A Dialogue That Satisfies Our American Values.

I call my blog Naboth's Vineyard for a reason.  The story of Naboth in 1 Kings 21 is a rather sad, but, informative episode in the history of Israel.  Naboth, a vineyard owner, is approach by King Ahab with a request that he sell--or, trade--his vineyard to him.  Naboth's response is very telling and eventually costs him his life.  But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” Today Christians are being presented with requests that they should give up their Christian heritage, and our answer should be the answer of Naboth to Ahab.  

Returning to the USA, from a long time of living and doing ministry in Africa, I was concerned to find colleagues of mine advocating and participating in some kind of dialogue with Islam. While dialogue with Islam might be--in some way--satisfying to our American value of inclusiveness, there is very little which genuine Christians might come to agreement with in Islam. 

I recently came across this quote from Thomas Aquinas ... a theologian that lived some 800 years closer to the founding of Islam that we are:

"He (Mohammed) seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh urges us. His teaching also contained precepts that were in conformity with his promises, and he gave free rein to carnal pleasure. In all this, as is not unexpected; he was obeyed by carnal men. As for proofs of the truth of his doctrine, he brought forward only such as could be grasped by the natural ability of anyone with a very modest wisdom. Indeed, the truths that he taught he mingled with many fables and with doctrines of the greatest falsity.

He did not bring forth any signs produced in a supernatural way, which alone fittingly gives witness to divine inspiration; for a visible action that can be only divine reveals an invisibly inspired teacher of truth. On the Contrary, Mohammed said that he was sent in the power of his arms – which are signs not lacking even to robbers and tyrants. What is more, no wise men, men trained in things divine and human, believed in him from the beginning. Those who believed in him were brutal men and desert wanderers, utterly ignorant of all divine teaching, through whose numbers Mohammed forced others to become his follower’s (sic) by the violence of his arms. Nor do divine pronouncements on part of preceding prophets offer him any witness. On the contrary, he perverts almost all the testimony of the Old and the New Testaments by making them into a fabrication of his own, as can be seen by anyone who examines his law. It was, therefore, a shrewd decision on his part to forbid his followers to read the Old and New Testaments, lest these books convict him of falsity. It is thus clear that those who place faith in his words believe foolishly." - Summa Contra Gentiles, Book 1, Chapter 16, Art. 4. Footnote: 1. Sura 21:5, Sura 44:14

We, who are followers of Jesus Christ, are very specifically NOT SENT IN THE POWER OF ARMS.  This is a fact that St. Paul makes very clear in the Epistle of the Ephesians. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

I talk about this further in a recent sermon I gave at the Tulsa International Fellowship of First Presbyterian Church.

American Christianity: Bible-ish? Or, Bible-less?

Afterwards, I started thinking about American Christianity.  

My part-time retirement entertainment consists of driving a bus--either empty or full of passengers--over the road.  In most cases that also entails being thrust into a car with an aggregate group of fellow drivers I have never met before for a 10 or 12 hour drive back to Tulsa.  It's not nearly as enchanting as it sounds.  Usually someone will begin an inquiry into how I came to be one of the drivers. It is the "where did you come from?" inquiry that seeks to determine--in a pleasant way--that I am one of them.  Since I can't hide 40+ years of ordained ministry, that fact usually comes out fairly soon.  Once established that I am a Christian, others will often chime in about their Christian faith--or, lack of it--as well.  This week one of those conversations went something like this:"So, you are familiar with the Bible, can I ask you a question?"

Me, dropping anchor for the potential storm ahead, "Sure...."

"What do you know about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?"

Me, "Ah....well I seem to be familiar with that..."

"Well, the lady in our Sunday School class that she and her husband do the teaching, said that before Christ returns things are going to get worse rather than better.  Have you ever heard of that? I'd never heard that before.  I always thought things would be getting better and better before He returns, myself.  What do you think?"

I was thinking, if you attended a Sunday School class your entire adult life and have absolutely no understanding of the events surrounding the Second Coming, you weren't well served by the experience.  But, I said, "Yes, I've heard that."

Since it wasn't a serious inquiry, the conversation quickly drifted into other banalities, and I began to think about Bible illiteracy.  Yes, the Bible is the best selling book in history.  It is also the least read and most misunderstood best seller in history.  This lack of engagement with the Bible has lots of causes with fingers pointing in various directions.  But, the lack of availability of Bible resources is not one of them.

This week on our regular Radio Free Patmos Island podcast John Rusk and I will be talking about the important place of authority the Bible has in the life of the believer.  You're invited to listen in and respond with your own comments and questions.

Life Without Guardrails

There can be little doubt that we are standing on the edge of certain change in America.  After the first Tuesday in November, 2016, everything will change.  This happens regardless of which political party wins the Whitehouse.  Having acknowledged that, how then should we live in the midst of both great danger and great opportunity?

Guardrails on the highway

Driving through the mountains of Washington State can be a dangerous adventure, especially in the snow and ice.  On particularly dangerous mountain roads the state has installed guardrails to try and prevent cars from going over the edge to certain death.  In the same way God has some guardrails to keep us from crashing our lives.  John Rusk and I discuss this in depth on our podcast, Is Your Church An Endangered Species?.   




Here is one of several guardrails we talk about in our podcast:

The Authority of God's Word

We get a sense of the importance of God's Word from this quote from St. Paul in 2 Timothy "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. "  The authority of the scripture comes from its source:  It is God breathed (or, inspired).  Because God is both perfect and completely free from any failure or weakness, the scriptures--the very breath of God--are themselves trustworthy and the final word on matters of faith and practice.