Tried With Fire

I am no fan of mysticism, at least the version I was exposed to. It sounded so very spiritual and even got some things partially right, but the focus was wrong. It was hammered in time after time that I could do nothing in myself. I get that. Jesus said so Himself loud and clear. But what was the answer to this dilemma? Your only choice was to turn inward and constantly take your spiritual pulse as to whether you were "in Christ" or not. That in itself is highly problematic because "in Christ" became a vague higher spiritual plane that one strives for, NOT the act of God Almighty who justifies the ungodly. "Christ" also became a buzzword too with very little connection to Jesus as a real person. Also if God placed us "in Christ" and we can take ourselves out, what does that say about the power of man versus the power of God? The gospel was seen as baby stuff that got us in the door. The bigger and better stuff was up to us to achieve. This l...

While Moses was receiving God's instructions concerning the construction of the tabernacle, the people who remained at the foot of Sinai desired to have a symbol of the LORD's presence. This resulted ironically in the making of a golden calf. Whereas the tabernacle, with its golden furnishings, portrayed the LORD as a royal personage, the golden calf, in marked contrast, represented him as a mere beast. Although the people offered sacrifices, their worship of the calf degraded the one who had truly deliver them from slavery in Egypt. Worship, to be true, must be based on the right perception of God . The book of Exodus emphasizes the importance of knowing God as he truly is, and not as we imagine him to be . I couldn't help it, but my mind immediately went to the genre of "Jesus is my boyfriend" books after reading this. Am I being too critical? Perhaps, but it may be worth considering why we feel it is permissible and even necessary to go beyond how Scriptur...

After hearing quite a bit about biblical interpretation this past week-end, my daughter made an interesting observation. "Why do mystics read into the Bible when they don't read everything else that way?" Good question, no? Can you imagine any Christian, mystic or otherwise, taking liberties with a memo from his boss, a contract with a client, or the 1040 tax form? What about an email or a handwritten letter? If my friend is writing about a walk around the lake, would I dare assume that it's an allegory for her journey through life? Ridiculous! Then why on earth do we take liberties when we read God's Word? It seems a bit arrogant and presumptuous to me. If we're willing to respect the intent of the memo, the terms of the contract, and the tax laws (perhaps grudgingly), shouldn't God's Word afford the same if not more honor? Rather than reading between the lines for some deeper, ooh-ahh meaning, maybe we should learn to read His Word for what it ...

"Does this sound familiar? (John) Dewey is the source of much of today's moral education, where all values are treated as equally valid and students simply clarify what they personally value most. Teachers are rigorously instructed not to be directive in any way, but only to coach students in a process of weighing alternatives and making up their own minds. Any value that students choose is deemed acceptable, whether or not it comports with accepted moral standards, as long as they have gone through the prescribed series of steps. Why? Because, as one textbook puts it, "None of us can be certain that our values are right for other people." Each individual has to become an autonomous decision maker, determining his values strictly on his own."  Total Truth , Nancy Pearcey, Crossway, 2004, pg. 239. Isn't this the mantra of parents today? "I just want my child to find out for herself what she believes blah, blah, blah."  But how many Christian pa...