The Best Christmas Eve Day Present Ever!

Well, technically the best Christmas Eve Day present ever was the In-N-Out gift certificate I received this morning, but this one is a close second. It's two more verses of my favorite Christmas carol, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." And unlike many little known fourth and fifth verses of popular hymns, they're as good as the first three verses! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

A Pagan Holiday and the Godliest Man I Know

December 21st is significant for two reasons. First, it's the date of the Winter Solstice and the shortest day of the year. But more importantly, it's the birthday of the wisest, godliest, and most compassionate man that I know. I thank God daily for my wonderful dad and I've been blessed to spend twenty-six years gleaning insights on ministry, relationships, and life in general from his example. So, on the eve of his birthday, I thought I'd share forty lessons I've learned from my dad. I hope you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom!

1. Buy lunch for people.
2. The passive voice is to be avoided.
3. Always ask, "Where does it say that in Scripture?"
4. Buffet your body and make it your slave.
5. Write your own curriculum.
6. Don't base your decisions on your emotions.
7. Set goals.
8. Even watching television can be a family bonding event.
9. Relationships are the most important part of ministry.
10. Be willing to face the fear of the unknown.
11. The NASB is hands down the best Bible translation.
12. READ, READ, READ!
13. Don't fear your enemies.
14. Be patient with others.
15. Make the most of your time.
16. Read the Bible in context.
17. Never stop learning.
18. Don't seek comfort.
19. Have a wide variety of interests.
20. You can win pretty much any debate if you have the entire Bible memorized.
21. Order room service.
22. Be optimistic!
23. Write succinctly.
24. Be active in finding solutions to your problems.
25. Never lose your love of adventure.
26. A little competition never hurt anyone.
27. Take your children on weekly adventures.
28. Do not put your hope in temporal things.
29. You can be theologically correct and practical at the same time.
30. Ask ethical questions.
31. Keep your head down and focus on body rotation in freestyle.
32. You must care for the person that God puts in your path.
33. Work hard.
34. Look out for the interests of others.
35. A great leader must be a great servant.
36. Don't plan on retiring.
37. Find inspiration in the things that you liked as a kid.
38. Look for the best in people.
39. Teach children the story of the Bible.
40. Always find ways to share the gospel.

There are thousands of other lessons I've learned from my dad, but given that he is celebrating his fortieth birthday tomorrow, forty lessons seemed appropriate.

Dad, thanks for inspiring and encouraging me each day. I couldn't ask for a better father. Happy Birthday!

It's No "Pharaoh, Pharaoh," But It's Still A Pretty Great Song

I love Christian kids' music. I grew up listening to Psalty the Singing Songbook and the Kids' Praise tapes and most of the scripture I have memorized is a direct result of listening to Psalty. (I still get the songs stuck in my head when I read those passages of the Bible.) I remember wearing dress-up clothes and standing in front of the full length mirror in my room (hmm, that might provide some insight into the roots of my vanity) and belting out "Jesus Put The Song In My Heart," with Charity Churchmouse.

Now that I work with kids, I'm always trying to find fun songs with good scriptural content. So you can imagine how excited I was to discover "Young Men and Maidens Raise," a Charles Wesley hymn written especially for kids! Well, excited and humbled. While my kids sing one Bible verse followed by five minutes of "Na, na, na," the children of Wesley's day sang, "Him Three in One and One in Three, extol to all eternity." Sheesh.

You know, this song might be a little over the heads of the kids I work with, but if we changed the tune to something like, "Yellow Submarine" and added a couple choruses of na, na, nas or maybe a dance break, this could be the hit of camp this summer. You never know.

Young men and maidens, raise
Your tuneful voices high;
Old men and children, praise
The Lord of earth and sky;
Him Three in One and One in Three,
Extol to all eternity.

The universal King
Let all the world proclaim;
Let every creature sing
His attributes and Name!
Him Three in One and One in Three,
Extol to all eternity.

In His great Name alone
All excellencies meet,
Who sits upon the throne,
And shall forever sit;
Him Three in One and One in Three,
Extol to all eternity.

Glory to God belongs;
Glory to God be given,
Above the noblest songs
Of all in earth or heaven!
Him Three in One and One in Three,
Extol to all eternity.

The History of the Boar's Head Carol or Yet Another Reason Why Aristotle is the Best Philosopher Ever

Not only can reading Aristotle enrich your mind, it might just save your life! Legend has it that centuries ago, a student at The Queen's College, Oxford was walking through the woods on Christmas day and reading Aristotle. Suddenly, a wild boar charged him. Having no other weapon, the resourceful student saved his life by quickly thrusting his Aristotle down the boar's throat. That night the boar's head was finely dressed and garnished and served to all the students at The Queen's College. Apparently, the students then sang, "The Boar's Head Carol," which was published in 1521 and is still sung today. I think I'm going to start carrying Nichomachean Ethics with me wherever I go. You just can't be too careful.

THE BOAR'S HEAD CAROL

The boar's head in hand bear I

Bedecked with bays and rosemary

I pray you, my masters, be merry

Quot estis in convivio (so many as are in the feast)

CHORUS: Caput apri defero, Reddens laudes domino (the boar's head I bring, giving praises to God)

The boar's head, as I understand,

Is the rarest dish in all this land,

Which thus bedecked with a gay garland

Let us servire cantico. (let us serve with a song)

CHORUS

Our steward hath provided this

In honor of the King of bliss

Which, on this day to be served is

In Reginensi atrio. (in the Queen's hall)

He's Going the Distance. He's Going for Creeds!

I'm a pretty low church gal. I'm fine with grape juice at Communion. I'm not really into following the church year. I've never attended a church where the pastor wore any sort of robe. I haven't actually attended a church where anyone even wears a tie. However, there are some high church customs that I truly like and reciting great creeds of our faith is one of them.

I think it's beautiful for a group of Christians to stand together and proclaim the same statements of faith that Christians proclaimed thousands of years ago. Reciting creeds connects us with our history and reminds us of fundamental doctrine. I've always loved the Apostles Creed in particular:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.

Wait, what? He descended into hell? I was with you up through crucified, dead, and buried, but where did this come from? What's the biblical basis? And how did it make it into this creed?

In the past, I've dealt with my confusion on the whole descended into hell issue by simply not saying that line of the creed. However, I think the time has come for me to arrive at some conclusion. Thus, I'm going to start examining the basis for the idea that Jesus descended into hell and try to discover why it was so important to include this piece of information in a foundational creed.

So, stay tuned. And if anyone has already figured out this issue - I would be willing to give up the joys of thoughtful and time consuming personal study for the immediate gratification of a quick answer. For the sake of everyone else, of course.

Just When You Thought There Couldn't Be Any More Christmas Carols With "Angel" In The Title . . .

They're floating on top of trees, wishing peace and goodwill on Christmas cards, adorning Martha Stewart gift wrap and starring in your local church production. And they're also featured in "Let Angels and Archangels Sing," another wonderful Charles Wesley Christmas carol!

Let angels and archangels sing
The wonderful Immanuel’s Name,
Adore with us our new-born King,
And still the joyful news proclaim;
All earth and Heav’n be ever joined
To praise the Savior of mankind.

The everlasting God comes down
To sojourn with the sons of men;
Without His majesty or crown,
The great Invisible is seen;
Of all His dazzling glories shorn
The everlasting God is born!

Angels, behold that Infant’s face,
With rapturous awe the Godhead own;
’Tis all your heav’n on Him to gaze,
And cast your crowns before His throne;
Though now He on His footstool lies,
Ye know He built both earth and skies.

By Him into existence brought,
Ye sang the all-creating Word;
Ye heard Him call our world from naught;
Again, in honor of your Lord,
Ye morning-stars your hymns employ,
And shout, ye sons of God, for joy.

Vocabulary, Schmocabulary

In hopes of making everyone's vocabulary a bit more whimsical, I thought I'd post nifty slang words and their definitions from time to time. Try to find ways to incorporate them into your daily conversations. You might start a trend! The following swell phrases are from the 1920's.

Prom-Trotter: A student who attends all social functions

Know One's Onions: To know what one is talking about

Oliver Twist: A skilled dancer

Punch the Bag: Small talk

Hot Socks!: Great!

Let George Do It: A work evading phrase

Mind Your Potatoes: Mind your own business

Rain Pitchforks: A downpour

If A Picture Paints A Thousand Words, Then Why Can't I Paint Jesus?

So, I had my group of four adorable and brilliant sixth graders over for dinner on Thursday night. We enjoyed Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (I ate some leftovers directly out of the pot and one of the girls informed me that eating dinner directly out of the pot is what "young people with careers" normally do) and sampled Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream, which we awarded a respectable 8 out of 10 (we rate a new ice cream each Thursday), before settling into our weekly theological discussion.

So far, these girls have asked how Jesus can be eternal if He died on the cross, wrestled with the problem of evil, shared how the Spirit is helping them say no to sin, and posited that Jesus may have had colic as a baby because smart babies sometimes have colic. I think they're on their way to becoming the next Luther, Wesley, Calvin, and Edwards (hopefully without rejecting the book of James, embracing Christian perfectionism, burning people at the stake, or being preoccupied with spiders.)

Thursday's discussion was predictably thoughtful and lively. One of the girls asked a great question: How did we get different races if everyone came from Adam and Eve and Adam and Eve were white?

We talked about how the Bible doesn't say what Adam and Eve's skin tone was like, which led the girls to pull out my children's Bibles and we all lamented the fact that Adam and Eve always look pretty Nordic. (The girls also think it's funny that Eve is always pictured with conveniently long hair.)

This got me thinking about children's Bibles and if they might do more harm than good. My bright little sixth grader has probably thought that Adam and Eve were white for a long time. I doubt anyone actually taught her this, but those pictures in children's Bibles made a lasting impression and she assumed that Adam and Eve looked like the picture in her Bible. Since we don't know what Esther, Moses, or Jesus really looked like (except that they probably weren't the chestnut brown haired Europeans pictured in many Bibles), is it all right to put false images into the minds of kids?

On the one hand, children's picture Bibles introduce young kids to God and His plan, keep them interested and engaged in the story, and are sensitive to their developmental stage. It's difficult to get young kids to sit and listen if there is nothing visual to keep their attention. On the other hand, these Bibles can also lead kids to develop false conceptions of historical figures and events (this may explain why so many kids believe that the forbidden fruit was an apple) and perhaps even encourage a subtle racism (given that most of the heroes of the Bible look pretty European.)

And then there's the issue of drawing the Son of God. Even though people have been painting Jesus for centuries, there's something about this that makes me uncomfortable. No painting, picture or sculpture can accurately present what Jesus really looked like. If it's idolatry to present God as something other than what He is, I wonder if it's right to even attempt to pictorially represent Jesus. And even if this isn't idolatry, I'm concerned that so many kids picture the Son of God as a handsome and very clean guy with long flowing hair and a red sash.

As a director of children's ministries, I'm starting to dig myself into a hole. We use a children's Bible in our preschool class every week and if I really believe what I just wrote, I need to start thinking about some storytelling alternatives that will present the Bible accurately and keep in mind our preschoolers' two second attention span.

One idea I'm tossing around is using pictures of objects to tell the story instead of pictures of people. For instance, if a teacher is telling the kids about Jesus feeding the five thousand, he might show them pictures of fish, loaves, and baskets (or better yet, show the kids real fish and bread) instead of showing a picture of Jesus with the fish and loaves. I think the lack of pictures may allow the kids to develop a more biblical conception of Jesus.

What do you think? Should children's Bibles be outlawed? Should I be fired for even suggesting such a thing? Is there a way to pictorially represent the people of the Bible in an accurate and helpful manner? I'd love to hear your opinions and ideas.

Let's Reorganize the Christmas Carol Canon!

I'm sure we all have one or two Christmas carols that we'd like to throw out of the Christmas carol canon. My picks are "O Holy Night," "Angels We Have Heard On High," and "The Little Drummer Boy." I'm sure we also have a couple of Christmas carols we'd like to sing more often during December. I propose that we add Charles Wesley's Let Earth and Heaven Combine to the list.

I've always loved the line "veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate Deity" in Wesley's Hark the Herald Angels Sing, so I was very excited to discover that Wesley wrote an entire hymn about the incarnation. The melody needs some work, but the lyrics are stellar.

So, enjoy this great hymn and let me know what other carols you think should be thrown out or added to the canon.

Let earth and Heaven combine,
Angels and men agree,
To praise in songs divine
The incarnate Deity,
Our God contracted to a span,
Incomprehensibly made Man.

He laid His glory by,
He wrapped Him in our clay;
Unmarked by human eye,
The latent Godhead lay;
Infant of days He here became,
And bore the mild Immanuel’s Name.

See in that Infant’s face
The depths of deity,
And labor while ye gaze
To sound the mystery
In vain; ye angels gaze no more,
But fall, and silently adore.

Unsearchable the love
That hath the Savior brought;
The grace is far above
Of men or angels’ thought:
Suffice for us that God, we know,
Our God, is manifest below.

He deigns in flesh t’appear,
Widest extremes to join;
To bring our vileness near,
And make us all divine:
And we the life of God shall know,
For God is manifest below.

Made perfect first in love,
And sanctified by grace,
We shall from earth remove,
And see His glorious face:
His love shall then be fully showed,
And man shall all be lost in God.

Merry Christmas, Cows of Bashan!

Thanksgiving is over and we've officially entered the season of peace, love, and excess! Now, don't get me wrong. I absolutely love Christmas shopping. I love going into the city on a cold, crisp night and sipping my hot chocolate as I decide which store to visit next. I love finding a gift that a friend would never buy for herself, but will end up using everyday. I love hearing the Nordstrom pianist play Christmas carols (granted, this is the ONLY store where I like to hear Christmas music.) I love bringing all my gifts home and choosing the perfect wrapping paper for each one. But each year I happily spend money on my family and friends without giving the slightest thought to the poor in my community.

So I started thinking about the prophet Amos and what he might say about how I celebrate Christmas. The book of Amos is decidedly un-Christmasy, but I think it has some helpful ideas to chew on while I'm battling the crowds at the Gap.

Amos was written to the Northern Kingdom of Israel between 790 and 753 BC during the reign of Jereboam II. This was Israel's "Silver Age," a time of great peace and prosperity. The major world power of Assyria was experiencing a temporary decline and didn't present a great threat, the Arameans were fighting a civil war, and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were actually getting along. Israel's territory expanded, trade and commerce increased and a small and affluent upper class thrived.

Sadly, this prosperity was accompanied by great sins against the poor. Amos 4:1 speaks to the wealthy women of Israel and says, "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy." 5:11 states that the wealthy “impose heavy rent on the poor” and 5:12 says, "they turn aside the poor in the gate." 8:5 –6 describes how dealers cheated the poor and sold “the refuse of the wheat” and thus “trample the needy.” 2:8 states that "on garments taken as pledges they stretch out beside every altar." God's law said that if you lent widows money, you could not take their coats as a pledge. (Deuteronomy 24:17) This protected the poor, who would only have one coat and needed it to keep them warm at night.

Amos goes on to explain that this gross neglect and oppression of the poor (as well as pagan religious practices and overall lack of respect for God's law) will result in judgement for Israel. And in about 722 BC, Israel was conquered by the Assyrians.

Amos reveals how deeply God cares for the poor and wants us to show compassion to those who are in need. While I'm not stealing people's coats or imposing unfair rent, I'm a bit disturbed at the amount of time and energy I spend helping the poor at Christmas time compared to the time and energy I spend looking for rainbow knee socks (which would actually be really cool . . .)

I don't think I need to give up buying gifts for family and friends, but I do think I need to be a bit more balanced and look for ways I can help those in need as well.

Here are a couple of nifty ideas I found:

1. Samaritan's Purse has a Christmas gift catalogue chock full of things you can give to people all over the world. For $4 you can give a baby milk for a week. You can also give a family a water filter so they can have clean water to drink, give blankets to little kids, provide temporary shelter for victims of natural disasters and more. Check out the Samaritan's Purse website at www.samaritanspurse.com.

2. Compassion International is an awesome organization that helps people sponsor kids in need all over the world. You can also make one time donations to provide Christmas gifts, help unsponsored children, aid victims of disasters and more. Make donations at https://www.compassion.com/contribution/default.htm.

3. Talk with your local Salvation Army or homeless shelter and see if you can buy gifts for any of the kids staying there.

Another Wesley Wednesday

It's Wednesday again and time for another great Wesley hymn. Since the first Sunday of Advent is merely a week and a half away, I think it's time to break out the Christmas carols! (Of course, I'm ready to break out the Christmas carols in June.) Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus is not only a very appropriate song for the season of Advent, it's also one of my favorite carols of all time.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Welcome to Wesley Wednesdays!

Given my love of alliteration and Charles Wesley, I've decided to post the lyrics to a different Wesley hymn each Wednesday. This week it's the incredible Arise, My Soul, Arise.

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

Was Karl Marx Right? or Say No to Drugs and Yes to Reading Your Bible

So in the midst of pondering the "are women more easily deceived" question (which I'll continue to address in future posts), I started thinking about Karl Marx and his claim that religion is the opiate of the masses. What Marx actually said in his Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right is:

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions."

It seems that Marx was arguing that the world's economic situation was so painful that people needed the drug of religion to provide both relief and a hope of happiness in the next life. If the root economic causes of people's pain and suffering were dealt with, people would no longer need religion.

While I heartily disagree that Christianity is designed to keep people numb to the realities of the world, I wonder if Christians hold some beliefs that serve as an opiate. These are beliefs that lack a biblical foundation but are commonly considered to be "Christian." We cling to these ideas not because they are true and scriptural, but rather because they make us feel good about ourselves and our choices.

One opiate that I think is currently popular among Christians is the idea that Christians have no power over sin. We love Romans 7:22-24 where Paul says, "For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"

We read this and think, "Paul has completely captured the Christian experience! Even though I want to follow God, I continually fall into sin. I guess this is just something I'll have to deal with until I get to heaven." This makes us feel so much better about ourselves! I mean, if the apostle Paul didn't really have power over sin, there's no way we non-apostles can have any hope of conquering it. There's no need to worry about diligently addressing areas of sin in our lives, because we'll never really defeat sin this side of heaven.

Although this line of thinking may make us feel better about sinning, it's tough to reconcile it with Scripture. Romans 6:5-7 is pretty clear, "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." The New Testament is chock full of admonitions to follow Christ and conquer sin through the power of the Holy Spirit. And when read in context with chapters 6-8, I think Romans 7 actually supports the idea that Christians have power over sin.

This is just one opiate that I thought about, but I know there are many more and I'd like to get your thoughts. What do you think are some common opiates that are plaguing Christianity? And how do you think the church can become drug free? I'd love to read what you have to say.

In the meantime, I'm off to overthrow the bourgeoisie. Just kidding.

Are Women More Easily Deceived?: Part Three

So I've been mulling over a few things since my last post and thought I'd share some ideas before I go back to discussing what much smarter people have said about this issue.

I'm becoming less convinced that Paul is arguing that women are more easily deceived than men in 1 Timothy 2:14. It seems that Eve's deception did not stem from a lack of intellectual understanding, but rather from a lack of trust in God's good plan. The fact that Satan's promise that, "Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good from evil" (Genesis 3:5) appealed to Eve indicates that she was not content with her current situation. Instead of trusting that God's plan would bring her happiness, Eve was deceived into believing that eating the fruit would bring her more joy and make her life better.

I think that we allow ourselves to be deceived every time we sin. We willfully go against God's commands because we don't believe that following them will result in our good. We are deceived into believing that we must go outside of God's commands to find happiness or fulfillment. If I choose to gossip, it's because I've deceived myself into believing that gossiping will somehow make me happier than if I decided to abstain. Although I might not be thinking this at the time, my actions demonstrate that I don't really trust God's plan.

I think that all sin involves a certain amount of self-deception and refusal to trust that God's plan is good. Thus, Eve's deception seems like something that is common to everyone when they sin. If this is the case, arguing that women are more easily deceived than men from the example of Eve would appear to say that women are more prone to sin than men. Although this would be an awesome argument against women teaching and exercising authority over men, I don't think we have the biblical evidence to back this up. And it brings up a whole load of issues including: Was Jesus' work on the cross less powerful in women than in men? Is the Holy Spirit less active in women than in men? Are women as culpable for sin as men? Plus, if women were more prone to sin than men, why would they still be allowed to teach other women and children? It would make more sense for men to do all the teaching.

I think that Paul definitely uses Eve's sin in the garden to argue that women should not teach or exercise authority over men in the context of the church. I just don't think he's arguing that women shouldn't do these things because they are more easily deceived.

But, I could be wrong. Stay tuned to hear what some people with a few more degrees hanging on their walls have to say.

Are Women More Easily Deceived?: Part Two

The second in a series examining if 1 Timothy 2:14 teaches that women are more easily deceived than men.

Today I’ll look at scholar Thomas R. Schreiner’s take on this issue. Schreiner contributes the chapter “A Dialogue with Scholarship” to the book Women in the Church: A Fresh Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:9-15. (Andreas J. Kostenberger, Thomas R. Schreiner, and H. Scott Baldwin, eds. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995) The entire book addresses the interpretation of this much debated passage and defends the historical reading (women should not teach or exercise authority over men in the context of the church.)

Verse by verse, Schreiner examines both the historical reading of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 and the progressive reading (which states that the passage is not intended as a universal mandate against women teaching or exercising authority over men.)

Schreiner begins his discussion of 1 Timothy 2:14 by examining the progressive interpretation of the verse. Many proponents of this view argue that the women at Timothy’s church in Ephesus were under the influence of false teachers and were spreading heresy. Paul’s admonition that they not teach was not a universal mandate for all women, but a caution to these particular women until they were better educated. Progressives say that the reference to Eve’s deception indicates that the women at Ephesus were being deceived by false teachers and teaching others the heresy. Some progressives argue that Adam knew of God’s prohibition firsthand, while Eve only knew of it from Adam. Because she was uneducated about God’s command, she fell into sin. Therefore, the issue at hand was not that women as a whole should not teach, but rather uneducated women should be educated by men before they teach so they will not spread heresy.

Schreiner points out several flaws with this interpretation.
1. Nothing in the Bible ever suggests that Eve taught Adam. The focus is on Eve’s deception – not her teaching Adam. This verse can be used to argue that women were listening to heresy, but not that they were teaching it.
2. It doesn’t make much sense to argue that the women were deceived because they lacked knowledge. This implies that Adam must have severely bungled his explanation of God’s command for Eve to have been deceived by Satan. If Eve sinned because Adam didn’t communicate God’s command accurately, then why would Paul recommend that the women of Ephesus be educated by men before they teach?
3. Genesis 3 is clear that Eve was deceived by Satan, not Adam. And her deception was not out of ignorance but rather because Satan promised her that she could be like God and be independent of Him. Eve was deceived not because she was uneducated, but because she failed morally.

Schreiner effectively points out the problems with the progressive interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:14. He then explains that though the historical view (Paul forbids women from teaching because they are more likely to be deceived than men) is likely to offend modern audiences, it is much less speculative than the progressive view.

Schreiner believes one of the reasons Satan approached Eve instead of Adam was because of their different inclinations. Schreiner states, “Generally speaking, women are more relational and nurturing and men are more given to relational analysis and objectivity. Women are less prone than men to see the importance of doctrinal formulations, especially when it comes to the issue of identifying heresy and making a stand for the truth.” (145) Schreiner continues to argue that women are “less likely to draw a line on doctrinal non-negotiables” and are more likely to let heresy enter the church. This is why Paul admonishes that women should not teach doctrine to men.

While I appreciate Schreiner’s commitment to the Bible and agree with him about the holes in the progressive view, I have some problems with his explanation of the passage. Schreiner’s views on women’s inclinations seem to stem more from personal experience than evidence from Scripture. The Bible has great examples of women who were bold and accurate in their handling of God’s truth (see Deborah’s exhortation in Judges 4 and 5, Mary’s song in Luke 1, Priscilla in Acts 18) but I don’t find many women who allowed others to spout heresy because of their gentler nature.

I agree that women tend to be more relational and nurturing, but I don’t see why this would prevent them from valuing doctrine. Some of the most nurturing women I know are also very strong in their views on right doctrine and would speak up if someone wasn't handling God's Word accurately.

I think that Schreiner does a great job defending the historical view of 1 Timothy 2:9-15, but his explanation of 2:14 is a bit of a let down after such rigorous scholarship. I'm absolutely not ready to accept the progressive take on 2:14, but I'm not sure I'm ready to embrace Schreiner's take either. I'm not saying I adamantly disagree with him at this point, but I'd like to look at some other viewpoints before making a decision.

In the meantime, I'm still using my "whitening power" toothpaste and not seeing any results. However, I've found that I can deceive myself and others into thinking I have whiter teeth by wearing really red lipstick. And is that really so bad?

Trust Me, Skinny Jeans Look Great on Every Body Type or Are Women More Easily Deceived?

"And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." 1 Timothy 2:14

I look at my own life and have no problem believing that women are easily deceived. If a pair of pants fit me perfectly and are technically the same size as all my other pants, but are labeled one size larger, I refuse to buy them. I always buy toothpaste with "teeth whitening action", even though my teeth aren't any whiter after almost a year of use. I almost always buy name brand products, even if studies have shown that the cheaper versions work just as well. Women can absolutely be easily deceived. My question is, are women more easily deceived than men?

I started thinking about this question after reading an article about wives submitting to their husbands. As a fellow complementarian, I agreed with almost everything the author said, but one comment irked me. Most likely referring to 1 Timothy 2:14, the author explained that one reason women needed the protection of God and their husbands is because they are more easily deceived than men. "That's absolutely untrue!" I fumed to myself, "I see men being deceived all the time! You know, I'm going to post about this on my blog and show the world that 1 Timothy 2:14 is so not about women being more easily deceived."

So just like Martin Luther (who is said to have done his best theology when he was angry), I sat down to write my scathingly brilliant (at least in my mind) article. However, as I thought about it, I realized that my negative reactions to this comment weren't really based on anything biblical. Instead they were rooted in my personal experience - not the best grid for interpreting Scripture. Could it be that *gasp*, I've been deceived about women not being more easily deceived? Or does the Bible support what I've thought all along? I want to find out.

For the next few posts, I'll be delving into the concept of women being more easily deceived than men. I'll look at what smart people on both sides of the issue have said and hopefully come to a biblical conclusion.

And maybe next time I find the perfect pair of pants, I'll ignore the size on the tag and buy them. Or I'll just write a smaller size on the tag in Sharpie.

Halloween and Christmas: Part 3

The last in a three part series about the similarities between Halloween and Christmas and thoughts on how Christians celebrate each holiday.

There are positive aspects to both holidays.

Pros for Halloween include:

1. Neighbors spend time together and get to know each other as everyone opens up their homes for one night. It's a prime time to build relationships within the community.

2. Children experience the fun of planning their costumes and dressing up. It's a delightful tradition that they look forward to all year long.

3. Parents bond with their children as they take them trick or treating.

Pros for Christmas include:

1. It encourages people to reflect on Christ's birth, which is always a good thing.

2. In our frantic individualistic society, Christmas is a holiday when people actually spend extended time with their family and friends.

3. Christmas encourages the development of family traditions, which can bond families and bring joy to children.

4. Starbucks Peppermint Hot Chocolates.

There are also negative aspects to both holidays.

Cons for Halloween include:

1. An emphasis on witchcraft and the devil.

2. Frightening and evil images on television, in the movies, on people's front lawns, and on first graders.

3. Some people use this day to celebrate things that are evil.

Cons for Christmas include:

1. Disrespect for the Bible including: children's stories told from the donkey's point of view, countless Christmas cards with pictures of a lily white Jesus and angels that look nothing like their description in the Bible, and the presence of wise men in every nativity scene when they weren't actually present at Jesus' birth.

2. Rampant materialism and greed. We spend hundreds of dollars and rack up credit card debt on things we don't need or will soon throw away, often while ignoring the basic needs of others.

3. A confusing collection of traditions and stories combined into one holiday so Santa and Jesus have equal standing.

It seems that Christians often want to abandon Halloween while embracing Christmas. Yet both holidays share roots in paganism, a fairly secular history in America, and can at times blatantly disrespect God's Word. When both holidays have so much in common, it seems inconsistent to heap praise on one and condemnation on the other. I think we may need a more balanced approach - making sure we don't throw the baby out with the bath water in the case of Halloween and making sure the baby doesn't drown in the bath water in the case of Christmas.

For example, Halloween is a prime time to build relationships with our neighbors. Christians are called to share the gospel with our community and Halloween provides a fun and natural way to connect with others, whether by trick or treating together or greeting people at the door. Maybe Christians should stay in their homes, hand out candy, and get to know their neighbors on Halloween. (Disclaimer: While people often see Halloween as simply a fun evening for children, the holiday can have demonic connotations for others. Those whose consciences are troubled by involvement in Halloween activites should absolutely not participate.)

There are some Christmas traditions that we might want to rethink, such as overspending. Instead of going into debt for presents, what if Christians donated their money to people in need? I know of a family that adopted another family that was struggling financially. When the parents bought their children Christmas presents, they made sure to buy presents for the kids in their adopted family as well. We could also be more careful of how we communicate the Christmas story, especially to children. We can make sure we focus on the facts of the Bible (not adding extra characters like the mean innkeeper or the little drummer boy) and make Jesus the main character (as opposed to Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the talking cow in the barn, the littlest angel, the star who could never do anything right but on one special night got the chance to shine . . .)

Halloween and Christmas share checkered pasts and some less than admirable traditions. They also present great opportunities to further God's Kingdom. I believe that if we approach each holiday with thought, care, and biblical conviction, we can use them to show love to our communities and bring honor to God.

Halloween and Christmas: Part 2

The second in a three part series about the similarities between Halloween and Christmas and thoughts on how Christians celebrate each holiday.

There are several more similarities between Halloween and Christmas.

Neither are mentioned in the Bible.

Christians have opposed both holidays.

European immigrants brought their Halloween traditions to America during colonial times, but most of New England refused to celebrate the day due the Puritan influence in that area. Many Christians also oppose the celebration of Halloween today.

At the time of the Reformation, the Protestants refused to celebrate Christmas because they considered it a holiday concocted by the Catholic Church. The Puritans also opposed the celebration of Christmas and often with good reason. In England, people would dutifully go to church and then celebrate the holiday in a drunken, Mardi Gras like atmosphere. In 1645, Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans wanted to rid England of her decadence and Christmas was cancelled until the reign of Charles II. The American Puritan settlers did not practice Christmas and the holiday was actually outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. Anyone showing Christmas spirit would be fined five shillings.

The American incarnations of each holiday bear little resemblance to the original religious celebrations.

Interestingly, the American incarnations of each holiday were not embraced out of religious convictions, but rather because of their supposed benefits to the community.

European immigrants brought many of their Halloween customs to America and the flood of Irish immigrants in 1846 helped popularize the holiday. Americans began to dress up in costumes and go door to door asking for food and money. This practice waned during the nineteenth century when the holiday was primarily celebrated with parties in homes, but became popular again between the 1920's and 50's. By this time, Halloween had lost most of its religious undertones and became a secular and community centered holiday directed primarily at children. Today most children have no concept of the religious origins of dressing in costume or trick or treating. Witches do still cast spells and perform rituals on October 31st, but it is in celebration of Samhain, not Halloween.

The celebration of Christmas in America was not widespread until the 19th century (it wasn't even a federal holiday until 1870) and the celebration of the holiday was greatly influenced by two authors: Washington Irving and Charles Dickens. Both wrote Christmas stories which emphasized charity, goodwill, and kindness to the poor and evoked old English Christmas customs. This struck a chord in a time of great class conflict and the Victorians saw the benefit of celebrating the holiday.

Both holidays are essential to America's economy.

Halloween is America's second largest commerical holiday and Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion a year. Christmas is America's largest commercial holiday and Americans spend over $200 billion a year.

Each holiday has its own heartwarming Peanuts special involving Linus discovering a great truth.

All right, this isn't really relevant. But it's true.

Check back tomorrow to find out the problem with nativity sets.

Halloween and Christmas: Separated at Birth?

At first glance, it seems that Halloween and Christmas couldn't be more different. After all, Halloween appears to celebrate death, evil, and witchcraft while Christmas celebrates the birth of the perfect Savior of the world. But when you think about it, Halloween and Christmas share some striking similarities.

Both have roots in paganism.

The roots of Halloween date back to about two thousand years ago. The Celts who lived in what is now Ireland celebrated their new year on November 1st. This heralded the beginning of winter, which was commonly associated with human death. The Celts believed that ghosts of the dead returned to earth on October 31st and their presence made it easier to predict the future. During this holiday the Druid priests made predictions and the Celts built huge bonfires where they sacrificed crops and animals and dressed in animal heads and skins. When the Romans conquered the Celtic territory in A.D. 43, they incorporated two of their festivals into Samhain.

For many years, people were frightened that they might encounter a ghost if they left their homes, so they wore masks after dark in hopes that the ghosts wouldn't recognize them and believe they were fellow spirits. People also placed bowls of food outside their homes to keep ghosts from entering.

Pagan midwinter festivals existed long before Christmas. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia the week before the winter solstice and the festival lasted an entire month. This holiday honored Saturn, the god of agriculture, and included drinking, feasting, and the closing of schools and businesses. The Romans decorated their homes with boughs of evergreen to illustrate how Saturn would soon make their land fruitful. The Germans celebrated the god Oden during this time and the Norse held a celebration called Yule, which involved burning large logs.

Both were established by the Catholic Church.

The holiday known as Halloween was actually created by the established Church. Christianity eventually spread to the Celtic lands and in the seventh century, the Church instituted All Saints' Day or All-Hallows on November 1st. This day was set aside to honor saints and martyrs and some believe it was the pope's attempt to replace Samhain. October 31st was referred to as All-Hallows Eve, which eventually became Halloween. In A.D. 998, the Church designated November 2nd as All Souls' Day, a day to remember and pray for souls in purgatory. Some say that dressing up as devils, saints, and angels was a common practice on this day and the celebration also involved bonfires and parades.

The tradition of "trick or treating" most likely stems from All Souls' Day parades in England. During the celebration, poor citizens would beg for food and the wealthy would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for a promise to pray for the family's dead relatives in purgatory. Eventually, children took up this practice and traveled to different houses where they received food, ale, and money. This custom was referred to as "going a-souling."

Christmas was first celebrated in the fourth century when the Church chose December 25th as the date of Christ's birth. No one is sure why this particular date was chosen, but some believe it was due to the fact that this was already a public holiday for pagan celebrations. This would increase the chance that Christianity would be publicly embraced. The celebration spread to Egypt in A.D. 432, to England in the sixth century and to Scandinavia by the end of the eighth century.

Both tend to distort the truth.

Halloween turns witches and the devil into cute and cuddly characters and chubby cheeked toddlers seem to have no qualms about trick or treating dressed as Satan. Christmas takes the frightening, harsh, and beautiful story of Christ's birth and transforms it into a cozy little tale about a cheerful barn, some happy animals, and a little baby who didn't cry.

Check back tomorrow to find out what else Christmas and Halloween have in common, including their connection to Linus Van Pelt.

Welcome To My Blog

Hi Everyone!

I always tend to be two to four years behind the times.

I didn't get a CD player until they stopped selling audio cassettes. I didn't know how to use the internet for research until after I graduated from college in 2002. I can no longer rent from Blockbuster because they don't carry videos.

So now that everyone else in the world has been blogging for years, I figured it was finally time to join them.

Stay tuned for thoughts on current events, ministry, or where to find a really swell hot chocolate as well as links to articles and websites I find interesting.

And please take it all with several grains of salt.

Hopefully, I'll be able to continue this blog two to three years after blogs become obsolete.