The great Christmas Debate

November 28th, 2009

So, the holiday season is coming. We’ve celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas is around the corner. Christmas has amazing memories for me; lots of warm feelings. But it seems that in the past few years I’ve encountered more Christians who are confused about Christmas, and maybe even apprehensive; should Christians celebrate Christmas at all? Are we merely giving in to a pagan tradition? Are we doing spiritual harm to our families?

First of all, there is NO command to celebrate Christmas in the Bible. Read it from cover to cover, you won’t find a command. So, it’s safe to say that if you choose NOT to celebrate Christmas you’re not violating some Biblical mandate.

However, if one looks deeply into the reasons given for NOT celebrating Christmas, you’ll find that they are weak arguments based on bad Biblical exegesis (study) and poor logic.

There are many reasons people propose as to the reason that one should NOT celebrate Christmas. Boiled down to the bottom line, the logic is simple: Christmas is taken from a pagan holiday and therefore should not be celebrated by Christians. In fact, the logic goes, it very likely might be a foothold for Satan to enter your life.

While many of these people are very well meaning, the logic is flawed; the conclusion is erroneous, the the whole train of thought shows a foundation of error that IS actually dangerous. Let’s look at some of the dangers of this logic:

One: One of the strong undercurrents of this mindset is a belief that we must protect ourselves from Satan’s delusions, and that we may be unknowingly tricked/seduced/led astray by some pagan influence. This leads to a heightened sense of awareness of all things that could be from Satan. When this happens, where is the spiritual focus? It’s on Satan, not on Jesus. This is such a problem – on so many levels:

2 Corinthians 3:18 says that by beholding (looking at) Jesus we are changed to be like Him. The same is true with Satan. The more we look at him, the more we are led towards him. Focusing on Satan does not lead to freedom, it leads to bondage, stress and fear.

There are whole movements, or sub-movements within various Christian traditions that are focused a lot on Satan – casting him out, rebuking him, etc. While there are elements of this that are Biblical, Jesus never went looking for demons. We should be obsessed with Jesus, not Satan. The more we are saturated with good, the less we have to fear from evil.

One of the greatest dangers from this is that at it’s core this mindset is legalism: I must do certain things to make sure I’m okay with God. It focuses us on behaviors, not on the transformation of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is legalism. I might loose my salvation if I celebrate Christmas. This is apostasy. Paul’s says that Jesus is the author and finisher; that He will keep us to the day of His return. This is based in fear – not hope. 1 John says perfect love casts out fear.

Transformation does not come by figuring out Satan’s delusions. It comes by “renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Renewing your mind does not happen by studying Satan’s lies, but by being filled up with His Word. Renewing your mind does not come by researching theories on the internet, but by being saturated in the Word.

Two: The history of the world is long. Throughout history, people have tried to explain the world and the universe and often created religions with their own systems of worship and symbols to explain it. The chance that just about ANYTHING in current culture has some type of pagan parallels is quite high. In addition, throughout history, mankind has synthesized things from diverse places and adapted/adopted them and moved forward – often with no regard to it’s origins.

The days of the work are all pagan in origin. When you say, “I’ll see you on Saturday” are you even acknowledging the god Saturn? No, probably not. Or Sunday? Or Tuesday? They’ve been stripped of their cultural underpinnings and reused.

There is an interesting give and take in religions. According to the Biblical understanding, God institute sacrifices after sin in Genesis. Pagan religions took sacrifices and went crazy with it. They built temples to worship in. Yet God instructed Solomon to build a temple. Was this a sin? Was it saying that God agreed with paganism? No, not at all. But, He was using something they understood to teach His lessons.

So, should we be surprised that someone somewhere had a similar symbol? Does that mean that Christmas is completely pagan?

Some of the research that you will read on the internet about the pagan origins of Christmas is shaky at best. Have you looked at www.snopes.com recently? It amazes me how gullible we are. We get an email forwarded from Aunt Betty about some disaster/virus/whatever, and we forward it on. And on. And on. But, with a little research, it is proved false. Recently, there’s a great little video about Einstein showing up his teacher who didn’t believe in God. Yet, that is most likely an untrue story, but it continues to be passed around, and I’ve never seen anyone quote a source that shows the evidence that this story is true! Yet we just accept it as true. We must think. We must research. We must study. We should not look quite as stupid as we sometimes do. In the issue of Christmas it’s no different. Much of the research is shaky.

Speaking of shaky research: My favorite is when people quote Jeremiah 10 as a Biblical injunction against Christmas trees. Here’s the passage, taken from the New American Standard Bible – one of the most literal translations of the Bible:
1Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2Thus says the LORD,
“(A)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
Although the nations are terrified by them;
3For the customs of the peoples are (B)delusion;
Because (C)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4″They (D)decorate it with silver and with gold;
They (E)fasten it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.
5″Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
And they (F)cannot speak;
They must be (G)carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they (H)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”

Ok, so let’s take a look at this verse. Verse 3 is where many start to try to show Christmas was condemned by Jeremiah: it is wood cut from the forest (some translations will say a tree). Then, you have to skip over the rest of verse 3 and go to verse 4 – “they decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers so that it will not totter.” And at that point, you might make a case that this text is talking about Christmas trees.

However, to do that, you have to ignore the end of verse three which talks about a craftsman working on it – which my Christmas trees have never had. If you get past that, you have to go to verse 5, “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, and they cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them for they can do no harm, nor can they do any good.”

Now, I have never heard ANYONE try to get their Christmas tree to speak; I have never seen anyone try to get their tree to walk. This is obviously contrasting false gods that are created by human hands with the eternal God that can do anything!

This is horrible Bible study methodology. It’s taking things out of context, it’s taking bits and pieces to support a theory and ravaging the Word of God. It’s a horrible! We must be better students of the Word than this!

Conclusion of point 2 – Study. Research. Don’t just take what you see on the internet. Study the Word for yourself – just about anyone can make the Bible say anything they want.

Three: The argument that Christmas is pagan and therefore can impact your life ignore this text from Paul:
1 Corinthians 8:4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

I find this interesting. Here was food that was actively offered in a pagan ceremony and Paul’s saying, “so what? There’s no god but God! This has NO power over you!” And yet we live in fear of being contaminated by something pagan. Let this be clear. Jesus Christ has beaten Satan. Satan has no power over Jesus Christ.

Now, if you keep reading, it’s obvious that Paul does not want us to flaunt our freedom to the injury of others. If someone has come out of paganism, don’t let your freedom trip them up!

Connected to this is the fact that power does not reside in the object – power resides in God or Satan. I used to do some concert lighting. There’s a really big lesson that is quickly learned. If the extension cord that connects the light itself to power is not plugged in to the power source, the light will not turn on. There is no power in the extension cord. The “objects” are like the extension cord – are they connecting you to God or Satan? That’s the question – not the question of whether the cord is bad or not.

These symbols have been stripped of any religious/pagan meanings. They are simply things. We should not walk around being afraid of stumbling into something “pagan” that will contaminate us!

And Christmas is bad for many people. Christmas becomes a time of debt, greed, consumerism, and all kinds of crazy emotional/inter-personal stuff that is just destructive. This is sin! It’s a good thing gone wrong. But this isn’t because of paganism – this is people loosing sight of Jesus!

Four: Now, if I were Satan, I would try to do everything I could to get people NOT celebrating Jesus coming to earth. So, on one hand, I would take Christmas and make it a commercial, debt laden, shallow greedfest. At the same time, I’d get Christians to be afraid of it! If Jesus never came, then there’s no Easter (which I think should be celebrated more than Christmas!!!!). If there’s no Easter there’s no hope and Christianity is just another religion among many and completely worthless of true transformation.

While I was at it, I’d make Christians look foolish in the eyes of the unchurched. Why would Christians refuse to celebrate their holiday? Sure, some Christians might dress up on Halloween (which, if there’s a pagan holiday, Halloween would be it!), but they wouldn’t celebrate Christmas – which is when most everyone – Christian or not at least have some understanding of the story of a baby in a manger.

I would strip Christians of this great opportunity to share their faith when people are open to it. Just one story, but a week ago I interviewed a KTSY listener who started listening during the Christmas season when we play 100% Christmas music. She didn’t believe in God, but she got hooked on the station. After Christmas, she stayed with KTSY and has become a Christian. Why? Because of Christmas. The words of Jesus come to my mind… By their fruits you will know them….

So, what’s the bottom line? I challenge all of us to find better ways to celebrate Christmas – to make sure we celebrate Jesus. To make sure He is not replaced in our lives by some cheap alternative. But, let’s not get so caught up in a theory that sounds righteous, but is not sound Biblically, logically, or experientially.

Here’s some links to some other writers about this subject:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/AskPastorJohn/ByTopic/63/2535_Should_Christians_celebrate_Christmas/
http://www.letusreason.org/Apolo16.htm
http://www.letusreason.org/Current18.htm

Posted in Chaplain Rambling, Christmas, Faith, Family, Issues, Paganism, Questions | No Comments »

The prayer of forgiveness

November 7th, 2009

It’s not about the words… It’s about the heart. Pray these concepts and pray it slowly – savoring it and take it in…

Lord, I choose to forgive ____PERSON___ for _____ISSUE_____ causing me to feel ____EMOTIONAL PAIN___. I am willing to pay for the emotional pain and consequences that ____PERSON___ has caused me. I ask you to come and fill my heart up for what was taken from me. I ask You, Lord Jesus, to take back the ground I gave to the enemy through my bitterness and I yield that ground to Your control.

Adapted from John Regier.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Bible, Bitterness, Chaplain Rambling, Counseling, Faith, Family, Forgiveness, Issues, Mental Illness, Questions, Relationships | No Comments »

Pastor Randy

June 13th, 2009

If you were listening Saturday morning, June 13 and would like to contact Pastor Randy, here’s his info!

Pastor Randy

randmax@cableone.net

And the address for his church:

820 N Linder Rd.

Kuna, ID   83634

Phone: (208) 922-4686

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Make Mom Feel Special

May 10th, 2009

Go to www.momsrising.org and on the top banner one of the cycling images says, “Tell Your Mom….” or Mom’s Star – click on that and you can put in your name and the name of your mom and email her your special video!

Posted in Chaplain Rambling, Family, Fun, Relationships, Resources | No Comments »

Encouraing article for rough times

April 3rd, 2009

Here’s the article I read a part of on the air during Weekend Worship.

Posted in Bible, Chaplain Rambling, Economy, Faith, Issues, Mission, Recession, Spirituality, Witnessing | No Comments »

Promise #4 – Take a Day Off!

February 23rd, 2009

Promise #4

Take a Day Off!

 

How cool is God? There’s 10 commandments. You’ve got just a few commandments or promises to show them the new life you want to give them. With only 10 of these; it’s awesome to me that right in the middle, God has this awesome promise! “You will take a day off!”

The fourth promise says in Exodus 20: 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

In other words, TAKE A DAY OFF!

This is so like God! It’s His method of operation from the beginning of our little world! God, who can speak and things pop into existence takes 6 days to create the world; and then, takes a day off and says, this is the day to quit working!

Genesis 2:2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

God believes in taking a day off?

Could this be because He knew we’d obsess and work hard?

Could it be that He knew we’d pack our lives with more and more stuff?

Could it be that He knew we wouldn’t stop to enjoy life sometimes?

Could it be that He knew He could pack 7 days of productivity into 6?

Could it be that He knew He could help us realize we were trying to do too much anyway?

The beauty of the Sabbath – the day off – is that it’s a great metaphor of salvation. Where do we mess up too easily on the issue of salvation?

1. We won’t let go and let God take care of our salvation. This is legalism – if I work I’ll get or keep my salvation.

2. We easily forget that God can actually change anything… We start to believe we receive salvation and then stay stuck in our life and sin.

The Sabbath faces both of these lies head on.

Hebrews 4:9 says, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.”

The writer of Hebrews is saying, look, salvation is is your rest! You stop worrying about your salvation and transformation and leave it in the hands of God!

And to take a day off of work of all the normal stuff of life – the things that make your life work – means that God has to help make it all work – and we trust Him to actually change things.

The Israelites got a great example of this right before God have them the 10 Commandments. They needed food, so He provided food for them. They called it manna. You can read this story in Exodus 16. Every day God gave them enough food for the day. If they collected too much it went bad overnight.

However, when it came to the day before the Sabbath, they were to collect twice as much so they could rest on the Sabbath. He provided for them… He made them more productive! It’s a promise about the Sabbath encased in a story!

It’s God saying, TAKE A DAY OFF!!! Do you need a day off?

And look at the wording! “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work.” This is talking about the stuff that makes life work; the stuff you are called to do; this is the stuff that makes life continue. You get to stop for a day and relax!

So, God both saves us -and gives us rest – and provides for us in the process!

This is salvation! You have rest – and I’m going to change your life! Complete salvation!

Now, here’s where people get stuck… It’s the first part of the promise:

You will remember the Sabbath day…. but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.

What day is the seventh? Saturday. This day has been kept faithfully by Jews for thousands of years. The calendar has been revised, but the days of the week have not changed. Saturday is the Sabbath.

And Jesus kept it – read through the gospels. And He expected people after He was resurrected to keep it as well. How do I know? In Matthew 24 Jesus is talking about persecution to happen after His resurrection and he says, “18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. “

So, He is anticipating that His followers would be keeping the Sabbath after His ascension!

You might ask where did people worshiping on Sunday come from then? Well, that’s a whole study in and of itself, however, to give you a quick view- after Jesus ascension Christians started to celebrate His resurrection on Sunday. They kept the Sabbath (you can read this throughout Acts). However, when persecution of the Jews became more and more intense, Christians started to compromise and wouldn’t worship on Saturday to keep a distinction between themselves and the Jews. As political power united with religious power, worshiping on Sunday became the enforced norm.

But, the bottom line is, Jesus never stopped the keeping of the Sabbath on Saturday.

The next easy question is simple… Why does it matter? Shouldn’t I just keep one day as a day off? I would say yes – except that God Himself said, “Remember… to keep the Sabbath day…. but the Seventh is the Sabbath.”

If your job has you working on Saturday or you have other activities on Saturday, then obviously, this is going to be a big faith risk for you… Will God take care of you if you fulfill the promise He has for you?

It all goes back to salvation? Can you trust God with your life? Can you trust Him your time and your money? Yes. Yes you can!

And more than that, you get a DAY OFF!

 For more on this, listen to my sermon on this promise at http://livetheexperience.org/media/listen-online-september-13-2008/

Posted in 10 Commandments, Chaplain Rambling, Salvation, Spirituality, Theology | No Comments »

Promise #3 – You’re going to have a passion!

February 16th, 2009


Ten Promises of a New Life

Promise #3 – Exodus 20: 7 “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”

 

Growing up in church, I heard this was all about swearing. Don’t say, God, Jesus, and so on as swear words.

 

But, that is just a small part of not misusing the name of the Lord. When the Bible is talking about “name” it’s not just talking about a word – it’s talking about a lot more. It’s talking about the reputation, the fame, and the persona of a person.

 

When I worked at summer camp one summer there was another guy named Brian there. Problem was, he was a bad worker and didn’t get along with the other staff very well. And it started to effect MY reputation. MY name got rubbed in the mud. Once I complained to some friends that he was messing up what people thought of me because the name Brian was getting a bad reputation!

 

That’s what the Bible is talking about in a name…

 

So, this promise is really about living life about something different!

 

The first promise is that God is it! There’s nothing greater than Him in your life.

 

The second promise is that God is going to rock your world and take you on an adventure that’s completely outside of what you can imagine!

 

The third promise is God is going to give you a passion and a mission in life! It’s the passion for God’s reputation in the world! Nothing else matters except that God is glorified:

 

            Isaiah 26:Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;

      our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.

            1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,

do it all for the glory of God.

 

God says, your life is about something totally new! It’s about living for God’s reputation!

 

For more on this, check on my sermon on this subject at http://livetheexperience.org/media/listen-online-september-6-2008/

 

I would like to make a brief mention of a movement among some that stems from this commandment, as well as other thoughts. Some call it the Holy Name Movement; some may call it different things, or nothing at all. But, it’s the idea that it is improper to use the names God, Jesus or Lord when talking about God.

 

Here are a few thoughts on this:

 

  • First, to think that we fully understand the name of God is a big presumptuous of us as humans. We must realize that we are not divine, the Bible is not written in some Biblical language – it was written in the language of the people! So, to think that humanity can contain the name of God is crazy!
  • Secondly, when God did name Himself to Moses, He said, I AM. He’s saying, you can’t define me! This is the issue of the second commandment – you won’t understand me! You can’t put me in a box!
  • Third, the Bible uses the generic name that would be translated “God” in both the Old and New Testaments. In the New Testament the Greek word is Kyrios that both Jesus and the apostles use for God. It’s used for human authority and for deity – false deity AND true deity. The Old Testament uses elohiym – and it’s used for the true God and for gods and goddesses as well as rulers and judges.
  • Fourth, Jesus is the English transliteration of Iesous – which is the Greek transliteration of Yeshoua. The New Testament writers use it consistently.
  • Fifth, there might be those who then say, well, the Bible is corrupt. This is a false theory for several reasons:
    • First, we have New Testament manuscripts to within about 30 years of when the original books were written – and they are consistent with what we have now.
    • Secondly, the Old Testament was preserved with incredible accuracy – as was found with the revelation of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
  • Yahweh may not even be the name of God. The Israelites were so careful to not harm the name of God that they took the vowels out! Scholars have guessed at what those vowels probably are, but we don’t actually know. So, we don’t really know what the name actually is!

 

This is a very surface review of why this belief system is in error. There’s nothing WRONG with using Yahweh or Yashua, but it is not a requirement or obligation to use those names and NOT the names of God, Lord, Jesus, etc.

 

You see the name is not a magic potion. If Mike Agee, KTSY general manager sends me to a Christian Book Store in the area and asks me to pick up tickets for a concert we’re helping promote, the name Mike Agee has no power. It’s the reputation that Mike has; it’s the position, authority and history that Mike’s name carries that moves people to do what I ask…

 

The same with the name of God. Acts 19 tells a great story of people who tried to use the name of Jesus like a magic potion. The demons came and beat a guy up! It’s about the power of the person behind the name; it’s the reputation, history, position, and authority of the being WITH the name.

Posted in 10 Commandments, Chaplain Rambling | 2 Comments »

Promise #2 – American Idol?

February 9th, 2009


The second promise of a new life at first may sound like it has nothing to do with us. When’s the last time you knelt in front of an idol?

 

Exodus 20:4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

 

However, the promises of a new life go so much farther than that. You see, making an idol was a way for people to understand their god. We want something that we can understand – that we can wrap our minds around.

 

This is the power of the second promise for a new life: You will not control me! I am going to take you on an adventure – a life that is outside of the box that you live in.

 

If I can understand God; if I can wrap my mind around Him; if I can define Him then I am at the same level of God- and I keep a huge level of control in my life. I am at the level of God!

 

But, when we see what God has taken us through; when we see that God has given us freedom; when God has taken us out of our own Egypt, we simply say, “WOW! I want nothing else! And not only that, but I give control up to God… Take me on this adventure!”

 

This is the power of the second promise!

 

Now, some of you may have read to the end and are saying, but Chaplain Brian, “What about that ending and the sins of the fathers on the children?”

 

Well, Let me just make it simple… When we try to control the adventure, we mess up our own lives – AND the lives of other people. We don’t just live for ourselves – we affect others.

However, the great thing is, we can effect positive change! The second part is that God lavishes His love for a thousand generations. You are receiving blessings from people you have never known in your family tree who loved God! And that power is greater than the power you have to hurt someone by your actions!

 

God is promising you the most incredible adventure! You will not try to box God up and He’s going to take you on an incredible adventure!

 

Posted in 10 Commandments, Bible, Chaplain Rambling | No Comments »

10 Promises for a New Life

February 2nd, 2009

I’m a little behind in my blogging on the 10 Promises of a New Life… We’re much farther on the radio than I am on the blog.

However, let’s take a quick jump back to slowly catch up…

The First Promise is powerful: (Exodus 20:1-3)

Then God spoke all these words, saying,“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Can you imagine standing in front of Mount Sinai? There’s an amazing special effects show blasting over the mountain. And you are hearing the voice of God!

Not just that – but they’ve just witnessed God pick them up out of Egypt and take them out. They’ve seen God show in a literal way that the God’s of Egypt are ridiculous. They’ve seen Him do spiritual butt-kicking on the Egyptian religion, culture, and government.

Then, they’ve faced the Egyptian army and seen God take them through the Red Sea on DRY GROUND – and then that army get swallowed up by crashing walls of water…

They’ve had God feed them and give them water on their journey.

And then they in front of this mountain and hear God say, “I’m it! I took you from Egypt! I delivered You! You’re not going to have any other gods than me!” And the people said…. “Duh! Ya think?! Who else would we want?”

You see, this first commandment; this first promise only comes after they have been delivered. It only comes after they have seen God take care of them – they have seen their own weakness and are excited to be free!

And when that happens to you – you say, “I don’t want anything else except Him! He’s IT!”

What role does a god play in our lives?

  • From our “god” we find out who we are
  • From our “god” we find out our purpose
  • From our “god” we have a reason to live
  • From our “god” we are given structure to our life
  • From our “god” we find what is important
  • From our “god” we find our own identity
  • From our “god” we are filled emotionally

This is the first promise – and it is – when you have been delivered, then nothing else matters but Him.

And, as we’ll see, all of the other promises hang off of this first promise. If you have this promise, you almost don’t need the others. They are simply expanding and defining this promise!

For you, God is saying, “Look – I’ve given you a new life- and when you see that you won’t want anything or anyone else to be in the place of giving you your identity. You won’t have any other gods but me…

Posted in 10 Commandments, Chaplain Rambling | No Comments »

The Shack

February 2nd, 2009

So, the morning show team has been blogging about the book, The Shack. They’ve received some negative responses from those who have some great problems with The Shack.

I don’t care whether you read The Shack or not – I’m not here trying to catch on a campaign. Nor am I going to get embroiled in an argument about each individual issue on The Shack.

1. Presuppositions: I believe deeply that the Word is the ultimate authority – above all others. No one person, or author stands in the place of the Bible.

2. What you believe is important. Wha tyo ubelieve determins how you interact with God. If you believe He is a harsh judge, you will relate to Him that way. If you believe He is unknowable, You’ll interact with Him in a different way. What you believe is important.

3. There is ultimate truth. There is truth above all else. And that truth is God – as Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

With all that said, I read The Shack – and I enjoyed The Shack. It was a blessing to me.

Did I agree with everything in The Shack? No.

Do I agree with everything I read in most books – even Christian books? No. Max Lucado? Find things where I believe the Word does not agree with Max. Pick an author – I can challenge him with the Word.

Does that mean I should not read them? No! It means I should read them and test it in light with the Word and take what is true.

What I find most unique about The Shack is that IT IS A PARABLE. IT IS NEVER PRESENTED AS TRUTH. It is a PARABLE!!!!! And a parable is there to get a message across. The Shack was written to wrestle with the problem of bad things happening.

Even Jesus, in parables, uses story telling and does not give perfect theology. Look at the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16. Are Heaven and Hell really just separated by a big gulf – and those in hell can see heaven and vice versa? Is heaven really being in Abraham’s bosom? No! This isn’t the picture of heaven and hell anywhere else in the Bible. This is simply a story to make a POINT!

Now, there are a couple things that bother me about The Shack.

  1. Open theology: There is an illusion to the concept of Open Theology when God says that they don’t look into the future so they can be in relationship. I don’t have a huge problem with that – maybe there are times God focuses on us -and how that happens, I don’t know. However, the concept of God not knowing the future is a belief – called Open Theology – that I deeply disagree with – and The Shack could seem as a step in that direction. On the surface I don’t have a problem with The Shack – but where it COULD lead – if someone is not studying the Bible is a problem.
  2. Lack of Authority: The Shack also talks about how there is not authority in God’s world as there is in ours. I think the author is pushing our conceptions of God. However, there is authority in heaven and among the trinity – I’m sure we wouldn’t really understand it or recognize it… It’s much different than we understand.

These are things that simply put, are things people need to be reading the Word first – and they will understand truth. And then, let’s relax, read, and test things against the Word and be pushed back to the Word.

Are there things I don’t agree with in The Shack? Sure. But, if I get rid of everything that has things I don’t agree with in the Word I’d have to get rid of a lot of my books – and my friends!

Posted in Chaplain Rambling, Issues, Salvation, Theology | 3 Comments »

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