Breaking Bad Idols

I guest post by Brian Smith:

The farmer, athlete, and soldier…now there are three admirable vocations. Everyone looks up to them. The apostle Paul used them as examples of nobility and faithfulness that is as true today as it was two millennia ago when he wrote his young protégé Timothy. We today add to that pantheon doctors, astronauts, police and firemen, and cowboys (not Dallas). Dare I say it: we vocationally idolize them. We also get movies and TV shows that uphold that adulation.

But I’m a chemist…I get the media image of Breaking Bad and its anti-hero Walter White.

With the rare exception of praise that comes from creating some wonder drug (but betcha can’t name the inventor of penicillin), my vocation has a public image that ranks a little above politicians, pimps, prostitutes, and tax collectors- abject sinners, the lot of them. But even lawyers get Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mocking Bird to buck up the heart of every sleazy ambulance chaser. My positive movie example comes from Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) where a chemist prepares and distills a natural oil to help a boy in dire medical condition. Even then he only shuffles in, does his lab work, and shuffles out…not an awe inspiring portrayal. Otherwise, I get the stock evil scientist working for the big evil villain in James Bond movies. But then came Walter White on the scene, a character I can’t so easily dismiss or ignore.

Breaking Bad chronicles the life of an overqualified high school chemistry teacher after he gets a medical death sentence from cancer. He turns to use his skills to make only enough illegal drugs to build a nest egg for his family after his demise. But his best laid initial plans go awry as he gets consumed by his new career and his cancer goes into remission. The bitter fruit piles up as he is tailed by the Feds, encounters workplace violence in ways we can’t imagine, and family dissolution. But he’s hooked and eventually proclaims “I’m in the empire business.” And guess who the emperor is?

Despite seeing only the final few episodes of the series, I see some vocational lessons and cautionary tales beyond the obvious (don’t make illicit drugs). I don’t make meth, or even wonder drugs. I make chemicals that go into cleaners for things as different as fabrics, metal ores, automobiles, and glass. It is fun and I enjoy it; no, I really enjoy it.

I must admit, part of my lament on the non-appreciation for my vocation stems from it being once on a lofty perch of admiration. DuPont’s slogan was “Better Living through Chemistry” and people believed it. Nat Geo even did a 40 page article on the wonders of chemistry (way back in 1938, “Chemists Make a New World”). Like Stinky Pete in Toy Story 2 who sums up the decline of cowboy toys due to the two evil words “Sput Nik”, kids also haven’t gotten chemistry sets for Christmas since the days of The Lone Ranger and, er, Woody’s Roundup. Irresponsible dumping of chemical waste gave my industry a black eye that has yet to fade. I’m reminded of that when we give lab tours to school kids and I ask them the question, “What’s a chemical?” the answers invariably revolve around the words, “poison, dangerous, it’ll kill you”. I then try to reset their thoughts by saying that everything in the universe is a chemical but then I destroy that point by later melting a penny with nitric acid (a poisonous, dangerous chemical that’ll kill you).

So, being vocationally love-lost, I found the anti-hero Walter White oddly enthralling (I admit that not seeing all five seasons of his decent into hell aided the allure). As justice requires of a life overflowing with evil, lies, greed, judgment, and death, in the end, he gets wounded as he exacts revenge on his enemies while showing a surprising act of grace. His life sinks apace as he draws his last strength to go to the lab. O, how my vocational heart soared as he lovingly touches and pats his “special love”, his bright and shiny stainless steel reactor, the source of his Empire of Dirt. I begin to think of my “special love”, my half-gallon titanium reactor. His final act is his bloody hand sliding off the reactor as his empire slips from his grasp, lubricated by his own blood. Strains of Badfinger begin to play…”I guess I got what I deserved…”

Wow, what an end. But as I reveled in the attention garnered by a character who I could generally identify with and who “got it” regarding the technical affection for the trade I ply and enjoy, I caught myself and wondered how I got hooked by someone who actually “lost it” in every other way imaginable.

So from where and how did this absurd idol surge forward?

It starts when I put my self-affirmation eggs in my vocation basket. Our work should provide a positive source of pride by knowing we serve the needs of others through vocation. But going overboard, I say to others (not out loud), “Just try living without what I provide for you, buddy” (in my case, the stuff you need to clean your stuff). You do it too. But don’t forget that Adam Smith’s profound Division of Labor concept gets out of balance when we devalue what we enjoy at the hand of others. In math terms, when viewed as a simple fraction, if my life contributions are the numerator and is huge in my mind, and your contributions are the denominator and is so tiny in my mind that it may as well be zero, then the term is by definition undefined…because you can’t divide by zero…there is no answer…you can’t get there from here…and life doesn’t work since such a life-calculation doesn’t work. The apostle Paul made the same point to 1^st century Christians in Corinth by challenging them to comparing their roles to parts of the body that need each other, regardless of perceived value, to live and thrive. Life gets non-functional and really ugly otherwise.

We can also over-extend our vocational strengths and capabilities so they become our weakness and downfall. And you don’t have to go from high school chemistry teacher to meth maker to make the point. Engineers are great manipulators of nature’s laws to design, build, and run things. But it is interesting that two of the least successful presidents of the 20^th century were engineers: Hoover and Carter. They couldn’t design a well-engineered America since the hearts of men aren’t as easily manipulated as nature’s laws to desired ends. Many failures in the 1930’s and ‘70’s resulted because their pride led them to extrapolate well beyond their useful data. God laughs at those who like to play “social engineer”, I think.

He also laughs at scientists who extrapolate their prowess to the dangerous philosophy of Scientism (all of life is governed and explained by nature’s laws. It is the high-priestly pursuit of the scientist to discover and explain and use truths to the betterment of the masses, unwashed and ignorant sheep that they are). Real danger ensues when they cozy up with politicians. Scientists can be arrogant in a way and it leads to lofty thoughts of self-importance and superiority because of supposed brain-power.

We are not wrong to want some validation from how we spend most of our lives’ waking hours. But it must not be our ultimate validation. Reminders are there to prod us to avoid life-validation from our work. For instance, most people don’t take or have the time to consider the intricate and subtle benefits we bring to each other. So don’t spend your time grousing about the foolish blindness of others to your contributions to their lives (chances are you don’t fully appreciate them either). It’s a self-assuring but isolating idol to self. No wonder the evil, maniacal scientist is such a persistent stereotype…”Fools, I’ll destroy you all!”

But more than that, the search for significance can cause our heart to reach and claw for it through even the most unsavory vicarious hero in their moment of reaping what they have sown. This we do just to build an idol- one manufactured in our heart, for self-image, for self-assurance, for self-identity; “I did it for me, because I enjoyed it” (as Walt admits to his wife). You see Walt’s bloody hand sliding off that reactor and may think it a compelling dramatic effect, but I know that could be my hand.

God save me from bloody vocational-idol hands and redeem them for others’ good and Your glory.

(Alexander Fleming invented penicillin)  

by Brian Smith

Can We Talk About Grace Too Much?

Can we talk about grace too much? Has the evangelical church today emphasized the grace of justification so much that we’ve denied or at least undermined the necessity of sanctification? Or to put it more plainly: Does grace mean that I can be a believer in Christ but not a follower of Christ?

These aren’t just theoretical or abstract questions. In my experience, these questions are lived out daily in our lives. 80 to 90% of the residents in my community identify themselves as Christians. But as you dig into what that means, the lion’s share of folks are glad that their sins are forgiven and hope one day to get into Heaven. Salvation for our past and salvation for our future are glorious applications of grace. But what about grace for today? Right now? What about grace to follow Christ in the present? Does talking much about grace undermine motivation to follow Christ in the now?

To cut right to it, I do not think it is possible to talk too much about grace. However, what is possible is talking about a shrunken grace. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship called this “cheap grace”. He writes,

“Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace…Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. …Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

We cannot talk too much about grace but we can be guilty of talking about a cheapened, shrunken version of grace. Grace as forgiveness of sins and entrance into Heaven only. But grace is so much more than this. Grace is not only justification it is sanctification. Grace of the cross is not only that the guilt of our sins is dealt with it also that the power of our sins is dealt with. In Christ we’ve been given grace for our past and for our future and also grace for our present – enabling us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Christ. (Luke 9:23)

Do we have to actually follow Christ to be saved? Can’t I get into Heaven without all this discipleship stuff? Perhaps. “Anyone who calls on the name will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) What is required for salvation? Repentance and faith. To acknowledge sin and turn from it and to transfer our trust from ourselves and the hardware of this world to Christ. We do not earn our salvation in any sense. Nor do we contribute to our salvation. Christ has accomplished it all. We are accepted in Christ and this acceptance is not contingent on our performance. If we transfer our trust to Christ we will be saved. This of course begs the question: Have you genuinely transferred your trust to Christ? Faith in Christ is far more than simply having convictions about Christ. Faith is knowledge applied. It is actually acting on your convictions, it is demonstrating in the day to day that your trust is now in Christ. And Jesus was clear – there is no better way to demonstrate our trust and love by actually doing what He commanded!

^ESV John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

^ESV Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?

I may say I trust my doctor, but if I don’t actually follow her advice in what sense can I credibly claim to trust her? Personally, I think we’re facing a credibility gap in the church today. We say one thing but do another.

Jesus told the woman caught in adultery: “Your sins are forgiven, now go and sin no more.” Faith and faith alone leads to salvation. But salvation does not remain alone – if it is genuine it is always accompanied by works. (Matthew 7:16; James 2:18ff) A.W. Tozer said, “salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scriptures.”

Can we talk too much about grace? No. If we understand that “Grace is opposed to earning not to effort.” (Dallas Willard) That is the rub. In the evangelical church we’ve misunderstood grace and presumptuously used it to justify avoiding serious sustained effort to obey Christ. But grace is not opposed to effort! In fact, Peter’s parting words to us were:

^ESV 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

We are commanded to grow in grace. Grace comes only from God, but the responsibility remains with us. Unless God acts, you will not receive gifts of grace. On the other hand, God (ordinarily) will not act unless you do. It is disciples who grow in grace, not those who are just converts (‘forgiveness-only Christians’). The Apostle Paul says the same thing:

^ESV 2 Timothy 2:1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus

So let us make much of grace. But as we do, let us talk of a full-sized grace. Grace for both justification and sanctification. And let us personally examine and prompt others to examine whether our claims to trust Christ are credible. For as Bonhoeffer said, for the Christian “so far from dispensing him from discipleship, grace only makes him a more earnest disciple.” So let us make a sustained effort to follow Christ, placing ourselves in the posture necessary for the grace of God to grow in our lives. 

Evangelism isn’t Everything

I’m fascinated by technology. It has been truly remarkable what man has been able to accomplish in the past 100 years. But as a former design engineer I know that things don’t always go according to plan. The Hubble Space Telescope is a good example of this. After delays and cost over-runs, Hubble was finally sent into space and brought online in 1990. But although the original images were good, they were not as spectacular as astronomers expected. After some investigation it was discovered that the main mirror had been ground to the wrong shape. Thus began an effort to install a “contact lens” or corrective lens for Hubble. Finally, after service mission 1 in 1993, with the COSTAR corrective optics package installed the Hubble truly took our breath away with crystal clear images. You can compare the before and after images here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hubble_Images_of_M100_Before_and_After_Mirror_Repair_-_GPN-2002-000064.jpg

            I’ve been a pastor now for almost eight years. It has taken a while but I have finally realized that the church (at least the evangelical church I’m familiar with) needs a corrective lens. We do not see our main mission as clearly as we should and thus are achieving lack-luster, often temporary results. What is the main mission of the Church? The predominate answer of the evangelical church has been something along the lines of evangelism, missions and outreach, or global missions. Evangelism is certainly critical and a major part of the mission of the church. But the mission Christ gave to the Church was to “make disciples”:

^ESV Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

It is a subtle but significant shift in mission to move from evangelism to making disciples. “Making disciples” is the main verb, the imperative in the Great Commission. “Going”, “baptizing”, and “teaching” all fill out and support the “making of disciples”. Or said another way, evangelism is a part of making disciples but not the whole or even the main thing. My roots are mostly in Baptist style churches. I know we’ve done much better at making converts than making disciples. And based on surveys that show similarities between Christians and non-Christians in terms of lifestyle and worldview in America, the American church in general is not doing well at making disciples.

            Why are we decent at making converts but struggling to make disciples? I think it comes down fundamentally to a misunderstanding of salvation. We’ve limited salvation to only justification or forgiveness of sins. Salvation certainly is to be freed from the guilt of sin. But isn’t the grace of God a double cure? Being freed also from the pollution of sin? I.e. the salvation of sanctification? Salvation begins at our conversion but continues in our sanctification as we are saved from our current foolish ways and beliefs. Thus Peter can say: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18) Grace is not synonymous with forgiveness. You might say forgiveness is a subcategory within grace. Peter is not saying “grow in forgiveness” or “get more forgiveness”. He is saying “get more of the dynamic presence of Christ in your life” or “grow closer to Christ” or “tap into more grace to trust Christ more thoroughly and be in sync with Him daily”. When we settle for making converts instead of disciples, we settle for folks whose “train ticket” to Heaven is punched but who know nothing of the journey with Christ or of Christlikeness.

            We need a corrective lens on the mission of the Church. We must no longer be satisfied with professions of faith or even initial actions of obedience – such as baptism. And we must be cautious not to present a truncated gospel – one that limits salvation to forgiveness of sins. In Christ salvation is far more comprehensive. And being a Christian is also a more comprehensive commitment as well, for Jesus says:

^ESV Luke 9:23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

This is genuine conversion: to repent and transfer our trust from self to Christ. In the NT converts were necessarily disciples. In our day we desperately need this corrective lens to clarify our understanding and appropriation of salvation. Lord, teach us how to make disciples!

Playing for Keeps

When I was a kid I used to play checkers with my Grandpa Keller. He was a gentle and patient man. I know this because he would often say, “Are you sure?” after I had made my move. I learned quickly that he was kindly signaling that I had made a very bone-headed move that I should reconsider. I remember vividly one game we played when I was about 12. I thought I had my Grandpa cornered. Then in one jack-rabbit like move, he hopped here and there all over the board and took out 3 of my kings and another piece or two. I lost big time! After that game was over, I was so glad that it all went back in the box. No permanent monument to my failure. This is the hope of every Christian. God’s grace will “reset” the game at our death or Christ’s return and all our failures will be forgotten – erased by the blood of the Lamb.

            But if grace resets the game, so to speak, what is the point of playing the game well? Do both our losses and victories get put back in the box? Is there anything we get to keep? Any progress that matters? Yes!

^ESV 1 Timothy 4:7-10 “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

            We won’t take our material possessions with us to Heaven, nor these current bodies. But we will take “godliness” with us. So we ought not to think of grace as a total reset of the game. The grace of Christ does wash away our sins – zeroing out our losses, but we get to keep our victories! At least those victories that withstand the testing fire (1 Cor 3:10-15).

            As I think about making resolutions for the New Year, I’d like to do something that matters, something that lasts. According to the Apostle Paul training for godliness is what I should pursue. But what is godliness? A study of the term “godliness” in the New Testament will reveal that godliness does not mean “like God” and training for godliness isn’t the pursuit of perfection or an effort to emulate God. “Godliness” is piety, uncommon reverence for God. Jerry Bridges in his book Training for Godliness defines godliness as “devotion to God which results in a life that is pleasing to Him.” So godliness isn’t so much about outward virtues as it is about cultivating love, fear and devotion to God. Or to put it another way, training for godliness is less “skills” training and more “love of the game” training. Bridges helps us: “So often we try to develop Christian character and conduct without taking the time to develop God-centered devotion. We try to please God without taking the time to walk with him and develop a relationship with him. This is impossible to do.”

            I think godliness is sort of like the “raw material” necessary for eternal existence in God’s presence. Maybe that is why the Lord brought Enoch straight up to Heaven, skipping physical death, because Enoch sought to please God so thoroughly in his life as he walked with God that he had the raw material necessary for Heaven. (Ge 5:24; Heb 11:5) Godliness is a good foundation for the future (1 Tim 6:19). Godliness is our thirst for God – our desire for HIM. (Ps 42)

            Sometimes we’re so hyper-allergic to works righteousness that we’re guilty of putting striving and toiling (1 Tim 4:10) in conflict with grace. As if by training for godliness we were undermining grace. This might be true if grace simply related to forgiveness of sins – a “reset” of the game so to speak. But grace is God giving us what we do not have and cannot get on our own. If we’re to toil and strive in training in godliness we will need the grace of God all the way: ”For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Col 1:29)

            So grace and hard work aren’t at odds in the Christian life. For we are training ourselves for godliness not to merit Heaven, but in an effort to appreciate Heaven. This year I am resolved to train for godliness in order to increase my capacity and appreciation for Christ. Perhaps this is why whatever progress you and I make in godliness in this age lasts. Because in training for godliness we’re developing a palate that appreciates Christ and we’re developing a capacity to drink more of Him. ‘Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."’ (John 4:10) In Heaven every Christian will drink of the Living Water. But we’ll drink as much as we want. Those trained in godliness will drink MORE! More of Christ! More of the rewards! More of grace! Why? Because the godly are thirsty. So let us train ourselves for godliness!

Losing Freedoms in America

I recently read a book called The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek. Hayek is an Economist who fled Germany and is writing in England in the early 40’s in the midst of the war. His main goal in the book was to warn people (especially in England and America) that fascism and naziism were preceded by socialism, not accidentally but as the natural evolution of socialism. Hayek writes, “Few are ready to recognize that the rise of fascism and naziism was not a reaction against the socialist trends of the preceding period but a necessary outcome of these tendencies.” Hayek was concerned because many voices among the Allies in the 1940’s supported the permanent nationalization of the means of production and central economic planning – the very steps that Germany took in the previous 30 years. Hayek’s experience was that the more a civilization takes steps toward socialism, the more individuals are required to give up personal freedoms for the sake of the majority. And the relinquishing of personal freedoms is a dangerous trajectory to be on.

I’d like to sidestep the interesting discussion on where the USA currently sits on the continuum between capitalism and socialism in order to focus in on individual freedom. In his book, Hayek quotes Benito Mussolini - “We were the first to assert that the more complicated the forms assumed by civilization, the more restricted the freedom of the individual must become.” I find Mussolini’s perspective both disturbing and in some sense prophetic. Consider America. Our world is becoming increasingly complex. And we are seeing our individual freedoms restricted. Just consider what has happened during the tenures of our last two presidents. Under President Bush (a Republican) we’ve seen freedoms restricted in the name of national security. (I do think restricting freedoms in a time of war is legitimate – but the War on Terror is open-ended and seemingly never ending, particularly in light of domestic ‘terrorism’ like in Newtown, CT.) Under President Obama (a Democrat) we’ve seen freedoms restricted in the name of equality. I’m referring to the Affordable Care Act which in effect requires individuals to purchase health insurance whether they want it or not. This is a new type of freedom, the “right of the majority against the individual.” (Peter Drucker, The End of Economic Man)

The trajectory of American society is definitely toward less personal freedom not more. I suppose I’ve naively assumed that freedom is something you either have or you don’t. As a child I thought, “I’m free as an American but those Communists in the Soviet Union are not.” In reality freedom is a constantly varying thing – more like a polar ice cap that expands and contracts depending on the season. As a Christian living in a season of contracting individual freedom, what should be my response? We Americans must begin to recognize that freedom is not the most important thing – Christ is. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote:

^ESV 1 Corinthians 7:20-24 “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. ²¹ Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. ²² For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. ²³ You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. ²⁴ So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”

Remaining with God trumps freedom. If you can only choose one: political, economic & sexual freedom or relationship with God – you choose relationship with God every time. Why? Because the freedom we have in Christ surpasses all other freedom. Freedom from guilt, sin and ultimately death are freedoms that cannot be revoked by any politician or mob or employer. So to begin with, let us keep the main thing the main thing: the key freedom to pursue and zealously guard is freedom in Christ.

            Freedom in Christ is of course not incompatible with political, economic, sexual or other individual freedoms. And in fact, Paul says (in the context of chattel slavery) “if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.” I take this to mean, resist those who seek to strip freedoms from the individual. Promote the freedom of the individual as unto Christ. But promote freedom as an adopted son/daughter of the Living God – a redeemed creature on the verge of freedoms in eternity so grand that imagination cannot sketch them. Promote freedom as one who is jealous for Christ’s reputation more than your own. And Promote freedom out of love for your neighbor – a fellow immortal. 

A Lesson from my Call to Poison Control

The other day I was in the kitchen making dinner when my little two year old Jesse came in and started burping and then actually vomiting. My first thought was, “Oh, great, I thought we’d finally gotten healthy again!” But Jesse didn’t have the flu, he had an illness far more deadly: an idolatrous sinful heart. One of my older children came up to me at the stove and said, “Dad, look – all our gummy vitamins are gone.” I thought, “Wow, those didn’t last very long.” But then it hit me. Little Jesse had beat the child-safety lid and eaten them all! This was no small feat. We buy the mega size gummy jars from Sam’s Club – the kind that hold 275. Jesse ate about 200 vitamin gummies and was now having a serious indigestion problem. In a moment I was on the phone with poison control. To sum it up, the type of vitamins he ate would not poison him. His system would expel any unneeded vitamins. Praise God that Jesse didn’t get into something more dangerous!

            I’m reminded of what the Proverbs say:

^NIV Proverbs 25:16 If you find honey, eat just enough-- too much of it, and you will vomit.

^NIV Proverbs 25:27 It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

What in the world possessed little Jesse to eat a pile of gummies the size of a softball? Sin. Toddlers love gummy snacks. If 8-10 gummy bears are yummy, surely 200 would be even better! But we can have too much of a good thing. In fact most of our idols are not pure evil - inherently wicked in every dimension. Most of our idols are good things that we honor (overindulge in or mis-prioritize) above God. Toddler Jesse overindulged in gummies and paid the price – literally vomiting up all the “honey” he gorged himself on.

I wish I could say that our hearts were cured from the sickness of idolatry in our toddler years. Unfortunately, they are not. I’ve met men who gorged themselves on work, to the point that they were burnt out, divorced and disengaged from their children. I’ve met men and women who abused some substance so thoroughly that they self-destructed every dimension of life. I’ve met women who were such fixers, that they were enslaved to helping others – so completely needing to be needed that they too did not find the love, peace and joy that Christ (the only Savior) offers.

            The bottom line is that our hearts are desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). Our hearts are little “idol-making factories” – constantly displacing the Lord God with other things. What are we to do? One thing is we must consult “Poison Control” – i.e. consult the Scriptures and pray for discernment in identifying idols. Until we recognize what good thing we have turned into a poison by improperly loving it we will not realize our danger. William Greenhill in his book Stop Loving the World wrote, “We meditate most on the things we love.” What do you think a lot about? This may indicate that you’re swallowing fistfuls of gummy bears. Be warned – in seeking your own honor your life may manifest symptoms of indigestion and you may soon be forced to endure the bitter experience of vomiting up what you used to think sweet.

The other thing to consider is that Christ is the only thing you can never have too much of. Paul wrote, “Christ is all.” (Col 3:11) It is impossible to think too highly or too much of Jesus. It is impossible to love Jesus too much. In fact it is only as we love and enjoy Christ first and above all others that we can safely indulge in all lesser loves. So whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)

Christians, YOU are a People of Knowledge

Dallas Willard once said that the real battle going on in our time is over authority and authority is tied to knowledge. If this is true, over the last two centuries the Church has been forced to the sidelines (and at times voluntarily retreated). In the West knowledge was separated into two spheres. The realm of the sense perceptible and the realm of the spiritual. Effectively what has happened is that sciences were granted “real” knowledge and the Church was granted sentiment, values, faith. Thus pastors and Christians and the Bible don’t deal with realities except the realities of peoples’ emotional lives. And so, Professor Willard concludes, pastors are no longer in the “knowledge” business, they are in the “faith” business. Which basically means pastors aren’t relevant to the real world or the marketplace and we have slowly been edged out of significance in the public sphere.

            I for one am tired of being elbowed out of the public sphere. It is increasingly obvious that our communities are adrift. Do we imagine that ruling “faith” out of order in politicians or civil servants or volunteers is helpful? We’re requiring people to ignore half of the universe’s knowledge! Can any society continue to make progress down the road if the steering column has limits artificially imposed on it – such that it can only turn left but never right? Is it any wonder that we seem to be swerving from ditch to ditch?

            It is time for Christians to dig in their heels and refuse to be relegated to “sentiment”. How? First by understanding that the West’s bifurcation of knowledge into two spheres is not Biblical. We must see that the Bible is God’s divinely inspired Word. A word from an Intelligent Being to intelligent creatures. And what does this Word say about knowledge? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7. In other words, intelligence and understanding don’t even start until we factor the existence and nature of our Creator and Redeemer into the equation. The recognition of God must be the first move in any pursuit of knowledge. According to the Apostle Paul, when people refused to acknowledge God they became “futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

            We’re now 150 years down the road of futile thinking – a foolish separation of knowledge. Modern advances in technology and the sciences would seem to suggest that the splitting of knowledge into two groups was the right move. But was it? Increasingly “scientific” knowledge is being used foolishly. And we see the silliness of making decisions without factoring God into the equation.

            So what are we to do?  Corporately, churches must no longer cede the realm of knowledge to others. We are in the knowledge business. Let us stop collaborating with those who slice apart the realm of knowledge and would forbid the Church from relevance beyond peoples’ emotional lives. How are we collaborating? By an over-emphasis in our services on sentiment and experience. Pastors must not restrict our study to a narrow sliver of the realm of knowledge. And each of us as Christians must accept that we are a people of knowledge. The Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Church is relevant for us today:

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)