The "Good" Man

Last Sunday during service I mentioned, almost in passing, the danger of a worldview that is gaining steam in the world around us.  It is a worldview that has as one of its foundations the idea that people are basically "good."  I know that sounds like a nice idea -- and it is an attractive idea.  So, you might be asking what makes it a dangerous idea?  Well, here are a few thoughts on that.


The first reason it is dangerous is, as I mentioned on Sunday, that it is in direct conflict with the Bible.  A fundamental concept of the Bible is the idea of fallen and sinful man.  In fact, Jesus told us in no uncertain terms that "no one is good -- except God alone."  See Luke 18:19; Mark 10:18.


The second reason the good man is a dangerous idea is that it leads us to believe that man has the capacity to create his own perfect world.  For thousands of years men have dreamed of creating the perfect society.  One philosophy aimed at creating such a "Utopian" society would start with the elimination of ownership of private property, and ultimately lead to the end of government and everyone just getting along.  Its a "nice" idea.  Its called "communism."


When I was younger I used to really love the song "Imagine" by John Lennon.  But the premise of that song is that religion (including Christianity), government and private property ownership are the causes of conflict in the world.  (Imagine there's no heaven ... no country ... no possessions").  Its still a beautiful song.  But I personally have trouble listening to it anymore.


The third danger of the idea of the "good man" -- and maybe the most important -- is that the good man doesn't think he needs to be saved from anything.  The good man doesn't think he needs Jesus.


The good man chases after philosophies that say he himself is the key to his own happiness and salvation.  The good man believes that life is about discovering himself.  The good man may even be taught that he is his own god.


It is no secret that the church is in decline in America today, and I think the church bears some of the responsibility for this trend.  But, I also think that church attendance is declining primarily because Americans, in increasing numbers, are buying into the idea that people are basically good.  And basically good people are willing to gamble with eternity.  The gamble is this:  If there is no God they lose nothing by living life the way they think is best.  If there is a Christian God, certainly He would not be so unjust as to punish basically "good" people just because they don't believe in Him.


And, while that sounds nice, for me and my house, I will serve the Lord.


"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."  Romans 12:2. 



    

Dani

Well, my baby girl is graduating from high school this Friday.  

Some people are telling me she's not really a baby anymore.  

But, I don't really believe that.



She will always be my baby girl!






It seems like she was born just yesterday.


It was a really stormy night ... lot's of rain.




One of the things I remember most was her ears. ...






They were soooooo little!


And thin! ...




Like little pieces of paper.







On her first checkup the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest, and a look of horror came on the doctor's face.

It turned out that she had a hole in her heart.

Pam and I cried and cried.  ....


But over time Dani's heart was completely healed.



Dani has a really good heart. ...

Just ask all those little babies who love her so much!



Thank you God for my baby girl!!

Marriage?

As you are likely aware, President Obama recently became the first sitting President of the United States to endorse "same-sex marriage."  Politically, it is an interesting move given that no state in the union has ever approved same-sex marriage by popular vote of the people.

Several states do permit same-sex marriage.  However, in each of those states the decision was made by the courts or the legislature -- and not by the people through popular election.

As a conservative Christian it is probably not too difficult to guess where I stand on this issue.  So, rather than spend time debating the issue here I thought I would make three observations that come to mind when I think of issues like same-sex marriage, abortion, and other similar social issues that we face as a nation today.

First, it is sad that -- despite our right to freedom of speech -- rational dialogue about issues like this one is nearly impossible in America today.  Our politicians rarely seem to show any independence.  Instead, they are apparently too afraid to depart materially from the party line.  Indeed, I question whether "what's best for the country" really has any place in the public debate anymore.  It seems to be all about power and partisan politics.

The news media is no help either.  News is presented in small slices.  "Interviews" are rarely edited to best summarize the intended message.  Interviews, far too often, are edited to incite, obscure, slant and confuse.

Extremists of various kinds are also a powerful roadblock to meaningful public debate.  Small minorities seem to be able to control the debate when they present views that are supported by the media.  Those who disagree with them are labeled small-minded, intolerant and bigoted.

In the case of same-sex marriage, the question I rarely hear raised in the debate is the fundamental question of the nature of marriage itself.  Instead, the issue from one side is equal rights for gays and from the other the morality of that lifestyle.  But, isn't the threshold question whether marriage is fundamentally a religious institution or a legally recognized contractual arrangement?

The second observation I would like to make is that these types of polarizing issues seem to have a knack for bringing out the worst in the Christian community.  As Christians, we are supposed to speak the truth in love.  But, the "in love" part sometimes seems to get lost when it comes to these "hot button" issues.

Some time ago I saw a clip of Billy Graham on the Larry King show responding to the question of whether faith in Christ was the only way to salvation.  Reverend Graham danced around the issue, and drew a good deal of criticism for doing so.

I personally do not believe for a second that Reverend Graham denies that Jesus is the only way to salvation.  Nor do I believe that he responded the way he did out of a concern for political correctness.  Instead, I believe that this was an overreaction to the hard-nosed approach of some in the Christian right that has had the effect of driving people away from the Gospel message rather than drawing people to it.  While I don't agree with Reverend Graham's approach in this specific instance, I very much respect what I think he was trying to do.

As Christians, we need to stand up for the truth of God's word.  We may or may not like what the Bible has to say about some of these contemporary issues, but we don't get a vote.  The truth is the truth whether we like it or not.  We need to speak it and stand up for it.  But, we also need to find better ways to do that in love.

Finally, we need to recognize that part of the problem we face is that the people on the other side of these issues often do not believe in the concept of ultimate, objective truth.  Because of that, love is indeed the best weapon we have.

As Christians, of course, we do believe in "absolute truth".  That is, we believe that God is the creator of the universe, that the Bible is God's word, and that right and wrong are both objective and determinable.

But, many Americans no longer see the world quite that way.   Oddly, on the one hand we live in an increasingly secular humanist culture that in some vague way believes that society itself is "evolving" in a positive way.  On the other hand, that same culture at the end of the day denies that there is any objective standard for determining what makes something "positive" or "negative."  There is no "bad or good" and no "right or wrong."  These determinations are made ad hoc and are based on the will of the majority (or sometimes a vocal minority) and vague notions of natural law.

What then shall we do to reach a world that largely rejects absolutes?

The Bible tells us.  The word is "love".

My Wife

If you attend Heartland Church you almost certainly have met my wife, Pam, at one time or another.  Yep, the tall blond with the nasty left hook.  That's her.

Pam is probably best known around the church for her passion for the babies.  Pam is the nursery manager, and she and my daughter Dani can be found there almost every Sunday during second service.

Because Pam and Dani are so involved with the little ones, I have probably focused on the nursery a lot more than I might have otherwise.  And, I have really come to appreciate the importance of the nursery as a ministry.  It is a big thing for parents to be able to leave their babies with confidence, so they can focus on God without distraction during our services.  In fact, a number of people have told me that the key factor in deciding to make Heartland their church home was their comfort level with our nursery.  Pretty cool, huh?

But, what most people don't know is that Pam's service to the Church goes far beyond the nursery.  Most Tuesdays Pam can be found at the church assisting Pastor Dan with various administrative matters.  She also co-leads our women's ministry with Pastor Dusty's wife, Kendra, and she spends a good deal of time ministering to other women in the church.

I hope you don't mind that I am taking the liberty of appreciating and maybe even bragging on my wife a little.  I may have a more public role at the church than she does, but there is just no way that I could do what I do without her support, her encouragement, her wisdom and her help.

But, the most important thing you need to know about Pam is that she loves God.  I mean, Pam really loves God.

Pam is an incredible woman of incredible faith.  I often find myself amazed at her confidence that God has things under control and that He will work things out for us.  All too often, I see a Rubik's cube -- impossible to solve.  But Pam sees a cube with solid colors on each side -- God having already solved the puzzle.

By the way, Pam is also dangerous -- lethal even.  She is a fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is now working toward her green belt in Kung Fu.  So, you don't want to mess with her!

And for the record, I am not writing this because I am afraid of her.  And, no, I'm not in the "dog house" either (at least not at the moment!).

By the way, at the risk of appearing fickle, you may have noticed that I changed the name of the blog yet again to simply "Pastor John's Blog."  At the encouragement of a friend, I think I am okay with that.  : )