By What Standard? God's World...God's Rules (CINEDOC)

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A husband who does not lead is a failure! | The Pastor's Studio

Here is another short video from Pastor Conrad Mbewe, from Zambia. R-Rated Religion applauds his zeal and boldness to tackle controversial subjects such as male leadership in the home and in Church. This is a theological subject that has been a mainstream idea since the inception of the Christian church some two thousand years ago. It has only been since the last century that these tenants have been under attack by liberal religious leaders.

Here are just some of the scriptures that address this issue (all passages are taken from the English Standard Version):

• “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Co 11:2–3).
• “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control” (1 Timothy 2:11–15).
• “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).
• “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control” (1 Timothy 2:8–15).
• “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:22–33).
• “This is why I left you in Crete so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:5-9).
• “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him'” (Genesis 2:18).

These are some of the main ones but there are more that address this issue. We urge you to watch this short video with an open mind and a loving heart. Listen to what Conrad is saying, do the research, and make a decision of your own based on what the scriptures reveal. Do not be naive about what you believe!

Mental Health Therapies from a Christian Perspective

Therapy has many negative connotations. For some reason, Hollywood has portrayed therapy by psychiatry as a mainstream concept or axiom as if everyone visited a psychotherapist regularly to better themselves. The reality is that this could not be farther from the truth, both fiscally and pridefully. The truth is that there is a stigma associated with seeking mental health betterment from physicians or even counselors. This is more prevalent in faith-based communities where many people believe that the Bible precludes them from seeking therapy or professional counseling. We pray that this article can give you a taste of what therapy is and can be to you and your family.

It should be important to make a side note; biblical counseling (therapy) is regularly debated by many theologians who purport that secular therapy or counseling has nothing beneficial to biblical counseling and is somewhat equal to heresy or apostasy. Many famous pastors and theologians have gone on the record that biblical counseling is not performed correctly in most practiced settings today. They do, however, have some good points of dissent but those matters are best left for another time.

Family therapy (counseling) from a pure Christian perspective does have its own obstacles. We, as Christian counselors have to marry secular therapy with biblical doctrine and precedents. This can only be done with a good understanding of these therapies taken from a biblical lens. This essay will analyze psychodynamic, contextual, and experiential family therapy approaches in ministry with a critique of their applications in faith-based counseling situations. The purpose is to serve the community and its families with solid theology while extrapolating vital components of these therapy approaches without bastardizing both texts. Renowned professor and Christian psychologist Mark Yarhouse write:

The Christian faith has a unique significance in understanding the potential of relational life. Furthermore, we believe that the effectiveness of the counselor, psychologist, therapist and pastor who seeks to bring aid to families or couples in crisis is better equipped when he or she can utilize the central themes of the Christian tradition with the best practices drawn from mental health theory, research and technique.[1]

We believe this is the sagest approach to Christian biblical counseling by exalting biblical doctrine over secular theories without completely disregarding what several centuries of mental health research and discovery have to compliment and support said doctrine.

Psychodynamic theory is one of the most famous styles of counseling touted by the majority of Hollywood movies and television shows. Most notably was the famous nineties sitcom character Frasier Crane who highlighted this concept throughout its highly acclaimed eleven-year run. A good perspective to hold is that it “addresses how family structures influence daily interactions and experiences.”[2] Originally the brainchild of Sigmund Freud, psychodynamic therapy has evolved and augmented itself pulling from various theories designed to analyze the self, ego, context, attachment, object relations, and many more.[3] Psychodynamic therapy views the family structure as an attachment of relationships within the family order. These relationships can be symbiotic or parasitic depending on the level of dysfunction within the family or its members. For brevity sake, this discipline generically espouses:

The effectiveness of the therapeutic process is seen to rest largely on the therapist’s ability to enter into the system (engagement), receive the family’s accumulated projections (transference), interpret these transferred projections from the perspective of objectivity (countertransference), and implement an alternative set of responses that can be taught, practiced and mastered by the family (intervention).[4]

This process is analytic to the point of failure. It seems to view relationships without passion or forethought but mechanisms on a family cog that integrates to humanistic reactions as that of machines or heartlessness. Psychodynamic has biblical foundational problems in that it seems to conclude that outside influences in the family are part in parcel to the family itself. It attempts to fracture the biblical family structure and blurs the lines between man/woman and his/her actions. This type of therapy would be a hard challenge for Christian family therapists; however, in a situation where families are dealing with secular, agnostic, or atheistic members this type of therapy could be used to gain the respect and trust of those members.

Contextual family therapy focuses on the holistic emotional healing of the family as a whole. “Contextual family therapy, initially developed by Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, is an integrative, intergenerational family therapy framework that focuses on relational strengths or resources and stresses responsible relating.”[5] These strengths or resources are mainly built on trust or working toward trust. This trust is built-in contextual dimensions or modes of expression. “The four modes of contextual expression are facts, individual psychologies, transactions, and relational ethics.”[6]

Facts deal with unchangeable factors such as race and gender but can be changeable such as relationships or faith. Individual psychology is the feeling toward experiences within any given context. It deals with a mental framework that is subjective in nature in how he/she feels toward incidents that transpire during life history. “Transactions involve observable patterns of relational behavior, such as feedback loops.”[7] Relational ethics or a set of rules or morals that are used to guide facts, individual psychology, and transactions. Later in Nagy’s life, he developed a fifth dimension known as ontics where “health and symptoms are a measure of the level of balance in one’s significant relationships.”[8] This process views the immediate family situation into a larger family structure that pits situations alongside a larger context of history and meaning.

The contextual family model is useful but also carries subjective problems: whose facts are we basing this on? In today’s society, the secular world is taking away certain immutable facts such as gender that would give way to serious problems from this point of view. Relational ethics poise the question; by whose ethics are we implementing on the first three dimensions? Ethics itself in a secular world is subjective. This can cause serious problems in therapy sessions when therapists and clients have a different view of ethics. The ontics dimension is fraught with questionable situations that bring secular and religious doctrine at a standstill such as what is a balance, or just which relationship is most significant? These questions give skepticism to contextual family therapy as its effectiveness is Christian counseling. Most notably: in which context would the counseling be held in, a secular world or the kingdom of God, here on earth. It would seem that for this form of therapy to be most effective, that truth would have to be established at the onset.

The experiential family theory works to get family members to better understand and emotions, feeling, and experiences of the other family members with a goal toward reconciliation. “Experiential family therapy is rooted and grounded deep in the 1960s values of humanistic, gestalt, and existential perspectives of counseling.”[9] This approach values the self-actualization of each individual within the family structure. These individualistic qualities would then add to or detract from the family and give way to it dynamic. It stems from existentialism and humanistic philosophy that festooned the counter-culture hippy movement. It focuses on emotionally based therapy (EBT) whereas emotions and feelings tend to overrun the undergird the sessions.

From a Christina perspective, this would seem to be the least useful of most therapy approaches. “This is because experiential family therapy originates from an existential-humanistic perspective that, in its early years, defied rigid codification of theory, and empirical evidence for its effectiveness.”[10] It actually can be argued that it goes against the truth. The existential-humanistic movement advocated against empirical truth, which is in stark contrast to biblical theology. Today we see this manifested in the “this is my truth” sentiments of post-modern millennialism and secular self-indulgence where no one is wrong, and feelings or victimization is paramount.

In conclusion, many different types of family therapy models can be helpful to Christian counselors or therapists and we just skimmed the surface. Psychodynamic, contextual, and experiential are just a few that make up a large body of work over the decades (some argue centuries) of research. R-Rated Religion strongly urges you to look into some of these methods and consider them when seeking family or couples counseling. The bible is about salvation, truth, and sanctification and what that means to the practical life of each believer. These principles are all methods of Christian counseling, whether sought after in sessions, our private homes, or the Church pew. These methods are obtained by faith, wisdom, and seeking after biblical truth.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with seeking biblical Christian counseling, nor is it something to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. It is, however, vital that you get a good understanding of what counseling consists of, comes from, and by what methods are used in the post-modern world in which we all live. The legacy of Christian philosophy and theology documented, over time, through the word of God can bring wonderful methods and theories into the lives of families seeking guidance, reconciliation, and God’s truth. The key is not to be naïve in what you believe.

Bibliography

Kirby-Green, Gloria, and J. Elton Moore. “The Effects of Cyclical Psychodynamics Therapy on the Codependence of Families with Legally Blind Children.” Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness 95, no. 3 (March 2001): 167–72. https://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=suo&turl=https://search-ebscohost-com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pbh&AN=4255175&site=eds-live.

Sudem, Michael E.1, sudem@lasalle.edu, and Laura2 Eubanks Gambrel. “A Contextual Therapy Framework for MFT Educators: Facilitating Trustworthy Asymmetrical Training Relationships.” Journal of Marital & Family Therapy 43, no. 4 (October 2017): 617–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12224.

Yarhouse, Mark A., and James Nathan Sells. Family Therapies: a Comprehensive Christian Appraisal. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, an imprint of Intervarsity Press, 2017.

Footnotes:

[1] Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells, Family Therapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 15–16.

[2] Gloria Kirby-Green and J. Elton Moore, “The Effects of Cyclical Psychodynamics Therapy on the Codependence of Families with Legally Blind Children.,” Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness 95, no. 3 (March 2001): pp. 167-172, https://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=suo&turl=https://search-ebscohost-com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pbh&AN=4255175&site=eds-live.

 [3] Yarhouse and James, Family Therapies, 147-148.

[4] Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells, Family Therapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 157.

[5] Michael Sudem, sudem@lasalle.edu Sude and Laura2 Eubanks Gambrel, “A Contextual Therapy Framework for MFT Educators: Facilitating Trustworthy Asymmetrical Training Relationships.,” Journal of Marital & Family Therapy 43, no. 4 (October 2017): pp. 617-630, https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12224.

[6] Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells, Family Therapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 173.

[7] Michael E.1, sudem@lasalle.edu Sude and Laura2 Eubanks Gambrel, “A Contextual Therapy Framework for MFT Educators: Facilitating Trustworthy Asymmetrical Training Relationships.,” Journal of Marital & Family Therapy 43, no. 4 (October 2017): pp. 617-630, https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12224.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells, Family Therapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 192.

[10] Ibid, 199.

Social Justice And The Gospel: The Statement Framers Panel

This is a great discussion on a serious topic that is plaguing the modern Church community on a global scale. Take the time to watch it and start to examine where your Church lands on this topic. How much is the social justice movement influencing your pastors, priests, and leaders?

How Should One Die?

With the death tolls rising due to rioting, law-enforcement misconduct, and general hatred, R-Rated Religion thought it might serve the public by giving a theological look into death and dying. This is known as Thanatology, or the study of death (and yes this is where Thanos got his name).

than•a•tol•o•gy \ˌtha-nə-ˈtä-lə-jē\ noun
[Greek Thanatos + English -logy] circa 1842: the description or study of the phenomena of death and of psychological mechanisms for coping with them—than•a•to•log•i•cal \ˌtha-nə-tə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ adjective—than•a•tol•o•gist \-ə-ˈtä-lə-jist\ noun

With society thrust into chaos and identity political animous so rampant everywhere, looking into death and the process of dying seemed appropriate. So the question is: How should one die?

End of life (EOL) circumstances compel people into a world of thanatology that is both confusing and stressing. It is important, to the Christina way of life, to have a sound personal theology of death and dying that is pragmatic and deeply biblical. This article takes a stab, albeit minimally, at the question of how one should die while drilling down into theological doctrines that support such viewpoints. “To confront human mortality is a basic human need. Any theology that ignored death would be inadequate, and any philosophy of life that avoided providing an answer to death, superficial.”[1]

A good starting point is looking at the quality of life versus quantity of life issue. This is very relative in modern society because so much of what we see on television, in movies, and through social media is an obvious glorification of the rich and famous. Society has fully endorsed the view that life is all about quantity over quality. The more you can acquire the better your life must be, right? Case in point; we elected a reality television billionaire to the office of the President of the United States. Just a decade ago he was shaving Vince McMahon’s head at Wrestle Mania XXIII; remember perspective matters.  I am not sure you can get more egregious than that. Fame and fortune are king and America is the land of kingmakers. But is this view biblically sound? Does it comport with New Testament teaching? Of course not, that is self-evident. The Bible teaches believers to live a life of caution focusing on quality relationships lived out in the service of God and to one another:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19 ESV).

And what are treasures in heaven? The only thing that goes to heaven – people. This passage is very clear that an individual’s life should be measured by his/her good works and moral righteousness in the service to God’s Kingdom. Once you realize this elemental principle, you can view death or dying pragmatically and theologically.

Learning a good balance of quality of life with the quantity of life is rooted in truth perspectives. Some of these viewpoints are complicated and extremely hard to bear. The Bible holds a strong focus on the quality of life one is exhorted to lead underpinning God’s sovereign hold on everyone’s quantity of life. This points us to focus on living a good life in service to His kingdom while he blesses our life in kind. This narrative is played out everywhere in the Old Testament.

This puts people in a quandary of what does the quality of life means once we are confronted with actual sickness and disease. This question is metastasized when relating to EOL situations. A person’s view of their quality of life drastically changes once the issue of death or dying arises. “Quality of life is often related directly to the number of physical symptoms that the patient is experiencing. Controlling physical symptoms for the patient may be the key nursing intervention that impacts the patient’s overall QOL”[2] It often pits people’s comfort and control against God’s sovereign rule and brings into questions of mankind’s ability to control his/her own destiny. Just like in Eden, when men/women put their own will above that of God, it never turns out in their favor.

Not always are the physical effects of one’s prognosis or circumstance paramount to the quality of life. Some of us might be more concerned about the cognitive and mental abilities that are often sapped by disease, especially with a primary diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, dementia, or mental illness. “The Reisberg Functional Assessment Staging (FAST) scale can provide specific levels at which one may determine that a continued quantity of life is undesirable, given the diminished quality one is experiencing.”[3] This issue is so detrimental to EOL situations concerning mental illness and depression so much so that countless sufferers have opted out of life voluntarily in lieu of further medical treatment. Sound biblical doctrine in the realm of thanatology could have averted these situations or assuaged the stress they caused.

The key theme in balancing quality and quantity can be found in the book of Micah. When asked of what God requires of us, a simple but profound answer is given: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). As long as we follow His directives and live within His will while furthering His kingdom by loving one another, God will provide the perfect quantity that each of us requires, just as His sovereign reign is declared throughout the Bible:

“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it” (Isaiah 46:8-11 ESV).

Living within the will of God guarantees the quality of life God desires for us and when our end approaches, that quantity of life pressures and decisions line up with His sovereignty rather than the human need for control. Just as we cannot control the society around us or its chaotic direction, we cannot (with minor exceptions like health and physical wellness) fully control how we eventually meet our maker.

After-life Realities

Dealing with EOL circumstance and realities lead people to contemplate potential impacts on after-life outcomes. This goes to the heart of coming to grips with how one should die. The afterlife is the prize, or ultimum focus, of believing mortals. We, as Christians, look to the afterlife with reverence and anticipation whereas other realities see it as bleak, scary, or nebulous.

Practically, all death is scary. Ceasing to exist would be frightening to everyone; however, to the believer in Christ, death is just an open door to eventual glorification. It is the culmination of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, his promise of substitutionary atonement.[5] From this basis, death is a privilege afforded to those who live in Christ and walk in obedience to the will of God. Like most paradoxical scenarios that pit the Kingdom of God against the secular world, death is just the beginning!

Theologically this viewpoint has real-life realities in the here and now of the Christian life. Paul writes:

 “You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.  And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.  But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.  For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:36-41 ESV).

Paul is not only indicating a physical resurrection but fighting against the modern-day philosophy of the times in juxtaposition to ethical virtues and moral direction. As Paul Brown writes about first Corinthians fifteen; “Paul argued for the veracity and nature of the future bodily resurrection in light of the Greco-Roman mores of those who denied the future resurrection, and also proposes how right convictions called for moral obligation.”[6] Believing in the realities of the afterlife called into question our moral obligations of the hear and now. Obedience to the word and will of God leads us to Christ, that leads us to salvation, and eventual glorification.

The most difficult reality of the afterlife is judgment. If eternal salvation in heaven is the ultimum focus than eternity in hell due to an unjustified life lived should be the ultima bello suscipiendo deterreat (ultimate deterrent). Judgment should be viewed as something already bought and paid for by the work of Jesus Christ at Calvary; not something earned or worked for. Judgment is interlocked with resurrection; “and yet the judgment itself was associated with the resurrection of the dead and with the second coming of Jesus, which would take place at the end of history (Matt. 25:31–46)”.[7] To view judgment, void of the resurrection will surely throw one into the realm of disparity, torment, and guilt. When dealing with judgment, the believer embraces grace; anything else is a defeatist way of viewing the afterlife.

Challenges with EOL decisions and Public Policy

There is much to be debated and discussed when we think of EOL decisions. One highly debated encompasses challenges of integrating personal preferences and public policy in end-of-life standards and decisions. This topic pits the government against medical institutions against insurance entities against individuals and families. It becomes a hodgepodge of humanity subverting the sovereignty of God. When it comes down to these sensitive issues, we must realize one axiomatic fact: “that God is free and able to do all that he wills; that He reigns over all creation and that his will is the final cause of all things. This is often expressed in the language of kingship.”[8] Digging too deeply in the controversial tidings of how humanity controls and subverts death and dying should never elevate the Christian into believing death can be conquered without the hope of Jesus Christ; “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26 ESV).

This is to say that no one should ignore the division and perils of death and dying pitted against public policy and the establishment institutions. Fighting for health care and provisions during the dying process is a noble and worthwhile cause; however, it should be noted that it is a much more recent cause. Demetra M. Pappas writes: “Hoefler and Kamoie observe that before the turn of the century, there existed patient mortality rates of 25% and medical staff mortality rates of 10% per year; many members of both groups succumbed to acute infections derivative of their presence, rather than their role, in hospitals”[9] This shows the mere lunacy of viewing EOL conflicts with public policyholders or administrations centuries old. Context is important and it would behoove the populace that EOL challenges today are nothing like EOL challenges hallowed in the annuls of pre-modern medicine. In most cases, people died giving care to the people who were dying by the mere presence of location. It is valuable that we deal with death patiently and with steadfast obedience knowing God is working all things to his pleasure (Romans 8:28) and desires, that might include suffering (1 Peter 3:17) for His will above our own.

Death and dying situations might be the most difficult circumstance to meet God on His terms, not our own. It rips at the core of human existence, that death beckons us from birth. It is our innate will to fight death on all levels; philosophically, theoretically, and theologically. This could not be further from the truth. It is in death that Christians should embrace life and that life is found in the living, revealed, and written word of God. “God sustains his creation. He directs and guides all creatures to fulfill the purpose of their existence. In so doing, he is working out His eternal purpose in the lives of individuals and nations. That purpose finds its center in the church.”[10] This is known as divine providence and it is God’s way of showing mankind that His will be done, on earth as is in Heaven. A theology professor once said: “it is not until you actually understand death and that understanding now allows you to truly live.”

Bibliography

Anderson, Ray Sherman. Theology, Death, and Dying. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2012.

“Atonement Theory and Its Impact.” South University. MIN7561 W4L4, 2016. https://myclasses.southuniversity.edu/d2l/le/content/52238/viewContent/2092143/View.

Brown, Paul J. “Bodily Resurrection and Its Significance for Ethics: a Study of 1 Corinthians 15.” Trinity Journal 34, no. 1 (2013): 78–79. https://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=suo&turl=https://search-ebscohost-com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001941100&site=eds-live.

“Factors in the Equation.” South University. MIN7561 W2L2, 2016. https://myclasses.southuniversity.edu/d2l/le/content/52238/viewContent/2092134/View.

Manser, Martin H. Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009.

Nichols, Terence L. Death, and Afterlife: a Theological Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2010.

Pappas, D. M. “Recent Historical Perspectives Regarding Medical Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.” British Medical Bulletin 52, no. 2 (1996): 386–93. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a011554.

Sawyer, M. James. Survivor’s Guide to Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006.

Thompson, Shannon. “Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer: Quality of Life versus Quantity of Life.” Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Nursing 17, no. 1 (2007): 13–16. https://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=suo&turl=https://search-ebscohost-com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=106291023&site=eds-live.

Footnotes:

[1] Ray S. Anderson, Theology, Death and Dying (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2012), 1.

[2] Shannon Thompson, “Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer: Quality of Life versus Quantity of Life.,” Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Nursing 17, no. 1 (2007): pp. 13-16.

[3] “Factors in the Equation,” South University (MIN7561 W2L2, 2016), https://myclasses.southuniversity.edu/d2l/le/content/52238/viewContent/2092134/View.

[4]  Unless otherwise noted, all scripture is taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

[5] “Atonement Theory and Its Impact,” South University (MIN7561 W4L4, 2016), https://myclasses.southuniversity.edu/d2l/le/content/52238/viewContent/2092143/View.

[6] Paul J Brown, “Bodily Resurrection and Its Significance for Ethics: a Study of 1 Corinthians 15,” Trinity Journal 34, no. 1 (2013): pp. 78-79.

[7] Terence Nichols, Death and Afterlife: A Theological Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2010), 162.

[8] Martin H. Manser, Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

[9] D. M Pappas, “Recent Historical Perspectives Regarding Medical Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide,” British Medical Bulletin 52, no. 2 (January 1996): pp. 386-393, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a011554.

[10] M. James Sawyer, The Survivor’s Guide to Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 298.

A Crass Biblical Commentary on the Riots!

Riots Cause More Death!

The death of George Floyd, however tragic and unjustified, has echoed carnage and chaos that few could have predicted. I, for one, am tired of pundits coming onto television programs with long admonishments of the death of Floyd before condemning the riots, as if one is inexplicably tied to the other. Why do we have to preface our denunciation of murder before we can weigh in on mass destruction and lawless behavior? Everyone can agree that murder is wrong. I think that matter is settled. No one likes murder or thinks that murdering someone based on their skin color is laudable. Those who do only find their voice on fringe social media outlets or MSNBC. Stop race-baiting us fair-minded Americans!

This is how the left has hijacked the conversation. It is like when you see someone denounce slavery before they make a case against the absurdities of reparations, or when someone feels like they need to inform you of their gay/lesbian third cousin before they give you their opinion on gay marriage. Why are we so scared of having a sane opinion? Because of fear, and look and where that has led us. Cities nationwide (and oddly organized) being destroyed, rioters hurting others, and now lives being lost. Does the death of Geroge Floyd suddenly become vindicated when this Federal Protection Service Officer was killed? When does the insanity stop?

The sad truth is that it never stops. The social media genie is out of its bombastic bottle and that hatred and animous of the masses are never going back in. Take a few minutes and scroll through the acrimony online, from both sides, of what they think is going on in America. Many are blaming Trump, others are defending officer Chauvin, some blame fake-news, while many indict socialism. No cool heads out there at all.  This is an American shit-show of epic proportions!

One lady on Facebook was feuding with someone else on Facebook by blaming all this chaos on Trump’s wall…yeah, that makes sense. In an attempt to assuage the hostility; allow me to commentate on these events for the cooler heads out there and anyone else  who may need this too makes sense:

The death of George Floyd is tragic and horrible. Any sane person wishes it never happened. We expect justice to be served swiftly and without prejudice. As members of the faith-based community, we are tasked to not only pray for the family members of George Floyd but that of officer Chauvin and his family, that will no doubt come under persecution and discrimination. In addition, we are entrusted to pray for the justice system and people in authority who shall be called to carry out said justice. George Floyd is the victim, his assailant was the officer Chauvin. The alledged (remember innocent until proven guilty) crime is murder. Likewise, in the riots, the rioters are the assailants. The victims are business owners (some are people of color) and now federal officials. The crime is tyranny, destruction of public (and private) property, and now murder. One is not better than the other and one does not justify the other. They both suck!

Now, if that did not make sense to you or, in effect, further enraged you as to the social injustice in America: YOU ARE THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION. My advice to you is to shut down all your social media accounts, withdraw from University where you major in women’s gender/diversity studies, and purchase a King James Bible (old faithful) immediately. Open it to the book of Matthew and read until you realize what TRUTH is.  God, and humanity, do not need your voice out there mucking up sane discourse for the rest of us. God Bless!

All Girl Boy Scout Troop???

All Girl Boyscout Troup?????

Is anyone finding this funny? Who can see the corrosive nature in this? How does this make any sense? The answer, unfortunately is the cancel culture of the American left, specifically new-wave feminism. It is dangerous, unbiblical, and anti-men. I would like to say that I feel sorry for the Boyscouts of America but they had given up the fight decades ago. This was just a matter of time.

Instead of re-shaping the Girl Scouts to cater to the needs of a more aggressive outdoor itinerary, they have attacked the BCA (Boy Scouts of America) and invaded it. This is so typical of the feminist left. The article opens with: "Anything boys can do, girls can do, too;" as if that is what men are debating these days. Men have surrendered that ground decades ago and continue to be culturally pummeled by aggressive feminism everywhere. It has turned the average male into a whiney, controlled, yes-man; eagerly to please any female within ear-shot in fear of being called a misogynist. We can partly thank the #MeToo movement for only exacerbating this issue [see our earlier post that tackles this issue: https://rratedreligion.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/im-a-hypocrite-me-too-exposing-the-hypocrisy-of-hollywoods-me-too-contradiction/].

The logic behind this should be offensive to women who care about cultivating their own identity separate from men. Why not re-cast the girl scouts to offer more historically masculine badgework? No, that doesn't go far enough. They have to actually transmogrify the Boy Scouts to fit their narratives. This troop is a troop of all girls wearing Boy Scout uniforms; how asinine is that? Think about the pure idiocy of this: Girls wanting to be scouts, but not girls scouts, they want to be boy scouts,  still as girls, but as boy scouts, still as girls! What?????? It is almost too stupid to write.

This has Romans 1 written all over it and is what happens when we give up our Christian prerogatives to please the secular world; "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness" (Romans 1:28 ESV). Can you really blame feminism for this? I think not entirely. The BSA ushered this in years ago when they allowed mission drift in the organization and slowly, over time, stepped further and further away from their Christian roots. This is what happens when you allow the pressures of secular social change to strip away Christlike discipleship in your organization. This may seem harsh but the truth is so often harsher than can be realized, it is why people are so averse to it.

Pray for these girls, their parents, the troop leaders, and the Boy Scouts of America. But most of all, pray for radical feminism in America, and on a global scale, it is deconstructing the family while attacking biblical family doctrine worldwide.

Conflict - A Biblical Look

The term conflict invokes mostly negative connotations within secular societies, faith-based communities, and religious organizations. Aside from competitive sports or sanctioned debate, conflict comes with a certain amount of baggage that tends to send those involved into fits of angst or anxiety. Concerning the theological nature of conflict; biblical doctrine provides a much more positive acceptance on this age-old pejorative that gives us all, as persons of faith, a chance to use conflict for the glory of God and the good of humanity. Moreover, the Bible gives us many examples of how to properly respond to conflict while ensuring that we serve God, and each other, with a healthy attitude and proper response.

Although the subject of conflict and the biblical look into how we handle conflict, as believers, is too vast a topic to answer is a simple article, we will look at just one aspect of doctrine: the Sovereignty of God and His relationship to humans during times of conflict. Ultimately sound theology always goes back to God. It is His glory and His worship that should prevail in all situations between human to human struggle; "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36 ESV). Sovereignty is a controversial subject so we will not open that pandora's box, at least not yet. Suffice it to say that R-Rated Religion holds the position that God has complete and utter sovereignty in all matters, in all situations, and concerning all subjects, and has had this from the beginning of time until the end of time, and beyond. This is important in that it is the theological underpinnings of why we attempt to bring in the triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to our conflicting situations.

Relating to the character of conflict inherent in scripture; “the Bible teaches that we should see conflict neither as an inconvenience nor as an occasion to force our will on others, but rather as an opportunity to demonstrate the love and power of God in our lives.^[1]” We saw this in Genesis with God’s promise to give Sarah and Abraham a child. Sarah's willingness to force her will over the will of God to bear her a child in old age had a catastrophic effect that still plagues the middle-east, to this day, with hatred and resentment. Think of the generations of conflict spawned from this inability to allow God’s sovereign promise through patience. We must not put our will over that of God’s. Much like suffering, conflict allows God to show us our true nature in congruency with his grace and mercy. When we rush to judge others in times of strife, before allowing God to intervene and mediate, we tend to lose sight of true grace over self-indignation; “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13 ESV).

Pertaining to how we answer these issues, Ken Sande writes: “Conflict provides opportunities to glorify God, to serve others, and to grow to be like Christ. These opportunities, which are sometimes described as being faithful to God, being merciful to others, and acting justly ourselves, are commended throughout Scripture.^[2]” Christians need to take these instances of conflict as opportunities to glorify God in all things (2 Corinthians 4:15). Once we do that, we can then realize that this is actually an opportunity to serve one another for the glory of God. This is hard to do but will yield results not normally imagined in our secular society. It is best to view conflict as a means of opening biblical erudition by bringing all members involved into the wisdom and logic of the word of God. We can use scripture to teach and guide ourselves out of strife while enriching our witness and Christlike discipleship.  “Conflict is especially effective in breaking down appearances and revealing stubborn pride, a bitter and unforgiving heart, or a critical tongue. ^[3]” These issues are at the core of most contentious situations; however, scripture deals directly with all problems giving guidance and understanding to all the parties involved.

This barely scratches the surface of biblical conflict. Look for more articles on this subject as we will circle back on this topic, from time-to-time,  with more in-depth situations and theological topics that relate to strife and acrimony.

In closure, I believe one constant is evidently pervasive throughout the entirety of both testaments; that conflict is inevitable and without cause to distinguish anytime soon. From the first book of Genesis to Revelations, and all the books in between, conflict is continual and ubiquitous. It seems to be at the core of every teaching in scripture. One could conclude that understanding conflict, and its place in our history and faith will better advance one’s understanding of God’s grace in our lives when handling suffering, defeat, and triumph; "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). It is through conflict that we allow God to reconcile our differences; that we can successfully overcome correlated strongholds in the secular world so riddled with strife. So the next time you find yourself embroiled in conflict, with yourself, a loved one, or an enemy, focus on how that brings Glory to God by abiding in His word. It will get you through your trouble one-hundred percent of the time. The Bible guarantees it! 

Footnotes:
^[1] Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, 3rd ed. (Baker Books, 2004), pg. 31.
^[2] Ibid, 40-41.
^[3] Ibid, 37.

Bibliography:
Sande, Ken. The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict. 3rd ed., Baker Books, 2004.

"Theodicy"​ (the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil.)

The issue of suffering is probably the most controversial and dogmatic of our time. The question of mankind's suffering is deep-seated and relativistic to every person who populates this great global community. Countless man-hours have been poured into books, lectures, debates, etc. about the issue of suffering; leading us all to no congruent answer. No matter the interpretation or hermeneutical conclusion, suffering exists and it is here to stay. The existence of suffering in the world is as enigmatic and exploratory as the creation and exploration of the cosmos. However, I will charge us all with just one principle concerning this issue: Do not fret with which you have no control.

Ultimately God has the only answer to his benevolence and our suffering. It is an important issue and very dear to some of us who have suffered so much. There have been very insightful authors in the last century that have published extensively interpreting God’s place, relative to our pain, in the world. In some circumstances, we do have the ability to prevent suffering from grasping hold of our lives. How many times do we inflict the pain in our lives, through random acts of buffoonery or carelessness? Moreover, how often is our suffering derived from the lack of implementing God’s purpose in our lives?

But the crux of the “suffering question” stems from those situations that are based out of uncontrollable accountancy. How do we account for God’s grace in the natural suffering of innocence or repentance? It is out of this question that I should base my hypothesis.

I just want to give a basic theme to help assuage our testimony regarding the postulation of suffering. Do not dwell on what caused suffering in our lives, but give focus on what it can bring to our future. Dr. Ravi Zacharias asked in his book The Grand Weaver, “How can you meet God in all your appointments and your disappointments?” If you are spending all your time in grief wondering why this has happened to you (or another), how can you see what good God can bring to you out of it? We need to remember our faith, and God’s promise: “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor], all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ABV) He has the capacity to subvert evil, bringing good in its aftermath. God will find a way to turn our suffering into either peace or a testament to his favor. This may be hard at times, but we have to keep the faith and not sit in pity for circumstances.

Suffering is a matter of point of reference. Remember the old colloquialism “there are two sides to every story;” let’s change that to “there are two sides to every story of suffering.” On the one side there is pain, grief, and accountancy: why am I hurting; I can’t take this pain anymore God; why have you done this to me Lord? We either blame God for this peril in our life (as if it were God’s fault) or we question why he allowed this to happen to us. On the other side of suffering are humility, reverence, and faith. Humility is required to understand that we are going through something important and trying. We need to understand that anger or pity doesn’t help the situation. Reverence: that God is here with us and hasn’t left us. God is going through this with us. Faith means the understanding that no matter the circumstance, Jesus Christ will find a way to turn this tragedy into triumph.

Notice I didn’t use the word optimism. So many people try to convince us to find the good in all things. To find the joy in pain. Be positive about your troubles. Is your cup half-full or half-empty? I ask you if the cup contains poison in it, does it matter if it is half-full or half-empty? How are we to be positive about a two-year-old with terminal cancer? What joy can be found in the decimation of thousands due to a natural disaster? What good can be found of a child raped by his/her family member?

If we walk around looking for jubilation in suffering, we will find only skepticism and doubt. Let me put forth a scenario given in history; how exhilarated was Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. But we can ask what did the crucifixion bring to all of us? How about the salvation of all mankind and the ability for eternal life?

Our suffering should draw us closer to God not away from him. We need to use the suffering in our lives to enrich our testimony and help comfort others who are hurting alongside us. Suffering can be a gift if you allow it to be. People tend to resonate better with empathy than they do with sympathy.

We can all sit around and feel sorry for ourselves and pity one another. We can sit in classrooms filled with doubt and blame. We can even question the existence of God in the presence of such unexplainable atrocities. Ultimately, will this stop the pain from happening? Good things happen to bad people. Bad things happen to good people. Questioning the existence of suffering in our life is like trying to predict tomorrow; you cannot quantify what has yet come to pass. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Roman 8:18 KJV) God will use our pain as his instrument for good. Our successes, trials, and tribulations will be the composition of our testimony. Stay steadfast in your devotion to God, and all the faith of his promise to carry you through all things. The suffering of man will extrapolate the testament of his potential.

                   Bibliography

Zacharias, Ravi. The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007.

Charismatic Movement: Defining Key Terms | Justin Peters & Costi Hinn - ...

This is one part of an entire series SO4J-TV featuring an in-depth discussion with Justin Peters and Costi Hinn. We strongly recommend that you take the time and listen to this. They do a great job of outlining the Charismatic movement, its origins, theologies, and heresies. If you happen to know people in these movements, these discussions will help you understand it with clarity and love. If you only have time to watch one, this is the one you should take the time to watch.



For further reading look to Strange Fire by John Macarthur Jr. and Defining Deception by Costi Hinn. Remember, never be naive in what you believe, faith is something you work at, not just hold. God Bless!

Science Vs. Religion

One of the biggest areas of diversity disparity between church and community is the notion that science and religion are unable to co-exist. This notion of science versus religion debacle is ruining faith in our youth and unifies an unhealthy stereotype that followers of Christ are illogical, stupid, or uneducated. This growing disparity is slowly dissipating, in the last decade or two, but not without its resistance from both sides of the aisle.

Typical what lies at the root of this opposition is evolution. People tend to conflate all of science with evolution. According to Pew Research, “The rejection of evolution by most evangelicals is largely mirrored by their churches, such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which explicitly reject the evolutionary theory as conflicting with what they see as biblical truth.”[1] The church seems to exacerbate this topic, leading many of its followers to reject most of the science; or at the least, highly skeptical of its use and function.

You can trace this feud back to the early stages of modern science. The Roman Catholic Church took issues with what many scientists were concluding in their findings and research. This did not pose a threat to the Bible; however, it did threaten what certain prominent theologians were saying about the origins of the Universe. It was “the church” that got it wrong, not the scientist. On the contrary, many early scientists were theologians of devout faith. The father of modern science, Galileo, was a deep man of faith that viewed science as a way of discovering how God reveals his glory through nature, not in opposition to it. For this, he was highly persecuted. Giordano Bruno, an Italian friar and an ordained priest, was put to death for the crime of heresy,  by the Roman Catholic Church in 1600 for his views in astrology.

Ironically it was another religious movement (the Scopes trial of 1925) that advanced the spread of evolutionary teaching in public schools which have been upheld by the supreme court concerning the separation of church and state. According to Pew Research Center; “In spite of efforts in many American states and localities to ban the teaching of evolution in public schools or to teach alternatives to evolution, courts in recent decades have consistently rejected public school curricula that veer away from evolutionary theory.”[2] In an attempt to ban evolutionary theory taught in public schools it did the very opposite. It is the faith community that has cut off its nose to spite its face and continues to drive the younger generation into the arms of evolution.

Over the centuries, as mankind was making some of its greatest contributions to society, the Church was destroying what they refused to understand. You could imagine the line in the sand this did to future men of faith, who had a passion for scientific discovery. Logically this makes perfect sense; if someone in history had a propensity for mathematics, biology, or physics, but key religious figures openly attack their methodologies because it did not comport to their subjective biblical interpretation; wouldn’t people begin to question the validity of that interpretation?

This is what undergirds the whole theological/scientific battle for authority. One of the enormous problems with mankind is not owning our faulty history. All too often are past discretions left forgotten, but it never stops us from repeating them again. You don’t have to embrace the past, to own the past. Many orthodox religions of today are still toying with this conundrum. The United State is seeing this with post-modernism and subjective truth theory; just read the book of Judges: “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jdg 17:6 ESV).

The answer to this disparity is a community of faith-based scientists who espouse the peaceful co-existence of the Bible and scientific study. This then needs to be supported and promulgated by church communities across the globe, not resisted. Dr. Hugh Ross has been heading projects like these since the early nineties with his Reason to Believe website and lectures.[3] Likewise, Dr. Francis Collins, who headed the human genome project, founded Biologo.org; “BioLogos invites the church and the world to see the harmony between science and biblical faith as we present an evolutionary understanding of God’s creation.”[4] This organization is rolling out a curriculum that presents the evolutionary theory and intelligent design to be taught in schools from of scientific/biblical perspective. Although the aforementioned organizations attempt to answer this disparity of science and religion, it is still being met with much opposition from both the scientific community and the global catholic (small c) church.

Our passion for the Bible and truth, as disciples of Christ, is what makes this topic so relative to daily living. However, our lack of understanding of subjects from a contextual basis is what divides us about interpretation. Dennis Okholm writes; “The wide recognition that all theology is contextual represents a stunning transformation of how one thinks about theology.”[5] Just as we can only derive sound doctrine from the book of scripture by understanding the contextualization in the text; we can only understand the book of nature revealed to us from God by understanding the science that it comes out of. Science viewed from a purely biblical standpoint is no more blasphemous as the Bible viewed from a purely scientific perspective. Both sides need to discard bias and work together for the truth. This is how we overcome and spread the good news of God’s plan of salvation for mankind. Notice when people are arguing over creation days, seas parting, and fish swallowing prophets nowhere is the Gospel being proclaimed.

Bibliography

Collins, Dr. Francis S. “About BioLogos.” About Us. Accessed October 30, 2018. https://biologos.org/about-us.

Masci, David. “5 Facts about Evolution and Religion.” Pew Research Center. October 30, 2014. Accessed October 30, 2018. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/30/5-facts-about-evolution-and-religion/.

Okholm, Dennis L. The Gospel in Black and White: Theological Resources for Racial Reconciliation. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997.

Ross, Dr. Hugh. “Debating Denominational Differences While Non-Christians Watch.” Home. Accessed October 30, 2018. https://www.reasons.org/.

[1] David Masci, “5 Facts about Evolution and Religion,” Pew Research Center, October 30, 2014, accessed October 30, 2018, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/30/5-facts-about-evolution-and-religion/.

[2] David Masci, “5 Facts about Evolution and Religion,” Pew Research Center, October 30, 2014, accessed October 30, 2018, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/30/5-facts-about-evolution-and-religion/.

[3] Dr. Hugh Ross, “Debating Denominational Differences While Non-Christians Watch,” Home, accessed October 30, 2018, https://www.reasons.org/.

[4] Dr. Francis S. Collins, “About BioLogos,” About Us, accessed October 30, 2018, https://biologos.org/about-us.

[5] Dennis L. Okholm, The Gospel in Black and White: Theological Resources for Racial Reconciliation (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 38.