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The Sixth Word: “It is finished!” (John 19:30)
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, March 21, 2008
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Statue from The Stations of the Cross, Serra Retreat Center, Malibu, California
Reflection
I never saw a more difficult film to watch than Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. For most of that movie I wanted to avert my eyes. It was horrible to watch even a cinematic version of a crucifixion. And it was beyond comprehension to think that this actually happened to somebody, and not just anybody, but my Lord and Savior. I had studied the crucifixion before, and knew in my head what Jesus experienced. But seeing a visual presentation of his suffering was almost more than I could bear. When The Passion of the Christ was over, I felt palpable relief. Thank goodness it was finished.
When Jesus said “It is finished,” surely he was expressing relief that his suffering was over. “It is finished” meant, in part, “This is finally done!” But the Greek verb translated as “It is finished” (tetelestai) means more than just this. Eugene Peterson captures the full sense of the verb in The Message: “It’s done . . . complete.” Jesus had accomplished his mission. He had announced and inaugurated the kingdom of God. He had revealed the love and grace of God. And he had embodied that love and grace by dying for the sin of the world, thus opening up the way for all to live under the reign of God.
Because Jesus finished his work of salvation, you and I don’t need to add to it. In fact, we can’t. He accomplished what we never could, taking our sin upon himself and giving us his life in return. Jesus finished that for which he had been sent, and we are the beneficiaries of his unique effort. Because of what he finished, you and I are never “finished.” We have hope for this life and for the next. We know that nothing can separate us from God’s love. One day what God has begun in us will also be finished, by his grace. Until that day, we live in the confidence of Jesus’ cry of victory: “It is finished!”
Questions for Reflection
Do you live as if Jesus finished the work of salvation? To you have confidence that God will finish that which he has begun in you?
Prayer
How can I ever find words to express my gratitude to you, dear Lord Jesus? You did it. You finished that for which you had been sent, faithful in life, faithful in death. You accomplished that which no other person could do, taking the sin of the world upon your sinless shoulders . . . taking my sin so that I might receive your forgiveness and new life.
All praise be to you, gracious Lord, for finishing the work of salvation. All praise be to you, dear Jesus, for saving me! Alleluia! Amen.
Topics: Holy Week & Easter | 3 Comments »
The Fifth Word: “I am thirsty.” (John 19:2)
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, March 20, 2008
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Painting from a church in Taormina, Sicily
Reflection
No doubt Jesus experienced extreme thirst while being crucified. He would have lost a substantial quantity of bodily fluid, both blood and sweat, through what he had endured even prior to crucifixion. Thus his statement, “I am thirsty” was, on the most obvious level, a request for something to drink. In response the soldiers gave Jesus “sour wine” (v. 29), a cheap beverage common among lower class people in the time of Jesus.
John notes that Jesus said “I am thirsty,” not only as a statement of physical reality, but also in order to fulfill the Scripture. Though there is no specific reference in the text of the Gospel, it’s likely that John was thinking of Psalm 69, which includes this passage:
Their insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
they offer me sour wine for my thirst.
(vv. 20-21)
As he suffered, Jesus embodied the pain of the people of Israel, that which had been captured in the Psalms. Jesus was suffering for the sin of Israel, even as he was taking upon himself the sin of the world.
As I reflect on Jesus’ statement, “I am thirsty,” I keep thinking of my own thirst. It’s nothing like that of Jesus. Rather, I am thirsty for him. My soul yearns for the living water that Jesus supplies (John 4:10; 7:38-39). I rejoice in the fact that he suffered physical thirst on the cross – and so much more – so that my thirst for the water of life might be quenched.
Questions for Reflection
How do you respond to Jesus’ statement “I am thirsty”? What does this statement suggest to you about Jesus? About yourself?
Prayer
O Lord, once again I thank you for what you suffered on the cross. Besides extraordinary pain, you also experienced extreme thirst. All of this was part and parcel of your taking on our humanity so that you might take away our sin.
Dear Lord, in your words “I am thirsty” I hear the cry of my own heart. I too am thirsty, Lord, not for physical drink. I don’t need sour wine. Rather, I need the new wine of your kingdom to flood my soul. I need to be refreshed by your living water. I yearn for your Spirit to fill me once again.
I am thirsty, Lord, for you. Amen.
Topics: Holy Week & Easter | 4 Comments »
The Fourth Word: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34)
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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So-called “God’s Tear” from The Passion of the Christ.
Reflection
As Jesus was dying on the cross, he echoed the beginning of Psalm 22, which reads:
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. (vv. 1-2)
In the words of the psalmist Jesus found a way to express the cry of his heart: Why had God abandoned him? Why did his Father turn his back on Jesus in his moment of greatest agony?
This side of heaven, we will never fully know what Jesus was experiencing in this moment. Was he asking this question because, in the mystery of his incarnational suffering, he didn’t know why God had abandoned him? Or was his cry not so much a question as an expression of profound agony? Or was it both?
What we do know is that Jesus entered into the Hell of separation from God. The Father abandoned him because Jesus took upon himself the penalty for our sins. In that excruciating moment, he experienced something far more horrible than physical pain. The beloved Son of God knew what it was like to be rejected by the Father. As we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (NIV).
I can write these words. I can say, truly, that the Father abandoned the Son for our sake, for the salvation of the world. But can I really grasp the mystery and the majesty of this truth? Hardly. As Martin Luther once said, “God forsaking God. Who can understand it?” Yet even my miniscule grasp of this reality calls me to confession, to humility, to worship, to adoration.
Questions for Reflection
Have you taken time to consider that Jesus was abandoned by the Father so that you might not be? What does this “word” from the cross mean to you?
Prayer
O Lord Jesus, though I will never fully grasp the wonder and horror of your abandonment by the Father, every time I read this “word,” I am overwhelmed with gratitude. How can I ever thank you for what you suffered for me? What can I do but to offer myself to you in gratitude and praise? Thank you, dear Lord, for what you suffered. Thank you for taking my place. Thank you for being forsaken by the Father so that I might never be.
When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown.Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts (1707)
Topics: Holy Week & Easter | 13 Comments »
The Third Word: “Dear woman, here is your son.” (John 19:26)
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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Copyright © Linda Roberts, 2007. |
Reflection
As Jesus was dying, his mother was among those who had remained with him. Most of the male disciples had fled, with the exception of one whom the Fourth Gospel calls “the disciple he loved.” We can’t be exactly sure of the identity of this beloved disciple, though many interpreters believe he is John, who is also the one behind the writing of this Gospel.
No matter who the beloved disciple was, it’s clear that Jesus was forging a relationship between this disciple and his mother, one in which the disciple would take care of Mary financially and in other ways. Jesus wanted to make sure she would be in good hands after his death.
The presence of Mary at the cross adds both humanity and horror to the scene. We are reminded that Jesus was a real human being, a man who had once been a boy who had once been carried in the womb of his mother. Even as he was dying on the cross as the Savior of the world, Jesus was also a son, a role he didn’t neglect in his last moments.
When we think of the crucifixion of Jesus from the perspective of his mother, our horror increases dramatically. The death of a child is one of the most painful of all parental experiences. To watch one’s beloved child experience the extreme torture of crucifixion must have been unimaginably terrible. We’re reminded of the prophecy of Simeon shortly after Jesus’ birth, when he said to Mary: “And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35).
This scene helps us not to glorify or spiritualize the crucifixion of Jesus. He was a real man, true flesh and blood, a son of a mother, dying with unbearable agony. His suffering was altogether real, and he took it on for you and for me.
Questions for Reflection
What does Mary’s presence at the cross evoke in you? Why do you think was it necessary for Jesus to suffer physical pain as he died?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, the presence of your mother at the cross engages my heart. You are no longer only the Savior dying for the sins of the world. You are also a fully human man, a son with a mother.
O Lord, how can I begin to thank you for what you suffered? My words fall short. My thoughts seem superficial and vague. Nevertheless, I offer my sincere gratitude for your suffering. Thank you for bearing my sin on the cross. I give you my praise, my love, my heart . . . all that I am, because you have given me all that you are.
All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, fully God and fully human, Savior of the world . . . my Savior! Amen.
Topics: Holy Week & Easter | 3 Comments »
The Second Word: “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, March 17, 2008
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Copyright © Linda Roberts, 2007. |
Reflection
As Jesus hung on the cross, he was mocked by the leaders and the soldiers. One of the criminals being crucified with him added his own measure of scorn. But the other crucified criminal sensed that Jesus was being treated unjustly. After speaking up for Jesus, he cried out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42).
Jesus responded to this criminal, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v. 43). The word paradise, from the Greek word paradeisos, which meant “garden,” was used in the Greek Old Testament as a word for the Garden of Eden. In Judaism of the time of Jesus it was associated with heaven, and also with the future when God would restore all things to the perfection of the Garden. Paradise was sometimes thought to be the place where righteous people went after death. This seems to be the way Jesus uses paradise in this passage.
Thus we have encountered one of the most astounding and encouraging verses in all of Scripture. Jesus promised that the criminal would be with him in paradise. Yet the text of Luke gives us no reason to believe this man had been a follower of Jesus, or even a believer in him in any well-developed sense. He might have felt sorry for his sins, but he did not obviously repent. Rather, the criminal’s cry to be remembered seems more like a desperate, last-gasp effort.
Though we should make every effort to have right theology, and though we should live our lives each day as disciples of Jesus, in the end, our relationship with him comes down to simple trust. “Jesus, remember me,” we cry. And Jesus, embodying the mercy of God, says to us, “You will be with me in paradise.” We are welcome there not because we have right theology, and not because we are living rightly, but because God is merciful and we have put our trust in Jesus.
Questions for Reflection
Have you staked your life on Jesus? Have you put your ultimate trust in him? Do you know that, when your time comes, you will be with him in paradise?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, how I wonder at your grace and mercy! When we cry out to you, you hear us. When we ask you to remember us when you come into your kingdom, you offer the promise of paradise. Your mercy, dear Lord, exceeds anything we might imagine. It embraces us, encourages us, heals us.
O Lord, though my situation is so different from the criminal who cried out to you, I am nevertheless quite like him. Today I live, trusting you and you alone. My life, but now and in the world to come, is in your hands. And so I pray:
Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom! Jesus, remember me today as I seek to live within your kingdom! Amen.
Topics: Holy Week & Easter | 4 Comments »
The First Word: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, March 16, 2008
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Copyright © Linda Roberts, 2007. |
Reflection
It makes sense that the first word of Jesus from the cross is a word of forgiveness. That’s the point of the cross, after all. Jesus is dying so that we might be forgiven for our sins, so that we might be reconciled to God for eternity.
But the forgiveness of God through Christ doesn’t come only to those who don’t know what they are doing when they sin. In the mercy of God, we receive his forgiveness even when we do what we know to be wrong. God chooses to wipe away our sins, not because we have some convenient excuse, and not because we have tried hard to make up for them, but because he is a God of amazing grace, with mercies that are new every morning.
As we read the words, “Father, forgive them,” may we understand that we too are forgiven through Christ. As John writes in his first letter, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9). Because Christ died on the cross for us, we are cleansed from all wickedness, from every last sin. We are united with God the Father as his beloved children. We are free to approach his throne of grace with our needs and concerns. God “has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Ps 103:13). What great news!
Questions for Reflection
Do you really believe God has forgiven your sins? Do you take time on a regular basis to confess your sins so that you might enjoy the freedom of forgiveness? Do you need to experience God’s forgiveness in a fresh way today?
Prayer
Gracious Lord Jesus, it’s easy for me to speak of your forgiveness, even to ask for it and to thank you for it. But do I really believe I’m forgiven? Do I experience the freedom that comes from the assurance that you have cleansed me from my sins? Or do I live as if I’m “semi-forgiven”? Even though I’ve put my faith in you and confessed my sins, do I live as sin still has power over me? Do I try to prove myself to you, as if I might be able to earn more forgiveness?
Dear Lord, though I believe at one level that you have forgiven me, this amazing truth needs to penetrate my heart in new ways. Help me to know with fresh conviction that I am fully and finally forgiven, not because of anything I have done, but because of what you have done for me.
May I live today as a forgiven person, opening my heart to you, choosing not to sin because the power of sin has been broken by your salvation.
All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for your matchless forgiveness! Amen.
Topics: Holy Week & Easter | 2 Comments »
Americans on Sin, Part 3
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, March 15, 2008
So far I’ve put up two posts (#1 and #2) on the recent Ellison Research study of American views of sin. Today I’ll wrap up with a few more observations.
Differences According to Religious Perspectives
Ellison distinguished different views on sin according to one’s religious perspective (Born Again; Not Born Again; Evangelical; Not Evangelical; Attend Protestant Worship; Attend Catholic Worship; Attend Other Worship). Most of the differences are predictable. For example, the vast majority of Evangelicals consider homosexual activity (93%) and sex before marriage (92%) to be sin, whereas non-Evangelicals disagree (homosexual activity - 47%; sex before marriage - 39%). The widest disparity between Evangelicals and non-Evangelicals, curiously enough, was found with gossip (98% to 41%) and getting drunk (90% t0 35%). Only two behaviors were considered sinful by more non-Evangelicals and Evangelicals (spanking children - 8% non-Evangelicals to 3% Evangelicals; making a lot of money - 4% non-Evangelicals to 1% Evangelicals).
The Ellison Study pointed out discrepancies between church teaching and individual belief. One sees this especially for Catholics, who differed from official teaching on abortion (28% of Catholics didn’t view as sin), homosexual activity (51% not sin), sex before marriage (53% not sin).
You can see interesting differences between Evangelicals and Catholics over certain types of behavior:
Homosexual activity (93% Evangelical to 49% Catholic)
Gossip (98% Evangelical to 45% Catholic)
Sex before marriage (92% Evangelical to 47% Catholic)
Smoking marijuana (80% Evangelical to 38% Catholic)
Getting drunk (90% Evangelical to 28% Catholic)
Gambling (65% Evangelical to 15% Catholic)
Spanking your child (3% Evangelical to 11% Catholic)
Obviously, we’re seeing the impact of cultural differences, as well as a tendency among Evangelicals to be more strict in applying biblical teaching to moral judgments.
Differences Owing to Gender, Age, or Ethnicity t
By and large, there are not major demographical differences in views of what constitutes sin. For the most part, people think about sin in the same way without regard to age, gender, or ethnicity. There are a few curious exceptions:
Adultery (White - 80%; Black - 94%; Hispanic - 74%)
Sex before marriage (White - 43%; Black - 55%; Hispanic - 36%)
Getting drunk (White - 40%; Black - 55%; Hispanic - 27%)
Differences Owing to Geography
Does where you live impact the way you think about sin? No doubt there are certain differences among cities. San Francisco, California, for example, would be more accepting of homosexual behavior than, say, Abilene, Texas. And Las Vegas, Nevada, at least along The Strip, glories in what other people consider sin. But are there significant regional differences as well? (Photo: The Las Vegas Strip: Plenty of sin happening down there, though the rest of Las Vegas is not at all like the Strip.)
For the most part, no. There are slight regional differences, but nothing unexpected. In general, the South and the Midwest are more strict about sin than the Northeast and the West.
As someone who recently moved from the West (Southern California) to the South (South-Central Texas), I was not surprised to see the South generally more apt to regard questionable behavior as sinful. There were only a couple of behaviors which reversed the trend:
Not taking proper care of your body (35% - South; 36% - West)
Being significantly overweight (17% - South; 17% - West)
Working on Sunday/Sabbath (12% - South; 15% - West)
Spanking your child (6% - South; % - West)
The body related “sins” make sense, given the tendency for folks in the South to enjoy eating large quantities of unhealthy foods. And the spanking difference, however slight, would reflect general cultural moods. I can’t quite figure the difference with respect to the Sabbath, unless the survey had more Jewish people in the West than in the South.
Wrapping Up
There’s much more in the Ellison study than I have summarized here. If you visit their website, let me know your observations.
Topics: Sin | 3 Comments »
Americans on Sin, Part 2
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, March 14, 2008
In my last post I noted new survey results released by Ellison Research of Phoenix, Arizona. Ellison studied American views of sin (or something rather like sin, at any rate; see my last post for the distinction). I’m not going to go over the results here. You can find them at the Ellison Research website. Rather, I want to note a few things I found interesting in the study results.
The List of Possible Sins, According to Ellison Research
Adultery
Racism
Using “hard” drugs such as cocaine, heroine, meth, LSD, etc.
Not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change back
Having an abortion
Homosexual activity or sex
Not reporting some income on your tax returns
Reading or watching pornography
Gossip
Swearing
Sex before marriage
Homosexual thoughts
Sexual thoughts about someone you are not married to
Smoking marijuana
Doing things as a consumer that harm the environment
Getting drunk
Not taking proper care of your body
Gambling
Telling a “little white lie” to avoid hurting someone’s feelings
Using tobacco
Not attending church or religious worship services on a regular basis
Watching an R-rated movie
Playing the lottery
Being significantly overweight
Not giving 10% of your income to a church or charity
Drinking any alcohol
Working on Sunday/the Sabbath
Spanking your child when he/she misbehaves
Making a lot of money
Dancing
See anything missing? What about worshiping something other than God? Idolatry? Dishonoring your parents? Murder? Stealing? Lying? Coveting? By my tally, not even half of the Ten Commandments make it onto Ellison’s list. I wonder how this skews their results.
The Top Eight Sins, According to Americans
Adultery 81%
Racism 74%
Using “hard” drugs such as cocaine, heroine, meth, LSD, etc. 65%
Not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change back 63%
Having an abortion 56%
Homosexual activity or sex 52%
Not reporting some income on your tax returns 52%
These, by the way, are the only sins that made it above 50%. Everything else didn’t rank as sinful. Note that 13% of those who answered didn’t think anything was sinful, because they rejected the concept. Even so, it’s striking to reverse the statistics:
19% of Americans do not think adultery is a sin.
26% of Americans do not think racism is a sin.
35% of Americans do not think hard drug use is a sin.
37% of Americans do not think it’s a sin to steal from a store if
a cashier makes an error in your favor
etc. etc. etc.
The Bottom Eight Sins According to Americans
Playing the lottery 18%
Watching an R-rated movie 18%
Being significantly overweight 17%
Not giving 10% of your income to a church or charity 16%
Drinking any alcohol 14%
Working on Sunday/the Sabbath 14%
Spanking your child when he/she misbehaves 7%
Making a lot of money 4%
Dancing 4%
Of course Ellison didn’t specify whether we’re talking about all dancing, or dancing poorly.
I find it interesting, but not surprising, that working on Sunday/the Sabbath ranks so low. 86% of Americans do not think it’s wrong to break the Sabbath, even though keeping the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. It’s not hard to think of what this says about our workaholic/shopaholic culture.
Who Believes in Sin and Who Doesn’t
It’s no surprise to learn that 100% of Evangelical Christians believe in sin (even the watered down version of the Ellison study). I was surprised to see a significant disparity between Blacks (97% believe in sin) and Hispanics (80% believe in sin). I noted with interested the difference between political conservatives (94%) and liberals (77%). The gap between Republicans (93%), Democrates (85%), and Independents (86%) is less pronounced. I was surprised to see a relatively small gap between people over 55 (88%) and people under 30 (83%).
What Many People Do Not Believe is Sin
I was struck by the behaviors that people who believe in sin don’t consider to be sinful. Among those who think that sin exists, the percentages noted do not regard the following as sinful:
37% Watching or reading pornography
40% Gossip
42% Sex before marriage
44% Sexual thoughts about somebody you’re not married to
46% Getting drunk
52% Not taking care of your body
69% Not attending church or religious services on a regular basis
73% Working on Sunday/the Sabbath
When you add the 13% of Americans who don’t believe in sin, this means that every one of these activities is considered to be “not sin” by a majority of Americans. This is striking because the Bible teaches that every one of these activities is sin.
Enough for now. I’d be interested in your observations. You can check the Ellison Research results here.
Topics: Sin | 8 Comments »
Americans on Sin
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, March 13, 2008
Ellison Research has just released a fascinating study of American views of sin. There is much to chew on in this study. Lots of grist for sermon mills, Bible studies, and cultural reflection. I’ll put some of my impressions of what this study found, but first I want to lay out a few details about the study itself.
Ellison surveyed over 1,000 American adults, asking various questions about sin. The study defined sin as “something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective.” That’s not a bad secular definition, though I find a couple of things interesting about this definition. (Photo: Satan tempts Job, from the chapel at Duke University)
First, notice the qualifer “almost always.” The study was not asking if there are things that are always wrong. I guess that’s asking too much of Americans. It would be interesting to see how the results might differ if people were asked about whether or not certain behaviors were always wrong.
Second, notice that sin is defined as something that is “considered wrong.” Again, this is a subjective definition of sin. It’s not dealing with actual wrong, but rather with perceptions. It would be possible for somebody to say “I think X behavior is a a sin according to this definition, becuase it’s almost always considered wrong, but I don’t in fact think it is sin in the absolute sense.” So, though the Ellison study is helpful, it doesn’t quite get at what I would really like to know about American views of sin, namely: Do Americans think that certain behaviors are always wrong in fact (not merely almost always wrong according to human feeling and opinion)?
87% of Americans agreed that there is such a thing as sin, at least insofar as it was defined by Ellison. This means, by the way, that 13% of Americans do not affirm the existence of sin. We don’t know exactly why. Presumably they don’t believe in a God who determines what sin is, or they are simply relativistic in their ethics, or both.
Those Americans who agreed that sin exists were then asked to comment on which behaviors they believed to be sin. They were given a list of thirty behaviors and asked to weight in. The list includes many actions that Christians generally think of a sinful, including: adultery, using “hard” drugs, getting drunk, etc. A couple of the proposed sins are not actions so much as thoughts or attitudes: racism, homosexual thoughts. And several of the sins are not actions but inactions: not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change back, not reporting some income on your tax returns, not taking proper care of your body, not attending church, etc.
I have to run to a meeting, so I’ll save my reflections on this study for later. I’d encourage you to check out the Ellison Research report for yourself. If you have any thoughts about it, feel free to share them in the comments.
Topics: Sin | 4 Comments »
Chuck Colson Visits markdroberts.com on His Blog Tour
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Welcome, Chuck, to markdroberts.com. I’m pleased to be able to interact with you about your fine new book The Faith. In case you missed it, I put up a positive review of your book yesterday. Now, on to the dialogue.
My Question for Chuck on The Faith
Chuck, thanks for this concise and compelling summary of Christian faith and its implications for our lives. The Faith speaks to the challenges of our world with clarity and incisiveness. I am pleased to recommend it to my constituency.
I am the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, an organization founded by Howard E. Butt, Jr. to advance God’s renewal of individuals, families, institutions, and society. One of our core convictions is that Christians can make a major difference in the world by living out their faith at work. You mention opportunities for believers to share the Gospel in the workplace (p. 156), something we encourage as well. But we also see great potential for broader renewal if Christians would only live out their faith holistically in the context of their daily work. In fact, one of our web-based ministries encourages believers to think in terms of The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org) We want all Christians to understand that they are called to serve the Lord, not only in church-based ministries or through their volunteer activities, but also in their daily work, whether this be in the marketplace, at school, or in the home. Given the breadth and inclusiveness of your vision in The Faith, I expect you would agree with this conviction. Would you be willing to suggest various ways one might live out the faith in the context of daily work? What difference could orthodoxy make at work?
Chuck’s Answer
You are Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence of a great organization, so I am particularly heartened by your very encouraging words about The Faith.
The Faith is only the latest book I’ve written. I wrote a book entitled How Now Shall We Live? in which I devoted chapters to the importance of vocation and calling, and living out our faith in the marketplace. I also wrote a book, co-authored with Jack Eckerd, entitled Why America Doesn’t Work in which I again talked about ways of living out the faith in the context of our daily lives. Dorothy Sayers in her book Creed and Chaos said what use is it for someone to spend all their time teaching theology if most of the people listening to it spend all of their life in the workplace. She was strong about this, as I’m sure you know, and absolutely right. I agree with her, and have cited her elsewhere.
The Faith is not meant to be a complete, comprehensive guide to Christianity and its living. It is merely restating the basic tenets that we all need to agree and center our faith around. But if you look at my other writings you’ll see that I’ve covered this pretty exhaustively.
I commend you for what you’re doing.
My Response to Chuck
Thanks, Chuck, for your kind words about my new ministry at Laity Lodge.
Yes, I know that one can’t put everything in every book. For those who aren’t familiar with your other writings, let me quote a passage from How Now Shall We Live?, in which you talk specifically about how Christian faith might impact the workplace.
All of this is symptomatic, however, of a more fundamental problem–which is that Americans have lost a sense of a higher purpose for work. In our materialistic culture, work is reduced to a utilitarian function: a means of attaining benefits for this world, this life–whether material gain or self-fulfillment. Work no longer has a transcendent purpose as a means of serving and loving God. No wonder, then, that many are questioning the very meaning of work. As Morrow writes, people today are asking “Is there some inherent worth in work?”
This offers Christians a rich opportunity to make the case that work is truly fulfilling only when it is firmly tied to its moral and spiritual moorings. It is time for the church to reclaim this crucial part of life, restoring a biblical understanding of work and economics. A biblical theology of work should be a frequent subject for sermons, just as it was during the Reformation, when establishing one’s vocation was considered a crucial element in discipleship. Churches should organize classes on business ethics and biblical work principles for those in the workplace. Finally, they should set up programs to help the able-bodied poor become self-sufficient instead of dependent on government welfare. (p. 392)
(This excerpt comes from the chapter called “The Work of Our Hands,” which includes a broader discussion of work and economics.)
Chuck, I guess I was hoping you might speak a bit more about how orthodoxy in particular can impact the way Christians live in the workplace. You provide a fine example of this sort of application in Chapter 7 of The Faith, which is entitled “God Above, God Beside, God Within.” In your discussion of God’s sovereignty, you write:
God’s sovereignty over all of creation cannot be denied. No wonder Abraham Kuyper, the great Dutch theologian, said, “There is not a square inch of the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all does not cry out: ‘Mine!’” And, I would add, if Christ cries out “Mine!” then the obligation of Christian people in the Church is to look at all of creation and cry out, “His!” Jesus is Lord over every aspect of life–how we spend our spare time, what we read, how we form our families, the way in which we build neighborhoods, the law, politics, science, music, medicine, and on and on. (p. 106)
The doctrine of God’s sovereignty, therefore, leads to a powerful transformation in how we think about all of life, in which our work takes up a majority of our waking hours. Though we might work for “the company” or “the boss,” in a very real sense we work for the Lord. I wonder what difference it would make if we saw our work from the perspective of God’s sovereignty over all things.
Let me cite one more example of ways orthodoxy might impact ones life at work. You affirm that orthodoxy includes a commitment to the sanctity of life (Chapter 12). You relate this to several issues: unborn human life, Christian humanism, slavery, women’s status, special-needs children, and genetic engineering. All of this is right on target. But I wonder how a profound commitment to the sanctity of all human life might also be played out in the workplace. Wouldn’t it tend to modify or minimize the class distinctions so common in corporations? Wouldn’t it call forth a new approach to personnel practices? Might it not transform the way people relate to their bosses? Or the way bosses relate to their employees?
These are some of the things I wondered about as I read The Faith, which is a strong and engaging statement of what orthodox Christianity is and why it matters. Thanks, Chuck, for writing this book, and for visiting my markdroberts.com on your blog tour.
Topics: Book Reviews | 1 Comment »
Chuck Colson’s Blog Tour: Seventh Stop
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett have just published a new book: The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters (Zondervan, 2008). In order to promote this book, Chuck Colson is doing a “blog tour,” in which he “visits” nine different blogs, responding to a question from the host blogger and sparking conversation with blog readers. Markdroberts.com is the seventh stop of Colson’s tour. For the other stops, check out the Zondervan Blog.
Colson is due to stop my my blog on tomorrow, Wednesday, March 12. In anticipation of his visit, I thought it would be good to do a brief review of The Faith. (Note: In this review, I’m going to speak as if the book was written by Colson. It bears the mark of his personality and life experience, and is written in the first person. I expect that Harold Fickett, an outstanding writer, took Colson’s ideas and stories and turned them into a very readable, engaging book.)
In his Preface to The Faith, Chuck Colson say that he “wanted to write an accessible gook that would summarize in about 240 pages the basic truths of Christianity” (p. 9). If you count the Appendix, The Faith has exactly 240 pages. And I can vouch for the accessibility of the writing. Though Colson deals with all major Christian doctrines, including some of the tricky ones (like the Trinity), this is a book that can be easily digested by someone with a basic education. Most high-school-aged readers would be able to make it through this book without extraordinary effort.
Colson intends to present the faith “once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). His is an exposition of classic Christian orthodoxy, those matters of doctrine on which most Christians have agreed for centuries. When it comes to doctrines on which orthodox Christians disagree, like the sacraments or the nature of the church, Colson states his preference, but doesn’t insist that his is the only right way. This will, no doubt, be unsettling to Christian readers who tend to emphasize differences within Christendom. For example, I expect Colson will get some flak for his positive comments on Evangelicals and Catholics Together, an ecumenical movement in which Colson participated (see, for example, p. 143).
Some Christians will also cringe when Colson tells the story of baptizing his thirteen-year-old grandson, Max. In this story Colson advocates believer’s baptism (which makes sense, given that Colson is himself a Baptist), and he explains how he was ordained by his church for one day so he could baptize Max. Here Colson stands clearly outside of the mainstream of Christian tradition, which advocates infant baptism and allows only those ordained to clerical ministry to do the baptizing. I know quite a few Christians who would say Colson’s notion of the “the faith” is out of step with traditional Christianity in this regard.
But Colson’s story of baptizing Max is part of what I love about this book, even though it wouldn’t fit within my Presbyterian tradition. He did something special for Max out of love and faithfulness to God. Max, because he is autistic, wasn’t able to be baptized in public in the ordinary manner. So did something unusual, stretching the boundaries even of his Baptist tradition. Even as he upholds orthodoxy and argues for it passionately, Colson isn’t simply laying out the truths of Christianity. He is continually illustrating these truths with compelling stories.
And these stories, often moving and always well-narrated, are part of what makes The Faith distinctive and engaging. They come not only from Colson’s personal experience, especially in his prison ministry, but also from around the world and throughout Christian history. Each story says: Here is what it means to live out the truth faith. Take away the stories from this book and you have a fairly ordinary introduction to basic Christian orthodoxy from an evangelical Christian perspective. Add the stories, and you have a gripping account of what it means, not only to believe the right things about God, but also to live out these beliefs in the world.
Colson exposits Christian faith in the context of threats in today’s world. This is another quality of The Faith that makes it distinctive. What are these threats? They include: radical Islam; secularism; atheisim (really anti-theism); liberal Christianity (which doesn’t embrace historic faith); and watered down, discipleship-less Christianity that’s found in many apparently evangelical churches today. Colson takes these threats seriously. But he doesn’t advocate a defensive strategy so much as an offensive one. Christians don’t need to fight against the threats we face so much as to stand strongly on the solid ground of Scripture and proclaim orthodox Christian faith without apology.
I’ll have more to say about The Faith tomorrow, in the context of Colson’s “visit” to markdroberts.com.
Topics: Book Reviews | 5 Comments »
First Signs of Spring
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, March 10, 2008
I love spring. There’s something about the reawakening of nature that sparks a reawakening in my own soul.
When I lived in New England during my college and grad school days, I loved watching for the first signs of spring. Somewhere along in March the tiniest buds would being to appear on the trees. But the earliest true celebration of spring came with the blooming of the crocuses.
Since leaving the Boston area in 1983, I lived for twenty-four years in Southern California, where spring is hardly a season. It’s hard to complain when one lives in a place where winter is pretty much non-existent, where flowers bloom year round, and where the temperatures are mostly suitable for short-sleeved shirts. But I did miss the change of seasons, especially the radiance of fall and the turning of winter into spring.
I now live in the Hill Country of Texas, where we have seasons. Oh, to be sure our winters aren’t like those in the northern part of the country, though we do get below freezing during a couple dozen nights each year. And our summers can be a bit on the long side. But, even so, there are distinct seasons in this part of the world, and I’m glad to be experiencing them again. (Photo: A redbed blooming at Laity Lodge)
The Hill Country is filled with evergreen flora, including live oaks and “cedars.” (They’re really ash junipers, though you rarely hear the correct name.) But we have many trees and bushes that lose their leaves in the winter, producing a dusty brown countryside. The starkness of winter scenery has a certain beauty all its own. But it also prepares our eyes to delight in the coming of spring.
One of the first signs of the Hill Country spring emerged from winter sleep last week. The red bud trees began to bloom! While most of the deciduous trees are still slumbering, the red buds sprung forth with their striking purplish-pink flowers. My son insists they should be called “purple buds,” because they’re just not red. (Photo: A closeup of redbud blooms at Laity Lodge. As you can see, the oak in the background hasn’t even begun to bud.)
A bit of botany: There are several different varieties of redbud trees in the United States. They are in the genus Cercis L., which is a member of pea family. (The “L,” by the way, stands for Linnaeus. Carolus Linnaeus was an 18th-century Swedish botanist who devised the taxonomic ordering of plants that we use today. Ironically, during my college years I lived on Linnean Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, named after Carolus Linnaeus.) Within the United States we the California redbud (Cercis orbiculata Greene) and the eastern redbud (Cercis Canadensis L.) which has three varieties, all of which grow in Texas: the eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L. var. canadensis)the Mexican redbud (Cercis canadensis L. var. mexicana) and the Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis L. var. texensis). I’m pretty sure the redbuds I’m seeing in the Hill Country are of the Texas variety.
Sometimes the redbud is called the Judas tree. This Mediterranean species of the redbud (Cercis siliquastrum L.), which does not grow in the United States, was traditionally believed to be the kind of tree from which Judas Iscariot hanged himself.
As I was doing a bit of online research about the redbud tree, I thought I’d find out more about the eastern redbud. Perhaps I had seen these when I lived in New England, but had paid close attention. So I Googled on “redbud trees,” looking in “Images” and selecting only “Extra Large images.” To my surprise, the second picture that showed up was of my freshman dorm at Harvard, Straus Hall, with my common room window in full view! Clicking on the thumbnail, I was taken to a website devoted to Harvard Yard Trees. Scrolling down, I found the photo with the caption: “Two redbud trees bloom in front of Straus Hall.”
Were those trees there in 1976, when I experienced my first New England spring? Did I enjoy them at the time, but have long since forgotten? Or were they planted sometime since I left Straus Hall? My guess is that these trees were not there when I lived in Straus Hall. You’ll notice from the photo that the trees are fairly small, indicating that they are younger than 32 years. Moreover, in the last decade or so Harvard has done a major replanting of trees in Harvard Yard. I’m thinking that the trees outside of my dorm were probaby dogwoods, not redbuds, but I’m not sure. (Photo: Two redbud trees bloom in front of Straus Hall at Harvard. Did I live just a few feet away from a redbud? Note: Straus Hall was built in honor of Isidor and Ida Straus, who died on the Titanic.)
At any rate, I enjoyed the irony of Google taking me back to my freshman year in New England, where I first experienced a real spring. Now, 32 years later, I’m even more thrilled by the signs of nature awakening. There’s nothing quite like it.
Topics: Spring | 1 Comment »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling.org
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, March 9, 2008
Trouble Brewing
Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Once again, the blunt honesty of the biblical text commands our attention. Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. While Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob, Rebekah preferred Jacob, who was a stay-at-home sort of person.
Trouble is brewing in the house of Isaac. When parents choose favorites among their children, this can be a formula for disaster. Indeed, we’ll see before long in Genesis how this parental divide causes a deep breach within the family.
Of course it’s natural for human beings to have favorites. But parents need to love their children equally and express that love equitably. God, our Heavenly Father, helps parents to love as he loves, thus bringing health and wholeness to families.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Did your parents have “favorites”? How did this work itself out in your family? Are there people in your life, perhaps your children or your employees, whom you need to love with more equity?
PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, when I read this verse from Genesis, I cringe. It’s not only that I know where this story leads, but also that I have seen parental preferences wreak havoc in families.
Help me, Lord, to love my children in balanced and fair ways. May I see them as gifts from you and treasure them accordingly.
Bring healing to broken families, gracious Father. Today I pray especially for those who have felt the burden of being a favorite and those who have felt the sting of not being a parental favorite. May they be healed in the fullness of your love for them. Amen.
Daily Reflections from The High Calling.org
This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day.
Topics: Sunday Inspiration | No Comments »
Another Lenten Special
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, March 8, 2008
A couple of weeks ago I put up a post on the commercialization of Lent. I was surprised by a sign for a restaurant that advertised a Lenten special. I don’t recall ever seeing such a thing in California. At least there weren’t Lenten specials in Irvine, as near as I can remember.
I received a number of comments on this post. Some people said that Lenten food specials weren’t unusual. Ted Olsen had a particularly interesting comment on other Lenten food specials.
Well, I’ve been keeping my eyes open, and have seen a couple more Lenten specials in restaurants. Usually they feature some sort of fish. This morning I saw such a promotion at one of my favorite haunts in Boerne, the Boerne Grill. This quaint restaurant features a simple, tasty menu, and is connected to The Daily Grind coffee house. Today, the Boerne Grill is promoting their Lenten special, which offers you a choice of Crawfish Etoufee or Catfish Po-Boys. (In case you’re wondering, an etouffee is a Creole dish with a gumbo-like stew served over rice. A po-boy is a Louisiana version of a submarine sandwich with some fried meat or fish inside.)
Whether it’s Lent or not, if you’re ever in Boerne and looking for a cup of coffee or a good, simple meal, check out the Boerne Grill on Main Street. I’m especially fond of their breakfast “tacos,” an inexpensive way to get some decent protein into your system in the morning. The Boerne Grill has wireless Internet, by the way, though the connection is usually pretty slow. Their coffee drinks are typically tasty, and they feature a variety of coffee options in a serve-yourself bar. Oh, they have tasty pastries as well.
Topics: Holidays, Texas | No Comments »
What Can We Do to Make Room for the Holy Spirit in Strategic Planning and Goal Setting: Section A
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, March 7, 2008
Part 2 of series: Planning and Goals: Is There Room for the Holy Spirit?
Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
As I explained yesterday, strategic planning can be perilous for Christians and Christian organizations. It can be a time to project our personal goals onto God. And once we have our goals, they can keep us from being open to God’s guidance in our lives. But I do believe that there is room for the Holy Spirit to work in strategic planning, especially if we do nine things. Today I’ll begin to spell these out.
1. Acknowledge the sovereignty of God.
God is King of kings and Lord of lords. His will is always best. Thus the goal of strategic planning for Christians is to discern God’s will. If a planning process is going to be a context for the Spirit to work, then participants need to acknowledge the sovereignty of God, not just as a theological truism, but as the guiding principle for their work.
Practically speaking, when we enter into a planning process, either for our own lives or for a Christian ministry, we need to offer ourselves to God afresh. In particular, we need to lay our personal agendas before the Lord, submitting ourselves to him without reservation. I realize, of course, that this is virtually impossible, since we always hold back parts of ourselves from the Lord. But to the extent we are able, we must own that he is sovereign over our lives. This kind of admission should be made privately, but also by the planning group as a whole.
2. Listen for the “bass note” of biblical theology.
The bass note in a musical ensemble, whether a classical symphony or a contemporary rock-and-roll number, provides the basis, the frame, the solidness in which the other notes resound. If the bass note is a C, for example, then the other notes will only sound right in relationship to this fundamental C.
So it is with biblical theology and strategic planning. Most planning processes won’t include a great deal of explicit Bible study. But the “bass notes” of Scripture must echo throughout the process if it is to be guided by the Holy Spirit. For example, one of the deepest and loudest bass notes of the Bible is the mission of God to redeem his creation, including humanity. The strategic planning of a Christian organization, therefore, must have a missional ring to it.
Therefore, participants in a planning process must look at their work from a biblical perspective. They should let the Scripture fill their minds and hearts as they plan. In the end, they should be able to show how their goals are consistent with biblical values and priorities.
3. Respect the ways God has led in the past.
The point of Christian planning is to discern God’s future and make appropriate steps to realize it. Planning, by definition, is a future-directed enterprise. But planning that makes room for the Spirit will take seriously what God has said and done in the past. By this I’m speaking of the biblical past, but also of more recent times as well.
For example, when I became Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, it was not my role to discount everything God had done through our founding pastor, Ben Patterson, and his colleagues. Even though Ben might not have done everything perfectly (and which of us does?), I needed to respect ways that God had led him in the past. So, for example, I did not do what sometimes happens when a new pastor comes to town and jettison all worship traditions, replacing them with the hottest new thing. Rather, I worked within the traditions Ben had left for me. This wasn’t only to keep the people in the congregation from casting me off the nearest cliff. It was also a way for me to respect what God had done in Ben and other leaders in the past history of the church.
Respect for the past doesn’t mean being bound by it. I’ll have more to say about this in my next post in this series.
Topics: Planning & Goals & the Spirit | 2 Comments »