Office Hours

My alma mater, Westminster Seminary California has a new podcast featuring interviews with its distinguished faculty. One of the things that I loved most about my seminary education was the freedom I had to drop by and chat about theology, ministry, and life with my professors in their offices. So much of who I am today as a minister was shaped by time spent talking, praying, and studying under the godly, pastoral, and deeply pious faculty of Westminster. I am thrilled that the seminary has produced this podcast and I commend it to you. The seminary is giving away five gift packages to listeners during the first season of the podcast. Go to the Heidelblog for more info.

God and Money in Tough Times

The New York Times did a short piece on the ministry of prosperity gospel "evangelists" Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. The Copelands are a dynamic husband and wife ministry duo whose message has been characterized as a "prosperity gospel." The article opens with a description of one of their recent meetings at the Southwest Believers' Convention in Forth Worth, Texas:

"Onstage before thousands of believers weighed down by debt and economic insecurity, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and their all-star lineup of 'prosperity gospel' preachers delighted the crowd with anecdotes about the luxurious lives they had attained by following the Word of God."

Journalist, Laurie Goodstein, observes that even during this severe economic downturn, people are coming out in large numbers to hear these evangelists of "wealth and prosperity." There is a strong appeal to this message of a prosperous life. But the "prosperity gospel" in all its forms offers nothing but an empty and false hope. It is no gospel at all. Here are some of its biggest problems:

1) The "prosperity gospel" is based on works not grace: the promise of wealth and prosperity is given to those who are faithful and more specifically, who faithfully give. There is no grace here. God's blessings in the "prosperity gospel" are not free and unmerited, but earned and well deserved (Eph. 2:8-9). The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely unnecessary to receive these worldly blessings.

2) The "prosperity gospel" offers empty promises: faith in Jesus Christ does not lead to a prosperous and comfortable life, but a life of suffering. The pattern of Jesus' life is suffering in this world, glory in the next. As a people united with Jesus, we must participate in His sufferings in order to participate also in his glory (Rom. 8:17).

3) The "prosperity gospel" preys on the weak and shows partiality to the strong: those who are under financial hardship are told that they must become wealthy in order to fully participate in the blessings of God. Those who are wealthy are held up as examples of those who are blessed by God (James 2:1-7).

While I absolutely reject this so called "prosperity gospel" I have to admit that I myself am tempted to look for more tangible blessings from God in the here and now rather than finding contentment in what is in store for me in the hereafter. At its essence the "prosperity gospel" reverses the already but not yet of the gospel.

The cross and empty tomb declares to me that I already possess the richest spiritual blessings from God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the "prosperity gospel" declares to me that I do not yet possess these blessings until I am wealthy and prosperous here and now. The death and resurrection of Christ declares that I have not yet entered into glory so I must bear my cross and follow where my Savior tread; persevering by faith. But the "prosperity gospel" declares to me that I already can possess glory I can see with my eyes through worldly weath, power, and influence.

I am disgusted by this "prosperity gospel" especially because I see how strongly it appeals to me. I often long to forego the not yet suffering of the gospel and experience the already prosperity of the false gospel. I am not looking for a financial windfall. I am just looking for fewer tantrums from my toddlers, a little more financial stability so I won't have to struggle with living on a budget, a little more free time to do things for myself, a little more impact in people's lives so I can validate my gifts as a minister. None of these things are bad in themselves, yet they subtley rob me of my deepest spiritual treasures in Christ. I can not lust after the so-called blessings that are already in the prosperity of this world without giving up the blessings that are already mine in Christ.

As C.S. Lewis puts it, my desires are not too strong, but too weak. Lewis writes, "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imaginge what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Whare are some ways that you have found the "Prosperity Gospel" infiltrating your life?

Vampire Lust

Apologies to the one or two of you out there who have been following this blog for the long hiatus. Most of my "spare" time has been diverted to family, church, and my other blog this past month.

I came across this thoughtful piece written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan in today's NY Times. The writers opine about why our culture is obsessed with the subject of vampires in film, television, and literature. It struck a chord with me because my wife recently discovered the Twilight trilogy of books. We've been discussing the books almost every night. The concept of vampires stuck in an unending undead existence as teenagers tickles us.

Tracing the modern legend of vampires back to 1816, Hogan and del Toro identify some similarities between then and now. The birth of the vampire legend came out of a time of famine when people were deprived of basic needs and faced with a sense of their mortality. As Hogan and del Toro trace the social conditions behind the birth of vampire lore, they observe:

"in contrast to timeless creatures like the dragon, the vampire does not seek to obliterate us, but instead offers a peculiar brand of blood alchemy. For as his contagion bestows its nocturnal gift, the vampire transforms our vile, mortal selves into the gold of eternal youth, and instills in us something that every social construct seeks to quash: primal lust. If youth is desire married with unending possibility, then vampire lust creates within us a delicious void, one we long to fulfill."

The New Testament Greek word for "lust" is epithumia, "over-desire" (Gal. 5:16). This word describes a desire that controls us. According to the Bible, our "over-desires" do not fill a void; they create one.

One common theme in vampire lore is tragedy. The tantalizing promise of immortality in these tales comes with a heavy price. The truth is that an immortal existence with nothing to occupy us than our obsession with our own desires does not a satisfying and peaceful life make. The answer is not in the rejection of all desire either. Desire is truly a human emotion.

The good news is that God has provided us with someone who can satisfy all our desires through eternity: himself! While vampire lore encourages us to fantasize about the nearness of immortality (anyone can be bit by a vampire), the Bible shows us that immortality is far beyond the reach of the best of us. Yet God came down from heaven, was born as a man, not to become a vampire who feeds on human blood, but to become the God-Man who dies on the cross and rises again so all who believe in him can feed on him in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-29). Jesus reconciles us with God, renews and strengthens us by his word, spirit, and sacraments, and he will bring all who believe in him into eternal glory to enjoy him forever.

I don't think I will stop watching vampire movies. They're just so entertaining! But I find deep comfort in knowing the difference between fantasy and reality. I give thanks to God that the good news offered to me in Jesus Christ is not the stuff of myth, but the counter-intuitive message that exposes human mythology for what it is.

On your baptism

My wife and I have a tradition of writing a letter to our children when they are baptized. Here is the letter we wrote for our daughter Lois on her baptism, June 28, 2009.










Dearest Lois,

You are sleeping quietly in your bassinet as I write this. Tomorrow you will be baptized. Baptism is a holy sacrament. What is a sacrament you ask? A sacrament is a sign. Tomorrow Pastor Joshua Lee will sprinkle water over your head. This water is a sign of your death and resurrection in Christ (Romans 6:4).

Lois, your baptism shows you that you belong to Jesus. He lived the life of perfect obedience, devotion to God, and love for his neighbors that you could never live because you have a sinful nature. You were born guilty. You are your father's and mother's daughter. We are guilty sinners too. We come from a long line of guilty sinners say back to the first father and mother. But God rescued us by sending us Jesus. When Jesus died for our sins, he died not only as the perfect human being. He died also as God. In his one death, he paid for all the sins of his people: past, present, and future. When Jesus rose from the dead, he rose not only as God, but also as our Savior to give us eternal life.

Your baptism shows you that because Jesus died for you on the cross, you have already died with him. It has only been sixty days since you were born, but death has no power over you now. The sting of death is gone. Your death is in the past, nailed to a cross over 2,000 years ago. You have been buried with Christ. You can not die again.

Your baptism also shows you that because Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, you have also risen with him in his resurrection. You are only two months old, but you can already taste the benefits of eternal life. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. You have been seated with Christ in the heavenlies.

A sacrament is also a pledge of God's Covenant of Grace. The water sprinkled over your head is God's promise that he will truly save you from all the guilt you ever feel, all the mistakes you ever make, all the misery you ever experience, all the troubles of this passing evil age, all for the sake of Jesus Christ. God's salvation is a free gift. He promises through baptism that it is yours only by believing in Jesus and turning away from your sins.

Some people only receive baptism after they have already come to fully understand and believe that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. God has come to you in this baptism before you could clearly understand or believe. It is a powerful reminder that you will not find your greatest hope within yourself, but outside yourself in God. God has been pleased to bring you up in a Christian home with two Christian parents who are deeply flawed and sinful but saved by his grace. Lois we pledge to love and nurture you as a precious daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords. We will pray for you and with you. We will teach you from the Bible. We will share our faith in Christ with you through all of life's joys and sorrows. Today, you are also joining the Body of Christ. From this day forward you will always have a spiritual family in the Church. Beloved Lois, our greatest dream for you is that one day we will worship Jesus together with you in full sincerity and faith through all eternity.

Love,
Daddy and Mommy

Church Planting

I've been away from this blog for the past month helping my wife care for my newborn daughter and preparing to lead the birth of a new church in Fremont, a suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area. I've been asked many times about whether Fremont really needs another church.

We live in a culture that values individualism. We cheer for the person who is able to defy the naysayers and succeed by digging deep within. We celebrate those who challenge the establishment and stand against the majority. We distrust the authority of popes and princes.

A recent study shows that 71% of American adults say that they are "more likely to develop my religious beliefs on my own, rather than to accept an entire set of beliefs that a particular church teaches."

The problem with individualistic religion is that while it may feel more "authentic" it can not possibly be more true. Everyone can not possibly be equally right, especially when they hold contrary views about matters of ultimate importance like God, morality, meaning, and purpose.

Even while breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church, the protestant reformer, John Calvin understood how indispensable the church is to the spiritual well-being of believers. He did not make the mistake of rejecting the human authority of a pope for an individualistic religion where each person is his/her own pope. Calvin wrote,

"For there is no other way to enter into life unless this mother conceive us in her womb, give us birth, nourish us at her breast, and lastly unless she keep us under her care and guidance until, putting off mortal flesh, we become like angels. Our weakness does not allow us to be dismissed from her school until we have been pupils all of our lives...By these words God's fatherly favor and the especial witness of spiritual life are limited to his flock, so that it is always disastrous to leave the church."

At one point in Jesus' ministry, he asked his disciples who they thought he was. Simon Peter brazenly answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Peter was convinced that Jesus was not merely the messenger of salvation, but the Savior. To this, Jesus responded, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." Then Jesus declared, "...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18).

Some have interpreted this to mean that Jesus was establishing Peter to be the first pope (after all Peter comes from petros, Greek for rock). Notice, however that Jesus did not give Peter the credit for his profession of faith. Jesus gave credit to his "Father who is in heaven." The church would not stand on human authority, but on God's authority.

If the church is just another human institution, there are way too many churches in the world today and I don't want to have anything to do with it. But I believe Jesus when he says that he will build his church. Like Peter, the church's authority does not come from within (its human leadership), but rests on God's Word and Spirit. I can disagree with other believers about which church is interpreting and applying the Bible most faithfully, but I can not imagine life as a believer apart from the church.

In an age of individualistic religion, I believe in one holy catholic [universal] and apostolic church. That is why I am taking my family and leaving a secure pastorate at a church that we love to establish a new church in Fremont. You can read more about this church planting project at my other blog.

How have you resolved the tension between the authority of the church with the fallibility of the people leading them?

Resting with Purpose

It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

- Psalm 127:2

I am busier than ever these days. I long for rest. But I don't just want a vacation. I don't want to get away from it all. I want to tend to all the things competing for my attention at this moment. I want to devour the "bread of anxious toil" so I can say that I am in control.

The pursuit of control is such vanity. No matter how early I rise nor how late I rest the works of my hands will not last. Yet God says to me that he gives sweet sleep that the bread of anxious toil can never offer. This sleep comes from the knowledge that I am his beloved. I rest in God's arms safe and secure like my newborn daughter rests in her mother's embrace. I rest knowing that my rest will not be in vain for God is at work in me. He has fulfilled all that I need and desire in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. He assures me that all that I am to do flows from this rest in my Savior. I rest to work, not work to rest.

Thank God for this Gospel rest for my tired and weary soul; this Sabbath rest from my works (as an imitation of God's own rest from his own work of creation) redeemed for me on the cross where Jesus declared "it is finished!"

Psalm 139

My wife gave birth to our third child (Lois) this past Thursday. She and the baby were discharged from the hospital yesterday and home has been a place of wonder, exhaustion, and sweet affection. As my wife and I transition to a zone defense (like a champ my wife is playing with injuries right now) to navigate two toddlers and an infant competing for our attention we are being continually stretched and humbled. Through it all we are grateful that our Father in heaven does not tire or slumber. More thoughts to come on the miracle of life. For now, I will leave you with Psalm 139.

O LORD, you have searched me and
known me!
You know when I sit down and when I
rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying
down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it
altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your
presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are
there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the
sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall
cover me,
and the light about me be night,"
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for the darkness is as light with you.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my
mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you.
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the
earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of
them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there were none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts,
O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would cound them, they are more
than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

Oh that you would slay the wicked,
O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious
intent;
your enemies take your name in vain!
Do I not hate those who hate you,
O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up
against you?
I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way
in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting!