“Popular indicators suggest that evangelicalism’s unique moral and theological inheritance has been traded for a bowlful of spiritual junk food that feeds the contemporary appetite. American culture now carries more weight than revelation on a broad range of issues from ethics to beliefs. The prevalence of adultery and divorce—even among nationally known figures—no longer startles. Consumer research and related techniques increasingly supplant Scripture’s analysis of the church’s and believers’ responsibilities…
"The old theological standards have collapsed. Theologically central beliefs—such as God’s judgment on sin, the unity and sole authority of Scripture, and salvation only through personal trust in Christ—are no longer defining…The incessant refrains of our contemporary ideology, ‘everyone is entitled to his opinion’ and ‘let’s not judge,’ fill the evangelical academy. The Augustinian insight that all truth is God’s truth…has been deconstructed to mean that any sincere religious person’s perception of truth is probably God’s truth.”

Timothy R. Phillips and Dennis L. Okholm, The Nature of Confession: Evangelicals & Postliberals in Conversation (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 8, via Steve Wolfgang.

Don't think it hasn't infiltrated the church—dw.
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     Our older son lives in the panhandle of Florida where he preaches for a small church.  Although he has an apartment of his own, he also has a roommate.  That means that when we go to visit we can either stay in a hotel or rent a house.  When you consider that we can cook our own meals in the house, that makes it a much more economical choice than it looks like at first.  With the inflation of the past four years, even fast food will set three people back about $35.00, and fast food won't do three times a day, for your health especially.
     We have found a beautiful house that sits right on the bay.  The kitchen is well-stocked for cooking and the great room includes things like a bumper pool table, an arcade game and a cabinet full of classic board games like checkers and chess, Clue, and Sorry.  Outside, a small wooden structure holds floats and other swimming apparatus, and a corn hole game nearly spans the house-wide veranda.  We often grill in the large fire pit next to the water, or simply sit there with our last cup of coffee in the morning watching the waves, the boats, and especially the pelicans.
     The house includes a dock that juts a good fifty yards out into the bay.  The pilings of another pier stand a couple houses down to the west, the dock itself having blown away in a hurricane some time ago.  Every morning pelicans fly in to the pilings.  Probably a leftover notion from my birdwatching in North Florida, I count the pelicans every morning.  The first morning I counted 35.  The second I saw 41 perching on the posts.  The third morning we hit the jackpot with 54!  Every so often one drops into the water to bathe, to eat, or just to relax and float peacefully, I suppose, but soon they flap their wings a time or two and up they rise to their personal seat above the warm bay water.
     The fourth morning, I only counted 9.  Uh-oh, I thought.  What happened?  All morning long I fretted about those silly birds.  Gradually the count rose until there were once again over thirty, but we never again hit that jackpot number, and we never knew what had happened.  Of course, it isn't about the number—it's about wondering what happened.
     That's the way it should be among us.  When we see an empty pew, it's not about numbers.  It's not about being able to brag about the attendance on one of those ubiquitous wooden boards with the white on black numbers.  But those do serve to remind us that we need to check on some people.  Many of us habitually sit in one certain pew.  For us it's so this half blind woman can see more, and her profoundly deaf husband can read lips.  Some people want to find fault with those who sit in the same place every time, but perhaps they shouldn't judge.  And, one good thing about sitting in the same place--it makes it much easier to see who is missing, to wonder why, and to be concerned.  If we aren't using that benefit, it's time we wake up.  In our new congregation, I have noticed that when anyone is missing any time at all, the cry goes up at announcement time, "Do we know where they are?"  No one will be able to simply slip away with that kind of care.
     If you think you can have a personal relationship with God and your Lord Jesus without having a relationship with others, you are sadly mistaken.  The church is not a placeholder as so many theologians claim.  God planned it before the foundation of the world, (Eph 3:10,11).  It's the place He meant for His people to dwell with one another and with Him—the new Temple (2:19-22).  He has given us so many "one another commandments" I cannot possibly list them all in this short essay.  Love one another, pray for one another, exhort one another, edify one another, encourage one another—and that is not the half.  Do we think we can ignore these commands and He will be happy with us, and more to the point, how can we possibly do those things when we have no contact with one another?  How can we possibly be pleasing to Him when we disobey and excuse it with our assurance that we know better than He does about what we or others need? 
     I worried that week when I saw an empty piling.  We should worry much more when we see an empty pew.  Someone is missing the spiritual nourishment they need.  If you aren't counting pelicans, how in the world will you know who needs you?

And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all. See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all (1Thess 5:14-15).

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works (Heb 10:24).

Dene Ward

Men seem to have a problem with prepositions.  Keith, for example, mixes up “in” with “over,” “on,” “at,” and “beside.”  When he takes anything out of a drawer, his idea of putting it back is to put it on the counter over the drawer, rather than in the drawer.  In the morning, he leaves the cough drop wrappers on the floor beside the bed, rather than putting them in the trash can.  When he undresses, he throws his clothes at or on the hamper, rather than putting them in it. 
            I could accept that this is just a “man thing” except for this:  this same man makes Biblical arguments about prepositions every day.  The best explanation to me is that we all see what we want to see instead of what is really there, and hear what we want to hear instead of what was really said.
            Many of my friends have the same problem.  They want to live as “good” people and think that Christ and the church have absolutely nothing to do with their salvation.  The Bible, on the other hand, says that “in Christ” we have redemption (Rom 3:24), the love of God (Rom 8:39), sanctification (1 Cor 1:2), grace (2 Tim 2:1), and salvation (2 Tim 2:10).  Not out of Christ, but in.  Which of those things are you willing to do without?
            Baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), not after or because of, and we are baptized into one body (1 Cor 12:13) not on a convenient Sunday nor because we were voted in.
            Some of my brethren have a similar problem.  They think that sitting on a pew is what makes us in Christ.  Yet the scriptures they quote every Sunday tell them that “in Christ” we are new creatures (2 Cor 5:17), created for good works (Eph 2:10).  Not only that but we must prove we are in the faith and we do that by showing Christ in us (2 Cor 13:5), following in his footsteps in those good works (1 Pet 2:21).  We prove we are sound in the faith by the way we live our lives every day (Titus 1:10-2:13).
            Prepositions are not that difficult and they do matter.  Do you want to eat dinner at the table or under it?  Do you want to take a shower in the bathroom or out of it?  Do you want to sleep on the bed or beside it?  Do you want your wife to feed you breakfast in bed or on the bed (where she threw it at you because you obviously do not understand prepositions!)?  See?  All it takes is a little honesty with ourselves, enough to see beyond our biases, beyond “what I’ve always heard,” beyond “what mama said,” and you can make the same changes that those people of the first century did—pagans who before lived lives of sin without giving it a second thought, who had no concept of monotheism, who had to change every aspect of their lives, even to the point of bringing persecution upon themselves and their families, and many times death. 
            Maybe that’s the problem.  We are simply not that honest, brave, or sincere in our devotion to God and a Savior who gave up everything for us.  We want to throw the clothes at the hamper and say to God, “See how much I love you?”
            Let me tell you something—He ain’t buyin’ it.
 
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27
 
Thanks to Keith for being such a good sport about this one!
Dene Ward

You think Black Friday is bad?  I was reading through some historical trivia and found this:  one day in 1944, guards and floorwalkers at a Chicago department store were trampled by 2500 women storming the store doors for 1500 alarm clocks that had been announced for sale.  Alarm clocks?  In March?  What in the world was that about?  I did a little checking but with my severely limited equipment I was unable to find the exact store and the exact price on those clocks, or what made them so special.  It must have been some sale, though, or some alarm clock.
            Isn’t it a shame that the doors of meetinghouses all over this country aren’t stormed in a similar way every Sunday?  Isn’t it heartbreaking that we can hardly get a neighbor to study with us until he experiences some sort of horrible tragedy in his life?  Isn’t it a travesty beyond measure that God can say, “I have something for you that is absolutely free,” and hardly anyone cares? 
            Buy the truth and sell it not, the Proverb writer says in 23:23, adding yea, buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.  Don’t you wish they were for sale?  What I wouldn’t give for the wisdom to better handle this life, for direct instruction from God when I am floundering about, wondering what to do, and to know the truth about every question I have or am asked. 
            The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46.  I have brethren who won’t even give up their time on the weekends much less be willing to sell everything they own for a place in that kingdom.
            We may have a good head for numbers and be able to plan what we think of as a secure future for ourselves, but our definition of security is wrong.  God told his people in Isa 55:2 and 3, Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.  Moses even earlier had said, Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, Deut 8:3.
            As smart as we think we are, one of these days we will learn unequivocally that we have placed value on the wrong things.  Real faith does not “rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God,” and “surpassing power belongs to God and not to us,” 1 Cor 2:5; 2 Cor 4:7.
            Not so, we say with our deeds, if not our words: “God has no idea how to handle money!”  We may boast of our faith, but our actions often belie it and at the same time accuse God of being a fool.
            For what would you be willing to camp outside all night in the cold in order to buy at first light?  For what would you pound on the doors of the store?  For what would you pay a jacked-up price because you want it so badly, or tear out of another’s hand at the risk of losing your own?  Why are we so enamored of “things” and think so little of the spiritual wealth God offers for free every day?
 
I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Revelation 3:15-19
 
Dene Ward

A few years ago. after an unseasonable two weeks in the month of January that left our azaleas and blueberries blooming, the live oak leaves falling by the bushel, and the air conditioner humming away instead of the woodstove, we finally had a night in the thirties and woke February 1 to frost on the ground—and on all those blooms.
            Keith rose earlier than usual to start the sprinkler on the blueberries so when the sun hit them as it climbed behind the trees in the eastern woods, the frost would be washed off and the blooms left undamaged.  He also built a small fire in the fire pit beside them, pulled together from the remains of a fire we had enjoyed the night before with a cup of hot chocolate. 
            Ever since we moved to this plot of ground we have had a fire pit for hot dog fires and marshmallow roasts.  Now with the boys gone, we still like to sit there on a cold night and talk.  We sit there in the mornings too, if coals remain, and some did that day, so, thanks to a considerate husband, I had a fire to warm me along with my second cup of coffee.
            The world was waking up.  Wrens warbled loudly in the shrubs, in between perches on the suet cage.  The hawks cried out as they flew overhead, hunting breakfast.  A neighbor’s cow bawled so loudly I wondered if it needed milking or was just hungry.  Frosted off brown grass may be crunchy, but probably doesn’t offer much nourishment.
            I watched the small fire and scratched Chloe’s furry head.  Suddenly the wood shifted, and the whole fire lowered a bit as the wood beneath completely lost its framework and became nothing but ashes.  Slowly and surely the rest began to burn and fall, and within a few minutes only a twig or two was left glimmering in the white debris beneath.
            One morning recently, when we were sitting by a similar fire planning a camping trip, we suddenly realized that we could no longer plan “twenty years from now” with any reasonable expectation.  I suppose it hit me first when I did the math and thought, if Keith makes it twenty more years he will have outlived all of his grandparents and his parents.  One of my grandmothers lived to 97, but then I realized that I take after my other grandmother more and that would give me only ten more years.
            I am not being morose.  After all, for a Christian, it means the reward is closer, but I think the day it hits you will suddenly change everything you say and do from then on.  It needs to hit you sooner rather than later—life is short, a breath, a wind, a shadow, the grass, the flowers—all of these things are mentioned in scores of places in the scriptures.
            We are just like that small morning fire.  Only half the size of a normal campfire and built on the half burnt remains of the night before, it was gone in moments.  But it still accomplished two things. 
            It provided some warmth in the early morning chill.  The thermometer next to the house said 37 that day, but Keith said the car thermometer, which was not next to a warm wall, registered between 29 and 33 as he drove to work.  In a nightgown, sweatshirt and denim jacket, I needed some warmth while I sat there.  So does the world.  It’s up to me to provide that warmth, which translates as comfort and compassion, to everyone I meet.  As Paul said in 2 Cor 1:3,4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  God gives us spiritual life so we can give comfort to others, not just for our own joy.
            The morning was still dim that day, and the fire also provided me with the light to see around me.  God appeared as a pillar of cloud to lead the Israelites during the day.  What about travel after dark?  And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. Exodus 13:21-22.  Isn’t it in the dark of trial, indecision, and despair that we need guidance most?  And when do our neighbors need our help the most?  God means for us to be a light, a city set on a hill, bright enough for all to see even at a distance.
            And then we gradually burn down and the light and the warmth disappear.  Or does it?  Don’t you still remember people who have helped you along the way?  Don’t you still recall their wise and comforting words and their kind deeds?  It only looks like the fire has died, for underneath those feathery white ashes lie smoldering coals that will still warm you and give you light.
            That’s what God expects of this small morning fire we call our lives, and the fire that keeps on giving will be the one that springs to life again on that bright and glorious morning to come.
 
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom, Psa 90:12.
 
Dene Ward

Do you remember the book I reviewed over three years ago, The Problem of God--Answering a Skeptics Challenges to Christianity?  This is another book in that vein.  Ms. McLaughlin answers most of the same questions Mark Clark did in that book, plus a few more that seem endemic to our own peculiar culture, but in a deeper, more complete way.  She rattles off statistics that will shock you.  Like the fact that as of 2010 there were more than 68,000,000 Christians in China and that the number of Chinese Protestants has grown by 10% a year since 1979.  It is even possible that Christians in China will outnumber Christians in the United States within another decade or so.  Christianity is not a Western religion, nor has it ever been intended to be by God.  Around the world, the majority of Christians are, in fact, "women of color."  In this politically correct culture of ours, she warns that we need to be careful who it is we are really mocking when we mock Christianity. 
               She points out things that should be self-evident if we weren't so gullible in accepting the numbers and assertions skeptics readily spout.  For instance, science has not proved Christianity wrong.  In fact, it was Christian scientists who, when noticing the order God has placed in nature, first came up with the scientific method that all scientists now use.
               In practically every question she answers, she sets the questioner on his ear with answers that I have seldom, if ever, heard before.  In the process, she deepens your faith and corrects a few shallow understandings and platitudes.  When it comes to "Isn't Christianity Homophobic?" she truly sets the reader back a notch while carefully showing exactly what the Bible—and the Lord himself—teach.  (I won't spoil the surprise.)
               In every question, McLaughlin turns it upside down and inside out, leaving no stone unturned.  Every chapter covers its topic as completely as possible.  While being relatively easy to read, it is as scholarly as one could hope for in its reasoning, data, and citations.  You need to read this, and give it to your teenagers to read as well.  It will be an immense help to them as they try to make their way through an educational system, and a culture, that lies without blushing and does its best to make every believer into an object of ridicule.
               Confronting Christianity is published by Crossway.
 
Dene Ward