Book Review: "The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me To Faith" by Peter Hitchens

I enjoy a read that surprises me by taking me in a direction I hadn’t intended on going.  When I purchased “The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me To Faith” by Peter Hitchens, I was expecting to learn more about the nuances of effective apologetics and evangelism in the context of the postmodern fallout of the cultural revolution of the 60’s and 70’s.  Instead, I got more insight into the personal dynamics of apologetics, evangelism, conversion, and the integration of a prodigal back into a church community. 

The first nine chapters of “The Rage Against God” are the memoir of Hitchens’ faith journey from “anti-theist” teen coming of age in England during the late 60’s to adult convert yearning for the lost beauty of the Church’s past.  In chapter 1 “The Generation Who Were Too Clever to Believe” Hitchens begins with a colorful description of his attempt to tangibly reject God by burning his Bible on his school ball-field as a 15 year old during the spring of 67.  This incident sets off Hitchens' description of his youthful and young adult rage against British Christianity and the Anglican Church.  In the memoir section of the book, you get a vision of a young Hitchens who was not so much pressed into a raging anti-theistic world-view by his folks or teachers; instead, we get a vision of a young man who had lost confidence in the confluence of British civil religion and the Anglican Church (more so the cooption of the Anglican church by the civil cult of Briton’s patriotic dead and Winston Churchill).   Hitchens describes being raised in a seemingly benign passively agnostic military home, which in part led him to put his sense of pride and wellbeing in England.  His schooling wasn’t a purely secular education based on humanist revisionism; his education actually included a fair amount of Bible training and theological studies.  Ultimately, In the midst of the cultural revolution of the late 60’s, Hitchens rejected an imitation-Christianity that was used to support and justify British culture cart blanche.  What he seems to have found unbelievable was a form of pseudo-Christianity that exulted the mass loss of life in WWI and WWII as some sort of redemptive sacrifice and piety par excellence, which confused the good and valuable service of soldiers with the uniquely redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Instead of lifting up Christ, the Anglican Church had begun to utilize the Christian faith to glorify the British Empire. 

The turning point in Hitchens’ life came in three parts.  The first was Hitchens’ stark firsthand experience of a purely secular humanist society of the Soviet Union and the barbaric dictator driven breakdown of Somalia.  The man-centered evil of these two failed states led Hitchens to believe that humanity cannot be the ultimate determination of truth, and, thus, arbiter of culture and society.  Second, Hitchens was struck with a fear of final judgment while viewing Rogier van der Weyden’s “Last Judgment”.  While looking at the painting, he noticed that the many figures being led off to eternal punishment looked like him and his contemporaries (real average every day people who could have been seen on the streets of any modern city).  Hitchens writes:

“I had a sudden, strong sense of religion being a thing of the present day, not imprisoned under thick layers of time.  A large catalogue of misdeeds, ranging from the embarrassing to the appalling, replayed themselves rapidly in my head.  I had absolutely no doubt that I was among the damned . . . I have felt proper fear, not very often but enough to know that it is an important gift that helps us to think clearly at moments of danger” (pg. 103).

Third, Hitchens’ faith was further enlivened through the rite of swearing solemn oaths in his wedding ceremony, and in the service of baptism of his daughter and wife.  He writes, “The swearing of great oaths concentrates the mind” (pg. 106)

Chapter 7 “Rediscovering Faith” was the most fruitful part of the read for me, especially the concluding section of the chapter entitled “The Prodigal Son Returns Too Late”.  Here Hitchens laments the goodness and beauty he had missed in his years as a vociferous critic of the Church.  He recognizes that the Anglican Church has become tepid and overly contextualized to the culture as a result of an inability to engage or cope with the strong critiques flowing out of the cultural revolution of the 60’s and 70’s.  In part, he holds the Church responsible, but, in a heartbreaking passage, Hitchens takes responsibility for his part in the rage against the Church which pummeled the Church into its current weakened state:

“I quickly found that I was going to have to pay immediately (as well as in other, slower ways) for my long rebellion. The church that I remembered had been a dignified body of sonorous prayers, cool and ancient music, and poetic services and ceremonies that would have been recognizable to the first Queen Elizabeth and to William Shakespeare.  During the years I had been away – and not only away but actively hostile – the Bishops had felt the waves of hatred – from people like me – beating against their ancient walls.  And they had responded by truing to make their activities more accessible to the worldly. . . The church’s solution to this unpopularity was to abandon the requirement [of confession and penitence in the liturgy], replacing it with vague, half-hearted mumblings or – more often – with nothing at all.” (pgs. 106—107, 108)

Here one gets a portrait of a man who once mocked a mime of the Church; but, now, after coming home to the Church, he deeply craves the savory meat of the full counsel of God proclaimed in the whole of the worshiping community.  As a wayward prodigal, he wasn’t rejecting the stylings of the Church; he was rejecting errors, half-truths, misunderstandings, and sins that had grown in the church.  The primary lesson pastors and church leaders like me can learn from this part of Hitchens testimony is that our faithfulness in presenting the Gospel is much more important than our attention to the details of contextualized style.  There is a suitable time and a place for pastors to consider issues of the contextualization of ministry style, but, these considerations are to be subject to and secondary to our faithfulness to a full orbed proclamation of the Gospel.  Every pastor, elder, deacon, and lay leader in the church faces this pressure on an ongoing basis: we hear from many who bemoan their inability to relate to the antiquated concept of religion; however, those prodigals who come home to the church do so with a strong craving for meaty, deep, intellectually honest Gospel content that is deeply rooted in the grand history of the Church (note the growing number of prodigals who are finding a church home in the mysticism of the Emergent Church or the ancient trappings of the Eastern Church).  What are we to do?  We are to be faithful to the Gospel first followed by the historical roots of the Church, and, then – being secondary to and subject to Gospel faithfulness – we address issues of contextualizing ministry style. 

The concluding six chapters deal with three apologetic questions specifically geared toward the current rise in a peculiar raging anti-theism (virulent atheism) seen in the sales of books like “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” by Christopher Hitchens (Peter Hitchens brother), “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins, and “Letter to a Christian Nation” by Sam Harris.  I found Peter Hitchens' apologetics to be sound because he turned the words of notable anti-religious secular humanists on themselves.  The only criticism I have of his apologetics is one of approach.  Apologetically he relies heavily upon the via negativa or negationis approach; he spends most of his effort arguing against those who champion a totally secular humanist society such as communist Russia.  As a side criticism, I don’t run into too many virulent anti-theists looking forward to the establishment of a purely secular humanist communist/socialist society.  More often than not, I run into neo-pagans who embrace religion on "their own terms", or blasé agnostics who don’t see religion as relevant or practical for daily living.  I’m glad that I have read Hitchens’ apologetic against the new-atheists; and, I’m sure what I have read will come in handy sooner or later; but, I find a need to deal with other more pressing apologetic issues at this time.  Obviously, Peter Hitchens finds himself in a much different context being the brother of Christopher Hitchens, who is one of the most notorious proponents of a religion-free totally secular humanist Trotsky-like communist/socialist society.   

My final critique of the book is that it seems to come to an unduly pessimistic conclusion about the future of Christianity.  It is as if Hitchens’ new found faith in God is so oriented toward present realities that it lacks an eschatology of hope (or any eschatological perspective).  Christ is King past, present, and eternal future.  

I am so glad I read this book.  I got a glimpse into the personal side of apologetics, evangelism, conversion, and the integration of a prodigal back into a church community.  This book taught me so much about pastoral ministry, pastoral care, discipleship, ministry integrity, the power of words in liturgy, and value of beauty and honor in worship.  I will be a different pastor because of this book (esp. ch. 7).  Oh, and I got some useful apologetic tools to boot. 

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Sunday Afternoon Reflections: Psalm 120 & Gratitude Driven Worship

Needs (felt or real) drive desire.  Desperate need really drives desire. 

From mid 2001 into mid 2003 I worked as a diaconal pastor in a poorer urban residential church.  A large part of my work went into planning, developing, and coordinating a mobile food pantry.  The mobile food pantry was of a converted soda-pop truck that would come to us from Second Harvest Gleaners.  We would open the roll-up doors and the sides of the soda-pop trailer, and each slot became a grocery bin filled with cast-off produce and past-date food goods.  Those who needed the groceries would gather for a devotional, grab a box and, form a single file line, and then file around the trailer filling their box with much needed food.  Rain, snow, sleet, or sweltering heat, nearly a hundred people would gather on Saturday afternoons for food.  Even though we scheduled the mobile food pantry for a two hours, most times, we could distribute 10,000 lbs of food in about a half an hour (after 45 minutes all the eatable food was gone).  While I was working as a pastor for this church, an agnostic acquaintance heard about the mobile food pantry and commented to me at a social gathering:

“What you’re doing is some radically important stuff man.  I mean, I couldn’t do what you’re doing – I’m impressed.  You know some people just need religion and church and all that kind of stuff.  If it weren’t for guys like you and churches like yours people who need that kind of thing wouldn’t have a place to go to get their needs met.  Some people just need you and the whole Christian thing.  I’m glad there are some people who can make use of religion and all that.” 

Implied in his comments (as flattering as they were intended to be) was the belief that he didn’t really need God, the Christian faith, or the church.  This acquaintance had a great job, a lot of money, a nice house, great health, a well off family, some cool friends, etc.  He didn’t seem to have any real needs that he didn’t think that couldn’t make up for on his own or with the slight help of his family and friends.  In his mind, God, Jesus, Christianity, and church are for those other people in life who need something extra to help them to get buy in life.  How about you?  Do you desperately need God or is God just an added bonus in life?

In Psalm 120 we will see that everyone is in dire need of God and his deliverance, and a realization of this dire need for God begins our approach to worship.  As we saw in the previous blog posting, the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120—134) were sung as prayers in anticipation or preparation for worship.  Upon first reading, Psalm 120 may not seem like a sung prayer that would particularly prepare someone for worship.  But, upon closer reading, we will see that this Psalm sets off our preparation for worship by highlighting our need for God who is the center of our worship.  Let’s take a closer look at Psalm 120.

“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.” (v. 1)

To begin with, a simple observation, in the Psalmist distress he calls upon the LORD.  As simple as this observation may be, all too often, when we are distressed, we call upon anything or anyone but God.  When we find ourselves emotionally distressed, we quickly call upon our family and friends for deliverance.  When we find ourselves financially distressed, we rapidly call upon any stream of income we can find.  When we feel distressed over our self worth, we call upon our education, career, or our social circle.  When we find ourselves socio-politically distressed, we call upon the government or a political party for deliverance.  If we find ourselves distressed, we will find someone or something to call upon.  And, it is not that family, friends, finances, education, career, or government are not to help us in times of need.  It is important that our primary plea it so God, and that any assistance, aid, or help we receive in times of need is seen as coming from God’s hand (James 1:17).  In your distress, do you call out to God first and foremost? 

So, what sort of distress is it that has prompted the Psalmist to call out to the LORD?

“Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. . . Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!  Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.  I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!” (vv. 2, 5—7)

In a culture that tries to convince school children that “sticks and stone may break bones but words can never hurt,” the issue in this Psalm may leave you wondering, “What kind of hyper-sensitive basket-case would get distressed over lies and slander?”  Well, we all know that words do effect us, and speech has consequences.  In fact, a basic observation of history shows us that lies and deceit have almost always predicated actual violence.  Lies can lead to murder; propaganda fuels world wars; and deception has promulgated genocide.  According to Jesus, even seemingly innocuous mocking speech is murderous (Matt 5:22).  And, in Psalm 120 we see the explicit connection between deception and war.  We could re-work the tired old clichéd children’s rhyme into something like, “Words can do exceptional harm, and all too often they lead to bones that are broken by sticks and stones.”

Now, just in case we are tempted to see this as a personal problem of an isolated individual who can’t handle himself in this cruel world, Psalm 120 makes it clear that this is a problem of everyone who believes in God.  The reference to Meshech and Kedar provides us with an image of the Jews’ position in the heart of the ancient near-eastern world.  Meshech and Kedar are two geographically separate people.  The people of Meshech lived on the south side of the Black Sea, well north of Judea (Ezekiel 27:13).  The people of Kedar were descendants of Ishmael who lived nomadically in the Arabian Desert to the south of Judea (Genesis 25:13).  Instead of describing an actual situation in which the Psalmist was in a camp together with the people from Meshech and Kedar, this reference is most likely intended to be inclusive of gentiles as a whole.  And, most vividly, this is not a picture of an individual who has found himself in trouble; this is a picture of the Jewish people as a whole surrounded by people who slanderously intend them harm.  Psalm 120 is about so much more than a particular individual who happens to be slandered for his belief; Psalm 120 is about the predicament that all of God’s people find themselves as aliens and sojourners in this world.

So, how does the Psalmist anticipate the LORD to deliver him from the lying lips and deceitful tongues of those around him?

“What shall be given to you [liars and deceivers], and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?  A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!” (vv. 3—4)

The Psalmist’s expectations are simple and straightforward, he expects those with deceitful tongues to be utterly destroyed.  The arrows anticipate death and the burning coals of the broom tree anticipate an all consuming fire.  Utter destruction. 

Well now, before we come to the conclusion that Psalm 120 is about how God helps us poor decent folk with those amorphous other people who are deceitful and violent, we need to read Psalm 120 in light of Romans 3 and Isaiah 6. 

Romans 3 stuns us by bluntly saying:

“None is righteous, no, not one; . . . Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongue to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes . . . for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10b, 13—18, 23)

Romans 3 makes it very clear that we are the ones with lying lips and deceitful tongues in Psalm 120.  We are the people of Meshech and Kedar who call for war as opposed to the one who is for peace.  When we read Psalm 120, if we are honest about ourselves, we should cry out along with Isaiah, “Woe is me!  For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). 

Ouch, how does this Psalm provide any hope or comfort?  There is no hope or comfort in Psalm 120 apart from Christ, for that matter, there is no hope or comfort in any of the Psalms apart from Christ.  Now then, here is the hope in Psalm 120.  Ultimately, this Psalm is a prophecy of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the ultimate sojourner who left the throne room of heaven to pitch his tent and dwell among us (John 1:14).  Despite the honor of having the Son of God living in our midst, we didn’t receive him (John 1:11).  We were God’s enemies.  And:

“While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, not that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Chris, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:10—11)

The one who was the ultimate victim of lies and deceit was Jesus Christ who was executed on a Roman cross after of being falsely charged in a fixed trial.  On top of that, Jesus was abandoned by his disciples, and one of his closest disciples even lied about knowing Jesus in front of Jesus’ face.  The person of truth in Psalm 120 is Jesus Christ who is “the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6).  The person of peace in Psalm 120 is Jesus Christ who is the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6—7).  The one who finds deliverance from lying lips and deceitful tongues in Psalm 120 is Christ Jesus; and the only hope we have in Psalm 120 is that our lives are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3; Ephesians 2:1—10). 

So, what does this have to do with anticipation and preparation for worship?  Needs (felt or real) drive desire.  Desperate need really drives desire.  Beyond that, when our dire needs are met, gratitude becomes and irresistible driving force in our lives.  When we deserved to be consumed, God met our deepest dire need and reconciled us to himself in Christ Jesus.  This humbling reality ought to transform our attitude toward worship from a mere option into a delight.  Our attitude toward worship should shift from “what ever” to “I can’t wait to join with other to thank God for what he has done for us.”   Worship is no longer a burdensome legalism we have to do in order to earn some favor with God.  Instead, we are propelled into worship by an insatiable gratitude.  This grateful delight is the first step in our anticipation and preparation for worship. 

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A Pre-Sunday Afternoon Reflection: The Psalms of Ascent and Preperation for Worship

On an average Friday afternoon, what’s on your mind?  Maybe you’ve got social plans on your mind.  You might be perusing the local movie listings.  Maybe you have some calls out to a few friends for dinner.  Not up for dinner and a movie, how about a BBQ and board games?  Maybe you’re looking forward to a quiet weekend in with a book, some magazines, a DVD or two, and some popcorn.  You could be looking forward to watching a few good ball games on Saturday and Sunday.  You might have the perfect tee time set up with some of the guys.  Golf not your thing, maybe you and your gal-pals have a spa-day to look forward to.   You just might possibly have a big shopping weekend planed.  Family outings can be nice: youth soccer, a picnic, the zoo, the museum, a camping trip. And, then there are chores: car maintenance, yard-work, house-work, home-work, or just possibly putting off work.  What’s on your mind on any given Friday afternoon?

What about Sunday morning worship?  Do you think about going to church?  And, I don’t just mean passing thoughts such as, “Is it my Sunday to help set up the coffee and snack table?” or, “I hope we can catch up with the Smiths over lunch after church.”  I have something much deep and more passionate in mind.  As Sunday approaches, do you look forward to worship?  Do you yearn for worship?  Do you long to join together with other Christians in order to praise God?  More importantly, beyond a pleasant want or desire, is worship something you desperately need?  And, if worship is something that you long for and desperately need, do you spend time or do anything to prepare yourself for worship?  The Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120—134) can help us to evaluate and work through our attitudes toward gathering for worship. 

There is some ambiguity about the background of these Psalms and the historical context of their use.  That said, we shall see, it is reasonably clear that these Psalms of Ascent were grouped together and used to prepare ancient Jews to gather together for worship.  So, what are the theories about the Psalms of Ascent?  The first theory, Rabbinic tradition reports that these 15 Psalms were used by the Levites as they ascended the 15 steps of Solomon’s Temple to the gate of Nicanor into the Court of the Israelites.  Upon each step the Levites would recite one of the Psalms of Ascent in order to prepare their hearts and minds to lead the people of God in worship.  However, since there is no evidence that Solomon’s Temple had 15 steps leading up into the Court of the Israelites, many commentators doubt this interpretation because it is seen as a later Rabbinic legend.  The second theory is that these Psalms were sung by the Jewish exiles returning to Jerusalem from Babylon.  These Psalms were not simply sung in celebration of a return to Jerusalem; these Psalms were sung in eager anticipation of a return to worship upon the Temple mount.  Yet, some commentators reject this interpretation because it fails to make sense of the inclusion of four Psalms that are explicitly ascribed to David (Psalm 122, 124, 131, 134).  The third, and currently most accepted theory, is that these Psalms were sung by Jewish pilgrims returning to Jerusalem and ascending Mount Zion for the three yearly festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.  These Psalms were sung as prayers which prepared the pilgrims for worship.  But, some commentators aren’t satisfied with this answer because it seems too simplistic or generalized.  Ambiguities aside, there is one commonality among all of these theories: these Psalms were used to prepare God’s People for worship. 

Now, add to this the fact that these 15 Psalms of Ascent are the only Psalms out of all 150 that grouped together according to a theme, purpose, or event and we see just how important it was for the people of God to prepare for worship.  Sure, there are Psalms that are grouped by author (i.e. the Psalms of the Sons of Korah), and there are types of Psalms that could be classified together but are not textually grouped together (i.e. beatitudes, personal laments, and Messianic Psalms).  This sole grouping of Psalms with the Psalms begs us to take notice and pay attention.  What are they calling our attention to?  These Psalms of Ascent highlight our need to anticipate worship, to prepare for worship, and to be deliberate and intentional about our worship.  We shouldn’t just show up for worship without any forethought and expect to be blessed to the fullest.  As in the Psalms of Ascent, as we approach worship, we are to prayerfully prepare for worship. 

So, what are we to prayerfully consider as we approach worship?  We will examine this question in much greater detail as we explore each of the Psalms of Ascent in the coming weeks (look for postings under the heading of “Sunday Afternoon Reflections”).  Yet, before we begin to look at each of the Psalms of Ascent one by one, we can begin to answer this question by making a simple observation about the nature of Jewish worship upon the Temple Mount.  At the heart of the Jewish system of worship was the Levitical sacrificial system, and this sacrificial system was rooted in the deliverance of the Hebrew people from the bonds of slavery in Egypt.  This concept of deliverance is most vividly seen in the Passover celebration and sacrifice.  The blood of a pure unblemished lamb insured that the angel of death passed over the Hebrew people, thus leading to their deliverance from Egyptian bondage.  Once delivered, the Hebrew people showed themselves to be a stiff-necked and rebellious people.  Subsequently, God established a sacrificial system to provide atonement for this sinful rebellious people.  Worship in the Old Testament focuses upon sacrifice, atonement, and deliverance.  Day by day, month by month, year after year, Jewish worship revolved around sacrifice, atonement, and deliverance, all of which anticipated Jesus Christ who is the once for all atoning sacrifice delivering us from sin and death. 

Fast forward through history to the 21^st century on any given Sunday morning in Somewhere-Suburbia, USA.  We may enjoy exceptional music at church, but apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice we ultimately have nothing.  We may experience wonderful fellowship, but apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice we ultimately have nothing.  We may receive some impressive counsel, but apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice we ultimately have nothing.  We may be comforted or encouraged, but apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice we have nothing.  However, more often than not, our churches are more imperfect than excellent.  Especially in this case, apart from Jesus’ atoning sacrifice our Sunday services are little more than a so-so performance, a ho-hum social outing with some legalistic self-help advice, and an emotional pat-on-the-back to bolster our already fragile self-esteem.  We desperately need the blood of Christ, yet, too easily, we get caught up in a Sunday morning show (and all the busyness that goes along with it).

What are we to do?  The answer to this question is not so much about what we are to do as it is about what Jesus Christ has done for us.  Jesus Christ has released us from bondage to sin and death – he has justified us.  Jesus Christ continues to free us from bondage to sin – he sanctifies us.  And our worship is to be centered upon the once and for all atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  When we actively anticipate gathering together for worship, do we anticipate the transforming power of Jesus Christ to change our lives?

So, what does this look like on a practical level?  First, on a very basic level, are you ready for worship when Sunday rolls around?  Without setting up a legalistic “Protestant Mishnah”, getting a good night sleep, waking up on time, getting a good breakfast, and arriving on time are a good start.  This may sound moralistic, but if we truly anticipate the power of the Gospel to transform our lives, why wouldn’t we show up alert and ready to be engaged in worship.  We wouldn’t sleep through a conversation with a friend, why would we snooze through the grand conversation of worship.  With respect to timeliness, most of us wouldn’t want to show up twenty minutes late or even blow off an appointment with a close friend, so why would we habitually show up twenty minutes late for worship or even blow it off all together. 

Second, and more critically, we should approach worship with a deep sense of our need for the Gospel.  How do we do this?  To begin with, we need to develop an honest awareness of our sin and its destructive power in our lives.  From there, we need to cultivate a heightened appreciation for the love of Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for our sin.  In other words, we need to grow in our realization that we are much more sinful than we have ever dared to imagine; yet, at the same time, we are much more loved than we could ever hope.  Whith these two sides of the Gospel as out starting point, we also need to develop a desire to fellowship with God’s people, a hunger for the Word, and a passion for prayer.   

You may be wondering, “Ok, how do I develop a disposition that is honest about my sin, values the love of Jesus Christ, desires fellowship with God's people, hungers for the Word, and is passionate about prayer?”  As the ancient Jews sung these prayers in anticipation and preparation for worship, we too need prayer saturated anticipation and preparation for worship.  We can pray for a more honest awareness of our sin.  We can pray for a heightened appreciation of the love of God and the Gospel.  We can pray for a deeper desire to fellowship with God’s people.  We can pray for an increased hunger for the Word.  We can even pray that God would give us a passion to pray.   The same God who calls us to worship is the same God who leads and prepares our hearts for worship.  So, pray that God will shape you into the worshiper that he desires you to be. 

This coming weekend, have a nice dinner, enjoy a good movie, have some fun with friends, and relax with some down time.  But, above all anticipate and prepare your heart for the transforming power of Jesus Christ in worship, and have a blessed Sunday.

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Book Review: "Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different" by Tullian Tchividjian

Being unfashionable doesn’t seem like an attractive aspiration within our culture.  The stacks of gossip and glamour magazines that line grocery store check-out lanes encourage us to be fashionable.  The local mall and the clothing stores that over-crowed its corridors encourage us to be fashionable.  Home shows, home improvement stores, and home improvement magazines encourage us to be fashionable.  Business seminars and sales training conferences encourage us to be fashionable.  Social networking site upon social networking site encourage us to be fashionable.  So, Tullian Tchividjian’s book “Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different” stands out.

Tchividjian begins with his own personal story of being a prodigal son.  All the fashionable things of this world left Tullian empty, burned out, and washed up.  He describes his return to the church as a “cry for something different” (title of chapter 1).  This personal experience sets up the primary principle of the book: because the fashions of the world only leave us empty and wanting more, the church can best make a difference by being different – by being unfashionable.  I liked how Tchividjian starts out with his personal testimony because it gives the book a level of credibility that an academic research piece wouldn’t. 

In chapter 2 Tullian likens our western cultural vantage point or world-view to living in a room without windows.  He suggest that scientific-like over classification, the illusion of technological control, and a sea of endless change has contributed to a narrow, small, and confined view of the world (reductionism for the sake of survival is you will).  In a world of seemingly endless change, for simplicity sake, we tend to interpret our culture by using stereotypical labels and utilize technological gadgets to gain a sense of control.  All the while, we loose our awe-filled sense of the transcendent – we live in a room without windows and assume that we’ve seen it all.  Then, in chapter 2 Tullian makes the case that when the church is seduced into being cool within the surrounding culture, the church becomes indistinguishable for the narrow myopic culture it is trying to love, bless, and serve. 

From this launching point, in chapters 4 – 10, Tchividjian elaborates on what makes the church different from the culture in which it is embedded. In these seven chapters, he describes six characteristics that make the church different so that it can make a difference: 

1).  The Cross of Christ defines us; as such, we are to die to self and live in Christ.

2).  We have been redeemed by God to be a force of renewal in the world.

3).  We live in the present with the sure and certain hope in the promise of eternal life.

4).  God is on a mission to seek and save his lost sheep and we are a part of that mission.

5).  God is building his church out of a mishmash of unfashionable misfits and ragamuffins; this miraculous unity is to glorify God.

6).  As the Body of Christ we are to actively make a difference in the world around us – Christ’s body is not ineffective.

For me, the payoff of this read came in chapters 11 – 16.  In these chapters Tchividjian lays out a practical road-map for how to develop a church, ministry, or group that makes a difference by being different.  He develops six practical points based Ephesians 4:25—ff:

1). The church is to be a truthful community, which means that we need to be honest about who we are as sinners saved by grace (simul iustus et peccator, at the same time justified and yet sinner).  Such honesty will go a long way toward cultivating a winsome humility that will surely stand out in our selfish culture.

2).  The church is to be a community that is moved by righteous anger.  On this point I wish Tchividjian had made another word choice.  Instead of titling chapter 12 “An Angry Community” I would have liked to have seen a title like “A Provoked Community” or “A Provocative Community” (even though anger is the word used in Ephesians 4:26).  Gabe Lyons takes this tack in his recent book “The Next Christians”: Lyons argues that the things which rightly anger or offend aught to provoke the church to action (I will post a review of “The Next Christians” in the coming month). 

3).  The church is to be a generous community that puts off stealing.  By stealing Tchividjian doesn’t simply mean stealing in the strictly legal sense – although he surely does not exclude stealing in this sense.  By stealing he means to include any form of undue or inordinate taking that precludes or hinders generosity. 

4).  The church is to utilize and employ redemptive, healing, life-giving speech.  Our words are to be a reflection of the Word. 

5).  The church is to be noted for hospitality.  We are to exude a God-instilled kindness among ourselves as Christians.  And, we are to welcome others into our midst so that they can witness that God-instilled kindness first-hand. 

6).  Finally, the church is to be a place where love trumps lust.  We are to be driven by love that seeks the ultimate good of others, as opposed to being driven by the whims of our physical appetites. 

What sets this book apart from the glut of Christian books that analyze culture is the practical nature of the book.  Tchividjian draws his practical applications directly from Scripture (Ephesians 4).  On top of that, his practical applications are corporate.  He doesn’t just exhort individuals to make a difference by being different; he instructs Christian communities on how to make a difference by being different.  To that end, the discussion guide for small groups is a wonderful bonus – this book offers more than theory.  If you are worried that this book’s subject matter may be too difficult or intimidating; fear not!  The writing style is clear, easy, direct, and to the point, and, the book itself is short.  Buy this book and read it with a group, then enjoy working out how you-all can implement what you have learned. 

Sunday Afternoon Reflections: Am I Religious? Yes, No, Maybe So

Not so long ago, an agnostic family member kept pressing me with ‘side-long’ comments like, “So, how are things in the world of the religious?” or “What’s up with the religious fold today?”  And “How’d your time with the ranks of the religious go this fine Sunday?”  I let the comments pass.  In small part, I let the comments pass in order to avoid a pointless conflict.  In large part, I let the comments pass because I had recently become confused about the term “religion.”  In one instance, I had heard a pastor I respect talking about the apologetic value of recognizing that all people are essentially religious, and that we can use this to demonstrate one’s need for real and true religion – the Christian faith.  In another instance, at a church planting assessment and training I was taught to avoid the term religion by insisting and showing that Christianity is a relationship as opposed to a religion.  On top of these two instances, in my college comparative religions class I was taught that the term ‘religion’ was originally an exclusively Christian term.  Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, or Taoists don’t have an equivalent term for the Christian term ‘religion’ (the Buddhist or Hindu term ‘yoga’ is the closest equivalent referring to a particular spiritual way or path that a person follows).  And, until recent history, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Taoists, et al didn’t us the western term ‘religion’. 

So, here’s the question, “Am I religious?”  What about all the people who I worshiped with this morning in church, are they too religious?  Well, let me put it this way: yes, no, maybe so.

IN ONE SENSE, YES I AM RELIGIOUS

In one sense, all people are religious.  And, I am no different than anyone else.  The word religion comes to us in part from the Latin religāre which means to tie, fasten, or bind.  In this sense, religion refers to our attempt to connect ourselves to something that will give us some sort of ultimate value that is greater than ourselves.  The problem is that we end up trying in vain to bind ourselves to things which don’t give us ultimate value beyond ourselves.  We try to get ultimate meaning from our career, and we end up tied down to our jobs.  We try to get ultimate meaning from our kids, and we end bound to their every whim.  We try to get ultimate meaning from nice things and stuff, and we end up lashed to the weight of materialism.  We try to get ultimate meaning from relationships, and we end up tangled in the knots of personal conflict.  Ironically, we even try to find ultimate meaning in ‘religion’, and we find ourselves bound up in an endless series of performance-driven, pious, pharisaical practices (i.e. pray more, read more, serve more, sacrifice more, and etc.).  We hope to tie ourselves to something that will buoy our lives; instead, we bind ourselves to a weight that drowns us in the sea of life.  So, in that sense, as a fallen sinful human being, I am religious.  Too often I find myself bound up in the tangle mess of life (a tangled mess of my own making); I desperately need to be freed from this bondage.  Don’t we all?

IN ANOTHER SENSE, NO I AM NOT RELIGIOUS

As a Christian, Jesus Christ has released me from the tangled bondage of my sinful life.  Because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, I am freed from trying to earn my value through things, stuff, or people; my life’s value and worth are in Christ Jesus.  And, I don’t have to work at an endless series of performance-driven, pious, pharisaical practices in order to earn my place with Jesus Christ.  By grace I have been granted a relationship with Jesus Christ.  By grace I have been reconciled to God.  By grace I have been adopted by the Heavenly Father.  By grace I have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.  In this sense I am not religious.  I don’t spend my days trying to bind myself to God.  God has bound himself to me in an everlasting relationship of his making, and I can rest in the grace of that relationship as opposed to frantically running after a relationship. 

IN AN ULTIMATE SENSE, I GUESS I AM RELIGIOUS

With all that talk of a relationship with God that transcends our attempts at trying to bind ourselves to something of ultimate value, in our relationship to God, God still binds himself to us.  In that sense, I guess I’m religious.  The term ‘religious’ has its primary root in the Latin word religiō, which could well be translated into ‘re-ligament’.  The shift in the Latin from religāre to religiō is telling.  Whereas religāre implies a cold matter-of-fact binding, tying, or lashing; by contrast, religiō implies a living, organic, relational, bodily bond.  The former is lifeless and impersonal; the latter is living, personal, and relational.  As the parts of a body are ligamented together in living unity, so too we as Christians are ligamented together by the bond of the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ with Christ as our head (Rom. 12:3—ff; I Cor. 12; Eph. 1:22—23; 4:25; 5:30; Col. 1:24).  We are bound to Christ as living branches grafted onto a living vine (Jn. 15:1—8).  We are bound to Christ as the marriage bond unites bride and groom (Rev. 21:2—ff).  We are bound to Christ as friend to friend (Jn. 15:12—17).  Through the bond of adoption we are the children of God, co-heirs with Christ (I Jn. 3:1—ff).  Once we had been severed from God, now we are re-ligamented together into the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22—23).  In this sense I am most definitely religious. 

It’s not that we attempt to tie ourselves to God through good works and self-righteousness – this is religiosity or false religion.  It is God who binds himself to us – this is re-ligamentation or true religion.  What makes religion in the sense of re-ligamentation so beautiful, meaningful, hopeful, uplifting, and motivating is that we can give up laboring to build ourselves into a feeble, fragile, false façade.  Jesus Christ re-ligaments us into his body.  And, those who are re-ligamented into the Body of Christ will never be separated or amputated from the Body of Christ.  The Apostle Paul writes:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38—39

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Sunday Afternoon Reflections: Shootings, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, & Psalm 11

“In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test, the Children of man. The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.  Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.  For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.” Psalm 11 (ESV)

With the violence in the Middle East, the inescapable shootings that mar the evening news, and this week’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan, we are pressed by the question, “What is our ultimate security in the midst of the gyrations, jolts, and torrents of this life?”  Psalm 11 helps us to answer this question. 

In Psalm 11, David professes his faith in the Lord in response to an unnamed detractor who is trying to give rise to doubts intended to challenge David’s personal security.  The detractor mockingly commands Davis to fly like a bird to his mountain.  This may seem like simple metaphorical imagery; but, the detractor is doing much more than referring to David as an easily startled bird.  The detractor is calling into question David’s faith in God.  In ancient Palestine, mountain tops were places of worship, and any given “high place” would have been associated with a particular idol erected by a tribe or clan from the area.  But, there was one mountain that was not a place of idolatry, that mountain was the mountain of the Lord or Jerusalem (eventually the Temple Mount) – this is the mount in question in Psalm 11.  In effect, the detractor is saying:

“Go ahead David, just try to seek refuge on the Lord’s mountain; try to seek refuge in Jerusalem where that dinky little tabernacle is located.  Assassins are laying in wait to kill you – their arrows are all ready.  Look at all the people who want you dead: Goliath, the Philistines, Saul, and Absalom.  Do you think that you’re going to be safe in Jerusalem on the mountain of your Lord? Let’s say you are able to escape the assassins, an earthquake could come along and crumble the very foundations of Jerusalem, and then you refuge is gone.” 

This detractor could easily try to challenge you and me:

“So, you’re a Christian, how could you possibly believe in the God of the Bible?  I mean, look at all that can go wrong in life.  When you go for a drive, you are surrounded by reckless drivers who could kill you in the blink of an eye.  You could be shot by some stark raving mad lunatic while you’re out getting groceries at your local supermarket.  And, then, think about the thousands of Christians who are persecuted and martyred each and every year around the world.  Even if your God protects you from these things, whatever foundation you have built your security upon will fail you.  Your health: even health-nuts get cancer and die; in fact, every last health-nut will eventually die whether or not they get cancer.  Your savings, pension, and 401k: have you ever heard of Enron or Bernie Madoff?  Your career, job, and title: you just have to take a look at who’s sitting in line at the unemployment office.  Your family and friends: no one lives forever that includes your family and friends.  Then there are earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires, hurricanes, tornados, and all sorts of natural disasters. Oh, but here’s the real kicker, your church: your pastor and the people in your church are sinners who will eventually let you down. So, you’re a Christian huh?”

This seems like a withering challenge.  How could anyone respond to these substantial questions?  How could anyone resist such plausible doubts?  Well, how did David respond his detractor?

David didn’t put his hope in the periphery or accoutrements of the Jewish religion.  David didn’t place his hope in a holy hill, in Jerusalem, or the tabernacle (eventually replaced by the temple).  David declares, “In the Lord I take refuge.”  And, contrary to his detractor's misunderstanding, the Lord isn’t the meager god of some Palestinian mountain.  Notice that David says that “the Lord is in his holy temple” even though the temple in Jerusalem had not yet been built by Solomon.  The temple and throne of the Lord is in heaven.  From the throne room of heaven God rules the entire cosmos, not just a small hill in some arid corner of the earth.  There is a caution in this: don’t put your hope in a church, a denomination, a preacher, a song, a book, a bible camp, a mission trip, etc. Put your hope in the Lord. 

You might be thinking, “That’s all well and good, but my life is still a painful mess. How is the Lord my refuge?”  This Psalm doesn’t teach us that our lives will be without suffering, struggles, pain, or difficulty.  This Psalm clearly recognizes that life is filled with troubles.  This Psalm doesn’t shy away from admitting that David was a persecuted man.  This Psalm doesn’t deny that some sort of cataclysmic earthquake could “destroy the foundations” of Jerusalem.  In fact, this Psalm says, “the Lord tests the righteous” (v. 5a).  David knew that in all the difficulties he faced, the Lord was trying him so that he would become the person God intended him to be. This is known as sanctification. And sometimes, sanctification comes in the form of a sever mercy rather than a gentle nudge or simple prick of the conscious.  Many heroes of the Bible were shaped into greatness through adversity that was ordained by God’s sovereign hand.  David didn’t just become a “man after God’s own heart” by accident – God forged David into a man after his own heart through the furnace of adiversity and affliction.  God tempered Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Jeremiah, Peter, James, John, and Paul in the hot coals of hardship.  I don’t know about you, but, as scary as this all may sound, I would rather be valuable hard tempered steel than cheep unrefined ore.

The question isn’t, “What could possibly go wrong?”  The question is, “When things do go wrong, what can the righteous do?” First, we need to recognize that the Bible is very clear that there’s no one who is righteous (Rom. 3:10), yet God gives us his very own righteousness through the atoning work of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21—22, Phil. 1:9—11; 3:7—9).  Then, with this recognition, in the face of hardship, we are to fly to Christ Jesus who is our righteousness.  We don’t run and hid in our work.  We don’t escape into amusements.  We don’t take shelter in our wealth. We don’t get ultimate protection from our friends and family.  We don’t even hide out in religiosity, legalism, moralism, or piety.  The Lord is our refuge and we are to fly to him.  And, in flying to him, we come to learn that it is the Lord who lifts us upon his wings (Isa. 40: 28—31).

One last objection, “Sure I might be able to run to God in the day to day hardships of life, but what about death?”  Psalm 11 ends with these words of assurance, “The upright shall behold his [the Lord’s] face.”  Because Christ is our righteousness he is our resurrection and sure refuge from the grave (I Cor. 15:54b—58).  And, the same God who caries us upon his wings throughout our daily lives, is the same God who carries us to himself beyond the grave.  This is the faith that gives us the confidence to sing Albert E. Brumley’s spiritual “I’ll Fly Away.”

Some glad morning when this life is o’er,

I’ll fly away;

To a home on God’s celestial shore,

I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).

Chorus:

I’ll fly way, Oh Glory

I’ll fly away; (in the morning)

When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,

I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone,

I’ll fly away;

Like a bird from prison bars has flown,

I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).

Chorus:

Jus a few more weary days and then,

I’ll fly away;

To a land where joy shall never end,

I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).

Chorus:

(Recognition:  I want to thank Grace Denver Church for the grist behind this reflection.  This Sunday, I had the joy of worshiping with this young church plant; and, even though the sermon text was not Psalm 11,  their well crafted worship service nudged me into reflecting upon Psalm 11 in light of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan .  For more information on Grace Denver Church visit their web site at http://www.gracedenverchurch.com/ or call 303-330-9237.)

Ash Wednesday, Dirt Clods, Potshards, and Jars of Clay

I’m dirt, your dirt, we’re all dirt.  OK, so that doesn’t sound like an uplifting reality, but, trust me, this Ash Wednesday I want to bolster us with this Gospel truth, which may, at first, seem a bit depressing. 

On Ash Wednesday we are reminded of the reality of our sinful and desperately needy predicament.  When God shows us how much we are in need of salvation, then we grow in our appreciation of the Savior (all good and true knowledge begins with knowledge of God as well as knowledge of ourselves – Calvin, Institutes, 1.1.1.). 

The primary reality we are confronted with is the nature of the creation of humankind.  Adam was formed from the dust of the earth: enlivened by the Breath of God (Genesis 2:7), declared into being by the Word of God (Genesis 1:26—ff, John 1:1—ff). Before the fall, Adam and Eve were earthen vessels; after all, Adam is Hebrew for dirt, soil, or ground.  This is good news: we don’t have to earn our existence; we owe our existence to God’s unchanging goodness and grace.  Also, God glorifies himself in us by show that he can take mere soil and create it into his likeness – AMAZING.  After the Fall, when God curses the ground because of Adam, God says to Adam, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19).  As dreadful as this part of the curse sounds, the good news remains despite the curse, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13—14).  After the fall, now that we are broken jars of clay, we continue to owe our existence to the unchanging love, mercy, compassion, kindness, forgiveness of God in Christ Jesus. 

On Ash Wednesday, I can’t help but reflect upon two passages about jars of clay: (1) Jeremiah 19 and (2) II Corinthians 4.

FIRST, JEREMIAH 19:

The point of Jeremiah 19 is direct, simple, and shocking: through the prophet Jeremiah, God declares war on his people for their disobedience (primarily idolatry and all that flows from idolatry).  In the ancient near east, one country would formally declare war upon another nation by inscribing the name of the enemy nation upon a clay pot, and then publicly smash the pot outside a city gate.  In Jeremiah 19, God orders Jeremiah to buy a clay jar from a potter.  Then, Jeremiah was to take some of the elders of the people to the Potshard Gate, pronounce a curse upon Israel, and smash the clay jar before the elders.  I’m sure that when Jeremiah purchased the post and was leading the elders to the Potshard Gate, people may have been wondering who God was going to declare war upon.  They may have hoped that God was going to restore Judah by destroying Judah’s enemies (although Jeremiah’s previous prophecies should have dispelled that hope).  In stunning dramatic fashion, on God’s behalf, Jeremiah declares war on Judah with a gruesome curse. 

You might be thinking that this is horrible.  You may be wondering how God could be so vengeful as to promise the destruction of his own people by the hand of foreign armies. Maybe you simply don’t like the idea of a God who punishes through military means.  But, I want to assure you that there is good news to be seen in this passage when we consider this text in the light of God’s redemptive plan.  You see, God can’t allow his people to remain in sin.  In waging war on his people, God will win the victory and remove all the idols to which Judah has sworn kingly allegiance.  With all the false idols removed from Judah, God reestablishes himself as Judah’s only true King and Lord (not that he was ever really replaced as king in the first place).  When a king conquers a nation, he usually doesn’t leave the nation destroyed.  The conquering king establishes his rule and glory within that nation.  God is no different: he will not rest until his glory is purely manifest within his people.  Ultimately, with the successive failures of the Jewish nation state, God sends his Son to take on earthly flesh and atone for our sins on the cross.  Having atoned for our sin, as the King of kings, Jesus ascended to the throne of heaven.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is establishing his kingdom, and Hell cannot stand against his kingdom. 

THE JEREMIAH 19 CHALLENGE:

On this Ash Wednesday, are you going to be satisfied with a fast from an earthly pleasure or a fast for a spiritual discipline?  Or, are you willing to ask God to declare war on your life?  Do you dare ask God to shatter the sinful stronghold of your heart?  Do you dare ask God to establish his kingdom in the dark neither regions of your soul?  Do you dare ask God to patrol the highways and byways of your mind?  Think of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as a conquering king, he didn’t go to the Roman Army barracks adjacent to the Temple in order to wage war on the Romans.  Jesus went to the Temple (the heart of the Jewish civilization) and he confronted the sins of his very own people.  Will you gladly allow Jesus to make such a Triumphal Entry into your life?

You might be thinking, “That’s all well and good but I don’t want to end up like a shattered clay pot; life already has me a bit cracked up.”  This brings us to the second passage for this Ash Wednesday Reflection.

SECOND, II CORINTHIANS 4:

Confronted by our sin and God’s holiness, we may fear being shattered like a fragile clay pot, however, aren’t we broken already.  Take heart, if God was able to form Adam from the dust of the ground, we can trust that God can reform the pulverized potshards of our lives.  Just as God breathed his life into Adam (a mound of dirt), so too God can breath new life into us (earthen vessels).  Notice how Paul depicts the Christian life in II Corinthians 4: Paul says that he and the Corinthians are treasure filled jars of clay (v. 7).  If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, though you have been broken, shattered, smashed, and pulverized by sin; the Lord will reform and restore you in a to a whole clay vessel with the privilege of carrying the treasure of the Gospel.  You see, clay pots, jars, or vessels are always made to contain something for distribution (i.e. a clay jar may carry aromatic oil that is to be stored, transported, and sold as perfume).  When God restores us, he doesn’t discard us or shelve us, he fills us with the treasure of the Gospel.  And, by “Gospel” I am not simply referring to a message, I am referring to the reality of the Gospel in our lives, which is the basis for the Gospel message.  The treasure of the Gospel within us is new life to which our lives bear witness.  The treasure of the Gospel within us is the power of Jesus Christ to which our lives bear witness.  The treasure of the Gospel is the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to which our lives bear witness. The Gospel is first and foremost an ontological reality then it is a message. So then, using the picture of expensive aromatic oils being transported to market in jars of clay, as a good merchant cares for his vessels and their content, Paul says that God will protect us from breakage because he has placed the treasure his Gospel within us so that we can carry his Gospel abroad.

THE II CORINTHIANS 4 CHALLENGE:

First, are we humbled by the knowledge that we are jars of clay receiving our value from God alone?  Second, though we are hard pressed, perplexed, and persecuted, are we confident that God will guard and protect us?  In other words (summarizing points one and two), do we humbly revel in the honor of glorifying God?  Then, third, with this humble assurance, are we vessels that carry the sweat aroma of the Gospel to world around us?

Taken to together, these two passages illustrate our basic need for mortification (dying away of the old sinful self) and vivification (living a new life in Christ).  And, most importantly, this process of mortification and vivification can only be accomplished by God.  We need God to take the place rightful ruler in our lives.  Put another way, we need to be God-filled jars of clay.

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Book Review: "Just Do Something" by Kevin DeYoung

A young woman says, “I’m not being picky, I’m just waiting for God to tell me when the right guy comes along.”  A recent college grad comments, “I just need God to tell me what I’m supposed to do with my life.”  A young husband quips, “We’ve been thinking about moving, but God hasn’t really told us what he wants us to do.”  A newly wed couple admits, “We plan on having kids, it’s just that God hasn’t given us peace about having a baby yet.”  If you or someone you know struggles through life’s decisions with a deep spiritualized angst, get a copy of Kevin DeYoung’s book “Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will” or “How To Make a Decision without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, ETC.” (You’ll buy it for the title and read it though for the content.)

DeYoung argues that younger generation Christians fail to understand what it means to discern the will of God, and, thus, flounder through life without making meaningful decisions (especially vocational decisions and commitment to marriage and parenting).  Then, in an effort to cover their failure to make decisions or commitments, twenty/thirty-somethings tend to spiritualize their situations in terms of “waiting upon God” or “seek God’s will”.  This sounds great, after all, aren’t we to seek God’s guidance and will?  DeYoung reminds us that Christians throughout history have understood God’s will in terms of three categories:

            1).  God’s Will of Decree

            2).  God’s Will of Desire

            3).  God’s Will of Direction

First, God’s Will of Decree “refers to what God has ordained. . . God knows all things and sovereignly superintends all things.  God’s will of decree is absolute.  It is from before the creation of the world.  It is the ultimate determination over all things, and it cannot be overturned” (pg. 19, 21. Eph 1:11; Matt 10:29—30; Acts 4:27—28; Psalm 139:16; Isa 46:9—10; and Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 27).  God has created all things by his sovereign decree, and we are to know this truth.  God has established is moral order in all things, and we are to know this truth.  God has established and made known his plan of salvation, and we are to know this truth.  And if God has saved you by calling you to himself, you are to know this truth.  God provides his children with wisdom imparted by the Holy Spirit, we are to know this wisdom. In fact, all things that come to pass do so by God’s decree, and we are to acknowledge that truth.

Second, God’s Will of Desire “refers to all God has command – what he desires for his creatures.  If God’s will of decree is how things are, God’s will of desire is how thing aught to be” (pg. 21).  God desires all he has created to be pure and holy, we are to know this truth.  Our sin angers God and incites his wrath, and we are to know this truth.  Only Christ can save sinners from the just wrath of God, and we are to know this truth.  God wants us to love him with all that we are, and we are to know that truth.  God wants us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and we are to know that truth.  God has shown us that we are to do justice, lover mercy, and walk humbly with him, and we are to know this truth.  God wants us to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and we are to know this truth.  On and on we could go. 

Third, God’s Will of Direction refers to the minute details of God’s “individual, specific plan for the who, what, when, where, and how of our lives” (pg. 24).  It is here where DeYoung presses his stunning thesis.  DeYoung contends that most of us passionately desire to know God’s directive will for our lives while neglecting to pay significant attention to God’s explicit will of Decree and Desire as it is expressed in special revelation (God’s Word) and in general revelation (creation and providence).  From this issue comes the thesis:

“So here’s there real heart of the matter: Does God have a secret will of direction the he expects us to figure out before we do anything?  And the answer is no.  Yes, God has a specific plan for our lives.  And, yes, we can be assured that he works thing for our good in Christ Jesus.  And, yes, looking back we will often be able to trace God’s hand in bringing us to where we are.  But, while we are free to ask God for wisdom, he does not burden us with the task of divining his will of direction for our lives ahead of time.  The second half of that last sentence is crucial.  God does have a special plan for our lives, but it is not one that he expects us to figure out before we make a decision” (pg. 24).

Later DeYoung writes:

“God has a wonderful plan for your life – a plan that will take you through trial and triumph as you are transformed into the image of his Son (Rom 8:28—29).  Of this you can be absolutely confident.  But, God’s normal way of operation is not to show this plan to us ahead of time – in retrospect, maybe; in advance rarely. . . God promises to be your sun and your shield and to carry you and protect you with his strong right arm.  So we can stop pleading with God to show us the future, and start living and obeying like we are confident that he holds the future” (pg. 42). 

From this thesis, DeYoung encourages the directionally challenged by calling them to follow what God has already definitively said – His Word.  Instead of seeking God’s confirmation on a home lone refinance; we should have been seeking to grow in godly wisdom all along.  Instead of trying to coax God into telling you who to marry, you aught to have been developing a clear understanding of godly life principles all along.  Instead of trying to get God to show you a vision of your future career path, you should have been nurturing a godly conscience all along.  You see, God has spoken very directly to us in Scripture.  In fact, in Scripture God has told us how to live our lives in accordance to his will; we just have to apply Scripture to our lives.  It is in our application of Scripture to our lives that the Holy Spirit moves our consciences with biblical principles that we should have known all along.  Here the Holy Spirit pricks our consciences with the awareness of God’s right and wrong.  Here the Holy Spirit applies godly wisdom to our analysis of a given situation.  Thus, the Holy Spirit guides us without directly, audibly, telling us what to do or revealing to us the future.  It is possible for the Holy Spirit to internally or audibly tell someone God’s directive will, but in the Bible such instances are so rare that we aught not expect such revelation with each and every passing decision we make.  God has spoken to us in his Word, let’s start the work of living there.

In my personal life, this book caused me to recall two major life decisions that I had made a few years ago.  (1) In 2003 I received a call to pastor a small rural church in Iowa; by small and rural, I mean a church of 80 people in a town of 80 people.  I had been living and ministering in a vibrant mid sized city for the past nine years.  At first, I didn’t want to take the call; my personal pride and comfort wanted a bigger ministry in a more visible setting. But, when I sought God’s will in the matter, the Holy Spirit chastised my pride and reminded me of the duties of those called to ministry.  The Holy Spirit granted me the wisdom to recognize that God had providentially limited other ministry opportunities.  The Holy Spirit helped me to hear the wise counsel of godly men and women in the church.  By these means the Holy Spirit guided me to accept the call.  Notice that I wrote “guided”; the Holy Spirit never “told” me to take the call.  I didn’t get a dream or vision, a premonition or intuition, a liver-shiver or impression.  I got the inner sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit teaching me greater obedience, faith, trust, reliance, wisdom, and godliness.  In the end, the small rural town became one of the greatest places I have ever lived.

            (2) In 2007 I received a call to a nice, financially stable, suburban church in an area with fair climate.  All seemed great.  The church had just finished a gorgious remodel of the parsonage.  The call would have brought us closer to family.  But, the church wanted to bind my conscience by imposing a list of issues it didn’t want their next pastor to preach or teach upon.  The church expected their next pastor to preach on suggested topics as opposed to expository preaching that forces the pastor and congregation to be confronted with the full counsel of God (the entire Bible).  Having learned a lot of lessons the last time I had to discern whether or not I was called by God to a particular church, I declined the call.  In the end, God spared us from what would have become a trying situation (not that life has been all roses and candy since). 

Here is the pithy point I took away form this read: when discerning God’s will for your life, focus on what he has already said in his word not what you may want him to say about your future.  If you apply this point to the decisions you have to make in life, I trust you will have more solid truth and wisdom to base your decisions upon, and you will grow in obedience, wisdom, and reliance upon God. 

With respect to style and format, this is a short, pity, clear, and to-the-point book that a twenty/thirty-something will read.  Some might be disappointed that “Just Do Something” is concise re-presentation of Dr. Gerald L. Sittser’s work “The Will of God as a Way of Life: Finding and Following the Will of God”, but DeYoung’s less academic tone is more inviting to those less inclined to read a larger more technical book.  This is a great book to give a high school grad, college student, recent college grad, or floundering twenty/thirty-something. 

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