It’s appropriate this week to set aside our concerns and issues to think about what’s right in our lives. During this week of turkey, football, shopping frenzy, “beginning to look a lot like Christmas”, turkey day, Macy’s day, let’s think about all that we have to be thankful for.
I’m grateful for a nation where we’re still allowed to practice and share our faith in Jesus Christ in great freedom and openness.
I’m thankful of 100,000 military personnel in Iraq who are setting aside personal comfort to fight for the safety of all Americans.
I’m thankful for a President who begins each day reading Blackaby’s Experiencing God devotional.
I’m grateful that families are still at the core of American values and experience.
I’m grateful for stores that still say Merry Christmas.
I’m grateful to live in a country that enjoys abundance of food, shelter, clothing and conveniences that most of the world only dreams of.
I’m grateful for tens of thousands of churches where God’s word is taught with power and clarity.
I’m grateful for Christian radio stations like Moody Broadcasting which fill the airwaves with sound teaching, practical encouragement and uplifting music.
I’m thankful for films like “A Night with the King” and “The Nativity” that beautifully portray God’s truth.
I’m grateful for authors and composers and publishers whose work helps me in my walk with Christ.
I’m thankful for a heritage that allows a national expression of thanksgiving and also acknowledges a source of that blessing: our heavenly Father. I join with the words of one of our greatest American presidents, Abraham Lincoln, who in his Thanksgiving Declaration said this:
"The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
I’m thankful to be an American by birth.
And a child of God by new birth.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Evangelicals are sinners too.
These past weeks brought news that frustrated and embarrassed those of us who follow Christ and call ourselves evangelicals. Ted Haggard, pastor of a mega-church and president of National Association of Evangelicals, was accused of sexual misconduct. He stepped aside as head of NAE and, after initial denials and subsequent investigation by leadership in his church, was dismissed from his pastorate.
This is especially bothersome to me because I know Mr. Haggard and worked with him on a number of ministry projects. He is one of the most gifted leaders I’ve known. He has a winsome personality and highly dedicated to serving God. It’s greivous to me that a man so gifted and dedicated could fall into what he now acknowledges as a lifelong addiction to immorality. How does such an outstanding personality who has risen to the pinnacle of success in his ministry field become enslaved to sin and become such an embarrassment to evangelicals, the church and the name of Christ?
This causes several problems
One, the word evangelical is a good word. It means one who spreads good news. But to the world, the word evangelical has come to be associated with narrow-minded, mean-spirited political posturing. Now evangelical will have further baggage attached to its name because of the inconsistent moral lifestyle of its prominent leader.
Second, many who are outside of the church use as their excuse that the church is full of hypocrites. Their perception is further confirmed by actions of a man who leads the evangelical cause, while also engaging in a secret life of sin.
Third, this situation will be used by political opponents as further evidence of the corruptness of religion and politics.
Amidst all the talk, we need the humility to realize several things:
There but for the grace of God go I. As a friend told me over the phone after learning of all this, none of us is exempt from temptation and seduction. Any one of us could through our own weakness or circumstances be susceptible to moral turpitude.
There is forgiveness. Other Christian leaders have had moral failure, but through a proper process of repentance, accountability and restoration have been redeemed from a horrible destructive situation.
Jesus said that lust of the heart is as destructive as the outward act. And for the individual that’s true. But a person who acts outwardly on inward lust hurts a lot more people: family, friends, reputation, the church, and on and on.
Whether in places of leadership or not, it is our responsibility to live a life that will bring honor to Christ. What can be learned from this?
We all are sinners. We all have a dark side. But if we’re having difficulty controlling our sin nature, we need to seek help from mature fellow-believers who can hold us accountable for our behavior. This is especially true if we’re in positions of spiritual leadership.
We need to keep our guard up in situations that breed temptation. That includes hotel rooms. That includes insulating ourselves from accountability. That means we, as the Bible says, “Make no provision for the flesh.”
And we must avoid the accusations of hypocrisy by living with integrity—that means being the same person on the inside as we portray on the outside.
We must not look to people as ultimate source of wisdom, spirituality and affirmation of faith. People fail. Only Jesus is worthy of that high degree of trust. Whenever we take our eyes off of Jesus, we run the risk of picking a model who is unworthy of the pedestal. And we run the risk of missing Heaven by rejecting the real thing because of a few fakes.
This is especially bothersome to me because I know Mr. Haggard and worked with him on a number of ministry projects. He is one of the most gifted leaders I’ve known. He has a winsome personality and highly dedicated to serving God. It’s greivous to me that a man so gifted and dedicated could fall into what he now acknowledges as a lifelong addiction to immorality. How does such an outstanding personality who has risen to the pinnacle of success in his ministry field become enslaved to sin and become such an embarrassment to evangelicals, the church and the name of Christ?
This causes several problems
One, the word evangelical is a good word. It means one who spreads good news. But to the world, the word evangelical has come to be associated with narrow-minded, mean-spirited political posturing. Now evangelical will have further baggage attached to its name because of the inconsistent moral lifestyle of its prominent leader.
Second, many who are outside of the church use as their excuse that the church is full of hypocrites. Their perception is further confirmed by actions of a man who leads the evangelical cause, while also engaging in a secret life of sin.
Third, this situation will be used by political opponents as further evidence of the corruptness of religion and politics.
Amidst all the talk, we need the humility to realize several things:
There but for the grace of God go I. As a friend told me over the phone after learning of all this, none of us is exempt from temptation and seduction. Any one of us could through our own weakness or circumstances be susceptible to moral turpitude.
There is forgiveness. Other Christian leaders have had moral failure, but through a proper process of repentance, accountability and restoration have been redeemed from a horrible destructive situation.
Jesus said that lust of the heart is as destructive as the outward act. And for the individual that’s true. But a person who acts outwardly on inward lust hurts a lot more people: family, friends, reputation, the church, and on and on.
Whether in places of leadership or not, it is our responsibility to live a life that will bring honor to Christ. What can be learned from this?
We all are sinners. We all have a dark side. But if we’re having difficulty controlling our sin nature, we need to seek help from mature fellow-believers who can hold us accountable for our behavior. This is especially true if we’re in positions of spiritual leadership.
We need to keep our guard up in situations that breed temptation. That includes hotel rooms. That includes insulating ourselves from accountability. That means we, as the Bible says, “Make no provision for the flesh.”
And we must avoid the accusations of hypocrisy by living with integrity—that means being the same person on the inside as we portray on the outside.
We must not look to people as ultimate source of wisdom, spirituality and affirmation of faith. People fail. Only Jesus is worthy of that high degree of trust. Whenever we take our eyes off of Jesus, we run the risk of picking a model who is unworthy of the pedestal. And we run the risk of missing Heaven by rejecting the real thing because of a few fakes.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Vox Pop
The voice of the people—Vox Pop—has spoken. The recent so-called off-year elections were anything but ho-hum. A remarkable shift has occurred in how Americans view their government and how the two major political parties function.
It’s not unusual for a sitting president to lose Congress in the last two years of his 2nd term. It happened to Truman. It happened to Eisenhower. Truman worked well with an opposing party congress. Eisenhower was severely restricted by opposing congress. President Clinton lost the House in 94 and the Senate in 98. The question will be whether George W. Bush will be able to work with the opposing majority in control of Congress. And whether Nancy Polosi, the new Speaker of the House will indeed seek partnership not partisanship, as she committed to do.
Clearly Americans expressed their disapproval over Iraq. And their dismay over the moral scandal within the Republican Party.
But there’s something deeper than just a divided executive and legislative branch. There’s a shift taking place within the democratic and Republican parties…and a shift in the way Americans think.
The Democrats appear to have moved more centrist. The candidates who won are either people of faith or faith-friendly. Many are pro-life. At the same time, evangelicals didn’t turn out for the Republican Party. 1/3 of evangelicals voted Democratic.
Democrats presented candidates more socially and religiously moderate in several Tennessee and Pennsylvania, conservative Republicans faced Democrats who spoke the language of faith. Senator Barack Obama has impressed many with his ability to speak affirmingly and fluently about the importance of morality and faith to democratic life
The evangelical movement may be more diverse than we thought. I hear it all the time from listeners to Moody Radio. Even Dr. James Dobson recently expressed his disillusionment with the current party in power.
A more centrist voice could help both parties. California Governor Schwarzenegger was obviously helped in his bid for reelection by moving to a more moderate stand on key issues. Democrats could help their cause by supporting parental notification on abortion, or programs promoting abstinence and marital fidelity. And evangelicals in the Democratic Party are still a minority. However, men and women of strong moral values and Biblical ethics should not abandon the Democratic Party. And as Christ’s followers we should love people in both political parties equally
George Hunter III, writing in Christianity Today stated:
Some evangelicals have been strangely mute on the social ethic of God's kingdom; the world might not even know, from us, what it would look like if the will of God were done "on earth, as in heaven."
Bottom line, we as Christians, as evangelicals must recover key Biblical ethics in our politics. That goes beyond the hot-button issues of abortion, gay marriage and prayer in schools to weightier matters of justice, poverty, peace, health, the environment. We also need to apply Biblical world views on war, violence, economics, health care, AIDS, Let the voice of the people, especially from the people of God in both parties speak the voice of our God to a needy society. And may God truly bless America.
It’s not unusual for a sitting president to lose Congress in the last two years of his 2nd term. It happened to Truman. It happened to Eisenhower. Truman worked well with an opposing party congress. Eisenhower was severely restricted by opposing congress. President Clinton lost the House in 94 and the Senate in 98. The question will be whether George W. Bush will be able to work with the opposing majority in control of Congress. And whether Nancy Polosi, the new Speaker of the House will indeed seek partnership not partisanship, as she committed to do.
Clearly Americans expressed their disapproval over Iraq. And their dismay over the moral scandal within the Republican Party.
But there’s something deeper than just a divided executive and legislative branch. There’s a shift taking place within the democratic and Republican parties…and a shift in the way Americans think.
The Democrats appear to have moved more centrist. The candidates who won are either people of faith or faith-friendly. Many are pro-life. At the same time, evangelicals didn’t turn out for the Republican Party. 1/3 of evangelicals voted Democratic.
Democrats presented candidates more socially and religiously moderate in several Tennessee and Pennsylvania, conservative Republicans faced Democrats who spoke the language of faith. Senator Barack Obama has impressed many with his ability to speak affirmingly and fluently about the importance of morality and faith to democratic life
The evangelical movement may be more diverse than we thought. I hear it all the time from listeners to Moody Radio. Even Dr. James Dobson recently expressed his disillusionment with the current party in power.
A more centrist voice could help both parties. California Governor Schwarzenegger was obviously helped in his bid for reelection by moving to a more moderate stand on key issues. Democrats could help their cause by supporting parental notification on abortion, or programs promoting abstinence and marital fidelity. And evangelicals in the Democratic Party are still a minority. However, men and women of strong moral values and Biblical ethics should not abandon the Democratic Party. And as Christ’s followers we should love people in both political parties equally
George Hunter III, writing in Christianity Today stated:
Some evangelicals have been strangely mute on the social ethic of God's kingdom; the world might not even know, from us, what it would look like if the will of God were done "on earth, as in heaven."
Bottom line, we as Christians, as evangelicals must recover key Biblical ethics in our politics. That goes beyond the hot-button issues of abortion, gay marriage and prayer in schools to weightier matters of justice, poverty, peace, health, the environment. We also need to apply Biblical world views on war, violence, economics, health care, AIDS, Let the voice of the people, especially from the people of God in both parties speak the voice of our God to a needy society. And may God truly bless America.
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