Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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Many churches that follow a traditional calendar in their activities will regard this upcoming Sunday as the third Sunday in the season of Advent. In the first, they focused on themes of hope and expectation. Last Sunday was about promise and fulfillment. Looking over the suggested Scripture readings for the third Sunday, the theme of restoration is prominent. The people of God who had managed to hold on to their faith at the time of Jesus of Nazareth were in need of restoration, severely so. Beginning with the captivity in Babylon, at the...
Israel wandered in the wilderness for a full generation (40 years) without a king, at the beginning of its national history. In fact, in the first giving of the law, which occurred at Mount Sinai, there was no provision given for a king in Israel at all. Moses was certainly the leader of the new nation, but his governmental function was to serve as the judge of Israel’s supreme court. The law created an appeals court system, with Moses as the court of last appeal. He was not their king. Under that arrangement, which we call the Old Covenant, G...
It can be cataclysmic when God’s plan for us forces a change in the whole way we’ve lived our lives up to that point. I’ve seen it happen several times since I was called to serve as a pastor. I have no Bible behind me when I say this, but experience leads me to assert that it’s especially difficult for men of action, or activity, to encounter a change in their circumstance that forces them to spend some time in what feels like “doing nothing.” This is because men especially are tempted to view themselves in light of what they do or accompli...
The second psalm is an amazing song of victory. God triumphs over his enemies and spoils the plans of the kings of the world. He does this primarily by installing the Messiah as his king, over all the rest of them, and by promising the whole earth as the Messiah’s possession. This psalm is quoted in the New Testament, including by Jesus, as an explanation for the suffering and resurrection of Christ, and as a promise of enduring, future victory over evil for the people of God. Jesus is the star of the show in this song. However, you’ve nev...
Do humans have an inherent right to self-defense, including the use of violence? What about Christ’s consistent ethic of non-violent resistance toward evil? The Bible mostly assumes that people have the right to defend themselves. There are places, though, where this right becomes plain and is dealt with openly. At the beginning of the Bible, God pronounces a death-penalty on murderers. Since humans are made in his image, to commit murder is to strike out at God and is rewarded with death. It would seem logical that, if human life is worth t...
Is libertarian political philosophy compatible with Christian faith? There are evangelical leaders who would say it is not. These tend to be cheerleaders for one party in our current system. I’m jaded enough to believe the real danger they see is that a Libertarian Party candidate might siphon votes from their favorite lesser-of-two-evils. In fact, I’m convinced that libertarian economic philosophy is the only one advocated in the Bible. It rises directly from its pages. Outrageous, you say? Here are three ways the Bible may be pushing you in...
In the first line of the book, we find out that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. It’s a pretty big book, and a lot of stuff follows that. None of it could happen, though, if that first bit didn’t. The Bible unfolds in actual time and history. The reality it describes is the objective one we live in. God created the heavens and earth. This is not an illusion. Without that truth, all bets are off. You are reading these words with your eyes. But are you really? How can you be sure that you’re not a brain in a vat somewhere,...
The brilliant man in the video was asked whether he believed in God. He said the amount of suffering he sees in the world makes it hard for him to believe in a God who is good and loving. This is a common argument among skeptics. Suffering is bad, so God must not be good. He’s either too weak to do anything about it or unconcerned with it. For an atheist to make the whole suffering argument, however, is inconsistent with atheism, which can have no objective morality. He doesn’t believe in God, but he’s somehow confident that suffering is bad....
One day, the disciples asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom. These were motivated dudes, after all, wanting to know how to advance, how to climb that ladder. Jesus pointed to a child and told them to become like that. Some preachers have turned this text into a “How To Be Saved” sort of story. They think the disciples were asking about entrance to the kingdom, not status within it. So, the evangelistic answer is that we must have a so-called childlike faith. They don’t consider this in light of places where Jesus recommends a lot o...
When God brought Israel out of Egypt, he gave it a set of rules. Beginning with the Ten Commandments, he spelled out a constitution for the new nation, a law by which they were to govern themselves. The New Testament calls this the “perfect law of liberty.” In this law of liberty, there were no entitlement programs. Neither businesses nor poor folks received any handouts from the central authority. (This is because there was no taxation. Without this, the government had nothing to “generously” give to anyone.) This doesn’t mean the new const...
They didn’t understand what he was up to. When I say “they,” I mean all of them. The Pharisees and Sadducees (conservatives and liberals). The Herodians, politically loyal to King Herod, who suspected that Jesus might lead an armed insurrection. The revolutionary Zealots, who would’ve loved that. The 12 closest disciples of Jesus. Whatever it was that he was up to, it didn’t involve acting like a normal king. They knew kings. They were familiar. This Nazarene was not that. Many hope that when he returns, he’ll finally act like a normal king...
Within American Christianity, we’ve seen the rise of “purity culture” in the last generation. At the heart of this movement are the best intentions. The goal was to keep our children from the devastation that results from sexual sin, including unwanted pregnancy and disease. Purity culture places a lot of emphasis on sexual abstinence until marriage. As a father who raised daughters, I did the same. One of my goals for them was to make sure they didn’t fall prey to charming scoundrels. Y’know, young men who are just like I was. Purity cu...
Have you been too cheerful lately? You might take the time to watch the Neflix documentary series, “Shiny happy people.” Seriously, you should watch it. I know some are warning against it: “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” Christians should never be afraid to look. While I’m at it, let me also recommend the documentary from “Christianity Today” magazine, “The rise and fall of Mars Hill.” If you’re a podcast listener, check out episodes 148 and 149 of the Bare Marriage podcast and hear the voice of a victim of so-called “purit...
I’m seeing an objection in short videos recently. It is an old Muslim argument, although non-Muslims make use of it, against Christianity: “Jesus never said he was God.” The charge is that Christians have wrongly raised Jesus of Nazareth to the level of divinity. We’ve made him our God, contrary to his own teachings and will. That’s the assertion. Part of the objection may be freely admitted. The Bible never records Jesus saying the words, “I am God.” (As an aside, before I address that in earnest, I’ll point out that Jesus is never recorded...
Is there a calling on your life? In my own denominational setting, that question is about two things specifically. Do you feel drawn in some way to pastoral ministry, or do you sense that God is calling you to be a foreign missionary? When Southern Baptists talk about being “called” that’s generally what we mean, and I wish we’d stop it. I wish we’d expand our vision. Full time Gospel ministry is a thing that God calls people to. But that’s uncommon. What about all the rest of the folks? Has God not called them? Of course. But here’s the...
I’m continuing from my last column, examining modern transgender ideology. At the outset, let me stress that I’m not attacking individuals. As far as I’m concerned, you do you. I wish you the best. I’m critiquing the ideology that encourages so-called “transitioning” for children. I wrote that the modern movement is based on a neo-platonic idea that the physical world we live in does not define “reality.” It’s what you feel in your heart or choose to believe. That’s what’s really real. This is true even when the idea in your head is flatly c...
File this one under “Nothing new under the sun.” An ancient idea has resurfaced in the current cultural phenomenon of transgenderism. I’m not seeking to insult individual people, dealing with serious issues, who have been made in the image of God and thus deserve to be treated as neighbors. As Christ taught, let’s love them like ourselves. I’m looking at the ideology that is argued for on college campuses and social media, like TikTok. This is the argument that everyone should accept transgenderism as good, normal, and worthy of great sup...
I’m sick of being told what the experts say. Specifically, I’ve had it with experts who take it upon themselves to tell us how the world needs to change (and right now, mister) or else. I can’t even blame the experts themselves too much: they’re simply giving their opinion. The real culprits are the non-experts who constantly insist that the exalted ones should be regarded as oracles. The appeal to supposed expertise has taken on a religious flavor in our day. It’s a flavor that colors everything we argue about publicly. You can’t hold to Opi...
As a volunteer pastor, I’ve come to believe that the No. 1 threat to my congregation is fear. As it turns out, though, I’m not their only preacher. The other ones are broadcast at them. Twenty-four-hour news channels bombard them with reasons to be terrified. What’s coming next? A new virus? Conflict with Russia? China? Remember when the “murder hornets” were coming for us? Part of my answer to all that is this: Jesus fed 5,000 men and their families with a few pieces of bread and a plate of fish in Mark 6. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying th...
In Acts 16:1-12 we have the story of Paul and Silas on a missionary journey. Compared to the rest of Acts, this narrative seems a little dull. There are no shocking miracles; no devilish opposition; and no riots. It contains, however, some good lessons on decision-making, and these are badly needed, especially for the younger folks around us. We’ll talk about one such lesson. Not everyone grew up with wise parents who taught them how to govern their lives or make important choices. Even fewer have that in our day. I think especially of the r...
It’s ironic that forgiveness is so misunderstood among believers, given the place that it holds in the whole scheme of biblical thought. Jesus routinely explained forgiveness in economic terms. He compares it to forgiveness of a debt in Matthew 18. Forgiveness means no longer demanding repayment for what is owed. It doesn’t require a particular feeling. When Jesus demands we forgive each other from the “heart” that’s not saying we are required to feel a particular emotion: it just means we must be sincere. People get tripped up on the requi...
Jesus said in Matthew 10:32, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” This seems like a pretty big deal. If you want Jesus to confess you, you need to confess him. Of course, that’s from a translation that was completed in 1611, so it’s not surprising that the key word there, “confess,” may not mean to our ears what it meant to theirs. We tend to think of admitting to our sins, when we talk about confession. That’s certainly what it means legally and in major religious tra...
When King Solomon died, the rule passed to his son, Rehoboam. His story doesn’t take up much space, but it changed the nation of Israel forever. The account of his sad reign can be found in 1 Kings 12-14. Upon ascending to the throne, he is faced with a huge leadership challenge. His father had made use of forced labor (known as slaves) in several building projects. The people appealed to Rehoboam to back off from the harsh treatment they perceived. He promised them an answer in three days. In the meantime, Rehoboam sought advice from two g...
When you read the Psalms, right away you see David calling to God for rescue from his enemies. They have surrounded him and are threatening his life. This starts in Psalm 2. David cries out to God. I don’t see him taking the time to light a candle or even get to his favorite prayer spot. Right where he is, he’s dropping to his knees, hands reaching toward heaven. When he speaks, it’s not in some measured and gentlemanly King James formality. He’s screaming. He hurts his throat. “Lord, how many are my foes!” (Psalm 3:1) In these psalms, the...
As we stare another new year right in its face, it’s helpful to gaze back for a moment. I mean all the way back, before the beginning. The Scripture says that a few things happened even before the events of Genesis 1:1 and following. Before God said, “Let there be light,” other things were decided. Those things then paved the way for “the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13 and 17, for instance, refer to something called the Lamb’s book of life. If you are in Christ, your name is written in it. The individual names of his people were...