Who Knows?

I just read an interesting conversation between a Unitarian “minister” (Sewell) and America’s leading atheist (Christopher Hitchens). This was recorded by the Portland Monthly magazine. The entire interview can be found here.

One of these two has an understanding of Christianity. Is it the alleged minister or is it the atheist?

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is a generally fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

What think ye, imbibers of Coffee with Curt?

Is there any such thing as a "liberal Christian"? For your reading assignment today, allow me to refer you to an old classic: Christianity and Liberalism, by J. Greshem Machen.

A Sad Life; A Hard Death

Dick died sometime last week. Nobody really knows when. He was found in his apartment and the assumption is that he had been dead about a week. He drank himself to death. What a sad end to a sad life.

Dick had once been a neighbor of ours on a street full of close, neighborly friends. Dick succumbed to demon rum, however. He got in all sorts of trouble, lost his job, and destroyed his marriage. Yet, when his ex-wife called to tell us of his Dick’s death, the tears were just below the surface. She was thankful for the good years she had with him.

So were we. We enjoyed barbecues, front porch visits, trips to local restaurants, and just hanging out together. Dick could be charming and fun. He could tell stories. But all the stories weren’t charming. Some were the lies he used to cover up his drinking and the increasingly difficult time he was having at work. When he finally lost the job he had had for many years, the house of cards really began to tumble and crumble.

What do we make of all this? What’s the point? How can we reconcile this with the goodness of God? There are a lot of questions to be asked. Not all the answers will be satisfactory to our ears.

There’s a lot of teaching about “trouble” in God’s Word. These verses comes to mind, for instance:

He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head. (Psalm 7:14-16).

Trouble is often the result of our own actions. We can’t blame God; and we can’t blame the devil. Is alcoholism a disease? I won’t go on that rabbit trail, but I will say that though we may even inherit a tendency toward addiction, the active participation in that addiction begins as sinful behavior, not disease.

God does not walk away, however, and say, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” He cares about the troubled, the oppressed. The Bible is full of promises about help for the troubled. Here are just a few from the book of Psalms:

• The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. (Psalm 9:9)
• For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5)
• You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7)
• The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. (Psalm 37:39).

God is in the rescue business. Dick was made in God's image. God offered help. Dick was told the Gospel. He was invited to church. His response was usually along the lines of “Time for church is when 60 Minutes comes on.”

Is all this a glib way to say, “tough luck, Dick,” or to excuse his friends and neighbors for our parts in his demise? No. It’s just a tough, real life story. He had a hard life. He probably had a hard death. If nothing else, let us all learn to turn from our addictions; turn others from beginning in lives of drink, drugs, and promiscuity. Turn to God. Let’s bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Pray for those in your life who are afflicted. Tell them that God WILL help. And expect them to throw up on your shoes. Then pray for them again.

There is no happy ending, here. Dick’s dead. He was (probably) unsaved. There but for the (vast, enormous, eternal) grace of God, go I.

The State of the ChurchMore than one entry in a day? Amazing. But, after I posted this morning I found this item below. You can read the original here.Hip Pastor Blasts Those Who Want to Go Deeper into God’s Word Rock star pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina, says you are a jackass if you’re sick of shallow seeker sermons and want to go deeper into God’s Word. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. Noble has led the nation’s lemming pastors into new frontiers of circus church. Who would have ever thought to use AC/DC’s Highway to Hell as a church prelude before Noble hit the scene? You can see a clip of Noble decrying those who want spiritual meat from the pulpit (go to the link above). It’s really that bad out there.

What do you think, bothers and sisters?

The Global Warming Keeps on Falling

As I write this we have about 8 inches of fresh global warming on the ground - so far. The snow is white and fresh and looks lovely. But it covers a multitude of problems, doesn’t it? The snow itself is treacherous for drivers. In this case, the fact that the snow is very wet and heavy could cause some electrical outages, downed trees, and other mishaps and problems.

In Isaiah 1:18, we read, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” What does this mean? Well, a look at the context tells us that Israel was a rebellious nation. Verses 15 to 17 state, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” (Read the entire chapter here.)

God has promised that He will change our calamitous state of affairs into a state of peace with Him. If we follow Him; if we become disciples of Jesus Christ; we will not appear before Him at the judgment wearing the scarlet clothing of sin, debauchery, and rebellion. Rather we will be clothed in a garment as white as the fresh-fallen snow.

For those of you in the snowy parts of our nation and the world, think about this as you watch the snow cover the ground.

On Broken Bones and God's Work

Last Wednesday, I got a free ride to the Emergency Room. It happened like this. My wife (and BFF) and I were taking down the screen porch we put on our back porch for summer (yes, we were late). I tripped over one of the posts that hold the awning up. I landed on my ankle, which had folded under me - and I heard the POP.

I'm the sort of guy who seldom goes to doctors or hospitals. This time I knew I had to go. It was broken. This was confirmed by the X-rays, so I was wrapped up and told to go to the orthopedic doctor for a cast or to decide if I need surgery. Cast it is. No surgery.

While we were in the ER, we had several opportunities to share the love of God with patients and the triage nurse. When you're in a wheelchair, I guess you are less frightening to other patients.

The nurse noticed that Sandra and I were having a good time, despite the pain. She said she seldom sees people laughing there and then she asked how we could be so happy! So we told her.

God is good. I don't know what else He has to teach me during this time. I'm still in pain and I have to have the cast on for at least a month (with ski season starting NOW). But, I'm ready for His lessons.

Giving Thanks

It's a harsh world sometimes. Recent events in the news have made it seem even more so. War is still raging. There have been several public shooting incidents in the past week. The Health care debacle continues. The recession has been declared to be over, but the pain remains.

But praise be to God, there is much for which to be thankful. In this month in which we contemplate those things for which we are thankful, let's forget about the material things for just a bit and concentrate on much higher issues.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2)

Sandra and I always had our girls write thank you notes whenever they received a gift of any kind. This was good handwriting practice and a good vehicle for us to discuss with them the topic of thankfulness. Those of us who are Christians have much to be thankful for. The verse above mentions two of the more important reasons to be thankful.

The first is Grace. Grace is the “channel” through which salvation flows to undeserving sinners. Only God controls this remote! Ephesians 2:8-9 read this way: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.” Salvation from the consequences of our own sinfulness comes by grace. It’s a gift. It’s unearnable. As a result, we can have Peace.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:13-14; 17-18).

Peace, in the Biblical context, means “wholeness,” “completeness.” By the work of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we can have access to the father – for all eternity. We will be made complete by being made one with the Father who is our creator – and who loves us.

Thanksgiving Day has become a ritual for us. Football, turkey, pumpkin cheesecake, family and friends can all be part of the mix. There is nothing wrong with any of that. Enjoy it all (and don’t tell my doctor about the cheesecake). But if you are a Christian, you have special reasons to celebrate, on Thanksgiving Day and every day. You can be thankful for the Grace and Peace extended by Jesus Christ, the savior, who alone has made you righteous.

If I Were Emperor...

I have become less and less interested in politics in the last couple of presidential cycles. I guess it would be more accurate to say I have been dismayed at the quality of candidates we’ve had. Then I realize that we get the candidates we deserve.

God is in control.

But there are days, like yesterday, when I say things like, “That wouldn’t be a problem if I was King – or Emperor.” Believe me folks, neither you nor I really wish that were true.

But what if….

If I were Emperor…

• We would not be dependent on foreign oil. We would drill on our own land, being careful, of course, not to be destructive. Why is it, I wonder, that compassionate liberals find it wrong to disturb the tundra to drill for oil in our own nation, but thinks it’s OK to drill in other lands.
• English would be the official language of the land. I don’t have a problem with people speaking whatever language they want, but in order to do business, we should speak the same language. As I travel to other countries I find nearly everybody speaking English or wanting to learn. Not Here (unless I was Emperor).
• We would not be moving toward a planned economy. We would actually learn from the history of the Soviet Union that planned economies do not work. We would recognize that all the former Warsaw Pact nations are striving after capitalism.
• Illegal immigration would go away. I understand that people still want to come to this country for its many benefits. This Emperor would make sure that they do it legally. All benefits of any kind would be cut off to those who sneak into our country. I recognize that there would be hardships. Compassion would be part of the formula, but….
• We would have a flat tax of some sort. We would get rid of the thousands (maybe millions) of pages of tax law, and the IRS.
• We would rid ourselves of much of the bureaucracy which exists in government at all levels. The Education Department would be the first to go.
• Recognizing that strong fences make good neighbors, I would fund the Department of Defense adequately.
• I would either fight the war in Afghanistan to win – or get out. We should have learned in VietNam that you cannot fight a war half-heartedly.
• I would separate church and state. This means that I would not interfere with the religious beliefs of the people unless they constituted a danger to the nation. Remember, I’m the Emperor and I decide what constitutes danger. I would not allow foot washing stations to be built in public places (like airports and schools) at public expense, while denying manger scenes.
• I would review all government policies having to do with health care. Maybe if the government got out of the way, health care would be more affordable. Did I mention no free health care for illegals?

This is a partial list. What would be on your list?

Our Great Leader

Saw this video today and thought that I would share it. This seems like the sort of thing that went along with "Soviet Realism," and the "cult of personality." After watching the video, I suggest that you follow the links and read some of the history.

As always, comments are welcome and encouraged.