Experiencing Doctrine

"Experience must always be tested by doctrine, not doctrine by experience." I read these words in a journal article I was reviewing during sermon preparation. It got me thinking about my own experience. There have been times when what I experienced did not jive with what the Bible teaches. For example, the Bible insists in multiple places spanning both Testaments that God "will never leave or forsake" his people. There was a time in 2006 when all my senses and all of the circumstances of my life were shouting out to me, "God has left you; He has forsaken you!" Looking back, I see that even though my experience told me God had left me high and dry, in reality He had not. It was a test, a peirasmos in the full sense of the word (for all you Greek scholars out there), and it was what I needed to get serious about this whole Christianity thing. What I thought was God's utter lack of care for me was in actuality the most caring thing God could have done for me. I don't know how to put this other than...my experience was wrong, but doctrine was right.

This month's Toastmasters magazine quips, "We are all bad judges of ourselves." I would agree and go a step further: We are all bad judges of our immediate experience. I look back on many events in my life that I didn't think were beneficial at the time, but in 20/20 hindsight I can now see how they were indeed a part of God's plan for me. I wouldn't have all the wonderful things I have now--Jessica, Brodie, and my faith--without them. My doctrine allowed me to understand my experiences in the proper context. But had I let my experience define my doctrine, where would I be now?

We live in a very experiential age. I don't mean to say that experience is null and void, because obviously that is just plain silly. And I don't mean to say that one should unquestioningly assert biblical precepts, experience or no. But I do mean to say that we should interpret our experiences in light of revealed Truth (for that is what the biblical metanarrative is) and not vice versa. In our postmodern era, this is a counter-cultural call. It isn't popular. It isn't what itching ears want to hear. But it is the truth.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, a though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. - Habakkuk 3:17-18

The Goal, or How Much Further Have I to Go!

...It is not just those who plan to enter the academy professionally who need to have training in philosophy. Christian philosophy is also an integral part of training for Christian ministry. A model for us here is a man like John Wesley, who was at once a Spirit-filled revivalist and an Oxford-educated scholar. In 1756 Wesley delivered "An Address to the Clergy..." In discussing what sort of abilities a minister ought to have, Wesley distinguished between natural gifts and acquired abilities. And it is extremely instructive to look at the abilities that Wesley thought a minister ought to acquire. One of them is a basic grasp of philosophy. He challenged his audience to ask themselves,

Am I a tolerable master of the sciences? Have I gone through the very gate of them, logic? If not, I am not likely to go much farther when I stumble at the threshold...Rather, have not my stupid indolence and laziness made me very ready to believe, what the little wits and pretty gentlemen affirm, "that logic is good for nothing?" It is good for this at least,...to make people talk less; by showing them both is, and what is not, to the point; and how extremely hard it is to prove any thing. Do I understand metaphysics; if not the depths of the Schoolmen, the subtleties of Scotus or Aquinas, yet the first rudiments, the general principles, of that useful science? Have I conquered so much of it, as to clear my apprehension and range my ideas under the proper heads; so much as enables me to read with ease and pleasure, as well as profit, Dr. Henry Moore's Works, Malbranche's "Search for Truth," and Dr. Clarke's "Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God?"

Wesley's vision of a pastor is remarkable: a gentleman, skilled in the Scriptures and conversant with history, philosophy and the science of his day. How do the pastors graduating from our seminaries compare to this model?

Taken from Moreland and Craig, Philosophical Foundations For a Christian Worldview, p. 4

The Marx Brothers

A few recent PBS documentaries reminded me of the greatness of a certain comedy act of the 1920s-1940s. Of course, I speak of the Marx Brothers. They had witty jokes, bad puns and impeccable timing that has not been seen since. I would love to see these films re-released in theaters. For that matter, I would love to see a present-day film in the style of the Marx Brothers. (Steve Martin would obviously fill Groucho's role.) This is not to say that today's comedies aren't good, but what the Marx Brothers had was out of this world.

Please enjoy a few clips, on the house. Or inside of it, it's warmer there.

The Millennial Presidency

Very rarely do I discuss anything political on this blog, but today I will make an exception, based on the cultural impact our next president seems to be having. First of all--and let me just throw this out there--I don't really care what kind of dog his family gets. Not even a little.

Moving on, it has actually surprised me a good deal to see the amount of hope that is being attached to the man. The news media seem to think that tomorrow's festivities will not only be inaugurating a new presidential term, but the very millennial kingdom mentioned in Revelation. In fact, one might think that he is Christ returned. Change is coming! All of our problems will be--no, have been--solved!

I have nothing against Mr. Obama, mind you. I didn't vote for him, but he won, fair and square. I hope he does a great job. All I am suggesting is that he is just a man. Does his election warrant hope and optimism for Americans, especially black Americans? You bet. If I were black, I would be extremely proud, and he would undoubtedly work that much harder to achieve my own dreams. This may well be Obama's lasting legacy, and a good one, at that. Does his win mean that everything bad and evil in America will disappear overnight? No. Does this mean that all of the sudden the people in this world who hate America will become our allies? Not a chance. And nationalized health care? Don't even get me started on how bad of an idea that is. Will life continue, much as it always has, regardless of who's in the White House? Yep.

I would urge caution, therefore, in ascribing too much to any man, even a president. Why not instead place your hope in Christ and Christ alone? After all, he is the only person who defeated death. He is the mediator between God and man. He is the eternal judge and the one who gave his very life for you.

Wish Mr. Obama well, hope that he is a good president, but let's face reality--true hope can only be found in Christ.

Former Broncos Player is Found by Jesus

I just ran across a great story posted on 9news.com.  The title, however, should read, "Jesus Pursues Former Broncos Lineman; Gets Help from His Pal Jason."  If you have a few minutes, it is well worth your time to read.

Former Broncos lineman admits drug habit

God is definitely awesome, and I mean that in the least cliched and most serious way possible.

Salvation Army Band - Phil Keaggy

What kind of guy would I be without dedicating a Culture Corner spot to one of the best rock guitarists of all time (and undoubtedly the best nine-fingered guitarist ever). Of course, I speak of Phil Keaggy. While he is quite good with his band, I prefer to hear him solo--just his guitar and massive spread of effects pedals. I got to hear him a few years ago in just this manner, and it was a performance in which all I could do was shake my head and wonder. Now that I have a few pedals at my own disposal, I am realizing how hard it really is to find the right effects for the right songs, not to mention add backing vocals, drum beats and baselines to songs with just a loop and a guitar. How does one even think up something like that? The man's talent is ridiculous.

So without further ado, I present to you Mr. Phil Keaggy.

Merry [CENSORED]!

I stopped by Starbucks on my way to work this morning, and while ordering my drink I was witness to what, unfortunately, has become a common occurrence. The barista wished his patron a “Merry Christmas.” He immediately realized his error, apologized and extended the store-approved greeting, “Happy Holidays.” The “offended” patron was, of course, not offended in the least and expressed that he rather preferred the former greeting. This got me to thinking, just how many Americans are offended by “Merry Christmas?” Thankfully, the Internet knew the answer.

First, I wanted to know how many of us actually celebrate Christmas. A Google search showed that 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas. Ninety-six percent! That’s 291,671,654 of us, compared to 12,152,985 who do not (based on July 2008 population est.). One might be tempted to think at this point that if 96% of the population celebrates Christmas, approximately 96% of the population would not be bothered by “Merry Christmas.” So I did a little more digging.

I next discovered a 2005 Gallup poll on this phenomenon. The poll focused on consumer reaction to retailer approaches concerning the holidays. Here are some of their results:

• 3% of respondents would be bothered by a store displaying the words “Merry Christmas”; 97% would not.
• 32% of respondents would be bothered by a store displaying the words “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”; 68% would not.
• 5% of nonreligious respondents would be bothered by a store displaying the words “Merry Christmas”.
• 8% of non-Christians respondents would be bothered by a store displaying the words “Merry Christmas”.

Now, I’m no business owner, but looking at the Gallup data, I would assume the proper course of action would be to inform my employees to wish customers a merry Christmas! That way, I only run the risk of giving 3% of my customers a negative experience, versus 32% if I extend a generic holiday greeting. That is potentially a serious amount of cash money walking out the door.

So why do many businesses insist on banning “Merry Christmas?” I would have to assume that it’s due either to 1) their being caught up in a culture of extreme tolerance or 2) they don’t want to get sued. Regarding 1), this whole tolerance thing is getting a little out of hand. Let’s take an example. Say three people are in your store. Person A is offended by being told, “Merry Christmas.” Person B is offended by being told, “Happy Holidays.” Person C is offended when you don’t acknowledge the season at all. What are you as a store owner to do? No matter what, you will offend someone. How do you choose whom to offend? Or, conversely, to which person will you give preferential treatment? Using tolerance as the “gold standard” by which one acts leads to absurdities such as this. It is a poor foundation on which to build one’s life. The bottom line is, you can’t be tolerant of everyone all the time, so let us dispense with the notion once and for all. Regarding 2), what can I say? The few sue-happy activists are desperately trying to ruin things for us, and the judicial system is letting them. I suppose if I were a giant corporation with deep pockets like Starbucks, this might be sufficient motivation for me to ban “Merry Christmas” from my stores. Better to bother 32% of your customers whom you know won’t sue than tick off the one guy who will.

In the end, I suppose this is a pretty trivial matter. It doesn’t change the fact that 96% of us do celebrate Christmas, or that some of us even celebrate it for the right reason (by the way, it’s Jesus). But it does make me hang my head a bit and wonder how we even got to this point as a country.

Merry Christmas, everyone.