The Coming Storm

There is a great deal of diversity within the Church, and even within our own little local Body of believers in St. Albans. There are people who believe in soul sleep, while others believe in 'absent from the body, present with the Lord'. There are people who believe we should do communion every week, others think once a month or once a quarter is fine. Some believe in the possibility of Holy living here and now, others believe in strictly progressive sanctification. Some like choruses, some like hymns. In the larger Body it becomes even more diverse. Some believe that the Pope is God's Vicar on Earth, some don't. There are those who believe liturgy is the heart of worship and others who believe in freedom in worship. Some think that organ music is the only good music, while others think that rock bands are alright, and some who use no instruments at all. There is an immense diversity in the Christian experience in the world at large and even here in our own corner of Vermont.

It has always been my view and that of the churches I have served that we should take a "Kingdom Perspective". What that means is that our particular church and even our denomination is not for everyone. Some people may come in our doors, find the Lord and decide our church is not where they need to be. Maybe our organization, doctrines, focus and mission of the church or the worship style does not 'fit' with them. We will do our utmost to find a place where they DO fit in. Maybe they would be more at home in a Catholic church, maybe a Baptist or Assembly of God church, perhaps a larger local church like Essex Alliance. What really matters is that they are part of the Kingdom of God and going to a solid church.

Recently I have had my eyes opened to some interesting items that pertain to the 'End Times'. I have never been a student of the 'End Times', because I know God has it all in His hands. However, it has made me aware that there is a coming storm. Exactly when I don't know, nor do I want to know. But this one thing I do know. Not everyone is as "Kingdom" oriented as I am. There are many people out there who hold that their way is the only valid way of doing things, and no one else is right. This one is too liberal, that one uses the wrong translation of the Bible, the other one has the wrong structure and this one over here doesn't dunk enough times for the baptism to count.

My comment to this is very blunt and to the point. Get over it! When the storm comes it won't matter who is sitting next to you or what their faith tradition looks like, the storm will be hitting everyone equally. All the enemy will see is that you both call yourselves by the Name of Jesus the Christ, denying the rule of the beast (Rev 20:4) and you will likely both suffer the same fate, as martyrs.

Do I think the differences we have between us mean nothing? No, no mamby-pamby ecumenism here...that's not what I am saying at all. Our distinctiveness's are important, no doubt, and God has given us those distinctives for a reason. But I think we need to recognize we are brothers and sisters in Christ as long as we hold the same core beliefs that make us Christian; Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and other such-like do not hold to this short list of core beliefs and are not Christian. We cannot ever join with them as spiritual brethren. But Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Methodists, AG, CMA, independents and all the other Christian denominations, we need to come together on the important matters and agree to disagree on the other "non-Salvation issue" items.

The storm is coming. We know that. We simply can't afford to be divided when it arrives.

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought" 1 Cor 1:10 (NIV)

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The Consequences of Atheism

A recent book by Stephen Hawking's, "The Grand Design", has caused more than a little stir in both scientific and theological circles. I'm sure I will get questions about this sooner or later, especially since Vermont has a fair contingent of atheists.

The most radical theological statements which Hawking makes in his book are, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist", and "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going." In other words Hawking has explicitly rejected the possibility of any Deity or the necessity of Deity in creation.

Rather than touching on the various arguments for or against these statements, I'd like simply to focus for a moment on the implications of what he said, and explore the meaning of atheism in everyday life. Here are a few things for thought.

You are composed of several pounds of chemicals and a fair bit of water. Everything you are is simply a result of chemical reactions within your body. Each perception you have, every thought you have, every emotion you feel is simply a chemical reaction. A complicated reaction, perhaps, but just a chemical reaction in the end. Love is not real, neither is pain, joy or grief.

The sensation of being 'alive', or having thoughts and feelings, is basically a chemical reaction which creates an illusion of self-awareness. 'Alive' is simply just a temporary state of chemical equilibrium.

All creatures, plant and animal, are the same and have the same level of significance. There is a matter of scale and influence which sets the more complicated organisms apart, but in the words of PETA co-founder and President Ingrid Newkirk, "A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy" (Vogue, Sept 1, 1989).

There is no afterlife. There is no soul, no Nirvana, no Heaven, no Hell and no Happy Hunting Grounds. When your body ceases to function sufficiently well to support what we call 'life' or 'self-awareness', you will simply return to your constituent chemicals and what you were; the essential part that makes you who you are will be forever gone.

There is no reward for good behavior, there is no punishment for bad behavior except for the consequences of our own actions here. Other people may impose consequences upon you (fairly or not) but that is all that can happen.

When something bad happens to you, there is no underlying purpose. If you can get away with doing something to benefit yourself, even at the expense of others, go ahead and do it. There is no outside basis for morality, so don't worry about it. Ethics is a constructed fable.

There is no 'absolute truth' where behavior is concerned, it is simply a matter of your own desires being satisfied. Since you have only a small amount of time on earth and it all ends in oblivion, you might as well enjoy your time here. Party up! Get drunk, shoot up, sleep around. Just make sure you enjoy it all.

Since all life is simply a chemical phenomenon, there is nothing sacred about it. Want an abortion? Go ahead! Want to kill someone? No problem (just don't get caught)! Do what feels good and don't worry about others...they can look out for themselves.

Does this seem harsh? These are simply the logical consequences of following a belief in atheism. That is not to say that you cannot construct an ethos based on atheism (i.e. all human life is unique and can never be duplicated, so it is a crime against the universe to harm another person), but it is entirely optional and completely relative to the person.

The biggest issue I see with atheism and with the viewpoint of people like Hawking is that there is no hope anymore. This life is all there is. "Life sucks, then you die." As a Christian, I believe that there is indeed hope, and hope in the sense the ancient Greeks knew...not "pie in the sky thinking", but "confident expectation". It has been said that man can live without most things, but he cannot survive without hope. In what, or in whom, do you put YOUR hope?


"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." 1 Cor 15:19-20 (NIV)


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No Religion?

Living here in the North Country you hear lots of interesting comments. This area is part of what is known as the 'burned over' region, where religion in general has seen better days. According to a recent survey Vermont has the lowest per capita level of church involvement of all fifty states. Does that mean that people don't have spirituality as part of their lives? No, not really.

Churches in general here are small. Roman Catholic parishes can tend to be large, but in many cases their numbers are not very enlightening. People tend to be kept on the rolls long after they have ceased attending. The largest Protestant churches are two Alliance congregations running in the multiple hundreds, perhaps low thousands, but still small compared to churches in the Bible Belt. Most Protestant churches have some sort of process where if they haven't seen you in a few years, you'll be labeled as inactive. My own pragmatic cut-off is to regard anyone who has not attended church or mass in two years as an unchurched person, whether they are on a church roll book or not. If they have not been in a church for six months, I look at them as inactive members. All this assuming, of course, that they don't have a good reason for not going to church. Someone who is bedridden, in a nursing home, deployed in the military or similiar circumstances does have valid reasons for not going to church.

Vermonters are funny in regard to spiritual matters. On the one hand they are fiercely independent. They don't trust most authority figures including spiritual authorities. On the other hand, they want the comfort of community. They want structure, but not rules. They are willing to deal with diversity, but have little idea what others really believe and don't care to learn.

We knew someone a few years ago who moved back south after living in Vermont for a few years. They told us that they couldn't stand living here anymore, that Vermonters were cold and unwelcoming people. Our experience has been totally the opposite. We have found Vermonters, especially the old-time residents, to be very warm and hospitable. They are, however, upset about the fact that 'flatlanders' have come into the state in droves over the last 30 years and changed the character of the state so dramatically. They feel as though Vermont has been hijacked from under them. In many ways this is true.

So, how do you reach a people who have spiritual thoughts and inclinations, but don't want to think about them, who are upset about outsiders coming in and taking over, feel they belong to a spiritual fellowship when they haven't attended for 30 years or who want the comfort of community but don't want to join in any formal way? I am still struggling with this. I know that God has insight into all of this. I know, too, that His power is superior. I know He wants ALL to be saved. So I'll keep praying, keep talking to people as a friend rather than as an authority figure, and leave the rest up to His Holy Spirit. After all, this is His field of harvest, not mine, and His job to convict others (John 16), not mine.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)


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My brain fell out, dude...

Well, I guess my brain must have fallen out somewhere along the way, here. At least, that is the impression I get from what I've been reading on the Internet. Usually I have enough common sense to avoid reading comments on articles when I'm surfing, but sometimes I just slip. Lately I've noticed that the comments fit a pattern of sorts. Whatever the problem is, the source of the problem is President Obama, or it's ex-President Bush's doing. Occasionally it is Clinton, either Hillary or Bill. When the problem turns on religious or ethical matters, the problem is invariably resting on the shoulders of anyone of any religion who is stupid enough to believe that nonsense.

"Stupid enough to believe that nonsense?" Yup, that's what they say. If you'd just give up all that religion, those myths and legends meant just to control people for the benefit of the clergy and the church then there would be peace in the world and all our problems would just go away. Hmmm...I guess I just don't have what it takes to see any of those benefits I'm supposed to be getting as one of the evil clergy. I want to know where all that money is going, because it is certainly not in MY bank account. As a matter of fact, last time I looked I was working as a bivocational pastor for the equivalent of about $4 an hour! I could make alot more money with a lot less hassle and trouble if I worked at a fast-food joint. "Do you want fries with that?"

It annoys me when people lump other people into any sort of stereotype. "Always" and "Never" are two bad words when it comes to describing classes of people, and most times individuals as well. And the other thing that annoys me is when people base their opinions on bad history. "Christians are just stupid people who don't know how to think for themselves, and they have been responsible for more deaths than anyone else throughout history". Yeah, right. The entire Spanish Inquisition accounted for about 3,000 deaths over a 200 year time span, while the atheistic Stalin killed 20 million people in about 20 years. Sure, there have been some people who have done bad things in the name of Christ, and there are some people (maybe alot) who are Christian and who don't think more than your average houseplant, but some of the most brilliant minds in history have been Christian. And there are plenty of examples of non-religious people doing bad things in the name of selfishness and who don't want to think.

The short and long of it, cut out the stereotypes and start using your head for more than a hat rack. I'll do the same, and I'll stop reading the comments on internet articles for good measure.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." 2 Tim 2:23 (NIV)

The Ravening Wolf

There are many times when I've been taken by surprise in Vermont. I've watched sunsets over Lake Champlain that took my breath away. I've seen wildlife in all it's natural splendor. Recently I was even surprised by nine inches of snow in my yard during a May snowstorm. But the one that took me by surprise on May 9 was not so welcome, the visit of a 'ravening wolf' to my church.

The Bible says in Matthew 7:15, "Watch out for false prophets. they come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." In this case, I had just started the sermon and a man walked into the church. He sat down and within 5 minutes raised his hand to ask a question. He claimed to be a person simply seeking answers, the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father, born and raised in Palestine. An innocent sheep, seeking truth. Over the next three hours he showed his wolves teeth as he questioned everything about Christianity and asserted the authority of and supremacy of the Koran. A Muslim apologist in a Christian church in Northern Vermont? Yes, a surprise, but it should not have been. We, the church...and I, a pastor...have been complacent. Spiritual warfare is not something limited to Africa, the Middle East, the big cities of the United States...but is a reality even here in Vermont. We had that reality shoved in our face on May 9.

I found out more and more as the conversations continued. We finished the service, after requesting three times that "Abraham" hold his questions, and had communion. We offered communion to him and he refused. After the benediction I went to talk with him at the back of the sanctuary while others cleaned up. Several people had been in prayer. When my wife Debbie, who is also my co-pastor, returned we were still talking and continued on for a total of another two hours.

Someone asked me later why Abraham left his car running in the parking lot for the three hours he was in our church. I expect he was preparing for a quick getaway in case we called the police. I found out later after calling a fellow minister in St. Albans that "Abraham" was also known as 'Bruno", and he had been making it his business to go to the churches in the area. He had a restraining order filed against him at another church and had been removed from a few more. He had a temper, it seems.

I believe"Abraham" had three motives in coming to our church. First, he wanted to disrupt our worship. Second, he wanted to undermine the pastor in front of the congregation. And third, he wanted to convert or discourage as many people as possible. Quite frankly, he accomplished none of his goals. We have been praying for him since then, that the 'hound of Heaven' would chase him and give him no peace until he finds Christ as his saviour.

I believe the biggest surprise of that day was not mine, but his. You see, the wolf came and expected to find some tasty sheep, but instead found himself the guest of honor in a den of spiritual lions.


"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matt 5:43-48

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Ad Hominem

'Ad Hominem'. If you've ever taken a philosophy class or been in a debate club this term will be familiar to you. An "Ad Hominem" is a personal attack upon a person or group which bears no relation to the argument at hand and is therefore termed a 'fallacious argument'. Usually the technique is reserved to those who have exhausted all other means of winning the debate and are trying desperately to wrest some measure of satisfaction from the exchange.

In addition to being a 'fallacious' technique, it is mean-spirited and cruel. In it's most vicious form it results in a physical assault upon the other individual, or angers the other enough to provoke them likewise. Think of the little kid who loses an argument and throws dirt clods at the other child.

It seems to me that I am seeing more and more this kind of behavior. I read an article this week wherein a liberal commentator referred to his conservative opponent as a 'republi-tard', and another comment which referred to the conservative side as a 're-puke'. Showing their true colors the liberal commentator in the first case, who would likely advocate for minority groups, uses an insult which denigrates people who are mentally handicapped. In a sense, they shoot themselves in the foot with their own remarks.

I have had such attacks used against me. They are frustrating, annoying and vicious. They are also a sign that I probably have already won the debate, but that does not make them any more pleasant to experience.

My point is this: we should never resort to 'ad hominem' attacks. They do not work and we usually hurt ourselves when we use them. If you find yourself at the point where you are tempted to use one, re-think your position. Is there something you have missed, or do you need to consider changing your viewpoint? Insulting someone's mother or ancestry does not mean that you have won the argument, it means you have already lost.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." 2 Tim 2:23 NIV

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The View From Heaven

Well, it's been awhile since I wrote anything here and I thought it was about time to do so. I noted recently that the Barre Memorial Auditorium was hosting someone named Don Piper with a presentation called "90 Minutes In Heaven". I was pretty sure that I'd heard of it somewhere before, and figured it was some New Age guy who channeled Moses or something. I DID know that he wrote a book about it. Being a little proactive, I though someone might want my opinion on him, so I went to the local library and sure enough found his book. Let me say right now, boy, was I wrong!

Don Piper, as it turns out, is an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He had an experience in 1989 that changed his life; he died. On the way home from their annual state convention, Rev. Piper was hit by a tractor-trailer truck and was pronounced dead at the scene. He remained in his car while others were taken care of until another minister happened along. In the course of that minister praying for him (as it said, even the minister himself couldn't believe God was telling him...a good Baptist...to pray for a dead guy!), Rev. Piper was miraculously brought back to life after 90 minutes of being dead. The doctors simply had no explanation for what happened, his injuries were so severe. However, all of that is contained in only a very small portion of the book. The most important parts concern his recovery and subsequent ministry.

First, there is nothing I could find that is doctrinally incorrect. It adheres to the Bible.

Second, Rev. Piper is very honest in his assessment of his own reactions, questioning and search for purpose afterwards. His accounts of his recovery are heart-wrenching.

Third, he puts the focus where it needs to be, on the Glory and Majesty of God Almighty, and on the power of prayer.

In the very recent past our church has been called upon to pray for several people. The church has become a hub of prayer for our members, but these cases were something altogether on another level from our experience. They dealt with young people who were literally on their deathbeds. Within days of our prayers beginning for them, those same people were not only conscious and active, but either home or getting ready to go home! We had been party to some truly wonderful miracles.

It didn't end there, though. The Church itself has been infected with a knowledge that prayer does indeed work, and it is because we have a mighty God who cares for us personally, and to whom all the glory and honor should go.

Both Rev. Piper's book and our experiences with prayer have brought the church to a new level of understanding and power. In the words of the songwriter Aaron Shust...

"To God alone be the glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for you"

AMEN!

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