Marital Purity in the Old and New Testament

After reading Ezra 10 this morning, I have to admit my mind was swirling and I didn't like what I read. How could it be God's will for all of the religious leaders to divorce their wives and send them out of their house along with their children? This is one of those passages where God does not do what I expect, and I am reminded that I am always growing in my knowledge of Him.

I Corinthians 7 says:

"If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."

This is the Scripture that has framed my theology of marriage, and so I think that is why Ezra 10 comes as such a shock to me.

So what is it that is different between the Old and New Covenants? As much as I like to highlight the continuity between the Old and New Testaments, I cannot deny there are some distinctions, and this is certainly one of them. It seems that under the law God is more concerned with the purity of His people than with them being a sanctifying influence on their unbelieving spouses. These foreign wives had polluted God's people and lead the men (even the Levites) into idolatry. God needed to purge His people, and that purging involved tearing apart families that were unequally yoked.

I suspect that is why I Corinthians 7:12-16 was penned. We deal with the same issues that the Israelites did, and there are many who are unequally yoked in our day. Yet God wants us to take a different approach from that of Ezra 10. Despite the sin of marrying an unbeliever, God wants that unbeliever to experience the gospel through the words and actions of a redeemed spouse in hopes that God will bring redemption in their own heart. After all, part of the mystery of the new covenant is the fact that God is bringing all people groups to Himself, and His church is a multi-faceted body that collectively brings glory to Him through their diversity. This was not the case under the Old Covenant, where Israel's ethnicity and culture set them apart from the rest of the world, and God wanted that sanctification to be displayed starkly so all other nations would see it. I guess one could argue that sanctification looks different between the two covenants - Under the Old Covenant sanctification was more tangible - what you eat, how you dress, who you are married to... However, under the New Covenant sanctification is measured primarily by the fruit of the Spirit that you evidence. Still observable to be sure, but not quite as measurable. Perhaps this explains some of the seeming contradiction between Ezra 10 and I Cor. 7. Not sure though.

I am still trying to wrap my mind around Ezra 10, but I am reminded this morning that I need to be reading through all of God's Word, so that I may know His character and personality in a deeper way.

The Beautiful Wilderness of Pastoral Unemployment

3 ways that I have been enriched through the last months of (unemployed) job search:

1. Precious time with my family - Since I have not been working at a church since the end of August, every day since has been filled with the opportunity to relish the extra time with my four girls.
   I have been able to form a special bond with Preslie during the first months of her life, and that is something you can't put a price tag on.
   Quinn often grabs my hand and says "Daddy, dance with me!" And guess what - I do.
   In addition, I have had several opportunities to be a part of Avery's first experience in school - from driving her there and participating in field trips, to speaking to her class. This also is a precious thing that I thank God for.
   For crying out loud - my wife and I were playing rock band yesterday afternoon and enjoying every minute of it! How often do you get to do that on a weekday?


2. Opportunity to refine my ministry philosophy - The pastoral job search process forces you to answer tough questions like "what are the most important aspects of youth ministry?", and "what would our church's youth ministry look like under you?". All of this has refreshed my perspective on what ministry is about, how God wants it to be carried out, and what part I can play in that.


3. Deeper understanding and appreciation for various denominations - Each time I considered a position at a church, I would research the church's particular denomination thoroughly. I discovered many things I did not know before, and this helped me weed out certain denominations and consider others I never would have before.
   This is one thing I never really experienced in my fundamentalist upbringing - a charitable exploration of various denominations. Yes, there are reasons we have these various denominations, and No, we should not just all join hands, sing "Kumbaya" and form one ecumenical church. But we would do well to learn the heritage of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and consider the good that has come through each particular community of evangelicalism.

I pray that my time in the wilderness of pastoral unemployment is nearing an end.
Yet, I am very grateful for how God has been growing me and refining me. I am so glad that His ways are not my ways, and He has everything figured out.

Neither candidate holds the cure

I have been following this presidential election closer than any other, and for the first time I have dug deeper into the political earth and discovered how complex and intriguing the relationship is between the Christ-follower and government.

After watching last night's debate, I was left with a nagging sense that neither candidate will be the answer we really need.

As I ponder these things this morning, I believe that we as believers desperately need to recognize a few things during this political contest (and they are listed in progressive levels of importance):

1. We have the God-given privilege to vote for the candidate that we believe will manage government in a way that most glorifies God and builds His kingdom. We should cherish this privilege and act upon it.

2. We must respect our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who sit on the other side of the political aisle. In the realm of eternity, I believe it matters more how the church exemplifies Christ' love and unity than how they vote.

3. Most of all, it is imperative that we remember that neither candidate in any election holds the cure for the dilemma of sin. I read this quote from Spurgeon this morning:
“Gethsemane provides the medicine for the ills which followed upon the forbidden fruit of Eden.”
What our country and world really needs is a leader who can cure our sin sickness, which poses an even greater threat than the financial crisis that is looming over us.

Let me be clear about this - The relationship between a Christian and government is an important one that should be soberly considered. And, we as Christ-followers must do all we can to make  a difference in the political landscape. However, at the end of the day - We can be thankful that we serve a King who not only holds all things together by His mighty hand, but who died upon a cross so that all our infirmities might be laid on Him.

No matter who wins the election next month, we as the church must remember our primary duty - Living  and breathing the gospel to every creature. This is the cure that the world really needs.

Ahhh... A Breath of Fresh Air

Two extremes have concerned me for a while:

Fundamentalists who criticize that all forms of evangelicalism are in a state of compromise, and are destined to fail because their foundation is faulty.

And...

Evangelicals who are questioning and denouncing elemental theological issues (even things in the Apostles/Nicene Creeds), and are opening themselves up to a pluralism of sorts where any theological stance is acceptable.

Which is why my lungs filled with a sweet sense of peace and hope when I found out about a movement within Evangelicalism the other day.
It is called "The Gospel Coalition", and their website is: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/

I am hoping and praying that this movement (perhaps there are others like this as well) will serve as a red flag to the two groups living in polar spheres of Christianity.
To the unmovable fundamentalists, I pray that this coalition shows that not all evangelicalism is "going to hell in a hand basket". No, there are many who are faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
To the compromising evangelicals, I pray that this shows the error and shiftiness of removing all theological support structures. We must have something that is non-negotiable, and that is the gospel.

The Emergent Model: Baby, Bathwater, or a little of Both?

I read a very interesting article today which portrayed the various streams of thought within the emerging church.
The article is written by Mark Driscoll, and is entitled "A Pastoral Perspective on the Emergent Church".
Check it out, and let me know what you think. He uses a model developed by Dr. Ed Stetzer, and it includes three distinct type of emergent Christians:

1. RELEVANTS: theologically conservative evangelicals who are not as interested in reshaping theology as much as updating such things as worship styles, preaching styles, and church leadership structures.

2. RECONSTRUCTIONISTS: generally theologically evangelical and dissatisfied with the current forms of church (e.g. seeker, purpose, contemporary)

3. REVISIONISTS: theologically liberal and question key evangelical doctrines, critiquing their appropriateness for the emerging postmodern world.

Which of these do you see yourself aligning most closely with?
Or, do you reject any and all elements of the emerging church?

It seems to me that most "evangelicals" find some merit in the emergent model, though they disagree considerably on how far to identify with it.
"Fundamentalists" on the other hand by and large have denounced the emergent movement all-together and condemn anything affiliated with emergent theology/practice or postmodernism.

Like it or not, the emergent movement is picking up steam, and we as believers (evengelicals and fundamentalists alike) must become versed in it, and decide what we believe about it.

So, share away.

I Think We Dropped the Ball (the ball that is our planet...)

Well, today is Earth Day.
And many fundamentalists around the globe are saying, So What?!
In fact, as I was growing up "Earth Day" had a hideous reputation (in my circles) of being some kind of "liberal" conspiracy to turn our planet into an idol.

Many conservatives (fundamentalist and evangelical alike) disdain any talk of caring for our planet. Whether it is the hot topic of global warming or the initiative to recycle, I have observed a deliberate apathy among many Christians.

This can be aptly illustrated by a comment I read a couple days ago posted on a blog which was discussing Bush's new global warming policy.
Here it is (and it's a doozie...):

"Imagine trying to save the Earth from global warming. The same Earth that God is going to destroy in His own time."

Not only is that really bad theology, it is really bad theology.

Which makes me wonder - How did we as the church get here?
Have we fallen prey to Biblical amnesia and forgotten about the very first commandment that God gave us as human beings?

Genesis 1:26-28
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Genesis 2:15

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

God created this earth, and said that it was good.
It is the amazing work of His hand, and He entrusted it to us!

Here in the pages of Genesis is a Creation Mandate - which simply means - it is part of God's fundamental design that we as image-bearers care for His earth in order to reflect our God's character. He keeps everything in balance, and we are called to do our best to tend to our planet.

Now, it is important to note that we are to subdue the earth - which means that yes, we as humans are superior to and in charge of animals and geological elements.
So, we should never make environmental causes our "god", and we should not be consumed with caring for the earth.

But, care for it we must.
The best we know how.

This is not a post to declare global warming as "the most pressing issue of our time" or "the greatest hoax of our time".
I am not a scientist, and I believe the scientific data is still coming in on this issue.

But I have studied the Bible a little, and I know what the Bible tells me. Whatever we conclude about global warming, we as image-bearers must be engaged in conserving our planet - graciously, realistically, and wisely.

Even if we have dropped the ball, it is time to prayerfully pick it back up.

Uncensored Prayer

What's the book say...?
Everyone Poops?
Well... not my newborn daughter for the last 3 days.
If you have ever had kids you know this is a big thing to watch when they are first born. Their delicate bodies need to begin processing food correctly, and the doctors usually want you to record how often this happens.
Which is why we started to pray as a family that little Preslie would be able to poop. (It just hit me that if Preslie ever reads this when she gets older, she is going to kill me...)

Anyway, last night as I tucked my two older daughters into bed, we all took turns praying. Little Quinn likes to make up prayers as she goes, and I usually have to reign her in or she will keep mentioning things that I am sure please the heart of God, but are designed by her to prolong her bedtime. So, as she was slowly praying, I encouraged her to pray that Preslie would be able to poop. She did without flinching or snickering. Then Avery prayed for Preslie.
That is when I realized that kids don't mess around when it comes to prayer. They pray for what they need, and they don't craft their words into some magnanimous display of spirituality. They are honest and transparent.

Oh, if we were only a little more like that.
Unfortunately, many of us get the impression as we grow up that prayer is as much about style as it is content. That God is impressed with creative vocabulary. Or at least others are.

And so some might be led to pray for their constipated daughter like this: "Ohh Father, We beseech Thee, O Gracious and Glorious God, that Thou Wouldst Move Your Mighty Hand, and loose the stools of this small child, that Thou mightest Receive all the glory and the power and the praise forever. Amen"

Or, others might be tempted not to pray at all about such mundane or crass things.

Not my kids - "God, help Preslie to poop."

I believe it all goes back to being real Christians. It is not about appearances, it is not about impressing others, it is about the real, flesh and blood relationship we have with God.

So, let us be real, and offer God prayer from our hearts... and not from our stages.

Oh, and by the way - Preslie finally pooped last night - God answers prayers, especially the uncensored ones.