Practical Theology

It's far from the first time I've heard it: often enough that I usually don't pay much attention to it anymore.  At our last Bible-study the teacher, a retired minister, mentioned some recent event he'd heard about.  Can't remember how CNN came into it: either he knew it wasn't on CNN, or he apologized that he had heard it on CNN: but in either case he said he doesn't listen to CNN because "they're too liberal."

Like I say, I've heard similar remarks from "conservatives" for years, and usually don't pay much attention to it.

This time it caught my attention: in the context of Bible-study, where we come to hear what God says, the teacher's criteria seemed bizarre; and I had to think "I wonder what God's criteria is for CNN ?"

I've been too seized by Jesus' self-identification in John 14:6, for 'way too long, to come up with any better answer to that question than "Truth."  God desires truth in man's innermost parts (Psalms 51:6): I have to believe He desires not a whit less truth in man's network news.

Fortunately truth is also the standard journalism sets for itself, in a secular manifestation, "accuracy."  Honest journalists' criteria is to tell events as they verifiably happened, quote newsmakers' words accurately and in their true context, and clearly label their personal interpretations as "commentary."

Honest journalists make mistakes: some may even at times give in to the temptation to mix personal opinion with verifiable fact.  Don't we all fall short of our own standards, much less absolute Truth ?  But "falling short" of truth is meaningless unless our criteria is truth.  As it is for journalists...and even more for Christians.

The world...Christians and all other human beings...cannot live without Truth.  Try to imagine a society where scientists are honored for faking their data: where witnesses in court take an oath to lie: where news-media reliably report as fact the opposite of what happened.

We all know there have been such societies: and we know that they never endure.  Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are two examples.  It cannot escape our notice that in both societies honest science, justice and journalism were falsified to conform with the dominant politics of those nations.

Indeed, politics seems the only human "institution" where lies have any history of (albeit short-term, and disastrous) "success."  Needless to say, politics has long been a favorite venue of "the father of lies," and one in which he has perpetrated destruction and untold death, through deceived men.

So it struck me that the Bible-study leader's criteria for CNN was a political one: not the criteria of truth that CNN's journalists' set for themselves, in which Christians concur.

It seems a widespread perversion of the faith among so-called "conservative Christians" that politics is their sovereign criteria, in all things.  The name they've chosen for themselves tells where their priority lies, and their voting-record over the last 40 years confirms it.  Could anything more delight the "father of lies" ?

Jesus said He IS The Truth.  It seems then the practical theology of every Christian...the way we practice our belief in Jesus...must be loving Truth, following Truth, and measuring all things else by Truth.  Down to an including what news-media we favor, or disfavor.

May God lead His people in Truth, by the Spirit of Truth, to all Truth.  May every follower of Jesus desire as God does "truth in the innermost parts."

Amen !!

Discerning Prophecy II: Principle

"But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."        -- II Peter 1:20,21

The Holy Spirit authored the Bible's prophecies, and is the only One Who can tell us God's meaning in them.  The take-away is that we have to ask, and listen to, The Spirit to discern God's meaning in His words. This is the whole principle of interpreting Biblical prophecy: and it's impossible to fault its logic, for "...no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God" (Isaiah 40:13, quoted in Romans 11:34 and I Corinthians 2:16).

Our "own interpretation" is completely disallowed by this principle, and rightly so. In our moments of honesty, with God and with ourselves, we would each have to confess that we can, and do, often persuade ourselves we're hearing The Spirit, when we are not.  Confess too that (not only in hearing God's word) we can, and do, hear what we want to hear.  Taken to its ultimate length, self-deceiving "human will" is at the root of false prophecy, and false interpretation of prophecy. 

If we sincerely desire to hear God's meaning in Biblical prophecy, we must set our minds to rigorously  discern, test, scrutinize (as Jesus commanded the crowds in Luke 12:56) every interpretation of prophecy: our own first, and anyone else's.  And we must re-examine our conclusions: possibly more than once.  If we take from prophecy any meaning except the one God intends, we not only miss His life-giving word; we mislead ourselves, and delight satan.

A primary test of prophetic interpretation, often determinative by itself, is who it glorifies.  God will not share His glory (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11: also translated "honor" or "praise") with another.  We can consequently be certain that The Spirit will never offer an interpretation of prophecy which glorifies man or his works.  It's an absolute marker of "own interpretations" if the interpreter glorifies any man (often himself), or any of man's works.

God makes the lines unmistakably clear: but we know that man's heart is "...deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9).  Evaluating the motives of "interpreters of prophecy" is therefore where we most need to seek The Spirit's penetrating discernment, for Jesus affirmed that God Alone fully knows men's hearts. (Luke 16:15).

With the caveat that I may get the Spirit's discernment wrong, as any of us can, I've found pride a good indicator of "prophetic interpretation" intended to glorify man.  As mentioned above, I think there are times we can sense that an interpreter (to some degree) prides himself on his ability to "solve the puzzle" of Biblical prophecies.  I think we're on solid scriptural ground to reject prophetic interpretations by such "teachers."

But very noticeable in today's "prophetic teaching" is what I'd call factional pride: "prophetic interpretation" by which man prides himself as identifying with (for example) a nation, denomination, philosophy, political party, theology, economic theory, etc..  And because more prevalent, it may be the enemy's greatest weapon against the Church today that Christians eagerly follow false "prophetic interpretations" which echo and flatter their own opinions.

Galatians 5:19-21 is explicit that "factions" (Strong's glosses the Greek word as "self-chosen opinions") are a "deed of the flesh," and that "...those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  Nothing could be more certain than that The Spirit is not Author of any "deed of the flesh."  Nor of the divisiveness which is their raison d'etre.  Nor of the pride in which factions are rooted; nor of the "...enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions" (also on Galatians' list of "deeds of the flesh"), and hatred for others which they engender.

Just as the Spirit of God never shares His Glory with any individual, it's safe to say that the Spirit's interpretations of prophecy will never be to the praise, honor, glory or endorsement of any of the proud works of man's flesh: not human factions, no "nation of men," and none of man's ideologies.  All "Interpretations" of Biblical prophecy which do so unmistakably manifest a spirit other than God's.

Because many American Christians have unwisely identified with the "conservative" political faction, its "talking-points" often predominate in today's false "prophetic interpretation."  A previous blog-post here highlights one recent example I've read, the book "Letter to the American Church" by "conservative" media-personality Eric Metaxas.

The way a good friend put it to me (and stunned me to silence) several years ago sticks with me.  Not a stupid man, not a Q-Anon crazy, not a superficial Christian, he flatly said "I don't believe you can be a Christian unless you're a conservative."  I think that concept of Christianity has become more prevalent and increasingly violent in recent years: probably many who believe as my friend does are today convinced that anyone not in their faction are "enemies," thereby consciously serving satan, and should be destroyed.

No one can miss that politics has been the primary element dividing our country the last few years, and is variety of the "deed of the flesh" Galatians calls "factions:" a "self-chosen opinion."  And clearly politics has become the criteria by which many deceived "Christians" measure even the faith and its teachings, as well as other Christians.

In these days when Jesus' repeated warning in Matthew 24 against being "misled" puts the highest premium on Christians' ability to discern false teaching and false prophecy:

in this day when much of "Christian" teaching, prophecy, and interpretation of prophecy is blatantly political:

it may be that the most relevant principle of discerning The Spirit's call to the Church today may simply be that The Spirit will never proffer a political "solution" to any spiritual problem.

The Kingdom of God Again

The one form of government God endorses is His Own, over all that He's created.  So we say, on God's authority, that He rules over all things.

Jesus called that fact "The Kingdom of God," and it was His whole focus: so much so that Luke 8:1 sums up his ministry at one point by saying without elaboration, "He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God."

Not teaching and proclaiming only.  The gospels detail the many incidents in which Jesus manifested God's rule of all "real world" things.

He rebuked the storm, and it became still.  Not just the forces of nature, but its "laws," when He called Peter to walk across the water to Him.  Rule over time itself, when he turned water into wine at His word, bypassing the processes of plant growth, fruit production, and fermentation. God's rule as well over disease in His many healings.

Jesus manifested God's rule over the enemy spiritual forces and powers intruding on His creation when he commanded demons to come out of men, and they obeyed Him.  God's rule over death at Lazarus' tomb: God's rule even moreso when He submitted Himself to death in faith that God's power would raise Him from the grave: and it was, and is, so.

God's rule in "the real world" is even recognized in man's catalog of "political" theories, in the name "theocracy."  "Real world" theocracies have been attempted by Christians (John Calvin's Geneva), and others (today's "Islamic Republic" of Iran).

Which rather puts God's Kingdom on man's playing-field of political theories.  It is not.  Every idea man has ever had about the best kind of government puts man at the top.  Each of man's political theories ultimately plays out again Eve's buying satan's lie that she would "be as God" if she set aside God's authority, and chose her own way.  I'm told that decision had disastrous consequences.

Men incessantly debate, and attempt to enact, what they deem the "best" form of government.  Which debate usually ignores that the fact that one form of human government can only ever, at best, be relatively better than another.  Winston Churchill (who certainly knew something about the practice of governing) referenced that fact in a 1947 speech: "...it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government, except for all those other[s]..."

Cold War preaching and "prophesying" frequently left The Kingdom of God, which should be the Church' whole message as it was Jesus', out of consideration in its debate about forms of  government.  Often the Church' message was more focused on proclaiming that democracy (especially American democracy) was a vastly better form of government than Soviet Communism.  (Officially-atheist Soviet Communism, of course: which gave American Christians an "in" to argue our form of democracy was therefore somehow "Godly:" betokened by officially making "In God We Trust" the national motto, and adding "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, during the Col War years.)

The Church' message was true, as far as that goes; as it was true in the preceding years that American democracy was a vastly better, because more humane, form of government than Nazism or Japanese militarism.  But American democracy is simply not the message of The Kingdom that Jesus commanded His followers to preach and live.

Its worth noting that, in man's catalog of forms of government, the one most opposite to "theocracy" (the rule of God) is the theory that "the people rule" (demos-kratia).  It could be that Christians preaching democracy may be more than negligent toward Jesus' command and message, and verge on preaching a "gospel" contrary to Jesus'.

With the Church' unholy 40-year alliance with "conservatives," I'm seeing a resurgence of Cold War-style political preaching, almost entirely tailored to that political faction's message.  For one example, I recently read a "Letter to the American Church" by a "conservative" media-star and author that called the Church to repent its passively accomodation with Marxism, which he purports is rife in American public life (I'm skeptical).  His call largely seems to be that the Church repent other people's sins (a purported trans- and homosexual "agenda," for example, and abortion).  I think honest Christians know that's no repentance at all, and doesn't fool God.

(In a blog-post a couple weeks ago I also reviewed that book's egregious historical fabrications, on which the author bases his "prophetic" proposition, and pretensions.)

Similarly, the ministry of a media-star "conservative" preacher was fulsomely recommended to our Bible-study by our teacher last week.  That recommendation strongly emphasized and lauded the preacher's attacks on "Marxism."  I wasn't familiar with the man's teaching, and am disinclined to hear it.  Why would any Christian ?  Does preaching for or against any human political theory build up God's Kingdom ?

Not every wisdom can be reduced to an aphorism, but maybe this one can.  A Christian's politics will always manifest his faith: but a faith that manifests man's politics is never Christianity.

So...What ?

 A Sunday-school teacher 40 years ago told us about the "So...what ?" principle of studying.  Read the Bible, he said, with the question "So...what ?"  Scripture's words have immediate personal applications for our lives: ask yourself what those are.

The verse of the Bible always in the forefront of my mind is John 14:6, where Jesus proclaims He IS Himself "...The Way and The Truth and The Life."  Believing He is Who He said He IS  has absolute, total, implications: that in every situation of life we must follow truth, for there is no other way of following Jesus

Truth not just propositional: Truth in its fully-"Life" context, what we'd call reality.  Or rather, since Jesus IS All of it, "Reality."  Every unreality offers us "alternative facts" (as Donald Trump's press-secretary put it) that all things in heaven and earth are other than the way God created them: and offers us, as satan offered Eve, a different way than His.

"Truth in the innermost being" (Psalms 51:6) must pour out in all our "issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23): it is the measure Jesus set for His followers.  Any who love Truth will pursue Truth, obey Truth, and live Truth in every way.

The question for the American Church today is why Truth is not every Christian's criteria in ALL things ?  How can a Christian ever follow the lies of consumerism, or the empty deceit of fame and wealth, or the propaganda of the world's myriad false ideologies and "life-styles" ?  How can any Christian ever follow politicians' lies...as so many do ?

Jesus is The Truth.  He promised the Spirit will lead us into All Truth...if we will follow Him... and The Truth will make you free indeed.

Amen.

Testimony: Against "Christian Conservatism"

 

We should probably all look askance at the divisiveness of Christian denominations and “movements,” in view of Jesus’ prayer that the UNITY of His followers be a witness before the world of His Oneness with the Father (John 17:20-21).

But most Christian factions have at least been rooted in Christian tradition, often naming themselves after Christ, or a Christian doctrine or practice, or a historic Christian leader.

Until today.  “Conservative Christians” manifest proud divisiveness by the political identity they choose.

Tell me: has politics EVER been a vehicle of Truth, Who Jesus IS ?  Did Jesus teach, or should Christians believe, that politics is a way to be saved from the evil in the world…much of it created by politics ?

In the name of Jesus Christ, I here testify that “Conservative Christianity” is a false ideology, perpetrated by the “father of lies.”

Amen.

 

Discerning Prophecy I: Premise

When we talk about discerning Biblical prophecy, the question is never what words are on the pages of the Bible.  Those words have been “in print” for thousands of years.  We have no reason to be unclear about what God has said.

We’re always told it’s an essential discipline to read God’s word, the Bible, regularly: rightly so.  But Jesus emphasized even more “hearing” God's word: grasping in our spirits what God means by His words, and wishes us to understand.  He frequently exhorted His followers with commands such as “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:9).  He indeed makes hearing the substance of our relationship with Him: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them…” (John 10:27).

There can be no question what God has said.  But there is often great confusion, even contention, about what God means by His words, especially His words of prophecy.  It’s not unusual to find dozens of different interpretations of any given Biblical prophecy, each purporting to be what God wishes us to understand from His words.

That fact itself tells us that the enemy, “the father of lies,” is working hard right now to keep us from truly hearing what God is saying.  If God intends we understand a specific meaning in His prophetic words, all other interpretations of His words are false, and serve the enemy’s purpose.

There have been many outright “false prophets," of course, who falsely claim God is the author of the words they teach.  Mohammed and Joseph Smith are well-known examples.  God says there are extremely serious consequences, for the prophet and the people who receive his word, to "prophesy falsely in My Name," as Jeremiah 23 attests.

But equally dangerous, and much more numerous, are those who interpret God's authentic prophetic words in scripture to mean something other than God means.  It seems that many of today's "teacher of prophecy" authors and broadcasters offer Christians false interpretations of Biblical prophecy; and must therefore be deemed “false prophets” and "false teachers."

In His great teaching about the "last days" (Matthew 24) Jesus repeatedly warns His followers that there will be a proliferation of false prophets and false teachers at that time: which many of us believe is this time.  His repeated command to His followers is "...do not believe them" (Matthew 24:23, 26).

The critical question for Jesus' followers, especially those of us who believe we are living in the last days, is how we can discern false prophecy and teaching.

Amen.

Not Left Behind

 Carl Sandburg's poem "The People, Yes" quotes the story of the ditch-digger who heard the world's richest man had died, and asked "How much did he leave ?"  He was answered, "All of it."

It's a manifest truth: what we have, we ultimately leave behind.

The one thing we ultimately never leave behind, and never can, is what we are.

"Letter to the American Church," by Eric Metaxas

I recently read the book Letter to the American Church by "conservative" author and media-personality Eric Metaxas, and felt led to challenge his deceptive argument in this letter.

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Dear Mr. Metaxas:

                I’d hoped your Letter to the American Church might be a desperately-needed call for the American Church to repent.

                Those hopes were raised by the words of your introduction, that “…the monstrous evil that befell the civilized world precisely because of the German Church’s failure is likely a mere foretaste of what will befall the world if the American Church fails in a similar way at this hour.”

It was deeply disappointing that your call was for the American Church to repent its silence (as you claim) against the evils of “Marxist atheist philosophy…in economics or in any other sphere,” and sexual deviance.

                So it’s impossible to credit the prophetic parallel you purport to find between today’s American Church and German Christians of the 1930s.  Did German Christians need speak out against Marxism and homosexuality when their violently anti-Communist rulers, espousing traditional “German family values,” had silenced Marxists and homosexuals, and removed them from German society ?  Wasn’t German Christians’ sin rather their silence against the evil deeds of those rulers ?

                Jesus spoke of the enemy forces on earth as “children of the devil,” whose spiritual paternity is manifest in their doing satan’s desires, lies and murder (John 8:44).  You quote those words of Jesus (p. 77): and I have to think you’d agree that Germany’s rulers in Bonhoeffer’s time merited Jesus’ characterization.  Wasn’t the disastrous moral failure of German Christians their silent acquiescence, even collusion, in the lies and murder of the political faction that had seized power in their nation ?

                Jesus also categorically defined “murder” as violent words of contempt against others (Matthew 5:21-2).  You’re surely aware that a faction in America today has made such murder, and egregious lies, its chosen political identity.  Surely you're well aware that a great many American Christians silently acquiesce and collude in, even loudly proclaim, the doctrines of that faction.

                I’d urge you to consider that fact is the most-telling prophetic-parallel for American Christians in this day.  And urge that the desperately-needed call for the American Church’ repentance must be that it reclaim its identity in Christ, and turn back from being a slavish political “demographic” for today’s “children of the devil.”

 sincerely,  Steve Hicks