my burg

"As political philosophy derives its sanction from ethics, and ethics from the truth of religion, it is only by returning to the eternal source of truth that we can hope for any social organization which will not, to its ultimate destruction, ignore some essential aspect of reality. The term 'democracy,' as I have said again and again, does not contain enough positive content to stand alone against the forces that you dislike—it can easily be transformed by them. If you will not have God (and He is a jealous God) you should pay your respects to Hitler or Stalin." ~ T. S. Eliot, "The Idea of a Christian Society" in Christianity & Culture

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Jesus, in Matthew 5:38-39 ESV) "...for he [the civil ruler] is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer."  (Paul, in Romans 13:4) Can we as Christians approve a drone strike which kills a terrorist while at the same time maintain the teaching of Jesus to "turn the other cheek"?     This was a question I was asked the other day after church and what follows is my short answer. National defense may be a complicated issue, but we need to beware of making a category mistake at the outset by confusing social ethics and personal ethics .  All throughout the Bible we see the state (as ordai...

"In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."  (Judges 21:25 ESV)  "Liberalism", as a term, has been used in a wide variety of ways over the past two hundred years, whether referring to political, social, or religious  spheres.  Politically, the more classical view of being "liberal" was rooted in a morality outside of and higher than ourselves, and is not identical  with the modern view of being merely "progressive".   The former is shaped by an eternal, moral order and tends to favor a republican form of  government over a pure democracy.  The latter is more shaped by the values of one class of people -- usually an elite, being the educated, the scientists, the politicians, etc. -- and tends to favor, at least at first, a more purely democratic form of government.  Both views are idealistic, but the ideals are rooted in different places.  Many of these issues are discussed in Al...

We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.   (1 John 4:19-21 ESV) “Hence life finds its real utterance not in the isolated development of the self, but in the fullness of personal relationships. Only in response to the needs of others can a man realize his own life. ...  Loyalty to the highest and love for the lowest—love to God and man—these are the marks of the men of all ages who have sought to interpret the mind of Christ.  Mutual service is the law of the kingdom.  Every man has a worth for Christ, therefore reverence for the personality of man, and the endeavor to procure for each full opportunity of making the most of his life, are at once the aim and goal of the new spiritual society of which Christ la...

In a recent article, " By What Standard," Tom Ascol describes a book he and his fellow elders read together.  The authors were sociologists, and Ascol notes,  "What we discovered is that the sociologists subtly turned ethicists throughout the book. That is, they went from describing what they observed to  prescribing what ought to be."  He goes on to say, "...social sciences can be helpful to the extent that they accurately help assess the way things are. An honest, careful sociologist can help you see things in relationships and groups that you might otherwise overlook. But no Christian should ever look to sociology or sociologists for ethical marching orders." Many today think that we Christians (specifically, evangelicals) are unscientific and narrow (more: bigoted and hateful) in our ethical standards.   Our morals are archaic and based solely upon an outmoded faith.  Apart from the religious position, there are newer moral standards, which are...

In teaching Romans 14, and how we address questionable or disputed matters , I raised the question of yoga.  Is it okay for a Christian to participate  in a yoga class?   Now, I need to keep in mind that not all yoga classes are the same, not all have the same emphasis on all the elements of traditional  yoga.  This is an important point.    But I do think the Apostle Paul's teaching on meat sacrificed to idols (1 Cor. 8-10) is an example of discerning how to respond to practices that have  pagan elements .   In 1 Corinthians chapters 8 through 10, the Apostle Paul deals at length with the topic of meat sacrificed to idols .  Often the meat and wine sold in  Roman markets had been previously offered to a pagan deity at a local temple.  The question came up, can a Christian in good conscience eat such  meat?  Here's my summary of Paul's answer, mainly in three principles from chapter 10: 1)   The meat i...

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds."  (Ephesians 4:17 ESV) "Doctrine followed by practice is the distinct characteristic of [Paul's] method... doctrine and practice are so intimately related and connected that they must never be divided; Paul cannot deal even with the most practical matters except in the light of doctrine." "Our conduct must always arise from and be dictated by and controlled by our doctrine.  In other words, the Christian life is not a code which is imposed upon us and which we do not understand." "As it follows out of doctrine we must understand what we are doing and what we are not doing.  Or, to put that still more plainly, we should never do things merely because other people are doing them; and we should not refrain from doing things simply because other people refrain from doing them. We must understand why we do them or why we refr...

Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands; and of good use both to themselves and others: yet, because they proceed not from an heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God, they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God: and yet, their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.  ( Westminster Confession of Faith , 16.7) Dr. John Frame, in his excellent volume, The Doctrine of the Christian Life (Theology of Lordship series), explains below what goes into to making a "good work" before God.  (Relatively and humanly speaking, people may do good works toward one another, but the question here is, what is a good work before God, what kind of work is he is pleased with?)  He answers... "Note the three necessary ingredients: (1) a heart purified by faith, (2) obedience to God’s Wo...

Excellent article, thought-provoking, by  Charles Chaput, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia.  Highlights... Democracy is not an end in itself. Majority opinion does not determine what is good and true. Like every other form of social organization and power, democracy can become a form of repression and idolatry. The right to pursue happiness does not include a right to excuse or ignore evil in ourselves or anyone else. When we divorce our politics from a grounding in virtue and truth, we transform our country from a living moral organism into a kind of Golem of legal machinery without a soul. Critics often accuse faithful Christians of pursuing a “culture war” on issues such as abortion, sexuality, marriage and the family, and religious liberty. And in a sense, they’re right. We are fighting for what we believe. But of course, so are advocates on the other side of all these issues—and neither they nor we should feel uneasy about it. Democracy thrives on t...

Listening to a John Stott message on "Jesus Is Lord", I heard this poem that he used to describe the morality of our relativistic world" It all depends on where you are; It all depends on who you are; It all depends on how you feel; It all depends on what you feel; It all depends on how you're raised; It all depends on what is praised; What's right today is wrong tomorrow; Joy in France, in England sorrow; It all depends on points of view; Australia, or Timbuctoo; In Rome do as the Romans do; If tastes just happen to agree, Then you have morality; But where there are conflicting trends, It all depends, it all depends. Here's a good intro to a Christian view of morality .