Leaning Forward

The sin of biblical manipulation

Distorting Scripture to defend or establish a particular position is nothing new. In the New Testament period false teachers and un-spiritual men used twisted Bible interpretations to make their case and gain a footing with others. To the church at Corinth, Paul wrote in part to insure them that he would not "..distort the Word of God..." (2 Corinthians 4:2). Earlier he accused some of peddling the word of God (see 2 Corinthians 2:17), meaning they had sold the truth for a point of view that benefited only them.

This same kind of trickery is played out every day in America, a sleight of hand that preys on our spiritual immaturity and leads some well-intentioned people into groups and sects and cults on the edge of believability. Mountain snake handlers lifted their serpents under a strict interpretation of Mark 16: 17-18, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all---". Just the same, extreme translations of Isaiah 53:5 promising healing as a outcome of Christ's wounds, and many other verses, are the Scriptural foundations of the so-called health-wealth gospel. 

Closer to home, many variant doctrinal statements are based on denominational translations of Scripture that support a particular orthodoxy. Assemble a group of theologians and they'll be able to base their personal leaning on proof-texts, some of them not so far fetched. So line them up---baptismal regeneration, or not; believers baptism by immersion, or not; speaking in tongues as evidence of a second blessing, or not; the passing away of charismatic gifts, or not; taking the Lord's Supper weekly, or not; musical instruments in worship, or not; social drinking, or not; and just about any other doctrinal tenet you'd like to build on a biblical foundation. 

Be careful here. Much of the spiritual debate we're engaged in these days is interpretational in nature. Some still argue the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, even after the major skirmishes over the Bible have been concluded. Now, we're trying to biblically justify the beginning and end of the Great Commission, some kind of biblcal support for our funding allocations, ways to define the lengths and breadth of Kingdom assignments, where the mission field actually begins, and the ways our structure fits into the Kingdom picture. Most of us have our biblical justifications close at hand. We can defend just about any position if we want to manipulate Scripture. I remember how we all used to laugh when evangelist Junior Hill would preach that he was over-weight because the Bible said that we should "buffet" our body.

Ramp it up notch! Most of our positioning isn't based on accurate interpretation anyway. Usually we make our stand on personal preferences. Ouch! But, true. Backing up values, beliefs, crew, or lifestyle choices with Scripture is just a cheap way to justify ourselves, make us feel better about what we're doing, or maybe, not doing. Knowing that just about any doctrinal tenet can be supported by twisting Scripture one way or another is just child's play with the Word. It's a spiritual and pseudo-holy way of saying, "he made me do it". Let's just blame our poor choices on God or His Word.

These are serious times. If our stance on Scripture means anything, we'd best use prayerful discernment when selecting Scripture as the foundation of our mission and ministry preferences. Else, we'll be making "Enter His courts with praise..." a basketball slogan.

What?

 

The button works both ways

The world of high-speed connections is a world of high-speed disconnections too. So, the lap top, the smart phone, the TV, iPod, and all of the other devices of our connected world have an off button that will sever the connections at a touch. It's the nature of things in the information age. The icon at left signals a high-speed connection. Good. Hook up fast. But, the same button or plug or key can also disconnect fast too. Sadly, the button works both ways.

Relationships too, can dissolve as quickly as they are formed. Whether casual or serious, personal or business, spiritual or secular, long term or short, humans can walk off a job or away from a marriage as quickly as they were entered in the first place. You can click into a program and just as quickly click out. Or a school, contract, job, church, civic club, mortgage, vow, membership, association, TV channel, or play-list.

Today we're talking about the discpline of attachment, staying connected. Thsi will be the second in the LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY series. The text will be John 15:1-5. This passage is central to understanding the relatonship that must exist if we are to learn the joys of fruitful living and praying. This relationship is held together by the word "remain"---the word that pictures a branch remaining attached to the vine. It's the connection thing in a first century image. And, it is a tenuous connection because us humans can disconnect as quickly as we connect.

It's the nature of our high-speed, free wheeling world, the ADHD lack of focus that keeps us plugging and unplugging from commitments and things of value. Just count the number of times Jesus used the word translated "remain" in John 15. The emphasis is on maintaining the connection, the repetition of the idea of staying connected.

Like, Jesus knew we would love the disconnect button. Reckon?

The ground school of the friendly skies

The ground school of the friendly skies provided a few good educational tips for me this week. There were three primary classrooms---airports in Charleston, Charlotte, and Nashville---plus the EMB 175 aircraft that ferried a few of us on the short legs of this relatively brief trip.

So, what did I learn?

#1. I'm an amateur traveler. That was obvious right from the start. The pros, that is, the ones who travel week-in and week-out, know the ropes. Not only do they know each other, they know where to stand, are familiar with the airport personnel, and are on a first name basis with the fight crew. They're a club and I'm an outsider.  I.e., they've got the belt and pocket and shoes and lap-top and brief case thing down to a science while my pants are drooping, socks are flapping, and this end of the building is tied up in my computer cords. They're gabbing at Gate B2, their tickets and picture ID handy in a pocket, while I'm double checking mine fourteen times to make sure I don't get on the flight to Albuquerque by mistake. I'm trying to blend in, look a little nonchalant, appear at home, and they're just hanging out, telling travel stories. Amateur week for me.

#2. Your baggage doesn't make it to baggage claim faster if you watch all the luggage come up the conveyer-belt from the runway. When we landed at final locations, everyone headed to baggage claim. The pros chilled-out away from the machinery, continuing their travel lies and fish stories. Us amateurs raced to the conveyor-belt, and got as close to the main entrance from the tarmac loading area in hopes of speeding up the process. You know, if you look down the conveyor-belt, that makes your suitcases arrive faster. One of the pros looked at me and shook his head. He knew I was an amateur.

#3. You should always eat before you go to the airport. They don't serve food on most of these puddle-jumpers. On a short trip, like Charleston to Charlotte, they don't even provide beverages. I know. I tried to get a gin and tonic on my 5:30 a.m. flight to Charlotte and was refused. Just kidding!!! But, no coffee even. So, that means airport food. That spells e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e. So, got a bottle of water and a pack of roasted almonds---$5.50. Fughedaboudit. Me and Dr. Atkins all the way. Except where there was *Bucks. Then, money is no object.

#4. 500 lb. people should purchase two seats. Now, as a former really fat person and a recently reduced pleasantly plump even now, I've extended a good bit of grace to my larger traveling companions and have opposed charging them for two seats. This time, however, I got to sit from Charlotte to Nashville beside a very nice man about the sign of a grand piano. It was crowded. Not only did the two of us have a hard time fitting in the confined space, but it frightened me. It made me think the plane was heavier. Maybe we wouldn't be able to get air-borne. I don't know.

#5. Airplane noises scare me to kingdom come. You know, jet aircraft, though aero-dynamic and technologically advanced, still make some strange noises. The wheels raising and lowering, then locking, usually happening when the jet is still trying to breaks the bonds of gravity, are a little dis-concerting. Not to mention the door-bells all through the flight, or the obese guy in the next seat grunting as we thrust down the runway.  In all the pre-flight instructions from the flight attendants and pilot, maybe they ought to warn us about the noises that are going to scare the daylights out of us amateurs. I mean...

And, let's not mention the flight attendants...

The laughter and the tears

Without rehearsing or posting the full Wikipedia explanation, drama is comedy and tragedy. The ancient Greeks fully defined this art form using scripts to be acted on stage. Full drama, from the Greek word meaning "to do" or "act", included both aspects, laughter and the tears. The ones wearing masks during production were actually "hypocritas', our word "hypocrites". This does not mean that laughter or tears, comedy or tragedy, are in themselves "hypocritical". Wearing a mask is what is disingenuous.  

You know about the pendulum, so our take on the comedy-tragedy dichotomy runs hot and cold, a measure of the culture. Some miscreants laugh at the tragedy, and others weep at the comedy, you know, the twisted values of whacked out times. 

Then, there are the edges---the drama queens (not a gender specific reference, by the way) on the one hand, who over-play every scene, and the de-caf types, whose pulse you have to check every once in a while, under-playing everything. Histrionics magnifies the laughter and the tears, while stoicism puts a lid on them. So, here's a world struggling with expression, how to truthfully live the various comedies and tragedies, you know, the authenticity thing.

Un-believers who are critical of the Christian community often base their cynicism on our inability to honestly reflect life's realities. Apparently they think us unrealistic against both backdrops. Truthfully, we tend to minimize tragedies by covering them with shallow bromides and a grin-and-bear-it fatalism that shoves devastation under the covers. At the same time, people of faith are sometimes fearful of the joyful and celebrative elements of life, afraid to share a good laugh when the comic occurs, applying  long-faced cosmetics over some of the hilarity of life with other people.

Comedy and tragedy are prominent Scriptural themes. We're suposed to be cheerful, in Greek that would be "hilaros", or hilarious, givers. Most lifely Jesus had a glint in his eyes when he laced truth with funny word pictures, like a camel going through the eye of a needle, the joke of absurdity to make a point. on my own screen I see him frolicking with children, playing word games with the disciples, celebrating a wedding feast, confronting the religious people. 

Just as surely, we grieve. Jesus wept. Yes, our grieving has a hopeful edge on it. But, tragedy and hardship and trals and persecution strike us deeply. Read through 2 Corinthians 4 and walk through the ways that the tragic scenes of life fall on us, the outcomes of reality, life under the sun. To deny tragedy is to turn away from the hand that see's us through, the one who guides our path. It is to ignore the anchor of hope that keeps us grounded when horror stalks us.

God's Word gives guidance for authenticity when the laughter or the tears come. Solomon reminds us that, "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4). Paul, the church planter, missionary, and author wrote, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15), a template for being real when comedy and tragedy grip us. In personal tragedy we should remember the often repeated promise of God, "Fear not, I am with you...", and the Psalmists pledge that weeping lasts for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Laughter and tears are real. So is faith. Integrating faith into the laughter and tears is the deal. 

The view from the closet

The world isn't flat. But, to lay it out so provides a panoramic view that just looking at the globe will not provide. We have a tendency to think of the globe as an Ameri-centric sphere. So, when we're considering our vast world there's always a hidden part, the continents and countries on the other side, the part we can't see. You know, as the world turns, to borrow a phrase. That's because most of us live in a metaphorical closet, the small confines of our little piece of the world. So, when we think about global populations, global economies, global politics, global cultures, and even global warming, we're usually thinking the view from our closet, the place where we live. 

Two things about this power up my operating system, both of them truisms. One, many of us have the idea that everybody else sees the world the way we do, like it appears from our closet. We admit there are regional distinctions, dialects, food specialties, maybe even a few socio-economic particulars. But, by and large our lens is the one defined by our own closet. It is the family of man thing, the human element that links diverse people. There are similarities among homo sapiens.

Alas, number two, everything is not like the view from my closet. Now, occasionally, I venture outside my closet to explore the hallways of another culture and take in the views from across the street. Still, day in and day out I find my way back to the south, sand between the toes, a little gullah in the air, my safe little protective closet. This was clear to me this week while I was in Nashville for meetings with other state convention presidents and and others in SBC leadership. Here I met up close colleagues from Alaska, Minnesota/Wisconsin, the Pacific northwest, New York/New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and several of the not-so-southern Southern Baptist states. In vivid color I understood why I prefer the globe or a South Carolina map. They help me forget the rest of the world or nation that lives outside the rich and larger influence of our churches and mission work. Spreading the map like the one pictured above confronts me with a powerful truth: much of our mission effort and money is expended in our closet.

This is a central conflict in contemporary Christianity, a disconnect between the demands of the Gospel and the ecclesiastical ego-centrism that isolates the resources for mission and service to our own closets. For generations, the opulence of the church and the affluenza that infects our mission has been a major discussion point in the market-place of ideas. Liberation theology and the social gospel sought to close the gaps with a brand of impoverished truth that left everyone undernourished. At the same time, even some of the more effective mission organizations, like our own, allocated more and more of the funding and human resources to the closet areas, the USA globe and deep south maps.

Mission today must exceed the view from the closet. Or, the commission of Jesus can just be clipped from our Bibles. I spoke with a man on the flight to Nashville, an engineer. He said he didn't attend church though he considered himself a believer. Really now? Why do you not attend church. His answer. I quote, "All the church talks about is mission and they don't appear to have one more than taking care of themselves."

Even non-church people understand the mission as larger than the closet. I wonder if we can get it too?

The mirror or the window

It's a stylish piece of decorating flair, the mirror built to look like a window. It introduces a little feng sui, balance in decorator speak, to that drab corner of the hallway or room. Taken together, that is, mirror or window, they also move us beyond HGTV tips and comprise a profound metaphor of pop culture leadership styles. Jim Collins, author of Built to Last and Good to Great introduced the mirror/window image as a basic contrast of twenty-first century organizational dynamics. Companies, large and small, corporate giants, non-profits, mom and pop stores, churches, and individuals can dedicate their resources to looking at themselves in the mirror, or, instead,  looking out the window. This is the basic decision that separates effective organizations from those on the slide. Whoaaa! This is a central mission focus for those of us entrusted with a Kingdom mandate from Lord Jesus. Mirror or window! What will it be!

My well-read friend Curt Bradford reminded me of this comparison the other day. Though I had read the books earlier and the two images were familiar, they had slipped into one of those inner trash bins where a lot of information is stored but over-laid with newer data. This discussion brought them out of hibernation and made them fresh and new, applicable to some of the things we're dealing with right now in our churches and denomination, maybe in our individual lives as well. 

Application of this illustration is obvious. Much of our current lethargy may be the outcome of spending too much time looking in the mirror and not enough out the window. Surely you know biblical faith turns believers to a window perspective about life. In fact, obsession with the mirror opposes genuine faith. When Jesus changes us he shifts our focus from self-absorbed adoration of me, myself and I, to the window of thinking more of others than self. An ethical eye surgery cures the myopia of ego-centrism and broadens the vision beyond what is right or wrong with me, my compulsion for the mirror.  

Congregations, even denominations, can suffer this fixation too. Look around and make note of the churches that are disconnected from their local communities because they've locked their screen on the cosmetics of looking good, preening for their own approval, posing for the best possible angle. Why take in the ugly and real and harsh and increasingly lost landscape out the window when you can cast an admiring gaze at the love of your life, yourself. Mirror indeed!

The mirror is about sight, and the window is about faith. A reflection in the mirror is ultimately about us while the perspective from the window is about them, the world He sends us into, and Him, who loves the world more than we can know. The mirror is all that we detest in human nature---envy, jealously, veneers, appearances, self-centeredness, conceit, pride, arrogance, lust, and desire. In the window we see others, culture, life, reality, and the moral compulsions that drive us out there---compassion, love, caring, service, ministry, prayer, witness, redemption, and commission. You know, commission, as in the Great Commission. It's a window thing.

As we debate and argue and strategize about what we're doing, I'm just committing to more time at the window and less time at the mirror. 

I'm looking too old and fat to stand at the mirror long. Scripture promises the age wrinkles and aches that attend having this treasure is these jars of clay. Outwardly we are wasting away. In faith, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. So, we don't fix out eyes on what is see, but on what is unseen. Because what is seen temporary, and what is unseen is eternal. It's the glorious promise of the window for me.

She will be called Laura

I'm a little fuzzy on the details so, allow some grace if everything isn't just so. Scott, Liz, and John Lewis Carpenter told us yesterday that "what's her name" Carpenter will actually be named Laura Elizabeth. This blesses my heart.

Long ago, in a galaxy far away, the Holmes clan lived in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Liz and Brian did their early school years at Westview Elementary. Liz's best friend was beautiful Laura Evanoff. Her dad was in the Air Force then and these two little girls were attached at the hip, young soul mates.

In 1986 God moved us to Hampton Heights Baptist Church in Greenville and our two girls were separated by 225 miles. Not long after that the Air Force dispatched Lt. Col. (I think) Evanoff to Belgium for a tour of duty. As we were settling in Greenville, making the necessary adjustments, we heard from Larry and Susan Evanoff that Laura had cancer. Not too long after, they called to inform us of Laura's death. Liz and Harriet traveled to Charleston to attend the memorial and burial services of our daughters friend.

From that day forward till now a picture of Laura Evanoff was always in Liz's room. In all of her life she will never forget her dear friend. When we moved to North Charleston eight years ago we were able to reconnect with the Evanoffs. Larry is a senior member of the staff at Northwood Assembly Church. Their younger daughter Carley moved into the condo right next door to us. Small world? I think not. A God thing, no doubt, the ties that bind. It was a joy to renew this fellowship with them.They and their sweet child Laura were always etched into our hearts.

Of course, Harriet's mother was Elizabeth Thomas. She was a school teacher and single mom, a hero to me. She raised and educated Harriet and gave me the privilege of marrying her daughter. She died of pancreatic cancer in 1974, just little more than a year after our marriage. She was an amazing woman, and is the namesake of our Elizabeth. Add this. Scott's paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Owen Carpenter. She brings the name Elizabeth from another family angle, a profound influence on Scott's life. The name continues. So, special.

So, this beautiful miracle now being knit in our daughter's womb, this Carpenter child that will bless her big brother, parents, extended family, and us, will carry the legacy of these three dear females who have touched our lives so indelibly. Her name will be Laura Elizabeth Carpenter. I can only say "wow"! We have never, nor would ever, forget these choice people. Now, though, their infuence in our lives will be even more real as we follow this baby through life. Every time I think of her, or see her, or hold her, I will think of them. On each occasion, the word of the Apostle Paul will echo in my heart---"I thank my God every time I remember you" (Philippians 1:3).

A cloud of witnesses, four of them in particular, are smiling. Elizabeth Owen Carpenter, John Carpenter, Elizabeth Thomas, and Laura Evanoff.  Laura Elizabeth Carpenter is coming!

Rejoice and be glad!

Outside the village of Capernaum

Capernaum was a lovely village on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. It was the center of Jesus' ministry in the Galilee region of Israel. Today it is just an archaeological dig, a ruin. It has been seriously excavated by New Testament scholars and many sites dating to the time of Jesus and the disciples have been identified. One of the dwellings is marked as the home of Simon Peter. The synagogue at Capernaum is a place where Jesus would have taught. When pilgrims go to Capernaum there is a strong probability that they are actually walking where Jesus walked.

On each visit to Capernaum I have been drawn to the quiet, pastoral locals on the surrounding area. Like the picture, the gardens around the village are beautiful when in bloom. The grassed areas going down to the Sea of Galilee are a nice backdrop to what I would have imagined for the Sermon on the Mount. Looking over this beautiful slice of our Lord's ministry base I've wondered where he would have gone for his daily devotional time, his time away from the crowds and busy village market, his time with the Father. At Capernaum, Mark mentioned Jesus' time. He wrote---

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35).

At each visit I've asked to Jewish guides where that might have been. The Israelites were meticulous record keepers and I've hoped that one of them may have recorded the spot where he communed with God. Of course, they usually reply that no one actually knows the place. Then, they add that it is most likely a good thing that it isn't marked. People would have stolen all of the grass or trees or rocks or plants so they could have a piece of Jesus' devotional place. They would have taken relics of the spot in hopes of making some kind of supernatural connection with him. So, maybe it is best.

Perhaps the real connection is when we emulate the master and let him instruct us in this kind of prayer life, when we truly follow his example and sneak off to a lonely place, long before sun-up, away from the pace of life, for moments of communion with our Father. How we wish there could be some miraculous transference of sanctity or holiness to kneel at that same spot and know that we are right where Jesus had been. Yet, can we not find this same connection by simply doing what he did, an act of simple obedience?

This verse, depicting a moment on the hillside in the areas around Capernaum, keeps flashing across my personal screen as I struggle daily with the discipline, grace, and joys of a vibrant, meaningful personal communion with Christ. It is the constant reminder that this holy moment can occur 2,000+ years later, and thousands of miles separated from that place. The connection with Christ is real iN more than a geograhical sense. It is the communion that comes when we are obedient.

Jesus still teaches me about prayer every day. This verse still guides a pattern that works for me. The reason? The time, the place? No, the obedience and discipline of being alone with him.

Lord, teach me to pray!

No longer infants

Babies are a miracle! They're precious and lovable, and bring much joy to our lives. Then, of course, they grow up. It is the order God wired into the universe, the mysteries of human development, the processes that define growth. Even advanced medical technology can't fully explain the dynamics that move these little ones past the womb and through the various stages of life. Makes me always say "WOW"! It occurs naturally, though there is really noting natural about it. Growth is actually supernatural, the working of God in His creation. Still, if it does not happen, it is a dysfunction. We're all supposed to mature and grow and eventually assume adult status, though, this can be delayed in some people.

There is spiritual infancy too. Jesus spoke about the life of faith in terms of being "born again". All through the Bible the new creation motif dominates the norms of belief. We are taught that God has engineered a process of spiritual maturity as well. In this regard, we are learners. Jesus was and is our teacher. The Holy Spirit teaches us all things. Fully functioning disciples of Christ learn the disciplines of Christ. Prayerfully, with Christ as our guide, we reach the place of being no longer infants.The Apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Ephesus, said it like this---

...we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:13-16

Infants must learn to speak too In the same way, we must learn to pray. The disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray..." (Luke 11:1). It is a step in the process of Christian maturity. Today we begin a series of messages about prayer. Let's learn together.

And, grow spiritually together too.

Here she is, what's her name Carpenter

OK, can you say "WOW"? Here is the latest ultra-sound of our newest, the beautiful little girl growing in our daughter Elizabeth Carpenter. So, yes, let's mention SIL Scott too as he did have something to do with it. The thing is, this is a miracle that takes my breath away! Not just the incredible way God has knit her in Liz's womb, but that technology enables us to know her gender at this early stage, and that we have the joy of seeing that pretty face as well. It is grace after grace, blessing after blessing, one miracle on top of another.

Two things. I cannot comprehend how someone could kill one of these precious ones. And, how is it remotely possible for anyone not to see the hand of God in the mystery of procreation. Everything about this screams supernatural to me! Detractors will describe this miracle in mostly natural terms. To many, this is just another of the steps in the random processes of human progression, something that even the animal kingdom can accomplish. Yet, the sanctity of human life traces more to the biblical reference that Adam knew his wife Eve and they brought forth a son. So much of God's plan is captured in the simple phrase "Adam knew his wife Eve", or the wording that modern translations choose to depict the miracle.

To look at this ultra-sound tracing gives further the thrill that our blood is in that child, and that her generation will accomplish God's plan to populate the earth and continue the species. To stand in the line that includes the Carpenter and Stonestreet lines, the Holmes and Thomas forbears, just to mention four branches of the family tree, is to stand astounded at such an audacious plan, and to thank Go for using people like us to fulfill His glorious program.

So, I keep saying "WOW". It's about all I can say---

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139: 13-16