The August sun beams warmly in Greeley this Saturday morning in 1998, on these outdoor graduation ceremonies of the University of Northern Colorado. Kristy, our new daughter-in-law as of the night before, is graduating from college 14 hours later. It has been a busy, happy weekend for us all. I look at my watch as the commencement speaker walk to the microphone on the field before us. He is, says the master of ceremonies, Daniel L. Ritchie, Chancellor of the University of Denver. "When I graduated from college, I thought about my classmates," Ritchie begins, "and I put them in two categories. … [Read more...]
FREEDOM AND OFFENSES
A gracEmail subscriber writes: "In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul urges us to avoid even innocent activities if our doing them 'offends' a weak brother or sister. My own relatives and friends include different people who object to using instrumental music in church, celebrating Christmas, playing cards, women wearing pants, wearing clothes with zippers, and drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation. Am I required to cease every activity to which anyone happens to object?" * * * Regarding this subject, people easily go to either of two opposite extremes. On the one hand, some selfish, immature and … [Read more...]
US AND THEM
Bible readers know the phrase "Jews and Gentiles," but not everyone remembers that "Gentiles" are literally "the nations," meaning all those who are not Jews. The Greeks of the Hellenistic period divided the world into "Greeks and Barbarians," with "Barbarians" being those who did not speak Greek and who therefore sounded (to Greek ears) as if they said "bar-bar-bar." I have read, but cannot prove, that the names of Native American tribes all mean "the people" in the languages of each respective tribe. Each tribe viewed the world as inhabited by "the people" (themselves) and everyone … [Read more...]
SIMPLE REQUIREMENTS
Now and then I read something in the Bible that leaves me positively dumbstruck. Such as those times someone allegedly speaking for God summarizes what God expects from folks -- in both Old and New Testaments. Take Micah, for example. "What does God really want from you?" asks this prophet from the 8th century B.C. The rabbis later counted 613 commandments in God's law, which they eventually expanded into an encyclopedia-sized set of books known as the Talmud. But Micah narrows the list considerably: "to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God" (Micah 6:6-8). And … [Read more...]
WHO WILL FOLLOW JESUS?
One of the most radical notions circulating in the Christian church these days is the idea that those who wear Christ's name ought seriously to devote themselves to following Jesus. This means obeying Jesus' instructions, adopting his attitudes and values, imitating his example, treating people the way Jesus treated them, trusting the Father as Jesus did. It means becoming Jesus' pupil/apprentice, which is what the word disciple actually means -- a relationship far more at home in a carpenter shop or sculptor's studio than in a classroom. Indeed, "disciple" is the most common word used to … [Read more...]
GRANDFATHER’S LIVING FAITH
The following reflections, originally penned in the 1930's, were among the notes and papers left by my maternal grandfather, W.N. Short, Sr., after 60 years of gospel service in southern Africa beginning in 1921. Even without historical context, these remarks clearly reflect the faith of the writer, a godly heritage which both challenges and inspires us who are his descendants. I thank my cousin, Ellen Baize, for sharing this with me. Ellen is a daughter of H. F. (Foy) Short, Sr., who is a brother of my mother, Sybil Short Fudge Dewhirst. (Other Short siblings include Beth Ewing, Margaret Ann … [Read more...]
OBEDIENT DISCIPLESHIP
Obedience is not a popular topic today. As strange as it may sound, a great many people who call themselves followers and disciples of Jesus recoil at the suggestion that careful daily obedience either matters to God or ought to concern them. Yet according to Jesus himself, discipleship at its core involves listening to him and doing as he instructs. This is clearly seen throughout the Gospel of Matthew, which scholars believe was originally written as a manual or handbook for early disciple communities. (The vision of a community of disciples is also obscured today by the almost-exclusive use … [Read more...]
NOT A MATTER OF DEGREES
This past week (during October 2009) I attended the 61st annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, held in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ETS, which is exactly what its name suggests, now has over 4,200 members, most being teachers in Christian colleges, universities or seminaries, the rest of us serving in other venues also prepared by God. I joined the ETS nearly 40 years ago, have had three articles published in its Journal, and served one year as a regional officer. Although I keep up with the state of evangelical theological scholarship through the Society's 224-page quarterly … [Read more...]
STAYING ON COURSE
Captain Francesco Schettino was more than two miles off course when the 114,500-ton Costa Concordia hit a reef this January 2012. The impact sent more than 4,000 passengers on the luxury cruise ship into a panic. It sent a still-unknown number of them to their cold and lonely deaths. There is a reason for rules. In a world filled with hazards and threats, they define the approved course. They show the way that is safe. They mark the path we can trust. Our confused society has given rules a bad rap. Torah, the Hebrew word for "law," means "instruction"--always given, by the way, for the … [Read more...]
REVOLUTIONARY PURPOSE
A gracEmail subscriber requests some discussion here about "revolutionary" people, power and purpose, the titles of my classes at the March 2009 Tulsa International Soul-Winning Workshop. * * * The magnificent Salisbury Cathedral in southern England was build over a period of hundreds of years. During the process, an observer watched two workers break large rocks into smaller pieces for the stone sculptors. "What are you doing?" he asked the first man, who boringly replied, "I am breaking rocks." Then the visitor asked the second worker the same question. With a great smile he proudly … [Read more...]