Mary vs Martha

Many choose the path of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus. Lu 10:39  This is a good thing but often admonish Martha for not doing the same.  Jesus even says "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."  This begs the question, should Martha stop what she is doing in favor of what Mary is doing?  Jesus didn’t invite her to.  He didn’t say that Mary has chosen the thing that everyone needed to be doing at that moment.  He said that she was doing what was good and everlasting.  Whenever two words are used in tandem such as verily, verily or Martha, Martha, it is for emphasis but not necessarily condemnation.  The scripture ends here on this subject so we don’t know what Martha decided to do.  We do have other references though.

In John 11:20, we get a picture of Martha leaving the comfort of friends and family to run to Jesus.  She then says in mature faith that she wished that Jesus had been there to prevent her brother from dying, but everything is still ok.  Jesus is pleased with her belief and trust.  Then Mary runs to Him, says virtually the same thing as Martha and Jesus is grieved because of her doubt.  Jesus groans when He sees her (and everyone else’s) tears and hears their lament.  The term used here is Embrimaomai which means to groan or admonish, but clarification comes from its root, Brimaomai which means to snort with anger.  It next explains that Jesus wept (Jn 11:35).  He wasn’t weeping because he was sympathetic or missed Lazarus!  He was weeping because the woman sitting at his feet didn’t have the full knowledge of what was happening or who He was, like her sister.  He groaned (embrimaomai) in His spirit and wept.

The point that I wish to make, is that too often people stay simple and unclear about their beliefs.  They would often tend to just sit at Jesus’ feet as reasoning to do nothing; study or commune forever and never do the dishes.  Although Martha got “caught up” in the work which needed to be done and either missed an opportunity or didn't recognize the importance of what was happening with her sister, she still knew that she was called to do the work, and by reference already had an understanding of the saving grace which Mary was just learning.  The next time you get the inclination to brag that you are more of a Mary than a Martha, read back through John 11 and recognize that Martha was the one with the mature and solid faith in Jesus.

A time of war, And a time of peace

Balance!  We all need to be able to know when to do what.  Just like when driving down the road and coming to a traffic light, safely continuing on your way is all about timing.  Driving through when the light is red is not a good idea and neither is sitting still at a green light because you may get run over.  The same goes for everything that we do.  Eccl 3:1,8 state, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.”  The questions are how do we know when the timing is right, when do we prepare and what do we prepare for?

Timing is everything!  Sometimes things seem obvious to us even though we do not have all of the information.  How do we know when and what to do; we ask God.  There is no substitute for this.  One clear example would be in 1 Samuel 30.  Allow me to paint a picture.  David and his entire mighty army return home after wanting to kick some butt only to find their city and homes destroyed and their families kidnapped as slaves.  My very first thought would be, “Don’t even dismount our horses, let’s go get our stuff back”.  They were fresh and ready!  That’s not what David did. David asked God whether he should pursue or not, even though his own men were threatening to stone him to death.  Fortunately, God told David to go after them and he would get everything back.  Was the time that it took David to ask God what to do vital in recovering all?  Speculatively yes, but the point is, he asked first.

Prepare ahead of time.  Note that Noah didn’t wait until it started raining to build a boat.  When it came to war, there was always a call to those who were ready; God called the prepared.  Joel 3:9-11  “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up… Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.”  This isn’t a call to start working out and get into shape.  The time was now and all of those who were fit were called into service.

We are called to do as John the Baptist did and prepare the way for Jesus and make the way straight.  Another way of describing this would be "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”  Understand that John was mightily prepared.  He quoted scripture AND explained it.  John proclaimed that God was coming to Earth to both save whoever will and proclaim war on the rest.  In other words, choose sides NOW and there are no innocent bystanders.  Pick a side and prepare yourselves to do what is asked of you.

Now what are you called to do and are you prepared? 

Who Made THAT Decision?

Growing up in a Christian home, Christian community and in a Christian region, it was difficult for me to prepare myself for the reality of a large world with alternate views of reality.  It may come as a shock to many, but it was so difficult, that I explored other options, like atheism, Krishna, Buddhism, Taoism, etc in College.  I had come face to face with a reasonable adversary which I didn’t even know existed.  There are many in our new age of reason who are about to turn a corner and run head on into what will turn out to be an ambush of thought and reason.  They will not be prepared or equipped to fight this battle just as I wasn’t. 

Who makes the choices which govern our current world philosophies, adventures in science and even interpretation of history?  Why is it that when we turn on the news, we see decisions which leave us scratching our head because they are so dramatically counter cultural to our own thoughts?  How did abortion become legal?  How is embryonic stem cell research allowed?

I would like to introduce you to but a few of the predominant motivators of the turn in moral thought.  Note that ALL of these examples began their life in a Christian home with Christian values.  Also note that ALL of these examples are contributors to our next decision makers in higher education.  These are some of the people who are teaching our kids and leading the fight for a different religious and moral order.

Peter Singer - is an Australian philosopher. He is the Ira W. DeCamp professor of bioethics at Princeton University, and laureate professor at the Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics(CAPPE), University of Melbourne. He specializes in applied ethics, approaching ethical issues from a secular utilitarian perspective.  He has been voted one of Australia's ten most influential public intellectuals.  His primary stance is that the continuation of life, whether human or animal (speciation), regardless of age, should be determined by its contribution to society. 
He quotes “…we should recognize that the fact that a being is human, and alive, does not in itself tell us whether it is wrong to take that being's life.”
“Get rid of religious value of life in favor of what it can offer.”  Note that he is in favor of abortion and euthanasia.

Singer argues that newborns lack the essential characteristics of personhood—"rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness" so "killing a newborn baby is never equivalent to killing a person, that is, a being who wants to go on living."

Singer argues that sexual activities between humans and animals that result in harm to the animal should remain illegal, but that "sex with animals does not always involve cruelty" and that "mutually satisfying activities" of a sexual nature are ok.

Singer, Peter. Heavy Petting, Nerve, 2001.

Taking Life: Humans, Excerpted from Practical Ethics, 2nd edition, 1993

Rethinking Life and Death 105.

Abortion 1995

Anthony Flew – was an English philosopher who lectured at Oxford  and the University of Aberdeen, accepted professorship at Keele University and then at Reading University.  He wrote “An Introduction to Western Philosophy” which is widely used in college classrooms.  Flew was born of a Methodist minister yet became an atheist at the age of 15 since there were no viable answers to questions about the amount of evil in the world.  He is best known for his books arguing against the existence of God and for atheistic principles (“God and Philosophy”, “The Presumption of Atheism” and “Atheistic Humanism”).

Flew is considered one of if not the father of modern atheistic thought and has over 35 titles he has contributed to his cause over a period of 75 years.  It was not until his last publication that he became a theist “There is a God”.  The millions of atheists that he has fostered claim that his mental faculties had diminished.

Flew Speaks Out: Professor Antony Flew reviews The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins – is a British national who was born in Africa and raised Anglican.  He was content with his Christian upbringing until doubts began to creep in at the age of 9.  By his teen years, he was a professing atheist and has gone on to become “Darwin’s Rottweiler” for his ferocious advancement of atheism as the only intelligent and educated option.  Dawkins was the professor of zoology at University of California, Berkeley and then moved to become lecturer at Oxford University and was then appointed as Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science with the understanding that he would “be expected to make important contributions to the public understanding of some scientific field”.  He currently is a huge advocate of evolutionary biology.

In response to the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, he is quoted, “Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that. Revealed faith is not harmless nonsense, it can be lethally dangerous nonsense. Dangerous because it gives people unshakeable confidence in their own righteousness. Dangerous because it gives them false courage to kill themselves, which automatically removes normal barriers to killing others. Dangerous because it teaches enmity to others labeled only by a difference of inherited tradition. And dangerous because we have all bought into a weird respect, which uniquely protects religion from normal criticism. Let's now stop being so damned respectful.”

He has been a strong critic of the British organization Truth in Science, which promotes the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in state schools, and he plans, through the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, to subsidize the delivering of books, DVDs and pamphlets to schools, in order to counteract what he has described as an "educational scandal".  His latest book, “The God Delusion” is currently translated into 31 different languages.  Its success has been seen by many as indicative of a change in the spirit of the times, central to a recent rise in the popularity of atheistic literature.

Dawkins currently has 10 literary titles and 8 film documentaries to his credit, 78% of which are targeted anti-theist (Christian) and the balance are illusory.

Dawkins, Richard (1986). The Blind Watchmaker. New York: Norton. p. 6

Dawkins, Richard (15 September 2001). "Religion's misguided missiles". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4257777,00.htm

Now there are some names associated with some actions.  We pray against the powers and principalities, but do we perform our due diligence in preparing our youth to defend against the attack using logic and reason?  Who will be the next Christian youth converted to atheism because they were not armed with information?  Who will be the next Christian to champion the mindset of the atheist, humanist or pluralist?  Is there a David out there to be a champion for God and show that God is the God of mercy, the God of forgiveness, the God of peace as well as the God of reason, science and logic?  I certainly hope so.  Hosea 4:6

It has been said that “the generation that killed its children will in turn be killed by its children” referring to abortion and euthanasia.  There were 50 million deaths from all causes last year not including abortion.  There were 40 million legal abortions performed last year.

Cape Town 2010 Congress “Emerging Technologies and the Human Future”. John Wyatt and Peter Saunders

How Much Time Do We Need?

I awoke this morning with a very heavy burden.  That burden was so powerful that my hands were literally shaking.  Those who know me well understand that this is not exactly a regular occurrence for me in that I am typically a very calm and even tempered person who relishes logic and reason.  So what was this burden you ask?  I’m glad you asked and let me explain.

God has given us shadows of many things in the Bible ranging from familial makeup, personal obstacles, good and bad leadership, a God like heart, proper and improper motivation, personal growth, etc., etc.  These shadows, or examples, apply to individuals, groups and the collective whole of humanity.  They apply to individuals to show how we are to live our lives as personal example and improvement to be used as outward witness.  They apply to businesses and church groups as to how we are to work together, manage our affairs and lead people into greater growth.  They apply to the global collective in that no one is exempt and we should be a proper representative of God to the entire world as one body. 

This allows room for growth.  God’s purpose is to have us join His family and invite others to do the same.  We are not perfect and therefore make mistakes and God guides us into improvement.  What if we get lazy?  Does it matter if we need more time to go around that mountain again and again and again?  Does it matter if we because of personality and choice,we take as much time as we like?  Does it really matter if churches, organizations or people choose to segregate themselves and do their own thing?  With all of my heart and emphatically as I can say it, YES!!

The image that I was left with, which was so thoroughly disturbing, was that some of the lost have time for further personal and corporate development, BUT SOME DO NOT!  We eventually will have to account for our activities and inactivity’s.  The worst thing that I can imagine, my Hell as it were, would be to get to Heaven and have God show me the people who are not in the family of eternal life with God because I was lazy, stubborn or stuck on myself.  How many have to die before I am willing to do all that I can and get over myself enough to do the work which is worthy of God?  How many years must go by before church groups realize that there is only one church and the credit doesn’t belong to one or the other?

I know pastors in this community who have been watching, working and waiting for people to stand up in unison to claim the harvest that is there.  They weep for their community and have been for 30+ years seeing the same thing time and time again.  I was left this morning with the image of Jesus sitting on a hill weeping over His people with the vision of this day, and division going through His mind.  I was left with the vision of Jesus hanging on the cross paying for all that many today try to take credit for.  Enough with the signs and banners and competition and let’s get down to business…together!

Are We Failing Our Life Study?

It takes most people 16 years to graduate from a four year university and an additional 4-8 years to earn a doctorate in a specific field.  This would require a huge variety of courses to include, but not limited to, a native language, a foreign language, science (physical and chemical), art, mathematics (algebra, trigonometry, calculus, etc.), psychology, sociology, logic and various other liberal arts.  This would make for a well rounded education yet advanced in their chosen field. 

The majority of Christians are Christian from their youth, or they were at least raised in a Christian home.  This precludes that they would have attended church for many years.  Studying Christianity is like studying one subject, albeit a very complex subject with a BIG text book.  This means studying one subject or specialty for decades yet there are many studies which state claims such as “only 45% of Americans can name all 4 gospels”.  This is basic (elementary school level) information for a Christian and if 78% of Americans say they are Christian, and have been for many years, then what is happening?  Are Christian leaders not teaching Christianity?  Are individuals not interested in learning about the Bible?  If they are not interested in learning about the Bible and they are Christian, why are they disinterested?  Are they unconvinced of its reality?  Are we not supposed to learn and only need to ‘feel good’ about our belief?

It is usually my primary focus to get people to ask themselves questions.  Let me offer one suggestion; if you do not have Bible teaching where you are, then find some resources.  There are many resources out there from internet, computer based to literature.  We will be held accountable for everything that we have and have not done regardless of whether the information was easy to attain.  When life on Earth is over, it is up to us to have accomplished the goals established for us.  I’m not referring to a larger house or faster car, but rather those whom we were supposed to help either with encouragement or answered questions.  Am I doing my best to accomplish these goals?  Are you?

*In 1997, 88% of Americans were either Protestant or Catholic and in 2007 that number dropped to 78%.  25% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 claim no affiliation at all and the number of those subscribing to atheistic thought rose from 8% to 16%. 

*The report is based mostly on data from Pew’s 2007 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey of 35,000 Americans and the General Social Survey

The Spiritual Butterfly

There are two veins of thought when it comes to free will.  One vein says that we are blobs of biological matter with no free will, because our decisions are pre-determined by external stimuli affecting the firing of synaptic pathways.  The other vein would be that we are a spirit, we have our mind, will and emotions (our soul) and we live in a body.  This would give us the ability to make choices independent of our circumstances and environment.  The following is predicated on the latter.

Our story begins with a small yellow butterfly in the mountains of northern South America.  This type of butterfly takes a journey each year up the coast of South America, along Mexico, traveling north often as far as Tennessee.  This butterfly, however happened to catch an errant breeze which carried him into a town.  In this town, he came across a young girl standing on the side of a bridge with tears in her eyes.  He lingered for a few minutes as the girl stepped from the side of the bridge and they watched each other.  He flew away when the girl strolled away with a smile. 

Being closer to the coast now than he expected, he was caught up in an ocean breeze which carried him out to sea.  The butterfly was dismayed, now far from any land, he thought that he would never be able to meet his friends in Tennessee when along comes a ship.  The butterfly manages to catch up to and land for a rest on this ship.  A sailor working hard on the deck noticed him and recognizing that it was the only thing on the ship which was not grey, captured him and placed him in a cage for viewing.  After several days of travel, the ship came in to port along the southern coast of the United States.  By this point the sailor was feeling sorry for the butterfly and set him free.  The butterfly, ecstatic with his new found freedom, began to fly with an energized fervor towards the north. 

The butterfly now ready for a new visit, saw a black man sitting in a park.  The butterfly, ready for some play time after much captivity, proceeded to fly around and play with the gentleman.  The man first with a heavy heart and concerned demeanor sat up and began to watch the butterfly and consider his plight.  The man extended his had to have the butterfly land on it only for a second before it took flight in the erratic beauty and freedom which only a butterfly has.  The man finally said aloud, “I have a dream” before walking inside of his church.  The butterfly, content with play time, continued on to meet his friends in Tennessee.

The point of this is only to say that one diversion, one smile or even one struggle can be the simple thing which alters your, and someone else’s history for the better.  The butterfly was on a journey which happened to intersect with a few others.  The question is, were the interactions beneficial?  If you have ever read any of Martin Luther Kings sermons, you may have come across one comparing our lives with that of the free butterfly.  The example that Jesus asks us to be is that of freedom and love. 

What does your day look like?

Where are you?

In Genesis 3:9 God calls to Adam and asks "Where are you?".  God didn't have a lack of information, He was having Adam ask the question to himself, because Adam had strayed.  Very often we need to ask ourselves, "Where am I?"

I tend to be the one who looks around to see what is happening.  When the Bible suggests that we should walk circumspectly, I take that seriously.  To do this, I communicate with many different groups whether Christian, atheist, scientific and metaphysical.  The information is actually pretty consistent.  When considering the sources, then comparing values and testing my environment everything coincides with small margins for error.

This is why when I come across information that I recently have, I am bothered.  Some of the information indicates that Christians as a whole aren’t really very committed.  A recent survey shows results that atheists and Jews know more about world religions including CHRISTIANITY than Catholics and Protestants do.  Evangelicals scored the highest in Biblical knowledge among Christian groups but were still trumped by other beliefs.  Another survey shows that almost half of all Americans have transitioned from one faith or denomination to another or even nothing.  25% of Americans between the ages of 18 – 29 claim no religious affiliation at all, couldn’t name the four gospels and atheism has doubled.  Actually a very close relationship exists between the increased number of students graduating college and the increase in atheism/agnosticism.

What is happening with Christianity?  Are people becoming educated beyond the belief of Christianity?  Are kids not being prepared in their faith enough to persist in their convictions when challenged?  Do Christians actually believe what they profess?  My views?...Hosea 4:6