Fresh Insight to an Old Problem

 

Last night, I finished reading James Barry Babb’s book, Post Cards From Another Gospel.  This was for me a profoundly insightful and at the same time unsettling book.  When I read books and articles that point out the divergence between the biblical gospel message and the contemporary message of the church, my first reaction is to see problems in areas of the church in general while ignoring the problems that might be my own.  This is the familiar mote and beam problem from Luke 6:41-42.

As a result, however, of Babb’s book, I have been forced to look at my own life and message in the stark light of historical biblical truth.  Among the many things that I found important to me, two in particular stand out.

1.      Moralistic Therapeutic Deism – Though I deny it’s tenets on every level, this “de facto-theology” has begun to influence my life and what I teach.  Deism is a heresy, but in practical, everyday ways I have begun to live as if Jesus Christ may not be involved in the details of my life.  I tend to become so focused on myself and so much in control of what I do and its results that I excuse God to go elsewhere and help those in real need of divine influence.

In this, I know I am not alone!  Heaven help us!

2.      Grace of Repentance – Knowing that grace is the enablement and motivation of a sovereign God given to us to accomplish His work, I seldom connect that grace with my own personal need to repent.  That problem may come from my own tendency to see sin, especially my own sin, as less important and less “sinful” that it really is.

What I discovered is, however, that the application and teaching of repentance is vital for both genuine salvation and effective spiritual growth in grace.

Those of us who seek to call ourselves by the name of Christ must daily devote ourselves to personal repentance or we will find that unconfessed sin creeps in and strangles the power of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives and in our churches.

Remember, the parable of Jesus about the mote and the plank in the eye was spoken to His disciples.

Coram deo

No Good Path for a Blind Man

Luke 6:39-42

The parable that concludes this discourse has two illustrations both dealing with vision.

·     The blind leading the blind - don’t follow someone who is blind himself

·     The speck or plank in the eye – don’t try to help someone when you have significant problems of your own

 

Sandwiched between these two parables is Jesus’ statement about the purpose of discipleship which it gives greater meaning to His parables.  The goal of discipleship is to become like the teacher, the Master.  In order to be like the teacher the disciple has two responsibilities that are shown in the parables.

1.   The exclusivity of Jesus the Teacher – don’t follow anyone who is blind.  This implies that the disciple himself is also blind.  Jesus is the light by which we walk (John 8:12, 9:5).  Jesus also gives sight to His disciples, for He alone is the one who gives sight to blind eyes.  As the disciple follows the Light, he then becomes a lesser light (Matthew 5:15).

2.   The focus of discipleship – take care of yourself first.  Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires that one first applies what he is learning to himself!  Ultimately, the disciple who is following Jesus should turn to help others, but he must first insure that he has accomplished the teaching of the Master.  Perhaps one could say, “a little learning is a dangerous thing,” especially if that lesson has not been personally applied first.

I find this passage intensely personal.  I have been so anxious to put these “thoughts” up on the I’net that I am in danger of failing to apply what I am learning to myself.  I am extremely well practiced in seeing the application of Scripture for others.  Father, I must apply Thy word firs to my own life.

Coram deo

The Dawn Begins to Break

Luke 6:39-40, continued from yesterday, 1-10-2012

Though everything I wrote yesterday is true and reasonable, it is not the point of the parable.  When seen in its context, this parable is explained by the next verse.  In verse 40, Jesus declared the need for disciples to follow their teacher/Master, and their goal is to be like their teacher (see also Matthew 10:24-25).  The blind leading the blind refers to those who try to discover truth, especially spiritual truth, apart from the One who is the Truth.

I see many extensions of this parable in the contemporary church and culture.  Some deny truth, some claim that truth is variable, some say they have found truth, but the reality is that unless I follow Jesus until I am like Him, I am among the blind ones.

Coram deo

Who Should Lead? Luke 6:39-42

Jesus concludes this sermon/discourse with “a parable,” actually with a series of parables.  The first three parables speak of teachers and teaching.  They begin with the familiar question, “Can the blind lead the blind?”

To me, this is a startling statement not for its content which seems obvious but for its presence here without transition or stated connection to what Jesus had been saying.  The image is at once comical and ridiculous, but to understand it better, I need to closely examine the references.  At the beginning of this chapter, Jesus was criticized by the scribes and Pharisees for things he had done on the Sabbath (vv. 6-11).  This first parable was addressed to them or about them and emphasized implied contrasts.

·         Contrast between the blind and the not blind – those who cannot see must be lead by those who can see

·         Contrast between leaders and followers – those who can see have certain responsibilities to those who cannot

This parable rests on understanding who is the one who can see and how do we who follow know he can see.  One who needs to be led will know whom to follow by:

·         The leader must say or claim he can see.  All that Jesus had taught shows that He is the One who sees clearly

·         The leader must have demonstrated His sight for those who cannot see.  This is exactly what Jesus has done in His sermon.

Remember, this sermon is addressed to His disciples, the ones whom He has chosen to follow Him.  Jesus repeated this parable here to give the disciples confidence in the One who had called them to follow Him.

Let me make an application in today’s Christian experience.  A leader worthy of following should:

1.      Be able to clearly see the “landscape.”  That necessitates seeing the spiritual landscape as it truly is with all the contemporary destruction, construction, and confusion.  Looking at a 40-year old picture of what it used to be will not work.

2.      Have a clear view of the destination.  Our journey is THROUGH this landscape to a Kingdom that lies BEYOND our horizon.

My guess is that if a leader is enjoying the scenery and amenities of the journey, he’s not going to the right place.

coram deo

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

WHERE IS THIS GOING????

In reading a new book, Post Cards From Another Gospel by James Barry Babb, Winepress Publishing, I came across a new term for me, moralistic therapeutic deism or MTD.  This term was coined in another book I have yet to read, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton.

I have been overwhelmed by the reality that this term describes.  I see evidence of it in so many aspects of what I experience in church life around me.  MTD describes an endemic theology that extends far, far beyond the young people who were the object of the original study.

Here is an excerpt from the Smith and Denton book as quoted in another blog that I follow from time to time, Balaam’s Ass.

"We advance our thesis somewhat tentatively as less than a conclusive fact but more than mere conjecture: we suggest that the de facto dominant religion among contemporary U.S. teenagers is what we might well call “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” The creed of this religion, as codified from what emerged from our interviews, sounds like this:
 
1.       A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.

2.       God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3.       The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4.       God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.

5.       Good people go to heaven when they die.

…
First, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is about inculcating a moralistic approach to life. It teaches that central to living a good and happy life is being a good, moral person. That means being nice, kind, pleasant, respectful, responsible, at work on self-improvement, taking care of one’s health, and doing one’s best to be successful. … Such a moral vision is inclusive of most religions, which are presumed to stand for equivalent moral views. … Feeling good about oneself is thus an essential aspect of living a moral life, according to this dominant de fact teenage religious faith. Which leads to our next point.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is, second, about providing therapeutic benefits to its adherents. This is not a religion of repentance from sin, of keeping the Sabbath, of living as a servant of a divine sovereign, of steadfastly saying one’s prayers, of faithfully observing high holy days, of building character through suffering, of basking in God’s love and grace, of spending oneself in gratitude and love for the cause of social justice, etcetera. Rather, what appears to be the actual dominant religion among U.S. teenagers is centrally about feeling good, happy, secure, at peace. … It is thus no wonder that so many religious and nonreligious teenagers are so positive about religion, for the faith many of them have in mind effectively helps to achieve a primary life goal: to feel good and happy about oneself and one’s life. It is also no wonder that most teens are so religiously inarticulate. As long as one is happy, why bother with being able to talk about the belief content of one’s faith?

Finally, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is about belief in a particular kind of God: one who exists, created the world, and defines our general moral order, but not one who is particularly involved in one’s affairs–especially affairs in which one would prefer not to have God involved. Most of the time, the God of this faith keeps a safe distance. … This God is not demanding. He actually can’t be, because his job is to solve our problems and make people feel good. In short, God is something like a combination Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist: he is always on call, takes care of any problems that arise, professionally helps his people to feel better about themselves, and does not become too personally involved in the process. [pp. 162-165]”

 I will have more to say about this in later posts.

Can I Go This Way?

The summary of the way people of the Kingdom of God live is stated in verse 35.  People who live like this – who love their enemies, do good, lend hoping for nothing in return – are the “sons of the Most High.”  In the end, this command and the expectation of Jesus are expressions of two great realities.

1.      This is the way God deals with mankind all the time.  He loves us when we hate Him; He does good for us all the time; He lends/gives to us knowing we have no way to repay Him.

2.      Living this way in love and generosity expresses our ultimate dependence on God as the Sovereign provider of all our needs.  Indeed, all we have or ever will have comes from His hand.

In this context, our responsibility is not to judge or condemn others for their treatment of us, but rather to love them and be generous to them.  When that is true, an overflowing abundance will be poured into our lap (v. 38).  One may ask, “Doesn’t that say we should give to get?”  In a way, the answer is “yes,” but the kind of giving Jesus expects is beyond human ability.  If we give with the motivation of the world, we receive the world’s kind of reward – nothing, but if we give as Christ gave, which is beyond human ability, we receive His reward from His hand, and that reward is in the future in the Kingdom.

One other thought – verse 37 and especially the first phrase of the verse is perhaps the most often misquoted verse from the Bible in the contemporary culture and common conversation – “Judge not that ye be not judged.”  It is misquoted not by its words but by its meaning and purpose.

This statement was made to Jesus’ disciples in the context of the instruction “love your enemies, do good, and lend hoping for nothing in return” (v. 35), and “Give and it shall be given to you; good measure…” (v. 38).  The “judge not” instruction is given in reference to people who hate us and who want a hand-out.  It does not refer to anyone or anything else.

The foundational principles upon which Jesus is building are important.

·         This material world is not important; people are.

·         The disciple of Jesus is a son of the Most High, and he is not a citizen of this culture.  As such he, or rather I should live as a son of God.

·         God is sovereign in all things.  All I have is given by Him, and He has the infinite resources to “over-replace” anything I give away.

Final note: Jesus is emphasizing that as I love and give to others, I am not to judge or condemn them.  Other Scripture, however, instructs me to evaluate and to judge their teaching and lifestyle so that I am not deceived or overcome by their culture.

coram deo

Ridiculous Christianity, Luke 6:27-31

What does it mean to be like Christ anyway?  Jesus brings forward the radical and "ridiculous" truth that almost every aspect of the Kingdom of God is opposite of what the culture of the world expects – even the very best of the culture.

·         Love those who hate you personally

·         Speak well of those who curse you and maliciously lie about you

·         When someone hurts you, do not strike back.  Not only that, don’t defend yourself from a second blow

·         When someone steals from you, give him more than he has taken

·         Loan whatever you have to everyone and anyone who asks

·         Treat everyone in the way you would wish to be treated

Let’s be real – no one lives like that.  NO ONE!  If anyone did, the whole world would take advantage of them and ruin them in every way imaginable.  Not only is this a list of ridiculous expectations, this list is a summation of impossibilities!  Only Jesus Christ could live up to this, and He is the only One who did.  Aha!  Jesus Christ lives in me, and what is impossible for me becomes not only possible, but a reality in the power and motivation of His grace.