Working out Salvation with Fear and Trembling

1. God is in control. Our sovereign God was not surprised by this event, nor was He attempting damage control in some board room in anticipation of a press conference following the announcement.
2. Just because SCOTUS rules on something does not make it true, it simply makes it legal. When SCOTUS ruled in Dredd Scott vs. Sandford that African-Americans could not be American Citizens and therefore not have standing in Federal Court to sue for their freedom, it did not make it morally right. In Roe vs. Wade, SCOTUS determined that privacy laws under the due process clause of the 14th amendment allowed women to have abortions. Both of these positions were morally wrong. Just because SCOTUS rules does not make it true.
3. Despite the left’s intention that opening the doors for same-sex marriage would not lead to other forms of marriage, like polygamy, this very thing is beginning to already be addressed. The slippery slope had begun despite all attempts to argue otherwise.
4. While business is usual for churches, the claims from the left that churches would continue to be free to do their own thing is already being challenged in the public square. The next step is potentially removing tax exempt statuses from churches.
5. It seems clear that despite claims to otherwise, the intention is not just equalization among people regarding marriage, but moral acceptance of said positions as well.

1. Love all people, no matter their sinfulness and provide for them the hope of the Gospel that God has promised to all of us who are sinners.
2. Continue to teach and practice the truth. Just because something is acceptable in popular opinion doesn’t mean that we should hesitate from identifying sin and offering the solution: Jesus Christ.

Until just this week, I wrote a semi-regular column for the Hudson Valley News. In response to a previous columnist’s work on speaking positively about his church’s acceptance of homosexuality, I sought to write a fair and balanced treatment on the other side of the equation. That column was too much for my editor who found it offensive and canceled my column for future issues of the paper. I think the issue though, is of great importance, and so I include that column here for a wider readership. I noted to my editor, it was not with me he was offended, but what God’s Word taught.

The times sure are changing. Cultural mores of which we have been used to for generations are quickly being discarded for the sake of toleration (although those who are opposed to such abandonment are usually not privy to toleration). Rarely, if ever, are underlying philosophical and worldview issues behind these changes examined by the average person. People today are simply willing to go with the ebb and flow of the prevailing thought of the culture, especially as represented (perhaps misrepresented) by the media. And surely, there is no hot-button issue bigger than same-sex marriage. However the Supreme Court rules, there is more to understanding the acceptance of an issue than whether it is legal or not.

I’m certainly no philosopher. My expertise is in the Christian Scriptures. So, that’s the only way I can truly speak on this issue. And while some denominations have chosen to change their position on whether God finds homosexuality acceptable or not and whether or not it is acceptable for the church to marry said people, the vast majority of the church around the world (and in North America) continues to affirm that homosexuality is sin and that same-sex marriage is forbidden in the church. For instance, the three largest Christian denominations in North America (the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the United Methodist Church) all see the Bible as condemning homosexuality as sin and prohibiting same-sex marriages.

What does this say about the state of Christian thinking on this most pressing issue? It means that, while there has been some dissent from the majority opinion, the majority opinion is just that, that homosexuality remains outside the bounds of God’s will for humanity.

Does that mean that folks like Westboro Baptist Church are right in their attitudes toward homosexuality? Of course not. Instead, the church should be loving and kind and gracious to those with whom they disagree. But loving and kind and gracious doesn’t mean capitulating to positions with which they disagree or tolerating behavior in their midst of which the Bible outlines as sinful. Sin is sin in God’s eyes, whether the sin of adultery, lust, theft, pride, jealousy, or lying. All sin separates us from God (Romans 3:23). But just because some people, and some churches, want to make it seem like homosexuality is not sinful (whether they were made that way or not) does not actually change what the Bible says nor what the collective wisdom of the church has taught for over 2000 years.

So, while I will not affirm someone’s homosexuality as being acceptable to God (as it is not – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10), and nor will I marry you to celebrate in affirmation that sin, I will love you as Christ has called me to love all people. And love, that abounds in wisdom and discernment, will also require me to tell you that as a sinner you are separated from God—whether as a homosexual, a drunkard, or a gossip—but that you can have forgiveness of your sin and that you can have hope that God will accept you if you place your trust in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1).

No matter how we seek to twist the Bible out of its context, the text says what it says, that homosexuality is sinful just like all other sins in the Bible. But it also says that forgiveness is available to all, because Christ loved you enough to die for you (Ephesians 1:7). So while I cannot affirm your sin or celebrate your union in sin, I can love you, and show you the way to forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

A book review by my wife Tracy of The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner.

Women, by nature, are hard workers. Whether they work in the home, out of the home, or both, women give of themselves and serve others on a constant basis. Jessica Turner’s book, The Fringe Hours addresses the very real need women have to find things they enjoy, and then find the time to do the things they enjoy!

As a mom, I was encouraged and convicted by this book. Sometimes in the extremely demanding life of caring for three young children, I feel like I lose a bit of myself. Where is that woman who used to enjoy a variety of activities and actually had a few moments to pursue those things? Turner begins her book by freeing women from the guilt of spending time on themselves, as well as confronting the fact that women can be their own worst enemies by imposing impossible standards on themselves and comparing themselves to others.

The second section of the book helps women uncover their passions and offers some very practical suggestions for how to find time in their lives to pursue the things they love. Yes, you have to get creative—Turner uses her morning hair-drying time as an opportunity to read her magazines—but as she points out, five minutes a day is enough to keep up with her subscriptions!

The third and fourth sections offer readers help in organizing their time, accepting help, and overcoming other barriers to finding time for themselves. Turner also encourages us to make time to sleep and to build meaningful relationships into our lives.

Self-care is a tricky topic because it can so easily become a very self-focused obsession. However, Turner tackles the topic carefully and builds her case well that taking care of yourself will help you be more fulfilled, happier, and will allow you more energy to care for others. She emphasizes the concept of balance in life which is a life-long pursuit for most of us.

No book can make time for you in your schedule, but this book will encourage you to really look at your life and to revisit some of the things you used to love to do. The questions to answer and motivation prompts throughout the book make it interactive and help you start applying what you are reading right away. Overall, a well-written book with a timely message for today’s busy women!

A review from my wife Tracy, on the book Salad Love by David Bez.

Salad Love is one of my new favorite cookbooks! As someone who enjoys eating as healthfully as possible, and tries to incorporate as much produce in my diet as possible, this book is a wonderful addition to my cookbook collection.

The book offers readers 260 salad recipes that can be eaten as side dishes, or as full meals on their own. Since the salads were originally designed to be prepared for lunches in an office building, the ingredient lists are short and the preparation time is minimal. There is also a picture for every single recipe—I love that! Another wonderful feature is that the book is organized seasonally. This allows readers to take full advantage of any local markets or farm stands that may be available.

There are a few recipes that call for what I would consider to be slightly more exotic ingredients—quail eggs, octopus, and truffle paste to name a few—however, most of the recipes are completely doable and even quite affordable. Those that do make use of more unusual ingredients sometimes offer suggested substitutions as well.

If you eat a lot of salad, or are simply looking for some variety from the standard tossed salad, give this book a try. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you can love salad!

This book was provided free of charge from “Blogging for Books” in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to share with an article that, while perchance a bit provocative, is certainly challenging to us who are striving to reach a lost and dying world with the Gospel of Jesus. It is good not only to hear from me, but to hear from other helpful voices in the church. I would welcome your thoughts on it as well. Iron sharpens iron as the Word says. The article addresses the question, what are we trying to make the most attractive about us to the lost? Is it the trappings of ministry, or the pure and unadulterated Gospel. So, on that note, here is the article, Church, It is Time to Become Unattractive by Sam Kee:

My friend Bill Boekestein, has provided a vital resource in his new volume on Reformed theologian, Ulrich Zwingli in Evangelical Press’s, Bitesize Biographies series. Today, Zwingli, if he is known at all, is known purely for his view of the presence of the Lord in Communion, and nothing more. Yet, there is much more to the man and to his legacy for Christians today. Boekestein fills this lacunae in providing us a relatively brief, yet lucid description of his life and legacy for the average Christian.

Zwingli (1484-1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, not only theologically, but practically in battle (in which he died) as Zwingli’s Reformation alliance fought those supporting the Roman Catholic Church. Part of his legacy, Boekestein notes one of the legacies from Zwingli was the move on Bullinger’s part (he followed Zwingli in his pulpit following his death) was to denounce formal involvement between the state and the church.

His greatest legacy, perhaps, is his efforts to Reform the church over and above any of his lasting theological legacies. Although, the controversy over the real presence of Christ in the Lord’s Table, wherein Zwingli and Luther could come to no accord at the Marburg Colloquy, is informative of how churches sought to be unified and yet, issues that seem unimportant to many Christians today, where, and are, quite significant still today. Many churches hold to more “memorial” approaches to the Lord’s Supper (although half-teasingly those churches are said to be more Zwinglian than Zwingli was), and should see Zwingli’s influence then in that area. While Zwingli’s approach did not become the majority position among Reformed churches (Calvin’s spiritual presence view is the most common), Zwingli still bears importance for today.

It’s important to know about God’s servants, and Boekestein admirably introduces a new generation to this hero of the Reformation and how his love for the pure church of God, should continue to influence us today. So, take up and read, and see how God’s choice servant of the past can continue to have meaning for us in the church today.

The famed American theologian-philosopher Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) once remarked on the color green in the rainbow mentioned in Revelation 4:3:

This rainbow was ‘in sight like unto an emerald,’ which is a precious stone of an exceeding lovely green color, so green that this color appears in nothing else so lively and lovely. This color is a most fit emblem of divine grace; it is a very lively color, not so dull as blue or purple, and yet most easy to the sight, more easy than the more fiery colors of yellow and red. It is the color of all the grass, herbs, and trees, and growth of the earth, and therefore fitly denotes life, flourishing, prosperity, and happiness, which are often in Scripture compared to the green and flourishing growth of the earth. As the benign influence of the sun on the face of the earth is shown by this color above all others, so is the grace, and benign influence, and communication of God fitly represented by this color.

Now, no one can truly know the color most loved by the Divine, but truly at this time of year, with the vast outpouring of verdant hues it is of little surprise that Edwards might think that green would be the color of God’s pleasure. From the front porch of my house in the woods of Stanfordville, I gaze out at the trees becoming lush with leaves and the beauty and “life” of the many shades of green I see. It’s a glorious moment in the transition from the harsh brutality of winter to the lush warmth of summer for that moment of spring when suddenly barren trees spring to life. Is there a more beautiful picture of life than the green of spring?

Far too often though, we fail to think upon or focus upon this momentous event that happens all around us. Gone are the days when we would, as children, gather leaves for pressing into assignments to note the variety of trees in our backyards. Gone are the childhood climbs into the branches of said trees to admire and appreciate the green around us. These and many other adventures and experiences among the flourishing greenery have been replaced with a weary thought that the mass of green will become a mass of brown simply to be cleaned up. Yet, it is the transition from green to brown to barren to green again, which should cause us to stop for a moment and focus upon that moment when life is restored and the green returns.

As much as winter is a necessity, we mourn during it for the life that we saw during spring summer and into fall. When the leaves fell we mourned for the life for which we saw all around us and the impending foreboding of snow and harsh wind. Then, when seemingly winter would never end, life bursts forth, unable to be contained forever, and demonstrates that life conquers death. Is it any wonder that Edwards might have thought that God’s favorite color was green in that it rendered for us, in color, an “emblem of divine grace” since life so clearly conquers death (1 Corinthians 15:55). Just as Jesus Christ burst out of the tomb at Easter to show that death had no hold on Him (Acts 2:24), the green leaves burst out from the tomb of winter to show, in visible representation, that God’s grace is not bound, nay, can be bound, but is ready to burst forth in glorious abundance.

So, regardless of whether God’s favorite color is green, take a moment to stop, relax, and enjoy life in its lush and green goodness. The green all around is evidence of our abundant riches of life that have been bestowed upon us. As Martin Luther (1483–1546) once wrote, “For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”

1. I have stood out front praying in front of Planned Parenthood.
2. I have raised money and supported pregnancy resource centers and helped start one in the last community in which I ministered.
3. I have spoken at a rally for religious freedom.
4. I have participated and encouraged letter writing campaigns in support of persecuted brothers and sisters around the world and taken a stand for Christian values.
5. I have publicly spoken out against the ongoing moral decline of our Western culture.

1. To teach and preach the Word of God (2 Timothy 4:1–5). My primary obligation is to instruct my people what God has told us in His Word. That certainly includes what is morally right and wrong according to the Scriptures, and how Christians are to live in a world that fundamentally disagrees with them on said morality. But teaching the people is the primary obligation of the pastor. Not necessarily to lead a culture war as the general.
2. To equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12). As a product of teaching and preaching the Word of God, we are seeking to help our churches do the work of the ministry. It’s actually not my primary responsibility to be doing the work of the ministry (whether within the confines of our church doors or outside) but to give my people the tools and resources to do it. In the end, they’re the generals in a war against evil. I’m simply a military advisor.
3. To lead the church (1 Peter 5:1–4). My job isn’t to lead the world. My job isn’t to be the world’s police officer. My job is to lead the church and exercise authority over it. While I need to speak the truth of the Scriptures into the world at large, my primary responsibility is to effectively lead the church God has given me. That’s enough work already than trying to lead the world too.