A brief announcement

With the blog finally caught up -- I've had a rough week -- I'm just worn out. I'm taking a week off from it. I'll see you in January.

Job 30

From being a great man, Job fell to become worse than nothing.

To be nothing, to be forgotten, would have been bearable. As it was, he was mocked and made fun of by men he'd always considered worthless. Worst of all, when he turned to God for help, there was no help to be found.

Review: ACTION PHILOSOPHERS! by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey

It shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, but I am very interested in both philosophy and comics. This is both,

That I'm interested in philosophy wasn't a surprise to me. Neither was the fact that I'm not interested in reading huge dull books. Fortunately, writer Fred Van Lente has done the hard work of taking these books and distilling them down to short, funny cartoons. Ryan Dunlavey provides art that matches the script and defines the look of the book, but also lets him draw almost everything. Though the art seems simple, it's very adaptable, and Dunlavey can apparently draw nearly anything.

This book feels like it was put out just for me. I doubt there are that many people looking for a black-and-white philosophy comic book, but if you're one of those few, I recommend this one.

Job 29

Job begins his summary defense, and focuses in this chapter on what his life was like before he lost everything. He was not only a spiritual leader, but a financial and political one as well, loved and respected by everyone.

He knew God had allowed that to be taken from him, but he never blamed God.

Review: THIS PRESENT DARKNESS by Frank Peretti

About 15-20 years ago spiritual warfare was the Next Big Thing in the Christian subculture. Frank Peretti was in the vanguard of this trend, and as far as I know he never left.

Reading it all these years later, it's obviously not the work of a seasoned writer. Though all of the boxes are dutifully checked, it's done without grace, as if Peretti typed it with a sledgehammer. Simply put, it's not a very good book, and could have used some more rewriting 

At this point this is of more interest as a cultural artifact than as a book. I don't recommend it.

Job 28

Where does wisdom come from? Only God knows.

Long ago, someone explained the difference between intelligence and wisdom this way: intelligence is what you can know, while wisdom is what you can do with what you know. The Bible has very little to say about intelligence, but a lot to say about wisdom.

The first commandment

2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods before me."

-- Exodus 20.2, 3, ESV 

The first commandment is simple, as is the reasoning behind it. No one else brought the Hebrews out of Egypt, so the Hebrews weren't to worship anyone else. And "no other gods before me" didn't mean they could have a lot of gods as long as Yahweh was their favorite. If you think that's the case, try telling your wife that you're going to have a lot of wives, but that she'll be your favorite. Let me know how that works.

Job 27

Job maintains his own integrity, and refuses to compromise his honesty, even this late in the game. Though his chances of getting a hearing before God appear increasingly remote, he still insists on both God's and his own integrity.

When all else fails him he can still believe in that.

My beef with Christmas

First off, I've never said "Bah, humbug!" once in my life, and Ebenezer Scrooge was a character in a piece of sentimental fluff that had more to do with Guatemalan independence than it did with any kind of biblical Christianity. And it had nothing to do with Guatemalan independence. So don't waste your time or mine calling me a Scrooge. Or a Grinch, for that matter, or any of the other names it's become acceptable to call people who don't like the way things are.

My biggest problem with Christmas as it's currently practiced is that it's based on what a particular group of people did in the 1800s. It's about Currier and Ives prints and A Christmas Carol. It's tradition for its own sake, and that's something for which I have no patience at all.

Watching the same movies and singing the same songs every year doesn't mean you have the "Christmas spirit"; it means you watch the same movies and sing the same songs every year. If that's what you like, fine, but let's not pretend that there's some virtue in repetition. Besides, I've read the Bible several times, and I haven't seen anything about a Christmas spirit.

There's a really good part about a baby, though.

Review: WHAT IS A KINGDOM CHRISTIAN? by David Bercot

Having looked at what Jesus said about the Kingdom of God, Bercot examines the sort of people who will inhabit it. This is a more controversial subject, but Bercot approaches it as carefully as he does anything else. Being familiar with his work, I didn't find his conclusions surprising, but I also found they didn't match those of any church to which I'd belonged.

What really matters is whether they match the Bible, and as near as I can tell they do. Some people won't read it just because it's Bercot, and while I understand that, I think it's wrong. Personally, I recommend it; it's better to find out you made a mistake and fix it than to never find out.

Job 26

God is great.

By that I don't mean he's really good. I mean that he's great: unfathomable, unknowable, and unimaginable. Despite that, he loves people and wants to spend eternity with them. Because he's good, too.

Job 25

In this very short chapter, Bildad says that there's no way man can be righteous before God. If even the moon and stars aren't pure in his sight, what chance does Job have?

It's another variation on what we've already read, but at least it's short.

Review: BELIEFS by John Roth

I read this to learn what Mennonites believe, instead, I learned that the Mennonite Church USA is very liberal.

Aside from strewing his work with liberal buzzwords and catchphrases like "conversation" and "faith community", the author has Rob Bell Syndrome, saying very little that can be nailed down. With all due respect to Mr. Roth, the goal isn't a conversation between faith communities; the goal is to be as much as possible like Jesus.

There are a number of reasons I don't recommend this book, but probably the most important is that for all its words, it doesn't say much.

Job 24

Being upright doesn't seem to do anyone any good. Go ahead and prove me wrong. That's what Job's arguments are in this chapter.

Even though he's clearly getting angry, he never curses God. 

Review: NEXTWAVE vol. 1 by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen

This is a comic book, and a funny one, which isn't as redundant as it sounds. In this country, comics are dominated by superheroes, and superheroes stopped being funny in ever. But this book is hilarious.

Writer Warren Ellis takes several unused characters (and one new one) and throws them into a S.H.I.E.L.D. story that's been cranked up to a ridiculous extreme. Stuart Immonen is one of the top artists in the industry, and draws in an angular style that perfectly suits the frankly insane story.

The series was only 12 issues long, and volume 1 contains the first six. I liked it a lot, and I highly recommend it for anyone else who likes comics.

Job 23

God isn't afraid of our questions.

He's big and tough and can handle them. He created the universe and keeps it going, so he can handle anything you've got. I will warn you about  one thing, though: be as good as Job before you start asking.

Looking positively at Anabaptism, instead of negatively

I don't mean thinking favorably about it; ultimately, what a person believes is between him and God, and I don't expect people to do as I do anyway. What I am saying is that nobody should be defined by what they don't believe, rather than what they do believe. And that includes Anabaptists.

For example, Anabaptists are not people who refuse to bear arms. We're people who trust God to protect us. We're not people who don't take oaths, but people who try to be so honest we don't need to.

Anabaptism isn't about not doing things; it's about doing the right things. It's about obedience out of gratitude to Jesus Christ for saving my soul. There's nothing negative in that.

Job 22

Eliphaz appears to have run out of arguments, because this chapter is just a long list of accusations. Rather than trying to convince Job to repent, Eliphaz seems to pepper him with accusations, hoping he'll confess to something.

It's not fun to read, and it couldn't have been any fun to listen to.

Review: DAD IS FAT by Jim Gaffigan

As might be expected from a comedian's first book, some of this seems like recycled stage material. Most of the book is original, though, and when it comes down to it, it's just one long love letter to his wife and children.

Gaffigan has always used minimal profanity, and I don't remember anything in this book I wouldn't want my daughter to see. Given how few books celebrate families, it's hard not to recommend one that does. Especially if it's funny.

Job 21

"But," Job says, "the wicked do prosper."

It's true. Some people spend their lives at best ignoring God and seem to do just fine. That's one reason Christians believe in Hell. It's a horrible concept, and no one in his right mind would want anyone sent there. But evil will be punished.

Three reasons I still belong to a Southern Baptist church

Longtime readers have seen my theology shift over the last year, to the point where I can no longer consider myself a Baptist anymore. Baptists were originally heavily influenced by two very different groups: the Calvinists and the Anabaptists. The mixture of the two created Baptist theology.

Personally, I've always leaned very hard to the Anabaptist side. I've always had a problem with eternal security, or, to use a more common phrase that I've come to loathe, "once saved always saved". Since that's at the heart of the Baptist faith, giving that up meant giving up being a Baptist, and that was a huge part of my identity.

In the end, though, it was easy, probably because we haven't left our old Baptist congregation. That just raises more questions; my wife in particular has asked why I continue to attend a church with which I don't agree. That's a good question, and deserves a good answer. Here are three attempts.

Eternal security is the only thing I've found so far about which I disagree with the Southern Baptist Convention. The Baptist Faith & Message, though not required for individual churches, tells what the Convention itself believes. Revised in the year 2000, it has one article that's specifically about eternal security, and 17 that aren't. Also, I don't recall a single sermon or lesson on the subject.

The closest Anabaptist congregation I've heard of is still very far away. Years ago I heard of some Mennonites who lived in southwest Chilton County. That's about 70 miles as the crow flies, and probably 100 by car. So we can either drive for three hours to maybe find a congregation that used to be there, or we can drive five minutes to where we know we'll find people we know and love.

We have quite possibly the best pastor in the entire world. I make a point of not mentioning names here, so you'll just have to trust me. Besides, he'd just get the big head anyway.

Hopefully it's a little clearer now.

Job 20

All Zophar can do is just repeat that the wicked will suffer.

It's interesting to me that Job's three friends seem to get more indignant as the book goes, like they're taking his refusal to repent personally. It's something I've never noticed before, and that's the advantage of reading the Bible slowly like this.

Review: AMERICA AGAIN (RE-BECOMING THE GREATNESS WE NEVER WEREN'T) by Stephen Colbert

I don't recommend it. See yesterday's review for why not.

Job 19

Job asks why his friends are blaming his state on him. He didn't do it to himself, he reasons. God did, and if he'd sinned against God, that's between him and God. It had nothing to do with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

Basically, he told them to mind their own business.

Review: I AM A POLE (AND SO CAN YOU!) by Stephen Colbert

This is a very short book in verse, a parody of the overtly polemic children's books sometimes published by neoconservative talk show hosts. For several years Colbert played a character, also named Stephen Colbert, who satirized such hosts, and this book appeared just after his first one, I Am America (And So Can You!).

The audio version, which I have, is read by Tom Hanks, so it's both well-written and well-read. The problem is that it depends on the reader having a heavy sense of irony for its humor. The joke is often not always made because the joke is always assumed to have been made. There's a wide streak of knowing sarcasm in this book and in all of Colbert's books, as if he were saying, "Those people really believe this, but we know better."

In short, to use CS Lewis' term, it's flippant. That's why despite it being very, very funny, I don't recommend it.

Job 18

Once again, Bildad takes on his self-appointed role as God's defender.

It's important to note that God didn't ask him to do this. None of Job's friends was assigned that job, and God himself makes it clear later in the book just what he thinks of them assuming it. The fact is that God doesn't need defending. He can defend himself.

Job 17

"I might as well die. What hope is there anyway?" That's the essence of Job's argument in this chapter. It's not a fun chapter to read, but it is short.

Maybe it was meant that way.

Review: KINGDOM OF GOD by David Bercot

The central idea of this book is that the focus of Jesus' preaching as revealed in the New Testament was not, as I had always thought, how to be saved, but the Kingdom of God.

And that's true, as a quick check of the NT will prove.

In fact, everything I've checked in this book was true. Everything I've checked or already known from any of his books or messages has been true, which is the main reason I've come to trust Bercot over the years.

Most of the book explores what is meant by "Kingdom of God". Given how much emphasis Jesus Christ placed on it, it's a very important concept, and one we should understand better. For that reason alone I'd recommend this book.

Job 16

Job still asks to speak with God. After all, he reasons, he won't live forever.

The most interesting thing to me is that other than a few comments, Job doesn't seem to be talking to his friends at all in this chapter. Instead he seems to be speaking through them to God, while begging God to speak to him.

I have a teenage daughter

It's true. She's 13 now.

Conventional wisdom says that I should be more or less crazy right now, trying to keep her my little girl and having an irrational hatred and fear of all boys. But I'm not. 

I'm not happy about it, of course. I've loved having little girls. Part of me wants that to last forever. Most of me knows, though, that it would not only be unhealthy for both of us if I tried, it's not what I really want anyway.

I'm not an idiot who just lets his kids do what they want. (And if you do that, then allow me to say with all the love and good will in the world that you are an idiot.) But I also am not an idiot who would intentionally try to keep his daughters immature and afraid so they'll always stay close.

I know my daughter is growing up. I know that one day she'll break my heart and I won't be the most important man in her life anymore. And that's as it should be.

The reason my wife and I have devoted so much time to teaching her to do what's right is that one day we won't be right there choosing for her. Hopefully she'll do it herself.

Year two

I've had the iPad for two years now, and I'm still very grateful for it. But have I used it well?

It matters what we think and do. This past year I've tried to bring them into alignment. Anything less would be hypocritical, and I do not want to be a hypocrite.

Just like the year before, I've used it mostly to write this blog, read books, and communicate via Facebook. There have been three big changes, though. The first is that I've decided to learn French through the Duolingo app. French is an official language in Newfoundland and Labrador, and while it's only spoken exclusively by about 5% of the people there, I figure knowing it will make me a better missionary. At the very least, I'll die knowing some French.

The second is that given that people are already riled up about the presidential election next year, I'm going to try and stay clear of Fb until at least then. The last thing I want is to waste this gift tthat God has given me being snide and angry.

Finally, a good friend has given me carte blanche to post on The Bible Exchange. Hopefully this will eventually lead to my being able to do this for a living, but as it stands it's a very great honor for me, and a privilege I don't intend to abuse.

I've read 134 books in the last 12 months, which is more than last year but far less than I was shooting for (200). Next year's goal is 20, which sounds ridiculously small until you realize I have some reeeeeally long books I want to read.

We have been united as follows concerning the oath

VII. We have been united as follows concerning the oath. The oath is a confirmation among those who are quarreling or making promises. In the law it is commanded that it should be done only in the name of God, truthfully and not falsely. Christ, who teaches the perfection of the law, forbids His [followers] all swearing, whether true or false; neither by heaven nor by earth, neither by Jerusalem nor by our head; and that for the reason which He goes on to give: "For you cannot make one hair white or black." You see, thereby all swearing is forbidden. We cannot perform what is promised in the swearing, for we are not able to change the smallest part of ourselves.

Now there are some who do not believe the simple commandment of God and who say, "But God swore by Himself to Abraham, because He was God (as He promised him that He would do good to him and would be his God if he kept His commandments). Why then should I not swear if I promise something to someone?" The answer: hear what the Scripture says: "God, since he wished to prove overabundantly to the heirs of His promise that His will did not change, inserted an oath so that by two immutable things we might have a stronger consolation (for it is impossible that God should lie"). Notice the meaning of the passage: God has the power to do what He forbids you, for everything is possible to Him. God swore an oath to Abraham, Scripture says, in order to prove that His counsel is immutable. That means: no one can withstand and thwart His will; thus He can keep His oath. But we cannot, as Christ said above, hold or perform our oath, therefore we should not swear.

Others say that swearing cannot be forbidden by God in the New Testament when it was commanded in the Old, but that it is forbidden only to swear by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, and our head. Answer: hear the Scripture. He who swears by heaven, swears by God's throne and by Him who sits thereon.

Observe: swearing by heaven is forbidden, which is only God's throne; how much more is it forbidden to swear by God Himself. You blind fools, what is greater, the throne or He who sits upon it?

Others say, if it is then wrong to use God for truth, then the apostles Peter and Paul also swore. Answer: Peter and Paul only testify to that which God promised Abraham, whom we long after have received. But when one testifies, one testifies concerning that which is present, whether it be good or evil. Thus Simeon spoke of Christ to Mary and testified: "Behold: this one is ordained for the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign which will be spoken against."

Christ taught us similarly when He says: Your speech shall be yea, yea; and nay, nay; for what is more than that comes of evil. He says, your speech or your word shall be yes and no, so that no one might understand that He had permitted it. Christ is simply yea and nay, and all those who seek Him simply will understand His Word. Amen.

+

And that's it. There's some surrounding matter like letters and such, but that's the last article of the Schleitheim Confesion. It'simportant to remember that all creeds, confessions, and statements of faith are the works of men. They're good as far as they match up to the word of God, but ultimately they'll fail. Only the Bible is the infallible word of God.

This seems like a good place to thank my wife, who not only puts up with me doing this blog but has done most of the copying and pasting work the last few months. I don't know how I could have done these posts, or been the kind of person who cared about these posts, without her. You're the greatest blessing I've ever received, and I'm ashamed of the way I've treated you. I love you, sweetheart, and I can't imagine you not being there.

Unless someone writes to me with another idea, I plan on doing one more post next Wednesday about Anabaptism, and then starting over with the Ten Commandments.

Job 15

Eliphaz reminds me of Caiaphas in this chapter.

For those who don't remember, Caiaphas was the high priest in charge of Jesus' illegal trial. At one point he declared the accused condemned by his own words. Eliphaz says the same thing to Job.

Review : THE HOBBIT by JRR Tolkein

it's hard to think of another book short of the Bible that's meant as much to me. I used to think that The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was my favorite book. It's not. It's a very good book, but it's a distant second to this one.

As far as I'm concerned, The Hobbit is review-proof. I'm not even going to try.

Job 14

Since we all die anyway, says Job, there's no hope. This chapter is a continuation of the speech/prayer from the last chapter. Taken all together, it's possibly the most hopeless, depressing thing ever written.

There's more hope for a tree stump than for a man, says Job.

Review:CHURCH HISTORY IN PLAIN LANGUAGE by Bruce L. Shelley

Thiis has become a classic in its field, and it's easy to see why. It's very good.

Church history is an interesting subject that is too often obscured by layers of theology and jargon. It can be very difficult to dig down to what actually happened. What Shelley does so well is to strip away most of those layers and present the most unvarnished church history I've ever seen.

Of course, everyone has biases, including Shelley and I. He works hard to keep his out of the way, though, and I recommend this book.

Job 13

Job wanted to follow God, but he also wanted his questions answered.

Sometimes we just have to trust God, because we aren't going to get all our answers in this world. It can be difficult to trust in someone you can't see, but we can trust the Lord of Justice to do what's right.

We have been united as follows concerning the sword

VI. We have been united as follows concerning the sword. The sword is an ordering of God outside the perfection of Christ. It punishes and kills the wicked and guards and protects the good. In the law the sword is established over the wicked for punishment and for death and the secular rulers are established to wield the same.

But within the perfection of Christ only the ban is used for the admonition and exclusion of the one who has sinned, without the death of the flesh, simply the warning and the command to sin no more.

Now many, who do not understand Christ's will for us, will ask; whether a Christian may or should use the sword against the wicked for the protection and defense of the good, or for the sake of love.

The answer is unanimously revealed: Christ teaches and commands us to learn from Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart and thus we shall find rest for our souls. Now Christ says to the woman who was taken in adultery, not that she should be stoned according to the law of His Father (and yet He says, "What the Father commanded me, that I do") but with mercy and forgiveness and the warning to sin no more, says: "Go, sin no more." Exactly thus should we also proceed, according to the rule of the ban.

Second, is asked concerning the sword: whether a Christian shall pass sentence in disputes and strife about worldly matters, such as the unbelievers have with one another. The answer: Christ did not wish to decide or pass judgment between brother and brother concerning inheritance, but refused to do so. So should we also do.

Third, is asked concerning the sword: whether the Christian should be a magistrate if he is chosen thereto. This is answered thus: Christ was to be made king, but He fled and did not discern the ordinance of His Father. Thus we should also do as He did and follow after Him, and we shall not walk in darkness. For He Himself says: "Whoever would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." He Himself further forbids the violence of the sword when He says: "The princes of this world lord it over them etc., but among you it shall not be so." Further Paul says, "Whom God has foreknown, the same he has also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son," etc. Peter also says: "Christ has suffered (not ruled) and has left us an example, that you should follow after in his steps."

Lastly, one can see in the following points that it does not befit a Christian to be a magistrate: the rule of the government is according to the flesh, that of the Christians according to the Spirit. Their houses and dwelling remain in this world, that of the Christians is in heaven. Their citizenship is in this world, that of the Christians is in heaven. The weapons of their battle and warfare are carnal and only against the flesh, but the weapons of Christians are spiritual, against the fortification of the devil. The worldly are armed with steel and iron, but Christians are armed with the armor of God, with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and with the Word of God. In sum: as Christ our Head is minded, so also must be minded the members of the body of Christ through Him, so that there be no division in the body, through which it would be destroyed. Since then Christ is as is written of Him, so must His members also be the same, so that His body may remain whole and unified for its own advancement and upbuilding. For any kingdom which is divided within itself will be destroyed.

Job 12

Job again asserts that despite his innocence, God has done this to him. Since God is so powerful, though, he can do whatever he wants. In a way he's right. God is all-powerful, and he can do as he pleases, and nothing happens without his say-so.

He's still missing the biggest piece of the puzzle, though.

Review: THE ANABAPTIST VISION by Harold Bender

This is a transcript of a speech made by Bender in the 1940s, which has been reprinted many times since. It was recommended to me as "essential" by a friend, and I'm inclined to agree.

Unfortunately, I've spent a good deal more on an Anabaptist theology that taught me a good deal less. Though not intended as a systematic theology, Bender's small book teaches more about what Anabaptists believe than some much longer books.

If you have any interest in modern Anabaptism, I highly recommend it 

Job 11

In this chapter Zophar finally speaks, and says essentially the same thing as Job's other friends.

According to Zophar, Job didn't deserve what happened to him. He deserved much worse. If Job was going to malign God, Zophar was determined to defend him. He never seemed to wonder if God needed defending, though.

Who am I anyway?

It's been a while since I've done any sort of introduction here, so I'm going to give it a shot.

My name is Leslie Chritopher Bloom. I'm 41, and have been married to my lovely wife for over 16 years now, and with my lovely wife, whose name is not Flo, I have two beautiful daughters, ages 13 and 9, who are not named Hazel and Gertrude, respectively.

I was ordained as both a deacon and a pastor by a small Southern Baptist church, but over the last year I've decided that I can no longer believe in the doctrine of eternal security. Since that's about as basic as it gets for Baptists, I don't consider myself one anymore. By conviction I'm a Mennonite. Besides, where else can a man with a beard and a thing for hats go?

One last thing: I had a stroke a few years ago that left me with locked-in syndrome, which means that though my mind and body are both healthy, there's almost no connection between the two. That's left me paralyzed from the eyeballs down.

Job 10

Job pleads with God, as completely different from man, to act on what he must know is the truth.

At some point every person has to come to the realization that God is wholly other. He isn't just a big person, and he certainly isn't just the man upstairs. He's God, and deserves to be treated as such.

Review: COMMON SENSE by David Bercot

This is one of Bercot's early books, and lays out his approach to Scripture. As the title indicates, it's an approach that's based on common sense. The Bible doesn't need much interpretation: it means what it says, and what it says is right there in black and white.

It's a logical way to approach Scripture, and I think it's the right way. I highly recommend this book.

Job 9

Job maintains his innocence, yet knows it's no good against God. After all, he's the biggest and strongest thing in existence, so no one can stand against him. If there's no point, Job figures, why even try?

That would be scary if God were unfair.

Review: MENNONITES by Edison Einstein

This is interesting, but it's also very short. It reads more like a paper with a few photos added than an actual book.

And "Edison Einstein" sounds like a supervillain's name.

Ordinarily I wouldn't recommend it, just because of the length, but it was free, so I have no reason to complain.

Job 8

Bildad says much the same as Eliphaz. 

At this point I don't have much to add. Job's friends said he'd sinned, and he said he hadn't. None knew the truth.

We have been united as follows concerning shepherds in the church of God

The Schleitheim Confesion is very concerned with the separation of the people of God from the world, so it makes perfect sense that it would be worried about that of pastors. This article makes it clear that it is.

I'm actually torn on this one. While it is clear about pastors deriving all their incomes from their flocks, I haven't found that to be a New Testament concept. It's a reminder that creeds, confessions, and statements of faith are manmade and fallible.

 V. We have been united as follows concerning shepherds in the church of God. The shepherd in the church shall be a person according to the rule of Paul, fully and completely, who has a good report of those who are outside the faith. The office of such a person shall be to read and exhort and teach. warn, admonish, or ban in the congregation, and properly to preside among the sisters and brothers in prayer, and in the breaking of bread, and in all things to take care of the body of Christ, that it may be built up and developed, so that the name of God might be praised and honored through us, and the mouth of the mocker be stopped.

He shall be supported, wherein he has need, by the congregation which has chosen him, so that he who serves the gospel can also live therefrom, as the Lord has ordered. But should a shepherd do something worthy of reprimand, nothing shall be done with him without the voice of two or three witnesses. If they sin they shall be publicly reprimanded, so that others might fear.

But if the shepherd should be driven away or led to the Lord by the cross, at the same hour another shall be ordained to his place, so that the little folk and the little flock of God may not be destroyed, but be preserved by warning and be consoled.

Job 7

Job defends himself. This is what made his friends so angry: he always claimed innocence. Because of their worldview, they thought that anyone who suffered must have done something to deserve it. By refusing to confess, Job seemed to be saying that God was unfair.

That was something that they apparently couldn't tolerate.

Review: THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY by Dallas Willard

This was a very popular book when it came out several years ago. It seemed like everyone was reading it.

You'll have to ask one of those people what they thought of it, because I don't remember anything about it. At this point, I'm reviewing books I read just a few months ago, and in that short a time I've completely forgotten everything about it, which probably means it wasn't a good book in the first place.

So I guess by not reviewing it, I am reviewing it.

Job 6

Job begins his defense, but not by talking about Job.

In this chapter, it seems like Job talks about everything but himself. In the West, we're the most self-absorbed people in history. In the Middle East, they're less so, and were definitely so a few thousand years ago.

A little unsolicited advice for young men

I'm in my 40s, and turning grey, and I've been married to my only wife for over 16 years now, so I figure I'm entitled to give a little marriage advice. Since I'm not a woman, I don't dare try to give them advice, so here are three things I wish I'd been told before I get married.

01. You won't always feel this way. When you get married, you're what's known in a technical sense as "crazy", and that's fine. One day you won't be, and that's also fine, because no one can live that way indefinitely. Once the hormones slow down, you have to live with her for the next 50 years or so, and that's what really matters.

02. Marriage won't solve everything. If you're screwed up before you get married, you'll still be screwed up after you get married. All you're doing is adding someone at least as screwed up. That's like putting out a fire by throwing a hand grenade on it.

03. Talk to her before marriage. Specifically, talk about marriage. You each have a right to know and correct the other's expectations. (The only thing more insane than not doing this beforehand is expecting her to read your mind afterward.) Most importantly, make one hard and fast rule: divorce is not an option. And talk to her after marriage, too.

There are several more, but I'll save them, because those are the most important and they took much longer than I'd anticipated. If I'm going to post anything tonight, I'd better stop with these three.

Job 5

Eliphaz said a lot of true things about God, but he was still completely wrong. It all came down to presuppositions. Eliphaz had already decided that God always rewarded good and punished evil immediately. Since Job was suffering, he must have done wrong.

We should never assume anything.

Review: COMPLETE WORKS by Euripides

Eurpides is the last of the Greek tragedians in the Great Books series. Having read his complete works, I'm left with three major questions,

1. What are a strophe and an antistrophe?

2. Why did Victorian translators feel like need to be intentionally archaic?

3. How is this a great book?

If it weren't for Aeschylus' and Sophocles' complete works, this would easily be the most boring thing I've ever read. If you like this, you are probably a very dull person who should be killed with fire.

I don't recommend it.

Job 4

This chapter introduces Eliphaz the Temanite, the first of Job's friends to speak. Let me say something about those friends: they were right. If you bought into their premises, their logic was nearly perfect. In their own eyes, they were right.

If you bought into their premises. 

Review: WILL THE THEOLOGIANS PLEASE SIT DOWN by David Bercot

I've never made a secret of the fact that I'm a fan of Bercot's work. God used him to bring about my own salvation, and he's continued to influence me since. Even I have to admit, though, that this isn't his best book.

It's not because the information's no good. Bercot's main point -- that in trying to explain everything or fit it into a system, theologians have encrusted the Christian faith with many elements that are both foreign and contradictory to it -- is a valid one, and worth considering.

The problem is with the tone. Bercot has never seemed angry, but he does here. It could be argued that he has plenty of reason to be, but he just comes across as a bitter old crank.

I'm torn about this one. I recommend what it says, but not how it says it.

Job 3

Job was at rock bottom, but he still refused to blame God.

He wished he were dead, or that he'd never been born. He cursed the day of his birth in a long, lyrical passage. But he never cursed God 

Job 2

It seems like God threw Job under the bus, but his conversation with Satan actually shows how different they are. Satan wanted to take everything from Job to break him and make him curse God. God knew Job wouldn't and let Satan try.

One difference is that Satan tempts us to see us fail. Yahweh tests us to watch us succeed.

We are united as follows concerning the separation

IV. We have been united concerning the separation that shall take place from the evil and the wickedness which the devil has planted in the world, simply in this; that we have no fellowship with them, and do not run with them in the confusion of their abominations. So it is; since all who have not entered into the obedience of faith and have not united themselves with God so that they will to do His will, are a great abomination before God, therefore nothing else can or really will grow or spring forth from them than abominable things. Now there is nothing else in the world and all creation than good or evil, believing and unbelieving, darkness and light, the world and those who are [come] out of the world, God's temple and idols. Christ and Belial, and none will have part with the other.

To us, then, the commandment of the Lord is also obvious, whereby He orders us to be and to become separated from the evil one, and thus He will be our God and we shall be His sons and daughters.

Further, He admonishes us therefore to go out from Babylon and from the earthly Egypt, that we may not be partakers in their torment and suffering, which the Lord will bring upon them.

From all this we should learn that everything which has not been united  with our God in Christ is nothing but an abomination which we should shun. By this are meant all popish and repopish works and idolatry, gatherings, church attendance, winehouses, guarantees and commitments of unbelief, and other things of the kind, which the world regards highly, and yet which are carnal or flatly counter to the command of God, after the pattern of all the iniquity which is in the world. From all this we shall be separated and have no part with such, for they are nothing but abominations, which cause us to be hated before our Christ Jesus, who has freed us from the servitude of the flesh and fitted us for the service of God and the Spirit whom He has given us.

Thereby shall also fall away from us the diabolical weapons of violence--such as sword, armor, and the like, and all of their use to protect friends or against enemies--by virtue of the word of Christ: "you shall not resist evil."

Review: BEOWULF trans. by Gerald Davis

I've read a lot of versions of this story since I I first heard of it 30-some-odd years ago. The prospect of a new one made me excited, though for the life of me I don't know why.

It's not a Christian story, despite a thin veneer of Christianity. It's most similar to Norse hero-legends, which makes perfect sense, since that's exactly what it is. When it comes down to it, Beowulf is about how awesome Beowulf is.

While I don't endorse the paganism, I do love the book, and of the transitions I've read, this is one of my favorites. It's written as prose instead of poetry, which I prefer, and is neither trendy intentionally archaic, I highly recommend it.

Job 1

Job painted a target on himself.

When you do what's right, it's noticed. The rest of the world notices that you don't go along with it. Satan notices that you're a threat to him. And most importantly God notices that even in a fallen world there are a few people who want to serve him.

Show, don't tell

One of the biggest and most important rules of writing is, "Show, don't tell." Don't tell your readers that a character is upset; show him being upset instead. I must have been told that a thousand times. Unfortunately, I never heard it from a pulpit.

It's unfortunate because it also applies to a Christian's life as well.

God isn't looking for people who will just tell him they love him. He wants people who'll show him, too. There are plenty of people who are perfectly willing to say it to God, but precious few who will prove it by the way they live.

I won't go so far as to say that God doesn't care what we say, because he clearly does. There's a big difference, though, between saying you'll do something and doing it. They're not even similar.

Show, don't tell. Prove to God you love him, instead of just saying it. After all, actions matter.

Esther 10

In this very short chapter, we learn how high Mordecai rose and how powerful he became.

He did very, very well.

Review: THE SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN by Thomas Merton

This is Merton's autobiography, the story of his life prior to entering a Trappist monastery. Given that he lived what might be called a Bohemian life growing up, the first half of the book shouldn't be so boring, but it is. The second half, in which he feels himself drawn to scholasticism and the life of a monk, is more interesting but no more edifying.

I found this book neither entertaining or useful, which has a lot to do with my very serious doubts about the Church of Rome. I don't recommend it.

 

Esther 9

Here's what bothers me about the book of Esther. First, these were Jews who didn't return to the Promised Land. Second, as far as we know their plans were made entirely independent of God. As an example, Queen Esther's marriage was forbidden under the law. Third, the killings in this chapter were revenge, and that's something God reserved for himself.

I'm not saying Esther doesn't belong in the Bible. I'm saying that I don't understand.

Review: AMISH: BORN AGAIN THE SAME WAY AS OTHERS? by Joe Keim

In this short book, Keim shows that the Amish not only have a peculiar lifestyle, but a peculiar theology as well. Because few of us know or will ever know any of the Amish, I can recommend for the curious.

Another question for Pentecostals

Why does God only speak when we've decided it's acceptable ?i'm not being funny or facetious. I've been in a lot of different kinds of services, and only seen charismatic gifts in places you would expect to see them.

Again, I'm not making fun of anyone. I'm respectively asking for information. 

Esther 8

Hating Mordecai was a waste of time.

Everything Haman had became Mordecai. From his home to his job, everything he had was given to his worst enemy. Even his plan to destroy the Jews failed.

Concerning the breaking of bread

III. Concerning the breaking of bread, we have become one and agree thus: all those who desire to break the one bread in remembrance of the broken body of Christ and all those who wito drink of one drink in remembrance of the shed blood of Christ, they must beforehand be united  in the one body of Christ, that is the congregation of God, whose head is Christ, and that by baptism. For as Paul indicates, wecannot be partakers at the same time of the table of the Lord and the table of devils. Nor can we at the same time partake and drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. That is: all those who have fellowship with the dead works of darkness have no part in the light. Thus all those who follow the devil and the world, have no part with those who have been called out of the world unto God. All those who lie in evil have no part in the good.

So it shall and must be, that whoever does not share the calling of the one God to one faith, to one baptism, to one spirit, to one body together with all the children of God, may not be made one loaf together with them, as must be true if one wishes truly to break bread according to the command of Christ.

Esther 7

It's good to keep some eunuchs around. They're a near-inexhaustible source of useful information. In this chapter, it's a eunuch who knew that Haman had built a gallows and who he planned to hang.

It's still no excuse for gelding people, but it is a nice side-effect.

Review: IN GOD WE DON'T TRUST by David Bercot

I didn't know I'd be reviewing this on Veterans' Day, but it seems appropriate. It's essentially an antihagiography, an antidote to what we were taught in school. It's also effective against the things we hear about the Founding Fathers these days,which are nonsense at best and bald-faced lies at worst.

I long ago decided that according to Romans 13 and other texts, the American Revolution was unchristian. This book backs up that somewhat obvious assertion, but goes far beyond it. Everything is carefully documented, and while I haven't checked it all personally, I've learned over the years to trust Bercot.

Every American Christian should read this book. If nothing else, it should be a counterweight to what we were taught. I highly recommend it.

Esther 6

Be careful what you wish for. Someone else might get it.

In his arrogance, Haman assumed the king was talking about him. But the king really wanted to honor the one person Haman hated most in the entire world. And Haman had to carry it out.

Esther 5

In the Book of Proverbs it says to cut your own throat before sitting down at a king's table. That would have been good advice for Haman to follow. He thought he was being honored by eating with the king and queen.

Instead, it turned out he was being set up.

Review: THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD by Brother Lawrence

I went through a mystical phase a while back and reread this, only to find that I was already doing what it taught. The premise of the book is that we should always act as if God was with us, since he is anyway.

The first time I read this several years ago, it was mainly to say I had, and it seemed impossible. When I read it again, it was to grow closer to God, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. If it's approached in the right spirit, I recommend it.

Esther 4

Though Mordecai offered Esther a theological reason for helping the Jews -- it may have been her entire reason for being, after all -- he also appealed to her sense of self-preservation.

The Jews would be saved even if she didn't help, but she would still die.

Review: THE ANTE-NICENE FATHERS VOL. 1 ed. by A. Cleveland Coxe

The Ante-Nicene Fathers was a set first published in the 1800s. It consists of all of the available Christian writings from before 325AD, in an English translation. ("Ante" means "before" and "Nicene" refers to the Council of Nicea in 325AD.)

This is the version produced by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, and includes not only the early Christian writings, but also the introductions and over 3200 notes. Unfortunately, many of the notes are in other languages, or extremely obscure. They generally add little. The various introductions, although well-written, are also hardly necessary.

What was remarkable about this volume was how easy it was to read. Victorian translations of much older works tend to be intentionally archaic, but that's not the case here. It's obviously old, but not so that it's hard to understand.

Some of the writers here were personally taught by the apostles, and the rest were only a generation or two removed from them. It's important to know what the Christian faith is like under its many hundreds of years of interpretation, and for that reason I recommend it.

Esther 3

The Jews didn't even see it coming.

Haman shows what one smart, crazy person can do. There were Jews throughout the empire, and Haman had every intention of killing them all. Why? Because one Jew had insulted him.

We have been united as follows concerning the ban

The second article in the Schleitheim Confesion is about the ban, which is just the culmination of the church discipline described in Matthew 18.

+

II. We have been united as follows concerning the ban. The ban shall be employed with all those who have given themselves over to the Lord, to walk after [Him] His commandments; those who have been baptized into the one body of Christ, and let themselves be called brothers or sisters, and still somehow slip and fall into error and sin, being inadvertently overtaken. The same [shall] be warned twice privately and the third time be publicly admonished before the entire congregation according to the command of Christ (Matthew 18). But this shall be done according to the ordering of the Spirit of God before the breaking of bread, so that we may all in one spirit and in one love break and eat from one bread and drink from one cup.

Esther 2

Much has been made of the fact that the Book of Esther contains no reference at all to God. Remember that these are the Jews who didn't go back to the Promised Land, though many discern the Hand of God behind everything.

Especially in these early chapters, though, it seems to show what people can do apart from God.

Review: FOUND: GOD'S WILL by John F. MacArthur, Jr.

MacArthur is someone from whom I always learn something, but he unfortunately also likes to chase rabbits. This book is only about 60 pages long, though, which doesn't leave much room for rabbit- chasing.

Christians are always trying to figure out God's will, even though it's staring them in the face. MacArthur's contention is that God has never hidden his will; in fact, it would make no sense to do so. It has always been right there in black and white in the Bible.

I recommend this book to anyone who thinks he needs some esoteric means of discovering "God's perfect will for your life". It's very short, but it's an important wake- up call.

Esther 1

If you should happen to be King of Persia, don't try to show off your queen.

If you find yourself Queen of Persia, don't refuse the king. He's just going to replace you. It may not be right, but the Bible doesn't always approve of what it records. It just records it.

Regrets

There are a lot of things I regret. Things I did that I shouldn't have, and I should have done but didn't. The list is pretty long. 

What they all come down to is that I wish I had acted better. That would have required a complete change, though, and the only thing that I know of that can cause that kind of about-face is faith in Christ.

And that's really what I regret. I shouldn't have wasted so much time before becoming a Christian.

Review: WILL THE REAL HERETICS PLEASE STAND UP by David Bercot

This short book had more to do with my salvation than anything else. Even the Bible.

Let me rephrase that. This book led me back to the Bible, and answered a lot of questions I had about it, and helped me learn to read it. Whatever I am today is due largely to a friend giving me this one and recommending it to me.

I really can't recommend it highly enough. I know it won't affect everyone the same way, but for me it changed everything.

Review: COMPLETE POEMS by Emily Dickinson

Here's the official poet of adolescent angst.

I read a good bit of Dickinson's work when I was an angsty teenager, mostly because it was short. At the time, all I knew about were the odd little quatrains for which she's best known. It wasn't until I read this book that I realized that she wasn't as crazy as I'd thought and had written longer work, though none would be considered "long" by any means.

Though she's most famous for weird little rhymes with unorthodox punctuation, some of her poems,especially about nature are quite beautiful. I recommend this book.

Notice concerning baptism

This week I'm going to start going through the Schleitheim Confesion, an Anabaptist statement of faith that dates from 1527 and is still used today. It has seven articles, and begins with baptism, which is appropriate since that was the major issue between them and everyone else.

Note that there is some hard language for certain people, but keep in mind that at the time pretty much everyone else was torturing and killing them. That's not an excuse, but it is a reason.

+

I. Notice concerning baptism. Baptism shall be given to all those who have been taught repentance and the amendment of life and [who] believe truly that their sins are taken away through Christ, and to all those who desire to walk in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and be buried with Him in death, so that they might rise with Him; to all those who with such an understanding themselves desire and request it from us; hereby is excluded all infant baptism, the greatest and first abomination of the pope. For this you have the reasons and the testimony of the writings and the practice of the apostles. We wish simply yet resolutely and with assurance to hold to the same.

Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah was zealous for God's law, and was shocked when the other Jews weren't.

I'm sure they never meant to disobey. I doubt they ever set out to rebel against God. But a little compromise made it a little easier to compromise the next time, and so forth, until Nehemiah had to step in and straighten them out. That couldn't have been pleasant, for them or for him.

Esther will start on Monday. 

Nehemiah 12

There was a priest named "Amok". There's no great truth to that, no deep theological meaning to uncover. I just thought it was funny. It's probably not funny in any other language -- in Hebrew it probably means "mighty eagle" or something -- and it may leave you completely cold, but I think it's hilarious.

The Bible's a big book, and sometimes you just find something funny in it.

Review: EVERYONE'S A THEOLOGIAN by RC Sproul, Jr.

In  some ways, this book is similar to Ayn Rand's Philosophy: Who Needs It? In her title essay, Rand asserted that everyone did, because everyone already had one. In the same way, Sproul says we're all theologians. We all have ideas about God, and at its core that's all all a theology is: a set of ideas about God.

Of course, Rand's beliefs were miles from Sproul's, and both of them are very different from me. That said, they both were right about one thing: what we think matters. I recommend this book.

Nehemiah 11

The rebuilt kingdom of Judah was not a democracy.

The governor was appointed. Everything had to come through some far-off emperor. So far as we know,, people just did what they were told, when they were told, where they were told. And yet there were representatives from every town in Judah right there in Jerusalem.

What I want to do

Should I wake up one day completely healed, I'll know I'm either dead or the subject of the biggest miracle I've ever seen. Assuming I'm still alive, there are a few things I want to do.

Play with my daughters As it stands, I can't even hug them. I also want to do something with my wife,but that's none of your business.

Drive a car It may seem strange, but that's one of the things I miss the most. My favorite vehicles I ever owned was a 1994 Jeep Cherokee Sport that looked like a white box, had power nothing, and was so light it bounced. I wouldn't mind another one.

Get to Newfoundland As quickly as possible.

Read a book I read a lot of Kindle books, and I'm very thankful for the technology, but it would be nice to hold an actual dead-tree book in my hands and read it.

Preach I still don't like speaking publicly about most things, but I love to preach. My wife and daughters know that all too well.

Learn several instruments I have a penny whistle and a ukulele, so I guess I'd better start there. What I really want to play are bass, banjo, and pocket sax.

Start a house church Nothing against Tony, who is not only the greatest pastor I've ever known but also one of my best friends. There are just some things we wouldn't agree on 

Travel I want to meet the people I've known only through Facebook, especially Bobby, Derek, and the Three Johns (Comito, Sanford, and Blum). I also want to visit with as many of my FL friends and people I went to school with as I can track down.

Some shameless self-promotion

The Bible Exchange (www.bibleexchange.com) has been kind enough to give me some room to rant. If nothing else, check out the site; it's an honor to be there.

Nehemiah 10

The Jews not only swore to avoid the specific sins that had gotten them to such a state,but they promised not to neglect the temple.

They felt they had to make this promise largely because they had negotiated the temple. The entire message of the prophet Haggai was about people who built their own houses instead of of God's.

Review: THE CASE FOR THE REAL JESUS by Lee Strobel

The only problem with this book is that I feel like I've read it before.

Let me be clear: each of Lee Strobel's The Case for ... books is fine in and of itself. He's written a lot of them, though, and after a while they tend to run together.

I recommend this book if you haven't read a Lee Strobel book before, or have a special interest in apologetics. Otherwise it's solid but ultimately repetitive,

Nehemiah 9

One attribute of God that isn't often considered is his historicity. Unlike the false gods, whose deeds all took place in some dim mythological past, Yahweh did what he did in a particular time and place that could be verified.

Either the history of Israel was the history of the acts of God, or vice versa.

Review: A DICTIONARY OF EARLY CHRISTIAN BELIEFS by David Bercot

Over the years, Bercot has devoted a great deal of time and effort to the early Christian writings. This book is one of the results, and proves he hasn't been wasting his time.

Bercot collects a great many passages from The Ante-Nicene Fathers (a 19th-century set collecting the extant Christian writings from before the Council of Nicea in 325AD) under hundreds of subject headings. What makes this book really valuable is that he also includes Scripture references, showing where they got their beliefs and forming a topical concordance.

If you have an interest in the pre-Nicene Church, I can't recommend this highly enough. If you don't I still recommend it.

Nehemiah 8

The people were willing to stand up all morning just to hear the word of God.

I understand that customs were different then: speakers sat and hearers stood. Still, it points out how lazy and impatient we've gotten. We'd do well to hunger for God's word like they did.

What's next

we've spent the past several months going through the most recent version of the Baptist Faith & Message (from the year 2000) on Wednesdays. I still think it's a very good confession of faith, though I have serious problems with a few articles . Next week I want to start on the Schleitheim Confesion, used by Anabaptists around the world since it was adopted in Switzerland in 1527.

Nehemiah 7

Far from wanting to be a king, Nehemiah surrendered power over Jerusalem when the repairs to the walls were done. He didn't look for reasons to stay in charge. He had a job and he did it and got out of the way.

Sometimes knowing when to stop leading is as important as doing it.

Review: OTHELLO by William Shakespeare

While Shakespeare deserves some credit for having an African title character over 400 years ago, beyond that I don't see the appeal. I'm not being negative for the sake of being negative; I've just never understood why he was supposed to have been the greatest author of all time I'm sure the failure is entirely mine. Anyway, I don't see any reason to recommend this, unless you're already a fan of Shakespeare.

Nehemiah 6

Don't think Nehemiah was fearless.

The Bible doesn't tell us that when his life was threatened he faced it without fear. Nehemiah didn't make that claim. Afraid or not, though, he had work to do, and that work was important. He wasn't going to let a fear of death keep him from doing it well.

Jack and Helen Kelley

In September of 1996 I joined the Navy. The first place I was sent after boot camp was Nuke School in Orlando, Florida. That's where I met the Kelleys..

Not Danny and Cathy Kelley, my parents. Given that they raised me, it would be very strange if I didn't meet them until I was 22 and living in another state.

No, these were the FL Kelleys. That's how I've always thought of them, and probably always will, even though they left Florida many years ago. At any rate, there's no telling how many sailors, strays, and castaways went that house in Winter Park, but I'm glad to have been one of them.

I learned a great deal from Mr. and Mrs. Kelley, but probably the best thing they did for me was to invite me in. Being around a generous, loving Christian couple was exactly what I needed at a very difficult time, and I can't thank them enough for what they've done for me.

Nehemiah 5

In this chapter, Nehemiah speaks against usury and demonstrates his own generosity.

First, he was horrified to see people selling their own children in order to buy food, and weighed down by interest payments to their fellow Jews. Then it's revealed that though he was entitled to tax the people for his livelihood, he decided instead to feed his household out of his own pocket.

Review: THE KINGDOM OF THE CULTS by Walter Martin

I had  an older copy of this, but never sat down and read it. Instead, I dipped into it here and there, using it like a reference book, because I thought that's what it was. I was wrong.

The copy I have now is the most recent edition, and reading it straight through shows that that's how it is supposed to be read. It covers only a few major cults, but covers them very thoroughly.

This is not a reference book, but it is a good look at the major pseudo-Christian religions. I recommend it; it contains a lot of information that is good for Christians to know.

Nehemiah 4

Nehemiah knew that God would fight the Jews' battles, but he also knew they needed to be ready to defend themselves. That's why he prayed and trusted God even as he established a system to protect the workers. 

Having God on your doesn't mean you get to be lazy.

Review: THE PRINCE by Niccolo Machiavelli

This is one of the most infamous books of all time. If you look at successful politicians today, you can still see its precepts in action. Unfortunately, while it's a timeless manual for politics, it's a timeless manual for evil as well.

According to Machiavelli, the main skill a ruler must have is the ability to lie convincingly. Lying,, theft, murdrer ... all of these are tools an adept ruler may use to gain or retain power. Whatever works is permitted.

It may sound strange for me to recommend this short book, but I do. I'm sorry to say that we live in Machiavelli's world, where anything goes as long as you don't get caught. If we are to fulfill the call to be wise as serpents, we would do well to read the Enemy's handbook.

Nehemiah 3

From our New Testament perspective, we're used to thinking of the Jews in opposition to God. They were Jesus' main antagonists, after all.

But it's important to remember that the Jews who returned to the Promised Land were the faithful ones who trusted God to keep his promises. They weren't against rebuilding the wall. They just needed to be reminded.

XVIII. The family

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. 

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem for one reason: to make sure the wall and gates were rebuilt. He did it right too. He got the king's permission, a letter explaining his mission to the governor, and his materials, all before he left the capital.

Best of all, though, he was doing God's will.

Review: SILENCE by Shisaku Endo

This is a novel about very early missionaries to Japan. It is also considered by many to be one of the greatest novels ever written in Japanese. Those things said, this isn't a happy book. It's mostly about hardship. Torture and apostasy happen. It is a difficult book, but a worthwhile one.

I don't recommend this book simply because it's hard. I do it because it teaches important lessons, especially that God is worth whatever we have to endure for him.

Nehemiah 1

Rather than pointing fingers, Nehemiah took responsibility.

He knew the state of Jerusalem wasn't right, and that sin was the cause. Instead of worrying about o other people's sin, he confessed his own. Nehemiah knew he couldn't control anyone else, but he could control Nehemiah.

Love equals action

"If you love me, obey my commandments."

Jesus said that.

Notice he didn't say, "if you love me, say it a lot" or "If you love me, hold your hands up when you sing."

"If you love me, obey my commandments."

Not, "If you love me, obey my suggestions," or "If you love me, obey my good ideas." He said, "If you love me, obey my commandments." Jesus said things and he wanted them done. They weren't options. They were commandments.

We need to get away from the idea that love is a feeling or caused by our glands. Love isn't something that happens to us. It's volitional. It's something you do.

When God wanted the Israelites to know he loved them, he didn't just tell them. He also showed them, and he wants us to do the same.

If you love him, you know what to do. 

Ezra 10

Actions have consequences.

The men who married Canaanites, even though the law said not to, chose to act a certain way. Now they were dealing with the fallout from those actions. It was as true then as it is now: you get to choose your actions, but not the consequences of those actions.

Review: THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF TRISTRAM SHANDY, GENTLEMAN by Laurence Sterne

As one reviewer put it, this book "contains precious little of his life, and nothing of his opinions." The titular hero doesn't even manage to get born until far in. Widely regarded as the first comic novel in English, this book is an exercise in distraction. It's also very funny.

There's only one caveat: this book was written in the 1700s, and it reads like it. It takes some time and effort to get into, but if you can read a King James Bible (or Authorised, for them dang Brits), you can read this. It just takes some getting used to.

Except for that, I recommend this wholeheartedly. It takes a little work, but it's worth it.

Ezra 9

Why was intermarriage a sin? Why would God even care who his people married? Because they were meant to be different. They were meant to be separate. In short, they were meant to be his.

So are Christians better than everyone else? No, but we are different.

Review: YOU AND ME TOGETHER by Francis and Lisa Chan

Francis Chan has written several books, but this is both his first about marriage and the first crediting his wife Lisa as co-author. I've enjoyed and learned from his books since the first one, Crazy Love, but I was worried about this one. My minor was in Chrisian counseling (also known as a minor in Wasting My Time) and I've read a good many ostensibly Christian books on marriage, most of which weren't very good. I shouldn't have worried.

The Chans aren't afraid to talk about their relationship, but seem to keep the focus on God as much as on themselves. The book is well-written and bibical, as you might expect, and is easily the best book on marriage I've ever read. I definitely recommend it.

Ezra 8

Ezra writes that he was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers because he had claimed that God would protect the returnees.

But are we not worse? We also make extravagant claims, but instead of being ashamed to rely on temporal power, we revel in it. The disconnect between what we say and what we do is disturbing, but it's worth considering.

XVII. Religious liberty

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.

Ezra 7

Jerusalem was a four-month journey from Babylon, and that was making good time. If you don't believe me, look at verse 9, which says he left Babylon the first day of the first month and got to Jerusalem the first day of the fifth month, "because the hand of God was with him."

That says a little about how big the Persian Empire was.

Review: SCHOPENHAUER IN 90 MINUTES by Paul Strathern

By now you know the drill. I liked this book, and if you like philosophy and sarcasm, you probably would too.

Ezra 6

Again, Tattenai wasn't a bad guy.

Once he got his answer, he shut up and got out of the way. The rest of the chapter tells about the dedication of the temple and what it was used for.

The curse(?) of wealth

All my life I've seen wealth as a gift from God. After all, Abraham was rich, as were Isaac and Jacob. I don't know if the Bible ever comes out and says that Joseph and Moses were wealthy, but it's strongly implied. Solomon was famously rich, and it's hard to imagine that any of the kings of Israel or Judah was thought of as poor by his neighbors. Becoming wealthy (or wealthier) was a sign of God's favor.

One thing I always overlooked, though, was that these were all Old Testament examples. Under the New Covenant, things were different.

None of the apostles lived like a rich man, or was known for having a lot of money. Jesus himself, though he had been instrumental in creating the entire universe, had to borrow a coin for his "render unto Caesar" statement. He told one rich person to give away all he had, taught people to depend on God rather than money, and said it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Maybe my imagination is just too limited, but I can only think of one way to get a camel to through the eye of a needle, and it doesn't leave you with a functional camel when you're done.

What I get from what Jesus said is that money will keep you out of Heaven. It's far easier to trust money you can see over a God you can't, after all. Unfortunately, we aren't immortal yet., so Heaven is one of only two eternal destinations. The other is Hell.

Things that keep you out of Heaven and send you to Hell are not blessings, no matter how much fun they are now. If you think you've been blessed like that, please be sure you're right.

Ezra 5

There's a difference between being an enemy of God and just doing your job.

In previous chapters Sanballat and his cronies proved themselves enemies of God. They were willing to use anything, including physical violence and bald-faced lies, to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem. By contrast, Tattenai the governor asked for information, and when he didn't get what he wanted he wrote the emperor. That was just doing his job.

Review: MORNING AND EVENING by Charles Spurgeon

This is a devotional book, consisting of brief readings for each morning and evening of the year. It's not meant to be read straight through in less than a week, so naturally that's exactly what I did 

I'm not a fan of devottionals, for the same reason I'm not a fan of most country songs: I don't like to be told how to feel. The fact that many of them are just glurge (like chicken soup with sugar in it; an attempt to be good for you and sweet) doesn't help. As is usually the case, though, older is better and Spurgeon is always worth reading.

I still don't like devottionals,  but even I have to admit that this is better than most. Rather than glurge, it's meat throughout, and I recommend it.

Ezra 4

Sometimes unbelievers want to be a part of God's work, for their own reasons. When they're (rightly) rejected, they often take it personally, causing trouble and hindering the work instead of helping it.

That's still no excuse for not saying no. 

Review: THE LANGUAGE OF GOD by Francis S. Collins

Collins was the head of the Human Genome Project and a professing Christian. This book tries to reconcile the two,

Unfortunately, the current state of biology isn't compatible with the Christian faith as revealed in the Bible. Any attempt to combine the two does violence to one or the other, and it's usually to Christianity.

That's true here. Collins' position seems to be that of theistic evolution, which says that evolution happened, but was directed by God. It's essentially identical to Darwinian evolution except for a little God on top.

While I found the scientific aspects of the book interesting, the underlying assumption that the Bible is always wrong when it conflicts with our current understanding is disturbing and dangerous. I don't recommend this book, and while I wouldn't go so far as to question Collins' salvation, I would humbly suggest that he examine himself.

Ezra 3

Notice what they did as soon as the altar was done.

They sacrificed to God. They thanked him for what he had done, and praised him for who he was. Most importantly, they did it his way,according to what he himself had given his law to Moses.

XVI. Peace and war

It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war.

The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.

Ezra 2

This long chapter is almost entirely made up of a list of names and numbers. A good many came back, but it was still only a tiny fraction of those carried off. These were the good Jews, those who trusted God to keep his promises.

Always remember, these were the good ones.

Review: AGAINST THE WIND by Markus Baum

Eberhard Arnold was a German Chrstian and founder of the Bruderhof movement, modeled on the voluntary socialism, community of goods,and poverty of the Church in the book of Acts. This book is a biography of him and the first Bruderhof.

I found the book very interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it's a part of Christianity most people never hear about. Second, it was around this time that I started studying Anabaptism, and the sixteenth century Anabaptists were hugely influential on Arnold.

I don't expect everyone to share my views, but I recommend this book. Besides, the ebook is free at plough.com.

Ezra 1

Not only were the Jews allowed to return, but their neighbors paid for it.

Cyrus, predicted by name, was the king who allowed the exiles to return and gave back what Nebuchadnezzar stole. His decree allowing them to leave also encouraged their neighbors to give to them, and the neighbors did so, generously. 

It doesn't really matter what Chris Bloom thinks

When it comes down to it, I haven't said very much original. I hope I never do.

Except in the book reviews, I don't think there's a lot of room for it. If I approach the Bible as true, then it's my word against God's. That's a losing proposition, no matter who you are.  

The absolute best I can hope for is to make a little comment and get out of the way. A lot of people think the Bible is hard. If I can make it a little bit easier so that more people read it, then I'll be happy.

Besides, it doesn't matter what we think. It only matters what God thinks. 

Review: HEIDEGGER IN 90 MINUTES by Paul Strathern

Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher of the 20th century. He was a student of Hegel, and in turn was pretty much the Third Reich's pet philosopher. 

Paul Strathern is a British author who has written extensively, especially about science and philosophy, including about 40000 of these books. He writes them in a dry, ironic tone that I like.

I can't think of a quicker way to learn about the various philosophers and their thought. If you have any interest in philosophy at all, I highly recommend this and the other books in the sense.

Review: CAPTIVATING by John and Stasi Eldredge

In this book, Eldredge tries to do for women what he did for men in Wild at Heart. There are two very serious problems with that.

The first is that he's obviously not a woman. He tries to get around this by having his wife coauthor the book. Since she parrots him so completely, though, the book feels like it has only one author anyway.

The second is even more severe. In his other books, Eldredge has played loose with Scripture, building up a picture of God that looks remarkably like John Eldredge. In that sense, nothing much has changed; though the mold forces God is female instead of male, it still produces a God of his own design,

As always, Eldredge's psychology is good, but his theology is awful. I don't recommend it.

XV. The Christian and the social order

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

Review: RICH CHRSTIANS IN AN AGE OF HUNGER by Ronald J. Sider

I've wanted to read this for a while now,just because it's spoken of approvingly by so many authors I like. It's become a basic text and its author a recognized leader in what has unfortunately become known as liberal Christianity. I've never understood why meeting physical needs as well as spiritual ones is "liberal", but at least I finally got to read the book..

Maybe it was inevitable, but I didn't think it lived up to the hype. For a book lauded to high heaven, it just left me cold. I know the facts and figures are central to the book's argument, but I thought there were too many numbers and not enough words.

Essentially, I found it unbalanced, with too much information and too little interpretation. Oddly, by being overwhelming, it was underwhelming, though I admit very few books could have lived up to the kind of expectations I had. Still, better books have been written on the subject, and I don't recommend this one.

2Chronicles 36

This is it, the end not only of the books of Chronicles, but of the independence of the Hebrews.

God tried to warn them. Over and over and over again he tried to warn them. But they wouldn't listen, and in the end it happened just like he said it would.

Ezra starts next Monday.

Safty first

A long time ago, I was enlisted in the US Navy. On my first ship, the USS Guam (LPH-9), I worked in the engine room under somebody named MM1 Lugert. Lugert was much older than us new kids, and looked a little like pale beef jerky, but he couldn't spell. He was mocked unmercifully for that, and I'm sorry to say I mocked more than most.

One day Lugert decided to have some signs made that said "SAFETY FIRST". He got what he asked for, but because he was a terrible speller he asked for signs that read "SAFTY FIRST. Now he was made fun of and had a dozen highly-visible signs that told people to make safty their top priority.

The thing is, though, we still got it. We understood what he was trying to say. The message, though garbled by Lugert, still came through. Just like in Christianity, he said, transitioning crudely.

There  are professing Christians I wish would just be quiet. There are people I wish weren't in my congregation. That's fair, because I'm sure there are plenty of people who wish I'd shut up and get out of their congregation. It's the way things are, unfortunately.

The good thing is that the truth of the Gospel isn't dependent upon the person carrying it. Rejecting Christianity because of Christians is like refusing to fish because some people are bad at it. Now, I've heard a lot of reasons for not fishing, and I don't do it myself, but I've never heard that one, though people have always loved to tell me that they won't go to church because when they did it was full of hypocrites.

If you're one of those people, I have some great news for you: you're absolutely right. The church is full of hypocrites. But it gets even better. You see, even though we have so many, there's always room for one more.

After all, we're talking about your eternal safty.

2Chronicles 35

Josiah was a good king, but only when he listened to God.

As long as he paid attention to God, Josiah and his kingdom were blessed. When he ignored him, though, or worse, worked against him, as Josiah did when he went to war with Pharaoh Neco, he paid the price.

Review: MULTIPLY by Francis Chan

Francis Chan has developed into an author right in front of us. His first couple of bucks were very good, but suffered from Chan's ideas outrunning his ability to put them on paper. It seems he's finally caught up to himself.

Unlike his other books, this is more of a manual than a book to be read straight through. It's designed to help people be disciples of Jesus Christ and then to make more disciples. Since that's a weak area in many churches, there is a niche that needs filing, and Chan's ideas fit there very well.

Though it's not the kind of thing you would sit down and read for fun, I highly recommend this book. It's past time to worry less about church growth and more about individual growth.

2Chronicles 34

Hezekiah wasn't doing everything the law commanded, but only because he didn't know what the law commanded. When a copy was found and he realized how short he and his nation had fallen, he repented for himself and them.

One reason he had it read to the people was so they would know too.

Review: WITTGENSTEIN IN 90 MINUTES by Paul Strathern

Ludwig Wittgenstein was one of the few philosophers I knew anything about before reading one of Strathern's books, thanks to the Action Philosophers! comic book. (You'd be surprised what you can learn from comics if you try.) This book, however, was where I learned that he was friends with Bertrand Russell, and that he was one of the few mathematicians on Earth that Russell considered his equal.

To me, that epitomizes the whole series. By now, you should know that I like these books, and always recommend them.

2Chronicles 33

Very often we make our own problems. 

A lot of the good deeds Manassseh did after his repentance were just fixing what he'd messed up before. At least he got to fix them. As I've said before, I believe the reason God let someone so bad go so long is that that's how long it took Manasseh to turn around.

XIV. Cooperation

Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ's people. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.

2Chronicles 32

Were the actions Hezekiah took when he heard about Sennacherib inspired by God? I don't think so -- not directly, anyway -- and I doubt he'd claim divine inspiration, either. He was just a very smart, very prudent man.

But who made him smart and prudent? 

Review: WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN by John RW Stott

I have to admit that this was going to be the title of my first book. I thought it was a clever take on Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian. Unfortunately, about 14,000 people beat me to it, which is why I don't try to be clever very often.

This isn't a long book, but it doesn't need to be. Neither is it an autobiography or a great apologetic work. In the end it's exactly what it says on the cover, no more and no less.

This isn't an "important" book, but it is a very good one, as one might expect from Stott. I recommend it.

2Chronicles 31

Throughout the history of God's people, when the ruler was good, the people prospered.

That was the case in this chapter. God's people were so prosperous that their tithes -- the first 10% of their income -- that were supposed to feed the priests were so large that they ended up piled in front of the temple.

I finally figured it out

A while back I said I couldn't be a Baptist anymore. I just can't believe in what's usually referred to as "once saved, always saved", a phrase I genuinely hate. Most of the people who say they do believe in it seem to be clinging desperately to it,  even though there's little in the New Testament to support it. At least as I read it.

But that's a purely negative statement. It tells what I don't believe, but not what I do believe. "Not- Baptist" isn't good enough. To narrow it down further wasn't very hard. I started with the assumption that the New Testament is meant to be taken seriously. With that in mind, here are a few things that I've learned from it: pacifism, total devotion to Christ, believers' baptism, and the power of prayer. There was only one group that both claimed to believe those things and consistently acted like it: the Mennonites.

Not that everything will change immediately. My family and I are members of a small Southern Baptist church, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon. Neither is the fact that I'm paralyzed from the eyeballs down. The biggest change has been internal. I no longer think of myself as a Baptist, but as a Mennonite.

Besides, I have a beard and I like hats. Where else am I going to go?