I recently withdrew from a Church of England forum due to the nature of the dialogue that is proceeding there at present. The discussions had previously been relatively harmonious as there was general agreement on the interpretation and authority of Scripture. Those who posted there mostly adhered to a plain interpretation of the Word of God, understanding that His revealed truth was imparted through the use of numerous literary styles in the Bible but that, for the most part, the essentials were not at all ambiguous. From time to time others appeared who held different points of view, and some enthusiastic discussions have taken place. Where there was genuine inquiry, humility in learning, respect shown each other, and an effort to listen, hear and understand, these differences among us were well tolerated and often spurred folk on to further study and learning. What was never helpful were those posts carrying ad hominem attacks, accusations, quibbling, prideful point scoring, and irrelevant petty squabbles.

The forum was in many ways a stronghold of conservative Biblical Christianity. It was a comfortable place to call “home” if one’s Christianity was based on that plain interpretation of Scripture. Those who had visited other Church forums where the theological background was clearly more “liberal” and culturally flavoured usually beat a hasty retreat and returned to tell how they were eaten alive by “inclusive” members unable to tolerate the conservative stance on what constitutes sin. Back on our “home” forum we could engage in discussions without being pounced upon, and free from the endlessly repetitive necessity to present our apologia.

Of late, many besides myself have stayed away. Some have made odd posts hoping to steer the conversation towards something more worthy with various reminders of our spiritual inheritance, but for the most part it is no longer a very pleasant place to visit. Far from encouraging me to return to the Church of England, the point made that the Church contains a broad range of views with the necessity that we all tolerate those of each other, has actually pushed me further away. Moral relativism is the way of the world, not the way of God. The range of views is too broad when Jesus is reported as saying:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
(Matthew 7:13,14)

The liberal intrusion that berates those beckoning towards the narrow gate has spoiled the forum for me - and no, it is not that my Christianity is fragile and cannot withstand the challenge, but that I am so tired of endlessly refuting accusations and presenting apologia to those who have no wish to listen nor respectfully accept the validity that it claims, or to properly engage with the content imparted. The beliefs I am referring to are entirely consistent with the various articles of faith within the Church of England, part of its doctrine shared with other mainstream denominations, Biblically supported, and have been held traditionally for centuries without change. Just now I need to walk away from these attacks on our Faith. The wolves have got in with the sheep and while the wolves believe in their disguise, consider themselves sheep and not wolves, the true sheep on that forum know the voice of their Shepherd and many are staying well clear of that pen.

However, having said that… I am not always enamoured by what I see posted by way of rebuttal. It is sad to see unfounded nonsense, bickering noise, ad hominem attacks and the like posted as some defence of the Truth. Debate needs to be respectful, rational, relevant and well researched. I have never been terribly keen on labels for people as my experience is such that people do not fit tidily into category boxes. Parts tend to hang out, the box not being completely the right shape. And so it is not all false teaching that I hear from the mouths of “liberals” as there are also beliefs we share in common. My greatest concern is where essential matters of Truth are distorted, not the little details that have minor importance. And we must take care to be sure we are hearing what the other really is saying - not just listening to our own prejudices projected on to the other instead.

I see two things in particular that, as components of culture, are wrecking havoc on the Christianity of the Gospel. One is the notion that we are basically good whereas in fact we are born sinners and naturally inclined towards evil, unable to measure up by our own efforts to the character of our holy God. The other is the notion that Truth is relative, whereas in fact it is absolute. Both these things are denied or skewed in some form or another by liberals. “Inclusivity” has become a Christian virtue to them, disregarding the actual exclusivity of the Christian faith, and repentance is no longer required - or not in all cases. It is my own belief that all certainly are invited, but that many exclude themselves by scorning repentance and the self denial (taking up one’s cross) required of discipleship. In speaking with others Jesus required of them their repentance, and the Holy Spirit then works within us to transform us into His likeness, a new self altogether that is holy and righteous - not the old sinful self trying hard to be something it can never ever be. We become new creations in Him, not our old sinful selves simply condoned. So liberals are indeed preaching and teaching something quite different from the Christianity that I know, and listening to those on the forum simply confirms that for me. It does more than confirm matters - it sickens me. Since moral relativism is their brief, they can parade inclusivity and look so virtuous, telling us to leave if we don’t like it, narrow-minded bigots that we are for expecting repentance of the “good” folk who believe they are Christians. But it is not our brief, so it cannot be our church if that is really what Anglicanism is about.

I have not left that forum as I like to keep my options open, and I will likely post there again when the wolves have got tired of tormenting the sheep and moved on. Meanwhile, I was delighted to read what my online friend, August, has written to his blog just lately - click here - and to know that I am not alone in being “left cold” by the unworthy behaviour on some Christian forums.

It isn’t all that big just yet. At least, not nearly as big as it will get in time. But already towering above the roof of the house, our very own “NZ Christmas Tree” is quite a pretty sight just now. Although we are currently having “the summer that didn’t happen” and the coldest one on record, these Pohutukawa trees have been flowering prolifically and for quite some time almost everywhere. Some have already dropped their red stamens, creating a dense scarlet carpet all around them. Before that the ground was a bright golden yellow from the fallen Kowhai blossoms. Now when it rains, little streams of red run along the gutters and into the drains. I wonder what colour carpet we will have next. My roses are a mass of blossom so maybe pink and white will be Mother Nature’s next redecorating decision.

I just happened to be reading from a little book of “scriptural reflections of promise and hope” written by James R. Welter who happened to point out how the image of a garden symbolizes an intimate relationship with God. This is what he has to say:

The story of our relationship with God begins and ends in a garden! It begins in the book of Genesis with the story of creation. We are given a beautiful image of God, who “comes down” and walks in the garden with Adam. It reveals to us the intimate relationship God has with his creation, and it is a precursor to God “coming down” in human form to be one with us.

So it isn’t surprising to see Jesus spend his last night talking with his Father in a garden. And it is fitting, too, that Mary Magdalene first encounters the Risen Lord in a garden.

So does that offer you a new perspective on being outside among the plants? I will have to ponder that as I go pull the weeds that have grown mightily this “summer that didn’t happen”.

Postscript:
There is a little war going on within the workings of Judah’s Journal just at present. If you are viewing with IE as your browser, you may find the conflict causes part of the image here to be obscured. Viewing in Mozilla Firefox instead will probably solve that for you. Hopefully my kind and clever friend, Visiblesoul, might have it fixed for me very soon.

Yes he has! Thankies DKC.

My son had called me to come and look at a magnificent rainbow that had formed in the darkening liquid grey sky to the east - a full semicircle, vivid colours with a repeat outer image. As we were gazing in that direction, completely absorbed in its beauty, I noticed the subtle change in light to something more golden. We turned and looked westward. Dusk was beginning to settle and the sun was sinking in the mid-evening sky, the promise of a glorious sunset forthcoming. And the promise was indeed fulfilled. I grabbed my camera and here above is the stunning result.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Modern liberal theology holds that the message of the Bible has to be adapted, more or less, to the requirements of a secular world. This process of debasing Christianity leads, in the long run, to a complete perversion and falsification of the essence of Christianity. The real Gospel becomes replaced by a social gospel. The denial of self becomes the satiation of self. Happiness is made out to be ours by right, to be sought; a must to be provided. We are, after all, deserving little gods made in the image of the Creator God. And when we do wrong, we are “only human after all” which is an excuse, a salve to deaden the conscience, to expunge the guilt because who can blame us, who can throw the first stone, who can be so hard-hearted not to understand and know it was all to do with how we were raised and all that?

Yes, it does have something to do with how we were raised… if we were raised on the social gospel instead of the Gospel of Christ.

It’s quite funny when you read something you wrote quite a while ago and had practically forgotten that you had ever written it. I came across one of such things on the newly made-over website of a friend. It was quite properly there, because that is where it was first published - and I think it is somewhere near the beginning of Judah’s Journal as well, back in the very early days stuff. I daren’t go looking - too many cobwebs! But it is kind of “On Topic” with several other blog entries of two online friends of mine, so here are the links:

1. What I wrote:
The Proof of the Pudding…

…comes from eating your vegies.

The church that I once attended had a hugely charismatic Vicar who drew a full congregation every Sunday evening. He was a big-hearted seeming man with a real gift for oratory, a poetic way with words, and penchant for telling anecdotes as parables. We loved to settle down and listen as his words flowed over us, stirring all kinds of feelings in our hearts and souls. I still remember a number of these tragic-romantic stories although I'm not exactly sure I can say what the rest of the message was about. It was excellent “feel good” stuff, and we left the church each Sunday evening with the week's stress washed from our faces, vaccinated against the Mondayitis that had threatened to cloud over in another few hours. It was like eating dessert without having to deal with one's vegetables first.
read more

2. What Puritan Lad wrote:
John the Baptist: Seeker Sensitive Version

3. What Puritan Lad wrote before that:
The Babbling Tower of Emotional Health

4. What August wrote too:
Back to the Gospel

Postscript ~

5. And what Puritan Lad has written since:
The Idol of Self-Esteem

…and may 2007 be a good one for all of us!

For myself, almost anything has to be better than the previous two years. Sad but true. They have been tough, and rough. I guess the best thing to do with them now is save all the good from them - lessons learned, wisdom increased, the fact that the sun still shines, that life goes on, and that new opportunities of many kinds appear on awakening every morning. There is always hope… that this day will be better than the previous one, that this New Year will be better than the last. But there is far more than that to it all.

Every day is a gift. I wake up alive, I can see, I can hear, I can move. I have food to eat, a place to call home, family and friends who love me, and useful things to be doing. I am needed and wanted and even more than that, a book given me for Christmas by a good friend bears the author’s personalized inscription “J—, God loves you!” I believe him. Amazing but true.

What do you think is your purpose in being alive? I am sure your answer will be related to your world view. Is it to be happy and have enough things go well so you stay happy? Or has it nothing to do with that?

While wishing you all a Happy New Year, I also know that (from my Christian world view) one’s purpose in life does not centre around happiness. We are creatures of the Creator and our purpose is linked to His Will for each one of us. The Presbyterians will say we are here “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” and that makes sense to me. It is not about US - it is about HIM and who He is. Instead of seeking our own happiness, we are told to deny ourselves in faithful service to Him. But that is not as bad as it sounds as ultimate rewards are in store…

Matthew 16: 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”

And even although my last two years were tough and rough, one important lesson I learned was that personal happiness and self-seeking can be forfeited and when done so for Him, the reward is even better - His joy and His peace becomes ours instead.

Give yourself a treat and click on the link to read this short but delightful essay called Joy by Peter Kreeft.
Excerpt:

Joy is more than happiness, just as happiness is more than pleasure. Pleasure is in the body. Happiness is in the mind and feelings. Joy is deep in the heart, the spirit, the center of the self.

The way to pleasure is power and prudence. The way to happiness is moral goodness. The way to joy is sanctity, loving God with your whole heart and your neighbor as yourself.

Maybe it hasn’t been so bad after all.