Sword Saints

Sackcloth and ashes

Craig pointed me to an article that highlighted a study that suggested a correlation between religious belief and social dysfunction. From the abstract:

Cross-national comparisons of highly differing rates of religiosity and societal conditions form a mass epidemiological experiment that can be used to test whether high rates of belief in and worship of a creator are necessary for high levels of social health. Data correlations show that in almost all regards the highly secular democracies consistently enjoy low rates of societal dysfunction, while pro-religious and anti-evolution America performs poorly.

Ouch. Of course, this is but a single study, so its conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt. But if the study contains even a kernel of truth, it exposes the religiosity of this country as a hypocritical sham because our actions don't match our words. We're little more than a bunch of clowns trying to play Hamlet -- and quite badly at that. (Hat tip to Steve Brown for that illustration from a sermon some time ago.)

My hope would be that this study would be a catalyst for repentance and renewal within the American church. But something tells me the dismissal will be shrill and swift. Come to think of it, though, wouldn't that type of reaction actually lend support to the conclusion of the study? Now where did I put my sackcloth?

Theological worldview

Another one of those quizzes that pops us into a box. Given my Lutheran upbringing and subsequent shift to the PCA, the results are pretty unsurprising. I'm not sure I'd entirely agree with their description of Reformed Evangelical, though to be fair, I guess I shouldn't expect a few short sentences to capture the fullness of any theological worldview.

You are a Reformed Evangelical. You take the Bible very seriously because it is God's Word. You most likely hold to TULIP and are sceptical about the possibilities of universal atonement or resistible grace. The most important thing the Church can do is make sure people hear how they can go to heaven when they die.

Reformed Evangelical 68% Neo orthodox 64% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 57% Emergent/Postmodern 50% Charismatic/Pentecostal 46% Roman Catholic 39% Fundamentalist 32% Classical Liberal 32% Modern Liberal 29% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

I do take the Bible quite seriously, and I'm pretty much a five-pointer when it comes to doctrine, but that last bit about the most important work of the church is a bit off the mark from what I believe. Oh, and I think I'd attach the high "Neo-Orthodox" score to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's influence.

Filling in the blanks

The best part about listening to John Piper sermons while mowing the lawn is that my mind is free to ponder the deep riches of the book of Romans while my body lumbers along behind the yard equipment. One of the sermons for this week highlighted something that had been bugging me about the aforementioned God's Politics.

Politics and prophets

In the previous post I mentioned some of my reservations about God's Politics, especially with respect to the use of the Old Testament prophets to illustrate (justify?) certain political positions. For example, in a section on security and terrorism the author uses a passage from the fourth chapter of the prophet Micah (ESV shown below) to illustrate his point:

It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
and many nations shall come, and say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide for strong nations afar off;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore;
but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid.

The author's assertion from this passage is that "every man under his vine and under his fig tree" is a reference to having a common share in global security, and that this is actually a precondition for the time when "nation shall not lift up sword against nation" and peace will reign. It seems to become for him a political drive toward certain national and global security policies that (in his view) will ultimately lead to peace. It's certainly a different take on the passage than others I've seen (most of which tend toward a more Messianic view).

Establishment?

LGF highlighted a post by David Holford, an American expat teaching comparative religion in the UK:

At GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) we do one of the Christianity papers and one of the Islam papers (with corresponding essay coursework). Now I don't have a problem teaching comparative religion generally. I think it is a good thing for both children and adults to know about other religions and understand the cultures around them.

The potential problem has arisen in teaching about Muhammad. The exam board requires that every time Muhammad is written, the letters "pbuh" in parentheses be placed after it. This is shorthand for "peace be upon him". The writer therefore prays a blessing upon him everytime his name is written, as is the custom of Muslims. So I have to tell my students (over and over if there is any hope of them remembering) that they must bless Muhammad every time they mention his name.

Students are required to write "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" after they write "God" too. And write "the man of God" after mentioning Moses. And write a cross in parenthesis every time they mention Jesus. Haha, just kidding. I made those up. But seriously, though, any UK readers out there able to confirm or refute this? It seems that it's only the one exam board, though, so it's not necessarily government policy.

I'd guess that this would bump into the establishment clause of the US Constitution if it were ever tried here. But then again, maybe not.

Good for what ails you

There's a story suggesting that January 24 is the most depressing day of the year. That'd be today.

Is the midwinter weather wearing you down? Are you sinking in debt after the holidays? Angry with yourself for already breaking your New Year's resolutions? Wish you could crawl back under the covers and not have to face another day of rain, sleet, snow and paperwork? Probably. After all, it's Jan. 24, the "most depressing day of the year," according to a U.K. psychologist.

But fear not! There is relief:

Is there a secret weapon against depression? Research suggests it might be religion. Studies show that people who practice some sort of religion are happier and less stressed out than those who don't.

Speaking from personal experience, the anchor for the soul that is hope in Christ is the only thing that can ever lift me out of the blue moods. And He always lets me sink deep enough to know that it's His hand that saves, not my own strength or ability. He's good like that.

Undercurrents in Ukraine

OpinionJournal is running a column today on the religious dimensions to Ukraine's protests and passions.

On the surface, the Orange Revolution has had a secular look, with students, members of the middle class and workers rising up against corrupt rule.The movement has on its side the sexy Ukrainian girl group Via Gra, Eurovision song-contest winner Ruslana and the Klitschkos, Ukraine's boxing brothers. Not to mention Sting and Gerard Depardieu.

But there is another side to Ukraine's peaceful revolution. Interspersed with earnest youths, families and grandmothers who braved subzero temperatures at daily rallies for Mr. Yushchenko were nuns bearing orange sashes, proto-deacons and priest-monks.

Scott was keenly interested in the goings-on in Ukraine while he was here. He posted a letter from a ministry friend from Ukraine that offers a first-hand glimpse at some of the things that are happening in Kiev:

There are a few Christian tents downtown, where always are Christian pastors and leaders ready to pray with people, give them spiritual and material help (citizens of Kiev have been donating money, feeding and dressing people, who came to the city from different Ukrainian cities, towns and villages and taking them to their own apartments to take a shower and spend the nights). There were around 230-250 people, who went through only our church office yesterday (there will be more today!). Thank God! We are very glad being able to help them as much as possible.

What an incredible opportunity for the local church body! May they multiply even through this time of stress!

Power and influence

OpinionJournal has a column on politics and religion in the United States, Of God and Men:

One of America's founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, was convinced that politics needed values it could not produce itself and had to rely on other agencies (mainly the churches) to nurture the virtues civil life needs. The state could therefore not privilege any church in particular but had to maintain a positive attitude to religion in general.

Jean Jacques Rousseau thought, on the contrary, that the state needed a kind of civil religion of its own and the existing churches had to bow to this civil religion by incorporating its commandments in their theology. Many scholars see in this idea of Rousseau's the seminal principle of totalitarianism. The tradition of Rousseau and of the Jacobins has survived in Europe in less virulent forms than in the not too distant past, but it's still part of the European political and ideological landscape.

I think that what Hamilton envisioned wasn't a church (or any other religious entity) that wielded power over society, but a church that exerted influence in and on society. The former would be the enforcer of laws, of traditions, of values, of mores. The latter would be the catalyst for change, the presence of God and His kingdom in society's midst. The former seems frozen, static, unchanging. The latter seems more dynamic and fluid.

But then again, are power and influence really separate, or are they inextricably linked? Does influence inevitably spill over into power? Does power always corrupt? Or can we, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, influence our society with a spirit of weakness and humility? I hope that the church in America will become a church of influence, because the thought of us merely wielding political power leaves me cold.

Got out the vote

According to the AJC, Religious vote fuels victory for GOP (subscription required, BugMeNot is your friend).

[The election] also fused the evangelical movement ? at least among whites ? so closely to the national GOP that the two have become nearly indistinguishable. Conservative Christians were by far the most sought-after demographic in every swing state. Church directories were like gold to the builders of GOP data bases.

I've already expressed my reservations with this turn of events. Regardless, at least in this country, evangelicals are firmly in the Republican camp. I can only hope and pray that there will be some sane and humble Christian leaders who will reject the allure of party control and political power. If nothing else, the continued intertwining of evangelicals and the GOP (and the frustrations that will inevitably go along with the resulting creeping moralism) could help bring about healthy reformation in the church as a whole. The next four years should be every bit as interesting for the church as it is for the state.

All quiet on this front

Why is it that God seems to be talking to everybody but me?

"And I warned him about this war. I had deep misgivings about this war, deep misgivings. And I was trying to say, 'Mr. President, you had better prepare the American people for casualties.' "

He said that's when the president told him he did not expect casualties from the invasion.

In the interview, Robertson also said he wishes Bush would admit to mistakes made.

"I mean, the Lord told me it was going to be A, a disaster, and B, messy," Robertson said. "I warned him about casualties."

And to think, God only tells me things like, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." The Almighty tends to be pretty quiet when it comes to who's going to win the election, or who's going to win the world series, or what He wants me to do as a career.

But His silence is a mighty silence. His stillness thunders through reality. That's more than enough for me.