Tried With Fire

In the light of President Trump's recent dinner with "evangelical" leaders , this quote from How the Nations Rage is remarkably prescient: "The [religious right] movement stood up for good things, but its language tended to be apocalyptic. It gave earthly political outcomes - a vote on a law, an election, or a Supreme Court case - an outsized importance. Too many exclamation points and all cap sentences tell our non-Christian fellow citizens that our policy agenda is more important than the gospel itself. It says THIS ELECTION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD! It communicates that we're really just a branch of this or that party. It says that God is not so big after all. That is why we have to scream." 1 And to quote another book, "Fear is the political language conservative evangelicals know best." 2 In contrast: Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe? Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scatter...

The following is a quote from How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age by Jonathan Leeman (pg. 133-135). "Here's the larger point: Christians should listen to what Republicans and Democrats have to say on welfare policy, tax policy, racial reconciliation, the refugee crisis, and growing suicide rates. But our thinking shouldn't start or stop there. Our thinking should be more expansive, more complicated, more personal, more human. Our political instincts should develop by living inside the loving and difficult relationships that comprise a church. You might even say our political thinking should be pastoral..." "Inside the local church is where a Christian politics becomes complicated, authentic, credible, not ideologically enslaved, real. It's in these real-life situations where you're forced to think about what righteousness truly is, what justice truly requires, what obligations you possess toward your fellow God-imag...

1. To Christ the Lord let every tongue Its noblest tribute bring When He’s the subject of the song Who can refuse to sing? Survey the beauties of His face And on His glories dwell Think of the wonder of His grace And all His triumphs tell 2. Majestic sweetness sits enthroned Upon His awful brow His head with radiant glories crowned His lips with grace overflow No mortal can with Him compare Among the sons of men Fairer He is than all the fair That fill the Heavenly train 3. He saw me plunged in deep distress He fled to my relief For me He bore the shameful cross And carried all my grief His hand a thousand blessings pours Upon my guilty head His presence gilds my darkest hours And guards my sleeping bed 4. To Him I owe my life and breath And all the joys I have He makes me triumph over death And saves me from the grave To Heaven the place of His abode He brings my weary feet Shows me the glories of my God And makes my joy complete 5. Since from Hi...

"American history reveals ambiguity in Americans' behavior and faithfulness to the principles on which the nation was founded. Americans have been true, false and indifferent to their stated ideals over time. There is no golden age to go back to, no glorious past to recover or to "take back." America consists of Americans who are flawed and fallible human beings. Americans have set themselves on a pursuit of justice, equality, of opportunity and of natural rights and freedoms. But Americans of every generation have continually struggled to understand what those things mean, how they are to be applied and who gets to enjoy them to their fullest extent. Religious people have always been influential in these issues, but even religious people who are dedicated to divine principles sometimes fail to see clearly and act faithfully. All people, including Christians, succumb to selfishness, short-sightedness, violence and vice. The human condition is complex, thus the Ame...

This is an excerpt from Tempting Faith by David Kuo, quoted in Believe Me    by John Fea. Kuo served in George W. Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. As a conservative, pro-life Christian, he wanted to serve the poor and believed this political position would help him influence policy towards a more "compassionate conservatism." Kuo quickly learned that power and compassion do not mix very well. His efforts were largely ignored unless there was political gain to be had, and any influence from Christian leaders was token. "Making politically active Christians personally happy meant having to worry far less about the Christian political agenda." This involved inviting them to events as part of the crowd and giving them "little trinkets like cufflinks or pens or pads of paper" to take home and show "just how influential they were." For... the White House staff, evangelical leaders were people to be tolerated, not peo...

I happened upon this TEDx talk last night as I was clicking from one link to another. Although the speaker, Canwen Xu, was only 18 years old when she gave this talk, I heard my story even though several decades separate us in age and the little details are different. Here are a few lines that resonated with me and brought me to tears: I became more and more Americanized, I also began to lose bits and pieces of myself, parts of me that I can never get back, and no matter how much I tried to pretend that I was the same as my American classmates, I wasn't. For people who lived in the places I lived, white is the norm, and for me, white became the norm too. Society uses our success to pit us against other people of color as justification that racism doesn't exist. But what does that mean for us Asian Americans? It means we aren’t quite similar enough to be accepted, but we aren’t different enough to be loathed. Foreign but not quite foreign. American but not quite America...

This video was shared at my parents' church by an IT support worker for Wycliffe Bible Translators. During his talk, he stated that God created all the people groups in the world and their languages such that there would be words that could be used to translate the Bible into their mother tongues. Thus God not only preserves His Word through its propagation in the original language, but He preserves it as it is translated in a way that respects the unique culture of the people He has made.

1. Rock of Ages, when the day seems long From this labor and this heartache, I have come The skies will wear out, but you remain the same Rock of Ages, I praise your name 2. Rock of Ages, you have brought me near You have poured out your life-blood, your love, your tears To make this stone heart come alive again Rock of Ages, forgive my sin. Chorus: Rock of ages. Rock of ages. Bind your children until the kingdom comes. Rock of ages your will be done 3. Rock of Ages, when in want or rest, My desperate need for such a Savior I confess Pull these idols out from my heart embrace. Rock of Ages, I need your grace. 4. Rock of Ages, broken scorned for me. Who am I that you would die to make me free? To give me glory, (you) took the death and pain. Rock of Ages, my Offering. 5. Rock of Ages, "It is done!" you cried. The curtain's torn and I see justice satisfied Now write your mercy, on my heart and hands. Rock of ages, in faith I stand. 6. Rock of Ages, my great hope secure. Y...

"When it comes to drawing wisdom from the past, we must be careful to discern between making normative moral judgments based on history and reflecting morally on history. McKenzie* emphasized the importance of this distinction, especially for a Christian. Moral judgments based on history are problematic, he said, because they require obedience to history where no divine mandate to do so exists. History is not authoritative, so drawing normative moral lessons from a past golden age of national history is not only unwise; it undermines the authority of Scripture by neglecting it and replacing it with another authority. It also places the person making the moral judgment in an artificially privileged position, so that with the Pharisee he demands others be subject to an extrabiblical source of authority arising from his own selfish motivations. Moral reflection, however, is directed selfward. McKenzie wrote that moral judgment "renders a verdict but requires nothing of the k...

This has been a busy summer. Normally we go see family once or twice a year, but we've been up three times in the last four months to move my parents into memory care/assisted living. With that in mind, I am thankful for: - Their new home. I am hopeful that it will meet their needs and also give us peace of mind. - All the help from the brothers and sisters in their church. - All the prayers for my parents and their move. - Stamina for the long days of packing, sorting, and decluttering. - How God has used this to draw my family closer together. - My job that let me take the time off to care for family. - God's perfect timing. I discovered that my hot water heater was leaking the day we were going to leave last week. I'm thankful for a brother who could shut the water main off at the street and a sister who could meet the plumber the next day for the diagnosis. There was no water damage to the items stored in my garage, and the water drained toward the driv...

Words - William Sleeper, Music - Greg Thompson 1. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come; Jesus I come. Into Thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of my sickness into Thy health, Out of my wanting and into Thy wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus, I come to Thee. 2. Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come. Into the glorious gain of Thy cross, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm, Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm, Out of distress into jubilant psalm, Jesus, I come to Thee. 3. Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come. Into Thy blessed will to abide, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of myself to dwell in Thy love, Out of despair into raptures above, Upward forever on wings like a dove, Jesus, I come to Thee. 4. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come. Into the joy and light of Thy home, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out ...

Pastor Ryan taught Sunday school yesterday on the Christian and Anxiety. I've transcribed a section below which really hit home. I learned to love the sovereignty of God during a very dark time for my family. So much evil was turned for good, that I can honestly thank God for the trial. But knowing God is sovereign doesn't necessarily make the pain go away. So it stings when it's used as a pat phrase to insensitively buck someone up in a trial or to romanticize suffering in a pietistic way. That's why I appreciate Pastor Ryan's frankness about how it can seem scary at times and his reminder that God is sovereign and the Giver of precious promises to cling to in the darkest times. You can listen here . He also wrote a booklet on the topic . "But when we think of God's sovereignty, sometimes it is very difficult because we might have been through very challenging or traumatic events, and God's sovereignty is scary. Because I went through this hurt a...

Words - Charles Wesley, Music - Greg Thompson 1. Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, ’Til life’s storm is past; Safe into the haven guide; Receive my soul at last. 2. Other refuge have I none, I helpless, hang on Thee; Leave, oh leave me not alone, Support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is stayed, All help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenseless head In the shadow of Thy wing. 3. Thou, O Christ, are all I want, Here more than all I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, Heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness; False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace. 4. Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound; Make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, Let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart; For all eter...

ht: Wrong Hands

Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump , John Fea, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018, 238 pages. Early in the morning on November 9, 2016, I was on my way to pick up the day's work. I turned on the radio and braced myself for the announcement that Hillary Clinton was elected. It would be an understatement to say that I was stunned when I learned that the next president would be Donald Trump. I think I pulled the car over to the side of the road. I was that shocked. My first major election was 1980, so I am not a new voter. Yet I don't remember there ever being an election where both candidates had so much ethical and moral baggage to disqualify them. For the record, I did not vote for Clinton or Trump. I understand holding one's nose in the voting booth (or in this case with an  SCBA  on) and choosing to be pragmatic even while being internally conflicted. However, it is another thing to rubber-stamp God's approval on a morally questionable candid...