Anti-Semitism, Replacement Theology, and the Church

I heard something on the radio the other day that angered, upset, and saddened me. A noted radio host, The Bible Answer Man, had a caller who questioned the antisemitism of Martin Luther. She was fairly new to Christ...had been raised in a Lutheran Church...but had never read the vile, hateful things that Luther had written about the Jews. She was understandably confused and shocked. What followed, from the supposed "Bible answer man", can be found here...
http://www.oneplace.com/common/player/oneplace/CustomPlayer.asp?bcd=2/26/2009&url=mms://wm.salemweb.net/a3186/o29/oneplace/wm/bam/bam20090226.wma&MinTitle=Bible+Answer+Man&MinURL=http://www.oneplace.comhttp://www.oneplace.com/ministries/bible_answer_man/&MinArchives=http://www.oneplace.comhttp://www.oneplace.com/ministries/bible_answer_man/archives.asp&Refresh=&AdsCategory=MINISTRY.BAM&Show_ID=243
beginning at about the 40 minute mark. Listen for yourself.

There is no place in the life of a Scriptural Christian for antisemitism, no matter how you couch it. There is no justification...no excuse for the vile, hateful rantings of Martin Luther. Period.

There is no place in the Church for any doctrine, even one solely on eschatology, whose end result brings about hatred...especially of the Jews. If you can't see the error of that, then may God have pity on you. I don't.

When the Church adopts the hate speech of racist groups...whether they be Klan, white supremacists, Nazis, etc...it is a shame to the Cross of Christ. If you speak against the Jews with hate, you are a disgrace as a Christian. If you attempt to mask that hate with feigned logic and reason, you are a coward. If you attempt to misuse and distort the Scriptures to justify your position of hatred toward the Jews, then you are anathema.

I had planned on this being a long, scholarly piece on the inaccuracies of the preterist position on eschatology and its end resulting error of Church involvement in world politics over the last 1600 plus years...and that involvement leading to the absolute disgrace of the Church, both Protestant and Catholic, being the number one persecutors of the Jews.

I can't...at least not right now. My hands are shaking as I type. I feel the same right now as I would if someone prostituted the words of my beloved wife to justify such a truly evil position.

Search out the Scriptures for yourself. Search out history. Try and find, within the Bible, any justification for what the Church has done, is doing, and continues to do to the Jews. There is none. None.

I am ashamed. I am angry. I hope that you either are, or will be.

My son was watching a special with me on TV many years ago. The special was on antisemitism. One of the scenes showed a cross burning while the words of Luther were being read. Chance was only about four years old. He looked at me, puzzled.

Daddy, is the man talking a Christian?

He was supposed to be son, yes.

Isn't Jesus Jewish?

Yes son, He is.

Then that man is stupid...and so are those people burning that cross.

Then he got up and left the room.

Out of the mouths of babes...

There is No "I" in Church...the failing of the Church in the last forty years

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13



No...you can't.



You can't save anyone. Especially yourself. You can't condemn someone to eternal punishment. You can't change the sentence that God has passed on Satan. There are a multitude more.



So...no, you can't.



Why, then, is this verse in the Bible?



The constant miss-use of this verse over the last forty or so years is emblematic of the number one problem in the Church today. "I". "I" is not the actual subject of this verse, nor should it be the subject of our focus or attention. Christ is the actual subject of the verse, just as He should be the subject of our lives.



Panta/ ischuo/ en/ to/ endunamounti/ me/ Xristo.

All these things/to be strong/in/the/who strengthens/ me/Christ

It is Christ who empowers me to be strong in all these things.

Christ's indwelling power enables me to do these seemingly impossible things.



Greek, as I've told you, is a funny, yet powerful language. The structure is not the same as ours. The correct reading of the verse, in today's language, is closer to the last one I've written. How can I be so sure? Outside of giving you boring lectures on Greek grammar and syntax?



Easy...the three Cs. Context...context...context.



The context of the verse within the passage. The context of that passage within the book that contains it...and finally, the context of both within the Bible as a whole. So, let's first look at the context of the passage.




But I rejoiced in the Lord
greatly, that now at the last
your care of me hath flourished
again; wherein ye were also
careful, but ye lacked
opportunity.


Not that I speak in respect
of want: for I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am,
[therewith] to be content.


I know both how to be
abased, and I know how to
abound: every where and in all
things I am instructed both to
be full and to be hungry, both
to abound and to suffer need.


I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me.



Paul is speaking to the Churches of Philippi about their gifts. He thanks them, and reassures them. Not their fault they hadn't sent anything in a while. They didn't know what he needed. But they should never worry about him anyway. The Lord has taught him to be content in any circumstance.



Now he tells them something else. Something amazing. Something that, to the human mind, is impossible. God has taught him to be humble and exalted...at the same time! To be hungry and full in all things...at the same time!



Think about it...I command you to be faster than the speed of light...and never move...at the same time. I command you to be taller than a mountain, and smaller than an ant...at the same time. You would think I'm crazy...or at the very least, unfair. How can you be up and down...North and South...frozen and boiling...all at the same time? These are not just extremes...they're extreme opposites. Impossible!



If Christ commands me to do two impossible things at the same time...He will give me the power to accomplish what He has commanded me to do. The focus from Paul is on Christ...not himself.

The second "C" is the context of the book of Philippians. It is a book that exemplifies contrasts. Extreme contrasts.
For me to live is Christ...to die is gain.


Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to
be equal with God:

But made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the
cross.

Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted him, and given
him a name which is above
every name:

That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of
[things] in heaven, and [things]
in earth, and [things] under the
earth;

And [that] every tongue
should confess that Jesus
Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.

The first is the opposite of how we think...to live is Christ? To die is gain? Yet Paul tells them he's in between a rock and a hard place. He's ready to go...wants to go...home. But he knows it's better for them if he stays for a while longer. Not how we look at life.

The second is mind boggling to me. The All Mighty God came and put on a tent of human flesh. Lived like us. Was scorned. Spit on. Beaten so badly His face wasn't recognizable as the face of a man. Every hair of His beard plucked out. Mocked to the point of His death. The ultimate in power made Himself nothing for us. Wow.

The third "C" is the Bible itself. The Bible does not glorify man. It glorifies God. It doesn't start out, In beginning Man...

The first sin, by Lucifer, was the five "I wills". We sin, or miss the mark, because, "to will is present in me." We are saved by Grace...we are the called out ones...chosen.

The Greek word for Church is Ekklesia. Ek/out...Kaleo/to call. To ekklesia/ the out called ones. Once again you see that the specialness is in being called out by someone else. Not yourself.

Why is this problem so prevalent in the Church? It starts at the top. I can't tell you how many Pastors I've heard this little gem from..."I'm a fine instrument for God's use." Yeah...right. No, you're a dirt bag...just like me. My only saving grace is the fact that I know I'm a dirt bag. No delusions of grandeur here. I'm not doing God any favors by doing His work. It's the other way around.

Where do they get it from? I would think, from what I've learned, that it's systemic. It begins with the teaching at the seminaries. Pastors are taught that they know more, know better, than their congregations. Most of what they are taught, especially in higher criticism, can't be trusted to the masses. Too dangerous. It's the old shell game of the heresy of the Nicolaitans: you must rule over(Nicos/completely conquer and vanquish) the laity/people(laoston/people) for their own good.

The Bible expressly forbids this. Jesus taught that we should call no one Master or Lord(Reverend or Pastor) because we are all brothers and sisters in Christ...we have but one Lord and Master...Christ Himself. Paul took on the title of doulos, or bond servant, which we translate minister. It means far more than that. A bond servant was someone who screwed up so badly that they were sold into slavery for their debt. Their Master paid the debt, and they had to work for that master until the debt was paid. In our case, as Paul's, the debt is our life...which God paid for with the life of His Son. So, our debt will never be paid off...at least not in this lifetime.

If you look at yourself that way, it makes it much harder to have your ego fly off into flights of fancy...to elevate yourself, or your knowledge, above others. To think that "I" can do anything.

Sadly, that is the state of the Church as a whole today. I name it and claim it. I have needs. I sow my seed. I need extra classes at Church for what I want. I need support groups to minister to me. I need God to bless me financially. I need God to heal me. I need...I need...I need...sounds like Bill Murray in "What about Bob", doesn't it?

Story time. I told this one at my Fathers funeral.

My dad taught me everything I needed to know. How to be a man. How to be a husband. How to be a Father. Most importantly, he taught me how to be a servant to my Lord and Master. He didn't teach me these things by preaching to me...or at me. His testimony was his life...the way he lived it...the way he treated me...and the examples he set.

I can still remember the time my brother and I "painted" the shed for my dad. I was about four years old. My dad had built the garage on our lot back in the forties after he and my Mom bought the house. He built a little shed onto the back of it a few years later. Now, it was time to paint them both. My dad was going to paint the garage. We wanted to help. We were still young enough to have that desire...to help our dad.

He took us around behind the garage to the shed. Set us up with paint...brushes...rollers...the whole deal...then he went to paint the garage.

We painted the sidewalk...the brick wall behind us...the avocado tree...the dogs...the dirt...and each other. I think we might have accidentally gotten some paint on the shed. We had quite the high time back there.

My dad came around back when he was done with the garage. Cleaned us up and sent us in to my Mom to take baths. Then he had to clean up our mess...and still paint the shed.

Any time anyone came over for the next six months or so, they commented on how great the garage looked. You could see it down the drive way from the street. My dad would make sure I was around before he led them behind the garage...to the shed.

"Look at what a great job my boys did on the shed".

My chest would swell in pride every time. My dad was proud of me.

I was crying when I said this at my dad's funeral. I'm crying now.

I didn't realize I hadn't helped him paint the shed. I was only four. I hadn't helped him at all...in fact, I'd been in the way. He had to work ten times harder, just to let me help. He cleaned up all of my mess, and still did the job.

I looked back on this, and many other things that my dad did when I got older. Why would he go to all that trouble? I knew the answer not long after my oldest daughter was born. He wanted me to learn, at an early age, that it's not what you are able to do that counts. It's your attitude...your willingness...your desire. He wanted to reward that...and make me feel good about myself. Most importantly, he wanted me to know that he loved me...that he was proud of me...no matter how ineffective I might be.

He loved me.

But...he also wanted to teach me what it means to be a servant of Christ. We are, all of us, four year olds painting the shed. We aren't helping God...in fact, we're in the way...and not even aware of the big job He's doing while we're screwing up the little one he gave us...the one no one can even see. He cleans us up...does the job...and then praises us to everyone for how hard we worked...when we never did a thing worthwhile.

Read Hebrews chapter 11 when you have time...and you'll see why I call it God's wallet. He takes out the pictures of His kids...and brags about them...but if you read their stories in the rest of the Bible, you'll see what monumental screw ups these "heroes of faith" really were. Most of them would never even make it into a Church today, let alone be in any position of importance...but to God....well, they're His kids. He loves them. He's proud of them...in spite of their faults.

You see, everyone of them was a four year old painting the shed...and that's what God wants from us. He wants us to have that earnest desire to serve, like a four year old...and yet, at the same time, He wants us to grow into the maturity of knowing that we can't do anything but screw up...and still show up anyway.

Some people here today have asked me if I think I can fill my Father's shoes. The answer is painfully obvious...no. But I can do my best to keep them shined...because he taught me how.

I love you dad.

Lost: Faith versus Reason

There has been a long recurring theme on LOST...the debate between faith and Reason. This debate has best been exemplified by the relationship between John Locke and Dr. Jack Shephard. Ironically, the real John Locke was a philosopher whose Deistic views denied original sin and taught that the human mind was a tabula rasa, or blank slate. Yet, within this view, the philosopher taught that each individual is the determiner of his own fate...and still tied inextricably to the group as a whole.

Shephard, on the other hand, is a derivation of shepherd, one who nurtures a group...particularly in a religious sense. Jack's father's name is Christian, or follower of Christ. Jack himself, although a nurturing leader of the group, has no faith in anyone or anything...primarily because he has no real faith in himself. That is why he trusts in reason, and reason alone, to guide him and his actions.

John Locke of LOST is a man of faith. He believes that each person CAN create their own life. However, this was a belief he had "lost" prior to coming to the island. It is obvious that he believes that the individual is responsible for the group...and that the group is responsible for each of its individual parts. One individual(Jack) can destroy the group by their actions...and the group can destroy each individual by theirs. Both are entwined.

I have seen a few references to episode 5.06 316. Some have made minor reference to the scriptural passage of John 3:16
For God so loved the cosmos that he gave His one of a kind Son(the correct translation of monogenes) that whoever acts in faith into Him shall not be destroyed, but their Spirit/Soul shall live through Eternity.

The Greek word to believe, or to faith, is Pisteuo. It is an active verb. The way that the late professor emeritus explained it to me was:

If I say, in English, that you will catch me if I fall, it requires no action on my part. You don't even have to be in the same room with me. To believe, in English, is a passive verb.

However, if I say, Ego pisteuo that you will catch me if I fall, it requires action.

• I must be in the act of falling.
• I must be past the point of catching myself.
• You cannot have caught me yet.

That is why the act of believing for a Christian is the demonstration of their faith. You are falling towards someone that you cannot see...that no one can see...that you cannot prove even lived, let alone died and rose again...let alone is God Himself. The act of this falling makes you look clumsy, at best. If some one should happen to ask you why you are falling, and you tell them that you believe an invisible God/man is going to catch you, you risk looking very foolish...especially in light of the fact that we have never seen Him actually catch anyone. Once He catches them...they are dead to us. No proof.

This explains the supposed contradiction between James and Paul. James was writing to an audience(the twelve tribes abroad) who were hearing "Believe" in their own languages. James explained to them what pisteuo really meant. You must act on what you say you believe, or it means you don't really mean it.

What did Locke's note say to Jack? "I wish you had believed me." Had Jack acted on what Locke told him, none of the bad things would have happened to those left behind...or to people like Sayid's girlfriend when they got back.

What was left of the note when Jack woke up on the island? "I wish..."

Locke demonstrates his faith by his actions. Jack demonstrates his lack of faith in anyone, including himself, by his indecisiveness...and lies.

Locke makes a sacrifice of his life to get everyone to go back...to save those left behind...to save the island...and perhaps everyone on earth. he has been kicked in the teeth far more times in his life, and by the island, than Jack...and yet he still believes...enough to die.

What do you believe? What are you willing to look like a clumsy fool for? What are you willing to die for, with no proof that you are right?

Would you rather be Locke, or Jack?

Thalpo

First. I'd like to thank everyone who participated in Word association#1. There were, besides my own, the following answers...

1. Honesty


2. Trust


3. Non-existent


4. Balance


5. Mutual


6. Mutual(I love my wife!)


7. Honest


8. Koozy
9. Divine
10. Safe

There were no wrong answers given...which is NOT to say that there are no wrong answers. I believe that there are, but that's a blog for another day. The answers that each of you gave, give an insight to others as to your value system, which is why it took courage to "play". It also, hopefully, gave you insight into yourself...made you examine that system of values, and find a way to articulate it. So, once again, thank you.

Someone took the time to look up thalpo and give all of you a definition, as well as some of the etymology of the word. It does come from the word "Thallos"...it does mean to warm...and it is translated as "to cherish". The real question is why? What does warming something, especially in the sense of warming that which was previously cold/frozen, have to do with our definition of, "to cherish"?

Those of you who have followed this blog for any time know a few things about me...my schooling, why I taught myself Greek and Hebrew(to what little degree I know them), and my trust issues...as well as my propensity to tell stories, especially true ones, to illustrate a point. So, here we go...

Fourth year of college. Sixteen years old. Doing word studies on Ephesians chapter 5. Thalpo for cherish. I looked the word up. To warm. Didn't make any sense to me. This was back in the day. No Internet searches. You went to the library. I read everything I could at our college. Went to a few others. Nothing that really explained the etymology of the word...at least not to my satisfaction. Another student saw what I was doing. Sensed my frustration. She directed me to a professor.

He was the professor emeritus of Ancient Classical languages. His specialty was Koine Greek. This is what he told me.

The Ancient Greeks were very smart. They used their language like a tool, much to their benefit. That is why you see so many compound words. Very descriptive. You are correct that the root for Thalpos is Thallo...to warm. You're wondering how it acquired the idiomatic meaning "to cherish". It starts with a severe case of frostbite.

They lived in a mostly Mediterranean, temperate climate. Extremes of cold were uncommon, until the expansion of their world through travel. People would occasionally suffer from hypothermia. They, of course, didn't know that there were three stages. Nor could they take some one's temperature. We know that once the body has reached stage three, when the person's temperature drops to 89.6 degrees or below, death usually ensues unless proper care is given. Even then, there is no guarantee. They had no manuals. Everything was by trial and error. Blankets and a warm fire work for the first two stages, along with brisk rubbing...not so much for stage three. I can only imagine the horror of the first few people who briskly rubbed someone in stage three, only to have something break off. Horrible.

They discovered that the best course of action when someone was that cold, was to put your naked body next to theirs, and then cover both of you with a blanket. The Greeks understood heat transference. This gradual approach was the only one they had that worked. Their was, however, one great danger in this approach. The colder body siphons off heat from the warmer one. If the conditions were bad enough...if the person was cold enough...then you could, yourself ,suffer from hypothermia in your attempt to save someone else. You could do great damage to yourself...up to, and including death.

You can live for many days without water...much longer, if necessary, without food...you cannot live very long without your body's heat. To be willing to risk that...to be willing to give someone the essence of your life...well, hopefully you can see how that word came to mean to them to treasure...or to cherish someone. Is there anything else I can help you with?

I went to this wonderful man many more times. He was always very gracious. I am grateful to him still.

I learned all of this long before I ever met my wife. Long before...and yet, the irony of her name doesn't escape even me.

Life had left me cold...cold enough to be close to emotional and spiritual death. You see, when your in stage three, you stop shivering. It becomes harder to think rationally. You begin to hallucinate. You become a danger...not only to yourself, but to others...especially those you love. I was raising two little girls alone...and I was making them cold as well. We were all in great danger...and I was too cold to even recognize it.

Then Cherish came into my life. She gave me, and our daughters, her warmth...at the risk of her own life. She saved them...and she saved me. She cherished me back to life.

All that I am...all that I have...all that I ever may have, or be, that is of any value, is because of her. Because she warmed me back to life.

She cherished me.

For me, then, the one word was easy...

She is my love...my life...my breath...my everything.

Cherish.