at the sea." We settle for the treasures of money, sex, people, recreation, position, and other things that are known as the stuff of this life. Man's greatest crime is not merely doing wrong, but failing to love and honor Jesus as the greatest treasure. We have settled in pursuing and loving the pleasures of this life, and have not given ourselves wholly to the purpose for which we were created, which is to love Christ. In living this, we not only find peace and forgiveness; we find true joy and life everlasting. This is what every piece of shit in the toilet of this existence needs to hear.

Beer, Bible, and Baptists

Like any good preacher, I am always thankful when I can pull off the skill of alliteration without really trying. The B’s that I am blogging about today, however, may not seem to be very preacherly (pretty sure that is not a word). I am writing about the subject of alcohol hopefully to clarify some issues. Quintillian (no, he is not a quarterback), a Latin philosopher of the first century, offered the following advice to writers: “Write not so that you can be understood but so that you cannot be misunderstood.” Quintillians’s advice is especially pertinent to the area of alcohol, because there is an abundance of misunderstanding.

Let me, first of all, come out and state directly that I am emphatically not opposed to alcohol, and the church I represent is not collectively opposed to alcohol, either. In fact, the truth is that alcohol is not evil in and of itself, just like food is not evil in and of itself (but the sin of gluttony is). This is very important to state at the beginning of this, because unfortunately the Southern Baptist Convention does not agree with me. In fact, the majority of the messengers of the Convention voted in June to oppose anything having to do with alcohol (including servers who make their living by bringing food and alcoholic beverages to customers’ tables). Thankfully, this proposal is tantamount to saying that our country is in favor of the troops staying in Iraq- in other words, there are many dissenters and the issuance of this has no power over me or my church, and we will continue to make decisions about what we perceive is right.

Rather than go off on a rant about the foolishness of this “Let’s boycott-Disney-like” proposal, though, I would like to give several reasons why beer is okay in the bible. I will start it off really simple, and then hopefully progress to more complex thoughts:
(1) The Gospels indicate that Jesus drank wine. It is actually an awesome thought to know that Jesus did indeed drink alcohol. Don’t misunderstand me: I do not believe that Jesus Christ ever sinned, but I think it can be proven that he drank wine. Therefore, drinking wine is not a sin, since Jesus did it, and since Jesus did not therefore sin. I do believe that the abuse or excess of alcohol, i.e. in the form of drunkenness, is a sin, and Jesus also never became drunk. Jesus’ drinking wine is seen by several examples: (a) He drank it the night he was crucified (c.f. Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; and Luke 22:18) The “fruit of the vine” here is considered to be the raw elements of the wine itself. Virtually no one disagrees with this fact. It is no accident that the Corinthian church just a few years after this was practicing the Lord’s Supper by using real wine. It is doubtful that they used anything other than what Jesus actually used, since it is so close to the time of the original Lord’s Supper. The Corinthians’ use of real wine is incontestable, since they were actually abusing it and getting drunk (if it means anything, they were also using the same type of unleavened bread that was used for Passover) in their worship services.

(b) Jesus was accused of being a drunkard. It says in Matthew’s gospel, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘sinners.’” If Jesus never drink alcohol, then it would be very difficult for anyone to accuse him falsely of drunkenness. In fact, Jesus says the reason for their accusation is that He did, in fact, partake in drinking, just like he ate food (the other ground of their accusation).

(c) Jesus created hundreds of gallons of wine. This fact is seen in his miracle of John chapter two, in which he caused hundreds of gallons of water to turn into wine. There are two logical conclusions to this fact: (1) If Jesus was totally opposed to the drinking of wine, it is not feasible to consider his providing the wine for a multitude of others to sin by drinking. Therefore, Jesus was not against wine itself. (2) Since Jesus did provide hundreds of gallons of wine, and since that means he was not against wine itself, and since he was falsely accused of being a drunkard in another passage, it is probable that Jesus and his disciples drank the wine at this wedding.

(2) The Bible condemns drunkenness, not drinking. A lot of the commentary about the texts under this point is plagiarized from Mark Driscoll’s book, Radical Reformission, because he says some things better than I can. Psalm 104:14, 15 says “God makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate-bringing forth from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread sustains his heart.” If wine is evil in and of itself then God is evil for making it, and Jesus is evil for drinking it. I don’t think anyone is willing to suggest they are holier than God. Wine is for celebration in (Genesis 14:17-20); wine is for medicinal purposes in (Proverbs 31:6) and (1 Timothy 5:23); wine is for worship in (Exodus 29:40) and (1 Corinthians 11:25, 26); wine is for thanksgiving to God in (Proverbs 3:9, 10); and wine is for happiness in (Deuteronomy 14:26).

Why do I bring up all of this? Because we need to understand our culture and not oppose the things it does just because we were not brought up that way, or just because we are not comfortable with it. Don’t oppose cultural things just because you don’t like it. Martin Luther (who was a regular beer drinker, along with his wife) argued against the prohibitionist mentality during the Reformation and said, “Do you suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused? Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we then prohibit and abolish women?” Mark Driscoll has said about this, “People worship rock stars, but we should not abolish music. People worship food, but we should not abolish grocery stores.”

Maybe if my SBC friends were so consistent, they might suggest these measures, or better yet they might actually throw out their cough syrup (which contains alcohol), and no longer order the popular (and delicious) dishes at restaurants which are saturated in alcohol these days. They would certainly object to this as “nitpicking,” but I guess I can object to their hypocrisy, as well, and ask them to stop trying to be holier than Jesus and the Apostle Paul. In fact, true holiness might be actually trying to win our neighbors for Christ’s sake, rather than hold on to moral straw men that affect nothing for the kingdom of Christ. So, what am I saying? I am saying let us become “all things to all men, that we might by all means save some.” Since drinking is not a sin, then let us build all of the bridges necessary to the drinking culture in which we live, holding out to those who are immersed in the bondage of this world system the truest and most satisfying treasure of Jesus Christ.

Why I Believe in the Continuation of Miraculous Gifts

This a huge subject for such a small entry, so please forgive me at the outset of this in my failing to mention every aspect that could be pertinent to this. I am continuing to study this, so I am certain there will need to be more said about this. I am going to just highlight what I consider to be the most compelling reasons for miraculous gifts continuing today, and I will try to anticipate the MAIN objections or thoughts to what is put forth here. So, here it goes:

(1) There is no text or Scripture that says that they stopped.
I know that for some, this is the equivalent of committing argument suicide, because this statement makes such an easy target, and I concede that. It is true, as the brilliant objection to this thunders forth, that there is no explicit Scripture that says that the canon of Scripture stopped, but the early church was still able to figure it out. This is not the only reason, but to be fair, has to at least be considered in this, and to me at least a reasonable starting point.

There are those, of course, who still cite 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 as Paul saying that gifts will cease with the writing of Scripture. Every Christian is certainly entitled to having his opinion of what Scripture actually means, but this is too much for me. We all agree that the “imperfect” things that are listed in v. 8 have to be prophecy, tongues, AND knowledge. If the time of “when perfection comes” has to do with the writing of Scripture, then there would be no knowledge, as well. Surely no Christian will suggest that knowledge has died since the canon of Scripture closed. If there is one who does suggest that, then perhaps knowledge has died within them, but not for the rest of Christianity. Furthermore, the point is that these imperfect gifts will no longer be needed when Jesus Christ returns (“when perfection comes”, “face to face”, “then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known”). Ironically, the passage does give the time for when these gifts (prophecy, tongues, knowledge, and all other spiritual gifts) will cease- the time of Christ’s coming! Assuming that this is the case, it would not be difficult to infer from 1 Corinthians 1:7 that Paul has this same time frame in mind for all the spiritual gifts: “Therefore you do not lack ANY spiritual gift AS you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.”

This would also be consistent with Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost that announces Joel’s prophetic fulfillment (Acts 2:17): “In the LAST DAYS, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Yours sons and daughters will prophesy, your young women will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” (Most conservative scholars agree that there is a two-part fulfillment in this with vs. 19 being this age and the first part of v. 20 as being the signs of Jesus’ coming at the end of this age, and the last part of v. 20 as related to both parts of the fulfillment: “…before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”) But enough about that.

(2) There is a tremendous amount of information given in Scripture about their regulation.
Again, this may seem like small potatoes to those who oppose this, but this is at least an issue to be addressed. The fact is that Paul gives a lot of detail with respect to how tongues are to be used, how tongues are to be interpreted, and how prophecy is to be conducted. All of these are miraculous gifts, and despite the Corinthian church being richly blessed by possessing all of these gifts (including the gifts of healings and miracles and distinguishing between spirits), they needed direction for how they were to be used. If the gifts were to stop, then a lot of what we read in reference to the spiritual gifts is unnecessary. Of course, one could easily argue that there is a lot in Scripture that was necessary for specific periods or cultures, such as the sacrificial system set forth in Leviticus, and the cultural commandments about veils being worn over women’s head in the Church at Corinth. These commandments that Paul gave had some relevance to the audience to which it was spoken, but that does not negate its use for the church beyond that period, either.

(3) There is a tremendous amount of examples of miraculous happenings given throughout biblical history.
John MacArthur has chaotically stated in his book Charismatic Chaos that signs, miracles, and wonders were basically “concentrated” during three periods of biblical history: the time of Moses, the time of Elijah and Elisha, and the time of Jesus and the Apostles. What is really neat about this is that he does use the word “concentrated” and he indicates that there were other signs, miracles, and wonders, but they were “isolated”. Therefore, what MacArthur has actually done is prove that miraculous gifts have always existed in the Bible, but have been more prevalent at certain times of history. I don’t know of any Charismatic that would disagree with this fact. Furthermore, it must be considered why the signs and wonders were not done. One reason that is given explicitly in Scripture is when Jesus went to the town of Nazareth and it says that he did not do many miracles, “except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them… because of their unbelief.” It is possible that God did not do many signs and wonders at certain times because of the rebellion of his people, but that does not mean that miracles at any point stopped. On the contrary, there have always been miracles in the Bible, and there has never been a known cessationist during that time saying that since miracles were done in clusters they were now obsolete. A final point must be said about this, as well. There is no evidence that miracles were isolated or little in quantity in the Biblical record. Certainly there were many that were not recorded, especially since Jeremiah says this very thing in chapter thirty-two, verse twenty: “You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours.” Even in John’s gospel, John mentions at the end that there were many more signs that Jesus performed that he had not written down. Could this be the case in other periods, as well?

(4) Miracles were not only for the authentication of the apostolic message.
I do not have time to develop this fully, but this is a major point. It is a major crux of the cessationist argument, because they maintain that miracles were only signs to demonstrate the divinity of the apostles’ message, just like the miracles that Jesus performed were signs to demonstrate the deity of his person. What is just described is right. Miraculous gifts were used for that purpose, and frankly can be used for that now. Cessationists assume, though, that because of this being the case in some instances it is the case in every instance, and since the Apostles are no longer in existence (which I agree with, by the way), miraculous gifts therefore are no longer active. There are two problems, however, in assuming that this is the only purpose for miraculous gifts: (a) Apostles were not the only ones using the miraculous gifts, and (b) Scripture gives other reasons for the miraculous gifts. I can develop this all night, but since I am getting tired, I will let you check this out for yourself, but it should be seen without a lot of effort. If this is seen from Luke’s account in Acts and from Paul’s purposes listed in First Corinthians, then we are in a very good position to conclude that Christians (not apostles) are still able to have or seek those gifts today.

(5) Church history does not contradict the continuation of the miraculous.
What is always fascinating to me now are the historical accounts that I remember reading as a cessationist student at a cessationist college that told me of the continuing miracles of the Holy Spirit. I didn’t put much stock or credibility in them at that time, but the fact is they were there. In fact, there have been “isolated” reports of miracles throughout the course of history, including quite a few that comprised such prominent men as St. Augustine and Charles Spurgeon prophesying (although Spurgeon explained it away). Moreover, no less a scholar than D.A. Carson has said that “there is enough evidence that some form of ‘charismatic’ gifts continued sporadically across the centuries of church history that it is futile to insist on doctrinaire grounds that every report is spurious or the fruit of demonic activity or psychological aberration.” There is also the fact that prior to the Sixteenth Century, the only ones who had the written word were the rich or affluent. Their ignorance of the Scriptures certainly could have played a part in the absence of the miraculous. Finally, it must be said that the absence (if that is thought to be the case) or infrequency of the miraculous gifts throughout church history does not prove that God is opposed to their use. Again, there could be a number of factors that play into this that must be considered.

(6) Every gift that is given by the Holy Spirit is given to build up the body of Christ.
This is a simple way to conclude, but it is the most direct way, also. Paul instructs the Corinthians repeatedly that the gifts are given to edify, and for the common good. What about the miraculous gifts would preclude their being edifying to the church today? Nothing. In fact, Paul includes the miraculous in his discussion of edification. If these gifts were edifying to the church then, why would they not be edifying to the church now?

Okay, that is it for now. As wordy as I have been with this, I am sure that I left many questions in your mind, and I need to hear what those questions are, so that I can become sharper in my understanding of the Scipture. Remember, “iron sharpens iron,” so share with me your thoughts about this, and let me know whether you agree with me or not. If you don’t, tell me why, or ask me a question or even call me a name…just give me feedback. Thanks.

My Repentance of Cessationism

From the time I was a bundle of something to my most recent history, I have shared the perspectives of what is known as cessationism. Cessationism is a fancy word that basically means that all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit have continued since the days of Jesus and the Apostles, except all of the gifts that are miraculous. That would include such gifts mentioned in the Bible such as prophecy, speaking in tongues (or languages), interpreting tongues, distinguishing between spirits, and healing. Now, for most of us rational and logical Christian thinkers, this is obviously an easy choice. We, much like our Enlightenment Age fathers, deny anything that smacks of the supernatural. Isn’t that so odd coming from the same crowd that defends the bible against “liberals” who try to explain away the miracles of Jesus and the crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan as merely the rivers drying up?

But my cessationist friends are sure to cry foul and say that we have to have balance in all our perspectives of Scripture (which is about as sensible as going on a diet that cuts out super-sized cheeseburgers, but in its place adds a slice of chocolate cake). The truth is consistency has been raped in their attempt to eliminate the supernatural from the Christian experience. But, to be fair, my friends will deny that this is so, and will argue that they are in favor of many truths that are all supernatural- things such as being saved by the Holy Spirit, being controlled by the Holy Spirit, and even being healed by the Holy Spirit. In fact, many cessationists who deny that the miraculous gifts still exist, still hold to a very “subjective” experience in their Christian faith. They will still give stories about how God speaks to them and reveals to them certain insights and information into a situation that would have been otherwise unknown. Despite their protest that this is not the same thing as a biblical prophecy, their retelling of the story often contradicts their theology.

Let me rewind for just a moment, though, to my thoughts and feelings and perspectives. Growing up, this situation never really struck me as a problem. I knew some Pentecostal or “Charismatic” friends, but when I asked my Baptist leaders what they believed, they would usually say something like “Oh, they believe in speaking in gibberish.” Having been persuaded that that was a ridiculous option, I then satisfied my curiosity by sticking with those who had all the answers. As I got older and came to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I occasionally listened to clever one-liners or topical sermons against the continuation of miraculous gifts (mainly against speaking in tongues) and anything I heard I would concede was the best argument. The problem for many years, however, was that I had never really heard another argument. I grew up thinking that there was no credibility in believing such absurdities, even while I was attending school.

So, you may ask, what happened? Several things occurred in my life to help me grow towards a rejection of cessationism. (1) The first step towards this rejection surprisingly occurred several years ago when I was a student at a school in Florida, looking for ammunition for my already formulated arguments. I read a book called Charismatic Chaos, by popular bible teacher John MacArthur, which was a work against anything remotely Charismatic, including what is now known as the Third Wave movement started by John Wimber. Although MacArthur’s work was applauded by many, it was the all or nothing tone of the book that gave me my first concerns. I will say something in favor of MacArthur’s book-for the most part, he was consistent, blasting not only the Charismatics but also many Christians who have “subjective” experiences and actually communicate with God (wow, that sounds like something that we might want to try some time). I pondered these things for quite a few years, while even teaching them as truth at times and relishing the cold, emotionless position of MacArthur, but inwardly struggling with the position.

(2) The second step towards my current position was my own exposure to the Scriptures, and to what the Bible actually says about miraculous gifts. In my reading of the Bible, I came to find out that so much of what I had heard was supposed to be was not the case. I struggled with Paul’s long and explicit instructions to the Corinthians about prophecy and tongues, and questioning the relevance of such teaching if it would soon be past.

(3) The third step in my struggle with the cessationist position came in actually interacting with different positions. It was not that I blindly listened or accepted their opinions as fact. In fact, there was much with which I did not agree. But the truth is their arguments drove me back to the Scriptures, and my comparison of the different options led me to a clear rejection of cessationism.

I am now admitting my own mistaken notion that miraculous gifts failed to exist after the time of the Apostles and the writing of the Scriptures. I am confessing my own arrogance in looking down at those who acknowledged the supernatural happenings of God. I am now repenting of my own error in leading others away from a living, supernatural experience of God in their lives. For those who are now reading this, I am repenting of cessationism. During my next blog, I will give several reasons why.

Back in Business

Well, I know that there are many people who have been really frustated and unfulfilled that I haven't blogged in about three months. First of all, let me say that I am sorry and beg your forgiveness. I have had a really busy summer (not to make excuses, although you should know what they are anyway) and am now just getting over an incredibly busy August. Here are some good highlights of these busy times I would like to list for you, so that you, too, can be happy:

(1) CABC has started a children's church during the "message" time. Although I am still struggling to find myself in the arena of "preaching", this seemed like the best time to make this move. We were very fortunate to have a young lady volunteer to do this, although we are now in the process of rotating different workers in to help her with this endeavor. (2) My brother Marc and his family have moved to Atlanta, have joined the church, and have started a youth group. It is meeting now only on Sunday mornings, but they have actually had one activity and are in the process of spreading the word. (3) CABC had a successful Vacation Bible School that attracted about 25 kids from the neighborhood. We have been in the process of following up with some who made spiritual decisions during that week. Along these same lines, we owe a debt of gratitude to Henry Baptist Church in McDonough, GA who oversaw the whole process, as well as donated tons of workers, resources, and hours to make it what it was. (4) CABC voted to allow a classy, up-scale restaurant and pub to open across the street from us. It may seem like a strange "good" thing for those who still struggle with the concept of Christian liberty, but our leadership believes it was the right thing to do for the sake of the gospel of Christ and the glory of God in this community (more on this later). (5) CABC (from here on referred to as "we") participated in the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival, where we were able to provide a baby comfort station for mothers changing their baby's diaper, nursing their baby, or just needing cold water, rest, and/or some sugar via our snacks. It was really awesome for us, because we were able to meet and talk with literally hundreds of people, as well as provide this service for hundreds as well. I hope to see us involved with more missional services like this, as we seek to become more of a "go and do" type church, versus a "come and see" type church. (6) We have now completed work on the flat roof of our educational building, and are almost ready to begin renovations on our steeple. These are all very important things for us to get done, as are others we are trying to complete, in order to make our facilities to be more effective in their use for our touching the community. (7) We have, also, partnered with a wedding business for the purpose of their using our facilities for their weddings. (8) My friend Sam (who is now a fellow blogger who accused me of being a nerd for starting a blog, but I'm not bitter...) is about to launch his church called The River in Milton, Florida. We will actually visit with them in a couple of weeks, for the sake of taking a break from the busy summer (and yes, we will be at the beach every day).

I know this has been a boring ramble about some of the happenings of my life, but I felt like it was important for me to justify my own shortcoming of not blogging (which I am thankful the Apostle Paul did not do). Anyhow, talk with all of you later, and I promise it won't be three months this time, because I have some thoughts I need to flesh out soon. I know you'll be waiting by your keyboards until then. See ya.