Jesus Laughed

This cartoon (to the left) appeared in a Facebook group called "Church Funnies Group." It's a group where Christians can come together and often make fun of ourselves. When I saw the cartoon, I laughed, and then I ruined it by reading the stuffy comments, from the self-appointed theologians in the group. "This isn't funny!" "This isn't Bibilical!"  

Yet this cartoon has become the theological hill upon which many in the group are willing to die on. Even my comment, in which I said "Jesus Christ, are there people really angry over this post?" A simple prayer, typed out, got me called a blasphemer, and told that I was using Jesus' name in vain. Next comment was "Is this really the theological hill upon which you are choosing to die today?" Oh, boy! Did that stir the pot! And the answer to that question is "Yes!" James Nethercott, asked "Who made you the judge of our Lord's sense of humor?" Because I merely asked if this was the hill they are choosing to die upon. My reply was "Have you seen the negativity? Oh, wait, you are contributing to the negativity. I sure hope that you are man enough to stand up to all the errors that the church endorses." 

A study published in Scientific American in 2013 states 

As a whole, the young men had stronger connections within cerebral hemispheres while the young women had stronger connections between hemispheres, the study, detailed today (Dec. 2) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found. However, the cerebellum, a part of the brain below the cerebrum that plays a role in coordinating muscle movement, showed the opposite pattern, with males having stronger connections between hemispheres. Roughly speaking, the back of the brain handles perception and the front of the brain handles action; the left hemisphere of the brain is the seat of logical thinking, while the right side of the brain begets intuitive thinking. The findings lend support to the view that males may excel at motor skills, while women may be better at integrating analysis and intuitive thinking.

So the cartoon, leads me to a question and two statements. 

First the statements, while the nativity of our Lord is important, this cartoon shows the fundamental differences between men and women. Let's face it, women typically bring gifts that are practical, a new mom doesn't feel like cooking, we bring food. A new mom doesn't have time to run out to the store to buy diapers if she hits the last one, and formula is expensive. Its a funny look at how differently we, women, think from men. 

My favorite comment that I saw over and over and over, said "Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh were brought to help Jesus' escape King Herod." First off, no they weren't. They were prophetic gifts who identified Jesus as "King of Kings, the High Priest, and ultimate sacrifice." (I will be writing more about this later.)

Now, for my question, did Jesus have a sense of humor? 

Did Jesus have a sense of humor? I believe that he did. I believe that just as Jesus wept (John 11:35), it would only make sense that Jesus would laugh when the occasion called for it. Jesus wasn't just God in flesh, He was also fully human. 

R.C. Sproul writes, The Bible does say that God laughs. In the Psalms it’s a derisive laugh. When the kings of the world set themselves against God and take counsel against God, it says that he who sits in the heavens shall laugh. God will hold them in derision. It’s sort of a “huh!” kind of laughter. It’s not a jovial response of happiness, but nevertheless it’s laughter.

In the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament—for example, in Ecclesiastes—we’re told that certain things are appropriate at certain times. There’s a time to plant, a time to reap, a time to build, a time to tear down; there’s a time to dance, a time to sing, a time to laugh, a time to cry. Since God has, in his seasons, appointed appropriate times for laughter, and Jesus always did what was appropriate, it would seem to me that when it was time to laugh, he laughed.

Donald Wayne Viney wrote in The Midwest Quarterly, "The teachings of Jesus Christ contained considerable humor in the forms of exaggeration, satire, sarcasm and irony. The divine aspects of Jesus are often stressed at the expense of his humanity, and theology has traditionally emphasized the incompatibility of laugher with deity. However, the Gospel writers often missed the subtle ways in which Jesus deflated the hypocrisy in the exaggerated religious practices he encountered."

One of my favorite sculptures is my Jim Carlos, and is kept at Clyde Central UMC in Clyde, NC. The sculpture is of Jesus laughing. Officially know as "The Joy of Jesus" the sculpture shows Jesus enjoying a hearty laugh. I imagine that Jesus was probably enjoying the moment when he told the disciples to let the children come to Him.  Why would God gift us with humor if He himself didn't exhibit humor? 

Martin Luther wrote, Christ is a God of joy. It is pleasing to the dear God whenever thou rejoices or laughest from the bottom of thy heart.

Viney, goes on to say "When one surveys the general testimony of the Gospels, it is difficult to understand how one could conclude that Jesus was not a man "complete with both tear ducts and funny bone" (Phipps, 104). How could one who was popular with children (Mt 19.13-14; Mk 10.13-16; Lk 18.15-17) and who encouraged his followers to become as little children (Mt 18.3) not be cheerful? How could one accused of indulging his palate not laugh (Mt 11.19; Lk 5.33; Lk 7.34)? How could one who told his followers that they were at a wedding party while they were in his presence not be jovial (Mt 9.15; Mk 2.19; Lk 5.34)? Is joy not a sign of wisdom, and is wisdom not vindicated by all of her children (Lk 7.35)? It only remains to provide more direct textual evidence."

In fact, one would have to study the languages of the Bible to really catch all the humor of the language used. D. S. Barrett has pointed to the oneupmanship humor manifest in Jewish literature of Jesus' time. Allan Gould regards the Hebrews' rebuke of Moses, "Are there no graves in Egypt, that you took us out here to die?" (Exodus 14:11) as history's oldest joke. Old Testament humor is explored in William Whedbee's The Bible and the Comic Vision. When Jesus instructs Peter on paying taxes (Matthew 17:27), he is speaking "in imaginative and humorous terms." All this places Jesus firmly in the long tradition of Jewish joking. (Barry Baldwin, the Presbyterian Record, V. 129, Issue 7).

For everything there is a season ... a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.-Ecclesiastes 3:1,4. When you are dancing, rejoicing, and enjoying yourself, what comes of that enjoyment? Laughter! That the Bible rejoices in humor might come as a surprise to many. Yet since humor can be the most powerful method of communicating serious information in an appealing, relaxing and respectful manner, we must surely expect to find humor in the Scriptures. In fact, as this article explains, it is there in abundance. It is at the heart of our salvation history. The Bible 'revels in a profound laughter, a divine and human laughter that is endemic to the whole narrative of creation, fall and salvation, and finally a laughter that results in a wondrous, all-encompassing comic vision'. We surely find divine humor in our attempts as humans to judge the actions of God according to our expectations and then to discover that our conclusions are dramatically wrong.

Scripture-inspired humor is desperately needed today. The world is threatened at all levels by the over-seriousness and intolerance of fundamentalists. Christian fundamentalists believe that they alone have the fullness of divine truth and that their task is to impose this on others. Humor cures any form of intolerance. It deflates pomposity and inflated egos. It is the beginning of humility. Pope Francis wisely comments: 'If one has no sense of humor, it's difficult to be happy ... For me a sense of humor ... is closest to grace ... born of the Holy Spirit'. 

One of the most humorous things that God did was call a Messiah to be born a leader, where the Government would sit on David's throne to be born in a stable. Think on that for a moment. The religious of the world were looking for a KING to be born in palaces. No one was looking for a king that was born in a stable. Rejecting worldly wisdom and signs, God chooses to save those who believe through the foolishness of the preaching of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:21). 

If you will, humor me for a moment. I am a history lover. I learn loads of things that I didn't know when I attend historical re-enactments/living history events. One of my favorite historians to watch is Lucy Worsley, from England. Ms. Worsley not only teaches history, but she dresses up as the wives of Henry VIII, or she dons Elizabethan dresses, she puts herself in the time period of which she teaches, and teaches from that world view. Humor is also a A Pedagogical Method, that Jesus Christ, the master teacher, uses humor often as a pedagogical method. Some incidents in the life of Jesus display a humorous quality to his teaching style. The wedding feast of Cana (John 2:1-11) contains several humorous scenes. It is ironical that the first miracle recorded in John's Gospel revealing Jesus' divine power is the changing of water into wine (v. 11).20 One might humanly have expected something more dramatic and directly concerned with the salvation of souls, yet divine humor is not confined by human hopes. Second, not only was the new wine of superior quality, but the amount of wine that the miracle produced was so abundant that the couple could have set up a wine shop with the surplus! Jesus is never described as laughing, but he uses many images as ways of teaching that would have been comical to himself and his listeners. For example, when he describes how difficult it is for rich people to enter the kingdom of God, he uses the image of a camel trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle (Mark 10:25). The poor would have chuckled over this.

In fact, even the movie "The Passion of the Christ" isn't without one humorous scene. Jesus, standing before Pilate remembers a long ago day when he was working as a carpenter and is building a table, being just like any other son, jokes with his mother when she tells him to take off a dirty apron, and to wash His hands. 

[We need] an unsolemn approach to an unsolemn God ... Our insistence upon being serious with God heavily limits our experience of the Godhead . -Wanda Nash

The holy book is filled with humor. It is the story of divine incongruity- God's pursuing and forgiving love of fickle humankind. God keeps relating to us in such humanly illogical ways that we describe this as divine humor. We expect God to be a distant creator, one who is revengeful because we are so wayward, but the opposite or contrary is the case (Isa 58:9). The Scriptures tell us that God is truly laughing at our human stupidities (Ps 2:4; 37:13). When we laugh at our own stupidities, therefore, we join in the laughter of God, but the laughter of God is a kindly, forgiving and compassionate laughter. And there are humorous incidents aplenty in the Scriptures.

Reluctance to accept the importance of humor in the Scriptures can be due to the failure to read them correctly. And despite the one humorous scene in Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of Christ. It was an immense media success, but still the film dismally failed to express the divine humor of the paschal mystery. It is a film of relentless physical suffering and violence, without the balancing emphasis of the liberating, nonviolent power of the resurrection. Because of this gloomy concentration on violence the film reinforces the incorrect view that joy is somehow foreign to our redemption. On this view, liturgies must be joyless to conform to the sadness of the crucifixion. To be truly holy we must look sad.  Yet at the heart of our redemption by Christ there is the resurrection. From a human perspective this is the mysteriously surprising expression of God's divine humor in which God is laughing at death: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory' (1 Cor 15:54). The resurrection gives us hope that violence is not the way to freedom and healing. For ourselves there will be a time when 'death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away' (Rev 21:4).

This article has lead me to the decision that I need to write two more articles, that will be published at a later date. One on the meanings behind the 3 gifts listed that the wise men brought and one on the issues that the church faces today! You will want to follow this blog so that you can read those when they are published. 

Where are you Christmas?

Tonight, Dec. 24, 2020, I sat watching Jim Carrey's The Grinch. Now if you know anything about the Grinch you know that he's a Who, that at some point early in his life was treated badly and that is why he's the Grinch. He doesn't believe that he is worthy of love, and that makes the Grinch terribly sad and makes it to where he doesn't believe anyone else should enjoy Christmas either. 

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the story, the Grinch is a mean-spirited Christmas hater who lives at the top of Mount Crumpit with his dog Max. Every year, however, his home gets flooded with trash from Whoville’s Christmas celebrations. This further adds to his hatred for the holiday. The story goes that the Grinch first moves to Mount Crumpit as a kid. After decades of receiving the town’s abandoned gifts and trash, he returns to Whoville for the Cheermeister celebration. Add to the story a young who that is questioning Christmas, 

Oh, hmm
Where are you Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play

My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too

Where are you Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I'm not the same one
See what the time's done
Is that why you have let me go

Needless to say the Grinch sweeps down and manages to steal all the presents from the families of Whoville, and in the next scene the Grinch thinks he's won; he's stolen all the Whos' presents and decorations—even their Christmas food! But here's the kicker: the Whos down in Whoville are having Christmas, presents or not.

Dr. Suess writes "He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. Maybe Christmas, he thought...doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps...means a little bit more!"  When the Grinch sees that, he has an epiphany. Maybe the holiday spirit really can conquer all.

So this year, I want to encourage you to think about the true meaning of Christmas. Not the gifts under the tree, but what Christmas truly means. 

 

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Christmas Prayer: O God, who makest us glad by the yearly remembrance of the birth of thy only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. 

 

Advent Week 2, Dec. 6: PEACE

It is the second Sunday of Advent and we are about to light the candle that stands for Peace. Again, I think that as Christians this year has not been as peaceful as it could be. For American Christians, this year has been particularly hard, with the election.

Recently, I posed the question, "What if Joe Biden is God's plan for America?" Let me tell you, the lack of peace was definitely shown by people "putting me in my place." Personally, I have peace of the election. Yet, I find it amazing the lack of peace that Christians exhibit even in light of Romans 8:28 which many profess to hold to tightly. 

Earlier this year, my pastoral candidacy came to an end. I was hurt, I was disappointed, I never wanted to go back to church. Yet over the past few months, I have started yet again seeking where God is wanting me to serve. And the peace that I lacked when I was hurt by my candidacy ending, has flooded back to me. Why? 

Because it's God-given peace. I am reminded of a story about Dante. Like many of us, he had attempted to live his life by his own rules and desires. He didn't have peace. In fact such a lack of peace drove him to the Franciscan Monastery at Lunigiana, and when the door was opened, he was asked "What do you want?" He replied, "Peace!"

Our Old Testament (Isaiah 40:1) reading this week starts out with

"Comfort, comfort My people," says your God.

The word for comfort, is נַחֲמ֥וּ (nachem) it means to be sorry, to pity, console. When you are doing these things, especially if you are sorry, and consoling someone you are in effect bringing them peace. Jesus Christ himself said John 14:27, 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The word here is Εἰρήνην (Eirēnēn) it means peace; by implication, prosperity.

You see 2020 has been a year that has been un-peaceful for many, it's been lacking in prosperity, due to job loss and other issues. But the world is looking for peace, comfort and prosperity as the world gives. Not as Christ gives. All of creation is an imperfect window onto divine reality. God shines through all things — some more, some less. His quest teaches Dante that his fundamental error was to make idols out of icons. That is, he believed that he could find perfect happiness in created things: first, the love of a woman, and then the pursuit of literary fame, political power, and so forth. In truth, Dante was searching for God in all the wrong places, expecting satisfaction from things that can never satisfy.

Not everyone has the same gifts, or the same responsibilities. Do not envy what others have, but accept with gladness the part God gave you to play in the grand drama of life. Love is more important than justice. God doesn’t want you to be just like everybody else; he wants you to be the person he made. Trust him, as does the nun Piccarda, who tells Dante, “In His will is our peace.” 

Whatever your frustrations, whatever is stealing your peace is of this world; it is certainly not of Christ. However, this being said, life will be okay, why? Because God already knows what is going to happen, nothing is a surprise to Him and in Him is our peace. 

Advent Sunday, Nov. 29: HOPE

Hope. What is hope? Is it merely wishful thinking or a kind of strong desire for a certain outcome to happen? Thankfully for the Christ follower, hope means so much more. Hope is not based on chance circumstances or a crossing of one’s fingers and hoping for the best. Rather, hope is a confident and certain expectation. Ours is a living hope given us through the resurrections of Jesus Christ from the dead, and a promised future inheritance that will not perish.

I think we can all admit that 2020 had been a mess of a year. We have lived through a pandemic, and still are. I have lost 4 friends and 2 family members, only one to the pandemic, that I know of. This really got me to thinking back over the year. Each funeral I attended, I heard about hope. I heard about how much people loved their Savior Jesus Christ, then tribute after tribute after tribute one thing became abundantly clear. Each of these people that are special to me had faith in Christ, and the moment they closed their eyes on this side of eternity, the hope they held in their hearts was fulfilled as they opened their eyes in Heaven with God. 

Charles Wesley wrote the Hymn Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (Hymn 244 in The Celebration Hymnal). The first verse reads: 

Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

This Advent hymn recalls Christ first coming, while hoping for His return. Just as the people of Israel, were living in darkness before Christ's first advent, yet the prophet Isaiah spoke of a hope. Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 

This year has been pretty dark. Even if you didn't lose people who were close to you, you likely know someone who did or was touched in someway by the pandemic. Yet, we have a hope, if we are in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 10:23 states Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Billy Graham put it this way, “For the believer there is hope...because Jesus Christ has opened the door to heaven for us by His death and resurrection.” 

Isaiah 9:6-7 goes on to prophesy the birth of Jesus. 

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 

It is upon this singular prophecy that our hope is placed, and recalled each time we hold on to hope. 1 Peter 1:3-7 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Yes, we may be experiencing trials, but we must rejoice and place our hope in Him, for we are promised a second advent of Christ. Where is your hope currently? Is it in your job? Is it in what you can see, what you can hold? is it in something tangible or is it in Christ Jesus? 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:12-13

Thankful

In the States we are celebrating Thanksgiving this week. And I am certainly thankful for all the blessings that God has given us. However, I have chosen not to write an article focusing on Thanksgiving...namely because it's too late and I didn't really have an article to write. 

But starting on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, I will be writing a weekly Advent devotion. I will also be challenging folks to 24 days of prayer. You can choose what prayer you want answered, there are no limits! 

Parler: As a Christian, I can't join

It started with one friend saying "Find me on Parler." I immediately started looking at what Parler was. According to wikipedia, Parler is a United States-based microblogging and social networking service launched in August 2018. Parler has a significant user base of Trump supporters, conservatives, and Saudi nationalists. Posts on the website often contain far-right content, antisemitism, and conspiracy theories. 

As I watched my friends, sign up for Parler, it seemed that those who were moving were moving for one reason, they don't want to be challenged by the left. They don't like being challenged by those who didn't vote for Mr. Trump. That is the only reasons they can be ignoring the fact that Parler's far-right content, antisemitism, and conspiracy theories. In fact, the only way I can explain what is going on is Exodus. 

In fact, I personally don't see how Christians can go over to Parler in good conscience. 

Antisemitism should stop Christians if nothing else does. No doubt there is plenty of overt anti-Semitism, whether in the blasphemous slur that all Jews in all places are responsible for the death of Christ, or in other forms of stereotypical assumptions on display in Christian communities about Jewish people. Anti-Semitic attitudes can be quite subtle too.

A common interpretative move in Christian circles is to extrapolate from the anti-Pharisaic passages in the New Testament to Judaism writ large. Many contemporary Christians see themselves as the spiritual ones, while imagining that “the Jews” are the Pharisees of the New Testament, unyielding in their legalism. The notion that all Jews are “legalistic” and obsessed with ritual instead of a living relationship with God is quite prevalent in Christian communities.  My experience has uniformly been that people who espouse these beliefs do so almost entirely without actual knowledge of contemporary Jewish belief and practice and have no deep friendships with Jewish persons. 

At its worst, these attitudes may contribute to persons becoming actively anti-Semitic. At the very least, such attitudes contribute to a culture of apathy and moral disconnection from our Jewish neighbors. Christians have a moral obligation to vocally condemn anti-Semitism through education and interfaith relationships. 

Christians are commanded to love God and love their neighbor. A Christian cannot in good conscience do either of these things and be racist and anti-Semitic. 

With respect to Christian attitudes towards Jews, it is important to know that Christianity was a Jewish religious movement. Jesus was Jewish and all his earliest followers were Jewish. The concerns, sacred texts, ethical assumptions, and theology of Christianity grew out of the context of Second Temple Judaism. 

Jesus’ most fundamental teachings arose out of engagement with the sacred texts of Judaism.  The spiritual and ethical core of Christian practice can be traced to Jesus’ response to the lawyer who asked him which was the greatest commandment of the Law in Matthew 22:35. Jesus responded with a pair of scriptural commands from the Hebrew Bible, the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:17-18. 

Loving God and loving neighbor were the greatest commandments, Jesus said. And these were of course entirely consonant with the teachings and practice of Judaism. So, to hate any person is a violation of the command to love God and neighbor. For all persons are made in the image of God and we cannot love our neighbor if we hate them and spread lies about them. 

So because of my beliefs, my love of the Jewish people I can't join Parler. If you are a Christian and you have made the jump for "Freedom of speech" remember you have freedom of speech, you can say what you want, you can share what you want, and believe it or not, you should be fact checking all this time. 

Kregel Book Review: 40 Questions about Angels, Demons and Spiritual Warfare

Recently with the election happening in the USA, and a personal experience I had during a protest, I immediately realized that what our nation is facing isn't a natural battle, it's quite honestly spiritual. I started reading everything I could on spiritual warfare, so when this book came up for review, I knew immediately, I wanted to read it.

C.S. Lewis reminds us that "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. The sort of script which is used in this book can be very easily obtained by anyone who has once learned the knack; but disposed or excitable people who might make a bad use of it shall not learn it from me."

Gilhooly, takes a topic that is often obsessed over and makes it relatable and easy to understand. Historically, it is understood by Christians that humans are made for relationship with God. Second, there are seemingly no rules relating to the supernatural. Finally, even though there are seemingly not rules to the supernatural, Satan and his demons as well as God and his Angels are real. Therefore, spiritual warfare must be real. While I didn't agree with the author on his definition of Spiritual Warfare, I definitely enjoyed the book and it challenged me, and gave me reasons to question what I believe about spiritual Warfare. 

Topics include: 

• Do believers have guardian angels?
• Can Christians be demon possessed?
• Are there territorial spirits?
• Why and when did the devil fall from heaven?
• What is the role of prayer in spiritual warfare?
• Are there such things as spiritual curses?

This book is concisely written, easily understood, yet tackles hard topics that even some trained theologians find themselves unable to explain. If I had to give the book a rating one to ten, I would rate it as an 11. 

**The Book 40 Questions about Angels, Demons and Spiritual Warfare was provided to me by Kregel Publishers for a honest review.**

Election Week and the Gift of Tongues

It is 9:50 pm on Friday of election week; we still do not have a president-elect. However, I am honestly tired of all the conspiracy theories that are flying around. I am tired of all the judgment that is being welded against Christians who merely say "This needs to stop."

Yesterday I posted on my Facebook timeline "I understand holding prayer vigils and such for the president, but do you all not think that God already knows what is going to happen? Is He not already on the other side of history? What if a Biden presidency is a part of His ultimate plan? Do not despair." I wrote this to encourage my Trump-supporting friends, family, and people of faith who think they have it all figured out. The democrats are lying, they are cheating, there is voter fraud, etc. And then as I was speaking with my mom, I realized that "Yeah, God does have this figured out. This is a part of his plan, he really is already on the other side of this and He already knows that is going to happen." After all doesn't Jeremiah 29:11 not assure us that God has a plan? “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In fact, when I posted this question, "And what if Biden is God's plan?" on several friends time lines it was well accepted that I was encouraging them, in fact, I had no issues with my question until a self-righteous cousin of mine posted her response "The HOLY GHOST will lead you into all truth." I am sorry, what truth do you have that I don't? She then posted "Once you receive the HOLY GHOST, with evidence of speaking in tongues, GOD will guide you into all TRUTH and you shall know that GOD put TRUMP in the white house in 2016 and He shall do it again, even this year, saith the Lord.

I have to laugh at this, not because I don't believe that God put Trump back in the office of president but the fact that my cousin thinks that I can't know God's truth without speaking in tongues. Pastor Raymond Goodlett says, "We see in 1 Corinthians 12:13 that baptism of the Holy Spirit is a common and initial experience of all Christians who are entering the body of Christ. However, we see later in chapter 12 that not all who have this experience speak in tongues."

Nowhere in scripture does it say that tongues are the only evidence of Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Goodlett goes on to say, "I don't want you to be ignorant of spiritual gifts and how these things work. There are lots of different gifts, lots of different workings, but it's all by the same Spirit." He goes through these different things, and he says one has faith by the same Spirit, another, tongues, by the same Spirit, another, healing, by the same Spirit. And his point is not to pick the gifts apart and say, "Which one do you have?" His point is all of these are the work of one in the same Spirit."

Luke Wayne of CARM says, "No, you don't have to speak in tongues if you receive the Holy Spirit. God gives different spiritual gifts to believers so that we will be able to bless and edify one another. " 

So from where does this teaching come? According to Stanley Frodsham's book entitled, "With Signs Following - The Latter Day Pentecostal Revival":

At 11:00 p.m. January 1, 1901, Agnes N.O. Ozman La Berge, who began attending Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas (Stone’s Folly or Mansion), requested that hands, most likely those of Charles Parham, be laid upon her so that she would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, while typically praying the benediction of Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." 

Frodsham’s book also states that Agnes Ozman-La Berge said: 

"It was common for me to pray the verses while praying, and it was as if hands were laid upon my head that the Holy Spirit fell upon me and I began to speak in tongues, glorifying God. I talked several languages, and it was clearly manifest when a new dialect was spoken. I had the added joy and glory my heart longed for, and a depth of the presence of the Lord within that I had never known before. It was as if rivers of living water were proceeding from my innermost being."

Later in her life, Agnes admitted that she had been wrong to believe that all people would speak in tongues when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. Writing in The Latter Rain Evangel of January 1909 she wrote, 

"Some time ago I tried but failed to have an article printed which I wrote calling attention to what I am sure God showed me was an error. The article maintained that tongues were not the only evidence of the Spirit’s Baptism. When that article was refused I was much tempted by Satan, but God again graciously showed me He had revealed it to me and satisfied my heart in praying that He might reveal this truth to others who would spread it abroad. For a while [sic] after the baptism I got into spiritual darkness, because I did as I see so many others are doing these days, rested and reveled in tongues and other demonstrations instead of resting alone in God."

R.C. Sproul, one of my favorite teachers, was involved in the Charismatic movement. He desired to speak in tongues and even pursued the gift, but he states, "The major obstacle I still faced was the question of whether what was happening in the contemporary charismatic movement was indeed a revival of the New Testament gifts. That is, was the modern outbreak of glossolalia the same thing that was practiced in the apostolic church?" Even though R.C. Sproul chose to practice tongues, he enjoyed being able to pray with understanding; but continue to research tongues. 

At this point, maybe you are a speaker of tongues. I am not saying all tongues are not a gift. It is the high view of tongues that is detrimental to the church. "This gift splits the church into two classes of Christians. Those who are baptized in the Spirit and those who are not. Those who were “spirit-filled” and those who were not. This dichotomy, I became convinced, not only was not taught in the New Testament but was contrary to what is taught there. I came to realize that the charismatic view of the Day of Pentecost represented a distortion of its Biblical significance. The charismatic view of Pentecost was a low one, not a high one." 

Do not despair dear brothers and sisters if you do not speak in tongues, my bible tells me there are many gifts of the spirit and each one is given by the same spirit; therefore are of equal proof of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:11 All the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit. He gives gifts to each person, just as he decides. The only other thing I know for certain, is that God's will, will be done in this election. He has a time, a place and a person for everything--including the end. And brothers and sisters, I tell you now, I know the ending, because I have read the book.

The Theological Declaration of Barmen, 1934

I don't typically write political articles. It goes against my nature to even write such stuff. However, that being said, I have spent some time this week, reviewing the Theological Declaration of Barmen. If you don't know, the Theological Declaration of Barmen was written by a group of church leaders in Germany to help Christians withstand the challenges of the Nazi party and of the so-called “German Christians,” a popular movement that saw no conflict between Christianity and the ideals of Hitler’s National Socialism. The Barmen Declaration (1934) was originally titled the "Theological Declaration Concerning the Present Situation of the German Evangelical Church." This present situation was that the Nazis had risen to power in Germany, and Nazi sympathizers known as the "German Christians" had infiltrated the German Evangelical Church (DEK) and inundated this confederation of churches with Nazi propaganda, and then seized control of this largest confederation of Protestant churches in Germany, and surrendered it to the control of Adolf Hitler—and no one protested it!

Today is election day in the US and as such, I believe it is time for the church in the United States to come up with a Theological Declaration, except that to write such a document in the US, churches would have to band together against wrong and Declare what is ultimately biblical. The church's need to be biblically sound has been drowned out by the unsoundness of its desire to be culturally relevant, by pastors who want to be speakers, not doers of the word. The church no longer wants to interpret the scriptures rightly, instead, the members want to be individually right. 

So today, I am publishing The Declaration of Barmen as found in the Book of Confessions (PCUSA). Each thesis starts with a scripture and then the reason for its rejection by the evangelical churches in Germany. 

THE THEOLOGICAL DECLARATION OF BARMEN1 I. An Appeal to the Evangelical Congregations and Christians in Germany 

8.01 The Confessional Synod of the German Evangelical Church met in Barmen, May 29–31, 1934. Here representatives from all the German Confessional Churches met with one accord in a confession of the one Lord of the one, holy, apostolic Church. In fidelity to their Confession of Faith, members of Lutheran, Reformed, and United Churches sought a common message for the need and temptation of the Church in our day. With gratitude to God, they are convinced that they have been given a common word to utter. It was not their intention to found a new church or to form a union. For nothing was farther from their minds than the abolition of the confessional status of our churches. Their intention was, rather, to withstand in faith and unanimity the destruction of the Confession of Faith, and thus of the Evangelical Church in Germany. In opposition to attempts to establish the unity of the German Evangelical Church by means of false doctrine, by the use of force and insincere practices, the Confessional Synod insists that the unity of the Evangelical Churches in Germany can come only from the Word of God in faith through the Holy Spirit. Thus alone is the Church renewed. 

8.02 Therefore the Confessional Synod calls upon the congregations to range themselves behind it in prayer, and steadfastly to gather around those pastors and teachers who are loyal to the Confessions. 

8.03 Be not deceived by loose talk, as if we meant to oppose the unity of the German nation! Do not listen to the seducers who pervert our intentions, as if we wanted to break up the unity of the German Evangelical Church or to forsake the Confessions of the Fathers! 

8.04 Try the spirits whether they are of God! Prove also the words of the Confessional Synod of the German Evangelical Church to see whether they agree with Holy Scripture and with the Confessions of the Fathers. If you find that we are speaking contrary to Scripture, then do not listen to us! But if you find that we are taking our stand upon Scripture, then let no fear or temptation keep you from treading with us the path of faith and obedience to the Word of God, in order that God’s people be of one mind upon earth and that we in faith experience what he himself has said: “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Therefore, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  

8.05 According to the opening words of its constitution of July 11, 1933, the German Evangelical Church is a federation of Confessional churches that grew out of the Reformation and that enjoy equal rights. The theological basis for the unification of these churches is laid down in Article 1 and Article 2(1) of the constitution of the German Evangelical Church that was recognized by the Reich Government on July 14, 1933: Article 1. The inviolable foundation of the German Evangelical Church is the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is attested for us in Holy Scripture and brought to light again in the Confessions of the Reformation. The full powers that the Church needs for its mission are hereby determined and limited. Article 2(1). The German Evangelical Church is divided into member Churches” (Landeskirchen). 

8.06 We, the representatives of Lutheran, Reformed, and United Churches, of free synods, church assemblies, and parish organizations united in the Confessional Synod of the German Evangelical Church, declare that we stand together on the ground of the German Evangelical Church as a federation of German Confessional churches. We are bound together by the confession of the one Lord of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. 

8.07 We publicly declare before all evangelical churches in Germany that what they hold in common in this Confession is grievously imperiled, and with it the unity of the German Evangelical Church. It is threatened by the teaching methods and actions of the ruling church party of the “German Christians” and of the church administration carried on by them. These have become more and more apparent during the first year of the existence of the German Evangelical Church. This threat consists in the fact that the theological basis, in which the German Evangelical Church is united, has been continually and systematically thwarted and rendered ineffective by alien principles, on the part of the leaders and spokesmen of the “German Christians” as well as on the part of the church administration. When these principles are held to be valid, then, according to all the Confessions in force among us, the church ceases to be the church and the German Evangelical Church, as a federation of Confessional churches, becomes intrinsically impossible. 

8.08 As members of Lutheran, Reformed, and United churches, we may and must speak with one voice in this matter today. Precisely because we want to be and to remain faithful to our various Confessions, we may not keep silent, since we believe that we have been given a common message to utter in a time of common need and temptation. We commend to God what this may mean for the interrelations of the Confessional churches.

8.09 In view of the errors of the “German Christians” of the present Reich Church government which are devastating the Church and are also thereby breaking up the unity of the German Evangelical Church, we confess the following evangelical truths: 

8.10 1. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. … I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” (John 10:1, 9.) 

8.11 Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death. 

8.12 We reject the false doctrine, as though the church could and would have to acknowledge as a source of its proclamation, apart from and besides this one Word of God, still other events and powers, figures and truths, as God’s revelation. 

8.13 2. “Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (I Cor. 1:30.) 

8.14 As Jesus Christ is God’s assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins, so in the same way and with the same seriousness is he also God’s mighty claim upon our whole life. Through him befalls us a joyful deliverance from the godless fetters of this world for a free, grateful service to his creatures. 

8.15 We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords—areas in which we would not need justification and sanctification through him. 

8.16 3. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body [is] joined and knit together.” (Eph. 4:15, 16.) 

8.17 The Christian Church is the congregation of the brethren in which Jesus Christ acts presently as the Lord in Word and Sacrament through the Holy Spirit. As the Church of pardoned sinners, it has to testify in the midst of a sinful world, with its faith as with its obedience, with its message as with its order, that it is solely his property, and that it lives and wants to live solely from his comfort and from his direction in the expectation of his appearance. 

8.18 We reject the false doctrine, as though the church were permitted to abandon the form of its message and order to its own pleasure or to changes in prevailing ideological and political convictions. 

8.19 4. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” (Matt. 20:25, 26.) 

8.20 The various offices in the church do not establish a dominion of some over the others; on the contrary, they are for the exercise of the ministry entrusted to and enjoined upon the whole congregation. 

8.21 We reject the false doctrine, as though the church, apart from this ministry, could and were permitted to give to itself, or allow to be given to it, special leaders vested with ruling powers. 

8.22 5. “Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (I Peter 2:17.) Scripture tells us that, in the as yet unredeemed world in which the Church also exists, the State has by divine appointment the task of providing for justice and peace. [It fulfills this task] by means of the threat and exercise of force, according to the measure of human judgment and human ability. The church acknowledges the benefit of this divine appointment in gratitude and reverence before him. It calls to mind the Kingdom of God, God’s commandment and righteousness, and thereby the responsibility both of rulers and of the ruled. It trusts and obeys the power of the Word by which God upholds all things. 

8.23 We reject the false doctrine, as though the State, over and beyond its special commission, should and could become the single and totalitarian order of human life, thus fulfilling the church’s vocation as well. 

8.24 We reject the false doctrine, as though the church, over and beyond its special commission, should and could appropriate the characteristics, the tasks, and the dignity of the State, thus itself becoming an organ of the State.

8.25 6. “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matt. 28:20.) “The word of God is not fettered.” (II Tim. 2:9.) 

8.26 The church’s commission, upon which its freedom is founded, consists in delivering the message of the free grace of God to all people in Christ’s stead, and therefore in the ministry of his own Word and work through sermon and Sacrament. 

8.27 We reject the false doctrine, as though the church in human arrogance could place the Word and work of the Lord in the service of any arbitrarily chosen desires, purposes, and plans. 

8.28 The Confessional Synod of the German Evangelical Church declares that it sees in the acknowledgment of these truths and in the rejection of these errors the indispensable theological basis of the German Evangelical Church as a federation of Confessional churches. It invites all who are able to accept its declaration to be mindful of these theological principles in their decisions in church politics. It entreats all whom it concerns to return to the unity of faith, love, and hope. 

The Barmen Declaration's focus on Christ specifically does not signify withdrawal from the world, society and culture. On the contrary, it opens up the whole of reality and all its areas in the light of Christ in order to set people free and strengthen them for the Christian life within that reality. The second thesis makes this clear: Jesus Christ … God's vigorous announcement of his claim on our whole life; we belong to Jesus and need justification and sanctification by him in all areas of our lives. “Through him befalls us a joyful deliverance from the godless fetters of this world for a free, grateful service to his creatures.”

The author of the previously linked article points out that in 1956, the then still united Evangelical Church in Germany had stated: The gospel places the state under God's gracious appointment which, as we know, stands regardless of how state power and its political form came about. The gospel sets us free in faith to say no to any claim to totality by a human power, to defend those who are disempowered or tempted by it, and to choose to suffer rather than to obey laws and ordinances that are contrary to the will of God.

From now until Christ comes, all kingdoms of the Earth are placed under God's gracious appointment, and that it is God's grace that will set us free.