Christianity is far more than a set of beliefs or a compelling intellectual vision; it is also a comprehensive way of life." This premise both motivates and informs author Darryl Tippens, who in his delightful new book Pilgrim Heart presents "an invitation to consider afresh what it means to live like Jesus." Even the Gospel of John, he notes, which so clearly emphasizes believing, practically begins and ends with Jesus' personal call: "Follow me." This call is reflected in the subtitle to Pilgrim Heart -- "The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life." Biblical faith is embodied in a journey, Tippens … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2012
SECULAR SACRAMENTS
If we are very fortunate, every now and then our senses encounter a moment of beauty so transcendently marvelous that the experience becomes for us a portal or gate to the eternal. Wordsworth saw in such moments an "intimation of immortality," a memory of the soul's eternal existence before our birth, when "trailing clouds of glory, we comef we are very fortunate, every now and then our senses encounter a moment of beauty so transcendently marvelous that the experience becomes for us a portal or gate to the eternal. Wordsworth saw in such moments an "intimation of immortality," a memory of the … [Read more...]
SHOW COUPLE TRUTH AND MERCY
A gracEmail subscriber writes: 'My daughter will soon be receiving her doctorate. I have been looking forward to this, feel proud of her and would like to attend and celebrate with her. However, she and her boyfriend recently started living together. That breaks my heart and I have repeatedly advised her to reconsider. I fear that attending her graduation will condone the situation and that her mother and I will be ashamed and humiliated by being there with her boyfriend. I would really appreciate your advice. * * * Boyfriends come and go but your daughter has only one set of parents. … [Read more...]
NO PARENTAL SHAME
A gracEmail subscriber writes: 'My daughter will soon be receiving her doctorate. I have been looking forward to this, feel proud of her and would like to attend and celebrate with her. However, she and her boyfriend recently started living together. That breaks my heart and I have repeatedly advised her to reconsider. I fear that attending her graduation will condone the situation and that her mother and I will be ashamed and humiliated by being there with her boyfriend. I would really appreciate your advice. * * * Boyfriends come and go but your daughter has only one set of parents. … [Read more...]
SINS AND SINNERS
All sin is sinful and all of us are sinners. Those truths are easily forgotten today, as many "righteous" people seem to limit "sin" to sexual wickedness, of which they are quite sure that God considers homosexual misbehavior to be the very worst sort. Seeking some biblical perspective, I looked up nine major "sin lists" found in the New Testament (Matt. 15:18-19; Rom. 1:28-31; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 4:25-31; Col. 3:5-9; 1 Tim. 1:8-10; 2 Tim. 3:1-5 and Titus 3:3). Taken together, these nine passages identify at least 37 specific sins, which encompass wrong attitudes (14), improper … [Read more...]
OLD TESTAMENT DIVORCE
A preacher asks concerning Deuteronomy 24:1, the text to which Jesus refers in his own teaching about divorce, "Does 'uncleanness' in this passage mean that the woman has been immoral?" * * * That has always been open to question, among ancient Jewish rabbis as well as among Christians today. Where English translations say "uncleanness" or "indecency" (NASB) in Deut. 24:1, the Greek Old Testament used by the earliest church and known as the Septuagint has "disgraceful (aschemon) thing (pragma)." A few verses earlier, the same two words refer to excrement which Israelites are to bury and not … [Read more...]
MARRIED FIDELITY IS NOT ADULTERY
"I have heard it said," writes a gracEmail subscriber from the Southeast USA, "that anyone who divorces a spouse for an 'unscriptural' reason and marries someone else must leave their present mate and remarry the original spouse, or else remain unmarried. It is argued that Matthew 19:9 describes an ongoing action which continues simultaneously with any subsequent marriage following an 'unscriptural' divorce. What are your thoughts?" * * * I think this more closely resembles the teaching of the Pharisees and the Scribes than that of the Lord Jesus Christ (compare Matthew 23:4 with Matthew … [Read more...]
FOR MARRIAGE, AGAINST DIVORCE
A subscriber writes concerning two single Christians, both previously married and divorced, who are considering marriage. The woman's first husband had numerous affairs over a period of years. The man's first wife withheld conjugal rights for more than 20 years of marriage. "Is there a scriptural reason," the inquirer asks, "against this couple marrying?" * * * It seems abundantly clear to me, from the whole of Scripture, that God is for marriage and that he is against divorce (Gen. 2:24; Mal. 2:16). No matter what the cause, divorce is a tragic thing which reveals a fall from God's ideal … [Read more...]
DIVORCE: IDEALS & FORGIVENESS
A reader from Washington asks: "What can you say about New Testament teaching concerning divorce and remarriage?" * * * It is easy, when discussing this sensitive subject, to confuse two very distinct questions. One might inquire, "What is God's will concerning marriage and divorce?" Or one might ask, "May the person who has transgressed God's command and come short of his will, then be forgiven and go forward to do his will in the future?" To the first inquiry, I think, Christians of all denominations are essentially agreed. God's original plan and permanent ideal is for one man to be … [Read more...]
BEYOND ANGER, PAIN & GUILT
A gracEmail subscriber writes: "I'm approaching the first anniversary of my divorce and I'm still struggling with so much anger, pain and even guilt over what I could have done differently to make my husband stay. He left me for another woman and I just can't seem to let go of all these negative emotions. I don't know how to move beyond all this." * * * We cannot change the past and there is no value in trying to relive it now. Instead, focus on living in the present with each new day that God gives you to enjoy. Taken together, those new days constitute your (as yet unfulfilled) future. I … [Read more...]
