Quote of the Week

"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves, and, under a just God, cannot long retain it."

Abraham Lincoln,  Letter to H.L. Pierce, April 6, 1859

Should We Celebrate the Death of Osama Bin Laden?

A week ago, media channels were abuzz - broadcasting the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. The news was met in many quarters by celebration in the streets and in the social media world – Twitter and Facebook lighting up with updates.

Almost immediately, many Christians felt uncomfortable about rejoicing over anyone’s death, even someone as universally opposed as Bin Laden. Others experienced no such internal conflict of conscience.

Christian leaders and influencers were just as varied in their responses. Check out their varied responses here.

Bible verses like Proverbs 24:17 seem to call for restraint in our jubilation over Bin Laden’s demise - “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles"

Yet, Proverbs 11:10 tells us that “when it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of gladness”

What do we make of this seeming contradiction? How should we respond when our enemies are crushed? How does this square with our Savior’s command to love our enemies?

From the collective wisdom of the best biblical scholars and pastors we can draw the following insights –

1. Celebrate justice, not death

We may have to kill for just cause but we do not delight in the death of another because it means taking the life of one made to be an image bearer of God. It is perhaps why God says in Ezekiel 18:23 – “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”

In his book Love in Hard Places, D.A. Carson makes reference to Osama Bin Laden and says this –

“He is an evil man, and he must be stopped, but he is a man and we should take no pleasure in destroying him. Vengeance is the Lord’s alone “

2. Celebrate justice humbly

Even as we celebrate justice, we do so as ones forgiven much. We resist the subtle temptation to favorably comparing ourselves with Bin Laden. We know better – we deserve judgment but have received grace and mercy. So we celebrate justice humbly as ones who have received mercy rather than justice.

Sentiments from the Resurgence blog – “So we can be thankful that God is just and we can be very thankful that God is gracious"

3. How God feels about Osama’s death isn’t single threaded

John Piper offers a helpful, nuanced thought on how God might “feel” about the demise of Bin Laden. He starts by reminding us that God’s emotions are complex - like ours often are. Quoting Ezekiel 18:23, he makes the point that “in one sense, human death is not God’s pleasure” but citing Ezekiel 5, also reminds us that “the death and judgment of the unrepentant is God’s pleasure”

“Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. And they shall know that “I am the LORD – that I have spoken in my jealousy when I spend my fury upon them”.

Both are true. God is vehemently opposed to wickedness while lovingly and patiently calling image bearers to repentance.

Personal Accountability Cannot Save Us

Over the past few weeks, Mark Sanford has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. First, he was missing...then, his adulterous relationship was exposed. It was followed by a public apology and Sanford's assertion that his adultery is really a "love story". Mark Sanford is in a load of trouble, not least because he doesn't actually see the error of his ways. He needs to be concerned, not for his political career but for the state of his soul and the well-being of his family...but that's really not the point of this blog post.

Instead, let's discuss what has caught the attention of many - the substance of his apology where he invoked Christian "language" and compared himself to King David.

“I remain committed to rebuilding the trust that has been committed to me over the next 18 months, and it is my hope that I am able to follow the example set by David in the Bible — who after his fall from grace humbly refocused on the work at hand. By doing so, I will ultimately better serve in every area of my life, and I am committed to doing so.”

The editors of New York Times noted this in a commentary entitled God and Mark Sanford. They asked five "experts" including Chuck Colson and LaShawn Barber to comment on Mark Sanford's confession/apology. It's worth checking out the different points of view.

But I found one of the most unintentionally insightful comments to come from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who does not subscribe to the Christian faith. Here's what he said -

"The paradox of American evangelicals is that they are Christian on the one hand and political conservatives on the other with utterly opposing views of redemption. Christians believe that no one is blameless and all must therefore ride the coattails of a perfect being into heaven. But conservatives espouse the gospel of personal accountability. The state cannot save them. Man must earn his bread by the sweat of his brow and not by welfare alone."

It's an interesting comment because I think many Christians actually subscribe to this "gospel of personal responsibility". We may erroneously believe that if we own up to our mistakes, put accountability controls in place and try harder next time, we'll be ok. In other words, when it comes to our moral state, we might think that personal accountability can save us....but it cannot. To be sure, accountability is good thing - taking responsibility for our moral failings is foundational to true repentance. And, being accountable to others is wise.

But what we really need is a Savior, not just accountability and earnest confession. Our moral failings are first and foremost against God and apart from the person of Jesus Christ, we have no means of relating to a holy God. True repentance must be directed to Him and it must rest of what Christ has done on our behalf by bearing our sins.

Our weaknesses are greater than can be addressed by personal accountability or accountability groups. We need a Savior every single day to protect and keep us. That's why I love these words from the hymn, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" -

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

The real gospel doesn't just feature sin and personal responsibility, it highlights a Savior who has come to save and keep us. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Quote of the Week

"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die"

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship

What Do You Do When You "Screw Up"?

What do you do when you make a mistake,  either in private or in full view of others?   Two weeks ago, President Obama offered a refreshing response to his rather public, humbling mistake - "I screwed up".   He nominated Tom Daschle for Secretary of Health and Human Services,  only to discover that Daschle failed to pay all his taxes.   It's major oversight in the early days of his Presidency and certainly not the way he wanted to start off.   Yet, he chose to take responsibility for his mistake in a very public way.

Let's understand what happened here - this kind of owning up to a mistake - up front, no excuses or qualifications is unusual for most public figures.  It is exceptionally rare for the POTUS.   Regardless of what you think of Obama's politics, I think most non-partisan observers would regard his admission as a display of both principled honesty and bold humility.   

It takes a certain principled honesty to own up to a mistake especially if you're in a position of power.   It's often easier for those in power to blame someone else or perhaps sweep the mistake under the rug.   

This kind of public admission also takes bold humility.   It requires a kind of courageous humility to do the right thing regardless of the consequences.    Unless you have a measure of humility,  owning up and apologizing even if others might think less of you. isn't something you're inclined to do.

I don't know anything about Obama's faith but here's what struck me -  as Christians, we are uniquely equipped to display this kind of bold, yet humble confession when we make mistakes. The gospel of Jesus Christ equips us by allowing us to view our mistakes through a completely different perspective.  We can be brutally honest about our errors because despite our gravest mistakes, we have been mercifully forgiven and graciously accepted.   We can do this without overriding concern the opinions of men, because God has rendered His opinion of us and His is the only one that matters.  Yes, I know we don't always think this way but without the gospel perspective, I'd have no hope of owning up to my mistakes - I'm far too proud and insecure to do so.

How does the gospel help you when you make mistakes?   What if you make mistakes that have negative consequences but do it in private where no one is around to call you out?    What difference does the gospel make in that situation?   

Does it Matter if the President is a Christian?

Here's why I ask - it's been rumored that Obama is a closet Muslim.   It's also been debunked but the false rumors persist.   As a result, there has been significant interest in his "spiritual journey".  

McCain, typically private about such matters, has referred to his Christian faith in speeches and on the campaign trail.   Sarah Palin has excited the conservative evangelical wing of the Republican party, in no small part because she unashamedly a professing Christian, upholding Christian values.

It seems to be a political tradition for Presidential candidates to tout their "street cred" as Christians.   I don't necessarily blame the candidates - they are playing the sandbox we've all created for them.   I have to admit, in some ways it makes me sad when the name of Christ is leveraged as a political tool rather than compelling worship. 

So it made me wonder - does it really matter if the next President is a professing Christian?  If so, why?  Does it matter if the next President ends up being Muslim or Mormon?   Also, if an authentic Christian faith becomes a litmus test, how can any of us be an adequate judge of such matters?   I have enough trouble discerning my own heart, how can I be equipped to test the heart of another?

I'm not saying that ethics and morality are unimportant.  On the contrary, I think they are highly important but looking for the Christian label before we vote doesn't seem to be wise or biblically sound.    Using our best judgment, we ought to vote the best person for the job, taking into account - qualification, experience, character and ethics.   And, we ought to pray for wisdom.

What do you think?  

 

Eliot Spitzer, Us and the Grace of God

I've held off blogging about Eliot Spitzer, in part because much of the initial reaction from the mass media was unprofitable and salacious. However, when a number of men gathered at my home for an accountability meeting last week, we took opportunity to briefly discuss it.

Unlike what was communicated on news channels all week long, at our meeting there was no gloating over a powerful, arrogant man who simply "got what he deserved". There was no self righteous musing over how someone so smart could "self destruct" so publicly. We didn't wonder how the former crusading governor known as "Mr Clean", could have lived a double life.

We didn't do that because we simply know better - we know ourselves and we know the nature of sin. We understand that we're more like Eliot Spitzer than we'd like to acknowledge. We're aware of the deceitfulness of sin and our propensity as fallen men to wander from the grace of God. We know that it's the grace of God that keeps us from self destructing. As one of the men in our group said - "That could be me, it could be any of us...it's God's mercy that He rescued us from the penalty and power of sin...it's God's grace that keeps us in Him and keeps us from falling..."

The meeting gave me much to think about. I'm grateful for men who speak words of gospel truth to me - reminding me of how the grace of Jesus Christ has shed light upon my darkened heart. It is also evidence of God's kindness to us as Christians. When God places us in the community of a church, He does so to protect us and care for us.

Don't you wonder how different it might have been for Eliot Spitzer if he had the benefit of such grace? Last week, amidst much of the news about Spitzer, this is what I read from Psalm 32:1

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Eliot Spitzer had so much - power, career, fame, wealth. However, as far as we know, he didn't possess what was most important - he didn't have sins covered, a clean conscience and peace with God. Perhaps we should pray for him, that through this trial, he might be drawn to the One who offers these priceless mercies.

Christian Perspectives on War

What should Christians think about war? There are few more culturally relevant discussions for our nation today as we're faced with increasing public opposition to the war in Iraq.

It's been a topic I've wanted to address for some time now but Ted Gossard blogging at Jesus Community has beat me to it and done a fine job spurring discussion on the topic. Ted has been running a series entitled Christians and War where he considers whether it is appropriate for a Christian to participate in war. Others like Craver have picked up on his discussion and joined in with a different view.

I've been intrigued about this topic ever since listening to Dr. D.A. Carson's audio sermon on Just War. It's rather long with a separate Q&A session but very worthwhile if you're interested in learning more about the topic. In it, he outlines the basic principles of Just War Theory.

1. The only just cause for going to war is defense against violent aggression.

2. The only just intention is to restore a just peace— to friend and foe alike.

3. Military force must be the last resort after negotiations and other efforts have been tried and have failed.

4. The decision to engage in such a just war must be made by the highest governmental authority.

5. The war must be for limited ends (principally to repel aggression and redress injustice).

6. The means of a just war must be limited by proportionality to the offense.

7. There must be no intentional and direct attack on noncombatants.

8. War should not be prolonged where there is no reasonable hope of success within these limits.

Dr. Carson believes that a distinctly Christian perspective on the Just War must include the governing principle of love. He maintains that it is love that compels us to enter into military conflict. In his book, Love in Hard Places, he writes the following:

“When just, war can be a form of love. Where an enemy is perpetuating its horrible holocaust, is it not an act of love that intervenes, even militarily, to prevent that holocaust if a nation has the power to do so? And is not restraint in such cases a display, not of loving pacifism, but of lack of love— of the unwillingness to sacrifice anything for the sake of others?"

While I agree with Dr. Carson's view, the challenge in all of this is the subjective analysis of what constitutes a just war. The guiding principles of Just War theory are helpful but wars have been entered into with justice in mind that do not meet the criteria. For instance, the American Revolutionary War against the British Empire leading to the formation of the United States of America was waged on far less than what is implied in the Just War theory. Think about that for a minute.

This is a topic in which many orthodox Christians may have differing views but it's helpful to consider them all if we are to come a better understanding.

Is war ever justified from a Christian perspective?
What do you think of the criteria for a just war?
Does it offer appropriate guidance for a Christian?
Where does Christian love fit in?