Theology Central
Theology Central exists as a place of conversation and information for faculty and friends of Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Posts include seminary news, information, and opinion pieces about ministry, theology, and scholarship.
Most Interesting Reading of 2018: Part Two
In last week’s “In the Nick of Time” I began listing my most interesting reading from 2018. Here that list continues. Both submissions should be read together as a single list. Let me state that these are not necessarily the best books that I read (though some of them are). Nor am I suggesting these as titles that you should read. The listing will tell you mostly about me and what I find interesting, and I know that I’m odd. But perhaps we are odd in some of the same ways. If so, you might like to know about some of these books.
Louis L’Amour, Sackett’s Land, Sacketts 01 (Bantam).
Who doesn’t like a good western? That’s what I thought I was getting into, but this book is mostly set in Elizabethan England and on the eastern seaboard of the American colonies. With this volume L’Amour launches a series that covers the history of an immigrant family down through the taming of the West. L’Amour’s vision seems simplistic now: his themes revolve around individualism, hard work, integrity, family, and of course romance. I’d never read his work before, but I love his geographical descriptions.
Gerald R. McDermott, Israel Matters (Brazos).
Remember what I said about theological writing not being interesting? Here’s an exception. McDermott is a covenant theologian. He does not like dispensationalism, especially in its more popular, uncritical, and Zionistic forms. At the same time, he has authored a book arguing for a future national Israel to which the promise of the Land will be fulfilled. Go figure.
Carl McIntire, Author of Liberty (Christian Beacon); Rise of the Tyrant (Christian Beacon).
Before Jerry Falwell there was Carl McIntire. McIntire was the most prominent public voice for fundamentalism through the 1960s and into the 1970s. He built his ministry around opposition to communism. By the late 1960s he had become something of a caricature. These two volumes, however, are among his earliest books, published around the end of the Second World War. He argues cogently that Christians must not see private property as a negotiable political question but as a defining moral and biblical issue. The social justice crowd in today’s evangelical Left will dismiss these books as simplistic. My view is that while they are dated, they remain relevant. I think McIntire was right.
E. Theodore Mullen, Jr. The Assembly of the Gods, Harvard Semitic Monographs 24 (Scholars).
The discovery and translation of the Ugaritic tablets at Ras Shamra introduced a new era in Old Testament studies. For the first time scholars could compare in detail ancient Hebrew religious categories with those of their closest neighbors. Mullen traces the concept of a divine council in Ugaritic mythology. El, the chief God, ruled over lesser gods such as Baal, Yam, and Mut, who in turn ruled certain spheres of the world or underworld. Mullen believes that certain locutions in the Hebrew Scriptures mirror this phenomenon. This was a fascinating monograph.
Markku Ruotsila, Fighting Fundamentalist (Oxford); Gladys Titzch Rhoads and Nancy Titzch Anderson, McIntire (Xulon).
It is difficult to write a sympathetic biography of a figure who could behave as outrageously as McIntire—but Ruotsila succeeds, focusing mainly on McIntire’s role as a shaper of Right-wing politics. It is equally difficulty to write an even-handed biography of a man who has been a warm friend and spiritual leader—but Rhoads and Anderson succeed, focusing on McIntire’s role as a pastor and fundamentalist leader. Reading these books side-by-side gives a wonderful glimpse into the character of Carl McIntire rather than the caricature that he has often been turned into. Incidentally, this may be the first time that a Xulon publication has made it onto one of my “most interesting” lists.
Oliver Sacks, Seeing Voices (Random House).
Neurologist Oliver Sacks is most famous for his books Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. His interest in how the brain works is profound. Here he takes a journey into the land of the deaf, seeking to understand a culture that has been profoundly shaped by what hearing people would perceive as a disability. In the process he becomes an advocate for full acceptance and equal treatment of deaf people. I like books that help me understand the unfamiliar, and I like them even more when they help me to sympathize; this is such a book.
Peter Singer, Ethics in the Real World (Princeton).
Intellectually, Peter Singer is about as far from Christian orthodoxy as anyone can get. Perhaps that is part of the appeal: I think that we ought to know how the opposition thinks. There is more, however: Singer is a sharp thinker and an engaging writer. This work is a collection of 82 short essays originally written for popular publications. He addresses all sorts of contemporary ethical issues, focusing mainly on animal rights and their relation to human rights. This was a glimpse into a mind whose conclusions differed radically from mine.
Rodney Stark, God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades (HarperOne).
It is fair to call Rodney Stark a revisionist historian. He is pro-West, pro-religion, and pro-Catholic. In God’s Battalions he responds to the mainstream myth that the Crusades were unprovoked wars of bigotry, aggression, exploitation, and even colonialism. Instead, he sees these military episodes as justifiable responses to militaristic and even terroristic Muslim aggression. The argument is a bit uneven (for instance, when Stark deals with the motivations of the Fourth Crusade in sacking Constantinople). Even so, Stark raises a useful contrarian voice.
Ann and John Tusa, The Nuremberg Trial (Skyhorse).
The postwar generations accept the Nuremberg Trials as a landmark in the advance of civilization, but they almost did not happen at all. Strategic maneuvering between nations, squabbling between military and civilian interests, and political gamesmanship within the conquering nations almost doomed these trials. When they occurred, they offered less than some hoped but more than others wished. Even during the trials, decisions involved constant diplomacy between the participating nations. The Tusas offer an in-depth glimpse at the scheming, diplomacy, jurisprudence and humanitarianism that helped to make these trials what they were.
This essay is by Kevin T. Bauder, Research Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Awake, My Soul
Thomas Ken (1637–1711)
Awake, my soul, and with the sun
thy daily stage of duty run;
shake off dull sloth, and early rise
to pay thy morning sacrifice.
Lord, I my vows to Thee renew.
Disperse my sins as morning dew;
guard my first springs of thought and will,
and with Thyself my spirit fill.
Direct, control, suggest, this day,
all I design or do or say,
that all my pow’rs, with all their might,
in Thy sole glory may unite.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise Him all creatures here below;
praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Most Interesting Reading of 2018: Part One
Every now and then I try to provide a list of the books I’ve found most interesting during the preceding year. These are not necessarily the most useful books or the books that I think everybody ought to read. They are simply the titles that I found intriguing for one reason or another. Your mileage may vary.
The list is too long to cover in a single issue of “In the Nick of Time.” Here is the first part of the list. The second part will appear next week.
Stephen Braun, Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine (Oxford).
As the title implies, this book deals with two elements. The first is the science of how both alcohol and caffeine affect the brain and body. The second is the “lore” of these two drugs, including legends, episodes, and the famous Letterman quote, “If it weren’t for the caffeine, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.” Braun manages to reduce some fairly complex science to simple and understandable analogies. While he isn’t even remotely interested in evangelical debates over the ethics of alcohol, his book provides useful information that should inform those debates.
Rosaria Butterfield, Openness Unhindered (Crown and Covenant).
In the first place, Butterfield writes beautifully and compassionately. In the second place, she knows what she’s talking about. Butterfield was a tenured professor at Syracuse and a practicing lesbian when she came to Christ. Her first book, Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, tells the story of her conversion. While this volume retains a personal touch, it also addresses some of the more difficult issues in the debate over sexual orientation and identity. It is not simply a thoughtful book or a book that wrestles with issues. Butterfield is the kind of writer who brings personal spiritual challenges to her readers.
M. Stanton Evans, Stalin’s Secret Agents: The Subversion of Roosevelt’s Government (Threshold).
I grew up in an era when conservatives who hinted that there might just be some Communist influences in the government were roundly dismissed as paranoid “McCarthyites.” Now, along comes Evans, taking advantage of previously-unavailable documentation from the Depression and World War II. He demonstrates that the Roosevelt administration was fairly littered with Communist sympathizers and fellow-travelers who were willing to promote the interests of the USSR at the expense of the USA. This book belongs on the shelf right beside Whittaker Chambers’ Witness.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (Cambridge).
One of my seminary professors used to say that The Great Gatsby was the Great American Novel. It certainly rates as one of them. The story is a fascinating glimpse into the America of the Roaring Twenties. It is also an intriguing exploration of wealth, status, pathos, and hubris. How did I make it through high school, four years of college, and more than ten years of graduate school without ever reading this book?
Tony Hillerman, The Blessing Way, Navaho Police 01 (Harper).
I like murder mysteries. I am fascinated by cultures not my own. I love the American Southwest. These interests come together in Hillerman’s stories about Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito. This is just the first in a series that is now being continued by Hillerman’s daughter, Anne. While I’m only listing the first book, they’re all worth reading for their studies of both character and culture. Yes, this is recreational reading, but it is also instructive reading.
Stephen L. James, New Creation Eschatology and the Land (Wipf and Stock).
It is rare that a book of theology is sufficiently interesting to make this list (and I read mostly theology). James’s book does, largely because of the thrust of his argument. He writes to a new generation of eschatologists who try to combine a form of amillennialism with an eternal destination for the blessed on the new earth. All forms of amillennialism deny that the “land” promises of the Abrahamic Covenant are fulfilled to national Israel. So James asks the logical question: If you have a new earth, and if the new earth is a renewed earth (rather than a completely new creation), then what happens to the land? It doesn’t just disappear, does it? You’ll have to read James to discover how he answers this question.
Michael Jecks, et al, The Tainted Relic Medieval Murderers 01 (Simon and Schuster).
Beginning with the Jerusalem of 1100 and ending on the banks of the modern-day Thames, this collection spins a series of yarns about a cursed fragment of the true cross. The stories were written by six British writers of murder mysteries. Did I mention that I like a good murder mystery?
Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World, Wheel of Time 01 (Tor).
Friends give you books. Good friends give you good books. A good friend gave me this book because he knew that I liked Tolkien, and he thought that Jordan’s Wheel of Time series was actually better than The Lord of the Rings. I don’t want to debate that point—but Jordan’s series is certainly longer, with a more fully-developed mythopoeic world. Each of Jordan’s books is more than half as long as the whole Lord of the Rings, and there are fourteen volumes altogether. If I can read one each year, I just might make it through the series before I die.
_____
And that’s just under half my list. As you can see, I’m a fairly eclectic reader. That’s one of my weaknesses—a scholar has to keep much more focus in reading than I do. But I’m also a preacher, and a preacher has to know something about human nature and motivations, something about the world, and (perhaps most importantly) something about how to reach the imagination without manipulating the appetites. I allow all of those concerns to drive my reading. Stay tuned: there will be more next week.
This essay is by Kevin T. Bauder, Research Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
I Thirst, But Not as Once I Did
William Cowper (1731–1800)
I thirst, but not as once I did,
The vain delights of earth to share:
Thy wounds, Emmanuel, all forbid
That I should seek my pleasure there.
It was the sight of thy dear cross
First wean’d my soul from earthly things;
And taught me to esteem as dross
The mirth of fools and pomp of kings.
I want that grace that springs from thee,
That quickens all things where it flows,
And makes a wretched thorn, like me,
Bloom as the myrtle, or the rose.
Dear fountain of delight unknown!
No longer sink below the brim;
But overflow, and pour me down
A living, and life-giving stream!
For sure, of all the plants that share
The notice of thy Father’s eye,
None proves less grateful to his care,
Or yields him meaner fruit than I.
Incarnation and Inculturation
The incarnation of Jesus Christ is a fundamental of the gospel. Essential to our salvation is the teaching that the Second Person of the Godhead laid aside his visible divine glory and added to his eternal person a complete human nature. From the annunciation onward God fully entered into the human experience, passing through gestation, birth, nurturing, growth, learning, vocation, temptation, obedience, suffering, and death. In his resurrection and ascension Jesus did not abandon his human nature but glorified it. His human body is now located in heaven, and from heaven this body will return in the air when he catches away his saints and takes them to his Father’s house. Jesus Christ is forever divine and human, God and man, two natures joined in one theanthropic person by hypostatic union.
These truths were explored in detail during the early centuries of Christianity. Not all agreed, and those who differed—Docetists, Cerinthians, Arians, Modalists, Adoptionists, Apollinarians, Eutychians, Nestorians, Monophysites, Monothelites, and many others—were understood to be heretics who, denying the essence of the gospel, were genuinely apostate. These teachings were explored in the early rule of faith, then embodied with increasing detail in the great Christian symbols: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Formula of Chalcedon.
The true Church confesses the full humanity of Jesus Christ. That humanity is the ground of every Christmas celebration. While we do not understand how God could become a human, we confess and rejoice that he has.
Less often do we stop to think that Jesus was not simply human but a specific man. He was born into a specific earthly family whose names everybody knew. He grew up in a specific town and attended a specific synagogue. He ate specific food, wore specific clothing, washed a specific way, and spoke a specific language—or more than one. In short, Jesus participated in a specific culture.
Jesus was Jewish. His speech, manner of dress, dietary habits, and customs were Jewish customs. Jesus was immersed in and lived his earthly life in accordance with the mores and prescriptions of Jewish culture. That he did so is not incidental but central to his identity and mission.
While the Jewish leadership of Jesus’ day rejected him, the sons of Israel understood many important truths. They knew who God was—not just any fictitious god, but the true and living God, YHWH. Their law taught them the importance of holiness and horror of sin. They knew what a genuine sacrifice was and what it was supposed to do; they understood substitutionary atonement. They grasped important aspects of Israel’s role as a people of God. They expected that for Israel to fulfill its role, God would have to send a Messiah. They possessed the scriptures, God’s written oracles to humans. All of these factors entered into and shaped Jewish culture, and Jewish culture enabled the Jewish people to grasp what most Gentiles could not.
For example, when John pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” his statement made perfect sense to Jewish hearers. They understood what a sacrificial lamb was and they knew how it took sins away. They had been prepared for this knowledge by centuries of lambs being offered in sacrifice. To Jewish people, stating that Jesus was their sacrifice was a perfectly transparent statement. It communicated the gospel.
The same would not be true in every other culture. Telling the Aztecs that Jesus was their sacrifice would have communicated an entirely different message. That message would actually have run contrary to the gospel. In other words, Jewish culture prepared and enabled people to understand the gospel, while Aztec culture (if it still existed) would disable people from understanding it.
This disability is not incorrigible. It would eventually be possible to communicate the gospel to an Aztec. First, however, the moral imagination of the Aztec would have to be furnished with the categories to understand the gospel. Aztecs would have to be disabused of a false notion of sacrifice and introduced to a true image of sacrifice before they could understand what it meant that Christ is their sacrifice.
It is a good thing that cultures are permeable. The values that a culture lacks can be introduced from a foreign culture. Peter traded on this permeability when he presented the gospel to Cornelius. As a Roman centurion, Cornelius was well acquainted with the meaning of crucifixion. By itself, this Roman meaning would have thwarted his understanding of the gospel. But Cornelius was also a student of Judaism. Peter addressed this element of Jewish understanding when he told Cornelius about the death of Jesus, whom, he said, “they slew and hanged on a tree.” This distinctively Jewish expression told Cornelius that Jesus suffered the curse of God in his death, even though “God was with him.”
Peter did not begin by trying to find ways to translate Christian truths into Gentile categories. He began by offering Cornelius a category that would be nonsensical to most Gentiles, but that Cornelius could grasp because he had already ventured outside his own culture. Each culture explains reality in its own way. Some of those ways are more compatible with Christian truth and some of them are less. Before he sent his Son into the world, God took nearly two millennia to create a culture with forms, laws, customs, prescriptions, worship, traditions, and patterns of experience that would enable people to understand the person and work of Christ.
All of which underlines the truth that Jesus, as God incarnate, did not merely dip a toe into humanity. He plunged into human nature, fully partaking of all its dimensions, yet without sin. Because he fully participates in our nature, he fully redeems it for those who trust him. That truth is the foundation of peace on earth and goodwill to men. It is truth that puts the merry into Christmas.
This essay is by Kevin T. Bauder, Research Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
How Bright Appears the Morning Star
Philipp Nicolai (1556–1608); tr. William Mercer (1811–1873)
How bright appears the Morning Star,
with mercy beaming from afar;
the host of heav’en rejoices.
O Righteous Branch, O Jesse’s Rod,
the Son of Man and Son of God,
we too will lift our voices:
Jesus, Jesus, holy, holy, yet most lowly,
come, draw near us;
great Emmanuel, come and hear us.
Though circled by the hosts on high,
He deigned to cast a pitying eye
upon His helpless creature.
The whole creation’s Head and Lord,
by highest seraphim adored,
assumed our very nature;
Jesus, grant us, through Your merit,
to inherit Your salvation.
Hear, O hear our supplication!
Rejoice, O heav’ns, and earth, reply;
with praise, O sinners, fill the sky
for this, His incarnation.
Incarnate God, put forth Your pow’r;
ride on, ride on, great Conqueror,
till all know Your salvation.
Amen, amen! Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise be given
evermore by earth and heaven.
Two-Dimensional Preparation for a Three-Dimensional World
Dan Wallace discusses the pros and cons of online ministerial training.
Online Divinity Degrees: Two-Dimensional Preparation for a Three-Dimensional World
The bottom-line question that the prospective student needs to ask is not, “What’s the easiest route to take to earn that degree?” but, “What is the best preparation I can get for a lifetime of ministry?”
The most impactful ministries are:
intensely personal
messy
intentional
serendipitous
sacrificial
communal
Why is Central’s distance program different? Find out.
WELCOME: Matt Shrader called as the new Director of Recruitment
CBTS has called Matt Shrader as the new Director of Recruitment. Matt has an MDiv from FBBC&S in Ankey, IA, a ThM from CBTS, and is nearing the completion of a PhD in church history from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He brings his love for students and seminary education as well as a passion for theology. Matt and his wife Tarah are both from Colorado and have 3 children.
Central is widely known for their quality and content of ministry preparation, and I have greatly benefited from this preparation not only by way of several former pastors but also in my own education. I am thrilled to be the one who now gets to explain these benefits to our friends and future students.
Missionary Martyrs: Are We Paying Too High a Price to Evangelize the World? Part Three
During these past two weeks I have been writing about the deaths of Charles Wesco and John Chau, men who perished in violent ways doing mission work. In the first essay, I praised their dedication to follow Christ into dangerous situations. Last week I addressed the issue of peril in gospel advance. We must take great risk to do great work for God. So much of Christian expansion has come at the cost of lives lost. Coincidently, the day after last week’s essay was the 84th anniversary of the execution of John and Betty Stam, Moody Bible Institute graduates who were beheaded in China for being Christian missionaries. Only their infant daughter, who had been left in the building where the family spent the night before their execution, survived and was smuggled out of China. Gospel advance is risky, dangerous work.
This week I wish to consider the issue of doing Christian work that violates the laws of the land. Apparently, John Chau broke Indian law by breeching a five-kilometer (about 3 miles) restricted zone surrounding the island. North Sentinel Island is part of the Andaman Islands and has been under a Restricted Area Permit policy of the Indian government meant to preserve the way of life of the primitive tribe, estimated at less than four hundred inhabitants. These people would likely be highly susceptible to a variety of diseases from which their isolation gave them no natural immunity.
Chau, the twenty-six-year-old American missionary, has been widely criticized for his breech of the island in late November and his subsequent death. Some criticized him for his cavalier attitude toward these people by breaking Indian law and endangering them unnecessarily by exposing them to potential diseases. While it may be true that Chau did not adhere to Indian law, it does not seem to be the case that he was cavalier in terms of risking the lives of the locals. He self-quarantined with the hopes of preventing the introduction of diseases that might harm the local population. It might be argued that Chau’s precautions were insufficient (and I do not know), but he did take precautions and he did prepare himself for a number of possible outcomes, including his own death at the hands of the islanders.
The merits of what John Chau did will likely be debated for the foreseeable future, and this is a positive outcome of his unfortunate death. The need of gospel workers in difficult places in the Lord’s vineyard has been brought to the forefront of Christian conversation yet again. It is impossible to assess his motives. This is up to God. We can, however, ponder his actions, especially the “breaking” Indian law to preach the gospel. Was Chau justified in contravening local or national laws to carry forward the gospel to this unreached people? Aren’t Christians supposed to “obey every ordinance of man” (1 Pet 2:13)?
This has been a challenging issue for believers since the first century. At issue is the Christian’s duty to obey laws that directly prohibit the proclamation of the gospel. Is a Christian justified in ignoring or breaking these laws for the sake of gospel advance? This is a difficult question to answer. However, there are clear biblical texts that should help guide our thinking when making these decisions.
First, we need to realize that the Great Commission is embedded in a passage that begins by emphasizing the universal authority of the Great Commissioner—Jesus Christ. “All authority has been given to me (by the Father)” (Mt 28:19). Therefore, Jesus told the disciples to go into all the world proclaiming the good news. Christians, then, are under obligation to disseminate the gospel to all people, which would include (at least theoretically) the North Sentinelese islanders. To do this in today’s world seems to mean breaking Indian law. Missionary John Chau sensed this obligation, dedicating himself, come what may, death included, to take the gospel to these unreached people in obedience to that commission.
Chau’s obedience seems to be in keeping with what the disciples did in the aftermath of the resurrection of Jesus. Some of them were arrested for preaching the good news about the resurrection and were specifically forbidden from further proclaiming that message. They were threatened with more severe punishment, when released, if they continued their public declaration of the resurrection (Acts 5:17–42). How did they answer? “We need to obey God rather than men” (v. 29). In declaring this commitment, they knew what the likely outcome would be—greater punishment. Nevertheless, gospel advance was a divine mandate which trumped civil law—and they said so.
However, before Christians rush headlong into the jaws of death preaching the gospel, it might be prudent to ponder the manner in which the message should be proclaimed. Does the law need to be broken to preach the gospel? And who should make this decision? In reality, when Christians break or ignore a country’s laws, they certainly should expect repercussions. Perhaps another question should be asked: can believers faithfully disseminate the Word of God and keep the law? Is there a way to do both?
In Chau’s case, as with the disciples of Acts 5, it seems that there was little other alternative to giving the North Sentinelese the gospel than by entering the restricted zone and attempting to make contact, contra Indian law. Was there another way? Who gets to make these decisions? This was a decision that Chau made, apparently in consultation with his mission partner.
To be sure, Christians should think long and hard about the possible blowback from violating a nation’s sovereignty by preaching the gospel. North Korea is a case in point. In recent months, several Christians were released after being arrested for violating the Hermit Kingdom’s restrictive laws. Or consider the case of the evangelical pastor, Andrew Brunson, who spent two years under house arrest in Turkey for allegedly participating in a plot to overthrow the government. Many believe he was arrested for preaching the gospel. Expect repercussions, but carry out the commission with all diligence.
Certainly, Christians need to be known as “law-keepers” rather than “law-breakers.” But the mandate to carry forth the message of Jesus Christ does not end at the border of a closed country. Wisdom, prayer, and counsel all factor in to decisions to contravene the laws of a hostile country. Understand also, that one missionary’s infraction may result in more restrictive laws or greater threats of penalty or violence on other would-be violators. There are no easy answers to this issue. May God grant the courage to communicate Him to a lost and dying world, and the wisdom to perceive the best way it should be done. May God raise up a new generation of stout-hearted, committed believers willing to take risks to bring the message of Christ to the lost. Soli Deo Gloria!
This essay is by Jeff Straub, Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Come, My Fond Flutt’ring Heart
Jane Taylor (1783–1824)
Come, my fond flutt’ring heart,
Come, thou must now be free;
Thou and the world must part,
However hard it be.
My weeping passions own ‘tis just,
Yet cling still closer to the dust,
Yet cling still closer to the dust.
Ye tempting sweets, forbear,
Ye dearest idols, fall,
My heart ye can not share,
For Jesus must have all;
‘Tis bitter pain—‘tis cruel smart,
But O! you must consent my heart,
But O! you must consent my heart.
Ye gay, enchanting throng,
Ye golden dreams, farewell!
Earth hath prevailed too long,
Now I must break the spell;
Go, cherished joys of earlier years,
Jesus, forgive these parting tears,
Jesus, forgive these parting tears.
Welcome, thou bleeding cross,
Welcome, thou way to God;
My former gains were loss,
My path was follies’ road;
At last my heart is undeceived,
The world is giv’n, and God received,
The world is giv’n, and God received.
5 Things that Science Cannot In Principle Explain
- the origin of the universe
- the origin of the fundamental laws of nature
- the fine-tuning of the universe
- the origin of consciousness
- the existence of moral, rational, aesthetic objective laws and intrinsically valuable properties
Taken from J.P. Moreland’s new book Scientism and Secularism
For a good review, read this.
Missionary Martyrs: Are We Paying Too High a Price to Evangelize the World? Part Two
Last week I wrote of the deaths of Charles Trumann Wesco and John Allen Chau, two men whose lives ended in recent days in the service of God. Wesco was a newly-arrived missionary in Cameroon when he was shot in the head in Bamenda, while Chau was killed when he tried to contact the North Sentinelese islanders, one of the last primitive tribes in the world.
Especially in the case of Chau, the internet has been ablaze with essays, blogs, and opinions, some good but many critical, with a few being especially harsh and vulgar. I am glad that I withheld judgment until after listening to the interview between Mark Galli and Mary Ho of All Nations International, the agency with which Chau was affiliated. Many have accused Chau of being a reckless adventurer who showed little regard for the welfare of the islanders and had little, if any, training or preparation for his mission. Such does not seem to be the case as Ho states that Chau had well-prepared himself for the dangerous task and knew in advance that he would likely receive a very hostile reception.
Last week’s essay commended these men as models of Christian dedication in gospel advance. I suggested that two additional essays would be forthcoming addressing other aspects of the debate surrounding what these men did and how they died. This week I want to focus on the notion of doing missions in a hostile environment. One comment came to me that Wesco failed to heed a governmental warning that the part of Cameroon into which he planned to go was potentially dangerous. He chided Wesco for taking his family into harm’s way. As for Chau, he did the same thing, but he went solo, deliberately so, apparently. Chau knew that, historically, the islanders had repelled all comers, minimally with arrows and some with death. Moreover, while Wesco merely ignored (if he actually did) governmental warnings, Chau actually broke Indian law by going to North Sentinel Island. In these aspects, the stories of Wesco and Chau are significantly different. I wish to treat these two ideas—ignoring warnings and breaking the law—in two separate essays regarding gospel advance.
At minimum, both Wesco and Chau seemed to ignore warnings of danger of laboring or attempting to labor in hostile parts of the world. In Wesco’s case, he took nine other people into danger by moving his entire family to Cameroon. Does his action show a cavalier disregard to prudence? Does it show a failure on the part of his mission agency to reign in his lofty desire? Shouldn’t someone have anticipated something like this happening? Shouldn’t he have been forbidden to go? In Chau’s case, his diary seems to reveal that he had a very good idea of what he could expect from the North Sentinelese people. What a waste! Or worse, what hubris! Were these deaths just foolish and reckless? Since I didn’t know either brother personally, I would like to step back and address the concept of risky gospel advance rather than trying to impugn or vindicate either man. Only God knew their hearts and what ultimately motivated them. I am willing to leave the discernment of motive to Him.
Gospel advance has always come with a measure of risk—always. Many times the risks have been significant. One of the real ironies of these stories of Wesco and Chau are the chronological juxtaposing of their deaths with the ninth anniversary of a restoration ceremony that took place on Erromango (Vanuatu) in 2009. In 1839, London Missionary Society member John Williams and his colleague James Harris landed in Dillons Bay (today renamed Williams Bay), Erromango. Before the ship was out of sight, returning to sea, both had been killed within eyesight of the ship. It was a sad end to the lives of two men whose burden it was to share the gospel among those who had never heard. Was their sacrifice worthwhile? The long-term consequence, however, is that others stepped up to assume the burden these men laid down and brought the good news of the death of Christ to that part of the world. Twenty years later, George Gordon and his wife also died on Erromango. James, George’s brother, attempted to carry forward his brother’s ministry and he was also killed. Erromango was not reached without significant sacrifice. Missionaries died and others arose to take their places. Could the gospel have come another way? This doesn’t seem likely if one believes in the sovereign hand of God. Williams and Harris, the Gordons, Wesco and Chau, and a host of others have been called upon by God to make the ultimate sacrifice for gospel advance.
Certainly, one of the principal results flowing from the deaths of these two recent missionaries is the conversation that has been started yet again about the cost of missions. The need for committed missionaries is still great and, although there may be few places left on earth like North Sentinel Island, there are many other locales like Cameroon where Christian ministry takes place under duress, if not in outright hostility. Whether it’s Cameroon, India, or the Ukraine, where I ministered about one year ago and met brothers who had fled from the Russian-controlled part of the country where believers were experiencing heavy persecution, it is often not possible to avoid all areas of hostility when it comes to Christian ministry.
With hostility comes the possibility of death. It is true that some believers down through church history sought martyrdom and lived dangerously close to the edge hoping to attain the martyr’s crown, but many, many good saints have been called to glory simply by being faithful witnesses to the truth of Jesus Christ where they lived and served. Some of my students at Central Africa Baptist College of Kitwe, Zambia, are from the South Sudan where political unrest threatened believers. Granted we are talking about hostility in one’s home country versus hostility in a missionary’s prospective field of labor, but why should missionaries necessarily avoid a place of potential hostility? In Wesco’s case, there may have been a government warning which was meant to alert visitors to possible threats, but missionaries are sometimes led to areas of uncertainty because this is the only way to bring about gospel advance. Waiting for things to settle in a given location may not be an option. The lost need someone to bring them good news. Thank God for those who are willing to take the message of Jesus Christ to places where things may be dangerous. Lord, give us dedicated servants for gospel advance!
This essay is by Jeff Straub, Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
O Where Shall Rest Be Found
James Montgomery (1771–1854)
O where shall rest be found,
Rest for the weary soul?
‘Twere vain the ocean-depths to sound,
Or pierce to either pole;
The world can never give
The bliss for which we sigh;
‘Tis not the whole of life to live;
Nor all of death to die.
Beyond this vale of tears,
There is a life above,
Unmeasured by the flight of years;
And all that life is love;—
There is a death, whose pang
Outlasts the fleeting breath;
O what eternal horrors hang
Around “the second death!”
Lord God of truth and grace,
Teach us that death to shun,
Lest we be banish’d from Thy face,
And evermore undone:
Here would we end our quest;
Alone are found in Thee,
The life of perfect love,—the rest
Of immortality.
Missionary Martyrs: Are We Paying Too High a Price to Evangelize the World?
Two fresh missionary deaths have made the news in recent weeks. The first was the unexpected death of missionary Charles Trumann Wesco (1974–2018), an independent Baptist missionary from Indiana. Charles, a father of eight, was accidently caught in the crossfire of civil unrest in Bamenda, Cameroon, having been in the hostile northern part of the country for less than two weeks. The shooting was accidental (in the providence of God) in that while Wesco was working in a potentially dangerous place, he joined an established missionary group that had had a gospel presence there for thirty years. The death, while lamentable, is the kind of hazard that countless missionaries since the New Testament era have encountered with the advance of the Christian message. The apostle Paul apparently found himself in similar situations on numerous occasions (1 Cor 11:26).
The second tragic death is more recent. John Allen Chau, a twenty-six-year-old graduate of Oral Roberts University, managed to obtain illegal passage to a remote part of India, North Sentinel Island, in the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. This is home to a small primitive tribe of people (with an estimated population of less than fifty) who still live in pre-Neolithic conditions and have no contact with the outside world. India has forbidden anyone from visiting the island, placing a five-nautical-mile restriction around it, partly out of concern for the survival of the tribe due to exposure to illnesses with which they have no natural immunity, and partly to preserve their way of life.
Chau felt the call of God to take the gospel to this unreached people group. He left a hand-written record of his contacts, including the life-threatening reception he received from the tribe. The last entry in his journal was dated November 16. The fisherman who helped him get to the island claims to have seen the locals burying a body on the beach the following day. Efforts by Indian authorities have thus far been unsuccessful at recovering his body, and it appears at the time of this writing that his remains may never be retrieved. Because of the primitive nature of the people and their forced isolation on the part of the Indian government, there are no plans, according to reports, for murder charges to be laid, even if the perpetrators could be identified.
Both of these deaths, while tragic from a human viewpoint, are a part of a growing roster of men and women who have paid the ultimate price for the advance of the gospel. Even as I write about these two men, I am reminded of one of the most well-known stories of missionary martyrdom, the deaths of the Auca five in January 1956—Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Pete Fleming. Elizabeth Elliot’s Through Gates of Splendor, which I read in my early years in Bible college, had a formative influence on my journey as I considered a life of service to Christ. Would God require me to make the ultimate sacrifice?
With these two current deaths so close together and apparently so similar, it behooves the Church to ponder the lives of these men and reflect on the sacrifices made for gospel advance. Is this kind of sacrifice really necessary? Wouldn’t more have been gained for the cause of Christ if they had chosen different, less dangerous paths of service and lived out their earthly journeys in places where they could preach the gospel either unhindered or at least without the kind of physical dangers they knew they might face otherwise? Why run the risk of death when there is so much gospel need in less perilous places? Should the lives of these men serve as examples of personal dedication or as models of foolish choices?
There is no doubt that unbelievers and, sadly, some faint-hearted Christians, will argue that they gave their lives in vain and need not have made the choices they did. In Charles Wesco’s case, he not only imperiled his own life but that of his wife Stephanie and their eight children by taking them to a part of Africa where civil unrest was a common occurrence. Surely, he could have found another place to serve Christ, some might argue.
As I have family in Zambia, in sub-Saharan east Africa, this story hits close to home. My oldest son Benjamin, his wife Amy, and all of my grandchildren (Simon, Isaac, Casper, and Ada Jane) are serving at the Central Africa Baptist College in Kitwe. Among the opportunities that Ben has had is teaching pastors in other countries (Malawi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo). While they do not deliberately go into hostile areas, some of the spots have had a history of turmoil. In light of these two recent deaths, should I warn my son not to be foolish? To stay closer to “home” and to not take any unnecessary chances?
Of course, this is a tempting option. Who of us wants to hold the next missionary funeral? Rebecca and I gave our children to the Lord long ago and with that commitment came the possibility of one of our children laying down their life for Christ. Zambia is a fairly safe place, to be sure, but Africa itself has been known to be a difficult place at times in her history. Moreover, even if their country of residence is relatively free from civil unrest, there are any number of diseases and personal calamities that could befall them so far from “home.”
How then should we view the lives and deaths of these two recent missionary martyrs—Charles and John? With gratitude to God for lives well-lived or with a sense of profound loss for lives lived in vain, or a little of both? For my part, I actually think that Charles Wesco’s story and John Chau’s story, while similar, are also strikingly different. That difference is worth exploring in another Nick essay next week. But for now, there is much to appreciate about these two brothers whom God in His sovereign plan allowed to come to the violent end that they experienced.
Much should be made of their dedication to Christ and their willingness to follow Him at great personal sacrifice. More importantly, much should be made of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords who left heaven’s glory to die on a cross, one of the most violent of deaths, at the hands of wicked men, so that human redemption was not only possible but actually effected. In following Christ by laying down their lives, Charles and John did no more than follow the example of Jesus. Is the servant better than the master? Whatever else we can say about their lives and deaths, we can be profoundly grateful for this kind of dedication and sacrifice. They certainly aren’t the first missionaries to perish in gospel advance, and most assuredly they will not be the last to be called upon to lay down their lives for the sake of Christ.
I can think of no human words more fitting than some of the final words of Jim Elliott, contained in his diary, recovered in the jungle of Ecuador: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” May God raise up many others to fill the void left by these servants of Christ. Soli Deo Gloria!
This essay is by Jeff Straub, Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
See How Great a Flame Aspires
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
See how great a flame aspires,
Kindled by a spark of grace.
Jesus’ love the nations fires,
Sets the kingdoms on a blaze:
To bring fire on earth He came;
Kindled in some hearts it is;
O that all might catch the flame,
All partake the glorious bliss!
When He first the work begun,
Small and feeble was His day:
Now the word doth swiftly run;
Now it wins its widening way:
More and more it spread and grows,
Ever mighty to prevail;
Sin’s strongholds it now o’erthrows,
Shakes the trembling gates of hell.
Sons of God, your Savior praise,
who the door hath opened wide;
He hath given the word of grace,
Jesus’ word is glorified;
Jesus, mighty to redeem,
He alone the work hath wrought;
Worthy is the work of Him,
Him Who spake a world from naught.
Saw ye not the cloud arise,
Little as a human hand?
Now it spreads along the skies,
Hangs o’er all the thirsty land.
Lo! the promise of a shower
Drops already from above;
But the Lord will shortly pour
All the spirit of His love.
Helping Those Who Suffer
In this sin-cursed world suffering is inevitable. Jesus said so: “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). Paul said so: “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Phil 1:29). Peter said so: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Pet 2:21). And this is why Paul’s exhortations to believers asking them to weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15; 1 Cor 12:26) ring so true for every believer. There are always brothers and sisters in Christ who need us to suffer with them. So how do we show genuine compassion to the sufferers among us?
Before thinking about what we can do for the one who is going through a time of difficulty, we need to discuss what we should not do. First, never avoid the person, unconsciously treating him or her like someone with a contagious disease. Second, when talking with the person, don’t dance around the subject of their suffering by talking about something—anything—else. Third, don’t offer pious platitudes (e.g. “He’s in a better place”; “at least your other children are doing well”; “God is good all the time”) or offer simplistic or judgmental spiritual advice (e.g. “What is God teaching you in the middle of this trial?” or “Romans 8:28 is still true” or “What sin is God revealing to you in this situation?”).
Often the best thing we can do is to be present, even if we cannot think of anything helpful to say. Job’s friends offered their greatest aid to Job without ever saying a word as they sat with him for seven days and nights (Job 2:13). At the very least, we can help by merely showing up.
This is especially important when reaching out to those whose suffering is not widely known, e.g. the prodigal child, a broken marriage, mental health struggles, physical or sexual abuse. When the circle of knowledge is limited, it is essential for those that are aware to make steps toward the sufferer to acknowledge, listen, pray, and offer hope. Though these more private struggles draw out our own insecurity and inadequacy to know how to respond, a simple honest statement of care can be the balm of Christ for those on a lonely path.
Since everyone’s suffering is unique, I would be unwise to assert a list of specific instructions one should follow when trying to obey the biblical mandate to weep with the weeping. Sometimes our best intentions to help may result in awkward silence, spontaneous weeping, or angry outbursts. But do not be swayed from seeking to love wisely and compassionately. Assure the sufferer of your love, not just in words but in actions. One sure way to do this is to pray for him. Depending on how relationally close you are to the other person, you may want to ask him how you can pray for him. But if this sort of intimate question seems too awkward, one can always pray Scripture truths for the sister or brother. And I challenge you to share these specific requests afterward with the sufferer so that he or she can be reminded of these spiritual realities and can know that he has a friend who is faithfully bringing these requests before our great High Priest.
Here are four petitions we can bring to God on behalf of the sufferer:
1. I am praying that you will know that God is for you.
Paul writes in Romans 8:31-34, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
2. I am praying that you will know that God is with you.
David reminds us in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Jesus promises us in Matthew 28:20, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And Isaiah records God’s words in Isaiah 43:1-2, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you will shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
3. I am praying that you will know, feel, and enjoy the love of God.
Paul writes in Romans 8:35, 38-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And again he writes in Ephesians 3:17-19, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
4. I am praying that you will know, feel, and enjoy the peace of God.
Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
And I am praying this blessing for you from Numbers 6:24-26: “May the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Are these not beautiful promises from God’s Word? To be reminded that God is for us and with us and that He loves us and gives us peace will help to encourage and lift up the countenance of any believer, especially those who are in the middle of great trials. Of course, God gives many other promises not mentioned here which could be used in praying for and weeping with our hurting brothers and sisters, but these are a good beginning.
May God give us the grace to see those who are hurting and to obey His command to reach out to them with tender compassion just as our Savior loved us and gave Himself for us (1 John 4:9–11).
This essay is by Jon Pratt, Vice President of Academics and Professor of New Testament at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Poor and Afflicted
Thomas Kelly (1769–1855)
“Poor and afflicted,” Lord, are Thine,
Among the great unfit to shine;
But though the world may think it strange,
They would not with the world exchange.
“Poor and afflicted,” ‘tis their lot,
They know it, and they murmur not;
‘Twould ill become them to refuse
The state their Master deign’d to choose.
“Poor and afflicted,” yet they sing,
For Jesus in their glorious King;
Through sufferings perfect now He reigns
And shares in all their griefs and pains.
“Poor and afflicted,” but ere long
They join the bright, celestial throng;
Their sufferings then will reach a close,
And heaven afford them sweet repose.
And while they walk the thorny way,
They oft are heard to sigh and say,
“Dear Savior, come, oh quickly come,
And take Thy mourning pilgrims home.”
Give to the Max 2018
Once each year Central Seminary uses In the Nick of Time to make an appeal. The reason is unique to our situation in Minnesota: the organization GiveMN features an annual giving event for all charitable organizations called Give to the Max. Central Seminary began to take advantage of this fundraiser about ten years ago. It has grown every year, and not just for Central Seminary.
Originally Give to the Max was held on a single day. Within a few years, the response was so overwhelming that it now has been expanded to half a month: November 1-15. You can give online at any time, mail your gift directly to Central Seminary, or call the seminary office and use your credit card to give. Only the online giving counts toward the official GiveMN total, but all giving counts toward our in-house, unofficial total. And that number is important. Why?
Central Seminary has generous friends who love to encourage others to give. This year two of our friends have offered a total of $50,000 in matching gifts. These donors are willing to double every dollar that comes in for the Give to the Max event, up to $50,000. In other words, if the rest of us can pool our efforts to give $50,000, the total gift to Central Seminary will be $100,000!
For some schools, that figure is peanuts. At Harvard or Yale it’s hardly a faculty lunch. But for Central Seminary, $100,000 is a really big deal. It goes a long way toward educating the next generation of pastors and missionaries for the church and for the gospel.
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This is an exciting year at Central Seminary. To begin with, it’s a year of growth. Our student population is up 32% and class registration is up nearly 43%. In an era when small colleges and seminaries of all kinds are struggling to hold their own, we are amazed at God’s goodness to us.
This is an exciting year because our academic credibility is better than ever. In June we achieved full membership status with the Association of Theological Schools, the premier accrediting agency for seminaries in North America. In the meanwhile, our graduates are achieving recognition for their contributions to the academy. For example, Pastor Richard Winston’s dissertation will be issued by P&R Publishing, a top academic publisher.
This is an exciting year because of our distance education program as students participate in our classes from anywhere in the world via the Zoom conferencing platform. The Lord has provided us with a true global outreach. We no longer need to establish campuses in foreign countries — people in those countries use their computers to participate directly in our classrooms.
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When you give to Central Seminary, you are investing in the ministries of students like Luke Tanis who came to us from Wisconsin, following brothers Micah and Marc. He graduated last May with his M.Div., and he and his wife Anna are now missionary appointees to Malta.
While our students must pay tuition, we do our best to keep that figure affordable. From a financial standpoint, we are one of the best bargains around, and we want to keep that up! Seminary students can’t afford to accumulate debt, because they must graduate with the freedom to pastor small churches or serve as missionaries. The only way to keep our tuition low is for people like you to help us.
Our students only pay about 13% of the cost of their education. The rest of the cost is borne by people who are willing to invest, not only in their future ministries, but in the churches to which they will minister. Give to the Max is about churches and church members investing in the churches at home and around the world.
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We’re in the middle of Give to the Max right now. God is providing for us through this event. Would you consider becoming part of His provision?
You can give online at centralseminary.edu/give. Or you can give by mailing a check to Central Seminary (900 Forestview Ln N, Plymouth, MN 55441). Or you can call the seminary at 763-417-8250 to give by credit card. Your gifts are tax deductible.
Thank you for your friendship to Central Seminary. We are grateful for your prayers and for your financial help. Together we will equip the next generation of spiritual leaders for Christ-exalting, biblical ministry.
Awake, Our Souls
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
Awake, our souls; away, our fears;
let every trembling thought be gone;
awake and run the heavenly race,
and put a cheerful courage on.
True, ‘tis a strait and thorny road,
and mortal spirits tire and faint;
but they forget the mighty God
that feeds the strength of every saint:
The mighty God, whose matchless power
is ever new and ever young,
and firm endures, while endless years
their everlasting circles run.
From thee, the overflowing spring,
our souls shall drink a fresh supply,
while such as trust their native strength
shall melt away, and droop, and die.
Swift as an eagle cuts the air,
we’ll mount aloft to thine abode;
on wings of love our souls shall fly,
nor tire amidst the heavenly road.
439 and Beyond: An Illustration of the Separation of Church and State
In our most recent edition of Nick of Time, I provided a copy of the letter Chinese house church pastors first issued on August 30, 2018. The initial letter contained 29 signatories; two days later 87 more signed their names. That number had grown to 279 by September 6; this was the number reported in last week’s issue. According to the St. Charles Institute there are now 439 names on the list. This number is likely to grow as news of this declaration spreads. Plug in “letter from Chinese pastors” into any internet search engine and you will find dozens of stories about it.
So how can Gospel-preaching American churches profit from considering these brave words penned by our Chinese counterparts? We could consider several themes raised in the letter, including the content of the Gospel message, the final authority of Scripture, the nature of acceptable civil disobedience, the demonstration of Spirit-motivated courage, the mission of the church, and the biblical role of civil authority. But space constraints permit me to concentrate only on the subject covered in declaration #4 which actually intersects with the last two themes regarding the mission of the church and the role of government: the principle of the separation of church and state.
Here are two sentences from the declaration that concisely explain this principle: “We declare that in matters of external conduct, churches are willing to accept lawful oversight by civil administration or other government departments as other social organizations do. But under no circumstances will we lead our churches to join a religious organization controlled by the government, to register with the religious administration department, or to accept any kind of affiliation.” The key phrase here is “lawful oversight by civil administration” which, the church leaders state, should be the same as that exercised over any social organization in a country. Conversely, unlawful governmental coercion in the Chinese context would include forced membership in government-controlled organizations, required registration with the religious administration department, and any kind of church-state affiliation.
Earlier in the declaration we receive several examples of unlawful government oversight, such as demolishing crosses on church buildings, forcing churches to hang the Chinese flag or to sing songs praising the state, banning children from receiving religious education, and depriving believers of the right to gather freely. We Americans, and particularly Baptists, find such governmental practices repulsive and alarming just as our Chinese brethren. And we rightly approve of such declarations in countries like China which do not have constitutional guarantees of religious freedom such as we enjoy in the United States.
On a short historical note, one of the main reasons we have the First Amendment to the Constitution here in America is because of the diligent efforts of Baptist pastor John Leland. Because of a letter to George Washington and a meeting with James Madison, Leland helped influence the Constitutional Convention so that religious liberty of the sort Baptists had always affirmed could be included in the Bill of Rights. Indeed, the guarantee that the state cannot establish any religion nor prohibit its free exercise provides the impetus for many prayers of thanksgiving on the part of American Christians and of American Baptists in particular.
Since we Americans have enjoyed religious liberty for so many years, we often forget how valuable this freedom is, and we also find it puzzling and even outrageous to hear of the oppression of worship in countries like China. Lest we forget about the meaning of the separation of church and state, I remind the reader that this concept has been a major distinctive of Baptist theology for centuries.
One of my colleagues here at Central Seminary, Kevin Bauder, has provided us with a valuable gift in this regard. In Chapter 6 of his book, Baptist Distinctives and New Testament Church Order (Regular Baptist Press, 2012), Kevin succinctly and clearly lays out the history, meaning, and points of application regarding the significant Baptist distinctive of separation of church and state. I can only provide the main points of his discussion here, but I strongly recommend further study of this chapter for every Baptist—American or otherwise.
First, Baptists believe that the state cannot coerce worship because true devotion must come from the heart. Second, the New Testament teaches that churches neither expected nor received material support from the government. Third, with regard to civil authority, Baptists have been willing to serve in the military and to hold public office; they have been willing to practice civil disobedience when the country’s laws require them to do evil or forbid them from doing good and when a particular law violates the higher laws of the land. Fourth, in regard to the church and politics, the church has no political responsibility but bears a moral responsibility to expose the works of darkness in the land (Eph 5:3–14); individual Christians should refuse to support unjust policies, should vote, and should get involved in the political process and in some cases run for public office; and Christians can be involved in civic events and military chaplaincy. Finally, because the boundary between religious freedom and state authority has blurred, wisdom is required in regard to governmental regulations (e.g. building codes), religious sedition, and immoral religion.
We see many points of connection between the issues facing Chinese house churches and these principles of church-state separation. What Baptists have traditionally supported in this regard is clearly asserted by the Chinese declaration. And we in the American church must continue to hope and pray that our Chinese brothers and sisters will be able to enjoy the same freedom from government oppression that we experience here so that the Word of God can have free course.
Finally, I offer an observation about some Baptist churches and their inconsistent application of the separation of church and state. The observant reader will have noticed that the Chinese churches view the hanging of the national flag and singing of patriotic songs as antithetical to their view of religious freedom and as an unlawful intrusion by the government into their worship. Indeed, the mission of the church knows no national boundary and must not include worship of any but Christ. Having worshipped with believers in England, Romania, India, and China, I can attest that the hanging of the national flag and singing of patriotic songs appears to be a mostly American phenomenon (or in some cases an American practice transported via missionaries to other countries). Our Chinese brethren are willing to be imprisoned for not doing these things. We Americans, and Baptists in particular, would be wise and consistent in applying the principle of separation of church and state similarly.
This essay is by Jon Pratt, Vice President of Academics and Professor of New Testament at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
When Any Turn From Zion’s Way
John Newton (1725–1807)
When any turn from Zion’s way,
(Alas! what numbers do!)
Methinks I hear my Savior say,
“Wilt thou forsake Me too?”
Ah Lord! with such a heart as mine,
Unless Thou hold me fast;
I feel I must, I shall decline,
And prove like them at last.
Yet Thou alone hast power, I know,
To save a wretch like me;
To whom, or whither, could I go,
If I should turn from Thee?
Beyond a doubt I rest assured
Thou art the Christ of God;
Who hast eternal life secured
By promise and by blood.
The help of men and angels joined,
Could never reach my case;
Nor can I hope relief to find,
But in Thy boundless grace.
No voice but Thine can give me rest,
And bid my fears depart;
No love but Thine can make me blest,
And satisfy my heart.
What anguish has that question stirred,
If I will also go?
Yet, Lord, relying on Thy Word,
I humbly answer, “No!”
Courage In Today’s Fiery Furnace
God called Joshua to be courageous as he led the Israelites into the Promised Land (Josh 1:6–9). Joshua obeyed and enjoyed the fulfillment of God’s promises (Josh 23:14). I want to highlight 279 modern day Joshuas. These are all pastors of “illegal” house churches in China. At the end of the letter each pastor signed his name and gave the name of his church. Here is a copy of the letter dated September 6, 2018. I will give some observations in next week’s Nick, but for now please read and thank the Lord for these faithful servants of God.
A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith
We are a group of Chinese Christians, chosen by the Most High God to be His humble servants, serving as pastors for Christian churches throughout various towns and cities.
We believe and are obligated to teach the world that the one true and living Triune God is the Creator of the universe, of the world, and of all people. All men should worship God and not any man or thing. We believe and are obligated to teach the world that all men, from national leaders to beggars and prisoners, have sinned. They will die once and then be judged in righteousness. Apart from the grace and redemption of God, all men would eternally perish. We believe and are obligated to teach the world that the crucified and risen Jesus is the only Head of the global church, the sole Savior of all mankind, and the everlasting Ruler and supreme Judge of the universe. To all who repent and believe in Him, God will give eternal life and an eternal Kingdom.
In September, 2017, the State Council issued the new “Regulations on the Administration of Religious Affairs” and began implementing these regulations in February, 2018. Ever since then, Christian churches across China have suffered varying degrees of persecution, contempt, and misunderstanding from government departments during public worship and religious practices, including various administrative measures that attempt to alter and distort the Christian faith. Some of these violent actions are unprecedented since the end of the Cultural Revolution. These include demolishing crosses on church buildings, violently removing expressions of faith like crosses and couplets hanging on Christians’ homes, forcing and threatening churches to join religious organizations controlled by the government, forcing churches to hang the national flag or to sing secular songs praising the State and political parties, banning the children of Christians from entering churches and receiving religious education, and depriving churches and believers of the right to gather freely.
We believe that these unjust actions are an abuse of government power and have led to serious conflicts between political and religious parties in Chinese society. These actions infringe on the human freedoms of religion and conscience and violate the universal rule of law. We are obligated to announce bad news to the authorities and to all of society: God hates all attempts to suppress human souls and all acts of persecution against the Christian church, and He will condemn and judge them with righteous judgment.
But we are even more obligated to proclaim good news to the authorities and to all of society: Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, the Savior and King of mankind, in order to save us sinners was killed, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God, destroying the power of sin and death. In His love and compassion God has prepared forgiveness and salvation for all who are willing to believe in Jesus, including Chinese people. At any time, anyone can repent from any sin, turn to Christ, fear God, obtain eternal life, and bring great blessing from God upon his family and country.
For the sake of faith and conscience, for the spiritual benefits of the authorities in China and of society as a whole, and ultimately for the glory, holiness, and righteousness of God, we make the following declaration to the Chinese government and to all of society:
1. Christian churches in China believe unconditionally that the Bible is the Word and Revelation of God. It is the source and final authority of all righteousness, ethics, and salvation. If the will of any political party, the laws of any government, or the commands of any man directly violate the teachings of the Bible, harming men’s souls and opposing the gospel proclaimed by the church, we are obligated to obey God rather than men, and we are obligated to teach all members of the church to do the same.
2. Christian churches in China are eager and determined to walk the path of the cross of Christ and are more than willing to imitate the older generation of saints who suffered and were martyred for their faith. We are willing and obligated under any circumstance to face all government persecution, misunderstanding, and violence with peace, patience, and compassion. For when churches refuse to obey evil laws, it does not stem from any political agenda; it does not stem from resentment or hostility; it stems from the demands of the gospel and from a love for Chinese society.
3. Christian churches in China are willing to obey authorities in China whom God has appointed and to respect the government’s authority to govern society and human conduct. We believe and are obligated to teach all believers in the church that the authority of the government is from God and that as long as the government does not overstep the boundaries of secular power laid out in the Bible and does not interfere with or violate anything related to faith or the soul, Christians are obligated to respect the authorities, to pray fervently for their benefit, and to pray earnestly for Chinese society. For the sake of the gospel, we are willing to suffer all external losses brought about by unfair law enforcement. Out of a love for our fellow citizens, we are willing to give up all of our earthly rights.
4. For this reason, we believe and are obligated to teach all believers that all true churches in China that belong to Christ must hold to the principle of the separation of church and state and must proclaim Christ as the sole head of the church. We declare that in matters of external conduct, churches are willing to accept lawful oversight by civil administration or other government departments as other social organizations do. But under no circumstances will we lead our churches to join a religious organization controlled by the government, to register with the religious administration department, or to accept any kind of affiliation. We also will not accept any “ban” or “fine” imposed on our churches due to our faith. For the sake of the gospel, we are prepared to bear all losses—even the loss of our freedom and of our lives.
This essay is by Jon Pratt, Vice President of Academics and Professor of New Testament at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Wherefore So Heavy, O My Soul?
Edward Caswall (1814–1878)
“Wherefore so heavy, O my soul,”
(Thus to myself I said)—
“Wherefore so heavy, O my soul,
And so disquieted?
Hope thou in God; He still shall be
Thy glory and thy praise;
His saving grace shall comfort thee,
Through everlasting days.
His goodness made thee what thou art,
And yet will thee redeem;
Only be thou of a good heart,
And put thy trust in Him.”
Grappling With Grief
The phone rang at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 13, 2008. The voice on the other end belonged to the male nurse who had cared for my father in a hospital during the night. He informed me that my 91-year-old father had passed away ten minutes earlier. While we had admitted Dad to the hospital the previous evening, I had no thought that his life would end so soon.
After making phone calls to immediate family members, I was faced with a decision about how to handle my pastoral responsibilities that day. It seemed too short notice to expect my associate to prepare to teach my adult Bible class and preach in the morning service, so I determined to fulfill those duties personally. I had prepared to present the first of three sessions on the Christian and grief that morning! I did not hide the fact of my father’s death or my own grief from the class. I was informed that there was not a dry eye in the room as we discussed the biblical perspective of grieving.
The experience of grieving personal loss in death became even more acute as God took my wife of fifty-three years into His presence a few months ago. Many people have asked how I am doing in the interval. My answer is, “I am doing well.” That does not mean that I do not sense deep loss. It does not mean that I have no emotional pain. It does not mean that there is no sense of emptiness. It does mean that I have found grace and strength to deal with that loss without losing emotional and spiritual equilibrium.
There has been a great sense of loss. Gloria’s mark remains throughout our home, but she is not there. When I entered a supermarket in the weeks following her death, my first thought would be, “What can I buy that is on her diet?” I still do not pass a display of flowers without wanting to take some home to her. I preached in a church several hours from the Twin Cities last weekend. As I began teaching an adult Bible class, I noticed a woman who had been a member of a church I served more than twenty years ago. My first thought was to tell Gloria. I cannot kiss her goodnight or greet her in the morning. I have gone to the grave site where her remains are interred on two occasions, but she is not there!
There are times when my new reality seems to be surreal. Gloria’s clothing remained in the closets. I have spent two months sorting through boxes, file drawers, and cabinets. Each card, letter, and note she ever received was stored there. Reading them brought back many memories. Many hundreds of photographs remind me of a lifetime of shared experiences. The surreality usually involves the realization that her loss is permanent, that she will not return.
How does this believer in Jesus Christ deal with the grief resulting from death? I have benefited from several positive factors. Traits which I have developed through the years have helped. I tend to deal with issues from a factual perspective rather than a purely emotional perspective. The emotions are present, sometimes powerfully. However, I tend not to make decisions based on emotion. I tend to focus on the future rather than dwelling on the past. Memories flood my mind at times, but I am moving forward as God opens doors of opportunity for ministry. Also, I have attempted through five decades of public ministry to practice what I preach and teach before I teach it. I have counseled and taught others to deal with grief and loss biblically through the years. I am attempting to practice those principles now.
I have kept busy, not as a narcotic to dull the pain, but because there are worthwhile and necessary things to do. I am teaching two courses as a member of the adjunct faculty of Central Seminary. I have a score of commitments to teach and preach this autumn, with more on the horizon. In addition, I have spent more than two months preparing to sell our home and find “right size” housing for the future. Staying busy is a good preventative for self-pity.
Another positive is that Gloria and I experienced the long goodbye about which I wrote in this space previously. Therese Rando (Treatment of Complicated Mourning) identifies several myths about mourning. Among them are the beliefs that all losses prompt the same type of mourning and that losing someone to a sudden unexpected death is the same as losing someone to an expected death. In my experience they are not identical. While my grief became more intense with Gloria’s physical death, much of my personal mourning occurred earlier over an extended period of time. There was not a cataclysmic shock.
In addition, I have a wonderful support system consisting of family and friends. Our four children have been most helpful. All of them call regularly and help as they have opportunity. One of them calls me every night, taking care of Dad! My godly mother and my six siblings and their mates have provided caring support. Uncounted friends indicate that they continue to pray for me and my family. Some have gone out of their way to provide encouragement and assistance.
Finally, and most importantly, there is the comfort of God’s Word and the ministry of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Psalm 116:15 informs me that the death of His saints is valuable to God. Gloria’s death was not a mistake and was not wasted! 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describe the future rapture of the church as the blessed hope of every believer in bold relief against the dark colors of death and grief. I will be reunited with Gloria in that future day when Christ comes to snatch His followers from this world. So, I do grieve, but not like people who are without hope. Our God is truly “the God of all comfort”—and He shares it with me (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
This essay is by Don Odens, Professor of Homiletics and Expository Preaching at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Lord, We Lie Before Thy Feet
Joseph Hart (1712–1768)
Lord, we lie before Thy feet;
Look on all our deep distress;
Thy rich mercy may we meet;
Clothe us with Thy righteousness;
Stretch forth Thy almighty hand;
Hold us up, and we shall stand.
Oh that closer we could cleave
To Thy bleeding, dying breast!
Give us firmly to believe,
And to enter into rest.
Lord, increase, increase our faith!
Make us faithful unto death.
Let us trust Thee evermore;
Every moment on Thee call
For new life, new will, new power:
Let us trust Thee, Lord for all!
May we nothing know beside
Jesus, and Him crucified!
A Long Goodbye: Part Two
My wife’s casket was before me as I stood at the pulpit to present a tribute and the funeral sermon for the love of my life on July 18, 2018. Later, people asked how I could do that. The answer is a combination of God’s grace, long pastoral experience, and a desire to honor Gloria. A long road led to her departure from this world into eternity, giving us time for a long goodbye. I did not have to deal with the shock of an unexpected death. The long goodbye began with a diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in 1983 and extended through surgeries to remove her native kidneys and transplant a donor organ. When the transplant failed in 2011, Gloria began a regimen of hemodialysis, spending three half-days each week connected to a dialysis machine.
Gloria’s health deteriorated significantly in the last months of 2016. Her nephrologist helped us switch to peritoneal dialysis (PD) at home, believing it would be gentler than hemodialysis. A catheter was implanted surgically and I received training to administer PD. However, PD generated its own problems. In addition the catheter failed after only three months. Gloria returned to the hemodialysis clinic three days per week.
2017 brought numerous trips to the Emergency Room, nine hospitalizations, and five surgeries. I left a position on the faculty of Central Seminary to care for Gloria full-time. The “senior moments” about which we joked for a couple of years became serious as her memory declined. She became more and more somnolent. Occasionally, she became minimally responsive or even completely unresponsive. Expert physicians were unable to discover the cause. Several said, “Mrs. Odens, your case is very complex!” Eventually, dementia was added to her list of diagnoses. Our “long goodbye” now included diminished memory, difficulty in processing complex ideas, and decreased ability to communicate. The gregarious, vital, talkative woman I married now became quite withdrawn.
2018 brought continued decline in Gloria’s energy and an increase in discomfort. She was somnolent in the day time. Her primary care physician became deeply concerned about the deterioration in her health and spoke with me several times about adopting a plan for the end of her life.
We ate a late lunch on June 5. After eating, we sat at the table and talked. Her words were halting, but she expressed herself clearly and her thoughts were connected. At one point she said, “I don’t know if I can live in our house.” I asked what she meant. Her answer made it clear that she was contemplating death. We engaged in an extended conversation about death and eternity for believers in Jesus Christ, discussing John 14:1-6 and 11:25-26. Gloria asked how death occurs and if it was something she could do. I explained from Psalm 139:16 that God has determined the number of days in our lives. She concluded that she would have to wait for God to take her, and then asked if it is something we could do together! I asked if she was certain that she possessed eternal life. She replied, “Absolutely!” As our conversation ended, she said, “I just want to go to heaven.”
Our daughter and I communicated with in-home hospice providers. To this point our focus had been on extending her life by drawing on the best medical care available. Now, it was becoming evident that Gloria had little energy left. Dialysis sessions exhausted her completely and she became more resistant to keeping her appointments. Following conversations with her primary care physician I determined that we would begin hospice care, but only if Gloria refused to continue doing dialysis or was not capable of going to dialysis.
That day came on July 2, 2018. Gloria was unresponsive and unable to keep her dialysis appointment. After twelve hours, I called the hospice provider and initiated hospice care. Gloria awakened that evening. The next morning, I asked her what she would choose for her future, presenting two options: (1) to go to heaven to be with Jesus in a few days, or (2) to continue dialysis. She replied, “To be with Jesus!” We continued the in-home hospice care, perhaps the most difficult decision I have ever made.
Dialysis patients who stop treatment typically pass away on days six, seven, or eight. Gloria lived to day fourteen! Those were extremely difficult days for her, but they also provided some sweet times. I returned to our bedroom with her medications at 7:00 a.m. on day twelve and said, “Good morning.” She whispered, “Good morning.” I asked, “Are you still my girlfriend?” She whispered, “Your girlfriend!” I said, “I love you.” She responded, “I love you.” She did not have enough energy to talk the rest of the day. On day thirteen, I replayed that scenario. Gloria could not whisper a response, but she mouthed “Good morning,” and “Girlfriend,” and “I love you.” Then, after a pause, she whispered, “I love you, I love you, I love you!” and smiled broadly. Those were her last words to me.
Her last night was extremely difficult as Gloria struggled to breathe. Through the years of our marriage, she asked me several times to promise that I would join her in her hospital bed when she was dying. I made it a point to be there. I was awake most of the night but dozed occasionally. I awakened at 5:00 a.m. to hear her breathing with extreme difficulty. Taking her hands in mine I asked God to take her into His presence and bring the struggle to an end. Apparently, I dozed again, because something startled me awake. Gloria was not struggling to breathe in that moment. I feared that she had passed away as I slept. Then, she took her last breath…and entered the glory of God’s presence. The long goodbye was complete.
I miss her deeply, but God has brought comfort and strength through His Word, the presence of our children, and the support of uncounted numbers of friends.
This essay is by Don Odens, Professor of Homiletics and Expository Preaching at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
From Egypt Lately Come
Thomas Kelly (1769–1855)
From Egypt lately come,
Where death and darkness reign,
We seek our new, our better Home,
Where we our rest shall gain.
Alleluia!
We are on our way to God!
To Canaan’s sacred bound
We hast with songs of joy,
Where peace and liberty are found,
And sweets that never cloy.
Alleluia!
We are on our way to God!
There sin and sorrow cease,
And every conflict’s o’er;
There we shall dwell in endless peace,
And never hunger more.
Alleluia!
We are on our way to God!
There, in celestial strains,
Enraptured myriads sing;
There love in every bosom reigns,
For God Himself is King.
Alleluia!
We are on our way to God!
We soon shall join the throng,
Their pleasures we shall share,
And sing the everlasting song,
With all the ransomed there.
Alleluia!
We are on our way to God!
How sweet the prospect is!
It cheers the pilgrim’s breast!
We’re journeying through the wilderness,
But soon shall gain our rest!
Alleluia!
We are on our way to God!
A Long Goodbye: Part One
I stood at the pulpit to present a tribute and the funeral sermon for the love of my life, my wife of fifty-three years, on July 18, 2018. Later, people asked how I could do that. The answer is a combination of God’s grace, long pastoral experience, and a desire to honor Gloria. In addition, a long road led to her departure from this world into eternity, what I think of as a long goodbye. I did not have to deal with the shock of an unexpected, cataclysmic death. Deep relief and settled hope in God’s goodness, power, and promises provided an element of joy amid the sorrow.
During our dating relationship, Gloria spoke occasionally about the death of her father due to complications of kidney failure. Later, two of her sisters learned that they inherited from him the genetic condition known as polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Gloria was diagnosed with PKD in 1983. That intensified our interest in the disease and generated personal research and participation in support group meetings and conferences. PKD became a significant factor in our lives. It is the result of a genetic mutation which may be passed to successive generations. Each child born to a parent with PKD has a 50/50 possibility of inheriting it at conception. That stimulated concern that some of our children may have inherited the genetic mutation.
It was during that time that Gloria and I began to walk through “…the valley of the shadow of death,” the path where the specter of death became a factor. Her father died of the disease at forty-two years of age. Hemodialysis was in the experimental stage and available to a very limited number of renal patients in the 1960s. Organ transplantation as a therapy for renal failure was also in its infancy. We became increasingly aware that PKD introduced end of life considerations.
Gloria connected with the solid tissue transplant program at the University of Minnesota Hospitals and Clinics under the care of a leader in the field of kidney transplantation. She underwent frequent consultations and tests. In 1996 it became evident that she would need an organ transplant within the next 18-24 months, so we made changes in our lives in preparation. Two of our children volunteered to serve as donors.
By mid-1998, Gloria’s kidney function deteriorated sufficiently that she became a candidate for transplantation. Because she was physically tiny and the cysts on her native kidneys filled and expanded her abdomen, surgeons removed both organs. She underwent hemodialysis three times each week until her body healed from the surgery. The transplant occurred on September 10, 1998. Simultaneously, my wife was in one operating theater and my daughter (the donor) was in another. I prayed fervently while waiting in the family lounge!
Hours after surgery doctors determined that Gloria was experiencing a hyper-acute rejection syndrome. Her immune system was trying to eliminate the transplanted organ. The solution was to administer OKT3, an immunosuppressant so powerful that it may cause cardiac arrest or other allergic reactions which threaten the life of the patient. Gloria was taken to the Intensive Care Unit for the procedure. Our daughters, two long-time friends, and our pastor and his wife joined us in ICU. We prayed and sang songs of faith and hope with tears on our cheeks. Death cast its shadow, but God protected and sustained Gloria.
Organ transplantation is a life-saver, but also a life-changer. The patient is dependent on immune-suppressant and other forms of medication. End of life issues are always on the horizon. Though Gloria followed dietary restrictions and took numerous prescription medications faithfully, her health began to change noticeably in the summer and autumn of 2010. She lost weight and much of her natural vitality. By late autumn, I was deeply concerned that I was losing her. Once again, the shadow of death loomed over us.
Gloria was experiencing end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Her nephrologist gave orders to begin hemodialysis, a process in which a machine performs some of the functions of native kidneys to filter impurities and excess fluid from the blood stream. Hemodialysis is life-extending, but is only about 10% as effective as native organs. It has negative effects on the patient’s body even as it extends life. When Gloria had been a dialysis patient for approximately five years, she asked her nephrologist about the life expectancy of dialysis patients. He indicated that it is less than three years! I left pastoral ministry on June 30, 2015, in order to care for her.
The most difficult part of our journey came in 2017-18, but by 2016 we were making frequent trips to Emergency Departments. Occasionally, I joked that our social life was primarily in clinics, dialysis units, emergency rooms, and hospitals.
Several months ago, Gloria said, “My life is hard.” I replied, “It is hard. It is very hard. However, you can choose how you will deal with it. You can allow the difficulties to make you angry and bitter, or you can choose to be thankful for the good things.” I was not preaching. I simply tried to encourage her. Some minutes later she approached me and said, “I choose to be thankful.” Her unwavering faith in Christ, her grounding in God’s promises, and her indomitable spirit helped her face the many challenges. As a couple, we were frequently reminded of our shared mortality. The long goodbye was underway.
This essay is by Don Odens, Professor of Homiletics and Expository Preaching at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Now Let Our Souls
Thomas Gibbons (1720–1785)
Now let our souls, on wings sublime,
Rise from the vanities of time:
Draw back the parting vail and see
The glories of eternity.
Born by a new celestial birth,
Why should we grovel here on earth?
Why grasp at transitory toys,
So near to heav’n’s eternal joys?
Shall aught beguile us on the road,
When we are walking back to God?
For strangers into life we come,
And dying is but going home.
Welcome sweet hour of full discharge,
That sets our longing souls at large:
Unbinds our chains, breaks up our cell,
And gives us with our God to dwell.
To dwell with God, to feel his love,
Is the full heav’n enjoyed above;
And the sweet expectation now,
Is the young dawn of heav’n below.
The Battle Cry of the Reformation and the Surrender of Greek and Hebrew
Dan Wallace explains the need for a renewed focus on linguistics in seminaries.
In a role reversal from the 16th century, Roman Catholic graduate schools are doing incredible work in the biblical languages. I applaud this endeavor at these institutes, but grieve for what is happening in the conservative Protestant tradition. MDiv and ThM programs are shrinking at an alarming rate. And those that are remaining strong have often sacrificed the biblical languages on the altar of student enrollment.
Knowing God’s Will: Part Nine
Years ago I began an unsuccessful career in sales. My manager warned me that I would have to learn to help people past “Buyer’s Blues.” He explained that many people experience feelings of doubt, anxiety, panic, and guilt either immediately before the decision to make a large purchase or immediately afterward. Part of my job would be to coax people through their Buyer’s Blues so they would finalize the sale. This same phenomenon operates in the lives of Christians who have to make big decisions: they so fear missing God’s will that they either cannot make a choice or immediately regret the choice they’ve made.
Buyer’s Blues can be exacerbated by circumstances. An acquaintance accepted a pastorate in Alaska. Driving up the Alcan Highway, his moving van blew a tire. The rental company took days to send help. Then the “help” actually overturned the van, damaging many of my friend’s goods. This was only one episode in a nightmare of a move. Finally, another friend told him, “It’s obvious that you’ve missed God’s will.” My friend didn’t listen to that counsel, but I’ve seen Christians who would gauge their grasp of God’s leading by how well the decision works.
When things don’t seem to work out well, does that mean we’ve missed God’s will? And if we have missed His will, is there any way back? Or are we doomed to some permanent spiritual disablement? I suggest the following by way of answer.
First, God’s leading is neither miraculous nor prophetic. God leads through Providence, and because His leading is providential, it does not yield certainty. Therefore, as long as we are following the precepts and principles of Scripture, God’s leading is not a simple matter of obedience or disobedience. It is more akin to the exercise of wisdom and sound judgment. It is possible for us to make an apparently sound decision that turns out to be a mistake, at least from some points of view.
Second, God is quite capable of using our mistakes. In fact, since judgment and wisdom grow through use, and since use involves making mistakes, God must intend that we make at least some mistakes. While we cannot blame the mistakes on Him, we can trust Him to help us make the best of them.
Furthermore, growth in character relies upon endurance, and endurance requires suffering (Rom. 5:3-4). Whether we are in the will of God or not, some of our choices will result in unexpectedly difficult circumstances. God’s will is for His children to suffer enough to require endurance so as to build up their character, producing hope or anticipation. We cannot always judge whether our choice was according to God’s leading by whether it leads to a rose-strewn future.
Third, every choice, whether mistaken or not, opens before us a new path. Once we are on that path, there is no point asking how we might have fared had we chosen a different path. God’s will is always that we make the best of the path that we now tread for His glory. Part of going forward includes “forgetting those things which are behind” (Phil. 3:13). We have no true knowledge of counterfactuals; we never really know how things might have turned out had we chosen otherwise. Habitual second-guessing of our choices results only in misery.
Fourth, the choices that we make often bring with them new obligations. These obligations will determine at least some part of God’s will for the future. For example, the time to ask whether God is leading you to marry a particular person is before the nuptials. During the wedding you swear oaths that are lifelong and binding. God never wills that you violate your wedding vows. Once you are married, you must never think that God’s will was for you to marry someone else. God’s will is for your present marriage to succeed.
Similarly, if you have run up debt on your credit cards, God’s will is that you pay what you owe. You may decide that the charges were unwise and out of God’s will (and they probably were), but that no longer matters. God’s will is for you to fulfill your obligations, even if doing so means not doing some other things that you might have thought were God’s leading.
Fifth, sometimes we make choices that are so conspicuously bad that we ought to retrace our steps. Bad choices come from not paying attention to the criteria for good choices—criteria such as those that we have discussed in previous essays. Bad choices may not always be sinful, but they are choices for which we are obviously unsuited. When that happens, we should recognize the difference between endurance (which is a virtue) and obstinance in folly (which is a form of vicious pride).
Sixth, we must learn to be perplexed without despairing (2 Cor. 4:8). We have no guarantee that we’ll be able to make every choice with confidence. We have no assurance that every choice will work out well. After all, even with access to direct, divine revelation, the Apostle Paul made choices that landed him in horrible circumstances. Some Bible teachers still question whether each of those choices really represented God’s will for his life. One even wrote a book entitled Blunders of Paul. What distinguished Paul was not that he made the right choice every time (though I disagree with the premise that his ministry was characterized by blunders). What distinguished him was that, even in the worst of circumstances, he kept pressing forward in the ways that matter most: seeking to minister the gospel, strengthen the saints, and glorify Christ. Indeed, the entire epistle to the Philippians is a testimony to this aspect of his life.
As far as I know, the Bible contains no promise that God will give us absolute certainty in our important choices. My personal testimony is that I have rarely experienced that degree of confidence. Often I have had to make major decisions without even ninety or eighty percent probability. Sometimes I have made them with only the slightest inclination in one direction: fifty-one percent or less. I have made decisions that were followed by joyful excitement; I have also made decisions that were followed by shattering experiences with Buyer’s Blues. That doesn’t mean that those choices were out of God’s will or that I didn’t have His leading.
God doesn’t seem to be interested in having us torture ourselves with regret. He doesn’t want us constantly to be looking over our shoulder, wondering whether each choice that we made was “in His will.” Yes, God does have a plan for each individual believer, and He does lead His children. If we are seeking to honor Him, if we are choosing within the bounds of Scripture, and if we are employing the canons of wisdom and careful choosing, then we can trust Him to guide us providentially into the choices that He wants us to make. Choose carefully. Choose boldly.
This essay is by Kevin T. Bauder, Research Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Beset With Snares on Every Hand
Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)
Beset with snares on every hand,
In life’s uncertain path I stand:
Saviour divine! diffuse Thy light,
To guide my doubtful footsteps right.
Engage this roving treacherous heart
Wisely to choose the better part;
To scorn the trifles of a day,
For joys that none can take away.
Then let the wildest storms arise;
Let tempests mingle earth and skies:
No fatal shipwreck shall I fear,
But all my treasures with me bear.
If Thou, my Jesus, still be nigh,
Cheerful I live, and joyful die:
Secure, when mortal comforts flee,
To find ten thousand worlds in Thee.
Knowing God’s Will: Part Eight
If God has an individual direction for His children, then they ought to be able to discern what that direction is. Many Christians believe that the way to find God’s will is to pay attention to a kind of subjective inner sense, a feeling of peace that will indicate the decision that God wants them to make. They think that they find this way of knowing God’s will in Colossians 3:15, which commands us to let the peace of God (or peace of Christ) rule in our hearts. As they note, the word rule is a term that means to umpire or decide. Consequently, they presume that God leads them through the sense of peace that He gives them.
Others have objected that such leading would be equivalent to extra-Scriptural revelation. Therefore, they reject the notion that God creates subjective impressions at all. They insist that believers must rely solely upon the written Word of God.
I agree that the written Scriptures must be the Christian’s only source of spiritual authority, but I think this objection is overstated. Most believers at most times have acknowledged that God can somehow prompt subjective impressions that do not rise to the level of revelation. For example, Calvin argued that one essential component in the recognition of canonicity is the inner witness of the Spirit. Others rely upon the convicting ministry of the Spirit when they witness to unbelievers. Most recognize that some subjective ministry is involved when the “Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16). Efforts to deny that an inner, subjective working of the Holy Spirit is depicted in this verse are not convincing.
Very likely, God can work through inner, subjective impressions. He probably does. Still, I think that the appeal to Colossians 3:15 is a bit hasty, especially considering the rest of the verse. After the verse says to let the peace of God rule in your hearts, it adds, “to which [peace] also ye are called in one body.” In other words, the peace that Paul is writing about to the church in Colosse is not an inner sensation. It is an outward manner of relating to other believers in the church. The peace of God is to govern our hearts as we carry out our Christian relationships.
While God is capable of producing inner sensations in the believer, including the sensation of peace, basing one’s decisions primarily or only upon that sensation is not justified by an appeal to Colossians 3:15. Believers who make this subjective, inner sense the primary or only way of discerning God’s direction are asking for trouble. God can prompt inner sensations, but He does not promise that He will. To rely upon something that God has not promised is simply presumptuous. It is a form of tempting God.
This problem is compounded by the fact that subjective impressions come from many sources other than God. Our inner sensations are affected by how tired or hungry we are, by what we eat, and by the stresses that we may be under. We have no way of saying with certainty whether a particular sense of inner leading is coming from God or from too much cabbage.
In view of these facts, should we recognize any role at all for subjective considerations such as feelings and promptings when seeking the Lord’s direction? My answer to that question is yes, but it is a qualified yes. We should take account of such things, but subject to three limitations.
First, while God can produce feelings and sensations within people, He need not do so by acting directly upon the soul. Rather, these feelings and promptings may be (and usually are) produced providentially. God uses secondary agencies to move our consciences and affections. These secondary agencies include the kinds of things that we have previously discussed: Scripture, duties, counsel, circumstances, and so forth. The human mind has the capability of sifting, combining, and evaluating such matters very rapidly at a level beneath conscious deliberation. We can intuit conclusions without really being aware of how we draw them, and this intuition sometimes gives us a sense of the right choice.
I believe that God can use exactly this process in producing a sense of His leading within His people. This sense is not miraculous and it does not involve the direct action of God upon the soul, but through secondary agencies God really is leading. Since it is providential, however, and since it involves an element of human interpretation, this sense must never be taken as infallible—and that is the second limitation. As with other factors, our subjective sense of God’s leading needs to be evaluated, weighed, and considered. It is not a form of divine revelation.
The fact that this sense is not revelation leads to the third limitation. We should not seek God’s leading primarily through subjective impressions and inner sensations. We should take them into account, but they should rarely be the determining factor when seeking God’s will. The inner sense of peace can certainly help to assure us that we are on the right path, but it does not take the place of the other factors. We ought to use these inner, subjective impressions for confirmation, not information.
In other words, I am trying to stake out a middle ground on this issue. We should not ignore our subjective impressions about God’s leading since such feelings may come from God, and even if they do not they may represent good intuitions. On the other hand, we must not treat respond to these feelings as if they were a sure revelation of God’s will, since we recognize that they can also come from other sources. Avoiding both extremes, we can legitimately consider our subjective impression of God’s leading as one factor among several, and we should consider these impressions only after we have carefully weighed all other considerations.
This essay is by Kevin T. Bauder, Research Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Thy Ways, O Lord, With Wise Design
Ambrose Serle (1742–1812)
Thy ways, O Lord, with wise design,
Are framed upon thy throne above,
And every dark or bending line,
Meets in the center of thy love.
With feeble light, and half obscure,
Poor mortals thy arrangements view,
Not knowing that they all are sure,
And, tho’ mysterious, just and true.
Thy flock, thy own peculiar care,
Tho, now they seem to roam un-eyed,
Are led by power and goodness where
They best, and safest may abide.
They neither know nor trace the way,
But guided by they piercing eye,
None of their feet to ruin stray,
Nor shall the weakest fail or die.
My favored soul shall meekly learn,
To lay her reason at thy throne;
Too weak thy secrets to discern,
I’ll trust thee for my guide alone.
Knowing God’s Will: Part Seven
In previous essays I have outlined several considerations that all believers should weigh when seeking to discern God’s leading in their lives. Obviously, they should avoid wrong ways of knowing God’s will, such as inner voices, dreams, “fleeces,” and misuse of Scripture. Instead, they should begin by obeying God’s will as revealed in Scripture. This obedience is the sign of their commitment to genuinely wanting to know and do God’s will. They should prioritize faithfulness to duties. They should bathe decisions in prayer. They should inform themselves as fully as possible. They should seek the counsel of people who know them and who know God.
Now I would like to suggest two more considerations that will help believers to discover God’s direction. The first is perhaps obvious, but it bears stating. It is to pay attention to circumstances.
Before I go on, I ought to tell you that some Christians would disagree with me. Their motivations are good: they believe that walking by faith is opposed to walking by sight, and they wish to walk by faith. They also believe that taking account of circumstances is walking by sight. Ergo, to heed circumstances is to fail in walking by faith and (these brothers and sisters remind us) whatever is not of faith is sin.
I agree with them!—but only to a point. When biblical commands or promises appear to contradict circumstances, then we owe loyalty to whatever God says. Abraham believed God, even when circumstances appeared to make the fulfillment of God’s promises impossible. If we find that our circumstances are such that taking God at His word will cost us everything, then we ought to obey God anyway.
If we have to ask how God is leading, however, then usually no clear biblical precept or promise is at stake. After all, we don’t have to ask once we know that God has spoken. We ask when He has not. When we do not have God’s clearly spoken will, we are arrogant to act as if our choices rest upon divine revelation. We have no right to assert our own will, then to insist upon following it in spite of circumstances that render it unattainable.
To cite an extreme example, I may believe that God is leading me to offer my services as an accompanist in a church that lacks one. The problem is that I cannot play a piano or organ. For me to accompany a congregation would require not merely personal willingness but an outright divine miracle of the sort that God nowhere promises. My circumstances ought to tell me that God is not leading me to make such a decision.
Paying attention to circumstances is simply a matter of common sense. Paul was using common sense and paying attention to circumstances when he told the centurion not to sail from Fair Havens until spring (Acts 27:9-10). When things went wrong, Paul even reminded the centurion that he should have listened (Acts 27:21). Circumstances should indeed be taken into account when seeking God’s leading. Simply paying attention to circumstances can prevent some very bad decisions.
We should pay attention to circumstances, and we should also take account of another factor that is regularly discounted. When trying to discern the Lord’s direction, we should consider the direction of our own inclinations. We should ask, “What would I really like to do?”
Too often, Christians assume that God’s will is an ugly, repugnant thing that they would prefer to avoid if they could. Of course, it may be some of the time. Left to themselves, Jeremiah would not have chosen the well and Daniel would not have entered the lion’s den. In those cases, however, obedience to God’s revealed will was clearly at stake. When God directs us into unpleasant circumstances, He usually does it in ways that are unavoidable.
God’s will is not usually like that. Jesus promised rest for our souls and told us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:30). David taught that when we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart (Ps. 37:4). In other words, He leads us to want the things that He wants to give us. Doing God’s will is a joy, something that we can look forward to with cheerful anticipation.
How often do we hear the phrase, “I surrendered to the Lord’s will,” as if the only way that God could get us to knuckle under was to batter us until we lowered our colors in defeat? While such things can happen, they are not the norm. God prepares us for what He wants us to do. If we are seeking Him and delighting in Him, He inclines us toward those things that He sees as our greatest good. We should usually find ourselves wanting the very thing that God wants for us.
When I was first married I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life (a fact that must have concerned my father-in-law). I was working as a laborer in an auto parts warehouse, but clearly that was not a career. I thought about studying law. Somebody tried to convince me to sell insurance. Somebody else tried to get me to go to chiropractic school. None of that seemed right.
I had considered vocational ministry, but I simply found it too intimidating. I wasn’t opposed to ministry, but pastoral work included tasks for which I thought I was poorly suited. Over a process of months, however, the Lord placed me in positions that forced me to do the very things I was most apprehensive about in ministry. I learned two lessons. First, the Lord is quite able to do His own work through someone who is simply willing to be used. Second, I actually enjoyed performing those dreaded tasks, then getting to see the results. I found that I wanted to do more of the same things.
My bride was also watching those events unfold, and she was seeing the same things. When I finally said aloud, “I think the Lord might be calling me into ministry,” she responded, “I know!” In that moment, something clicked into place. I knew what God’s direction was for my life, and I was eager to embrace it. I never had to surrender anything. God gave me the desires of my heart.
Please don’t misunderstand: I am not suggesting that sadness and hardship are never God’s will. What I am saying is that, while seeking God’s will, one of the things that we should consider is our own inclinations and desires. These may well be among the components that God uses to lead us while we follow Him.
This essay is by Kevin T. Bauder, Research Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Heavenly Father! To Whose Eye
Josiah Conder (1789–1855)
Heavenly Father! to whose eye
Future things unfolded lie;
Through the desert when I stray
Let Thy counsels guide my way.
Leave me not, for flesh is frail,
Where fierce trials would assail;
Leave me not in darkened hour,
To withstand the tempter’s power.
Lord! uphold me day by day;
Shed a light upon my way;
Guide me through perplexing snares;
Care for me in all my cares.
Should Thy wisdom, Lord, decree
Trials long and sharp for me,
Pain, or sorrow, care or shame,—
Father! glorify Thy name.
Let me neither faint nor fear,
Feeling still that Thou art near;
In the course my Saviour trod,
Tending home to Thee, my God.
APPLICATION & AID