Welcome to the web home of Christian author, Dave Burchett
Welcome to my website! Regular readers of the humble ramblings know that there has been some debate about the name of this site. I had tentatively changed the title to "Confessions of a Saint Who Sometimes Sins". I opened it up to the tens of readers to decide if the new name should stick. The consensus was to go with the golden oldie.
Grace and peace to you, Dave
Email: dave@daveburchett.com
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For the most part I have learned to roll with the responses to my blogs and books. But I have to admit that some responses bug me. Recently I wrote an article on the Five Stages of Church Woundedness. The post was in response to correspondences with a pastor friend but the gist of the article was intensely personal. I dialed up Crosswalk and read this response from a reader.
Do not assume that someone going through trials is at fault for their difficulties. And do not assume that they are not at fault. Allow God to handle both of those duties. Eliphaz proclaimed that it was his "observation" that you reap what you sow. That is a principle that is often true but we know from God's Word that Job's trials were unrelated to sin or evil in his life. Eliphaz jumped to an incorrect and hurtful conclusion before knowing the facts. Listen first. Allow wounded and hurting friends to express their frustration and pain. This goes against every natural instinct that most of us possess. I am prone to want to jump in and fix the problem. God is teaching me to listen, pray and allow the Holy Spirit to direct my words and actions.
When you are with a brother or sister going through deep trials I would suggest using any one of the following three strategies.
1. Be empathetic and listen.
2. Be empathetic and listen.
3. Be empathetic and listen.
I devised this strategy specifically for me because my previous program consisted of only one step.
1. Loosely hear a few sentences and then impatiently solve their problem with some vaguely appropriate verses while dramatically sharing my own personal story that far exceeds their puny little problem.
I can assure you that the results of that strategy were not stellar. In my defense, the three step plan above takes a lot more caring and work.
The next lesson from Eliphaz…
"So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you! Job 5:17 (MsgB)
I am pretty sure that Job was not quite at the "I'm thinkin' what a blessing this is" phase of his ordeal. While he remained stubbornly faithful to the Lord and did not sin against Him, Job was angry, frustrated, bitter, bewildered and downcast about all the anguish he was going through. In other words, Job was human. His trust in God was supernatural, his roller coaster ride of emotions was normal.
The truth that God can use every circumstance for ultimate good is a foundational promise of our faith. However, it is often difficult if not impossible to understand that truth during the turbulence of the trial. When I fly I know intellectually that those big bumps and shudders are caused by disturbances in the air and I will surely survive it. But realistically I just want to get through the turbulence and back to smooth air. Then I can intellectually consider the aerodynamics of clear air turbulence. So it is with the turbulence of life.
Focus on being empathetic. You don't need to offer answers and try to explain things that are often without explanation. Back to the question in the response to my article.
What’s the alternative to preaching grace anyway?
That is easy. Living it.
(No time to write today. Please enjoy a low mileage previously posted article)
Dear friends Nelson and Suzie deserted us to go live in the Texas Hill Country. We tried to lure them back with Biblical admonitions.
"You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.” Deuteronomy 2:3
But they have ignored our wisdom and have settled in the rolling hills between Austin and San Antonio. One of our friend’s challenges of country living was making sure that their dog Pepper would not wander away. Pepper is about 10 pounds of pure attitude.
He needed to be safely restrained from animals that were not intimidated by blustering small packages. So Nelson installed an underground fence to keep Pepper at bay. For those who don’t know about this innovation, underground fencing is a wired perimeter with a radio antenna. When the dog approaches the wired boundary it sends out a signal that activates a battery in the dog's collar. The battery causes a shock similar to static electricity, and the dog backs off. The field of radio waves can be adjusted so that the dog does not get too close to the edge of the property before hearing the warning tone.
The collars have settings from 1 to 6 with the highest being a pretty good little shock. Pepper sailed through the restraining area when his collar was set on 2. So Nelson decided to skip right by setting 3 and go directly to 4. He reported that the new dance that Pepper invented demonstrated that four might be a tad high and the optimal setting became 3. But there is an interesting aspect to the “invisible fence”. (Invisible Fence is a trademarked brand name developed by Richard Peck in the mid-70’s and they are still a leader manufacturer of the systems).
The dog remembers what happened the last time they went near the boundary so they don’t even try. Some owners report that they take off the collar and the dog remains unwilling to risk leaving the yard because of that “shocking” memory. It occurred to me that Satan operates a lot like that in the lives of Christians. Once we have been shocked by a bad experience with a bad Christian or jolted by a relationship gone bad we remember the pain. And we are restrained by that invisible fence of what might happen if we try again. We read God’s Word and we know (intellectually) that we need to cross that boundary to repair those relationships or to try again with other folks.
But here is what happens with me. I remember the pain. I am afraid that if I approach that person again I might get hurt all over again. Who knows…maybe they will turn their pain setting up a notch or two and it will only hurt more. I start believing that if I cross the boundary to to risk a new relationship I will just get shocked one more time. Why should I even try?
But the reality is that God has given me the Holy Spirit and He can gently remove the collar of bondage we choose to wear. I have come to realize that it is a choice I make. That collar of fear has no power to hurt or restrain me. I only think it does. And I remain constrained and defeated by an invisible fence that Satan has constructed. Paul exhorted the church in Rome to dare to be different. Take chances. Love and serve one another. And if someone does hurt you the justice belongs, not to you or me, but to God.
Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written,
"I will take vengeance;
I will repay those who deserve it,"
says the Lord.
Instead, do what the Scriptures say:
"If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink,
and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you."
Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. (Romans 12, NLT)
Paul was a smart guy. He knew human nature. He knew this wasn’t an easy assignment. But he believed it was possible and so do I. Living in real community with this flawed assembly of fellow travelers is hard. It is messy. I have spent too many sad days restrained by the invisible fence of fear that I will be hurt again. I decided to take the risk and try again. If I get zapped again that is the risk I have chosen to take. But I suspect the barrier is in my mind and God will clear the way if I move in obedience and trust.
I would wager most of you have an invisible fence or two in your life. Can you trust Jesus enough to venture out in faith to conquer whatever is keeping you restrained in your spirit? Don’t allow it to hinder your joy or your influence for the Lord. What’s in for you and me?
Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. (I Cor 3, NLT)
The Spirit of the Lord does not desire for us to be fenced in by the bondage of fear and by invisible fences that keep us from reaching the places God wants to go. To quote the late Ronald Reagan…”Tear down that fence!”
I get a fair amount of email. Some of it is a blessing and quite encouraging. Some not so much in either category. But the ones that break my heart are the e-mails from wounded and deeply discouraged people who have been devastated by life, the church and especially other churchgoers. I try to be encouraging. I try to offer perspective. But I wish I could do more. I wish I could help those battered and limping follower travelers find the abundant life that I wrote about recently.
An email from a pastor has been weighing heavily on my heart and mind. He was deeply discouraged and ready to give up his ministry. I suggested that he read the book TrueFaced because the practical theology drawn from Romans helped me recover from my own church wounds. I had hoped that the book would resonate with him as much as it did with me. Recently he responded.
I did read the book. I have to say I struggled with it. I agree in theory but one of the main groups of people that have nailed me most is the let go and let God, being and not doing, grace is the only word in the Bible, people. They aren't all that gracious. I don't mean to disparage the book or you. I felt bad that I felt that way during my reading of the book. He had good things to say. I just heard most of it through the mouths of some of these people who have hurt me. It's not that I disagree, it's that this brand of folk who have nailed me say similar things and yet never once in my experience with them did it ever ring true in their actions.
His response sent me out walking and praying and thinking. I had hoped that my words and the message of the book would begin to turn his spirit. And I felt a gentle message stirring in my heart as I walked.
Be patient. Encourage. Love. It is my timing and not yours. You were not ready to receive this message when the wounds were fresh.
I thought about my journey and I realized that the well-known theory of the five stages of grief applied to my healing. You have likely heard of the model introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book "On Death and Dying". The stages are known as the "Five Stages of Grief". The stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I realized that I had to go through those stages to get to the point of healing. Hopefully I can shorten the stages significantly as I mature in Christ and trust who He says I am. But I hope it helps those of you going through this difficult process to know you are not a failure if healing takes longer than you hoped.
How did the stages play out for me? I will give the secular example followed by the spiritual parallel.
Denial: Secular - "This can't be happening."
Spiritual – “How could a Christian do something like this? How can they read the Bible, hear teaching, go to Bible studies and then act like this? I don’t understand how this is happening!”
Anger: Secular - "Why me? It's not fair!"
Spiritual – “I have given so much of my time and heart to this and now these so-called Christians have ruined it. How could you let this happen God? How can the church let these people do this? My blood pressure sky rockets everytime I think of them worshiping on Sunday and talking about me and others on Monday.”
Bargaining: Secular – "I'll do anything, can't you stretch it out a few more years?"
Spiritual – “God I feel so guilty that I feel this in my heart. Maybe if I study harder, pray more and get deeper in the Word you will bring reconciliation and forgiveness. When I get better and do more for you I know you can make this better.”
Depression: Secular - "I'm so sad, why bother with anything?"
Spiritual – Pretty much the same. I reached the point where I simply got tired of striving and trying so hard to feel better and make the situation better. And then, to quote the very non-spiritual Bill Murray character in Stripes, “depression set in”.
Acceptance – Secular – "It's going to be OK."
Spiritual – It took me a long time to get through the denial and a particularly long time to get through the anger stages. Does that make me a “bad Christian”? Maybe. But I am, at least, an honest one. I went full force into bargaining and doing all I could to become “godly man” so that this could get fixed. But there was one huge problem. That was all about my effort. I hated the depression stage most of all. It wasn’t the sleep on the couch and watch Judge Judy kind of depression. It was the very sad feeling that this was not really working and probably would not work. I still believed in Jesus but maybe the best there was to this existence was hanging on until heaven. I was still functioning but really tired and spiritually dry. That is when the message of the book TrueFaced poured the jolting bucket of grace over my parched soul. I was ready. Ready to believe that I could do nothing about my sin. Only God could. I began to understand my identity in Christ and how God saw me. I accepted who I was and I accepted that those other people were also flawed saints who sometimes sin (some more than others). And I began to heal.
I also realized that not everyone is ready in my tidy little Dave Burchett world to received this message. My friend wrote this in his note to me.
I want to believe that people can get along with grace and love but I haven't gotten there yet. I've seen glimpses, enough to keep me hopeful, but man, I've been hurt.
I get that. Been there, done that and hated the t-shirt. Jesus gets that too (probably not the t-shirt part). But if I can say one thing with every ounce of hope that I can muster it would be this. Grace is real and true and no matter how much people misuse and abuse His Word and that wonderful grace word it is still true. I am praying for my friend to process his stages of hurt in his time and God’s time and be healed. I am praying that he will really trust what God says about Himself. I am praying that my friend will believe who God says he now is because of Christ. I will quote again the wonderful definition of the abundant life communicated so well by my friends at Leadership Catalyst.
“The abundant life is comparing God's character, faithfulness and ability with my particular circumstances and believing that God's character trumps my circumstance.”
I am just learning to trust that truth after all of these years. Slow learner? You bet. But I am learning nonetheless.
(Since the theme this week has been mostly turtles I thought we should repost a previous turtle classic)
This morning I looked out in the backyard and noticed that adopted dog Hannah was vibrating. She usually only vibrates when she meets a new friend so I got a little curious. When I investigated I found that Hannah had “befriended” a box turtle that had somehow found it’s way through our fences and into our yard. The turtle seemed considerably less excited about the relationship with Hannah but he/she did seem to sense that the vibrating lab was, at worst, annoying.
A few minutes later I checked again on the turtle. The turtle had managed to fall into our pool and it was apparent that land turtles cannot swim. I looked for the leaf skimmer but we had attached the brush instead. In the meantime the poor little thing was flailing, stretching it’s neck as much as it could to break the surface, and it was clear the turtle was doomed without some help. So I jumped in and saved the turtle. I don’t want to overstate the case. I wasn’t dressed in an Armani suit with Italian loafers. I was just in shorts and a t-shirt. But I got pretty soaked in the waist deep water the turtle had fallen in. I put the turtle back on land and he simply crawled away. I dried off and wondered how many people in America rescue box turtles from pools on any given day. I might be the only one in the whole country today.
Later I reflected on the turtle’s response. Once I put him down he just went on his way. No thank you. No nod of his scaly noggin. Nothing. And I didn’t care because I didn’t rescue the turtle with any expectations that I would receive anything. It was just the right thing to do because one of God’s creatures was in distress.
That response made me wonder about some of my motives when I reach out to others. If I don’t receive a response I sometimes get perturbed. If there is not acknowledgement of my “heroics” I feel hurt or angry. When I simply do the right thing for one of God’s struggling creatures should I expect anything in return? What is my reason for helping if I do? I know the turtle was incapable of a response. Maybe some of the people we come in contact are nearly as incapable of gratitude at that point in their journey.
I liked the turtle’s response. He made me think about why I serve the Lord. Is for Him or for me? If it is for Him I won’t care if I do the right thing and the recipient just goes on their way. Solomon wrote this in Proverbs.
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,
when it is in your power to act. Prov 23 NIV
So next time you do a kind thing make that your reward. Just representing Jesus is thanks enough.
Thirty-two years ago today I donned the hideous Robin’s egg blue tux and married the gorgeous Joni Banks. She plighted her troth to me on that day. I am not sure if she has fulfilled that pledge since I have no idea what that means. I suspect that she has because she takes her plights seriously.
I am celebrating our anniversary like so many other events in our lives by traveling to a gig in another state. We did celebrate last night and she has learned to flow with my bizarre schedule. It hasn’t always been that way. The change has happened not so much with her but with me. I have gotten better at affirming my wife and learned how to make it a little less about me.
I did the American guy thing for many years. I worked too much. I took my young bride for granted. I craved success and praise for my accomplishments. And too often I left her chasing rambunctious boys and wondering if her husband valued her. I failed to lead her well spiritually for too many years. Yet today I am happier in my marriage than I have even been. And I believe she would say the same thing.
We have endured some really hard things. The death of a daughter. An armed invasion robbery in our home. Cancer. Yet we are happier than we have ever been. How can that be possible?
We have learned one important lesson that is communicated so well by my friends at Leadership Catalyst.
“The abundant life is comparing God's character, faithfulness and ability with my particular circumstances and believing that God's character trumps my circumstance.”
And that statement is absolutely true. I have heard so much stinkin’ bad teaching that the abundant life means financial blessing, perfect health and relational bliss. My experience has been financial ups and downs, health problems and seasons of marital joy and despair. For many years I thought I was doing something wrong. Where is this abundant life? And I finally figured it out. The abundant life is all around me. A wife who stayed with me until God could begin to get my attention. Three honest, bright and Godly sons (more good work by Joni). Great friends who have my back and love me even though they actually know me. More stuff than I will ever need and enough left over to give to others. And trusting a God who is trustworthy.
Joni’s breast cancer journey has also changed me. I know intellectually that there are never any guarantees that we see the next birthday or anniversary. Her cancer made that sink in. Now I pray to have the wisdom to live in the moment and enjoy each day.
My friend Mike lost his dear wife a couple of years ago. Recently over coffee he shared with three married guys how much he still misses her. He said these words that both convicted and inspired me.
“Guys, let me tell you something. Don’t take your wife for granted. You are probably thinking that you don’t. But you do and you are. Do not take her for granted because you never know if you have tomorrow.”
Mike speaks from the pain of experience. I know I still take my bride for granted. I know I still do not love her well all of the time. But I also know I am improving. And she sees it and she feels it and most importantly, she believes it. I know that not every marriage can work. I once wondered if my marriage would work. Thank God we didn’t give up.
Through all of the tough times and bad moments God proved faithful and trustworthy. He redeemed every heartache and every trial. God refined me through the storms and His love did trump my circumstances. There are the TV commercials about living the “high life”. I am not living the high life but I am living the abundant life with a woman that I love with all of my heart. I’ve gotta be honest with you. I’m good with that.
It never ceases to amaze me that people have enough time to troll the internet and respond to insignificant little bloggers like me. I get lots of positive affirmation from my loyal tens of readers. But occasionally someone will stumble on these ramblings and take offense to something I wrote. Their comments often leave me scratching my head and asking a simple question.
Is that battle worth fighting?
Good buddy Brad was good naturedly concerned about me after reading the latest post on saving baby sea turtles.
“One week in paradise and you’ve become a tree-hugger!”
Because I fear the humor impaired I will keep my response between brothers.
Another reader quoted my remarks about how volunteers were willing to rescue turtles while the church too often lets wounded sheep fend for themselves. First my comments:
"Sad that really cool people like Sam will do that for baby turtles and that so many followers of Jesus can't or won't find the time to do that for fellow believers buried deep in the hole of despair and woundedness. "
Then he wrote an odd paraphrase of my words to counter a point I never made.
“Sad that we live in a world where animals are valued over humans and really cool people who are never noticed spread the gospel at risk of their lives, while others are valued by catering to animals.”
I don’t disagree that too many in our culture value animals more than suffering people. But his point seems to be comparing apples to Orangutans. Even a cursory scanning of my writing would discover that I value people and the gospel. And that I also love animals. Why are those two sentences in conflict?
I guess calling Sam a cool guy bothered this responder. My comment about Sam was unrelated to saving sea turtles or the planet. He was just a cool guy. Friendly. Patient. I don’t know his beliefs or if he values turtles over Tunisians. I just know he helps God’s creatures that have been nearly destroyed by the onslaught of man and he gives them a chance to survive. That seems to be a role that Christians could play as well as sharing the gospel to those around us. The Psalmist was an early tree hugger (it’s in the Greek)...
O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small. (Psalm 104, NLT)
It seems to me that Christians should lead the way in valuing and protecting His awesome creation and environment. But that should always be kept in balance with the desire and need to live and share the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus seemed to be far more concerned about how the religious people behaved than those who had no faith. He was never surprised or repulsed when sinners sinned. But He was more than a little direct when so called godly people acted like hypocrites. At the risk of even more helpful emails from the spiritual cyber-hall monitors I am going to use the translation from The Message.
"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that's wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?” (Matthew 23)
Today I am asking the Holy Spirit to show me if I nitpick over commas and semicolons and miss the very basics of God’s love. Do I fight the wrong battles and miss the blessings God has for me?
I think saving turtles is cool. But my heart’s desire is for all of us to live the gospel so that souls may be saved. The souls and needs of people around the world is clearly the most important thing for followers of Jesus. But I can’t imagine that Jesus would be upset with helping a turtle get to the sea.
Today I am leaving paradise to return to my normal life. Since I still need to work for a living I knew this day would come quickly. An amazing week on Captiva Island, Florida with my lovely bride and great friends was soothing for the soul.
I was so soothed that I completely neglected the tens of readers for the week. I suspect the net results of that decision was summarized on Sunday by one of my favorite comic strips, Pearls Before Swine. The intellectual member of the gang, Goat, is looking dismayed. Resident cynic Rat asks him what the problem is and Goat responds that internet problems have kept him from posting his blog that day. Rat goes to window, looks outside, ponders for a moment and then announces this little bit of truth.
“And yet somehow the world goes on.”
I am sure the world went on just fine without pithy comments from your humble rambler. As I reflect on a week in paradise one memory keeps coming to mind. We were blessed to be on the beach when a couple of folks pulled up to a marked sea turtle nest one morning. To our surprise they began to dig into the nest. Having an inquiring mind I asked what they were doing. I learned that the eggs in this nest had hatched seventy-two hours earlier. These dedicated volunteers had marked the nest over fifty days earlier and monitored the site everyday since. Volunteers watch over hundreds of sea turtle nests each season. When the eggs have hatched the men and women dig up the nest, count the hatched eggs and also the eggs that did not hatch. An average nest contains about 120 eggs.
But what happened next amazed and inspired me. While digging deep in the nest the volunteer pulled up a struggling but very alive baby turtle. Moments later another turtle with legs flailing was brought to the surface after being buried in two feet of sand just moments earlier.
Our new friend Sam explained how this happens.
“When the eggs hatch the baby turtles climb on top of the other eggs and each other to reach the beach. These little guys missed the ‘elevator’ to the surface.”
I was amazed that they could breath for three days underground.
“They found pockets of air among the shells that kept them alive. Now we will keep them safe until tonight and we will release them into the sea. About one of one thousand will make it to adult hood. And if they do make it they will use a natural GPS to return from the sea to this spot to lay eggs.”
In an earlier blog I wrote that I often find sacred moments in unlikely places. This was one of those moments. Later I thought about the miracle of those two little turtles surviving despite very unlikely odds to at least get to the sea.
I thought about how it related to the message I tried (so far nearly anonymously) to communicate in my second book, “Bring’em Back Alive”.
That every believer is a precious part of Christ’s body. When even one is missing, the church lacks power and is less than whole. Whether we’re victims, perpetrators, or innocent bystanders we’re called by God to seek restoration. And when one of God’s sheep goes missing we have no choice: We must Bring ’Em Back Alive.
That message was demonstrated admirably by the sea turtle rescuers. Part of the survival of the turtles was related to their created will to live. But for those two particular baby sea turtles survival was entirely because two people cared enough to volunteer their time to pursue them. They cared enough to dig deep into the sand with no assurance of success. They cared enough to care for the babies and then give up more of their time to return to the sea that night to release the turtles to their destiny. And I suddenly felt saddened. Sad that really cool people like Sam will do that for baby turtles and that so many followers of Jesus can’t or won’t find the time to do that for fellow believers buried deep in the hole of despair and woundedness.
I was awed by the amazing drama of nature. Touched by the goodness of many people on this earth. And challenged by the thought that someone may be gasping for spiritual air today just waiting for me to care enough to dig a bit into their story and heart.
Today I am back to reality. Someday I will enjoy paradise that will make Captiva look shabby (what a thought!). But in the meantime I pray I will have a tender spirit that will seek, rescue and restore God’s wounded lambs with the same commitment that Sam and countless others rescue those plucky baby turtles.
I’m not gonna lie to you…I always hesitate before I write about controversial issues in Christianity. I hesitate because I know I will receive ungraceful responses that will cause painful memories to resurface. Painful memories of being restricted by the electronic fence of legalism. I have come to realize that many leaders choose that method of “controlling” the flock. Some don’t know anything else. Some don’t wish to risk the messy and dirty work of being a real shepherd. But the damage is devastating to trusting sheep who are wounded.
I knew that writing about The Shack would stir up some ugly responses from a few readers. Perhaps my disclaimer in the original post deterred a few negative responders. Perhaps some have simply given up on me. But most of the comments have been legitimate and thoughtful. I wrote a response to a blog written by David Robinson about my original article. He graciously responded to my followup and asked some fair questions. Here is David’s response.
Dave,
I appreciate your desire to address this matter objectively and compassionately. You demonstrate a lot of Christian charity to me in what you say, and I am grateful for it.
My question is this: do you feel (Tim) Challies' review was in any way less than fully gracious, caring, and balanced? Or do you feel it was a model of the kind of gentleness and balance you wish to see from Christians in this kind of matter?
Response: This gives me a chance to make an important clarification. I feel that both of the articles I referenced gave a thoughtful analysis of the book from very different perspectives. My pleas were addressed to the angry and often strident comments I encountered on many websites and blogs. My desire to balance the debate was to offer both sides and some thoughts on how to communicate your take on the book with grace and love.
I have a less specific question to ask: is it wrong to disparage or even mock a book, speech, or other communication that blurs or even distorts essential doctrine?
Response: Okay, you asked me. I think it is always wrong to disparage and mock another persons point of view because it shuts down communication. That doesn’t mean you let it slide. I used Paul’s response to the citizens of Athens as my role model. He was ticked off by what he saw. I can imagine how it would have looked if Paul had addressed this situation like some ministries do today.
Dateline – Athens. Saint Paul announced a boycott of tourism to Athens, Greece in a sharply worded press release today. “The followers of Jesus can no longer support these godless pagans,” Paul declared from a protest outside the Parthenon. “God will judge these vile sinners.” Dozens of sign waving Christians shouted at those visiting the various shrines of false gods. Paul left the city and planned to spread his protest throughout the civilized world.
Instead Paul chose to stay and preach the truth in love. And the book of Acts reports that some believed. I believe that God can use any communication of Biblical truth. He is, after all, God. But isn’t it reasonable to believe that we are far more effective ambassadors when we stay on the dual tracks of truth and grace? Getting off either track can be deadly. I have to be honest and tell you I dismiss anyone who mocks or disparages my views. If they show a shred of grace I respond and the results are often good. Wounded people will almost always go into hiddenness when they are mocked or disparaged. And they will take it personally if you mock or disparage something they feel is good even if your heart is to help or protect them.
I will just put myself out there by saying this: I believe every major heresy gets a large portion of the truth of God correct. But what makes it a cult, and not orthodox Christianity, is that it distorts an essential aspect of the God's self-revelation in the process. All the critiques I have read take the book to task for exactly that reason.
Response: I agree. But instead of taking a sincere person to task I am suggesting you equip yourself with the facts about the book and then engage them. Ask questions to see how the book affected them.
“What did you like about the book?”
“How did it change your views?”
The answers will give you insight into their heart, their past and their theology. From that foundation you can come alongside that person and help them address what is really going on. Some people will simply see The Shack as a work of fiction and the doctrinal points will have no impact. Others will find some interesting thoughts and dismiss other parts of the book. That was my take. I suspect that only a few will go off a theological cliff because of this book. I remember that there was so much concern about The DaVinci Code, The Gospel of Judas, The Golden Compass and so on. Each of those events had a much lesser impact than some feared. Most of the Christians I know are intelligent enough to test the spirits. We should instruct and not condemn those who are not discerning.
Thank you for your grace to me personally, and your candor with regard to my comments.
Thank you for the same. Isn’t graceful dialogue fun?
Another writer raised some good questions.
Reader Matt posed a couple of concerns.
I have a lot of mixed emotions about The Shack. Rather than emoting on your blog (I'll save that for mine), let me just ask: what did you think of it? Did you think Tim's assessment was fair? Also, in the interest of full disclosure, maybe your statement about author Wayne Jacobson's response should include the fact that he is the publisher of The Shack.
Response: You just disclaimed Mr. Jacobson’s connection for me. Thanks. I liked The Shack. I love to be challenged in my thinking. Do I agree with all or even most of the theology presented? No. But the portrayal of God’s grace and caring was profound and can be helpful to wounded souls. God’s grace and love is truth. If we can get hurting people to trust that then we have a chance to restore many wounded lambs to the body of Christ.
And for (blog commenter) David, who said: I understood what the author was doing in attempting to get his point across...what was he trying to get across, exactly? Most everyone I've read on the blogosphere describes the book as giving them insights on God that they've never gotten before. Do you agree with that? And if so, does it bother you that people are getting insights about God from someplace other than His Word?
I think the message is simple. God does not give up on you. He loves you. Because of evil and sin bad things happen but God is not uncaring about those events. It does not bother me at all that people get insights from places other than His Word. I get insight from books, music, movies and countless other sources. I do have a biblical responsibility to weigh my insights against scripture and see if they are true. But God can speak through anything from nature to media to music. Don’t limit His creative and your own ability to find something sacred in unlikely places. You will limit your capacity for God to use all of His glorious creation to speak to your heart. Try looking for Him in unexpected places. You may be surprised to find Him there.
For new inductees to this site a brief update might be in order. The iPod Devotional Series is a periodic item that involves, not surprisingly, my trusty iPod and the shuffle feature. I fire up the device, go to the shuffle button, hit play and I write about whatever song is randomly selected from the 1,000 plus songs I have downloaded (all legally). My musical taste is quite eclectic so this little feature is a bit risky. But we have already had a devotion based on Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar so how much further south can we go?
Today’s song is from a artist called Five for Fighting and the selection is “Freedom Never Cries”. Wow. The shuffle could not have been more timely. Writer/singer John Ondrasik has become one of my favorites. Five for Fighting’s new CD (Two Lights) is incredible. Ondrasik writes personal and powerful songs that resonate with me. “Freedom Never Cries” is a song about how we take freedom for granted. Ondrasik talked about the song in an interview posted at liveDaily.
It was definitely a statement song that has a point of view. I think it kind of speaks to the fact that, I know at least for myself, we tend to only appreciate things when we need them. The chorus of that song says "I never loved the soldier until there was a war / Or thought about tomorrow 'til my baby hit the floor." I know I never started thinking about my future until I had my children. I never talked to God until somebody was about to die. My grandmother passed away last year--she was 93. She had a great life. It's funny that I tend to find religion when I need it. Or when somebody's sick. My dad had heart surgery this year, and it's amazing how religious I was that week. Freedom's similar. Growing up here in the bubble of the United States, we are statistically lucky to be born into this country where freedom, to us, seems natural. We couldn't imagine anything else. I think sometimes we don't recognize that. Freedom never cries. Freedom doesn't sit in the corner and whine and make us recognize it, per se. I think if you look at the world in general today, many countries don't experience the same freedom of expression, freedom of religion, women's rights, freedom of the press that we have. Obviously, that leads to a majority of the world's conflicts today. I wanted to recognize that, "Hey, freedom has a price, it's not a gift." It's a little reminder to ourselves, we're some of the lucky ones here.
The song is powerful. And the timing is sobering as we head into the celebration of the struggle to gain the incredible freedoms we have been granted. The freedom to vote. Freedom of religion. Freedom of speech. In a few months we face the awesome responsibility of voting. How you can even consider not exercising that precious gift? Freedom is like health. You don’t appreciate either one until they are gone.
H.L.Mencen once said, “We must be willing to pay a price for freedom, for no price that is ever asked for it is half the cost of doing without it.” Think about that.
And think about the lyrics of this song.
I never loved the soldier until there was a war
Or thought about tomorrow
'til my baby hit the floor
I Only talk to God when somebody's about to die
I Never cherished Freedom
Freedom never cries...
Thank God today for the blessing of freedom. Thank God for the men and women who will not be home this holiday as they serve to keep our freedoms intact. I cherish freedom.
I also cherish another kind of freedom.
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5 NASB
Cherish both freedoms as a citizen of the United States and as a citizen of heaven. And take neither for granted.
For the most part the responses to my recent post about the popular book The Shack have been thoughtful and graceful. Alert reader Kristie sent me a link to a response that she thought I would find entertaining.
The website is called postmortemism and author David Robinson made some interesting observations about your humble rambler. He decided that I am illogical, condescending and ignorant. Not much in that list that I can disagree with in the big picture. I have been all of those things now and again. I do believe that in this one little instance Mr.Robinson assigned a lot of motives to my blog that I was unaware of until he pointed them out. So let’s examine where I have gone astray.
In my article I suggested that followers of Jesus be careful about attacking the author of The Shack and to be careful about how we condemn the book to those who have read it. Here is a snippet of that point.
When his theology goes astray I am suggesting that we gracefully point out those areas and don’t attack Mr. Young. Defending truth with grace is always the most effective tactic. But our passion for truth too often makes grace the first thing we jettison.
Mr.Robinson decided that I had an agenda with those points about being careful.
The first two “Be careful” comments can be thrown out the door. Of course, “careful” is only defined by what Burchett wants it to mean. To him, it means not saying certain things that would dismiss the competency or veracity of the author and the book. But those who disagree with the book are “careful” by examining the core ideas within and underneath the text to ascertain certain errors. And it is very “caring” of them to share their “concerns” with others since it may prevent others from having a wrong view of God distort their thinking.
Uhhhhhh….when I said be “careful” what I meant to say was to be “careful”. The definition at dictionary.com was basically what I meant.
Careful…to be cautious in one's actions.
That’s about all I had in mind when I chose that word. Since I wrote the piece I am pretty sure that to me I believed we could have a better dialogue if we discussed ideas and not attacked people. This was a part of my “careful” point.
Be careful how you share your concerns with others. When I read comments like “are these people just blind to heresy?” I cringe. Because you reinforce the feelings of so many people that are moved by this book. They have experienced a Christianity that is judgmental and sometimes downright mean. If your heart is to be a guardian of truth you will damage that worthy desire by harsh criticism of those who are touched by The Shack.
Later I made it clear that theological areas should be pointed out and discussed. I was simply asking for grace in the debate.
The next point really left me scratching my head. Here is what I wrote.
Be prayerful about why this book has connected so surprisingly with millions. I think I know some reasons why this book is resonating with so many. Those of us raised in the desert of legalism are desperate for the cool, refreshing waters of grace. Those of us who have been wounded by other Christians want more than anything to believe that Jesus does love us and our experience is not how it should be in the church. We need guardians of the truth of God’s Word but we also need those guardians to be shepherds that care and not just condemn.
Here is how Mr.Robinson received those thoughts.
The third command is based on the assumption that prayer and cognition are somehow at odds with each other. It’s not enough to understand why the book is so popular; one must pray in order to have some sort of mystical conformity from God to grasp this unusual and mysterious phenomenon.
I am pretty sure that all I meant was to be prayerful about people that have been wounded, how we can come alongside them, love them and restore them to the body of Christ. Separating prayer and cognition never, to quote Tweety Bird, “ cwossed my wittle bwain”. The critique continues.
I love the fourth comment, especially the use of “Dogmatically”. Who doesn’t have a worldview? Who’s worldview doesn’t guide what they think and how they respond to different kinds of ideas? Even ignorance and apathy are a dogma. Burchett simply doesn’t like dogma that goes against this book. Don’t respond dogmatically? Ok…well I’ll try. But if I read the book, and I don’t like it, can I tell someone “caringly” that they shouldn’t read it?
Honestly, all I really meant was that people hurt by legalism need grace. I have made my worldview clear in blogs and books. Where did I say that I don’t like any dogma that goes against the book? What I said was that this book opens doors to discussion that addresses orthodox theology and how scripture varies from this story. Of course you can tell people not to read the book. You can tell them whatever you desire and you will be accountable for your heart. I am accountable for my heart. The writer assigned lots of motives to my heart that are simply not accurate. I have no ax to grind with David Robinson. Seemed like a good guy when I perused his website. I just cannot understand how he made the judgments about my motives based on what I wrote.
I have had significant ministry success by looking for cultural open doors. I read the DaVinci Code. I watched The Book of Daniel on TV. I read the books by atheists and skeptics. That doesn't make me special or spiritual. It is simply the ministry I have chosen in my very secular job and environment. I want to be prepared to offer a defense of the gospel whenever a door is open by cultural events, debates and even controversies. Paul confronted false gods in Athens. He chose to engage in debate instead of condemning the citizens for false ideas. And he addressed them with truth and grace.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.
He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”
Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said. “You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)
So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.
“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.
“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers.
Paul went through an open door. He was prepared. He knew his theology and he demonstrated grace. That is all I am saying about how we as followers of Christ should respond to controversial issues.
I disagree with the motives assigned to me by Mr.Robinson. But I believe that he has a genuine heart to proclaim the precious gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope that we can focus on what unites us as we both seek to serve our Lord.
Regular readers of these humble ramblings remember a daring effort called the iPod devotional series. It was daring because I would hit the random shuffle feature and write about whatever song came up in the sequence. Because of my weird music tastes the concept was fraught with potential peril. My marginal integrity was challenged when a song by Toby Keith appeared on the screen but I gave it a shot. Other events and ADD diverted me from the series. Today is author’s choice and the song is called Watching You by country singer Rodney Atkins. The song is reminiscent of a very poignant song by the late Harry Chapin called Cat’s in the Cradle. That song piled guilt on a lot of Dad’s in the 80’s, myself included.
Atkin’s song recalls his shock when his little boy drops a mild expletive after spilling his drink. The horrified Dad demands to know where he heard such language.
He said, I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you.
The incident may be humorous but the principle is sobering. Our children learn far more from watching their parents than from listening to them. This little boy demonstrates that if they do listen it will usually be at the wrong time!
The song goes on to detail a great response to his son’s revelation that he picked up that language from someone very close to him.
We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self.”
Just this side of bedtime later that night
Turnin’ on my son’s Scooby-doo nightlight.
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
Spoke to God like he was talkin’ to a friend.
And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?”
The answer is obvious. He was watching Dad as he had earlier bowed in repentance before the Lord. It took me awhile to figure out that my sons were watching even when they appeared disinterested or even distant. Thanks to a wonderful Mom and a lot of grace we have been blessed with three awesome sons. I have asked them to tell me what I did right and I also asked what I could have done better. Their answers were instructive. First, some positive things that our sons noted.
- We picked our battles carefully. Middle Son Scott told us that when we were passionate about an issue he knew it was important to us. We extended grace on most issues. For example, my wife graciously allowed the boy’s rooms to be a bit less tidy than she would have preferred. She knew that was not a battle worth fighting. She simply closed the door to their rooms and prayed for patience and for no rodents to nest.
- We prepared them to leave. Children are a gift that are entrusted to us for eighteen years or so. It is our job to prepare them to be independent and functional adults.
- We tried to model our faith during trials. When our daughter was born with a terminal birth defect we determined that our response would reflect how faith relates to life and especially to hard times.
- We learned to say “I was wrong” and “I am sorry”without “buts”. A wise person once told me that what follows the but is how that person actually feels. Parents must model that for their children.
- We carefully monitored friends.
- We tried to adapt to their unique design and not try to force them into our personal dreams.
- We attempted to innoculate them to sin. An innoculation is a controlled exposure to disease that builds up immunity to that malady. We felt that sheltering our sons from the world would not prepare them to live successfully in it.
But nothing is more important than simply living what you are saying. They are watching. They start out wanting to be just like us. For new parents and future parents there is no more important lesson than recognizing how carefully your children are watching you.
If your kids are grown or nearly grown let me offer a word of encouragement. I did a few things right but I also did some things very poorly. All three sons wished I had worked less and been home more. So do I. But love really does cover a multitude of sins. They have forgiven me for being absent too often. I hope they will learn from my mistakes as they begin families. If you feel you need to reconcile with your kids I would encourage you to do that today. Grace is amazing and redemption is always possible in Jesus.
Paul addressed the church at Thessalonica. He was trying to describe how he attempted to communicate with the believers there. It is instructive that Paul chose the example of parents twice.
As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
Later Paul makes this comparison.
For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children…
And how does Paul describe those dealings? He says that they communicated like a father that is “encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory”.
That is a pretty good roadmap for a father to follow. Be encouraging. Comfort your child. And urge them to live lives worthy of God. There is no fooling them because they are watching. Always.
One of the dangers of Christian blogging is dealing with the spiritual hall monitors who seem to live only to smack your heretical knuckles with their ruler of truth. So I risk their wrath (carefully chosen word) with today’s post.
The novel The Shack has begun a wave of debate, hand-wringing, defensiveness and condemnation in Evangelical circles. The book has been called dangerous, subversive and heretical by many critics. I didn’t know any of this when a friend told me that he really enjoyed the book and I should read it. Since I have a book addiction I soon was in possession. I finished The Shack last week. I thought it was a decent and often good read. I was challenged and touched by parts of the story. And, to be honest, I was bothered by some of it. After finishing the book I did some internet research on what others were saying about the book. Some of the critiques were valuable and thoughtful. These writers pointed out where the book deviated from scripture. Some of the orthodox theological missteps were outlined in clear detail. A thorough review of those concerns was written by author/blogger Tim Challies. I would suggest you balance that critique with another perspective to those objections from author Wayne Jacobson. I will stay away from the theological debate because Tim and Wayne have done it so well. Instead I want to offer a few gentle propositions to consider for my fellow followers of Jesus as the discussion heats up.
- Be careful about disparaging The Shack’s author, William P Young. Please be cautious about assigning motives to a person you don’t know from Adam and Eve’s first house cat. I know that I have been called things that were really surprising by my brothers and sisters in the faith simply because they disagreed with something I wrote. The truth is that I now disagree with some of things I wrote and I still think I am a decent guy. Mr. Young apparently was deeply wounded by Christians who should have protected him. I don’t believe Mr.Young set out to write a book that would rock the evangelical community. Apparently he didn’t even write the book with the thought of being published. It was originally written for family members to help them deal with their pain. It doesn’t seem that he set out with sinister motives to undermine theological orthodoxy. He is a fellow wounded traveler trying to reconcile his woundedness. When his theology goes astray I am suggesting that we gracefully point out those areas and don’t attack Mr. Young. Defending truth with grace is always the most effective tactic. But our passion for truth too often makes grace the first thing we jettison.
- Be careful how you share your concerns with others. When I read comments like “are these people just blind to heresy?” I cringe. Because you reinforce the feelings of so many people that are moved by this book. They have experienced a Christianity that is judgmental and sometimes downright mean. If your heart is to be a guardian of truth you will damage that worthy desire by harsh criticism of those who are touched by The Shack.
- Be prayerful about why this book has connected so surprisingly with millions. I think I know some reasons why this book is resonating with so many. Those of us raised in the desert of legalism are desperate for the cool, refreshing waters of grace. Those of us who have been wounded by other Christians want more than anything to believe that Jesus does love us and our experience is not how it should be in the church. We need guardians of the truth of God’s Word but we also need those guardians to be shepherds that care and not just condemn. Some of the articles have been so stern that I felt like I would be sent to after school detention when the writer was done. That doesn’t help a wounded believer. Jesus said to both feed and take care of His sheep.
- Dogmatically telling people to not read the book may not be the best approach. If we know one thing about the law it is that telling us not do something generally inflames our sin nature. If someone wants to read the book give them thoughtful cautions and then discuss how they felt about the book later.
- Don’t automatically decide you won’t read the book. If you don’t want to contribute to Mr. Young’s income then go to the library and check it out. Why should you consider doing that if you believe the book is off base? Because of a principle that I harp on over and over. When people open spiritual doors we should have enough sense to go through them. Instead we tend to slam those doors and then go knock loudly on doors that are closed. Obviously this book is connecting. There is a deep spiritual hunger in America. If a fellow believer or seeker comments on the book it will do little good to look down our spiritual nose and let them know the book is all wrong. The next question will be this one. “Did you read it?” If the answer is no that will be the end of debate for most that are touched by this book. Because it is an emotional book they will disconnect from your concerns if you did not even have enough intellectual curiosity to read the book. Instead I would suggest you read it and then engage the reader. You will be able to get through some pretty intimate doors that this book opens and have a great discussion of truth and grace.
- Be aware that God is doing just fine. I have seen some pretty dire warnings about this book. One of the critiques that I read often is that the book makes God small. Aren’t we also making God small by being so concerned about the possible damage done by this book? God can, will and is using this book. I agree the theology gets shaky at times. But the truth is that The Shack is causing many people to think about things they have never considered. Some are willing to try again after being deeply wounded. Shouldn’t we be praying that God will use us to come alongside these souls as they search and seek the truth?
- Acknowledge that there are the things this book does well. When you go negative it causes people to get defensive. It does more harm to make people who feel abandoned or hurt by the church feel “stupid” because they don’t know as much theology as you do. If you know that much theology don’t forget the grace sections. Mr. Challis writes these words about some of the positives in the book. “He affirms the absolute nature of what is good and teaches that evil exists only in relation to what is good; he challenges the reader to understand that God is inherently good and that we can only truly trust God if we believe Him to be good; he acknowledges the human tendency to create our image of God by looking at human qualities and assuming that God is simply the same but more so; he attempts to portray the loving relationships within the Trinity; and so on. For these areas I am grateful as they provided helpful correctives to many false understandings of God.”
- Recognize the hunger in the body of Christ. While some of the theology in The Shack is askew I would suggest that the theology of millions of people in the church is also deficient. We have done a poor job of teaching (or understanding) some of the key teachings of Scripture. Most of us get salvation. We could not be reconciled to a Holy God on our own. But then it seems to get a bit spotty. Too many of us don’t understand key theological truths like who we are in Christ, who God says we are and who God says He is. We know truth but don’t trust it. What is in our head doesn’t invade our heart. The Shack has touched the hearts of millions. The door is open for a thoughtful and real discussion. I pray that we don’t blow it.
P.S. If you want a resource that is theologically sound about the topics above I continue to recommend TrueFaced. It is the best and most challenging book on practical theology I have ever read. Instead of taking readers of The Shack to the woodshed get this book and take them to the room of grace.
(Please accept this gently read previously posted article. Stay tuned for freshly minted blogs coming soon)
WASHINGTON - Gritty rats and mice living in sewers and farms seem to have healthier immune systems than their squeaky clean cousins that frolic in cushy antiseptic labs, two studies indicate. The lesson for humans: Clean living may make us sick. That was the AP story that caught my attention yesterday. And I pondered the odd theory that these disgusting rodents may offer a clue to ineffectual Christian living as well. Let us explore.
Associated Press Science writer Seth Borenstein writes about the recent research.
The studies give more weight to a 17-year-old theory that the sanitized Western world may be partly to blame for soaring rates of human allergy and asthma cases and some autoimmune diseases, such as Type I diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. The theory, called the hygiene hypothesis, figures that people's immune systems aren't being challenged by disease and dirt early in life, so the body's natural defenses overreact to small irritants such as pollen.
The new studies, one of which was published Friday in the peer reviewed Scandinavian Journal of Immunology, found significant differences in the immune systems between euthanized wild and lab rodents.
When the immune cells in the wild rats are stimulated by researchers, "they just don't do anything they sit there; if you give them same stimulus to the lab rats, they go crazy," said study co-author Dr. William Parker, a Duke University professor of experimental surgery. He compared lab rodents to more than 50 wild rats and mice captured and killed in cities and farms.
A rat at a Brooklyn subway stop – AP Photo
Also, the wild mice and rats had as much as four times higher levels of immunoglobulins, yet weren't sick, showing an immune system tuned to fight crucial germs, but not minor irritants, Parker said. He said what happened in the lab rats is what likely occurs in humans: their immune systems have got it so cushy they overreact to smallest of problems.
Challenged immune systems — such as kids who grow up with two or more pets — don't tend to develop as many allergies, said Dr. Stanley Goldstein, director of Allergy & Asthma Care of Long Island.
Human epidemiological studies have long given credence to the hygiene theory, showing that allergy and asthma rates were higher in the cleaner industrialized areas than in places such as Africa. Parker's studies, looking at animal differences, may eventually help scientists find when, where and how environmental exposure help protect against future allergies and immune disorders, said Goldstein, and Dr. Jeffrey Platt of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota., both of whom were not part of Parker's studies.
Parker said he hopes to build a 50-foot artificial sewer for his next step, so that he could introduce the clean lab rats to an artificial dirty environment and see how and when the immunity was activated.
That may be the biggest thing to come out of the wild and lab rodent studies, Platt said: "Then all of a sudden it becomes possible to expose people to the few things (that exercise the immune system) and gives them the benefit of the dirty environment without having to expose them to the dirt."
A couple of thoughts immediately come to mind. First, how do you sell your boss on building a 50 foot artificial sewer? Second, I remembered the house that eldest and second sons lived in during their college years. Squeamish parents would stop at a gas station to use the bathroom before visiting the guys. We wondered why they were not sick all of the time. Now I realize that they were probably healthier than I ever could have hoped. These men utilized the brilliant strategy of creating an artificially dirty environment to stimulate a healthy immune system. It is always great when science validates slothfulness. And it is even greater when you can figure out a way to incorporate slothfulness into a sentence.
But how does this relate to an ineffectual Christian life? I think that the average Christian in America has also compromised our spiritual immune system by choosing a cushy and safe Christian experience. We have tuned our immune system not to fight crucial sin in our lives but to dwell on minor irritants. When you talk to fellow Christians are you passionately concerned about communicating the gospel to the world or about some minor irritant (person or program) at your church? Do we agonize over injustice in the world or petty injustice in our lives? Have we programmed our spiritual immune systems to battle pride and selfishness? Not likely. And by the way…I did not fare well in the pop quiz posed in this paragraph.
And the rats may hold another clue. I recently read a quote from an excellent book called Organic Church. The author noted that to reach the world for Christ we have to be willing to sit in the smoking section. I don’t mean to imply that all smokers are not Christian. The point is we have to be willing to get out of our “comfort bunkers”.
Paul wrote this to the Roman church.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Paul is not saying that we are to avoid being conformed to the world by isolation from it. We are instead to be transformed by the Holy Spirit renewing our mind. Isolation does not transform us at all. If anything, isolation makes us lukewarm. Because we can’t have a robust spiritual immune system if we live in a sterile sanctuary environment only. And that may be where the rats can teach us the biggest lesson. Our tendency is to stay in the sterile lab (church) and never venture into the sewer (lives of hurting people). We have too often chosen the safe route of turning on the light and praying those in need will come to the light. Some will. But most will not. Instead we are called to take the light to those in need. Jesus noted that in the Sermon on the Mount.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
When Jesus says to let your light shine before men I think He was talking about Monday through Saturday as well as Sunday. I am sick of Sunday Christians. I have spent too many years putting my light under a bowl. I have too often chosen the safe and antiseptic sanctuary over the authentic and often dirty sewer of people in need. I want my spiritual immune system to attack real threats and not minor irritants.
That scares me. But not as much as not pursuing that scares me.
I was rummaging through various news sites and I found that today is the happiest day of the year. Since my delayed flight arrived at 2 in the morning and they couldn’t find our rent car I nearly missed this joyous day.
According to a scholar in seasonal disorders at a British university you should feel happier than you have all year today. Cliff Arnall has analyzed such factors as outdoor activities, nature, social interaction, childhood memories, temperature and holidays — data gathered over a period of nearly 20 years in interviews with thousands of people around the world. His conclusion is that for 2008 today, June 20th, is the happiest day of the year. "People across borders experience happiness when they meet with friends and family and establish close social relationships," the University of Cardiff academic reported. "We need some close emotional ties." He used what he considers a "simple equation" to reach his conclusion — O + (N x S) + Cpm/T + He. O stands for outdoor activities, N for nature, S for social interaction, Cpm for childhood summers and positive memories, T for temperature and He for holidays and looking forward to time off.
Because I have written a lot about civility I am trying to be kind about this formula. Would it be impolite to suggest that I also have a formula about trying to determine the happiest day of the year? Mine would be something like this. P (H) = TN. P for predicting, H for happiness, TN for Total Nonsense. I guess the grumpy old man factor came out there. I can understand how summer time, family, memories, and so on would lead to potential happiness. I also realize this is not hard science and a fun argument so please hold your cards and letters.
Why I am a bit skeptical of circumstance based formulas for happiness? Because I am beginning to figure out that you can have joy even when circumstances wouldn’t necessarily reflect that emotion. Circumstances might dictate that today is far from the happiest day for you. Joni and I have traveled a difficult journey over the past three years as we navigated her breast cancer battle.
We found joy in this formula. J + P + (F x L) + T = Joy.
J is for Jesus, P is for Prayer, F is for friends, L is for laughter, and T is for trust. The formula works for us.
The Psalmist wrote these words.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
He has made both June 20th and the 364 less happy days that are envious of today. But I am actually okay with calling this the happiest day of the year for me. Because I am choosing to follow the instruction of Nehemiah to Ezra. You might remember these words from a Sunday School song.
For the joy of the LORD is your strength
Circumstance will too often rob you of joy. The airline industry certainly does their part. But you can choose joy in the Lord today. Mix liberal does of Jesus, prayer, friends and laughter together. Trust that it will work. Repeat tomorrow.
Okay, I admit it. I like country music. I also like rock, Motown, jazz, pop, folk, gospel and classical music. But I once tried to distance from country in an ill-fated attempt to be sophisticated. To quote an old family idiom that effort was like putting earrings on a hog. I am a small town boy and my roots are in the hills of Kentucky. So I no longer deny that I have a few banjos and some fine squirrel recipes in my genetic pool.
In addition to the chromosomal predisposition toward Nashville I am developing a deep appreciation for the honesty of country music. It is one of the few safe places to discuss God and country and marriage and old fashioned values without fear of politically correct busybodies getting their undergarments twisted. We all laugh at a few outrageously titled country tunes but there are many that reflect exactly who I am. A proud father, a husband who married way up, a patriotic American and an unabashed follower of Jesus. Not exactly attributes that would make me an A-lister at elite parties.
So a couple of days ago I downloaded (legally) the latest CD from country duo Montgomery Gentry. I had used their song Some People Change in an earlier iPod Devotional article. As dog friend Hannah and I walked I was amazed at how many of their songs led me to spiritual thoughts and meditation. So here is a little review of my Montgomery Gentry devotional.
The first cut on the album begins with a fiery preacher railing at an old fashioned revival meetin’. I remembered stories of churches that took the verse in Mark about juggling snakes quite literally while ignoring many other important texts like love your neighbor. I would need a burning bush from God to pursue that activity (I mean the snake part). But the song reminded me of how we hang our hats on verses and things that don’t matter and miss the meaning, maturity and mission that God has for us.
The title track, Back When I Knew It All, resonated with me. The lyrics describe the passage of many of us.
Back when the world was flat and mama and daddy didn't have a clue
That was back...back when a pitcher of beer and a couple shots made me bulletproof
Back when God was a name I used in vain to get a point across when I got ticked off
Lord I'm learning so much more......than back when I knew it all
I realize now how little I really knew about being a man and about walking with Jesus. I had bad theology and bad motives so it should come as no big surprise that I was a bad Christian. I was judgmental because I knew exactly what those “sinners” should be doing. I didn’t know their circumstances or challenges. I didn’t care enough to pray for them or come alongside them to help. I just knew they were wrong and I was better than them. At least I felt that way back when I knew it all. Here is another part of the lyric…
I've learned that love is a woman that will settle you down
a Sunday sermon can turn life around
Man I can't believe all the answers I've found
since ....back when I knew it all
The song “Long Line of Losers” talks about coming from a unusually dysfunctional family even by country music standards. One line stood out to me.
My bloodline made me who I am.
I thought about the incredible Gospel and how putting your trust in Jesus can reverse that long line of losers legacy. The Cross is not only about forgiveness of sin but also about receiving a new identity. Our old self is also put to death. That long line of losers label no longer applies to those who trust Christ. That old loser mentality is no longer who we are but we have a really hard time trusting that truth. My family bloodline made me who I was. God says that the bloodline of His Son makes me who I am.
“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous…” (Titus 3, NLT)
God has declared me righteous. A saint. His child. Amazing.
The theme continued with the song God Knows Who I Am. The words talk about realizing that God knows exactly who I am and He still loves me completely. I once agreed completely with the theology expressed in this bit of lyric from that song.
I’m a full time sinner and a part time saint
I ain’t afraid of fear
If it makes me a better man
God knows who I am
Now I have to gently disagree with that theology. I have changed my view of who I am. I have a new identity. I am a full-time saint that still sometimes sins. That is not how I feel a lot of the time. But that is who God says I am. And who am I to argue?
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. (2 Cor 5, NLT)
God knows who I am and He says I am changed. He sees Christ in me. I stand in amazement and worship. And that realization, not fear, makes me a better man.