The Wrong Kind of Easter Message

They had a megaphone, held up sloppy handwritten signs and a GoPro camera and were shouting as church members walked by them on the way to the cars after Easter service. From a distance I could not tell what they were protesting about. I wondered if they were atheists are some anti-Christian cult. When I came even with the protesters I learned the cause was even more ridiculous. They were animal rights activists.

One of them called out to my wife, “Who died for you this morning?” Surprised, she gave the answer appropriate for the morning, “Jesus.” The protester clarified his “point", rephrasing the question, “Who did you eat this morning?” It took me a moment to realize that he was telling us that it was not right that animals die for our sustenance. He apparently believed that animals have feelings and desires, just like people do. He didn't know us, did not know if we were carnivorous or vegan, yet he was convinced that we were evildoers in need of nutritional repentance. 

He and his colleagues rained down taunts and jeers as people walked by. They were clearly not interested in dialogue. They only wanted to attack us for the wrongness of our thinking.

Among the claims I heard as we passed-

- Animals want to live just like people do.

- Animals want to be with their families too.

- Animals have feelings.

- Eating meat is tantamount to murder.

These claims were repeated over and over, in  loud voices and with condescending tones. The message they were trying to proclaim was not the message their audience received. They wanted us to believe that animals have rights and feelings. What we believed was that they were terribly misguided and deceived. 

Those who walked by them were Christians, people who hold to the biblical teaching that mankind is unique, that people alone are created in the image and likeness of God. Unlike animals, we alone possess body, soul and spirit. We alone have reason and creativity, we alone will live eternally. We all know that animals are not at all like us.

We also know that the Bible does not advocate for the vegan lifestyle. The Old Testament gives detailed instructions for offering animal sacrifices. The most holy feast in the nation of Israel, the Passover, involves a meal centered around a ceremonially killed, unblemished lamb. Jesus himself participated in the celebration of this feast. These facts did not stop them from condemning us as we walked by.

As I walked away I wondered what it was they were hoping to accomplish by their diatribe. They could not expect that anyone would be persuaded by their angry shouts. Increased volume does not make up for the ignorance of an argument. I suspect their goal was one shared by many political protesters, Facebook commenters and internet trolls. They wanted to feel morally superior. What they did not realize was that they were creating the same feelings in those who walked by.

- Bart

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Two Choices at Easter

When it comes to Easter there are only two options. Either the holiday celebrates an actual historical event, or it doesn’t. The man Jesus either rose from the grave as the Christian scriptures proclaim or He didn’t.

If Jesus did not rise from the grave, if he died and stayed dead like an ordinary man, then Christians are fools. If Christ is not risen we are to be pitied as deceived losers who have wasted our time, talents and resources for nothing. The church is nothing more than a social club based on outdated morality.

If Jesus is indeed risen from the dead then the opposite is true. The deceived losers are those who plot the course of their life apart from Jesus’ teaching, for If he is risen he is no ordinary man. His teaching must be followed. If he is risen God is real and so is eternity. If he is risen then faith matters.

While most people have an opinion on whether or not the Easter account is true, only a fraction of those I have encountered have actually taken the time to consider their choice and fewer still have invested any time in evaluating the evidence in support of Jesus' resurrection. Given the ramifications of an incorrect answer to the question of whether or not Jesus is risen it would behoove everyone to take the time to answer carefully. Lives are at stake.

Something to consider at Easter time. 

- Bart

Wanted- Real Men

While my career plans changed often after I started college my main goal in life did not. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a man. Not in the John Wayne, Arnold Schwarzenegger, action hero sense, but in the head of the household provide for your family, love your wife sense.

I was able to hang on to this goal through the years because it had meaning. It was clearly defined and easily understood. I knew that God desired all boys to become men and I knew what it meant to be a man in God’s eyes. I have spent my life pursuing this definition and the pursuit has led to success in the most important areas of my life, my roles of husband and father.

The definition of manhood was simple and straightforward to me 35 years ago. Times have changed and for many in our world the term now has so many meanings as to have no meaning at all. The result is a generation of young people who are rudderless and fatherless. It is not politically correct but I think it is time for real men to speak out about what true manhood is.

Real men love and live sacrificially, work to better themselves everyday and worry more about who they are instead of what they have.

Real men-

- Devote themselves to one woman, for a lifetime. I meet far to many males who go through life seeking casual relationships with as many women as they can find who are willing to service their sexual desires. Real men understand the importance of devotion.

- Are committed to their children. They realize being a father is the most important job they will ever do. They are willing to put parental success ahead of professional success.

- Practice self-control. They work to control their negative impulses. They set aside anger. They make home a safe place for their wives and children.

- Are men of faith. They submit to a higher authority. They live their lives according to the values defined by God. They live according to God’s moral code and not their own. They pass these values on to their children.

- Work for the long term security of their families. They deny themselves temporary pleasures and toys in order to save for the future.

- Make their own way in the world whenever possible. No job is beneath them and they do not look for a handout. They value work.

These characteristics of manliness are accessible and achievable by all men regardless of their background, ethnicity, education or status. They need not be defended, explained or justified, because they are true.

-Bart

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An Easy Diagnosis- Missed

He was worried. He had lost over 30 pounds in the last few months and he did not know why. He had seen another doctor but the doctor did not give him an answer. Worried, he turned to a friend in the medical field. The friend referred him to me.

The visit started off as most new patient visits do, with a lot of paperwork and time spent reviewing his medical history. He had a history of high cholesterol but not much else of significance. He had no symptoms of depression and no obvious reason for the weight loss.

Until I looked at a copy of his blood work.

In December he had a fasting blood sugar of 295, nearly three times the upper limit of normal. He was diabetic. I asked him if he had been informed of the high blood sugar. He told me that the doctor had told him it was “something to keep an eye on” but that no additional tests had been recommended nor treatments suggested.

I explained to him that this was almost certainly the answer to his weight loss, as this was a common manifestation of diabetes. I ordered a repeat of his fasting blood sugar as well as additional tests to confirm the diagnosis. The results were as expected, confirming that he had been diabetic of a while.

At the end of the visit he asked why it was that the other doctor had failed to make the diagnosis. I did not have an answer for him. There was no rational reason that a blood sugar as abnormal as his would be ignored. The only explanations I could think of were ignorance, laziness or incompetence. I kept these reasons to myself, stating only that I did not know what the other doctor had been thinking.

I m not sure that the doctor was thinking at all or that he was truly concerned about the patient. The patient’s diagnosis was simple and straightforward and could have been made by most third year medical students. For several months the patient had needlessly worried about cancer or a life-threatening disease. I wished he had come in sooner and was grateful his friend had advised him to come to my office.

I wish I could say that his story was rare, but it is nowhere near as rare as it should be. Doctors are human and we make mistakes. We can get busy and distracted and we can be lazy and inattentive. Years of advanced training and education bring knowledge but they do not remove our innate tendency to mess things up. There have been many times when I was tempted to cut a corner or to tell myself I would address the problem "the next time." I have thus far been able to fight this tendency. This patient reminded me of why that is important.

- Bart

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The Church isn't Doing What it Should

She had not regularly attended church for a while. She still believed in God but she had been unable to find a church where she felt comfortable. She explained that she was particularly bothered by the fact that the Church wasn’t doing what it should, that it had lost its focus. When I asked her what it was the church should be focused on her answer was heartfelt. “They should be doing more for the poor!”

Her answer was heartfelt, but it was wrong. It revealed a lack of knowledge about the mission of the church and the teachings of the Bible. I wish I could say that she was alone in her erroneous thinking but she reflects a viewpoint commonly held by members of the millennial generation. Social justice has surpassed God Himself as the focus of worship. How did this happen?

Scripture teaches that Christians should be characterized by how they care for fellow Christians, not by how they care for those who are outside the faith. Jesus said it Himself, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (1) The prioritization of the needs of fellow believers is addressed by the Apostle Paul as well, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith" (2) It seems the clear message of these passages is overlooked. The focus instead appears to be on the misapplication of other verses, misapplication that supports the world's idea of what religion should be.

One of the greatest misapplications of scripture is of Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats found in Matthew 25.. In the story Jesus says that His followers will receive their eternal inheritance because “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."He then says that those who were not his followers did not do these things.

His followers are said to ask Jesus when it was that they did these things to Him. Jesus replied, “to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me(emphasis added). The term "brothers of mine" is important.  It means that the evidence of faith is in how people treat  those who follow Jesus, not how they treat those who don't. 

Similarly, when those being condemned for lack of faith (the goats in the parable) asked Jesus when it was that they failed to do deeds of kindness  to Jesus, He replied, “to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” The term "least of these" is important. "These" is a limiting word, it refers to a subgroup. In the parable, the subgroup that is separate from the unbelieving "goats" are the believing "sheep." Jesus is again making it clear that the evidence of faith is the treatment of His followers. Jesus' followers are His representatives on earth. When we are kind to them, we are kind to Him. 

The other commonly misquoted verse is from the letter of James, who wrote, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (3).” At first glance it seems that he is saying that the job of the church is to take care of widows and orphans. These are noble endeavors, but this is not James’ point. Just prior to this verse James attacked those who say they are religious but who are critical or foul in their speech, calling that type of religion “worthless”. He is making the point that true religion is not about words, but actions. The reference to widows and orphans is an illustration of that point.

James also railed in his letter against those who give honor and respect to those who are wealthy. He attacks the worldly practice of giving to those who can give back to you. By using "widows and orphans" as his example, he is making it clear that giving to those who can't give back is a truer expression of faith. He brings this home in the same sentence in which he mentions widows and orphans, saying that true religion also means "keeping oneself unstained by the world." (I find it interesting that no one ever quotes these words!)

Later in his letter James gives additional instructions that clarify his intent by writing, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” His use of the term “brother or sister” is a reminder that it is fellow believers we are to serve. Other passages, such as Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 5 provide additional support for this idea.

If scripture is so clear that our focus is to be on the needs of fellow believers, why is there such an emphasis on social justice? I believe that the current emphasis on deeds of social justice by the Church arises out of a need for people to feel good about themselves and a desire to perform external acts of kindness that are recognized by the outside world. Further, community service does not require spiritual transformation or personal purity. We can feed the poor and still be "stained by the world." It is much easier to spend a few hours a week in community service than it is to love your brother, sacrifice for your family and set aside sinful desires! 

Rather than being called primarily to community service true followers of Christ are called to be active participants in the community of faith. We are to be loving, serving, encouraging, challenging, and even rebuking one another as we strive to be better, kinder and purer people, people who more patient, more forgiving and more loving members of the family of God. The church can and should serve the community, but it is this that should be our primary focus.

- Bart

references-

1- John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another ESV       

2- Gal 6:10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. NASU

3- James 1:27
 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.  ESV