The Seduction of Extremes 12:19 PM

In reading Pastor Erick's recent posting titled, Falling Off the Horse, I was reminded of a book that I read two years ago titled, The Seduction of Extremes.  In this book Peter Kurowski starts off with the same story of the drunken peasant saying,

"...man, by nature, is like a drunken peasant riding on a horse.  He rides a few yards and falls into a ditch on the right.  After a rude lesson on gravity, he gets back up and rides a little farther only to fall next in the ditch on the left.  Right. Left.  Right.  Left.  All the way along, the zigzagging drunk continues this right/left fall-guy routine.  We never do find out if the poor chap made it back home."

Not only do we clumsily fall to the right and the left, it seems as if we are pulled or as Kurowski would put it, seduced, to an extreme position.  

Kurowski, talks about the two extremes of legalism and lawlessness in the metaphor of a seductress.  He says that Lady Lawlessness and Lady Legalism, "lead to self-worship.  Each is an opposite in one way but a clone in another."  He goes on to say that both of these seductive extremes are used by the devil to, "pull people away from God's most dramatic display of love in history--the cross." 

In the spiritual realm Lady Legalism is, "...the narcissistic notion that human beings earn our way to heaven in some measure by fulfilling the law of God.  ..a radical close-mindedness that detests change, lives by the Law and is severely judgmental and suspicious of all not so minded."  Whereas Lady Lawlessness is a, "....do-your-own-thing declarations of independence.  ...a radical openmindedness that opposes stricture of all kinds, scoffs at tradition, is antinomian if not libertine, and worships change for the sake of change." 

Kurowski comments on Luther's perspective on this subject saying, "he [i.e. Luther] recognized a theology of the cross that engendered attacks from all sides even though it was God's greatest display of love.  For the legalist, the cross destroys the illusion that we can do something apart from God thus rendering God less than almighty.  For the person bent on lawlessness, the cross says 'look how awful all lawlessness is that the holy Son of God must suffer so for the sin of mankind!'   With the deepest of convictions, Luther believed this message alone could bring about the needed changes in the church, in culture, and in individual lives."  Kurowski goes on to say, "Nothing has changed.  Only through a paradoxical vision from a meaty, mighty, majestic gospel can the love of the absolute paradox, Jesus Christ, keep societies from being seduced by the self-centered, self-flattering nudity of Lady Legalism and Lady Lawless; the poster prostitutes of secularism."

In summary, "...the core paradoxical teaching of justification should signal how a gospel-centered disposition will eschew all extremes.  It frees people from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:10); from eternal death (Rom. 6:23); from the tyranny of the devil (Eph. 6:12-13, Col. 1:13); and frees us to live lives in step with freedom (Gal. 5:1).

Source:  Peter Kurowski, The Seduction of Extremes (Pleasant Word, 2007), 18-21, 51.

The Motive For Prayer 10:55 PM

(1) And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.  (2)  He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.  (3)  And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'  (4)  For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man,  (5)  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'"  (6)  And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.  (7)  And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?  (8)  I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:1-8 ESV)

Luke 18:1-8 is probably one of the most frequent passages that I hear quoted in connection to the topic of prayer.  Parishioners and pastors will often quote this passage and expound on it in the following way, “We need to never give up on prayer...  we need to be persistent… we need to be bold… we shall never cease in prayer… etc…”  Now, I will be the first to admit that I agree with these previous statements, but not for the same reason or motive.    

From my interaction with various individuals over this verse I have found that the reason or motive of persistence in prayer is often connected to and derived from the example of the persistent Widow.  “We need to be persistent like the Widow!  We need to follow her example!”  While her persistence is something to be commended, I would like to pose the question, “Why was she so persistent to begin with?” 

As we examine the text more carefully, the widow was persistent, bold and shameless because: the Judge did not fear God (i.e. he had no moral compass); the Judge did not care about man (i.e. he had no compassion for the Widow); the Judge was slow to give justice (i.e. he refused to listen for a time).  This persistence and boldness of the Widow makes perfect sense within the context of a ruthless, worthless and uncompassionate Judge.

Now we move to the crux of this article.  Are we to be persistent like the Widow because God is a ruthless, worthless and uncompassionate God like the Judge?  Obviously, we can all take a step back and say, “of course not!”  So, this raises the question of, “what on earth is this text about?”

In looking at this text one must be careful not to compare mankind to the Widow and God to the Judge, for God and the Judge are complete opposites and our relationship with God is totally different from the Widow’s relationship with the Judge.  If we compare God to the Judge in the text we limit and idolatrize God’s Character.  R.C.H Lenski on page 892 of his commentary on the Book of Luke states, “This parable is not a parable on perseverance in prayer.”  Rather the main thrust of the parable is to compare and contrast the ‘Unjust Judge’ with a ‘Just God’ who brings about Justice.  The New Bible Commentary comments on this on page 1009 saying, “If even an unjust judge who does not honor the laws of God and man can be induced to act by the incessant appeals of a widow, how much more will God act to uphold his people when they cry to Him….   The parable is essentially an encouragement to continue in prayer without losing heart right through the difficult times or waiting before the Son of Man comes.” 

This text shows us that we can continue in prayer because:  our God is not unjust but He is Just; our God is not uncompassionate but He is compassion; our God is not One who is deaf but One who listens.  Our God is good not evil!  As believers we continue in prayer not to overcome or persuade an evil God, rather we pray because God is good and just.  We pray not to overcome an uncompassionate, ruthless and worthless God; we pray because we already have a compassionate, caring and worth-ful God.  Just think about it!  If a ruthless and lousy Judge will respond to an insignificant Widow with no influence, how much more will a listening, just and gracious God respond without persistence to His own Children… even if the response is no or if God seems to put His answer on hold.    

In conclusion, one final note of context for us in prayer.  As we pray to our Gracious God, “…the general rule, whenever believers pray for temporal blessings, they pray conditionally (Matthew 26:39); but for temporary blessings, they pray unconditionally, since God has promised to grant them His grace, forgiveness of sins, life and salvation under all circumstances (2 Corinthians 12:9)”[1]

Let us persist in prayer for God is Good!

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[1] J.T. Mueller, Christian Dogmatics (Concordia Publishing, 1934), 433.

Excerpt from Christless Christianity 9:21 AM

What would things look like if Satan really took control of a city? Over a half century ago, Presbyterian minister Donald Grey Barnhouse offered his own scenario in his weekly sermon that was also broadcast nationwide on CBS radio. Barnhouse speculated that if Satan took over Philadelphia, all of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am,” and the churches would be full every Sunday . . . where Christ is not preached.

It is easy to become distracted from Christ as the only hope for sinners. Where everything is measured by our happiness rather than by God’s holiness, the sense of our being sinners becomes secondary, if not offensive. If we are good people who have lost our way but with the proper instructions and motivation can become a better person, we need only a life coach, not a redeemer. We can still give our assent to a high view of Christ and the centrality of his person and work, but in actual practice we are being distracted from “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). A lot of the things that distract us from Christ these days are even good things. In order to push us offpoint, all that Satan has to do is throw several spiritual fads, moral and political crusades, and other “relevance” operations into our field of vision. Focusing the conversation on us—our desires, needs, feelings, experience, activity, and aspirations—energizes us. At last, now we’re talking about something practical and relevant.

As provocative as Barnhouse’s illustration remains, it is simply an elaboration of a point made throughout the history of redemption. Wherever Christ is truly and clearly being proclaimed, Satan is most actively present in opposition.

Michael Horton, Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church, (Baker Books, © 2008), 16.

How to mess up your witness 11:03 AM

Last week in Louisville, KY, there was a large gathering of Reformed/Evangelicals called Together 4 the Gospel. Over 7,000 people (mostly Pastors) attended the event! From all reports, it sounds like there was some great teaching, preaching, worship and fellowship.

Where it seems some may have fallen short is in their witness to the host city, Louisville; in particular, with servers in the city's restaurants. Jared Wilson shares:

While I was in Louisville I kept hearing horror stories. One waitress told us that one party she waited on left her a $7 tip on an $80 bill but also left one of those fake million-dollar-bill gospel tracts. Another got "Way of the Master"ed while she served a table. She was in tears relating this to another pastor, who ministered to her more gently. I abominate whoever left the fake money tract. The lines for service were long last week, so there was a lot of sighing and eye rolling and short temperedness from Christians who forgot they were there to serve.

I have to say, the language of abomination might be a bit too harsh here (see Justin Taylor's blog), but Wilson is absolutely right. I have nothing against leaving tracts @ restaurants for servers, but if you claim to be a Christian (especially if you pray before you meal), then you need to tip well. End of story, no debate. You are not just another consumer, you are a witness of the Gospel. Therefore, bear bad service w/ joy for the sake of the gospel; do not give your server what they deserve, go above and beyond what they deserve! Be Generous, as Christ has been generous to you.