“I was reading my voters’ pamphlet the other day…”

As many of you know, my wife, Karen, and I served as missionaries in Germany from 1989 until 2007. During our eighteen years of living in Hamburg, we often asked ourselves the question, how could this nation of disciplined, intelligent and creative people fall prey to an authoritarian Nazi ideology that so obviously ran contrary to their foundational moral principles? How did a people that excelled in science and literature become a nation that followed a charismatic narcissist? The answer, of course, is that no single departure from established norms was to blame. Multiple failures of courage and of moral will created what in the end felt like an inevitable cascade. But it never was inevitable.

One of the failures was how easily the Church succumbed to the nationalist ideology, fusing loyalty to God and loyalty to country as if they fit seamlessly together. “God and country” have often been a perilous duet, easily manipulated by leaders who understand that the combination can produce an extremely effective symbiosis.

It’s easy for conservative Christians to say, “Well, that was the liberal church in Germany. They easily accepted the mix of nationalism with an everyman’s brand of piety.” But it was not just the casual Christians who were swept onto the National Socialism bandwagon. Believers who look much like American Evangelicals too easily accepted Hitler’s scapegoating of the Jews and his appeal to popular outrage. He funneled their expression of blame while at the same time appealing to their sense of self-righteousness. It was an intoxicating combination. Germans knew they were a forthright people with a noble destiny. Hitler offered them a plan to make Germany great again. To many German Christians, that felt like something God wanted as much as they did.

Before casting my vote for the presidential primary last week, I looked at the statements of the various candidates in the voters’ pamphlet. I read through Donald Trump’s statement, then reread it… then read it again. The more I read it, the more disturbed I became. (I have included the text of Trump’s statement and my commentary at the end of this blog). It is a propaganda piece, pure and simple. It plays fast and loose with the truth; it incites grievance; it treats anyone who stands on “the outside” with profound disrespect—in fact, it treats them with contempt. It reminded me very much of propaganda I have seen exhibited in museums in Berlin, Hamburg, and Buchenwald. Exhibits like those are placed in museums all over Germany with a singular intent: “Never Again!” Following WWII, German leaders and educators wanted to make sure that the horror of an educated public falling prey to the disinformation campaign of an autocratic manipulator would never be repeated. I never imagined that America could be susceptible to a similar playbook.

I must confess, I am torn as I write this post. Any discussion of politics is fraught and in our day it can quickly lead to sharp divisions—even anger. When we dare to unveil our convictions with people with whom we disagree, we risk doing harm to friendships that we treasure. I am hesitant to entertain that risk. After all, unity among brothers and sisters in the body of Christ was my dissertation topic! On the other hand, I remain convinced that, as my father used to quip, “To disagree with honest men is not to dishonor them.” Unity does not imply agreement—it implies love and courtesy. My starting place is to believe that, if you are a believer, you and I are equally committed to following in the steps of Jesus. I believe there is more that binds us than what separates us. I hope that we can have a frank conversation about whether or not Trump is a fit candidate to lead America.   

I wrote most of this post before Super Tuesday and before Nikki Haley dropped out of the race. I had entertained the hope that Haley would stay in the race regardless of the Super Tuesday outcome. After her concession, my heart is even heavier than when I first sat down to write. The players for the contest this fall are now largely in place. The hope that voters might somehow make it difficult for Trump to win the nomination has faded to zero. And that means, at this stage, that to resist Trump implies tacit support for Biden. For many Republicans, I realize, that is more than they can stomach.

But the issue as I perceive it is bigger than party loyalty. It is bigger than policy preferences. It is bigger than economic outcomes in our nation. At issue is the very mission of the Church. In the past two decades we have witnessed the meteoric rise, from 5% to nearly 30%, of religiously unaffiliated Americans called the Nones. This level of change is unprecedented in recent American history. Many contend that this radical shift is less about secularism than about the partisan politicization of Evangelicalism. The Church in America is losing its moral authority before the next generation because it increasingly focuses on the culture wars more than on the character of Jesus. It seeks influence through the instrument of politics and bows the knee to political influencers, so long as they are willing to articulate a casual loyalty to Christian values (whether or not they have the aroma of Christ about them). This unholy alliance doesn’t pass the sniff test. The Nones can smell it…and they are not impressed.

The current willingness of politically conservative Evangelicals to turn a blind eye to moral callousness in a presidential candidate rattles the senses. It hasn’t always been that way. In the 90’s, Christian leaders across the nation rose to decry the sexual immorality of our Commander in Chief, asserting that a leader who does not practice personal morality cannot and will not lead a nation in righteousness. Need I say it? Many of those same voices now profess that a philanderer and tax cheat is God’s choice to lead our nation—that a man whose business practices are acknowledged to be shady and who boasts in plain view about his ability to manipulate the system is the right figure to shape the moral profile of America before a watching world.

Talk all you want about the deficiencies in the Democratic Party. We Evangelicals have sold our birthright for a bowlful of pottage. We’ve lost our validity and moral authority because we now speak out of both sides of our mouths. We claim the moral high ground while excusing bad actors. We have strayed so far from true north that we simply wink at the moral shallowness of Trump acolytes Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, granting them a hearing far beyond their due. At the same time we rail against the “liberal left” and their “woke” agenda, downplaying or outright ignoring glaring examples of systemic racism that bespeckle our own history.

I deliberately use “we” in these paragraphs, even though I recognize that the tribe of Christian conservatives is by no means monolithic. Many who self-identify as Evangelical prefer blue at the ballot box. But when it comes to sheer numbers, white Evangelicals have become the most dependable voting block for Trump.

The fact that so many Evangelicals can treat the Trump candidacy as merely a rogue form of the normal democratic process—a little rougher than usual, but fully acceptable because “the system is broken and we need someone who is not afraid to get himself dirty in the fight”—is evidence of our own moral slippage. We’re not dealing with normal, here. Let me repeat: the concerns about Trump are not on par with “normal” partisan politics and differences of opinion about policy. They go to heart of Trump’s character. Multiple members of Trump’s staff and cabinet—those who intimately observed his social decorum, leadership style, and policy decision making—publicly assert that he is unfit for office. Not simply that he is a substandard choice, but that he is unfit.

The individuals making these assertions are not, as Trump would have us believe, disgruntled RINOs who were probably closet never-Trumpers all along. They were Trump’s close associates who met with him daily. I will cite three of them.

Bill Barr (2nd Attorney General): “Someone who engaged in that kind of bullying about a process that is fundamental to our system and to our self-government shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office.”

Mark Esper (2nd Secretary of Defense): “I think he’s unfit for office. … He puts himself before country. His actions are all about him and not about the country. And then, of course, I believe he has integrity and character issues as well.”

John Kelly (longest serving Chief of Staff ): “A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women…A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law…There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.”

The fact that Trump has gone on to win the vast majority of delegates in all but one primary thus far, in spite of the profound lack of support from so many associates, is testimony to Trump’s remarkable powers of persuasion. It is not, however, testimony to his qualifications to serve.

Trump’s continuing refusal to admit that Biden is the legitimately elected President of the United States is another symptom of his failed character. He can’t handle the fact that he lost, so he blames it on someone else. “I didn’t lose. The election was rigged.” Unfortunately for the American people, Trump learned the Nazi propaganda techniques all too well. Stage one: Repeat a lie long enough and loudly enough and people will begin to believe that at least some of it is true. Stage two: Keep it up even longer and eventually they’ll concur that most of it is true.

Trump has so unfalteringly and unflinchingly repeated the lie, much of the general populace has reached stage two. Vast swaths of Evangelicals are convinced that there were gross inconsistencies in the last presidential election, in spite of broadly acknowledged compelling evidence to the contrary. Trump intentionally sows distrust in our system because he knows that if we don’t trust the system, we are more likely to trust him (the one with insider knowledge…the only one who will give us the real goods).

I recognize that for many of my brothers and sisters, the prospect of a continued Biden presidency is more distasteful than whatever hesitancy they may have about Trump. I understand the tension. Biden’s opponents repeatedly broadcast the narrative that Trump has been unjustly charged—that his multiple indictments are politically motivated. Sandwiched into their messaging is the contention that Biden is just as bad. Sadly, their demonization of Biden has been effective. But careful examination reveals the truth: Trump’s intentional flouting of the constitution combined with his profound lack of character mean that he is uniquely unfit for office.

In 1790, George Washington wrote to his nephew, “A good moral character is the first essential in a man… It is therefore highly important that you should endeavor not only to be learned but virtuous.” Virtue is a quality that followers of Jesus pursue with all their hearts. Evangelicals emphasize that orthodoxy is not enough—orthopraxy is required. We are to be not just hearers but doers of the Word.

We do not expect anyone to be perfect, least of all our politicians. Nevertheless, we rightfully expect our political leaders to be true to their oath to defend and protect the constitution. The abrogation of democratic norms that Trump openly practices are rotting the nation from within. He is no “normal” candidate. A normal candidate upholds the constitutional structure and submits to well-tested electoral practices. Trump has done neither and shows little evidence that he will do so in the future. Laugh off, if you will, his “dictator on day one” comment. Recent history has demonstrated that Trump’s quips reveal his inner core. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Trump holds no promise for leading our nation in righteousness. He must be defeated in the upcoming election. If Evangelicals take their calling to value character over charisma seriously, he may be.

State of Washington Voters’ Pamphlet for the Presidential Primary

Statement from Donald Trump

I left behind my former life because I could not sit by and watch career politicians continue bleeding this country dry and allow other nations to take advantage of us on trade, borders, foreign policy, and national defense.Trump’s strategy includes at least three crucial tactics: 1. To portray himself as a common man with exceptional abilities. 2. To villainize those who oppose him. 3. To appeal to the longings and frustrations of the populace by igniting their sense of declinism: the belief that society is going downhill and that things were better in the past.

In his opening salvo Trump effectively paints himself as one who sacrificed personal gain in order to protect the nation’s interests against those who serve their own interests.  In point of fact, Trump never divested his interest in the Trump Corporation and therefore did not leave anything behind. Instead, he derived huge personal benefit to the corporation because of his new political career.

In using the description, “career politicians,” he predictably employs his favorite tool in his toolbox, the ad hominin attack. There is absolutely no shame in devoting one’s life to politics. But in Trump’s mouth, “career politician” implies something sinister.
As President, I took on every powerful special interest, fixing globalist trade deals ending foreign wars, securing the border, and standing up to Big Pharma and China. Together, we put America First and returned power to the American People.It’s not unusual for a politician to oversell their accomplishments, but Trump is quite convinced of his own glory. The facts speak otherwise.

Overall, Forbes graded Trump’s trade policy somewhere between a “D” and an “F”. As to “securing the border,” Trump’s big promise was to build a wall. He added a mere 80 miles of new wall that Mexico obviously did not pay for. There is no doubt that illegal crossings of the southern border have risen dramatically under Biden. This is a recognized policy failure. But there were consistently 100’s of thousands of illegal crossings per year throughout the Trump presidency. Add to that the Trumps administration’s immoral policy separating minors from their parents.

Trump gets an “F” on China and a “D” on his foreign policy overall. His trade restrictions didn’t move the needle compared to the tech barriers Biden put in. Trump ended US involvement in multilateral agreements like the TPP which gave the green light for China to increase their presence and influence throughout the world.
The corrupt government cartel is once again destroying our country. We are a nation that surrendered in Afghanistan, and allowed Russia to devastate Ukraine, China to threaten Taiwan and Iran to build a nuclear weapon. We are a nation where free speech is no longer allowed, crime is rampant like never before, terrorists are invading our southern border, and the economy is in a recession. We are a nation that is hostile to liberty, freedom, and faith.Here Trump wields the full force of his declinism argument, asserting that our society and status in the world are in radical decline. Calling government a corrupt cartel creates the gut reaction of disgust, and that is Trump’s intent. Logically, if our government were a corrupt cartel and fully half of the legislators are Republicans, they would be at least half to blame for the corruption. But Trump’s words are not meant to be analyzed because they weren’t intended to make sense. They simply invoke an emotional reaction of longing for “the good old days”—a status that Trump, through his exceptional powers, will purportedly restore.

“Surrendered in Afghanistan” – Trump signed the surrender peace deal with the Taliban and then criticized Biden for taking too long to withdraw.

Ukraine: Trump has repeatedly praised Putin and initially refused to condemn Putin’s war in the Ukraine. Eventually he backpedaled: “I want everyone to stop dying,” and then pronounced, “And I’ll have that done in 24 hours.” When asked whether he would support giving continued aid to Ukraine, he stated: “We’re giving away so much equipment; we don’t have ammunition for ourselves right now.”

Iran: Trump pulled the US out of the multinational agreement that kept Iran’s nuclear program under close watch, thus effectively ending the oversight (and shocking our European allies). If Iran is now closer to building a bomb, Trump set the wheels in motion.

“The economy is in a recession”— This is a pure fabrication. The stock market is at an all-time high. Unemployment under Biden equals the all-time low in the past 30 years. The U.S. economy is remarkably strong compared to Europe.

“We are a nation that is hostile to liberty”— another nonsensical assertion. If that were true, why would immigrants from all over the world be so anxious to live here?  
Our populist movement to Make America Great Again is the only force on earth that will lead our country back to safety, prosperity, and peace. I will never stop fighting for you, the American People, against the failed political establishment. I take the slings and arrows for you so that we can have our country back. Together, we will finish the job of saving our country once and for all and raise the next generation of strong American Patriots and Leaders.In the final paragraph, Trump returns to touting his uncommon ability and his uncommon sacrifice. He again appeals to declinism, implying that the nation does not presently experience safety, prosperity and peace. But through his persistent fight against “the failed political establishment,” the nation will be saved “once and for all.” Wow!

“I will never stop fighting for you…I take the slings and arrows for you.”–Part of Trump’s strategy is to convince us that he’s suffering on our behalf. Thus he continuously seeks to de-legitimize the prosecutors and the courts.

Contrary to Trump’s bluster, the judicial system makes every effort to remain genuinely impartial. He casts dispersion upon it because his own conscience is seared and he can’t believe that anyone walks justly. In fact, Trump is not suffering for the sake of the people. He is suffering for his own sins. It is his lies, his trickery, his hubris, his wantonness, and his blatant disregard for the rule of law that have produced legal charges of 91 criminal offenses in four criminal indictments against him. But if he can convince the majority of voters that he is merely a scapegoat, then he can escape justice. That is his hope.

For compelling evidence that the 2020 election was fair and accurate, see https://lostnotstolen.org//wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Lost-Not-Stolen-The-Conservative-Case-that-Trump-Lost-and-Biden-Won-the-2020-Presidential-Election-July-2022.pdf

Can there be Reconciliation without Repentance?

I had no intention of writing another blog just one week after my last post, but a lot has happened in one week. It feels like the week that won’t end.

I don’t know what the incursion on the Capitol felt like to you as you watched it going down. To me, it was so surreal that it was hard to process emotionally. It felt almost like an absurd carnival – like a group of clowns who were acting crazy but would do no real harm. The reality of what took place didn’t really hit me until, on the following day, I began to listen to some of the in-person testimonies from members of congress and their staffers who had lived through it. Hearing the audio recordings of the mob beating at their barricaded doors, or of the representatives being commanded to take cover behind the seats in their chamber, or of the thugs chanting, “Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!” – it chilled me to the bone. Only then did I put myself into the shoes of those who were in the Capitol and sense the true terror that the protestors had wrought.

At about the same time, I began to read the spin that Republicans and the conservative media were putting on the story. A figurative wave of what-about-ism was being unleashed. “The breach on the Capitol was wrong, but the frustration was warranted,” I heard commentators contending. “What about the supposedly peaceful Black Lives Matter protests this summer? Now THEY wreaked havoc!”

One of the early protestations that proliferated was the conspiracy theory that the real damage in the Capitol was not done by the right wing protestors at all, but by Antifa sympathizers who dressed up in disguise. It was astounding how quickly the nonsense took hold. Within hours Sarah Palin was threatening, “To any insincere, fake DC ‘patriots’ used as PLANTS — you will be found out.” Rudy Giuliani implied the same. In a tweet condemning the violence he went on to state, “Antifa involvement is no excuse.” He didn’t need to state directly that Antifa was responsible – just putting the bait out there would suffice. Most of the crowd, he asserted, were good people. After all, in the hour that the gates were being stormed, President Trump could only bring himself to gently cajole the marauding mob: “This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home, we love you, you’re very special.”

Let me be clear. Not all of the protestors who attended the “Save America” rally were violent – not even close. The vast majority were peace-loving citizens who simply believed the assertion that the election was stolen and came to show their support for the President. I can understand that many of them might take offense at being lumped in with insurrectionists. And it is not my intent to do so.

But I also believe that the response of many enablers – those who through their support of the President’s disinformation campaign helped to ignite the spark of violence – has not been righteous. Many of them are Christians and believe with all their hearts that “righteousness exalts a nation,” yet their reaction to the grave sin of insurrection, incited by our own President, has been an insipid call for national unity. That’s how their colleagues across the aisle describe it.

Please understand. I pray with all my heart for unity in our nation. The partisan divide is a blight that prevents our leaders from truly governing and constantly squeezes them into playing a zero sum game in which their win necessitates their opponent’s loss. The legislators themselves hate it. Many of them hearken back to a time when genuine friendships with members of the opposite party were not only possible, but the norm. This tragedy can indeed be a catalyst for genuine bipartisanship to take root.

One Representative who had been escorted off to the undisclosed secure location was asked the next day what his most vivid memory from the night before had been. He said that it was the sight of McConnell and Pelosi, huddled together toward the middle of the room, discussing the plans about how to move forward with the electoral vote confirmation once the ordeal was over. That was an image he would not forget. And that is an image we should not forget. We are soldiers in a common battle, not enemies on opposite sides.

So a call for unity is warranted. But that call will remain feckless and insipid if there is no admission of guilt. Speaking as a Republican, I appeal to my fellow citizens: We must admit the harm that our party has wrought. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware expressed in an interview yesterday that reconciliation is absolutely necessary, but “there can be no reconciliation without repentance.” We fellow Christ followers must utter a solemn “Amen!”

In a time of national crisis, we must behave as citizens, not as partisans. When the House and the Senate reconvened on Wednesday night, one can understand from a partisan point of view that many Republican leaders felt they must persist in their efforts to challenge the election. But from a citizen’s point of view, it was breach of honor. It was an unnecessary, bull-headed, theatrical performance that served no purpose other than to show servile allegiance to the delusions of a distressed President. It is no wonder that Senator Coons calls for repentance before reconciliation. It is the Christian mandate… and it is the only pathway that can lead to unity.

Not only do the members of the Republican caucus need to repent. Many Christ followers have done grave harm to our nation by propagating a lie. We may not have recognized it as a lie, but we could have and should have. We allowed the idol of nationalism to cloud our vision. History will demonstrate that it was a powerful lie, indeed: one sparked by the President of the United States, fanned into flame by multiple media organizations, perpetuated in our social media accounts, and sadly in some cases, preached from our pulpits. Our calls for unity within our nation will ring as hollow as empty soda cans if they are not accompanied by genuine, sorrowful repentance for the harm we have done. We must repent for helping to propagate a lie.

Some of us may have hoped that the protestations of our president against the election results were justified, but credible witnesses debunked the idea over and over again. Instead of paying careful attention to the evidence, we were swayed by the noise. We chose to believe President Trump over Brad Raffensperger, Rudy Giuliani over Christopher Krebs, Sydney Powell over John Poulos. There can be no healing until there is the admission: “We allowed ourselves to be deceived.”

Some were convinced by prophets who prophesied that Trump would ascend to his next term; those prophets will be shown to be false. Hopefully, by God’s grace, the prophets themselves will sorrowfully bend the knee.

Some preachers have laughed and scoffed at the idea that Biden will assume the presidency on January 20th; their laughter will be a badge of shame they wear in penance.   

Do I sound like an unhinged street preacher, railing against the sins of the world? Please forgive me if that is the case. But this is deadly earnest for me… and for all of us who are followers of the Way. We are in grave danger of losing any shred of credibility before a watching world.

The Evangelical church’s loss of moral authority among the under-thirty population is well documented. David Kinnaman and others pointed to the decline over a decade ago. In the meantime, the under-thirty population has become the under-forty population. Conservative, bible believing Christians never were a moral majority, but they are considerably less so now than in the seventies when the phrase was coined. There are many reasons for that, but our embrace of a populist agenda that seeks to guard the old cultural hierarchy is one contributor. Our lack of intellectual vigor is another.

Robert K. Vischer recently wrote: “When we post a meme about Dr. Anthony Fauci or Bill Gates plotting to distribute the mark of the beast through a vaccine, our following post about eyewitness testimony regarding the life of Jesus will get the same response as the first: This person is not trustworthy on questions that matter.” https://religionnews.com/2020/12/01/eric-metaxas-and-the-losing-of-the-evangelical-mind/ Another commentator observed that if someone proclaims faith in both the Easter bunny and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it won’t be surprising when their associates question the veracity of their truth claims. Yet that is precisely the result when Christians proclaim without evidence that Trump won the election in a landslide and that the angel armies will rally to his defense.

Can anything be done to regain our footing… to demonstrate moral authority before a skeptical audience? Yes! But it is not a task that can be accomplished quickly. It requires slow and steady Jesus-like behavior. It requires becoming agents of reconciliation, as the Apostle Paul enjoined. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18)  But there can be no reconciliation without forgiveness. And forgiveness requires repentance. Reconciliation costs a great deal. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”(v. 21) To purchase our reconciliation, it cost Jesus everything.

There are many images of last week’s fateful day and night in the Capitol. Most of them are disturbing, but a few are beacons of hope. A picture that has gone viral shows New Jersey Representative Andy Kim, cleaning up debris left by the on the floor of the Rotunda. When asked about his motivation for seeking out a garbage bag and going to his knees, Kim responded, “When you see something you love that’s broken you want to fix it. I love the Capitol … It really broke my heart and I just felt compelled to do something.”

That’s it, right? “When you see something you love that’s broken you want to fix it.” That’s at the heart of being a minister of reconciliation. That’s why the watching, skeptical world responded so warmly to Kim’s servanthood. At the very core, his actions were Jesus-like.

Reflecting on the intruders who had broken into the Capitol hours earlier, Kim said, “If someone feels the ability to desecrate our Capitol, to bring a Confederate flag into that building and proudly wave it around, this is someone, these are people, that do not respect government. They do not have that same humility that we need to have. These are people that are not inspired by this building, and do not understand what went into building it, what went into preserving it.”

Again, Kim nails it. He didn’t thrash the intruders. He observed a key element: “They do not have that same humility that we need to have.” If there is a pathway that will help the Evangelical church to reestablish the respect it has lost in the eyes of so many, this is it – the pathway of servanthood. Jesus taught his disciples the same. If we want to really make a difference in the world, we must take up the towel and basin… and bend the knee.  

Postscript: I have come across some helpful resources that I highly recommend, in case you’d like to explore the topic further.

For information regarding the integrity of the election and the disinformation campaign:

For input on how the church ought to respond to political challenges, anything from https://thedispatch.com/ is solid journalism.

For a glimpse into the mindset of a disaffected former Christ follower, I recommend this article by Sarah Jones. It gives me greater understanding into the perspective of many under-40 people I come in contact with.  https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/12/white-evangelicals-made-a-deal-with-trump-now-what.html

The Remarkable Power of a Bold Lie

Just the other day I received another e-mail from an evangelical organization that is dedicated to mobilizing prayers for our nation and its leaders. They were urging me to pray that the presidential election results would be overturned so that President Trump might be able to continue in his rightful role as Commander in Chief. In their opinion, it is God’s will that millions of voters be disenfranchised because voter fraud has taken place on a vast scale, orchestrated by concerted cheating on the part of Trump’s democratic rivals.

It is inconceivable to me that such a request could possibly be construed as being in alignment with God’s purposes, especially because these same brothers and sisters firmly believe that the American democracy is an example of governance that God has lifted up as a unique beacon of hope to the world. But compelled by an insistent president, they are now convinced that the democratic principle of peaceful transition between administrations has no place.

How did we get here? It is beyond dispute that the allegations of voter fraud have been roundly and soundly refuted in sixty different court cases throughout the country. Nevertheless, the conviction persists among a vast swath of Republican voters that the election was stolen. In the court of law, evidence matters. In the court of public opinion, apparently not so much.

The pathway to this perilous place in the history of our republic did not come by chance – it came through the remarkable power of a bold lie. Researchers of human behavior tell us that, in spite of the fact that we do it so often, most people have a natural aversion to lying. That’s why almost everyone has a tell – a subtle giveaway – when they lie. And because of that, it’s difficult for us to believe that someone could consistently and persistently tell a bold lie that they knew to be false. “There must be at least an element of truth to the story,” we tell ourselves. For this reason, the bigger and bolder the lie, the more likely someone is to convince others that there is something to it. They cannot imagine themselves pressing and repeating a falsehood that they know has no shred of truth, so they cannot imagine someone else doing it, either.

The bold lie principle sheds light on Trump’s strategy to overturn the election. His accusations of voter fraud began years ago. If you recall, he insisted that a commission be convened (the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity) to identify the voter fraud in the 2016 election that supposedly cost him the popular vote. The commission was eventually shut down by Trump after 8 months without finding any evidence of falsified votes (but of course, that’s not the way he framed it when he announced the suspension). In the latest election, the run-up to his bold accusations began in the spring, as state officials throughout the nation were discussing how elections could still be held while guarding the health of their citizens. Trump began trumpeting (excuse the pun) the dangers of mail-in ballots early and often. Even though any real research into voter fraud by competent agents, such as secretaries of state, revealed no pattern of persistent voter fraud (or for that matter, any instances whatsoever), the topic was constantly in the news. The fears grew. What about ballots from dead people? What about collecting ballots from seniors and then changing them? What about people receiving multiple ballots? Trump was softening the ground.

As the election itself drew near, news outlets did their best to alert us to the new reality. With the marked increase in mail-in ballots, we should not expect to have results on election night as we were used to. In fact, we could expect to see trend-lines change as the mail-in ballots, which in many states were not allowed to be counted before election night, began to be processed. But as those ballot tallies began to come in and the early polling trends in favor of Trump began to turn toward Biden, Trump seized the opportunity that he had long been preparing for. “Massive Voter Fraud!” read the Tweets. There was no way that Biden could pick up that many votes in Georgia, or Arizona, or Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania, Trump contended.

And when the election officials in county after county and state after state announced that the elections were conducted in an orderly and fair manner, Trump gave no quarter to the enemy – he remained on the offensive. He attacked the messenger, even if the messenger was a Trump supporter and a member of his own party. So Secretary of State Raffensperger “has no clue” and Governor Kemp is “an obstructionist who refuses to admit that we won Georgia.” He claimed to have massive evidence of fraud, but as court after court found the evidence to be either absent or foolish or blatantly falsified, he continued to press the lie. True to form, hours after being outed for trying to subvert the Georgia election in a phone call with Raffensperger, Trump proclaimed to his Georgia rally crowd, “There’s no way we lost Georgia… I’ve had two elections. I’ve won both of them. It’s amazing.”

The most important book I’ve ever read about lying is M. Scott Peck’s, People of the Lie. Peck, a psychiatrist who had been taught that the concept of evil was not appropriate for a clinical setting, wrestled with the fact that, for some people, “evil” was the best description that seemed to fit. He determined that there are some individuals for whom lying is not merely a behavior, but is a description of their basic nature. They are “people of the lie.” Peck spends several chapters delineating the characteristics of a person of the lie. I was especially struck by two of them. First, a person of the lie absolutely and resolutely refuses to accept personal responsibility for their actions. They will not, under any circumstances, admit failure. They abhor blame.

Second, people of the lie always create scapegoats. Unable to accept personal blame, they persistently find others to whom blame may be affixed. Sometimes the scapegoats are individuals; sometimes they are a whole class of people. The important thing is to make them a clearly identifiable villain. People of the lie specialize in affixing labels to people – it makes them easier targets for blame.

For anyone who has even remotely followed Trump’s career, the parallels are startling. His abhorrence of admitting failure or accepting blame is well documented. His refusal to accept defeat in an election he clearly lost is only the latest example of a life-long pattern. Trump’s scapegoating behavior is also clearly evident. The record of dismissals from his cabinet and other key positions is a litany of laying blame – often against individuals with a sterling record and documented ethical character. But Trump disparages their good character – he an absolute master of the ad hominem attack. (I find it wryly comical that Trump now has branded those of his party who refuse to support his fight as the “surrender caucus.”) His tendency to characterize whole classes of people as villains is also well known. Some might consider this a cheap shot because it’s been so often repeated out of context, but his description of Mexican immigrants at the beginning of his campaign remains embedded in the nation’s memory: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

Today we find ourselves in a nation divided over the question of whether election fraud on a massive scale took place or not. Many of my Evangelical brothers and sisters are convinced that it did. Scores of congressional representatives and over a dozen senators apparently believe the same. Or perhaps it is simply politically expedient for them to align themselves with the president. I know that this may alienate me from some who find me too direct or too self-assured, but I believe that our nation is currently being victimized by a president who has lied so boldly and so persistently about election fraud that he is most likely convinced of his own lies. And in so doing, he has convinced a significant minority of the American people of the same. People of every social and economic background believe that where there is smoke, there must be fire. The problem is, the smoke itself is an illusion. Sparked by a master illusionist.

I pray this with all sincerity and without irony, knowing that it is the same prayer for all of us, no matter which side of the argument we find ourselves on: May God have mercy upon our great nation.

The Law of Unintended Consequences: How the democratization of information has allowed disinformation to flourish

A lot of us remember life before the internet. In some ways, it doesn’t seem like that long ago. Tasks that we now take for granted, like getting directions, or booking a plane flight, or finding a recipe, were much more arduous and time-consuming. As the internet rapidly became more and more sophisticated and capable of assisting us in these and other basic tasks, it became more and more indispensable. The thought of pulling out a fold-out map of Seattle in order to find an obscure street in Ballard is now genuinely laughable. That’s because the internet turned me (and everyone else) into a cartographic expert. With precision and gentle persuasion (pleasant British female voice: “at the next intersection, make a U-turn”), the GPS on my phone will guide me to my precise destination.

When the internet began to proliferate to every household, it promised to do something revolutionary: it would level the playing field. No longer was access to information the purview of PhDs and specialists who probed the stores of data stored away on microfiche in university libraries. Given the power of a search engine, the common man, with a meager few keystrokes, could access a plethora of sophisticated data about every topic under the sun. It was amazing and it was empowering – we could become our own experts.

It turned out, however, that although the internet was great at giving us access to the information, it wasn’t so good at determining the accuracy of that information. The search engines gave us access to sources of information that we never would have considered. As a result, the common user was placed in the unenviable position of sorting out the viability of multiple, often conflicting, data sources. To our good (?) fortune, the algorithms in our internet applications like Google and Facebook and YouTube were more than happy to assist in that sorting process, albeit not without their thinly veiled self-serving intent. The algorithms were written with the simple goal of getting us to click one more time – to keep our attention focused on the screen (where more ads could flash in front of our eyes).

A lot has been written about the rabbit-hole effect of those algorithms and how they end up limiting and sculpting our sources of information, leading us to increasingly polarized opinions and partisan spirit. The impact in our societal lives (think the recent divisiveness regarding race and racism) and political lives (think the adversarial relationship between the congressional caucuses) is painfully evident. But I want to consider for a moment the assumption that allows the rabbit-hole effect to work – the assumption that I can be my own expert.

In the “good old days,” experts in the news business were recognized by longevity, consistency and training. The New York Times and Washington Post had an almost universally regarded gravitas because readers could point to a decades-long history of reliable reporting. Stories that enlightened the public had been uncovered and documented by trained reporters who had apprenticed under older stalwarts in the trade. Those stories were only brought to press after receiving the go-ahead from senior editors who had also been schooled by long years of experience. The aim was reporting that was both exhaustive and reliable – thus the NYT motto dating back to 1897: “All the News That’s Fit to Print.”

This pattern was not limited to the New York Times. In news rooms across the nation, there was a decided effort to maintain the standard of expertise in reporting. Whether a paper leaned right or left, the public in each community could point to real people on the editorial boards who were trained, not only in information gathering, but in information sorting. They were trained BS detectors. If a story didn’t pass the smell test, it wasn’t printed. From Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon, the pattern was repeated in cities and towns across the nation. Trained experts would filter the stories as best they could in order to provide the public with the most reliable information available. Those who disagreed with the reporting or who wanted to present the information from a different angle were respectfully afforded the venue of the letters to the editor.

This might sound like I’m simply trying to glorify the good old days, but that’s not my intent. What I want to emphasize is that the role of an expert in our information-heavy society is more important than ever. But with the democratization of information that the internet has afforded, that function has been at best curtailed, if not altogether eliminated. We, the public, foolishly assume that we have the ability to sort through the stories and discover which of them have the ring of truth. But that confidence is misplaced. We are easily misguided. Our confirmation bias leads us to search for, interpret and recall information that supports the beliefs we already possess, and the Facebook algorithms are all too happy to support that inclination.

What we need are true experts and more trust in their ability to guide us. But since each of us has become his or her own expert, our trust in experts has eroded. Up to this point I’ve labored to make my comments apolitical. But I feel compelled to make a political observation. It’s fascinating to note that the Trump presidency has in many respects been an “anti-expert” movement. Trump ran on the platform of not being an insider, not being a politician, not making his decisions based on institutional knowledge – in short, not being beholden to experts. He appointed many members of his cabinet because they were outsiders who would shake up the system. The argument was, our country would benefit from policies that defied institutional knowledge. And because we have become enamored with the idea that each of us can be our own expert, we were prone to accept the logic.

History will ultimately document the result of the anti-expert mentality in the Trump administration, but in the opinion of many, the results are already painfully evident. The distrust of the expert testimony of people like Dr.Anthony Fauci in regard to the Covid pandemic has led to grave missteps in public health policy. And the president’s criticism of his own appointed expert in election cybersecurity, Christopher Krebs, along with his denunciation of multiple secretaries of state, both Democrat and Republican, has led to a massive erosion of public trust in the bedrock of our democratic system: fair and free elections. According to polling data, an alarming 70% of Republican voters believe that there was substantial fraud in the November election, despite the expert testimony of multiple election officials to the contrary.

In the arenas of public health and election security and military strategy, to mention just a few, President Trump is his own expert. He seems to take delight in asserting that claim. During the 2016 election campaign he famously boasted, “I know more about ISIS than the generals do, believe me.” After a tour of the CDC headquarters this spring, he exclaimed, “People are really surprised I understand this stuff. Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability.” His Tweets, where his unfiltered thoughts are most often revealed, are a steady drumbeat of “the experts got it wrong” and “listen to me, instead.” After Krebs, an appointed public servant and our leading expert in election security, declared that the November election was the most secure in our nation’s history, Trump tweeted, “Our 2020 Election, from poorly rated Dominion to a Country FLOODED with unaccounted for Mail-In ballots, was probably our least secure EVER!” Trump personifies the danger that results when the information playing field is leveled and each person becomes their own expert. In that case, the loudest voice rules. Or to put it in biblical terms, this is what happens in an era when “there was no King in the land. Every person did what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

What should we do about it? The internet is not going away. And we certainly cannot count on Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey to be the arbiters of truth in a disinformation age. I want to plead for 1. a humble willingness to admit the danger of being my own expert, especially because my confirmation bias will inevitably lead me to believe what I already believe; and 2. a heightened level of trust in those who are genuine experts – those who have gone through the rigors of schooling, apprenticeship and experience that prepared them to speak knowledgeably as they seek to influence public policy. To repeat: we citizens must make the humble and deliberate choice to place trust in credible experts.

That is not an easy pathway. Trust is a delicate commodity. Trust makes us vulnerable to disappointment. Even sincerely motivated experts get it wrong. Beyond that, some people deliberately mislead. The question, “Who can I trust for reliable information and guidance?” must always be answered with a critical mindset. We do not choose willy-nilly. Ultimately, who we can trust is determined by the character of the communicator revealed over time. If we can trust the character of the messenger, it’s a fair bet that we can trust the message.

This is a big deal. Aristotle taught us that in the power of rhetoric to influence, three factors are predominant: logos, ethos, and pathos. Logos – the logic and reasoning in the message. Ethos – the character, credibility and trustworthiness of the communicator. Pathos – the emotional persuasiveness of the spokesperson. In our current cultural climate, expert power is being questioned. When logos is undervalued, it leaves room for pathos to hold sway. The person with the emotionally compelling message rules the day.

That is Trump’s specialty. His rhetoric has genuine power to shape public opinion and he devotes considerable energy into tearing down the public’s trust in the experts. What results is a dangerous spiral – as confidence in logos wanes, the power of pathos increases. At his rallies, Trump is famous for making dubious and often downright fraudulent truth claims, but the admiring crowd cheers him on, soaking in his words seemingly without critical reflection. This phenomenon is of course not limited to Republican campaign rallies. The power of pathos to prevail over ethos is not limited to the right. Liberals and radical left sympathizers also know the power of passionate speech that is only loosely bound to the truth.  

My plea is that we begin to more intentionally watch for demonstrations of character – or the lack thereof. Then use them as a gauge to determine who you listen to. Be alert for snarky speech and avoid snarky commentators. To be snarky means “to be critical or mocking in an indirect or sarcastic way.” Unfortunately, that’s pretty much the definition of a huge percentage of cable news. Consider taking a hiatus from the more obvious perpetrators, whether left or right.

I’ve been impressed over the past few months with the fact that trustworthy messengers are not that difficult to identify. For example, Secretary of State Raffensperger is clearly a credible witness in regard to the election results in Georgia. In the interviews he has given to the press, his character shines through, despite the president’s efforts to disparage him. To our great fortune, he is just one example among many.

Ultimately, there is good reason to trust our innate capacity to judge good character. That’s because we were created with a moral compass that points toward what is good (whether we choose to follow it or not). Characteristics such as humility, self-deference, compassion, empathy, sacrifice, courage and charity really do matter. And they really do make themselves evident. Our ability to discern their presence in the voices we listen to will be decisive in determining our ability or inability to discern the truth.

Can we make Jesus look good?

I’m doing a sermon series entitled SPIRITual at the Core – How God’s Spirit works in the human spirit. A couple of Sundays ago I said that when God’s Spirit fills us, we “make Jesus look good.” One of our parishioners wrote and asked me about my use of the phrase. It was a very good question and it was the catalyst for an interesting online dialogue.

Since the question is indeed pertinent, I’m including our unedited e-mail exchange for my blog readers. I’d be very interested in your thoughts, as well. Do you think we can “make Jesus look good?”

 

Good morning, Pastor Steve

I have been reflecting on Sunday’s sermon and wanted to thank you for what appeared like a return to our Pentecostal traditions. 

However, you left me totally perplexed when you repeatedly told us to, “Make Jesus look good.”  I have given it a great deal of thought and cannot see how sinners saved by grace have the power to make Jesus anything?  For me to even consider that I have the ability to make him look good; seems arrogant and insulting towards our Savior. 

How can I who depends on him for everything including my next breath, make him look good?  I cannot.  I can only try to live in such a way that I do not bring shame to his holy name.  I can also, to the best of my ability, love him and obey his commandments.  This seems a very different thing than trying to make him look good.

Steve, I need your help.  When you say, “Make Jesus look good,” what exactly are you expecting me to do?

Blessings on your day…..pe

Hi Pat,

Thanks for the good question.

Language is complex – vernacular changes. The job of a communicator of the gospel is to do so in a manner that is as clear as possible and that touches the heart and brings understanding.

The phrase “making Jesus look good” is an attempt to get at the biblical mandate to glorify God. One might ask the same question you posed about making Jesus look good to the concept of glorifying God. How is it possible that a sinful human being can in any way increase or add to the glory of God? We can’t, of course. But at the same time, we are constantly called upon to behave in such a way that God may be glorified. We “add” to that glory by being obedient and faithful and courageous and thereby causing others to see Jesus working through us.

One of the scriptures I have in mind when I use that phrase is 1 Peter 4:10-11, in which we’re encouraged to faithfully administer the gifts of grace that God has given us in their multicolored forms in order that God may be praised. As the variegated light of Jesus shines through our gifts, God is glorified through Jesus Christ – or in short, Jesus looks good.

I believe that that spirit of that phrase is accurate, but certainly it can be misinterpreted. One of my profs in seminary pointed out to us that any one statement that we speak in a message, taken by itself, is heresy. Every truth needs balance. And certainly the truth that Jesus wants to shine through us in order that his Father might be glorified (look good before the seen and unseen world) is one that can be heresy if pushed too far. That’s why I tried to balance that statement in a broader context.

Perhaps the phrase came out too strongly because I used it as a centerpiece illustration in calling attention to the stained glass. I do think that the congregation understood the tenor of what I was trying to convey. But I never want them to stumble over my phraseology. I’ll definitely be aware of your perspective when, in the future, I continue to try to encourage our body to, in word and deed, bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.

Thanks again, Pat, for opening up the dialog. I appreciate it.

Blessings

Steve

 

Steve, thanks for your rapid response. Prior to writing you I asked Keith what he thought it was to make Jesus look good. He was having his own difficulties with the concept but later sent me a web link. http://picklinginhispresence.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/mma-jesus-ufc-jesus-ninja-jesus-trying-to-make-jesus-look-good/ It seems that attempts to make Jesus look good is the topic de jour in the theological arena. There is a video embedded in the middle of the page that you might find interesting if not disturbing in light of contemporary language and vernacular changes and the point of making Jesus look good is not made until near the end.

Anyway, making Jesus look good as a concept just doesn’t seem to work for me. I asked you about it because you mentioned it more than once and I thought that it was important to understand what you were intending to communicate. After all my thinking and your response, there is one thing of which I am sure. That being, Jesus continues to make me look good. I know this because I know that I am an absolute zero without him, everything and everyone that is good or I call good, in my life is a gift from him. As one lyricist wrote, “If it were not for the LORD, where would I be?” Yes, that is my question, where would I be? And as Paul said, I thank my God for Christ Jesus and I thank you too Steve.

Have a wonderful week…..pe

Hi Pat,

Thanks for the comments. I read through the article… interesting. Especially so, since both pastors being talked about are local.

That made me think, maybe I ought to google the phrase. Turns out a number of pastors are using the phrase “making Jesus look good” in sermons or in blogs.

I am in complete agreement with you that it is Jesus who makes me look good. In Pascal’s words, I am nothing but a reed – and yet he lets his glory shine through me. Amazing love!

In short, I’ll definitely be careful in using the phrase. But if I do use it, I won’t be implying that Jesus is insufficient in his image and it needs improvement. But I think what so often happens is that we, the church, make Jesus look bad through our sinfulness, our pettiness, our cowardice, our judgmental attitude. If it’s possible for the church through our actions to make Jesus look bad in the eyes of the world, then it’s also possible for us to make him look good in the eyes of the world – to glorify him before men.

Hey, do you mind if I use our dialog in my blog? It might be interesting and helpful for others to think about.

Blessings

Steve

 

Good morning, Pastor Steve,

Yes, by all means include others in our discussion. I greatly appreciate your thoughtful comments and would not like to be selfish about them:-).

Steve, you have answered my question more than adequately and I am ready to move on. If I may, however, I would like to make one final comment before removing my fingers from the keys. You wrote that we, the church, can make Jesus look bad. I have heard this before and have perhaps even said it myself, but now, I’m not sure that this is possible either. Jesus is, and we can neither add to or diminish him in anyway. However, we are talking appearance and I therefore find that I need to give this more thought. It’s not as easy as it first appears.

Blessings, my friend, you are important to Our Father and to us. See you at his house on the Sabbath…..pe

Fasting is coming… oh my!

In January, we’re going to start out the year with a time of fasting and prayer at Calvary, the church in which I pastor. To be truthful, I’m not very good at fasting. Don’t get me wrong. It is something I strongly believe in. But I always need a push to do it. When I fast, my body gets cold (I feel like my feet are freezing!). My spirit gets grumpy. And I think about food a lot. It’s not a pretty picture.

On the other hand, I do sense that something important and good happens when I fast. There are tons of reasons to do it, but here are four that come to mind right off the top:

1.  We fast because Jesus assumed that we would.

In the discussion Jesus had with his detractors about why his followers were not fasting, he pointed out the (obvious) truth that the guests at a wedding never fast when the members of the wedding party are present. Jesus compares himself to the bridegroom and makes the point: “They’re not going to fast when I’m around – it’s celebration time right now! But there’s a time coming when I won’t be here… THEN they’ll fast.” (see Matthew 9:14-15)

What I need to remember is that Jesus’ THEN is my NOW. The bridegroom is away. The times are dark. The need is compelling. Fasting is my most appropriate response.

2.  We fast because God’s people have always fasted at critical junctures in history.

When the entire Jewish population was being threatened by the Jew-hater, Haman, Esther was compelled by her uncle to go to the King and plead for the lives of her people. The whole future of the Jewish people hung in the balance. Esther’s response to her uncle: “”Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I’ll go to the king, even though it’s forbidden. If I die, I die.” (see Esther 4:16)

In the end, her people were spared. But the spiritual ground for the saving act of God was prepared through fasting. When I observe the spiritual climate of the city of Seattle, I’d say that our need for a saving act of God is pretty dramatic.

3.  We fast because the spiritual battle we are facing can only be won with spiritual weapons.


I’m not a huge “spiritual warfare” guy. I tend to have a pretty gut-level reaction to people who look for demons behind every bush (where did that metaphor come from, anyway?). But the longer I observe the human condition, the more convinced I am of how literal the scripture is when Paul expressed: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4, emphasis mine)

Our calling as a church is to help people find & follow Jesus Christ. But they’ll never find or follow him if they can’t see him. And they won’t see him unless God himself breaks through the darkness that blinds them. I can share (or argue) till I’m blue in the face, but the message won’t get through until God’s light shines in. I think fasting “clears the heavens” in a metaphorical and literal way.

4.  We fast because it trains our appetites for God.


I don’t know about you, but I sometimes get amazed at how focused my appetites are toward things that aren’t very important at all. One of the parishioners brought in a big can of Almond Rocca (“Brown and Haley make them daily!”). Every since I was a kid, those magical confections wrapped in golden foil (and native to the Northwest, I proudly add) have been my Christmas delight. The problem is, as long as they’re sitting there in the staff kitchen, I can’t keep away from them. I’ll go in, sneak out a handful of 5-6 little treats and stow them in my desk drawer. But within the hour, they’re gone and I’m going back for more!

My appetites are too easily steered in directions that are unprofitable at best and harmful at worst. But when I fast, my focus is turned. I begin to echo with the Psalmist:

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

I think we all need a little appetite training, don’t you?

So I’m hoping you’ll join me this January for a time of prayer and fasting. In our church we’ll fast for three days. Some churches would look at that and call us wimps… perhaps we are. But we’re making a stab at making a difference in the real world. And that’s a good thing.

The Meaning of Work

Tomorrow I’m speaking on the subject of laziness @ CCA. Actually, I’m speaking about the sluggard in Proverbs. Don’t you just love that word – sluggard? It sounds like slug, something we know a lot about here in the Northwest. Slugs move slowly; they don’t seem to have much value; they are extremely annoying (especially when they eat your lettuce!). In short, slugs are a lot like sluggards.

In preparation for the sermon, I once again turned to one of my favorite authors, Ben Patterson. He wrote a book called Serving God: the Grand Essentials of Work and Worship. It’s one I’ve turned to often when I’ve given consideration to the theme of work. Patterson reminds us that the Reformers, especially Luther and Calvin, gave a great deal of thought to the subject of vocation. Our English word vocation comes from the Latin root, vocare, meaning “to call.” The Reformers believed that every follower of Christ has a similar vocation, or calling – that is, to glorify Christ as his servants and priests to the world. Luther’s concept of the priesthood of all believers is rooted in this understanding. Every one of us is called to be a minister of Christ– not just a chosen few.

In short, we have differing occupations, but one common vocation. Our skills vary, but the end result of using those skills for God will be very similar – namely, Jesus will end up looking good.

In his book, Patterson cites a poem by the seventeenth century priest George Herbert. Every time I read this poem, it touches something in me. It’s called The Elixir, after the stone that the alchemists in Herbert’s day sought which could supposedly transform common metals into precious ones. In this poem, Herbert applies the idea to our work. What is the elixir that can transform our common, every day jobs into something precious?

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in any thing,
To do it as for Thee.

A man that looks on glasse,
On it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth, through it passe,
And then the heav’n espie.

A servant with this clause
Makes drudgerie divine:
Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws,
Make that and th’ action fine.

This is the famous stone
That turneth all to gold:
For that which God doth touch and own
Cannot for lesse be told.

May God grant to each of us the discipline and the grace to have this state of mind in every task we undertake. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

Of Gods and Men

Karen and I just returned from watching the film “Of Gods and Men,” a 2010 French film about a group of Trappist monks who lived in a monastery in Algeria among a largely Muslim population. The film chronicles the events leading up to the deaths of seven of the monks by adversaries who were never identified.

The film exhibits a wonderfully slow pacing that fits perfectly with the lifestyle of the monks, practicing both prayer and agriculture in a rural setting, surrounded by villagers who have come to trust and rely upon these humble Christians. As the Algerian civil war heats up and increasing numbers of expatriates are being killed by terrorist forces, the group painfully deliberates about what course of action they should take. At one point, when the villagers ask them what they are going to do, one of the monks replies, “We don’t know. Right now we are like birds on a limb, not knowing whether to fly.” To which the villager replies, “You are not birds on a limb. We are the birds… you are the limb.”

The film uses a powerful array of vignettes out of the monks’ lives to detail how each of them grappled with the very real possibility of death and of their willingness to sacrifice for the people they felt called to serve. As Karen and I watched, we were deeply humbled by these nine men. Their incredibly simple yet rich life, so filled with the love of Christ and the love of others, is a model of what following Christ looks like. It was also a forceful reminder of where real meaning in life comes from.

If you want to be challenged about the nature of true discipleship, I highly recommend this film. Don’t expect to be wowed by a dramatic story… this is not Hollywood. But do expect to be touched deeply in your spirit.

The Proverbs 31 Woman

A couple of weeks ago I started a sermon series on the book of Proverbs. It’s interesting – the older I get, the more I appreciate the proverbs. I remember my dad reading through them with our family when I was a kid and thinking they were pretty redundant. But maybe I handle repetition better, now. Or maybe I realize more how much the truth has to be hammered into my head… blow after blow after blow.

For Mothers’s Day, I preached on Proverbs 31 – it seemed appropriate. The more I thought about the passage, the more I realized that even though it speaks of an ideal, it has direct application to any wife who is truly seeking after God. I decided to write a paraphrase for Karen, my Proverbs 31 woman. (Truthfully, I think it’s something every Christian husband ought to try… our wives deserve more praise than they usually get!)

So here’s my tribute to Karen. I know my last blog was a tribute to Karen, as well. But perhaps there are some things that bear repeating as often as possible.

PROVERBS 31 – A PARAPHRASE FOR KAREN

If I searched the world over, I could never find the likes of you, Babe
I wouldn’t trade you for a 50 carat diamond.

It’s amazing: you accomplish anything you put your mind to,
So actually I could retire early, and wouldn’t have to worry.

You’ve got my back, you’ve got my blind side
And you’ll keep watching out for me for the rest of my life.

You’re amazing with your hands,
Sewing on my buttons, fixing my ripped pants.

You’re like a shopping genie,
Finding wonderful delights to prepare for your family that intrigue both eye and palate.

And you don’t lay around in the morning – you’re always up and at ‘em,
Getting breakfast for the kids and starting us on our day.

You started your own business, built it up, made it profitable
Then sold it for good money – way to go.

You approach life with gusto;
You never shy away from hard work.

You make sure that the projects you undertake are a success,
Even when it means working long into the night.

You love to use your Viking sewing machine,
And you master all those different stitches – how cool is that?

You have an open-door policy when it comes to guests – especially the students,
And always have the nachos or chocolate chip cookies or baked apples coming hot out of the oven for them.

We as your family never had to worry about having the right clothes
Because you’d find the most amazing stuff for us at Salvation Army – like this sweater I’m wearing right now.

Not only that, you know how to doll yourself up pretty nicely
And when you wear those long dark jeans with your black heeled boots, you’re smokin’ hot.

Another thing: You have this wonderful way of making me look good,
And I can’t tell you how much respect I get from my friends because of you.

Your creativity amazes me – your decoration skills are unsurpassed:
Whatever you put your hand to has beauty in its form.

You carry yourself with such class and with such grace,
That we can put our worries about the future to rest – there will always be a sure path to walk.

Others seek you out for your listening ear and your understanding heart,
And the advice you give is sound – it has God’s fingerprints all over it.

You keep a watchful eye on your family, like a Border Collie watching over the flock;
Your diligence is unwavering.

Your kids are truly proud of you – and they’re not afraid to say it;
And I can’t help but sing your praises:

There are a lot of awesome women out there,
But you go way beyond every single one of them.

Some women rely on face lifts and tummy tucks (there’s a lot of fakery in the world right now)
But a woman who really loves God and submits herself fully to him? You just can’t do any better than that!

So I’m going to broadcast to the world the things you’ve done for others and for me,
When someone is as incredible as you are, the word gets around!

Roses are red…

We have a great tradition for birthdays at our house. Every year when a family member has a birthday, we make little signs and hang them all over the house in the evening after they’ve gone to bed. That way when they wake up on their birthday morning, they’re greeted by signs that exclaim, “What day is it today?” or “I can’t believe you’re one year older!” – things to that effect.

For years now I’ve been writing a “Roses are Red” poem for Karen each birthday as a part of her sign collection. It’s my yearly challenge to capture my feelings for Karen in simple verse. It always has a humorous touch, but some years the thoughts are more serious than others.

This year’s verse captures something of what is going on in both of our hearts. I asked Karen’s permission to share it in this context and she cheerfully agreed. So here’s Karen’s birthday poem for 2011:

Roses are red
Violets stay true
This birthday of yours
Came out of the blue.

Wasn’t it yesterday
You celebrated five-O?
Five years in a minute…
It seems to me so.

Now these 5 years have changed us
Some things have been jarring
We’re a little uncertain
Of the role that we star in.

It’s a new life, new place
New battle, new glory
New people, new challenge
New adventure, new story.

What gives me great hope
And my courage doth raise
Is to know we’re together
Till the end of our days.

Our story is one
That we write together
And we both know that means
That our story is better.

For God uses couples
In the power of three,
That marvelous threesome
Of God, you and me (pardon the grammar)

Back when we started
This story of us
We were young and naïve
But we got on the bus

Because we knew that the driver
Could be trusted utmostly
Even on journeys
When the pathway was ghostly.

That trust has been proven
To stand and to stay
Even when rocks are shaking
And the mountains give way.

I am always amazed
At your faith and your grace
You make me stronger
You help pick up the pace.

Your courage is great
Your confidence strong
You’re hopeful in trouble
Your suffering is long.

You’re the best I could wish for
You’re the partner I prayed for
You’re the love who I live for
You’re the wife I would die for.

So on this, your birthday
Please know that you’re cherished
It’s my joy to stand with you
Until the day our God takes us.