Ever have a hard time buying a gift for that special someone who has everything? Once they have the iPod, there's nothing left to get them! For some different ideas on what it means to live generously, check out the link to the right
www.livinggenerously.com
Peace,
M@
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Thursday, January 19, 2006
bullet points...
Here are just a few things that I think:
- I think Heidi is having a great time working outside of the house. She was out for a short-shift again today.
- I think I enjoy my time with my kids. I love those little critters...
- I think I stink at picking winners in sports. And I think it stinks that the Pats are out of the post-season. That's football, Mom!
- I think it's been a pretty incredible year since we moved to IL. Tough. But a great year!
- I think...never mind...I really don't.
Good night.
M@
- I think Heidi is having a great time working outside of the house. She was out for a short-shift again today.
- I think I enjoy my time with my kids. I love those little critters...
- I think I stink at picking winners in sports. And I think it stinks that the Pats are out of the post-season. That's football, Mom!
- I think it's been a pretty incredible year since we moved to IL. Tough. But a great year!
- I think...never mind...I really don't.
Good night.
M@
Saturday, January 14, 2006
I was wrong...
...my whole understanding of end times theology is incorrect. The end is near. The signs are becoming more and more clear. What turned this corner for me? It wasn't air-tight argumentation from my dispensational friends...
the Pats lost...the end is near...
M@
the Pats lost...the end is near...
M@
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
my struggle with dispensationalism
Warning: it's a long one. If you don't care about theological reflections, then go ahead and skip to the next blog on your list. If you might be interested and have a couple minutes on your hand, then knock yourself out. If you don't know what dispensationalism is and care to read further, check out this post on wikipedia...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispensationalism. It's unbiased and paints a pretty good picture of this end-times theology. I'm going to reflect a little more from a personal perspective. The beginning of this thread stems from Pat Robertson's comments about Sharon.
Why I'm uncomfortable with dispensational theology:
1) It's relatively new. I think that the Spirit gives insight into God's revelation through Christ and scripture, but I tend to shy away from theological trends that stem from someone getting a special revelation, which is the case here. There is a strong link between John Darby (the "father of modern dispensational theology) and a 15 year old girl named Margaret McDonald, who in 1830 claimed to have a special gift of prophecy and vision of the end times while in special trances. Darby, himself, claimed to have a special revelation of these things as the foundation of his teaching. It's one thing to gain insight into the teachings of scripture; it's a whole different ballgame when one claims to have had visions that supercede scripture. I struggle with that...
2) It's very western-centric in nature. Part of dispensational teaching has to do with a literal 7 years of hell on earth called the great tribulation. Dispensationalisms teaches that the Church will be removed before that time comes. We, in the West, don't do well with pain and suffering. So we like the theology that says we don't have to do it. It works well in conjunction with "health and weath" teaching which says that God's will is always that we are healthy and wealthy. It's a little bit too "Polyanna" for me. What about the people in Africa who are undergoing incredible tribulation for their faith...do they get rescued before it gets bad? How do you tell a woman who watches her children be murdered before she is raped and killed that God will rescue her before she goes through the tribulation? To try and identify a future time in history that is going to get really, really bad in a uniquely western approach to biblical interpretation and has more to do with our personal context than biblical context.
3) I think it plays fast and loose with biblical context. In some places it chooses to be literal. In other places it chooses to be figurative. And in most of those cases, there is little biblical context to support the decision to interpret the passage that way. There are different ways to read differnt genres of biblical literature. But biblical context is king when determining how to go about doing that. Dispensational theology requires that one sets aside basic biblical hermenteutics in order to skew scripture to fit. In a broad sense, it requires using passages of scripture in ways that the authors never intended. For example, Revelation was not written by John to be a code-book of secret future events. It was written to caution "sleeping" churches and to encourage those Christ-followers who were being impaled by beams and used as torches to light Nero's garden at night. The big message of the book is to say, no matter how bad it gets (and it will get bad) Jesus will be victorious. Jesus came into the world the first time as a humble baby. He will return as a victorious king. Hold out hope for salvation.
4) It's like a secret code. The gnostics were a group of people in the first century that believed they had secret information about spirituality. That secret information was rejected by early church fathers within the first couple centuries of church history. Whenever someone claims to have secret or special knowledge about future events, they are immediadely discredited by Jesus himself, who said that no one (not even the Son) knows the details of the end of time. The Bible affirms that there will be an end, but doesn't intend to give details of that end. Anyone who claims to know who the Great Bear and Whore really are...just don't. Most of that teaching is on the same level as the DaVinci Code...it's fiction and makes for sensational stories.
5) My absolute biggest problem with dispensational theology is that it relegates Jesus Christ to "best supporting actor" on the stage of history. Disp. theology teaches that God's ultimate plan for human redemption lies in the physical state of Israel. Disp. theology teaches that Jesus' death and subsequent formation of the Church through the empowering of the Holy Spirit is a "divine paranthesis"...a big oops or Plan B. God's real intent is to save the world through Israel. Frank, in his response to my post on Pat Robertson (see previous post and comments) writes, " Israel IS and always will be the focal point of the Bible. EVERYTHING especially today in this day focuses around Israel!" Sorry, Frank...that is as unbiblical as you can get. Jesus Christ always has been and always will be at the center of God's redemptive plan in human history. The entire Old Testamen points toward him and his work of salvation. And the entire New Testament points toward Christ at work in his followers until the end of time. The central figure in all of biblical history is Jesus Christ.
To buy into dispensation theology, one must believe that God "saves" people in two ways -- through Jesus and through the sacrificial system of Israel. Many dispensational teachers get all lathered up when they begin talking about the priestly garments that are beings crafted and the special animals that are being bred in anticipation of a return to the sacrificial system in Israel. There is a belief by most that salvation can be gained through obedience to the Law, as given to Moses. But the New Testament could not be more clear that reliance on the Law and animal sacrifice for salvation is an abomination to Jesus Christ. Jesus was the only sacrifce that actually does away with out sin. Jesus was the great high priest, according to the NT book of Hebrews...he did his job and then sat down at the right hand of God -- this signifies that his salvific work is completed...done...no more needed.
For the most part, I can accept that there are very learned people who acribe to dispensational theology. One of my "beefs" with this camp is that they tend to discount anyone else's interpretation as valid. I don't want to do that here. However strong my resrvations and my beliefs that dispensational theology, as a whole, undermines the grace and love of Christ, I want to communicate my thoughts in a way that opens the door to conversation as opposed to shutting it down. My writings here are merely a reflection of my thoughts. My understandings have morphed over the years -- I was securly in the dispensational camp at one time on my faith journey. But since that time I have studied and been challenged by brilliant teachers who have helped me formulate a different understanding of God's redemptive plan, biblical interpretation, and the future. I'll reflect on those more in posts to come.
Peace,
M@
Why I'm uncomfortable with dispensational theology:
1) It's relatively new. I think that the Spirit gives insight into God's revelation through Christ and scripture, but I tend to shy away from theological trends that stem from someone getting a special revelation, which is the case here. There is a strong link between John Darby (the "father of modern dispensational theology) and a 15 year old girl named Margaret McDonald, who in 1830 claimed to have a special gift of prophecy and vision of the end times while in special trances. Darby, himself, claimed to have a special revelation of these things as the foundation of his teaching. It's one thing to gain insight into the teachings of scripture; it's a whole different ballgame when one claims to have had visions that supercede scripture. I struggle with that...
2) It's very western-centric in nature. Part of dispensational teaching has to do with a literal 7 years of hell on earth called the great tribulation. Dispensationalisms teaches that the Church will be removed before that time comes. We, in the West, don't do well with pain and suffering. So we like the theology that says we don't have to do it. It works well in conjunction with "health and weath" teaching which says that God's will is always that we are healthy and wealthy. It's a little bit too "Polyanna" for me. What about the people in Africa who are undergoing incredible tribulation for their faith...do they get rescued before it gets bad? How do you tell a woman who watches her children be murdered before she is raped and killed that God will rescue her before she goes through the tribulation? To try and identify a future time in history that is going to get really, really bad in a uniquely western approach to biblical interpretation and has more to do with our personal context than biblical context.
3) I think it plays fast and loose with biblical context. In some places it chooses to be literal. In other places it chooses to be figurative. And in most of those cases, there is little biblical context to support the decision to interpret the passage that way. There are different ways to read differnt genres of biblical literature. But biblical context is king when determining how to go about doing that. Dispensational theology requires that one sets aside basic biblical hermenteutics in order to skew scripture to fit. In a broad sense, it requires using passages of scripture in ways that the authors never intended. For example, Revelation was not written by John to be a code-book of secret future events. It was written to caution "sleeping" churches and to encourage those Christ-followers who were being impaled by beams and used as torches to light Nero's garden at night. The big message of the book is to say, no matter how bad it gets (and it will get bad) Jesus will be victorious. Jesus came into the world the first time as a humble baby. He will return as a victorious king. Hold out hope for salvation.
4) It's like a secret code. The gnostics were a group of people in the first century that believed they had secret information about spirituality. That secret information was rejected by early church fathers within the first couple centuries of church history. Whenever someone claims to have secret or special knowledge about future events, they are immediadely discredited by Jesus himself, who said that no one (not even the Son) knows the details of the end of time. The Bible affirms that there will be an end, but doesn't intend to give details of that end. Anyone who claims to know who the Great Bear and Whore really are...just don't. Most of that teaching is on the same level as the DaVinci Code...it's fiction and makes for sensational stories.
5) My absolute biggest problem with dispensational theology is that it relegates Jesus Christ to "best supporting actor" on the stage of history. Disp. theology teaches that God's ultimate plan for human redemption lies in the physical state of Israel. Disp. theology teaches that Jesus' death and subsequent formation of the Church through the empowering of the Holy Spirit is a "divine paranthesis"...a big oops or Plan B. God's real intent is to save the world through Israel. Frank, in his response to my post on Pat Robertson (see previous post and comments) writes, " Israel IS and always will be the focal point of the Bible. EVERYTHING especially today in this day focuses around Israel!" Sorry, Frank...that is as unbiblical as you can get. Jesus Christ always has been and always will be at the center of God's redemptive plan in human history. The entire Old Testamen points toward him and his work of salvation. And the entire New Testament points toward Christ at work in his followers until the end of time. The central figure in all of biblical history is Jesus Christ.
To buy into dispensation theology, one must believe that God "saves" people in two ways -- through Jesus and through the sacrificial system of Israel. Many dispensational teachers get all lathered up when they begin talking about the priestly garments that are beings crafted and the special animals that are being bred in anticipation of a return to the sacrificial system in Israel. There is a belief by most that salvation can be gained through obedience to the Law, as given to Moses. But the New Testament could not be more clear that reliance on the Law and animal sacrifice for salvation is an abomination to Jesus Christ. Jesus was the only sacrifce that actually does away with out sin. Jesus was the great high priest, according to the NT book of Hebrews...he did his job and then sat down at the right hand of God -- this signifies that his salvific work is completed...done...no more needed.
For the most part, I can accept that there are very learned people who acribe to dispensational theology. One of my "beefs" with this camp is that they tend to discount anyone else's interpretation as valid. I don't want to do that here. However strong my resrvations and my beliefs that dispensational theology, as a whole, undermines the grace and love of Christ, I want to communicate my thoughts in a way that opens the door to conversation as opposed to shutting it down. My writings here are merely a reflection of my thoughts. My understandings have morphed over the years -- I was securly in the dispensational camp at one time on my faith journey. But since that time I have studied and been challenged by brilliant teachers who have helped me formulate a different understanding of God's redemptive plan, biblical interpretation, and the future. I'll reflect on those more in posts to come.
Peace,
M@
Friday, January 06, 2006
Shut up, Pat...
I'd like to respond to Pat Robertson's comments in a few ways...
1) I'm all about the First Amendment. The guy has a right to say whatever he wants to say in any forum he chooses. He happens to have a national forum because of his historical involvement in politics and a tv show that is underwritten from his personal investments and forutes (which means that he can stay on tv even if no one is watching or sending in money). But what I'm frustrated by is that he allows himself to be labeled an evengelical leader. Again, he can say what he wants. He can label himself how he wants (or allow others to label him without correction). But I guess the bottom line is that he doesn't speak for me...for what that's worth. And I wish he would shut up on these things...
2) His comments beg the question about the modern role of Israel in God's work in this world. Robertson comes from a theological bent that claims Israel continues to have a significant, if not central, role in God's work. But I'm not so sure that the Bible is quite that clear.
From an historical perspective, the theological bent, called "dispensationalism", which holds to the centrality of Israel, has only been around for a relatively short time. This theology, which is also the cental thought-process in the Left Behind books series, came about at the Niagra Bible Conference in the mid to late 1800s. It's gotten a lot of traction since then, but it's not like it's been embedded in Christian theology for thousands of years. This isn't to say that we can gain new understandings of scripture...so this point alone doesn't disqualify it as a valid interpretation of scripture...it's just important to realize that this theological bent is not a "given" when it comes to interpretation.
From a biblical perspective, I think a case can be made that though Israel's role in the world was fulfilled when Christ came. Disclaimer: I'm still fleshing this out in my own mind, so these thoughts are dynamic, not concrete.
Israel was chosen by God for the purpose of revealing God to the world. The idea is that He would be their God and they would be His people. He would rule that nation like kings ruled others. The world would know God because of the way Israel lived out their covenant with Him.
When it came to obedience to the Law and the spirit of grace that God desired to express to the world through Israel, they fell short as a nation. But they were supposed to. You see, people are not equipped with the inner motivation or ability to live holy and graceful lives. They weren't. We aren't. They fell short.
God's ultimate design was that He would be perfectly revealed through Israel. And he was. But not through the people, but through the One who came from Israel...Jesus. When one sees Jesus, he sees the Father (according to the Bible). Jesus was a Jew and came from the nation of Israel. Therefore, God's greatest revelation of himself was through the nation of Israel.
After Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascention, something significant happened. There was a biblical shift away from the land/nation of Israel toward the "spiritual" Israel. Paul explains in Romans that those who believe are the new Israel. In other words, God is no longer showing himself to the world through a state, but through a world-wide community of Christ-followers. We are his people. He is our God. And because His Spirit dwells within us in grace, power, and love, we are equipped with all we need to reveal God to the world around us.
Therefore, I do not believe that the physical nation of Israel plays a central role in God's plan for the world. I think that the Bible uses the end-times imagery of that nation to speak of the spiritual realities which we have yet to experience. the Bible gives us a hook on which was can hang out hat, so to speak.
If God is to be personified, then I think He has a special place in his heart for Israel because they were a part of his redemptive plan.
This is already longer than I intended, so I'm going to stop there, for now. I'll probably revisit this in the future and continue to flesh it out.
Back to Pat...not only does he misrepresent evangelical Christians, but I think he also misrepresents God. That's my opinion. And I'm thankful for the First Amendment which makes it okay for me to say it!
Peace,
M@
1) I'm all about the First Amendment. The guy has a right to say whatever he wants to say in any forum he chooses. He happens to have a national forum because of his historical involvement in politics and a tv show that is underwritten from his personal investments and forutes (which means that he can stay on tv even if no one is watching or sending in money). But what I'm frustrated by is that he allows himself to be labeled an evengelical leader. Again, he can say what he wants. He can label himself how he wants (or allow others to label him without correction). But I guess the bottom line is that he doesn't speak for me...for what that's worth. And I wish he would shut up on these things...
2) His comments beg the question about the modern role of Israel in God's work in this world. Robertson comes from a theological bent that claims Israel continues to have a significant, if not central, role in God's work. But I'm not so sure that the Bible is quite that clear.
From an historical perspective, the theological bent, called "dispensationalism", which holds to the centrality of Israel, has only been around for a relatively short time. This theology, which is also the cental thought-process in the Left Behind books series, came about at the Niagra Bible Conference in the mid to late 1800s. It's gotten a lot of traction since then, but it's not like it's been embedded in Christian theology for thousands of years. This isn't to say that we can gain new understandings of scripture...so this point alone doesn't disqualify it as a valid interpretation of scripture...it's just important to realize that this theological bent is not a "given" when it comes to interpretation.
From a biblical perspective, I think a case can be made that though Israel's role in the world was fulfilled when Christ came. Disclaimer: I'm still fleshing this out in my own mind, so these thoughts are dynamic, not concrete.
Israel was chosen by God for the purpose of revealing God to the world. The idea is that He would be their God and they would be His people. He would rule that nation like kings ruled others. The world would know God because of the way Israel lived out their covenant with Him.
When it came to obedience to the Law and the spirit of grace that God desired to express to the world through Israel, they fell short as a nation. But they were supposed to. You see, people are not equipped with the inner motivation or ability to live holy and graceful lives. They weren't. We aren't. They fell short.
God's ultimate design was that He would be perfectly revealed through Israel. And he was. But not through the people, but through the One who came from Israel...Jesus. When one sees Jesus, he sees the Father (according to the Bible). Jesus was a Jew and came from the nation of Israel. Therefore, God's greatest revelation of himself was through the nation of Israel.
After Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascention, something significant happened. There was a biblical shift away from the land/nation of Israel toward the "spiritual" Israel. Paul explains in Romans that those who believe are the new Israel. In other words, God is no longer showing himself to the world through a state, but through a world-wide community of Christ-followers. We are his people. He is our God. And because His Spirit dwells within us in grace, power, and love, we are equipped with all we need to reveal God to the world around us.
Therefore, I do not believe that the physical nation of Israel plays a central role in God's plan for the world. I think that the Bible uses the end-times imagery of that nation to speak of the spiritual realities which we have yet to experience. the Bible gives us a hook on which was can hang out hat, so to speak.
If God is to be personified, then I think He has a special place in his heart for Israel because they were a part of his redemptive plan.
This is already longer than I intended, so I'm going to stop there, for now. I'll probably revisit this in the future and continue to flesh it out.
Back to Pat...not only does he misrepresent evangelical Christians, but I think he also misrepresents God. That's my opinion. And I'm thankful for the First Amendment which makes it okay for me to say it!
Peace,
M@
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Hello, '06...
Just a spattering of ideas and updates...
- '06 came in like a flood. Libby announced it's arrival with a mighty heave. Yup, the flu came for a visit last weekend. As Heidi fell into bed after cleaning up, I whispered, "Happy New Year..." It seemed funny at the time. Poor kid, Lib's feeling much better now.
- Couple days later, the trend continued with Heidi waking up with a sprint to the bathroom. I have to be honest, I paniced...and was about to call the doctor for a refund (if you don't get that, then don't worry...). As you know, Heidi announced her pregnancies by running to the bathroom. No worries...just the flu...this time. I think I'll always get a little twitch when I hear that sound. Again, she's back up and at it.
- That left me to man the kids that day. Not too bad. Lib was feeling better...at least until we went for a ride in the van. Two blocks from home, she cried and let loose again. What fun!
- The next night, I was about to head to bed and heard that familiar sound coming from Izak's room. Oh, yeah...here he goes. He chucked about every 20 minutes from midnight to 5am. I was on duty and seemed to manage it pretty well. I don't do well with vomit...but had to. He seems to be doing better.
- That leave Levi and me. He's breastfeeding, so is supposed to have special baby powers that keep him healthy. And I...I must just have super daddy powers or something. I feel well...a little tired, but keeping my food, thank you.
- Was rooting for USC. I like Pete Carrol, as a guy and enjoy watching him coach students. He coached the Pats when we lived there and didn't do so well. What a game...and to think...I went to bed...
- Carrie P. Musielak is coming for a visit tomorrow. She's one of our closest Buffalo friends. It will be good to see her and for Heidi to get some special time with her.
- Just got back from the Apple Store where I bought a case for my iPod. I've had to return a few things from online shopping and just got sick of it, so I drove about a half hour to see what I was buying. It worked and I got what I needed. Now I have to return the 8 cases that came in the mail today. Yup...8. Only ordered 1. Only paid for 1. But I got 8. Probably could have kept them or sold them on ebay for a couple hundred bucks. But I called and they know now. I don't have time to sell them. And if I'm going to sell my integrity, it'll be for a bunch more than 8 iPod cases. Not quite sure what the selling price would be...I'd like to think that I don't have one. Integrity is a funny thing. You can stick to it so hard that it actually becomes an idol in itself. To live with integrity in all facets of life without selling out to integrity...hmmm...
Peace,
M@
- '06 came in like a flood. Libby announced it's arrival with a mighty heave. Yup, the flu came for a visit last weekend. As Heidi fell into bed after cleaning up, I whispered, "Happy New Year..." It seemed funny at the time. Poor kid, Lib's feeling much better now.
- Couple days later, the trend continued with Heidi waking up with a sprint to the bathroom. I have to be honest, I paniced...and was about to call the doctor for a refund (if you don't get that, then don't worry...). As you know, Heidi announced her pregnancies by running to the bathroom. No worries...just the flu...this time. I think I'll always get a little twitch when I hear that sound. Again, she's back up and at it.
- That left me to man the kids that day. Not too bad. Lib was feeling better...at least until we went for a ride in the van. Two blocks from home, she cried and let loose again. What fun!
- The next night, I was about to head to bed and heard that familiar sound coming from Izak's room. Oh, yeah...here he goes. He chucked about every 20 minutes from midnight to 5am. I was on duty and seemed to manage it pretty well. I don't do well with vomit...but had to. He seems to be doing better.
- That leave Levi and me. He's breastfeeding, so is supposed to have special baby powers that keep him healthy. And I...I must just have super daddy powers or something. I feel well...a little tired, but keeping my food, thank you.
- Was rooting for USC. I like Pete Carrol, as a guy and enjoy watching him coach students. He coached the Pats when we lived there and didn't do so well. What a game...and to think...I went to bed...
- Carrie P. Musielak is coming for a visit tomorrow. She's one of our closest Buffalo friends. It will be good to see her and for Heidi to get some special time with her.
- Just got back from the Apple Store where I bought a case for my iPod. I've had to return a few things from online shopping and just got sick of it, so I drove about a half hour to see what I was buying. It worked and I got what I needed. Now I have to return the 8 cases that came in the mail today. Yup...8. Only ordered 1. Only paid for 1. But I got 8. Probably could have kept them or sold them on ebay for a couple hundred bucks. But I called and they know now. I don't have time to sell them. And if I'm going to sell my integrity, it'll be for a bunch more than 8 iPod cases. Not quite sure what the selling price would be...I'd like to think that I don't have one. Integrity is a funny thing. You can stick to it so hard that it actually becomes an idol in itself. To live with integrity in all facets of life without selling out to integrity...hmmm...
Peace,
M@
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