Everything including the kitchen sink... but with special attention paid to board games, Jesus Christ, my family, being a "professional" (and I use that word loosely) Christian, and the random firing of the 10% of the synapses I'm currently using.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.[a]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:8-10 (NIV)
There’s a Bible verse I think about sometimes. Many times. It goes, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.’”
I started this series of posts back in 2020 - calling out a variety of politicians on both sides of the divide for their misuse of Scripture to justify policies and positions:
I get it. I understand rhetorical flourish and echoing classic passages of literature to evoke emotion.
But we as followers of Christ are called to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB). What DHS (the department of Homeland Security) did yesterday is not accurately handling Scripture.
Zach Lambert (a pastor and author) summed up my feelings brilliantly last night in a X (Twitter) thread:
Using Bible verses to justify violence against immigrants is not only the opposite of what Jesus teaches, it’s also a direct contradiction to the passage cited in this video.
“Here am I, send me” was the prophet Isaiah’s response after being called by God to deliver a message to the people and their leaders. What was the message?
“Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.” Isaiah 1:23
What were these corrupt and rebellious leaders doing?
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?” Isaiah 10:1-3
God is sending Isaiah to warn the people, and more specifically their leaders, that if they do not turn from their corrupt ways and begin caring for the most vulnerable among them, they will suffer God’s judgment. Isaiah answers that call by saying, “Here am I, send me.”
For a corrupt government to use these verses to justify the very marginalization and oppression being condemned in this passage is the height of blasphemy.
-----
I wanted to come up with something wise and convicting to close this post with... I wanted to turn on my "pastor mojo" and finish with marching orders to my fellow followers of Christ.
But I'm tired. So tired of watching Biblical truth being used as a prop... by both political parties.
So, I once again leave you with this.
Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed.
I'm not the first to notice the jarring juxtaposition of celebrating the life & work of Martin Luther King Jr. on the same day as the inauguration of Donald Trump. I've written extensively about my concerns & fears about Mr. Trump's fitness for public office and his "moneychangers in the Temple" attitude toward the Christian faith.
Let me share some thoughts on this day and what it means to those of us who claim a faith in Jesus Christ.
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."(MLK Jr)
It may be difficult to hear those words over the noise of inauguration news coverage, but there is justice. It just may not be on my timeline - or in my lifetime.
"When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh."(Proverbs 29:2 AMP)
"Again, my loved ones, do not seek revenge; instead, allow God’s wrath to make sure justice is served. Turn it over to Him. For the Scriptures say, “Revenge is Mine. I will settle all scores.” (Romans 12:19 VOICE)
You are not the first person of faith to cry out to God and wonder why injustice prevails...
"How long, Lord, must I call for help and You do not listen or cry out to You about violence and You do not save? Why do You force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted." (Habakkuk 1:2-4 HCSB)
I found myself drawn to the book of Habakkuk this weekend - which is not unusual throughout my life. His struggles with evil and injustice - and how God chooses to deal with those things in real time - echo the battle in my own heart & mind.
In 2020, I wrote the following words which ring true this morning: "The fact that I can't see how God is working in the world does not mean God has stopped working in our lives."
Praying for our political leadership is not simply "God bless 'em" - there is Biblical precedent for accountability and justice.
"The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live." (1 Timothy 2:1-3 MSG)
"What sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws. They deprive the poor of justice and deny the rights of the needy among my people." (Isaiah 10:1-2 NLT)
"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." (Isaiah 1:17 NLT)
Whether you are mourning or celebrating today, your obligation as a follower of Christ is to do justice... to live out the path set before us in Scripture.
"...people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."(Micah 6:8 NLT)
I'll let Martin have the final word today...
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
Over the past couple of months, I've written a number of posts about the multitude of reasons I believe that President-elect Trump is a spectacularly bad choice to lead the United States for the next four years. The fact that he was elected last week does not lessen my concerns.
What follows is a hodge-podge of thoughts and quotes... a virtual download of my fears and frustrations. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this victory for a convicted felon... and, when I'm honest with myself, attempting to trust God with it as well.
Moreover, it's not as simple as "love God, hate Trump" or "it's the end of the world as we know it" - so much depends on how we choose to live and act. Heck, so much depends on how I choose to live and act.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Hoping I'm Wrong... And Right
As you'll see as you work your way through the rest of this blog post, I take seriously the words that Mr. Trump has spoken over the course of the last four years. In many cases, the promises he's made have immense potential to cause financial havoc, ballooning national debt, trade wars with both enemy & allied nations, and warp the American sense of justice and law enforcement for generations to come.
So, I hope I'm wrong about any number of these things. I pray that the President-elect will back away from and/or forget many of the proposals he has floated.
At the same time, I'm really struggling with the desire for Mr. Trump to follow through on some of these things and for those who voted for him to see the downstream impacts of their decision. I'm striving against that instinct - it makes me feel petty and mean and vindictive. But I also know that the most effective teacher is often natural consequences.
The really cynical part of me is resigned to the reality that Mr. Trump is a past master at finding someone (besides himself) to blame for pretty much everything that goes wrong... and that the tendency of those who've supported the President-elect to let him off the hook.
There are two kinds of Trump voters. Those who voted for Trump BECAUSE of what he said he would do, and those who voted for Trump DESPITE what he said he would do.
For example, Trump said he would lock up his political opponents like Liz Cheney. The BECAUSE voters genuinely hope he will imprison Cheney. The DESPITE voters thought it was all bluster and Cheney is not at risk.
The BECAUSE/DESPITE split applies to many other issues. In 2025, I expect one of these groups will be very disappointed.
When engaging with a Trump voter, it's helpful to discern which type you're talking to. Most in my circle are DESPITE voters. I suspect that's the case nationally as well. God help us if I'm wrong about that.
Skye Jethani
A Not Exhaustive List of Stuff That is Likely To Happen
Donald Trump will never be held responsible by a court of law for the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election (including January 6, 2021) or the refusal to return classified documents (including hiding them and lying about them).
The majority of those in jail for federal offenses related to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol will have their sentences commuted or be pardoned for their crimes.
Working with the likely majorities in both House & Senate, the tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will be extended.
This will result in increasing the federal debt load.
While the wildest numbers that Mr. Trump floated seem unlikely, he is primed to lean into increasing tariffs against China as well as any country who does not build production facilities in the U.S.
I wrote extensively about Mr. Trump's inability to understand and/or explain how tariffs work - and the potential fallout of these kind of decisions.
The combination of tariff/trade war behaviors and increased efforts to deport large numbers of individuals will have an negative economic impact - including the raising of prices on food and construction.
Both pro-life and pro-choice folks will be frustrated by the lack of federal action on the issue of abortion.
If RFK Jr is given a health care role with power in the Trump administration, there will be serious damage to the FDA and CDC. The biggest question will be how vast the negative effect of his leadership on vaccination and the subsequent health crises (measles, polio, etc.) from the loss of herd immunity, esp. among school age children.
At some point during the Trump administration, the President will attempt to pressure Ukraine into negotiating a deal for peace with Russia that gives Russia pretty much everything it wants. Ukraine will refuse that deal, even if it means a complete loss of U.S. financial and weapons support.
This is based on the proposed deal floated by Mr. Vance, suggesting that Russia would keep all of the territory it has gained from the unprovoked attack as well as receive a promise that Ukraine would not join NATO. This offers literally no security to Ukraine and will be rejected outright.
The Trump administration will vacillate between loud support for Israel in its battles with Hamas & Hezbollah and peace-making attempts in order to placate Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations with whom the President-elect and his family are attempting to do business.
China will continue to increase pressure on Taiwan - and that situation will grow increasingly difficult if/when the Trump administration acquiesces to Russia regarding Ukraine.
Mr. Trump will continue to denigrate those who oppose him in wildly inappropriate ways - and evangelicals in particular will continue to excuse these behaviors by likening him to Old Testament biblical leaders like David, Cyrus, or Jehu.
The Trump administration will slow roll or outright deny aid/assistance to those states whose governors and/or legislatures do not support his agenda.
The President-elect will test the boundaries of the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision.
A plea to everyone who supports Trump.
He won.
If he tries to say he can run for a 3rd term, please stand up and say no.
If he attacks Americans with the military because they’re “the enemy from within”, please stand up and say no.
If he lets RFK discourage vaccines that have eradicated diseases like polio, please stand up and say no.
If he tries to hurt journalists, please stand up and say no.
If he tries to seize control of the media, please stand up and say no.
If he tries to jail his political enemies, please stand up and say no.
We’ve debated if he would do those things, you’ve been certain he wouldn’t. If you’re proven wrong, your fellow Americans need you to care about their wellbeing more than winning.
Taylor Dartt
Vox populi, vox Dei?!
In Latin, it means "The voice of the people is the voice of God" - and though that sounds pretty darn pro-democracy, it was actually first used negatively by Alcuin of York in a letter to Emperor Charlemagne in 800 A.D.:
“And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always close to insanity.”
In our current political situation, it's the tendency to defer to "the wisdom of crowds" - or to ascribe deep political meaning to the number of people you can turn out for a political rally.
Here's the deal: the voice of the people can be wrong. Richard Nixon was elected in a landslide in 1972 (60.7% of the popular vote, 520 electoral votes out of 538)... and yet resigned as president less than two years later to avoid being impeached.
I am not suggesting that the results of the 2024 election are incorrect - Donald Trump was elected president. What I am suggesting is that I can both assert the fairness of our election system and question the wisdom of choosing such a flawed candidate to lead our country.
Even in a well-established and long-functioning democracy, even in the exceptional United States of America, even in the enlightened 21st century, the majority can be wrong.
This shouldn’t be a controversial or startling statement. It’s self-evidently true...
In a democracy, the people rule. Which is good! And the majority decides. Which is right! But we don’t therefore surrender to the majority our right, our duty, to make our own judgments about the wisdom of their decisions...
We need to be able to say that it was foolish and short-sighted, and maybe worse, to judge that Joe Biden’s economy was so terrible that Donald Trump’s bigotry and demagoguery counted for nothing. We need to be able to say it was wrong to embrace change if change means the deportation of millions of residents living here peacefully, or abandoning tens of millions of Ukrainians fighting for the survival of their nation and their liberty...
...it is worth being reminded that respecting the decision of the people doesn’t mean surrendering one’s judgment to them.
William Kristol
Stop Bashing Democracy
In all of this, I find Jonah Goldberg's take on the demonization of the other side to be both thought-provoking and convicting:
I completely understand why some folks are so upset about Donald Trump winning. But that’s really no reason to trash-talk democracy, America, or the Americans who democratically voted for Trump. I am not backsliding or changing course here; I still think Trump is unfit for office. That doesn’t mean, though, that everyone who voted for the guy is a fascist, sexist, racist, or idiot.
There are many reasons this kind of talk is objectionable and ill-advised, but I’m going to focus on the one that matters the most: It’s not true.
Let’s start with the claim that everyone who voted for Trump is an idiot.
Did some idiots vote for Trump? Of course. But I guarantee you that Harris got her share of the idiot vote, too. Idiots are pretty well distributed across the political spectrum. And you know what? So are smart people. Lots of smart people voted for Trump. And lots of smart people voted for Harris. I find the tendency of people—smart and dumb ones alike—to think that “smart” and “right” and “dumb” and “wrong” are interchangeable terms to be one of the most exhausting analytical errors out there.
In fact, it’s almost as exhausting as thinking that “wrong” is synonymous with “fascist” or “bigot.” Fascism and bigotry are wrong, but not all wrong people are fascists and bigots. Are some Trump voters fascists and bigots? Yeah, sure. But I don’t think he cornered that market either.
More importantly, for every voter who wants Trump to be a “fascist”—or racist, or authoritarian, etc. the labels here really don’t matter—there are probably dozens, or hundreds, or, most likely, tens of thousands of Trump voters who think it’s unfair to call him an authoritarian, never mind a fascist. Why? Because they don’t think he is one and don’t want him to be one. Those people might be wrong (I have opinions!), but that doesn’t mean they’re idiots or fascists themselves. It just means they’re wrong. And convincing them they’re wrong doesn’t get easier by calling them idiots and fascists.
There are people who voted for Trump believing that he was lying about some things just to get elected. There are other people who voted for him believing that he was telling the truth about that stuff but definitely lying about other stuff. Now that he’ll be president, we’ll find out which things were lies and which weren’t. If he pardons all of the January 6 rioters, some people who voted for him will be very happy, others will be disgusted, and many others will fall somewhere in between. If he puts RFK Jr. in charge of health care, some will be horrified, some will be happy, and others just won’t care—at least not until their kids start getting measles. We’ll just have to wait and see.
But treating fellow Americans like they are “enemies within” is wrong and destructive when Donald Trump does it. And it’s wrong and destructive when his enemies do it. Wait for the facts. Have arguments over the facts. That’s what politics and democracy are for, no matter who wins an election. And if you win the argument, you’ll win the next election.
Jonah Goldberg
God Is In Control (And Other Things That Aren't Very Comforting)
Finally, a theological musing.
I understand that many of my fellow followers of Christ who voted for Mr. Trump intend their words to be a consolation - or at least a statement of theological truth. For some, they are a barely concealed "get over it already", wrapped in pious theological language.
The effect, regardless of intent, is to dismiss the feelings of frustration, anger, and sadness of those of us who've opposed the return to the presidency of Mr. Trump. I'll point out that the Bible is filled with laments... and even an entire section entitled the "Book of Lamentations".
Equally tone deaf are the attempts to police reactions to this loss - making fun of folks (both famous and obscure) for the way they are processing their grief in public. This is not the way of Christ - this is not the fruit of the Spirit ("love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" - Galatians 522-23).
I'll close with a thoughtful take on this from pastor Jeb Barr:
“GOD IS ON HIS THRONE”
I’ve seen many people post to this the last couple of days.
“God is on His throne” is a true statement, but it is an incomplete theology.
“God is on His throne” does not mean all is ok or that His perfect will is being accomplished.
God is on His throne during every evil even in human history.
God is on His throne, and genocide still happened.
God is on His throne, and clergy sex abuse still occurred and was covered up by His followers.
God is on His throne, and Hitler still sent millions to gas chambers after rising to power with the support of most German Christians.
God is on His throne, and still millions of Africans were kidnapped and brought to the Americas as slaves, and many Christians used Scripture to justify and defend the practice.
God is on His throne, and our nation still tore itself apart as North fought South, both sides believing God was on their side.
God is on His throne, and in His sovereignty He allows evil, sin and suffering to take place, and He rarely stops us from hurting one another.
God is on His throne, and one day He will return to see all things right and enact perfect justice, but today is not that day.
“God is on His throne” too easily becomes the platitude of the privileged who believe they will benefit from the current circumstances. All is ok because they are ok.
“God is on His throne” can quickly become an abdication of our responsibility to be His stewards over creation and His hands and feet to the hurting.
God is on His throne, and He’s commanded us to hear the cries of the poor, to advocate the cause of the oppressed, to welcome the stranger, to visit the prisoner, and to feed the hungry.
God is on His throne, but are we carrying out the commands and the priorities of the King?
By now, pretty much everyone who reads this blog is aware that I'm somewhat obsessed with my hobby, collecting & playing board games. (Those of you who've seen the game room are sniggering at my use of the word "somewhat" in the previous sentence - stop it.) One part of my enjoyment of the hobby is online conversations about board games with other folks who share my enthusiasm.
After looking rather askew at a Jackson Pollock (I understand intellectually that I'm looking at something "fraught w/meaning", but it still looks like paint spatter to me), we turned to see a small African-American woman in a guard's uniform standing beside.
"I painted that," she said... and smiled.
My wife & I laughed and turned to look at an abstract nude of an obviously overweight woman to our left.
"That's my mother-in-law," she said.
I don't think I ever appreciated art quite as much as I did that afternoon.
Matthew Frederick responded:
One afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, after having spent a week straight touring the city with my daughter, I plopped down exhausted on a bench to wait for her to finish with something and come find me. I'd felt exactly as you do about Pollock, that it was just paint splatters, and that though in theory I should see something or be moved, there just wasn't anything there for me. Turns out I was sitting across from a huge Pollock, but I pretty much ignored it. Suddenly, though, WHAM, I could see it. Motion, and flow, and depth. The painting was simply stunning. My brain had finally worked it out.
To this day I can immediately find depth in Pollock paintings, but my brain's never quite worked out improvised jazz. Similar to the Pollock, I know it's a matter of my brain "getting it," and perhaps someday it will. I'll never forget my sudden awakening to the painting style, though, and the realization that there are some things that I just don't get yet, but that doesn't mean there's nothing there. (Not saying that you're saying there's not... just a memory and an observation.)
To which I responded:
Actually, Matthew, you've just given me one of the best sermon/message illustrations ever. That's the way I feel when I try to explain the grace of Jesus Christ to someone - like I'm talking & talking and they're looking at me like I'm trying to describe a Jackson Pollock painting.
And then there's that moment when they "get it"... sweet.
With some more time to think about it, I've come to a trio of interesting conclusions about art & faith:
I think we feel like it's our "Christian duty" to be able to explain everything there is to know about an infinite God... it's this impulse that leads televangelists to claim to know why God allowed 9/11 or a Christian friend to jump quickly to "they're better off in heaven" to a grieving friend. Since we can see, as Matthew put it, the "motion & flow & depth" of a life that orbits around Jesus, we want desperately for other people to see it, too.
According to the Bible, our primary obligation is to live a life of "motion, flow & depth" - to do what Jesus did. (Romans 8:29) We should be "prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15), but that verse doesn't imply that we should explain the ways of God. Our responsibility is to tell our own story... (BTW, explaining the ways of God is gonna be pretty darn difficult when the Bible claims that "his ways are higher than our ways" (Isaiah 55:9).)
Finally, notice how Matthew ended up in front of the Jackson Pollock painting. He wasn't planning to be there - but someone (the curator) had placed a bench where he could take his time to soak it in. Another part of our job as followers of Christ is to metaphorically put up paintings & place benches so that people can have the opportunity to examine Jesus... the chance to have one of those moments where the "motion, flow & depth" becomes clear... a moment where they can clearly experience the grace of God. Our churches need to be that kind of place - where people weary from life can come in, sit down & see what it looks like when people in love with Jesus give themselves to Him 100%
This article was adapted from an article originally published in the 7/26/07 edition of the Grapevine, the newsletter of NewLife Community Church.
Back in 2006, I had a very strange pastoral day - which, if you'll ask any pastor, is kind of a regular feature of the job.
A lady who attended another church in town stopped by my office & asked me for help. She apologized for bothering me when I was busy... but wanted to know if I could give her a "real short explanation of the book of Revelation." Hmmm....
I managed to keep the answer down to 5 minutes, which definitely isn't time for much in the way of detail:
letters to churches (chapters 1-3)
things are gonna get worse before they better... and everybody & his brother has an opinion on how that's going to work - some are more detailed (read: specific charts, timelines & battle plans) than others... and I'm one of those "less details, more big picture" kind of guys when it comes to this subject (chapters 4-19)
things will get better (chapters 20-22)
For those wondering - yes, I'm still unclear why she came to me rather than her own pastor (who was/is a great guy.)
Then Shari came home and said she had been hearing ads on one of our local Christian radio stations for a service that will e-mail your pagan friends who are not raptured when the rapture comes. I googled and found www.youvebeenleftbehind.com (the site is thankfully dead now). Seriously, that was the name of it. (I figure Larry Norman was spinning in his grave at someone profiting off his song in such a cheeseball way.)
My reaction: "If we love people who don't follow Jesus so darn much, why not do something about it now rather than spamming them from heaven?"
The Rapture
A few years later, as the Harold Camping end of the world nonsense metastasized, I found myself looking more carefully at my own history and the theological assumptions I'd grown up with. (Note: I don't want to get into the details of Camping's prediction - they're the usual mess of numerology, Scripture-twisting & outright nonsense... which, when they failed, caused him to talk about the "spiritual" end of the world... and then finally to admit that he was flat out wrong.)
As I've noted before, I grew up in Southern California in the 1970s, back when it was one of the great gathering places for Jesus Movement folks - Calvary Chapel was king & Chuck Smith (their pastor) was a gifted speaker who spent a lot of time on the sure return of Jesus Christ. One of the guys who led my youth group Bible study was an ex-hippie who came to Jesus & was a big part of a "Jesus Music" band - and he was also very into teaching & talking about the End Times.
You see, evangelical culture was flooded with books (The Late Great Planet Earth was the most notable), films (I still run into people who were profoundly influenced and/or scared by "Thief in the Night"), and music (Larry Norman's "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" was popular - long before DC Talk covered the tune or LaHaye & Jenkins ripped off a line to title their fiction series) about the Rapture.
Remember, it was the 1970s: Watergate, the fallout from the Sexual Revolution, the loss of the Vietnam War, the energy crisis - complete with gas rationing, the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, etc. It was pretty easy to convince folks that life was getting worse & a one-way ticket out of here was an incredibly desirable thing - esp. if the destination was eternity with God.
Notice that the fervor for this kind of thing began to ebb as circumstances got better - reaching a real low point for the End Times business when the perennial favorite for the "Who is Gog & Magog?" contest (see Revelation 20) - the Soviet Union - went belly up in 1989.
But the flames were fanned again with the release of the "Left Behind" book series... and movies... and young adult book series... and one begins to wonder whether the primary motivation is theological or financial. (My personal critique of the Left Behind series? In short: "badly written dialogue, cardboard cut-out characters in an interesting plot... but undercut by the need to shoehorn in the author's very detailed premillenial dispensationalist view of Bible prophecy.")
Of course, there's been a long history of prophecies (check out the website A Brief History of the Apocalypse for that long, sad lineage) about the end of the world, both inside & outside Christianity...
OK, enough history. With that particular theological context growing up, I'd always just assumed that the Chick Tract/Left Behind/Thief in the Night storyline was the only or best way to interpret the Scriptures.
But with some research, I kept running into the inescapable fact that the "doctrine" of the Rapture (as we know it) pretty much started in the 19th century with the teachings of John Darby (pretty much the father of dispensational theology) & C.I. Scofield (who published the Scofield Chain Reference Bible, which put Darby's theology on the same page as the Scriptures in the form of footnotes). So, the Rapture is a theological belief that's a little more than 150 years old.
New isn't necessarily bad... but when it comes to theology, it's always possible that something "new" simply means folks pulled stuff out of context to come up with their belief system... so I found myself struggling with what I believe about the Rapture - but, then again, I've always struggled with what I believe about the End Times. Not about the sure return of Christ or that God will reign... but with the nitty-gritty details of what will happen when and the tendency of some believers to want a "map" of how it's all gonna go down.
Am I saying there won't be a Rapture? No. Is it possible that the return of Christ (the Second Coming) and the Rapture will occur at the same time? Yes. Do I know this for sure? Absolutely not.
Here's my two cents - this particular issue (the Rapture) can NOT be one of those theological hills that we chose to fight to the death for... the divinity of Christ, the truth of the Resurrection, the inspired nature of Scripture - yes, these fundamental beliefs are worth everything we have.
But a particular brand of End Times theology is not worth our time & energy. Since we acknowledge that "no man knows the day or the hour" (Matthew 24:36) and that appearance of the Lord will be "like a thief in the night" (1st Thessalonians 5:2), we do a horrendous disservice to those in need of Jesus' saving grace by focusing inordinate amounts of attention & emotion on fighting with each other over signs & interpretations.
You & I may not agree completely on what will happen at the end of time - but I once again would suggest that our call to evangelize & disciple, to serve & minister in the name of Christ is substantially more important than convincing someone of our particular eschatology.
The Escape Hatch
Let me be clear - all of the "reconstructing" I wrote about concerning the Rapture & the End Times occurred 12+ years ago. So what does that have to do with my faith right now?
Well, I've come to the realization that I am always looking for ways to cope with the struggles of life... and the current chaos of our political and cultural climate makes an escape hatch particularly tempting. Like I wrote back in the day, the Rapture looks like a pretty good theological idea when you think the world is in free fall.
.
Douglas Rushkoff wrote (in his book, Get Back in the Box) that:
In extreme cases, like fundamentalist religious or political stories, the chaos of any given moment becomes an indication of some great impending apocalypse when justice will be done. I've seen cheeky bumper stickers that read: "In case of rapture, this car will be empty." The passengers are literally looking forward to that scenario. When we are addicted to stories with endings, we'd prefer Armageddon to no ending at all.
I think, at some level, that's what is happening to many evangelical followers of Christ right now - seduced by fear-mongering news sources and fueled by those claiming to speak for God, they are tempted to buy into a persecution narrative that leads inexorably to excusing, minimizing, and/or even participating in things like this...
...or pictures like this (life-sized sticker of the current president hogtied in the back of a pickup truck) being posted by a presidential candidate:
Political fervor and tribalism has become an escape hatch... a way to run away from the difficulties of a multicultural society full of people who desperately need the love of Christ. Rather than obeying the Biblical commands to "conduct yourself with wisdom in your interactions with outsiders (non-believers), make the most of each opportunity [treating it as something precious]" (Colossians 4:5 AMP) and to "always be ready to offer a defense, humbly and respectfully, when someone asks why you live in hope" (1 Peter 3:15 VOICE), the tendency is to lean into sloganeering, idolatry, and raw abuse of power.
There's a temptation - documented by Russell Moore in conversations with pastors - to give up on the words & example of Jesus and instead invest your time, talents, and treasure in uplifting a strong man to fight for you and/or choose to focus on fighting yourself.
It was the result of having multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — "turn the other cheek" — [and] to have someone come up after to say, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?" And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, "I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ," the response would not be, "I apologize." The response would be, "Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak." And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis.
I'll note that (as David French so aptly put it) "one doesn’t comply with the command to “love your enemies” by hiring someone to hate them for you."
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Relentless cynicism and disengagement can be an escape hatch as well - especially for those of us tempted to disassociate ourselves from theological and political viewpoints we find repugnant. It's all too easy to bury our heads in the sand, to stay silent in the face of subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) pressure to hunker down and "stop rockin' the boat." This could be about politics, theology, ethics, or simply evidencing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 AMP):
But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Thinking about the gnawing desire to disengage from the world around me, I was reminded of the lyrics of Steve Taylor's "Since I Gave Up Hope, I Feel A Lot Better":
Life unwinds like a cheap sweater
But since I gave up hope I feel a lot better
And the truth gets blurred like a wet letter
But since I gave up hope I feel a lot better
While the world winds down to a final prayer
Nothing soothes quicker than complete despair
I predict by dinner I won't even care
Since I gave up hope I feel a lot better
And this cartoon by Dan Pegoda:
I feel this temptation in my bones - and I'm thankful for the examples of folks like David French & Russell Moore who haven't given up and/or given in to bitterness.
Moreover, I find myself clinging to the words of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn:
Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me.
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Our desire for escape from the stresses and fears of this world - whether into tribal politics, cynical detachment, accumulation of possessions and power, or hedonistic indulgence - is so much less than what God intends for us. Erwin McManus (in his book, Chasing Daylight) says it well:
Our pop theology has eliminated the place for risk and insulated us with a comfort-and-security theology. This view runs counter to what is found in the Scriptures. I want to reiterate the fact that the center of God’s will is not a safe place, but the most dangerous place in the world. God fears nothing and no one. God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside God’s will puts us in danger, but to live in His will makes us dangerous.
Mike Yaconelli wrote something similar in his book, Dangerous Wonder:
I want a lifetime of holy moments. Every day I want to be in dangerous proximity to Jesus. I long for a life that explodes with meaning and is filled with adventure, wonder, risk, and danger. I long for a faith that is gloriously treacherous. I want to be with Jesus, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.
Those both sound a lot better than longing for an escape hatch - even couched in spiritual language and Biblical imagery.
This is the eighth post in a series... if you'd like to read the first seven, here they are:
To be accurate, the former president is not selling Bibles - he's simply licensing his name & image through the same company (CIC Ventures LLC) that licensed Trump Trading Cards & his Never Surrender High-Top Sneaker to a company selling a King James Version of the Bible with an American flag embossed on the cover and the texts of foundational U.S. government documents included.
Because nothing says "God so loved the world" (John 3:16) like branding Scripture with American symbols and documents.
Note: "CIC Ventures, though, is a conduit to Trump — personally, if not politically. In his financial disclosure released last year, he’s identified as the company’s “manager, president, secretary and treasurer” and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust is identified as a 100 percent owner of the business. The same entity also receives royalties from his book “A MAGA Journey” and speaking engagements. A person familiar with the agreement confirmed to the New York Times that Trump earns royalties from purchases." (Source: Washington Post)
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I've written about politicians and accurately handling the word of truth before:
former vice-president Mike Pence - ""So let’s run the race marked out for us. Let’s fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents."
President Joe Biden - "The American military has been answering for a long time. “Here I am, Lord. Send me. Here I am, send me.”"
Governor Ron DeSantis - "Put on the full armor of God. Stand firm against the left’s schemes. You will face flaming arrows, but if you have the shield of faith, you will overcome them, and in Florida we walk the line here."
Suffice it to say that I get the need to use rhetorical flourish and echo classic passages of literature to evoke emotion. But we as followers of Christ are called to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB). The things Mike Pence & Joe Biden & Ron DeSantis said was not accurately handling Scripture.
What the former President has done and is doing makes them look like amateurs at the abuse of God's Word.
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Mr. Trump has a spotted history when it comes to both hucksterism and the use/abuse of the Bible as a prop. He's managed to brand and/or sell almost anything that isn't nailed down - some highlights include Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump Vodka, and Trump: The Game. If you want to see more, the Wikipedia article on the Trump Organization has a very long list.
As for his use of Scripture...
"Two Corinthians" (which he blamed Tony Perkins for... who in return noted that "It shows that he’s not familiar with Bible.")
Signing Bibles... and other things (just read the article... which, even from Fox News, does manage to cover the outrage pretty well even as they indulge in a bit of whataboutism)
posing with a Bible (thanks to a suggestion from his daughter) in front of St. John's Church - minutes after protestors had been forcibly cleared from the street with tear gas and pepper balls
And, yes, I'm aware that there is conflicting reports about the orders to clear Lafayette Square that night of protestors responding to the death of George Floyd... but it was still a photo op with a Bible as a prop.
This newest grift - endorsing Lee Greenwood's God Bless The USA Bible - is sadly par for the course.
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The reaction to the release of Trump's endorsement during Holy Week provoked a - shall we say? - strong reaction.
The former president once claimed that "Nobody has done more for Christianity or for evangelicals or for religion itself than I have..." - but if memes like the ones shared above are any indicator, the main thing he's accomplished is to drive people away from faith.
The frustration isn't simply limited to The Daily Show and meme-happy Facebook friends... it extends to devoted followers of Christ as well.
I found it equally sobering to think about what a grift like this does to further erode the moral sense of those who've chosen to follow the former president.
...Clips like the one above make a certain sort of shrewd strategic sense.
That seems counterintuitive since many Christians will recoil from it, and Trump can’t afford to alienate Christian voters seven months out from an election. But I suspect that any evangelical who’d hold a little light grifting involving the Holy Bible against him is already long gone, wandering in the Never Trump desert with the likes of David French and Russell Moore.
And Trump is fine with that. His first political priority, even above maximizing his chances of reelection, is purging the Republican Party of anyone who would question his right to rule. He doesn’t want independent-minded Christians in the GOP any more than he wants the traditional conservatives who preferred Nikki Haley in the primary. He’ll win without them—and if he can’t, he’ll at least have consolidated his power over one-half of America’s political establishment in the process.
In that context, whether by design or by happenstance, the “Trump Bible” operates as a sort of litmus test for evangelicals who have stuck with him this far through thick and thin. You won’t abandon me if I make a mockery of your faith, will you? No, of course you won’t.
I see it as an analog to the point he made in 2016 when he boasted that he could shoot someone without losing votes. The reaction of Republican primary voters to the four indictments filed against him last year essentially vindicated that boast; go figure that if they’re willing to indulge him in crimes, he might reasonably assume that they’re willing to indulge him in brazen sacrilege aimed at lining his pockets amid a cash crunch.
It’s a loyalty test, as practically everything in a cult of personality is. He’s testing their faith—in him, not in Christianity. And insofar as those two faiths conflict, he expects them to choose more wisely than the Frenches and Moores of the world have. Those who refuse will find the doorway to exile from the Republican Party that-a-way.
Hawking Bibles emblazoned with an American flag during an election season suggests he’s very confident about how they’ll choose.
I don’t blame him. Nick Cattagio ("The True Faith" - sadly behind a paywall)
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Christians are under siege but must protect content that is pro-God. We love God, and we have to protect anything that is pro-God. We must defend God in the public square and not allow the media or the Left-wing groups to silence, censor, or discriminate against us.
(quote from the Trump endorsement of the God Bless The USA Bible)
I need to push back just a little bit against this... I am a Christian and I don't feel particularly "under siege". The same week this video was released (yes, Holy Week), I actually managed to share Scripture multiple times on Facebook. In an online group of friends (both Christian and non-Christian) counting down our favorite albums, I posted music videos from Common Hymnal, Steve Taylor, and Adam Again (all Christian artists) without nary a peep of protest. I drove without being stopped or hassled to church twice - once on Good Friday and again on Easter Sunday. In both of those services, the truth of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection were clearly taught and sung about. Here in my office where I'm typing this, I count eight Bibles and multiple commentaries in my line of vision.
I have not been silenced, censored, or discriminated against for my faith - well, except when the things I believed were true to Scripture and the character of Christ were attacked and undercut by [checks notes] other Christians.
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I wanted to come up with something wise and convicting to close this post with... I wanted to turn on my "pastor mojo" and finish with marching orders to my fellow followers of Christ.
But I'm tired. So tired of watching Biblical truth (and physical Bibles themselves) being used as props... by both political parties.
So, I once again leave you with this.
Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed.
Turns out, the two "heroes" of the Southern Baptist 'Conservative Resurgence' were:
a tone-deaf autocrat who specialized in using DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim & Offender) to bully sexual assault victims and protect his friends & proteges
a deeply cynical lawyer who used his position of power to actively groom and sexually assault young men over decades
I have spent the last month sick at my stomach - my heart and mind churning at how I defended the institution of the SBC for years, believing that by fighting from the inside for Christ-like behavior and fidelity to our stated mission to share the love of Jesus Christ that it would make a difference.
I know that there are many people of goodwill and great faith in SBC congregations... I've been privileged to lead and be led by them. I am deeply thankful for the education I received at Baptist institutions (Baylor and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) and the mentoring I had from faithful Baptist leaders. And I am convinced that the majority of my faithful mentors would be horrified and angered by this wholesale betrayal of the Christian faith by the leadership of the denomination.
But, frankly, I'm exhausted by the drumbeat of scandals, coverups, and insipid excuses. (The recent stupidity of SBC entities filing amicus briefs against an abuse victim in Kentucky is both a public relations disaster and a clear indicator that protection of the institutions is more important than truth or justice.)
The King
I am deeply wearied by arguments like "God uses broken vessels" and "look at King David". In fact, let's look at King David and the havoc his sexual assault of Bathsheba wrought in his life and hers.
got her husband drunk in an attempt to cover up the pregnancy
ordered Joab to abandon her husband on the battlefield so he would die, thus freeing David to marry his widow
ignored the rape of his daughter by his son (her half-brother)
banished the son (Absalom) who murdered the rapist son two years later
was manipulated multiple times by Joab based on the fallout from the initial decision to take Bathsheba
brought back Absalom but shunned him for two years
Absalom undermined David's leadership & led a revolt
David was forced to flee for his life
David is betrayed by multiple key leaders
Joab murders Absalom to end the rebellion
And then more rebellions happen...
Actions matter. There are consequences. Sinful behavior has a ripple effect in your life and in the lives of those around you. The greater your position of influence, the greater the ripple effect.
So, when the two "heroes" of the Southern Baptist 'Conservative Resurgence' turn out to be unrepentant abusers and enablers, it has a powerful and heart-rending effect on those who are trying to follow Christ.
The Would-Be President
When we move into the current political arena, sinful behavior still has a ripple effect in your life and the lives of those around you. The greater your position of influence, the more profound the effect of your choices and consequences.
"Governing authorities are not themselves exempt from the rule of law and must submit to the nation’s statutes, rather than mocking them (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:14; Proverbs 19:28-29; 2 Samuel 12:7; Mark 6:17-18)...
"Tolerance of serious wrong by leaders sears the conscience of the culture, spawns unrestrained immorality and lawlessness in the society, and surely results in God’s judgment (1 Kings 16:30; Isaiah 5:18-25)...
"We implore our government leaders to live by the highest standards of morality both in their private actions and in their public duties, and thereby serve as models of moral excellence and character...
"We urge all Americans to embrace and act on the conviction that character does count in public office, and to elect those officials and candidates who, although imperfect, demonstrate consistent honesty, moral purity and the highest character."
Instead, evangelicals seem hellbent (pun intended) on pushing forward a candidate for the president who currently is facing 91 felony counts in four different trials as well as three civil trials, two of which so far have saddled him and his companies with nearly 90 million dollars in judgements for being judged liable for doing what he clearly explained to Billy Bush in 2005 that he could do whenever he wanted:
"I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the p*ssy. You can do anything."
In 2022, the former president doubled down on this during a deposition for one of his civil trials:
KAPLAN: And you say – and again this has become very famous – in this video, ‘“I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p*ssy. You can do anything.” That’s what you said. Correct?
TRUMP: Well, historically, that’s true with stars.
KAPLAN: It’s true with stars that they can grab women by the p*ssy?
TRUMP: Well, that’s what, if you look over the last million years I guess that’s been largely true. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately.
KAPLAN: And you consider yourself to be a star?
TRUMP: I think you can say that. Yeah.
The unbelieving world is watching. We evangelicals don't have sacrifice abuse survivors or Biblical truth on the altars of political power and institutional stability. But it certainly looks like we're going to do it again.
The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.
Brennan Manning
We now see young evangelicals walking away from evangelicalism not because they do not believe what the church teaches, but because they believe the church itself does not believe what the church teaches.
follower of Jesus, husband, father, "pastor", boardgamer, writer, Legomaniac, Disneyphile, voted most likely to have the same Christmas wish list at age 58 as he did at age 8
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