The Supreme Court, Rebel Flag and Evangelicals, There Is a Common Thread

The past week has been a bit interesting. As the world around us continues to convulse in violence our attention has been focused on some Supreme Court decisions, and the Rebel Flag. It has brought out interesting comments from a variety of sources. Evangelicals have had their say and have been highlighted as "those intolerant extremists" once again. In reality there is a common thread that connects all three of these topics. They share the same problem that has taken us to where we are today. Drifting rapidly from where God has designed us to be. It is not just the Court or the Rebel Flag detractors but also Evangelicals who have fallen prey to the attack on truth. 

If you are not familiar with me you should know that I am a bit driven to try to see the historic and cultural context of things I study. This is true in my study of the Scriptures as well as other things that interest me. I believe it is  absolutely essential to try to understand what was the intent of the author and the reader at the time events were recorded. When we ignore the original context of who wrote things and to whom they were written, we may well end up in error. That is the case for the Supreme Court decisions, the concern over the Rebel Flag and how evangelicals understand the Word of God. The first two are disturbing and even irritating. However, the last, understanding Scripture, has led us to confusion and outright error. A place no follower of God or Messiah wants to be.

I would like to view these one at a time. In the decisions made by the Supreme Court, the Court has simply disregarded the history that is the foundation of the U.S. Constitution. They have usurped the rights of the states and denied the intent of the authors of the document. Whether it is demanding the support of a national health care program or redefining marriage, history and the intent of the writers has had no bearing. There is nothing in the document to grant the power they have exercised. There is nothing in the Constitution that even mentions marriage. To tie life, liberty, and equal protection from the 14th amendment is fanciful at best. It assumes that if marrying several women or men at the same time brings you a feeling of liberty and happiness, you are guaranteed equal protection to make that happen. Concern has been voiced by those who see this as a moral issue or from the basis of religious conviction. The thought is that their right to practice their faith will be in question. There may be cause for concern, as one of the commentators following the decision on same sex marriage made the statement that "The Supreme Court has finally recognized that religious freedom must end where oppression begins." It is not hard to imagine that a religious stand concerning abortion, sexual purity before marriage, homosexuality or even sin in general will be viewed as oppressive. Such conviction spoken would not be allowed. 

The only way to arrive at the decisions we are seeing is to remove the foundation that the Constitution was built upon. No matter what you want to believe, the United States of America was founded on the belief that there is a God who created us and made Himself known to us. Religious freedom was at the very core of many of the colonies. Our laws were gleaned from or in principal drawn from the pages of Scripture. We have simply chosen to ignore the historic truth beneath our nation's founding and the Constitution that was meant to protect our freedoms from a potentially oppressive government. 

As to the Rebel Flag, the supposed flag of slavery, there are several flaws in the current argument. Questions were asked of people on the street during a segment of "The O'Reily Factor". One question was, "What was the reason for the Civil War?" The answer, of course, was "slavery". Just a few points of reality. 1) It was not a "Civil" war. No one in the South wanted to overthrow the government; they were revolting to form their own government just as the 13 colonies had about 100 years before. 2) Southern states seceded over what they saw as an oppressive federal government laying unreasonable taxation on the southern states. 3) The Northern states also had slaves. In fact, next to Charleston, the greatest ports for the importation and sale of slaves were Philadelphia, New York and Boston. 4) The Emancipation Proclamation only applied to southern states. Northern states could maintain their possession of  their house servants and stable hands. 5) Slavery became the issue two years into the war as northern support was waning, and a moral issue was needed to continue to pursue the war. 

Whatever you think of the Rebel Flag, the history behind it wasn't about slavery, but about the south rebelling against an oppressive federal government. If you compare memorials in Gettysburg and Fredericksburg, you will find that the Union fought the Rebels at Gettysburg while the Confederates fought the Federalist at Fredericksburg. Perspective. However, history has no bearing on current society so take down the flags and don't sell them on e-bay or at K-Mart. By the way, the slaves were purchased from the English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Dutch colonies in Africa. I guess we can't sell those flags either. The point is slavery was a national travesty, not just a southern one. Slaves were owned in all of the states. The northern states simply did not have to endure the heavy taxation placed upon the southern states by the federal government. Unfair taxation led the southern states to rebel with a desire to form a new Confederation of states with a limited centralized governing authority. Imagine a flag that represents being upset with an oppressive federal government that taxes unreasonably, tramples on states rights and personal freedoms. But, again it must be said, history doesn't matter.

As to Evangelical Christians, at least those who write commentaries and Bible studies, we find the same disturbing truth. Studies and materials produced are written as if the Apostle Paul wrote to Americans. His letters do apply to us. However,they were written to existing assemblies in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, etc. As a Jewish Rabbi writing to a mix of Jews and Gentiles, the culture and instruction was decidedly Hebraic. But, we have determined that the Jewish foundation of our faith is pretty much to be ignored. If you look at Scripture (see Acts 24:5,24:14 & 28:22), the believing groups at that time were viewed simply as sects of Judaism. Yet you will be hard pressed to find Evangelical assemblies that honor any Jewish traditions. We are told we are under grace and not under the Law. Ephesians 2 explains that we Gentiles who were far off and not citizens of Israel and had no claim to the covenants of promised are brought near. By the blood of the Jewish Messiah we too can become citizens. We too can share in the covenants.  Paul is clear in Romans 11 that it is the Gentiles who were grafted into Israel http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Rom&c=11&t=NKJV#s=1057017. Yet, if we are honest, Evangelical Christians let Jews know they have to be grafted into the church to be in God's kingdom. Who cares what the culture and historic context of Scripture tells us; what the Scripture means to me today is what matters. 

If we saw ourselves as a sect of Judaism, as the believing assemblies did in Acts, we would have to rewrite much of what we do today. What of the evangelical rejection of resting on the seventh day. What of the ignoring of God's ordained holidays in His Word? Should we honor those in addition to the ones we just made up? And O my! What about bacon! But don't worry. We are under grace. God can't really be concerned with what He inspired the writers of Scripture to write. After all He gave us His Spirit Who can lead us to pick and choose what we like and ignore the stuff we don't. Hey, we can even add some new stuff to help us justify what we don't like. We add words and take them away to make our point. (See Wednesday, June 24, 2015 The Book Of James Should Not Be In the Bible) 

We can be pretty outraged at what the Supreme Court does when they ignore the history and original meaning and intent of our Constitution. As well we should be. We may draw wrong conclusions about what a flag stands for when we fail to consider the history behind it. Yet, might it be more important to consider what is the foundation, the history, the culture, that lies beneath the Word of God, of His revelation to us? Do we just ignore it and hope we are right about a gracious God not caring what we do with His Word? Does it matter that we have drifted so far from the practice of the Early "church". You know, that sect of Judaism that was growing back in the first century. 

Well, there is a lot to think about. Feeling oppressed yet?           
  

Don't Pet the Cat Backwards

Have you ever wished you didn't know so much? Things would not bother you if you were a little more ignorant. Life could be less irritating. To some extent the phrase "Ignorance is bliss" actually has some merit. My best friend in Virginia really is a rocket scientist. He puts things into space, works for NASA and the Department of Defense. He has a hard time watching movies that are pretending to be accounts of some space event: "Space Cowboys", "Gravity" and the like, because he knows too much. The same is true with finished carpenters that see bad woodwork installation, carpet installers and bad carpet seams, and the auto body guy watching his neighbor restore his classic car with "bondo" and a can of spray paint in his backyard. To most people it looks pretty good, but for the one who knows, it can be at the least a distraction, at the worst you feel like a cat being pet backwards. (If you missed the analogy, pick up a cat and quickly and repeatedly pet it against the grain of its fur. You may generate enough static electricity to stick the cat to the wall. And no, I am not suggesting you try this; the point is Fluffy will not enjoy the experience).

Such is the reality that occasionally plagues my life. I have graduated from a Christian University with a minor in Bible, I completed my Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in theology; and I recently earned a PhD. in theology as well. So I know stuff. One would hope so anyway. My post graduate degree focused on the study of Scripture from a Hebraic perspective. The whole Bible is a Jewish book. The New Testament was written by Jews (with the possible exception of Luke). Jewish followers of a Jewish Messiah. They lived in a Jewish culture and they read, spoke, and wrote in Hebrew. The Gentiles were grafted in as followers of a Jewish Messiah and met with the Jews on the Sabbath in the Synagogues for at least 150 years after the ascension of our Lord. I was forced to take this into account as I worked on my degree. So I now ask questions as to how the first readers living in their Jewish culture would have understood the message. Recognizing that there was no New Testament, all references to God's Word and to the Scriptures were references to Torah, the Writings and the Prophets, Genesis to Malachi. 

The issue I face is that a significant number of people, preachers, and teachers do not share this perspective. They would agree with it, but either haven't taken the time to soak in the reality or simply are so immersed in American and Western thought that any alternative is foreign to them. There is no intent to ignore the cultural setting; the thought just never seems to come to mind. It never really did to me until I was forced out of my comfort zone a few years ago with questions that were not answered well from my traditional perspective. Now simple, honestly shared phrases by well-known and well received TV and radio preachers give me that "pet backwards cat" experience. I don't mean to be picky but we are to rightly and accurately teach the Word of God. If we just perpetuate thought without thinking we are guilty of a sloppy handling of the Word of Truth, the very Word of Life God breathed for directions and instruction as how best to live a life abundant in Him. 

Wow! What a long introduction. Now there is no room to really address the irritation that poked me this past Saturday. So I will ask you the question and see what you think, then give you my thoughts next week. I heard a popular Radio and TV preacher make a statement while I was listening to the car radio. By the way, I mean no disrespect, and the man has been used mightily of God to teach the truth and to see lives changed by the power of God's Spirit. I just think he is trapped in saying what has been said for hundreds of years. It seems to me we don't really think about what the words mean any more. That being said here is the sort of quote, maybe not the exact words but pretty close: "Saul, who God changed to Paul, was one of the greatest persecutors of Christians but was transformed, by God's grace, to become a man of faith." Are there any issues here? Any possible inaccuracies? Was Paul indeed transformed by the grace of God? Any little abrasions to the truth that rub you the wrong way? Give it some thought and we can talk next week.       

All Scripture?

As this is my first attempt to write a blog please excuse me as I sort of feel my way. My observation from viewing other blogs is that there is no required format and so I am probably okay. This first blog is a simple attempt to make you think a little. We all grow up in our comfort zone and from the time we come in contact with the reality of God and the salvation found in His Son we were groomed and trained in whatever assembly, church, home group or Bible study we found ourselves in. Often times we fail to be Bereans and do not search the Scriptures to know if what we are told is true. Having been in several denominations and having been in Bible studies with Lutherans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, a variety of Charismatics and even a Methodist or two, most of what we hold to as true follows the same line. Differences are often just in the details. I probably don't fit well anywhere. I am sort of a Messianic Gentile. A Gentile who, by God's grace has access to His Kingdom by faith in His Son, Yeshua, my Messiah.

From the time I was drawn to a relationship with my God through the power of the Holy Spirit and the work of God's Son, Yeshua Messiah, I have asked the question "Why?". Why do we do what we do in Worship? Why did God include endless genealogies and leave out clear directions as to how Assemblies of Jesus' Followers were to function? Why do we seem to keep nine of the Ten Commandments. Why are there so many passionate views on the Lord's return? Why do we spend so much time in the New Testament when the Old Testament is bigger? Is it just a Jewish history book with some random applications to us New Testament followers or is there more? And what of the Law, or Torah, with all it's instructions? Does any of it apply to me or is what I was told for years, that I am free from the Law and it has no demands over my life, true? What parts of Torah or the Law apply and how do I know what does and doesn't? If any at all.  And then there is the whole Jewish thing. Is it important to know what the first readers understood as they received revelation from Jewish writers in a Jewish culture most often in a Jewish language. Even New Testament writers were Jewish as they wrote about a Jewish Messiah, with the possible exception of Luke. And even those who wrote in Greek were deeply steeped in Hebraic thought and owned a Hebraic world view. Hellenism had its influence, but the underpinning of much of what we read is Hebraic. Jewish writers sharing Jewish thought from a Hebraic perspective in an Eastern world. But most of us are Western and Greek in thought, so would that affect how we understand the Word of God? Quite possibly so.

I give you two familiar passages to consider as we look to the Scriptures to see just how valid the Old Testament or Torah is for faith and practice in the lives of us Jesus followers today. Now I am not suggesting that you need to build an altar and sacrifice a sheep in your backyard, but I am suggesting that we need to consider some things that Yeshua (Jesus) and the Apostle Paul said just to get us thinking. The first passage comes from Matthew 5. Following the giving of the Beatitudes the Lord proclaims that He did not come to abolish the Law (Torah) or the Prophets. "I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (5:17). I was told that this was Jesus saying that he had come to complete or fulfill the Law and the Prophets. This meant that with his death, burial and, resurrection the Law no longer applied. The Law (Torah) is over. However, what of the next verse? "For assuredly, I say to you till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law (Torah) till all is fulfilled" (5:18). Now as far as I can tell, the Heaven and earth are still here. Jesus is emphatic that Torah will not pass away until all is fulfilled. Tied to the "heaven and earth" declaration it is reasonable to assume that is at the end of time. When all is fulfilled. If that is true, then Torah, or the Law, is still around. Ah, but this is the Jewish Jesus talking to Jewish people, so it may still be around for them but not for us Gentiles. Not for the church. Then consider Paul's encouragement to Timothy, who is recognized as a leader or pastor among the assemblies or churches. In this Pastoral Epistle, Paul reminds Timothy that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16). A passage most all would agree with. But what are the Scriptures Paul is speaking of? There is no New Testament at the time of this writing. The only Scriptures available to Timothy and those he teaches and leads are the Old Testament Scriptures, Torah. And this is all that was need for proper doctrine, correction and instruction on how to live right before God. It is all that is need to fully equip every believer for the service God would call them to. Torah is all that is needed to know how to live in a way that is pleasing to God and to my neighbor as well. Can that really be true? No Love chapter from 1 Corinthians? No instruction from Ephesians or Romans? Yet under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul tells Timothy all he needs to be effective, to be thoroughly furnished for every possible good work is Torah. The Law that will not pass away until all was complete. The Word of God that we are accountable to know and apply. Or maybe Jesus and the Apostle Paul were mistaken. Just something to think about.