BOOK REVIEW - "MEG IS NOT ALONE" BY MEGAN HILL (ILLUSTRATED BY SAMARA HARDY)

No, I don't read a lot of children's books. I found this one by accident. I heard the author speak on a podcast about the role of the church and fellowship. So I looked up the book she had written and found this book on the same subject but to a different audience. I read it and loved it.

The plot is Meg is accidentally left at church by her parents. It was a scary experience, but several of the church members helped get a hold of Meg's mother and helped her feel comfortable and occupied until her father came to pick her up.

There's a note at the end of the book, pointing out that Megan Hill had that experience as a child... and as an adult. 

I also enjoyed illustrator Samara Hardy's artwork. That aided in the tone of the book.

I highly recommend this for children... and their parents as well.

 

SATURDAY REVIEWS - IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE DEBATE BETWEEN CALVINISM AND ARMINIANISM SHOULD UNITE AND NOT DIVIDE BELIEVERS? (PART 4)

 

The Day of His Great Wrath by John Martin

"Lord, my heart is not haughty 

Nor my eyes lofty, 

Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

Nor with things too profound for me."

Psalm 131:1, New King James Version

Is it possible trying to figure out if the universe is big enough for both God's Sovereignty and human free will and their relation in salvation is a great matter, too profound for us, past our pay grade?

I wish people debating this issue would:

1. Realize that this is a family squabble between people who are trusting God alone for their salvation.
2. Recognize those on both sides have studied Scripture with equal depth and love for the Word of God and the God of the Word.
3. Remember that Satan and Persecutors don't care which side you're on but are out to defeat you because you believe Jesus is Lord and not them.

The reality is too many overestimate human freewill. It's not as great as proponents think it is, nor is it the bogeyman Calvinists make it out to be.

You know, free-will makes me think about a '70's song called "Best of My Love." But who did it? I think it was a group that starts with the letter "E." Wait, I hear someone say The Eagles? "Best of My Love" by the Eagles is a great though depressing song, but I'm not talking about that song; the one I'm referring to is more upbeat with some girl singers. Oh, I remember. It was by the group The Emotions. 

Likewise, when I hear "free-will," I hear two different things. Some boast God is a perfect gentleman and would not violate our free-will. This theory makes me sick to my stomach - it can be described as "self-sovereignty." And while we can debate if Calvinists are right on their view of God's Sovereignty, it's evident God is Sovereign, not us.

To others, free will means God gives us the ability to choose whether we will be obedient to Him or disobedient. We can call this "human responsibility." The focus is on God, as it should be.

One of my all time favorite books is "Four Views on Eternal Security." It was uplifting to read the four authors - who identify themselves as Classical Calvinist, Moderate Calvinist, Reformed Arminian, and Wesleyan Arminian - as they talked about the wonder that God saves us. One author mentioned from the start he was convinced that John Calvin, Jacob Arminius, John Wesley, and the other authors were all saved, and later stated his responses to the other three were written not to win but to learn.

Folks, we've spent half a millennium debating this subject as Calvinism vs. Arminianism and a full millennium before that dealing with the theologies of Augustine and Pegaleus, and I personally feel it's arrogant to think we can solve it now. But if we look over the horizon, we see the real war we're fighting, and it's not against each other!

TIPTOE-ING THROUGH (AND AROUND AND ON RARE OCCASSIONS ON) THE TULIPS, PART 3 OF 3: THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER

Calvinist Charles Simeon on left, Arminian John Wesley on right.

Just three installments on Calvinism vs. Arminianism? True, the blogs are long, but is this doing the subject justice? 

Consider: My purpose is not to promote one theology over the other, because both are held by godly but imperfect men who have searched the Scripture. Rather, my goal is to help us realize that the other side of the debate is NOT the enemy. I believe the time is coming that we'll find ourselves sharing a jail cell with believers who differ in theology but share our love and devotion for Christ; thus, we need to encourage each other, not try to win an argument.

So allow me to give several bullet points of things to think about.

1. WHAT MODEL OF CAR WAS THAT?

    One of my college classmates was in a car wreck, so two other friends asked his roommate (interestingly, Tom Cousins, who introduced me to Calvinism vs. Arminianism) the important question: what make was the car? One thought it was one kind of car, and the other thought it was a different kind. Cousins laughed, and said it was a custom car, with the front end being one make and the back the other. In other words, both were right, but not completely.

    I've heard some use the argument, "We can both be wrong, but we both can't be right." Usually, they mean, "I believe I'm right, but I know you're wrong;" they really don't consider that I'm right and they're wrong as a possiblility. But they've missed two other options: 1) That neither is wrong, like my friends and the wrecked car, and 2) In eternity, it doesn't really matter who's right: We're to love one another.

2. ARE MY IDIOSYNCRASIES PREDESTINED?

    Remember the days when Baskins and Robbins was known as 31 flavors? Each month they had a selection of 31 varieties of Ice Cream, Sherbet, and Ices, and, of course, chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Do you know how many possibilities to mix and match for getting a two dip cone? I do: Five hundred ninety five! So how many choices do I have? Would you believe 10? On a good month, it might be 15, and a great month it would be 21!

    I'm sure you're scratching your head, since there are more flavors (31, and of course, chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla) than the largest number I gave. And why did I give three exact numbers? Well, let me explain.

    Before I walk in the store and get the list of 31 (and of course, chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla), I've mentally discarded any option with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla: I can get those anyplace! Plus, I know I won't be limiting myself to one flavor. Then I pick up the list and usually I find five flavors that interest me, which cuts it down to ten choices! On a good month I might have six attention grabbing flavors (15 choices), and maybe even seven (21 choices).

    Of course, just because I quickly eliminated 585 choices for me doesn't mean the guy behind me will choose two scoops of chocolate. It is just me; it's the way I'm made. But did I make myself that way? Let's look at Psalm 33:15-"He fashions their hearts individually, He considers (or understands) all their works."

    To the topic I'm dealing with, is it possible that those who are drawn to the Gospel are drawn because God fashioned their hearts to be drawn?

3. IS GOD THE MASTER SCRIPT WRITER OR THE MASTER CHESS PLAYER?

    I'll be honest. I shake my head in disbelief with the Calvinists who say that if God is sovereign, we can't have free will - even libertarian free will. 

    I'm impressed with the script writer who can work magic in story telling, but not as much as the chess player who watches you move and sees the next ten moves on both sides, allowing you to think you're making a great move as you're falling right into his trap. If God is sovereign as well as omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, He is fully capable of allowing free will without worrying about how it affects His plans.

4. IS THERE A THIRD CHOICE BESIDES FREE WILL AND PREDESTINATION?

    I believe there is: Granted free will. God allows us to make a choice between options He in His sovereignty has chosen. We're not the ones who make the list of what we can do - God imposed His sovereign limits to our choices, and maybe He's comfortable enough to let us decide between two or more choices.

    Let me take it a step further. Total depravity (believed by Calvinists and Classic Arminians) says we're not able to obey God until the Spirit draws us. Both sides also believe we have free will after salvation - does God predestine His children to disobey Him? The Arminian believes that when the Spirit draws us, He gives us the ability to obey His call, in addition to the ability to disobey we're born with. Is the Calvinist saying that when the Spirit draws us, He both gives us the ability to obey and takes away the ability to disobey, and then a second later, restores the ability to disobey that as believer we don't really want?

5. IS IT POSSIBLE BOTH ARMINIANS AND CALVINISTS OVERESTIMATE FREE WILL AS EITHER A RIGHT WE HAVE OR AS A BOGEYMAN FALSE GOSPEL?

    But first a question: Do you remember who did a '70's hit called "Best of My Love?" I believe it's by a group that starts with an 'E'? I really liked that song. Okay, back to the topic at hand.

    How much free will do we have in reality? Do you chose your first name, middle name, last name, nationality, birth gender, hair color, eye color, skin color, place you grow up in, your parents, your siblings, or your grade school teachers? Does your free will ever get defeated by the free will of opposing sports teams and political parties or criminals? How is your free will helping get low gas prices or picking up every item you want at the grocery store or your favorite menu item at your restaurant?

    One thing that makes me cringe are the "We have a free will/God's a perfect gentleman and won't violate our free will." I'm sure Saul of Tarsus would say an amen to that. What? He won't? 

    I mentioned in the previous point the concept of Granted Free Will. The reality is that any free will we have is given by God. It's not a natural commodity. God's will WILL be done. 

    Oh, you're wondering why I asked about "Best of My Love?" You're telling me that was the classic song by the Eagles? No way. That song's totally depressing. The one I enjoy is upbeat. Oh, I remember. I'm thinking of the disco song by the Emotions. Same title, same era, performed by groups starting with the letter "E". And totally different songs.

    Guess what, Calvinists who claim free will is a false gospel? When I hear people talk about free will, I hear two songs as different as the Eagles and Emotions songs. When some people say "free will", they mean "self-sovereignty," and I'm with the Calvinists on how wrong they are. But other times, "free will" is better seen as human responsibility, and that type of Free will has less chance of being a false gospel as the Indiana Pacers have of winning the Super Bowl. (For the sports challenged, the Pacers will NEVER will a Super Bowl, since they're a basketball team.)

6. WHILE DISCUSSING POSSIBILITIES, COULD BOTH CALVINISM AND ARMINIANISM HAVE THEIR PLACE IN THIS WORLD?

    Here's a thought I have. If witnessing to someone who believes he's the captain of his own ship, shouldn't we point out to him he isn't, and that God is sovereign over every area of his life? Likewise, when dealing with a secular pre-determinist who denies free will, would it be important to tell him that God holds him responsible for every decision he makes?

7. CAN WE "HONOR ALL MEN" (1 PET. 2:17) BY NOT CREATING CARICATURES NOT BASED ON REALITY?

    I'll admit I see more of this from Calvinists than the other way around, but I have no doubt Arminians can be guilty of this as well. I saw one Calvinist quote Hebrews 7:25 - "Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to Christ through Him," then claim that Arminians and two Arminian groups don't believe in the "through Him." At that time, I was in the Society of Evangelical Arminians, and asked them if they agreed with that characterizaton. The response was an unanimous NO!!!

    Another oft-used argument is Calvinists claim Arminians believe we have to give God permission to save us. Is that true? Probably with the more semi-pelagian territory. However, I disagree. God gives us invitational imperatives: "Come and let us reason together" (Isa. 1:18); "If you're thirsty, come to the water" (Isa. 55:1); Come all that are weary and heavyChar laden" (Matt. 11:28). "Come" is both an invitation but also a command. If we obey and come, He saves us. If we disobey the command and don't come, then we face the consequences of disobedience.

    Allow me to wrap this long but hopefully thought provoking blog with this story.

    One of my heroes of the faith is Charles Simeon, for several reasons, including the story I'm sharing which I first read in Warren Wiersbe's 50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Spiritual Giants of the Faith; John Piper also mentioned it in a blog. Below is an account of a conversation between Charles Simeon and John Wesley, thanks to Simeon's biographer Handley Carr Glyn Moule (pp.79ff). Allow me to write it as a script so it's easier to follow.

Simeon:  Sir, I understand that you are called an Arminian; and I have been sometimes called a Calvinist; and therefore I suppose we are to draw daggers.  But before I consent to begin the combat, with your permission I will ask you a few questions.  Pray, Sir, do you feel yourself a depraved creature, so depraved that you would never have thought of turning to God, if God had not first put it into your heart?

Wesley:  Yes, I do indeed.

Simeon:  And do you utterly despair of recommending yourself to God by anything you can do; and look for salvation solely through the blood and righteousness of Christ?

Wesley:  Yes, solely through Christ.

Simeon:  But, Sir, supposing you were at first saved by Christ, are you not somehow or other to save yourself afterwards by your own works?

Wesley:  No, I must be saved by Christ from first to last.

Simeon:  Allowing, then, that you were first turned by the grace of God, are you not in some way or other to keep yourself by your own power? 

Wesley:  No. 

Simeon:  What then, are you to be upheld every hour and every moment by God, as much as an infant in its mother's arms? 

Wesley:  Yes, altogether.  

Simeon:  And is all your hope in the grace and mercy of God to preserve you unto His heavenly kingdom? 

Wesley:  Yes, I have no hope but in Him. 

Simeon:  Then, Sir, with your leave I will put up my dagger again; for this is all my Calvinism; this is my election, my justification by faith, my final perseverance: it is in substance all that I hold, and as I hold it; and therefore, if you please, instead of searching out terms and phrases to be a ground of contention between us, we will cordially unite in those things where in we agree. 

Why can't we have more conversations with each other like this on the topic of Calvinism and Arminianism?

 

BOOK REVIEW - CAESAR AND THE CHURCH: A BIBLICAL STUDY OF GOVERNMENT AND CHURCH BY ANTHONY FORSYTH

Is obeying whatever the Government says without sinning God's ideal for the Christian life? Does the Government have authority in all they claim to have authority in? Do we have the right to disobey "Caesar" if "Caesar" is evil? 

Anthony Forsyth has written a brief, powerful, and Biblical book dealing with the Christian's responsibility to political authority... or any other human authority.

Forsyth points out that God is the source of all authority, and every human authority is delegated from God with limits on who has that authority, the sphere of that authority, and the extent of that authority. According to Forsyth, the government does not have authority over the church and the church giving "Caesar" some of that authority not delegated to him could be a form of idolatry.

As stated, this book is brief. Usually, I read one chapter of a non-fiction book in one sitting; I can read three chapters of this book in the time it takes to read one chapter of other books. It is easy to follow as well. Most importantly, it faithfully interprets Scripture. 

One other strength - Forsyth writes as a pastor, not as a politician. There is no indication in this book whether the author identifies as conservative, liberal, or libertarian. 

I highly recommend this book. (I also love the cover.)

SUNDAY HYMNS, PART 4 OF 22: GOD MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY

The Point Church and Community Center, Greenwood, IN

God moves in a mysterious way 

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea 

And rides upon the storm.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; 

The clouds you so much dread

Are thick with mercy and shall break 

With blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 

But trust upon His grace;

Behind each frowning providence 

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast, 

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste, 

But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err 

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter, 

And He will make it plain.

NOTES ON HYMN

• This song is in a hymnal used in two churches I attended and at the college chapel, and yet I was unfamiliar with this song until Becky introduced me to it.
• Becky learned this song because one of her college professors hosted a gathering every Tuesday night, and he had them sing this song each week.
• The above hymnal contained five verses, which is how I learned it. Cyberhymnal includes another verse (the second). I'm including a link to their page below so you can see that verse if you wish.
  
• This song, like "Am I A Soldier Of The Cross" (part 1 of this series) is common meter (8,6,8,6). You can sing this to the tunes of many songs like "Amazing Grace" or "O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing" or the verses of "Oh, How I Love Jesus" or "Joy to the World! The Lord Has Come!"
• One other song you can sing this hymn to the tune is the theme of Gilligan's Island. I sang the first verse to that tune and smiled at the end, thinking of the storm. Then, I sang the next verse and the following, and something hit me. This song's theme is weeping is for the night, but joy comes in the morning. The original tune reflects the weeping; singing it to Gilligan's Island captures the joy part. So I may sing that song to Gilligan but not as a joke anymore.
• The lyrics to this song were written by William Cowper, who also wrote the words to "There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood" (which, by the way, is another common meter song). Cyberhymnal mentions the story behind the song, so you can click here to see the story and the original second verse that my hymnal omitted. 😞
  

THE COMING KINGDOM OF LOVE - FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2021

 

Nativity Scene we received from a friend; "Frame" by Sandra T. Monte

Once again, I'll mention that I connect Advent with the revolutionary concept in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In the previous three weeks, I've looked at the advent of hope, peace, and joy, and how radical those aspects are. This week, I'll be looking at an Advent of Love.

I'm going to date myself (and may date the readers of this blog) by mentioning Jackie DeShannon's 1965 hit "What The World Needs Now Is Love" (written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. Of course, I doubt many people would disagree, including those whose parents and maybe even grandparents weren't around when the song came out. But what do you mean by "love"? 

Maybe someone at this point has picked up their Bible and turned to 1 Corinthians 13, which gives a description of love. For those haven't done so, let me share verses 4-7: "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no eveil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (NKJV)

Jesus said "By this the world will know you're My disciples, in that you love one another." He gave characteristics of what being a disciple looked like, but how many have the description, "By THIS, they world will know you're My disciples?" Just this one. I've actually heard a couple of people in more exclusive churches disagree with this. Why? Because there are people outside their little group that would qualify as Jesus' Disciples. God forbid that should happen!

We also need to remember God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Note - don't try to reverse the word order or you're idolizing love. Also, don't make the mistake of separating love from God's attributes. When God calls us to be holy and when He gives the wicked what they deserve, He is doing that as a loving God. 

Too often, we want to have enemies to hate. We subconsciously realize that loving one another is a tough task, so we try to make "one another" as small a group as we can to make it manageable. But I consider love to be desiring others to turn to righteousness, to look for the good to encourage (anybody can find the bad to discourage, sometimes when it only appears to be bad). Love is sharing the gospel, not wanting anybody to go to hell but knowing everybody deserves it.

THE COMING KINGDOM OF JOY - THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2021

 

At Arlington Avenue Baptist Church, photo by Trish Walton

 

"It's beginning to look a lot like Advent."

I have mentioned before the connection I see between Advent and the radical petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven."  You might not think an Advent of Joy is revolutionary. Or is it?

The pursuit of happiness is quite different from joy. Happiness is fleeting. It doesn't last. Joy is a different story. Plus, there are times the world at the least accepts and laughs at wickedness if not outright applauding and celebrating it.

But does Christ coming back and establishing His Kingdom give us joy? Before you quickly say "Of course," does it fit with how you live? Would you rather be at church with fellow believers even if you miss the football game? Does reading the Scripture excite you more than your favorite TV series?

I remembered a skit by a group called "The Lamb's Players." In it, there were two guys sitting at a table in a restaurant. The first guy was telling the other about the football game, with lots of energy and excitement, while the second nodded. Then, the second started telling about the worship service Sunday ... with the same exuberance as the other guy described the sporting event, and with the first guy looking nervous and urging his friend to tone it down.

Are you excited about the coming Second Advent, spending eternity with Jesus Christ? And does that thrill accompany your relationship with Him now between the Advents?

THE COMING KINGDOM OF PEACE - SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, 2021

Peace Garden at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Park

 

"It's beginning to look a lot like Advent."

Last week, in the first part of this series, I started with that quote, questioning where I picked that line up from. Actually, it was a frame that can could be added to your Facebook profile picture.

Also, last week I mentioned that the concept of Advent can be tied to the line in the Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." After all, Advent means coming, and Christians often refer to the Incarnation as the First Advent and Jesus' future returning to earth to reign as the Second Advent.

 There are different ways of referring to the four Sundays of Advent. The first variation dealt with different players in the first Christmas: Prophets, Angels, Shepherds, and Magi. A way I like better deals with important characteristics in our Christian life:
Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. If you weren't paying attention, I dealt with Hope last week.

I'll admit something that had me confused. The photos I'm using on the top of these blogs are also being used as my Facebook profile photo, and I've added a frame indicating the week of the post. I've seen two primary sources - Good News TV and Christy Gallinger. However, Good News TV had frames with the second week being Peace and the 2nd week as Love. What's more Christmassy than a bit of confusion?

Returning to my theme of the controversial and radical concept of God's Kingdom coming, we are looking for a Kingdom of peace, and there isn't much peace here. Everybody wants peace, as long as they get to define what peace looks like. For many, it's when their side wins that they  want peace, with their opponents throwing the white flag. For example, you notice how it's the winning party after an election that calls for the people to unify? 

Should we expect peace among unregenerate people? Of course not. But sometimes the place with the least peace are the Christians. Pick a topic: Sovereign Predestination vs. Free Will, whether we can lose our salvation, almost any element concerning the end times, style of music, Bible translations, and of course politics. In fact, I heard of a church that split over the question whether having a hat rack was Biblical or not.

One of the beatitudes is "Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." (Matthew 5:9). Note the difference between being a peacekeeper and a peacemaker. The former basically is a referee, trying to make sure the opponents behave themselves. The latter does his work when the opponents are not on good terms and labors to create a peace between the two that is presently non-existent.

What are we doing to establish God's Kingdom of Peace? It calls for peacemakers, because there's none in the world to keep.

THE COMING KINGDOM OF HOPE: FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2021

 

Hope in a Prison of Despair by Evelyn De Morgan

 

Was it a meme? Or was it just a post by someone or even a comment? Regardless, what it read was "It's beginning to look a lot like Advent."

As I've probably mentioned before in this blog, I've grown up in Anabaptistic churches. Christmas and Easter are remembered, as well as the other essential holidays of our Christian faith: Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Independence Day. No mention of Lent. Pentecost may get mentioned, though that's not the norm. If there's anything around the end of October, it's more likely a Halloween alternative and less likely Reformation Day or All Saints Day. Advent is an exception, though I was old enough to run for Senate when I first observed Advent candles being lit at church. 

I  was fairly young when I noticed a division in the hymnal (knowing what a hymnal is dates me, doesn't it?) between Advent and Christmas songs. Eventually, I learned the difference: Christmas songs focus on Christ's birth, while Advent songs deal with Christ's coming to earth. "Joy To The World," "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" and "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne" are the better known Advent songs.

In reality, though, the concept mirrors the radical request in the heart of the Lord's prayer: "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Think about it. Christ is a King. Not a President. Not an Anchorman. Not a Moderator. But a Monarch who will reign. A Ruler who will one day have His enemies under His feet, who will break the nations with a rod of iron. 

The first Sunday of Advent focuses on the Advent of Hope. Is hope a common commodity in this world? "Change/Hope" was used as a slogan for President Obama's 2008 campaign. How much hope was there during that period of time?

Our hope is not in this world. Rather, we need to rest our hope in Christ alone. We need to hope for His sovereignty in our lives, in our families, in our churches, in our cities, and in the world. As it says in Psalm 60:11, the help of man is useless. We need to put our trust in God.