Division in the Church

Today when I was researching something on the internet, I came across a website purely by accident. I was very disturbed by what I read here

Apparently this guy, Darwin Fish (reportedly his real name), earnestly believes that he could very well be the only preacher on the planet who is in truth. He admits there could be others, but if so he is unware of their existence.

OK. Wow.

He goes on to say that anyone who doesn't agree 100% with his interpretation of the bible is wrong and that they are false teachers who are going to hell. He even lists them by name!

As a (relatively) new believer, this site really upset me. Its not that I believe Mr. Fish. Obviously, I believe he is wrong. Yet, it did cause me to think about the division that exists in the church. According to some researchers, there are approximately 8,000 different Protestant denominations. I don't know about you, but I think that is a lot. For this reason, many Catholics argue that it proves the error of the doctrine of sola scriptura. While I disagree, I think "The Church" may have been onto something when they discouraged private ownership/reading of the bible. (Ok...not really.)

Honestly though, how have we gotten so divided? I think that I am pretty well read and intelligent. Yet, I have a difficult time discerning the proper interpretation of scripture. Certainly, I don't want to be believe something that is wrong. But, I am sure that my Calvinist friends, with whom I often disagree, feel the same way. How can two people both approach the bible with an open mind, ask God for the guidance of the holy spirit, and each come away with a different understanding of what is being said? I just don't understand. I find the deep divisions within the church today to be very disturbing. I know that this is notwhat God wanted. Yet, he had to know it would end up this way.

What makes it even worse is the fact that the more I study, the greater the divide I find within Protestant theology. On the surface these doctrinal differences might seem slight. But when you think about it, the underlying issues at the core of these differences are very important. For example, the whole Calvinist vs. Arminian vs. Molinism vs. Open Theism vs. Etc... debate is very serious. In Calvinist theology, God's love is very different than it is for the Arminian. Similarly, the question of how God knows what he knows is very different among these different theologies. The open theist believes that God knows everything that can be known, but does not know the free choices of his creatures before they occur. While the Calvinist believes that God knows everything that is going to happen because he has determined it. (To be fair...this a gross oversimplification of Calvinism. There are various splinters within Calvinism as well as to the extent and nature of determinism)

What we are left with is a question that I found posed on a blog earlier this week. "Is Christianity Broken?"

I submit that it isn't broken. It is merely full of broken people who are trying to find the truth. May God lead us to His truth and help us to be more loving towards one another, even when we disagree.

The Power of Praise

Life is difficult.

This simple, yet profound statement is the opening line of M. Scott Peck's "The Road Less Traveled". He affirms this to be "a great truth, one of the greatest truths."

When we look at the world in which we live, it isn't hard to see that Peck is right. Life IS difficult. It is easy to become overwhelmed with the stress of day to day life. Often we face challenges that we feel powerless to overcome. There are days when we don't feel like getting out of bed, and days when we feel like giving up.

Despite all this, there is good news for those who put their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul said, we "can do all things through Him who gives us strength."(Philipians 4:13) In fact, Jesus himself said, " These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

How do we tap into this power Paul talked about and the promise of peace Jesus gave us? I believe the first step is praise. We need to look no farther than the Lord's Prayer for evidence of this. When Jesus instructed his disciples how to pray, he instructed them to began by saying "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..." By beginning our prayer with praise we are humbling ourselves before God, lifting him up in adoration, entering into the very presence of God. And where the presence of the Lord is, there is power! Psalms 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of his people.

The bible has a lot to say about the power of praise. In 2 Samuel 22:4, David said, "I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies."

I would like to point to two different stories in the bible that demonstrate the power of praise. One is in the Old Testament, the other in the New.

2 Chronicles Ch. 20 tells the story of Jehosophat and the children of Judah who found themselves outnumbered by the hostile armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir. The situation was bleak. The odds were agaisnt them. However, in the midst of the trial, Jehosophat did not focus on the problem. He focused on praise. The bible says that "As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated."

In the book of Acts we find a similar story. In Acts 16 we find Paul and Silas jailed for declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead of giving up, we see once again that they were not moved by their circumstances. They knew the power of praise. Just like the story of the Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, they were strong in their faith. They trusted God to deliver them. And, in the midst of their problems they gave him praise and honor.

Acts 16:16-35

"...The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened..."

We can develop a heart of praise like Jehosophat, David, Paul and Silas. I believe that if we learn how to give God praise in all things, he will deliver us from the bondage of our pain. We don't have to carry our burdens. Jesus paid the price for our sins and he defeated the power of the enemy.

Jesus wants us to trust him. For we know that, "God works everything for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

I Bless Your Name
Words and Music by Elizabeth Goodine

In prisoners' chains
With bleeding stripes
Paul and Silas prayed that night
And in their pain began to sing
Their chains were loosed
And they were free

I bless Your Name
I bless Your Name
I give You honor, give You praise
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
I bless Your Name
I bless Your Name

Some midnight hour
If you should find
You're in a prison in your mind
Reach out and praise
Defy those chains
And they will fall
In Jesus' Name

We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name
We give You honor, give You praise
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name

You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name

Calvinism Revisited

I visited a new blog today and I noticed this comment on Calvinism from Ellen, the blogger.

“I have come to realize that all parts of TULIP either stand or fall together - it's hard to understand a "3-pointer...”

I couldn’t agree more. This reminded me of the discussions I had a few months ago with various Presbyterian ministers (PCUSA) on the issue of Calvinism and the 5-points (TULIP). Here is the question I asked:

“Hi. I am considering becoming a Presbyterian and I am interested in finding out what your beliefs are regarding Predestination. Specifically, I would like to know (1) how central is the Calvinist doctrine of Predestination to the Presbyterian faith? (2) What percentage of Presbyterian ministers would you estimate are strict 5 point Calvinists? (3) And, could you please share your individual opinion on the doctrine?”

The responses I got were mixed. A few admitted to being 5-point Calvinists. But the rest resisted such a label and instead opted to call themselves 3-point Calvinists, 4-point Calvinists, or simply rejected the entire association with Calvinism.

This led me to question how a person could logically be a 3 or 4 point Calvinist. Does such a thing exist? To point out the logical inconsistencies, here are a few excerpts from the email exchanges I engaged in with one of the ministers:

Rev. Jones: “I have no idea how many ministers believe in the five points of Calvinism. I must confess that I am probably a four pointer, not quite comfortable with Calvin’s certainty around “Limited Atonement.” The notion that God has from the beginning of time destined some for damnation is unsettling to me. While God is utterly free, and does not need to consult this pastor concerning such matters, as I focus upon what I do about God in Jesus Christ, who is “the one sufficient revelation of God” and the Word of God incarnate, I am less apt to want to limit this Great God in any way! I trust in God through Jesus Christ for my salvation, for I am a sinner saved only by His grace. I would commend that grace to all, believing that God wills and wants all to know of the love He sent Jesus to embody and proclaim. I will leave the rest up to God, trusting that He alone knows what is best, and will do it.”

To which I replied:

“I am trying to understand how a person can be a 4-point Calvinist. I am not saying it isn't possible, just that there is apparently something I am not getting. If you believe in irresistible grace, (assuming you are not a universalist that believes all people will be saved), how then can you not believe in limited atonement? For, if God's grace can not be revisited by the "elect" and the non-elect can't believe without it, due to mankind’s total depravity, then isn't the only logical conclusion that can be made is that unless every person is elect then Christ only died for the sins of some and not all?”

He responded with this comment:

“If my position on this is not utterly logical, which you quite clearly point out, and which I was quite aware before you helped me to see this logical inconsistency, it is because, to quote Pascal in another context, ‘The heart has its reasons of which the mind knows nothing.’”

Wow. What kind of theology is that supposed to be?

I had recently read a post at Thinklings that talked about what it means to be Reformed and since it echoed my own questions, I voiced my concerns. You can check out Linked from Monergism.com

Commenting on my assertion that the five points stand or fall together, Jared made this observation:

"...Even though it's unpopular to say so, I don't think anyone can really be a 4-point Calvinist or a 3-Point Calvinist. Grant the first point (Total Depravity) as understood in classic Reformed theology, and the next four fall right into place. You can't have one without the other. This doesn't stop folks from trying, obviously, and usually they have to do so by altering previous points somewhat.

I feel the same way about free-willers who say they really believe salvation is by God's grace alone. If that's really true, I'd like to ask, why is salvation contingent for them upon "acceptance." It's illogical.

But that's the game we all play, and we all play it for the most part to get along. Debates are great, but I'm not a huge fan of dissention. I'll be danged if I'll insist upon my good friend Kenny that he believes Christians are saved by works. I might believe that theologically, but in good faith I trust his heart and mind to the Holy Spirit and his biblical conscience. I know he does the same for me."

Better to Marry Than To Burn

I came across an interesting post on celibacy at Challies. It is an interesting post, offering an alterative interpretation of Paul's commentary on marriage. You can find the full article here:

Amazing Grace

I found excerpts from an interview with U2 rocker, Bono on a couple of different blogs today while I was surfing. The full interview appears in a new book, Bono in Conversation, by journalist Michka Assayas. Despite what you may think of Bono, his insights on grace vs. karma are very good. For example, he says: "I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’d be in deep sh**. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity....The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled… It’s not our owngood works that get us through the gates of Heaven."

Amen to that. I think we would all be in "deep sh**" if it weren't for God's amazing grace.

For more of the interview and some interesting comments go to Bono
Preaches The Gospel

Fear of Commitment?

Ok, I am thinking that I might have been wrong about not having "issues."
Allow me to explain...

I went shopping today for a sleeper sofa for my home office/guest room. I picked out the one I wanted and placed my order. I even paid for it. Then, I got home and started having serious doubts. First, I worried that it wouldn't fit through the door of the room. I measured. Twice. With that issue settled, I then began to wonder if I really liked the color I selected. Oh, no...and what about the pattern of the throw pillows. Nearly in panic attack mode, I found my way to the manufacturer's website. There I found that I could build my own sofa online.

To make a long story short, I have spent the last several hours putting together every single combination of sofas and pillows humanly possible. I have determined, after four frantic phone calls to various friends and relatives, that I made a mistake. I don't like the pattern I selected for the throw pillows. No, wait. I actually hate the pattern I selected for the throw pillows.

Now, just to be clear, we are talking about two very small, square pillows. I can't even commit to two pillows. I have spent nearly my entire day consumed by my own inability to make a decision about pillows. Therefore, does it really come as a surprise to anyone that I am still single?

Hi, my name is Gina, and I can't commit...

Book Junkie

Its official. I am a book junkie! I just bought two more books tonight at Borders. I can't even begin to tell you how many books that I have purchased and never finished reading. There are even a few that I have never read at all. I am out of control.
Books I Am Currently Reading- "Women, Celibacy, and The Church" by Annemarie Kidder; "Church History in Plain Language" by Bruce Shelley; "Desiring God" by John Piper; and "He Still Moves Stones" by Max Lucado.
I also bought a Bible commentary tonight that was recommended by fellow bloggers over at the Thinklings called "Baker Commentary on the Bible" edited by Walter Elwell