Disqus - Latest Comments for lakewood

Re: Pay Attention to All that Trump Has Said and Done

lakewood — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 21:49:14 -0000

A good number of people suggested that Barack Obama would try for a third unelected term and Republicans, or a good many of them, bought into the idea. I think there was even a movie made about it.

Re: If This Doesn’t Do It…Nothing Will

lakewood — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:58:31 -0000

I would like to know your opinion on some current culture war ideas, which can be stated this way: Trump has flaws, we all know it, but he’s better than the Democrat alternative. This is because the political Left is not only tolerant, but willing to boost things we find alarming, such as abortion *on demand* (used primarily as birth control), approval of gender reassignment therapies even for minors, cross dressers in places of power, etc. This is not universal among Republicans, though I have no idea how much of a voting bloc such people represent.

Others might find "the crisis at the border" the hill they die on at the polls. But it seems in the reading I do, people on both sides ignore some of the things they disagree most on, or 'talk past each other' which has been going on forever.

If you don’t find this too controversial, have you any thoughts on this?

Re: If This Doesn’t Do It…Nothing Will

lakewood — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 15:29:08 -0000

My MAGA friends are not remotely bothered by anything Trump says. They (apparently) like everything, anything he says. He's just what we need, and a current campaign slogan I've seen emblazoned on t shirts says, "too big to rig." He is, well, just above it all!

I was in Sarasota FL visiting an uncle in the early '70s. He was a WWII vet whose war time experience ended when he was shot by a sniper during the second or third wave at Normandy.
On some errand, we drove past a neighbor's house that he pointed to, and said, "The man who lives there is German. He thinks Hitler was a great guy." My uncle was clearly mystified by this, and mentioned it a second time, on the way home from wherever we had gone. I know Hitler took power. But he got a lot of it handed to him by enthusiastic German voters.

So again, I say, "Nothing Trump says will ever bother his loyal followers." And he knows it.

Unless Democrat voters (along with swing voters, and Never Trump Republicans) are sufficiently galvanized to get the vote out, I think we are going to see if your fears and prognostications are on target or not.

Re: Us For Them: Chapter 8: Wendell Berry…

lakewood — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:15:03 -0000

On p. 114 Fischer says (and quotes Berry as saying) that most of us harbor some level of prejudice. Clearly one of the features of our social media dominated age is that it encourages tribalism, hot rhetoric, and a lot of self-righteousness. We will believe almost anything that supports our narrative.

Greg Boyd was the first person I recall who challenged me to listen to voices outside my ‘bubble.’ I think Berry is right when he notes p.118 that listening, really listening, to other voices may deprive us of anger, something we all tend to enjoy very much. We enjoy feeling self-righteous, while ignoring or justifying our own failings. And a host of people depend on this to make money or keep political careers going, etc.

Re: Us For Them: Chapter 6: Righteousness Porn

lakewood — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:19:12 -0000

At your recommendation, I bought the book and read it. I haven't felt I could add anything to the discussion, so haven't bothered to comment. I do say thank you for the reference, your response to the book, and to some of the comments. I was blessed by it all.

Re: Honestly Asking Gay-Friendly Churches

lakewood — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:50:04 -0000

I'm sure you are more than familiar with the idea of trajectory, that the NT points toward, if you will, the idea of egalitarianism, for example. Scholars I follow have said they do not see any trajectory towards acceptance of homosexuality as is being advocated for.

It is disturbing to me to hear that Richard Hayes has changed his mind, if he has.

It has been pointed out that after the UMC split, they couldn't agree on whether or not to include language requiring ordinands to be celibate before marriage or faithful afterwards (as reported by Terry Mattingly) in their discipline. This is very disturbing, if not surprising.

'Slippery slope' arguments to me are pretty convincing, and the move towards acceptance ignores many testimonies of people whom I know personally who have had homosexual experiences, and are now in long term stable heterosexual marriages, and they seem to ignore the implications of the transgender movement, something that I also have experiential knowledge of. Of the dozen or so (that I know of) people who have had homosexual tendencies or experiences, some have been subject to unwanted sexual experiences as children. Others would say they were always inclined towards same sex attraction. This does not answer your question, of course, and I apologize for 'butting in.' I had a number of dealings with lgbt people as a pastor, and my personal experiences were troubling, to put it mildly. I won't waste space recounting them here. I still believe; eliminate the 'clobber verses' and still every reference to homosexuality in scripture is negative, and every reference to marriage is in a heterosexual context. Well, again, I'm not being helpful in regard to the original question. I just think that there is no scriptural support for homosexual marriage, in spite of "new perspectives" from science or hermeneutics.

Re: A Dark Day in America

lakewood — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:32:45 -0000

Who would have thought that our desire to win the culture wars, to do so by placing our hope in the political process would lead to this? But it has.

Re: Us for Them: Chapter 3: The Coddling of the Church

lakewood — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 13:53:00 -0000

This is a rabbit trail I didn’t start: I was challenged by my leadership board for not announcing when I would be on vacation. I said it always meant some people would stay home if I was not there.

Re: I Ask Again: What Would It Take?

lakewood — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 13:40:44 -0000

After reading the post and the comments, your question has been answered. If conservatives thought Trump was against them, bullying them, they would walk away. Or some would. People can be remarkably illogical. Some hate the Democrat party so badly they might never walk away. I never felt like Trump was for me, even though I have voted Republican going as far back as Reagan in the presidential contests.

An aside: I think that Joe Biden is clearly dishonest (about his virility/vitality, IQ, and wild claims about his personal history). It is deeply troubling to see our choice at the ballot box this fall.

But the idea that Trump was a baby Christian, or "our Cyrus" never convinced me. What I can't understand is how some think he is for us and not against us. We, the Focus on the Family party (in some minds, for a long time) have embraced a man who has done cameos in Playboy videos, and committed many other acts that should disqualify him from office. If Jan 6 didn't convince anyone, they won't be convinced. Unless, as it has been said, his contempt for me and people like me might be revealed on some way. I can't 'prove' his contempt, but believe his life reveals it or points to it in ways that seem incontrovertible. His completely unapologetic attitude, always punching back, never admitting to any wrongdoing is certainly not Christian in any way, shape or form. Our only hope is that somehow, he might turn on conservatives, a thing I fully believe he capable of doing, if he felt 'we' had let him down.

Re: Again: Ohlendorf and the OT Texts of Terror

lakewood — Mon, 27 May 2024 14:48:04 -0000

I’ve been taught that the lesson for Abraham in the binding of Isaac was that, contrary to the pagan beliefs, God does not require human/child sacrifice. God provided the sacrifice. Although I agree somewhat with those who think the whole ordeal damaged the father-son relationship between Abraham and Isaac.

Re: The John Birch Society and the Republican Party

lakewood — Fri, 10 May 2024 12:49:54 -0000

Why are Republicans so hawkish? There is or may be " just war" though Augustine could not imagine a world without war-this surely influenced him. But we learned nothing from Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan (in my opinion). I do think V Putin is a criminal and should be stopped, but don't trust our leaders to know how to do that.
It sounds like your boss was largely a selfish, mean spirited person who if Christian at all was "walking the low road" as some preachers used to say.

Re: How Many Gods Do Christians Believe In?

lakewood — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 19:32:37 -0000

I don't "practice spiritual warfare," but I do believe what Paul writes about in Ephesians 6. I've had several recommendations to read Unseen Realm and have wondered if I should. Some of my preachers used to say the Devil gets blamed for a lot of human sin or meanness, and I don't doubt that. But I read the New Testament and think Jesus' encounters with demons were real; I know there are some theologians who don't believe that. I've never personally felt I was directly opposed by an "evil spirit" or demon, and I take no position on the heavenly council; I simply don't know enough either way. I will say the opening chapters of Job are fascinating, though I've never done any deep dive into why God and 'the satan' are in conversation. In fact, I remain thankful to be of such unimportance that God would never (I presume) say, "Have you seen my servant?" and thus have evil unleashed on me and my family. I'm very interested in what you have to say about all this, about Heiser especially since he gets the most attention these days, or even your thoughts on Job (to be taken as a literal story, or as allegory or a treatise of some sort, etc.).

Re: What Is (Christian) Folk Religion?

lakewood — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 22:04:39 -0000

I'm going to revisit Questions for all Your Answers now. I just saw it on the shelf among some other of your books.

Re: What Does “The Blood of Jesus” Mean?

lakewood — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:47:55 -0000

I heard Cynthia Clawson once, accompanied by a young piano player who was a singer/songwriter, her opening act. He told of going somewhere to sing and being told in no uncertain terms: don't sing any songs that reference the blood of Jesus. In response he wrote a song of his own declaring that he loved the blood. (I don't know if he had the courage to sing it where he had been forbidden to do so). I also don't know if it went beyond folk theology or not, that was a long time ago. It's interesting to me that even in some mainline churches you can sing "What can wash away my sin?" and then hold the mike to the audience and they will respond, "Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

Re: O, That Again: Another Book about Evangelicalism

lakewood — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 13:37:09 -0000

Like you I was raised in a church where women led, though I didn’t know any women preachers growing up except a missionary named Fairy Chism. We went from about 30% women as clergy to a small percentage. The numbers are turning around now. And so is the pressure to accommodate ‘full inclusion.’ Related? I hope not. Denominational leaders are facing huge pressure these days.

A college chapel speaker asked us once, “Are you part of the solution here or part of the problem?” A fair question to ask any eXvangelical. Or any of the rest of us. The problem is we can easily deceive ourselves.

Re: Belief in Satan without God?

lakewood — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 17:25:19 -0000

I'm guessing and agreeing with you the key idea is accountability. Harold Kushner wrote decades ago that people are hungry for the supernatural, and if they don't worship God, they will try to make some sort of connection in other ways, and if I recall correctly, he mentioned horror movies/stories. We are far more superstitious than we might want to admit, and one of the signs of the Fall is our fascination with evil. One theologian said that if you ask the 'man on the street' if he would like to see God or Satan, the average person would say "Satan." Another factor might be just an unconscious desire to trivialize matters of eternity. Could it be possible that reading or watching portrayals of some malevolent evil being is an attempt to domesticate such beings? We get the thrill of being frightened, but in the end, it's only a story.

Re: What Does “Supernatural” Mean?

lakewood — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 11:23:01 -0000

Do you have an opinion on why we don't experience "miracles of healing" more often? Scot McKnight, in his NICNT commentary on James 5, suggests that James probably connected healing or healing faith with the cross (He took up our infirmities, etc.). I believe you have addressed this or at least made reference to it before. I am often puzzled and personally frustrated (because of personal infirmity) by this.

Re: Questions for Theology Nerds

lakewood — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:01:18 -0000

4. Would you agree that the doctrine of the Trinity was birthed from a growing awareness of 1. Yahweh as God alone, 2. the realization that Jesus was not "the Father" but was proved to be God (ultimately by the resurrection) and that 3. God could personally dwell in all believers. Is this an oversimplification? Much more could be added, but this is my response.
I'm anticipating discussion on the other questions.

Re: But Is It Worth It? A Question to Christian Trumpists

lakewood — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 13:29:28 -0000

Of course it's not. But die hard Trump fans will only learn the hard way. If at all.

Re: | Roger E. Olson

lakewood — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 23:25:32 -0000

This is true. Friends of mine who were professors where I went to school were uncomfortable (at least) when the school began a degree completion program. They feared it was mostly about money, produced two very different categories of graduates (many who had no understanding of the Christian roots and expected ways of living in accordance with those asked of traditional students) and the frustration of teaching sometimes near pagans at times.

Re: Going Out on A Limb: Needed: A National Religion

lakewood — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 00:30:28 -0000

If individual freedom is the glue, a growing number of people are apparently willing to surrender it to achieve certain political or social goals. Which is disconcerting to think about, and a terrible prospect.
Your proposal evokes a real longing in me, partly nostalgic (I'm 73) and partly pragmatic as I consider where we might be headed.

Re: Going Out on A Limb: Needed: A National Religion

lakewood — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 12:17:26 -0000

Very interesting. Some would accuse you of promoting theocracy, I'm guessing.

Re: Essentials of Christian Thought: Chapter 7

lakewood — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 13:47:41 -0000

Your last statement is so true and certainly part of the problem.

Re: Essentials of Christian Thought: Chapter 7

lakewood — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:40:21 -0000

It is difficult for me to reconcile the implications with being made in the image of God with the way many of us behave. I include myself here.

The idea that freedom/responsibility is given to us is either misunderstood or rejected because of human experience. I am speaking of those who struggle with compulsive behaviors. I have a son who has been addicted to many things and believes in a deterministic view of life—there is no such thing as free will. This often is an excuse not to accept our responsibility, but for him, I think he does feel he is trapped in a way he can’t escape. He might not articulate this, but he might agree that matter is essentially evil. He is 'clean' from substance abuse today, but still has what I would call an addictive temperament.

I believe that the incarnation changes everything. Yet I’ve often struggled with compulsive behavior. Further, I’ve known many (!) professing Christians who experienced struggles with addiction (drugs, alcohol, food, pornography) and have gone through multiple marriages.

Where do you think professing Christians (my son was once) who cannot live up to their full humanity in Jesus are missing the mark? Is the problem ignorance, a lack of faith, or simple rebellion?

Re: Is Israel Guilty of War Crimes?

lakewood — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 18:10:28 -0000

As a young teen I read a book from my public-school library about the bombing of Hiroshima and then Nagasaki. I don’t recall the name of the book. It was eye opening to me. It changed my opinion that the USA was always the ‘good guy.’ When I read that the president who ordered the attack supposedly was a believer in the Sermon on the Mount, it was disturbing.

Long after I read Edith Sheaffer’s Forever Music, which included a story of a man who was then the head/chief tuner for Steinway. His story was that he had been in Dresden during the firebombing near the end of WWII. From a basement window saw people walking around literally on fire. At that point he said to his mother, who was praying, “There is no god.” His journey to salvation began when the Americans came to the city and an Army major, whom he described as “a huge man” looked over the devastation and wept openly. This small expression of compassion opened a window into his soul, and he later became a professing Christian.

I totally agree that in war there are no innocent parties. Here in the USA many who have never heard of Augustine’s Just War theory maintain that any war we are involved in is just. Augustine, I’m told, could not imagine a world without war. Sometimes it seems that, indeed, there is no such thing. I’m not a pacifist, but it is clear—to me—that many of the conflicts we have engaged in in the last fifty to seventy five years have made the world worse, not better.

Thanks for this careful exploration of the Gaza/Israel situation. We should be praying every day for an end to it all, and for the conversion of the Jewish people (their leaders especially) and that of the residents of Gaza.