055 Daniel Bates- Wish Your Guy Would Initiate More?

The Biblical Picture of a Fool: Turns out they're not Dumb

The Bible would categorize the person who does this as a “fool”. King David stated as such in Psalms 14:1. He points out that their corruption translates into their deeds. This doesn’t mean necessarily they are unintelligent or even immoral by a worldly standard. Yet their approach to whatever source of truth is ultimately futile since they are devoid of belief. Why is this? The fall of humankind as recorded in Genesis 3. In Genesis God created man and woman and He declared them good. They lived in the presence of God in an innocent state. They were not perfect since they had not been tested and their character proven true, but they were without sin. God instructed Adam and Eve that there was only one tree in the garden that they could not eat from. Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. Adam served humanity as our seminal and federal head, meaning he was humanity’s representative before God and humanity’s father. His disobedience to God introduced to humanity. Our whole being is now affected by sin. This includes our thinking. Paul pointed out as much in the latter part of the passage already referenced, Romans 1:21. As our morality falls further into sin so does our thinking. The only chance we have for true knowledge is the illumination of the Spirit. In I Cor. 2:10-14 we see that Paul makes it clear knowledge of God can only be caught, never taught by way of human intellect. In fact, only the Spirit of God knows the thoughts of God, so for humanity, in order to know God relationally or understand scripture we must first have the Spirit. Knowledge of God is purely a gift to those who believe. In Romans 12:1-2 Paul taught that we offer up our natural selves to be sacrificed on the altar, to be killed so that a renewal may take place, the renewal of our minds. How then, can someone who has rejected God and His Spirit expect to have any kind of true knowledge of science, medicine, art or ethics? These things are only fuller understood in their proper light as creations of God that when done with excellence and sincerity reflect the glory and beauty of God.

Source of Authority in the Christian Life: Not Just the Bible?

God is infinite we cannot be in complete accordance with God’s will since we are finite and cannot comprehend God totally. However, we can comprehend what God has graciously expressed to us through His Word and in several extra-biblical sources. The chief source of God’s self-expression is the Bible. The Bible provides us with a story of redemption. The pinnacle of this story is the person, work, ministry and story of Jesus Christ. God’s Word provides us with all that we need for living a godly life. The apostle Peter in II Peter 1:3 instruct believers that through God’s power we have everything we need for living a godly life through knowledge. So as we grow in our knowledge of God, our moral and ethical fiber as a Christian, our maturity and likeness to Jesus ought to as well increase. Yet how do Christians handle issues of moral and ethical decision making when the Bible is silent on a particular issue? I believe this problem is best rectified by understanding the Bible as the supreme and final source of truth, but not the only source of truth. To explain further, in Psalms 19:1-4b the psalmist explains what has been made by God declares the truth of God. Therefore, we can understand God outside of special revelation i.e. the Bible, the incarnation of Christ, divine meeting as in the case of Abraham. In fact, the apostle Paul further instructs in the New Testament specifically Romans 1:18-20 that the declaration of creation of God’s glory, power and the knowledge ushering forth is not only enough to inform the seeker, but is also enough to condemn the one who rejects that knowledge. Paul goes on to say in Romans 2:14-16 that we also have God’s law written on our hearts. So we can see that is without the person pours forth knowledge of God and condemns. And all that is within such as our conscience pours forth knowledge of God and condemns.

Plato's Question About God

Plato put forward an objection to the idea that morality is based in the commands of God in his treatise Euthyphro. The argument goes as since the basis for doing what is right depends on God commanding what is right, does the system of what is right supersede God? Is God just the facilitator to what is right to humanity? His commands are the vehicle of truth in service to the truth instead of to God? Or is morality arbitrarily determined by God’s will? This surely is not the case. God is a person, and there is an objective, invariant and coherent standard for truth and morality. Yet some set these two things apart and see them as mutually exclusive. It seems impossible that God who is a person can be also the standard for truth. That when He acts He acts perfectly moral. What He wishes and desires is the standard for truth not just because God wants it to be true, but because it is true. The two are one and the same. In other words, God’s nature is true therefore it is the source of truth. What we often separate since it is hard for us to accept— I think because we project our understandings of personhood on God— is not to be separated. Objective truth and God’s character are one and the same. 

The Problem with Smorgasbord Spirituality

          Many people today make the mistake of either not understanding the distinctions between various mystical traditions and so they think they’re all kind of the same. Or they make the mistake of mixing and matching beliefs or aspect of religious systems and mystical traditions that they like while rejecting the parts they don’t. I call this “Smorgasbord Spirituality”. A take what you want and leave what you don’t like on the table approach. The reason why mixing and matching concepts among world religions and mystical traditions is a violation and not something to be encouraged, is that each world religion self-contained system of beliefs. To rip one idea out of context is deflate it of meaning. For the spiritual seeker they may not see how this is a problem. Yet, if they were to dig a little deeper they would begin to see how mixing and matching doesn’t work at all. There are three tests for truth that can aid in the task of understanding a religious in a deeper way, and help to understand why mixing and matching is so problematic. The three tests are: Coherence, Consistency, and Correspondence to reality.

The Three C’s

First, the test of Coherence looks for how beliefs, truth claims and philosophical and theological propositions match up with each other.  For example, a bicycle has two tires, a chain wheel, a chain and a pedal. (There of course are other parts, but these specific parts are necessary for the bike to move). A bicycle works or can move because the parts cohere with each other. The rider pushes the pedal, which rotates the chain wheel, causing the chain to rotate, which causes the tire to rotate and thus you go forward. Worldviews, philosophical views, and religions strive for the same thing. You cannot rip the Christian doctrine of Mercy and Grace out of its theological context. The grace God gives to the sinner is meaningful because of the presence of other theological concepts such as sin, God’s attribute of Holiness, and substitutionary atonement through Christ. They all cohere in that man is sinful, God is holy, the only holy response to sin is wrath, God instead of pouring out His wrath on humanity sent His Son Jesus to die on the Cross and complete the work of substitutionary atonement. Meaning, the God redirected His wrath that was intended for us onto His Son. Thereby, not punishing us as we deserve (mercy), but instead giving us salvation through faith in Christ (grace). To rip Grace out of its theological context is to negate the very power of the concept.

Second, the test for mystical traditions, worldviews, and religious systems is Consistency. No one every likes an inconsistent person. As self-evident as this statement is some of you may need convincing especially in how this relates to religion and mysticism. Take for example the 2008 presidential campaign between John Kerry and George W. Bush. Whenever I watched the news I couldn’t tell you how many times I heard the phrase “Flip-Flopper” in reference to Kerry. It seemed for most of the race the momentum was on Kerry’s side, yet he kept swapping back and forth on major issues. As the race was drawing to a close the one factor, among others, that set the balances in Bush’ favor was the fact that Kerry was inconsistent. If there is any indication of people’s distaste for inconsistency its politics. I do find it curious how we vilify the “Flip-Flopper” when it comes to politics, but in the religious or spiritual arena we tolerate if not applaud it. Yet, in regards to eternal destiny, how much more important is our religious and spiritual beliefs than our political ones? The Bible is a collection of 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over a time period of 1400 years, in three different languages Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and on 3 continents. Yet, despite all these the factors that would normally create a mangled mess; the Bible communicates a one clear message that God is our Creator, but man has fallen from fellowship with Him. Thankfully God has set out on a rescue plan to redeem sinful humanity. So that, one day faith will no longer be needed for the whole story will be consummated, evil will be defeated, and believers will have eternal intimate fellowship with the Trinity. In each piece of the story and as a whole, the themes of Creation, Fall, Redemption and Consummation can be seen.

Third, the test of Correspondence begins by asking the question, is there a clear connection between the truth claims of a religion and what we can observe in reality? For example, Hinduism claims that the universe is eternal. Christianity claims that the universe came into existence when God created it. Edwin Hubble, an astronomer in the 20^th century, in 1929 discovered that space is expanding and that there are star systems beyond the Milky Way (he was not the first one to conceive of an expanding universe, but his research and findings confirmed its validity). He surmised from that observation, that if you rewind the tape of cosmic history, everything— space, time, matter, antimatter, energy, dark energy— would have all coalesced into one point, the singularity. Cosmic history started with nothing, then the singularity burst forth with all matter, time and energy rapidly expanded. Planets, solar systems, galaxies and black holes began to form, yet the expansion from the Big Bang carries on. Big Bang cosmology gave credence to the Christian truth claim that the universe had a beginning. And so, there is a correspondence between the religious claim and what we observe in reality.

However, correspondence is not limited to issues of science; take for example the Christian idea of Humanity depravity and the Hindu idea of inner divinity. Humanity is a culpable source for great evil. This awareness of imperfection exists within each one of us even those we hold in high regard as being altruistic and self-sacrificing, for example Mohandas K. Gandhi. He was called Mahatma meaning “great soul” and Bapu meaning “father” because he stood up for the rights of underprivileged and needy. He was known for being a strong proponent of the Hindu worldview, self-divinity and universalistic thought. But even he felt the pain and frustration of his own imperfections. “For it is an unbroken torture to me that I am still so far from Him, who, as I fully know, governs every breath of my life, and whose offspring I am” (So What’s the Difference? p. 95). Another brilliant mind expressed his thoughts on the issue of depravity, G. K. Chesterton, a well known thinker in the early 1900’s, was once asked by a newspaper in England sampling some of the foremost thinkers of their time, “What is wrong with the world?” To which he promptly responded by saying, “Well you see my dear sirs, I am”. This thought-provoking answer speaks volumes of the realization Chesterton had, he recognized that the causal root of man’s problems was not because of enemy nations, extremism, intolerance and so on, or some factor outside of human nature breaking in and infecting the evil few. For Chesterton it was the sin nature within every human heart that was the cause for widespread evil.

 How does, for example, Hinduism or Buddhism explain human depravity? Buddhism offers no explanation, its only suggestion is to accept suffering as a brute fact and through one’s own efforts seek liberation. But if it our nature that is the problem, how then can we also be the answer? Hinduism proposes that each person possesses divinity.  The whole of human history is marked by subjugation of weaker people groups by dominant cultures, systematic conquering of foreign nations for the purpose of world domination (the Aztecs, the Mayans, the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the unified Grecian cities under Athens, the Romans, the Carthagians, the Nazis, the Red army, and so on), slavery, ethnic cleansing, genocide, political deception, the war machine churning out profit for select instigators, racial intolerance, infanticide, murder, rape, lying, cheating, inconsideration, and all the way down the line to simple human selfishness. In light of all these atrocities, what does that say about divinity? Islam does explain human as fallen and sinful. The reason for all our problems is a rebellion of what is right, rejection of the laws of God. Islam correctly identifies the problem, yet the solution is through moral perfection. At the end of one’s life, one’s good deeds are weighed against one’s sinful deeds. Whichever scale is heavier determines your eternal destiny, paradise or Hades. I again ask the question, if it is our nature that is the problem, how then can we be the answer, vis-à-vis through living a morally perfect life?

The Ridiculousness of Band Names

Its been my observation that band names are kind of ridiculous. And they seem to be getting more as of late. For example Cracked.com has made a list of the 25 most ridiculous band names  (http://www.cracked.com/article_15118_the-25-most-ridiculous-band-names-in-rock-history.html#ixzz2c9uBZySu).

Porno for Pyros

Nickelback

The Alan Parsons Project

So I thought I would make up some of my own and have a laugh, enjoy:

1. The The's

2. Mr. Johnson's armchair

3. The Silly-putties

4. HammerHead Project

5. Creep Dog or Creep Dawg

6. The Chicken Pot Pie's

7. Shoulder Monkey

8. Corrupt Cupie Dolls

9. Sick Cat Vomit Ice Cream

10. Brown Snot Clouds

11. The Naked Mole Rats

12. Pukey Pups

13. Man

14. Demons Have Rights Too

15. Man Monkey

16. Nickelback (Oh wait that stupid name has already been taken)- Syphilis Dreams

17. Motor Bandits

18. General Tso Soldiers'

19. Hand in Hand Melting

20. My Organic Romance

The Nature and Relationship between Faith and Works

            Paul and James are often pitted against each other because they addressed the same issue, but on the surface seem to stating opposing conclusions about the nature of the relationship between faith and works. Paul says that we are justified by faith, and James seems to be saying that we are justified by works. However, it is important to note that these two biblical writers were addressing different issues. The letter of James was likely one of the first epistles written, he addressed the practicalities of one’s faith in Jesus. He used common sense to address a practical issue. Asking a very basic question, if you have faith in Jesus, yet there is no evidence of that faith in your life (i.e. works), then what’s the point of your faith? It’s useless. For as Paul wrote in Eph. 2:10, we were saved for a purpose, that purpose is to live righteously, which means doing good works.

            Paul, who wrote later than James, focused more on the theological aspect of justification. We are justified on the basis of our faith in Jesus, that He was who He said He was- Son of God, Messiah, and King; and that we agree with Him about the nature of sin and our own personal sin. God is holy, we are sinners, therefore we deserve condemnation, and we are in need of a savior. God has provided us a savior that is Jesus Christ. The saving action of the savior is Christ’s atoning work on the cross. This is the means for our salvation, not our own good works. No amount of good works or personal righteousness can put us in God’s good favor. Our best efforts are like dirty menstrual rags compared to God’s holiness (Is. 64:6).

            We, who have the benefit of studying both letters, must affirm both messages. We are saved only by the work of Christ, yet that salvation through Christ has an inbuilt purpose of transforming us into someone like Jesus. A person motivated to do good works, to live righteously before God and to love the savior. Faith in Jesus is one of action. James made the same point in his scenario about the lacking brother or sister (2:15-17). If our faith does not motivate us to help a brother or sister in need, what good is it? Why even have faith in Jesus? For true faith in Jesus motivates us to take action. Faith and works go hand in hand. Faith without works is not the faith that Jesus offers which that leads to salvation. James went on to discuss the examples of demons (who have belief without works= not saved), and Abraham and Rahab (who had faith with works= saved). In fact the relationship between faith and works is so inseparable, it is comparable to a body detached from the spirit, remove one from the other and the result is death (2:26).