July 30, 202

Last week we began thinking about what impact people’s life circumstances have one their current beliefs and practices. We noted that many have argued that we are who we are because of where we are born and what community we come from. Last week we noted many examples of people who changed despite their circumstances. This week I want to add a further point which is God’s revelation and expectation.

     God has spoken. Repeatedly in scripture God has revealed his will to men and expected them to understand it and respond. The most drastic example may be in the days of Noah. The only way people could escape destruction was to believe that the world was going to flood and be on board the ark. This had never happened before people would have no previous experience to demonstrate the truth of Noah’s claim except that God said it. The Old Testament is filled with examples like this. However the greatest example in scripture is no doubt Jesus. He came to earth challenging everything people thought. Some of his harshest criticism was for those who would not abandon their long held and well established religious convictions.

     God has not stopped speaking. People today are no different than they have ever been. Does God expect people to trust him and obey him today? How can someone who was raised thinking that salvation is by faith alone draw any other conclusion? How can someone who has worshiped for years with an instrument know any better? How can religious people who sincerely think they are doing right be condemned for making a mistake. Jesus himself explained that on the day of judgement many would say “Lord Lord we did all these things in your name” but would be sent away as unknown to Him. He goes on to point out that it’s not saying “Lord Lord” but doing the will of the father that identifies you as one of His. Should we expect people to accept what God has revealed and act on it before considering them Christians? God does, our place is only to recognize what God has said and communicate it. 

     I know this is not politically correct or even very popular. God does not call me to be popular he calls me to trust Him, to lean on Him and to take him at his word even if no one likes it. I vow to seek His face with all of my being, to accept His will and obey it whatever that means. Because I know he created me with the ability to understand truth and live it even if my circumstances would lead me another way. He calls all mankind to do the same.

~ Kevin Cleary

 

July 23, 202

     Everyone has a past, everyone has some collected experience and beliefs which inform their views of the world. It has become a popular notion in our time that people’s beliefs and behaviours are determined by their past. I recently heard someone say they were probably only a Christian because they were born to a Christian family in North America. He went on to conclude that he could not condemn someone born in Saudi Arabia for being a Muslim and God couldn’t either. 

     Closer to home those among churches of Christ have sometimes been heard to say “it’s because you are a member of a church of Christ that you believe as you do.” If you were from some other background you would believe that only mental assent was necessary for salvation. You would have no problem worshiping with an instrument. You would not take an issue with women in leadership. And you would only take the Lord Table a couple of times per year. 

     As I thought about this statement the first thing I did was recognize that there is some truth to it. We are affected by our circumstances. However the more I thought about it the more I realized there is more to the discussion. First can people do better than their circumstances would allow? Certainly they can and in some cases must. An abuse victim is expected to know and act better than to abuse someone else. In fact our society punishes them if they don’t. A student is expected to finish high school even if his or her parents didn’t. We consider it a bad thing that welfare recipients often come from families who were welfare recipients. And beyond my simple thoughts on the subject there is also evidence that people can and should move beyond their circumstances.

     Many people have been able to move past their past, Lots of people in my generation will tell you that they are the first in their family to graduate from university. They did this despite the fact that their parents and grandparents didn’t and in some cases didn’t place much value on doing so. Considering past history reveals numerous examples of those who defied their circumstances. Martin Luther was a Catholic through and through but changed when he began reading his Bible. He went so far as to nail 95 points of debate to the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg Germany. Abner Jones was a member of the free will Baptist church but became convinced that sectarian names and human creeds should be abandoned and that piety alone should be the test of Christian fellowship. Thomas Campbell was a Seceder Presbyterian until becoming convinced that their sectarian attitude was unchristian. Michael Behe was a convinced atheist until his close study of the human cell showed that it could not have evolved. My own grandmother was a committed member of the brethren in Christ denomination. After being challenged on some beliefs she read her New Testament in a day. The next day she was ready to be baptized into the Lords Church. All of these people and many others could be mentioned to demonstrate that people can and should base their beliefs on closely considered truth rather than on the dominant beliefs of their past.

~ Kevin Cleary

 

July 16, 2023

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a little life-saving station. The building was primitive, and there was just one boat, but the members of the life-saving station were committed and kept a constant watch over the sea. When a ship went down, they unselfishly went out day or night to save the lost. Because so many lives were saved by that station, it became famous.

Consequently, many people wanted to be associated with the station to give their time, talent, and money to support its important work. New boats were bought, new crews were recruited, a formal training session was offered. As the membership in the life-saving station grew, some of the members became unhappy that the building was so primitive and that the equipment was so outdated. They wanted a better place to welcome the survivors pulled from the sea. So they replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged and newly decorated building.

Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members. They met regularly and when they did, it was apparent how they loved one another. They greeted each other, hugged each other, and shared with one another the events that had been going on in their lives. But fewer members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions; so they hired lifeboat crews to do this for them.

About this time, a large ship was wrecked off of the coast, and the hired crews brought into the life-saving station boatloads of cold, wet, dirty, sick, and half-drowned people. Some of them had black skin, and some had yellow skin. Some could speak English well, and some could hardly speak it at all. Some were first-class cabin passengers of the ship, and some were the deck hands.

The beautiful meeting place became a place of chaos. The plush carpets got dirty. Some of the exquisite furniture got scratched. So the property committee immediately had a shower built outside the house where the victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting there was rift in the membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s life-saving activities, for they were unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal fellowship of the members. Other members insisted that life-saving was their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all those various kinds of people who would be shipwrecked, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast. And do you know what? That is what they did.

As the years passed, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a place to meet regularly for fellowship, for committee meetings, and for special training sessions about their mission, but few went out to the drowning people. The drowning people were no longer welcomed in that new life-saving station. So another life-saving station was founded further down the coast. History continued to repeat itself. And if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a number of adequate meeting places with ample parking and plush carpeting.  Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

Thomas Wedel

~ Kevin Cleary

 

July 9, 202

Have you ever known someone who would make assertions that were doubtful but said it with such confidence that you didn’t want to question. Maybe you have been the one, who in an effort to make a point or win an argument, made some assertion that you knew could not easily be proved false. 

     I used to work in construction and often this involved some work that was up high. Many people who I worked with were less than totally comfortable with heights. I can remember on one occasion, a high school student expressing doubt about the board he was standing on. To which one of the other guys on the sight responded by nailing the board to the house we were working on. He then stated with great confident “a 31/4” ardox can hold 300 pounds and that’s a lot more than you weigh.” The student felt much better, but I doubt that anyone on the job site actually knew the weight bearing capacity of a 16 penny nail. Especially considering everything from how far in the nail goes to the kind of wood to the angle would change this figure. No one questioned the figure probably because we all knew there was no way of proving it wrong. Just because we couldn’t prove the figure wrong didn’t mean it was right.

     This tactic in an argument or discussion is called appealing to ignorance. That is you are asking people to believe your point is true and right because no one can prove it wrong. A slight variation on this is when you assert that your point is right because you can prove your opponents point wrong. Neither of these are rational or logical ways of proving a point. 

     An example of the first one could be someone who says; the bible contains 300 prophetic references to Jesus. This becomes strong evidence that he is the messiah. Then when no one questions the statement the speaker moves on thinking point made. In most instances no one is going to be able to test this claim when it is made. Why not look up and use some specific passages that do predict Jesus’ birth, life, death, or other attributes. This way you are offering people real evidence rather than a large claim not easily tested. (by the way I’m not saying there aren’t hundreds of references to Jesus coming in the Old Testament just that if you’re going to claim it you better know where they are).

     An example of the second variation is something I hear a lot in the discussion about creation verses evolution. Many a Christian has pointed to some problem with the theory of evolution only to say that this proves creation is right (I have also heard the opposite). A person may say for example, there is no good evidence in the fossil record for macro-evolution. Therefore God created the world. The problem is that evolution being wrong does not make creation right. Instead we need to offer positive evidence that backs up the claim that God created the world.

     So in your search for truth remember that a point is not proven right simply because no one can prove it wrong. Instead look for evidence to support any truth claim and make sure you offer evidence to support your truth claims in discussion with others. In the same way just because you can prove someone else wrong does not mean that you are right. Again the other person or position may well be wrong but you still need to prove your view right.

     Remember Jesus example (Mk 7:1-23; Mat 22:23-33; Jn 5:30-47). He didn’t just attack the Pharisees for being wrong (when they were) but he also pointed to what was true and right. He asked people to follow him on the basis of what was right and true and loving. Not because he could prove his opponents wrong. Let’s call people to follow him with us for those same reasons.

Kevin Cleary

 

July 2, 202

Like many others who strive to practice Christianity as described in the New Testament I am sometimes asked questions about belief and practice. People notice differences between New Testament Christianity and mainstream denominationalism or “popular Christianity”. When they notice they often ask why? What’s the deal with such and such. It may be weekly observance of the Lords Supper, or not fund raising, it may be baptism for the remission of sins, it may be acapella singing. The question is always the same: Why? Why do you weirdo’s at the church of Christ not have fund raising campaigns? Why don’t you have a piano? (Can’t you afford it?). My answers like the questions are always the same. Because we love and trust God. This way of answering is helpful for two reasons. First it doesn’t usually upset anyone, and second it allows for further conversation. I can usually go on to explain that love and trust means that we worship, live, believe, and teach according to the New Testament. 

     The wise man said a gentle answer turns away wrath (Prov 15:1) and wise that is. By responding with love and respect for God first and the questioner second doors can be opened rather than closed. The truth can be shared rather than told. Friendship and respect can be fostered rather than frustrated.

     Anyone who dares to be different can expect questions, as much as we claim to be an enlightened, tolerant, open minded, reasonable people it’s just not true. If you do something different than what the majority is doing they are not going to like it. Your differences will be appreciated even less if you have sound reasoning behind them. Giving some thought to how you’re going to answer when people ask questions is key.

     So the first reason to respond to people’s questions about our differences by pointing to our love and trust for God is it doesn’t usually upset anyone. The second reason is equally important. It gives an opportunity for further discussion. When someone says “why don’t you have a piano” and you respond “because we love and trust God” it’s almost inevitable that the next question will be “what do you mean by that”. Now I am able to teach, I can explain that the only musical worship found in or authorized by the New Testament is singing. I can explain that worship is meant to glorify God. I can explain that Jesus said “If you love me you’ll obey my commandments”.

     So when I am asked about different practices and beliefs that make churches of Christ stand out a little from what’s expected I always answer with “because I love and trust God”. Religious practice is the easy part though. There is a deeper more difficult question. What about when we’re not at church? Do we look different in our relationships, finances, marriages, workplace than the people around us? When asked about your Monday through Saturday practices could you still say I do that because I love and trust God? Religious tenants and practices are basic the bigger question is are we applying the above principle to our every day?

Kevin Cleary