Friday, February 25, 2011

So what's up with those long-hair theologians. anyway?

Maybe it will strike a chord of conversation, at least, I thought some might enjoy reading this article I found as I've been answering questions of a doctrinal nature for some job applications. Some of the "conspiracy theory" stuff surrounding the debate itself is a little distracting, in my opinion. However, here it is for what it's worth.

The Calvinism vs. Arminianism Debate
Sandy Simpson, 1999, www.deceptioninthechurch.com

It has become my considered opinion that part of the delusion of the Third Wave is facilitated, not only by certain doctrines in Arminianism and semi-Pelagianism, but also by certain doctrines of Calvinism (Once Saved Always Saved). Both doctrinal systems have fatal flaws.

Please understand that the following is my exegesis of Scripture. I admit that I could be wrong and am willing to discuss the points I am making here. Some of the concepts of these doctrinal systems are not easy to explain, prove or disprove. My goal is always to be like Paul who was happy when people checked what he said daily with Scripture (Acts 17:11). I hold Scripture to be the highest authority for the believer in matters of Christian faith and practice. I also hold to the core doctrines of the church, which I will remind the reader of at this point:

1. The Trinity: God must be one "what" and three "who's" with each "who" possessing all the attributes of Deity and personality.
2. The Person of Jesus Christ: Jesus is 100% God and 100% man for all eternity.
3. The Second Coming: Jesus Christ is coming bodily to earth to rule and judge.
4. Salvation: By grace through faith alone in Christ alone.
5. The Scripture: It is entirely inerrant and sufficient for all Christian life.

There are probably a few other doctrines that are VERY important, though not on the level of the above, such as the proper view of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. I do not regard the adherence to either strict Calvinism or strict Arminianism as on the same level as the core doctrines even though this debate is VERY important. Therefore we can argue these issues and still remain in unity as Christians. However, I do believe that anyone who holds strictly to either camp is wrong and should vigorously examine his position. Many hold to one or more points in either camp, or a mixture of both. Some, like myself, hold to a few points but see an antinomy in others, as well as sometimes error in both views, as I attempt to let the Scriptures form my doctrines, not the other way around.

Let me illustrate why neither doctrinal system is perfect by comparing the two doctrines point for point (all references are NIV unless otherwise indicated):

(1) ARMINIANISM - FREE WILL
Arminius believed that the fall of man was not total, maintaining that there was enough good left in man for him to will to accept Jesus Christ unto salvation.

WRONG!

This is very unbiblical since the Bible says:

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (KJV)
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Ro 5:14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
Ro 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
Ro 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Ro 3:10 As it is written: "There is no-one righteous, not even one;

The fall of man was total. Nonetheless, man is capable of believing in Jesus Christ for his salvation, responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Joh 16:8 When he comes, he (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

(1) CALVINISM - "T" = TOTAL DEPRAVITY
The Calvinists believed that man is in absolute bondage to sin and Satan, unable to exercise his own will to trust in Jesus Christ without the help of God.

PARTLY WRONG!

It is true that man is in absolute bondage to sin and Satan, until the Holy Spirit convicts a man of his sin and he repents and believes. We absolutely do need the "help of God". But a man does need to exercise his will by believing. Man is not a robot. The Spirit convicts. Man has to believe, an act of the will.

Joh 16:8 When he comes, he (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Acts 16:30-31 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
Joh 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
1Jo 5:10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

(2) ARMINIANISM - CONDITIONAL ELECTION
Arminius believed that election was based on the foreknowledge of God as to who would believe. Man's "act of faith" was seen as the "condition" or his being elected to eternal life, since God foresaw him exercising his free will in response to Jesus Christ.

RIGHT, AS FAR IS IT GOES.

God did not predestine man for either hell or heaven, but rather predestined those He foreknew who would be saved. If this were not so then the Bible would be untruthful in stating:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (KJV)
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (KJV)
Joh 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (NRSV)
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (KJV)
Joh 6:40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

God did choose men according to His foreknowledge of their free will response to salvation offered through Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Ro 11:2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
Mr 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Ro 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Ro 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

In some places only "foreknowledge" is mentioned as in Rom. 11, and in others only "predestination" is mentioned as in Eph. 1. But it is noteworthy to notice that the word "foreknew" precedes the word "predestined" in the following passage that OSAS people use as one of their major proofs for predestination:

Ro 8:29-30 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

I believe that predestination as a result of foreknowledge is the key to beginning to understand the antinomy of predestination versus God not being willing "that any should perish". This is one of the most difficult concepts to explain or understand that is taught in the Bible.

(2) CALVINISM - "U" = UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
The Calvinists believed that foreknowledge is based upon the plan and purpose of God, and that election is not based upon the decision of man, but the "free will" of the Creator alone.

PARTLY WRONG!

Predestination is a result of foreknowledge, as we have already covered in Rom. 8:29-30. Foreknowledge IS based upon God's plan, but His plan for the salvation of all men.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (KJV)
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (KJV)
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (KJV)

Election is a biblical fact.

Mt 24:22 If those days had not been cut short, no-one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

But election (with regard to the New Covenant) is not based on some choice by God to reject some men and redeem others, which would not be consistent with the Word and the Testimony of His character of justice and grace, but based on whether or not a man chooses to believe in Jesus Christ.

2Pe 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,
John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Jesus was an example for us and proved Himself by signs and miracles so that men might see them and make a conscious decision to believe.

Ro 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Salvation comes through faith alone, not by chance or robotic behavior.

(3) ARMINIANISM - UNIVERSAL ATONEMENT
Arminius held that redemption was based on the fact that God loves everybody, that Christ died for everyone, and that the Father is not willing that any should perish. The death of Christ provided the grounds for God to save all men, but each must exercise his own "free will" in order to be saved.

RIGHT!

God loves everyone.

1Jo 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
1Jo 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

He loved us even though we, at one time, did not love Him. He died for everyone.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (KJV)
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (KJV)
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (KJV)
Joh 6:40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

We must exercise our will to claim salvation bought for us on Calvary.

Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

If we have no faith the gospel is of no value to us.

Heb 4:2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.

(3) CALVINISM - "L" = LIMITED ATONEMENT
The Calvinists believed that Jesus Christ died to save those who were given to Him by the Father in eternity past. In their view, all for whom Jesus died (the elect) will be saved, and all for whom He did not die (the non elect) will be lost.

PARTLY WRONG!

God did give Jesus Christ the inheritance of the saved from eternity past.

Eph 1:5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

However, this truth becomes an antinomy with this truth:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (KJV)

Jesus did not just die for a select few, but for all men:

2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (KJV)
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

All for whom Christ died will be saved if they believe, and not saved if they do not believe:

Joh 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
Mr 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

(4) ARMINIANISM - “OBSTRUCTIBLE” GRACE
Arminius believed that since God wanted all men to be saved, He sent the Holy Spirit to "woo" all men to Christ, but since man has absolute "free will," he is able to resist God's will for his life. He believed that God's will to save all men can be frustrated by the finite will of man. He also taught that man exercises his own will first, and then is born again.

PARTLY WRONG!

God does want all men to be saved:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (KJV)
Joh 6:40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

There is no Scripture that talks about the Holy Spirit "wooing" men to Christ. However, the Holy Spirit does convict men of sin:

Joh 16:8 When he comes, he (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

Man is able to resist the Spirit and His call to repentance and salvation. Some Jews resisted the Holy Spirit and were lost unless they repented.

Ac 7:51 "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
1Jo 5:16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.

The "sin that leads to death" is probably resisting the conviction of the Holy Spirit and salvation offered by Christ to all men. God's will, however, cannot be thwarted by men.

Heb 6:17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
Nu 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?

God may change His mind when He chooses to, sometimes at the request or repentance of men, and for His own glory and purposes, but His will cannot be thwarted.

Ex. 32:11-14 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

But it is true that a man must believe and be born again.

John 3:2-3 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
Ro 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

(4) CALVINISM - "I" = IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
The Calvinists believed that the Lord possesses irresistible grace that cannot be obstructed. They taught that the free will of man is so far removed from salvation, that the elect are regenerated (made spiritually alive) by God even before expressing faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. If a totally depraved person wasn't made alive by the Holy Spirit, such a calling on God would be impossible.

WRONG!

Salvation is conditional, applied by grace through our faith. Remember: Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It is by the grace of Christ alone that salvation was afforded to men, not by works lest any man should boast. It is by faith alone that salvation by grace alone is applied to our lives. We lay hold of the miracle of grace by faith.

Ro 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

A man can resist the grace of God. Not to believe when convicted by the Spirit is to resist the Spirit.

Mr 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Ac 7:51 "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

A person cannot resist the Spirit unless the Spirit is at work in him. The Spirit was at work among the Jews in the above instance, but there were those who resisted grace. A person who is a believer can even grieve the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

To say that "the elect are regenerated (made spiritually alive) by God even before expressing faith in Jesus Christ for salvation." is a very unbiblical doctrine. The Bible is clear about the terms of our salvation, purchased for us by Jesus Christ. We must believe!

Ro 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Ro 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
Ga 3:22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
1Ti 1:16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

Many unsaved people have called on God. Of course God knows if they will or will not respond, but all men are sinful from the beginning, thus are equally either capable or incapable of believing in Jesus Christ. Since many men have come to a belief in Christ, this proves that a "totally depraved person"—which includes every person who ever lived with the exception of Jesus Christ—can recognize his sin (because of his knowledge of good and evil, his God-given conscience?) and believe because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit, having heard and responded to the gospel message.

Ro 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

Notice we are not marked with the Holy Spirit’s seal before we believed!

(5) ARMINIANISM - FALLING FROM GRACE
If man cannot be saved by God unless it is man's will to be saved, then man cannot continue in salvation unless he continues to will to be saved.

PARTLY WRONG!

Man cannot continue in salvation unless he continues to will to be saved, or believe (continuous tense). That is true in one sense.

Ro 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Ro 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

However, to state that "man cannot be saved by God unless it is man's will to be saved" is an over-simplification of the facts. God knows who will be saved having foreknown those who would believe. He desires that everyone be saved, but because of His foreknowledge He predestined those He foreknew to salvation. It is His will that everyone be saved, and a certain percentage will be. God's will is therefore ultimately important in the process, since it was He who provided salvation through His Son—reaching out to us. There is also a necessity of belief on the part of His creatures to claim that free gift of salvation.

(5) CALVINISM - "P" = PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
The Calvinists believed that salvation is entirely the work of the Lord, and that man has absolutely nothing to do with the process. The saints will persevere because God will see to it that He will finish the work He has begun.

OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF THE FACTS!

Jesus Christ paid the price. We must believe and trust Him. We do not effect our salvation which is by the grace of Christ alone, but we must believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ for it to be applied to us.

Ro 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Ro 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

God will see to it that those who continue to believe will persevere. But they must continue in "His kindness" or be cut off.

Ro 11:22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.

Paul was confident in prayer that the Philippians would be brought to final salvation because of their perseverance and faith.

Php 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Paul's confidence for the Philippians is one thing. Absolute assurance is another. This verse often used by OSAS adherents must be balanced with the other biblical truths that we can fall away, shrink back, wander from the truth, shipwreck our faith, have our faith destroyed, and be cut off if we cease to continue in His kindness.

Lu 8:13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
Heb. 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
2Pe 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,
Heb. 10:38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
1Ti 1:19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
2 Tim. 2:17-18 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
Ro 11:22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.

In Summary

Hopefully I have helped you see the deficiencies in both doctrinal systems. The issue of eternal security versus conditional security is, in some respects, an antinomy. The definition of an antinomy is that it is two truths that are both true yet apparently opposite. We must all return to the Scriptures and take the whole teaching of the Word, instead of relying on these doctrinal systems that are, at best, faulty and at worst, very damaging and unbiblical in certain ways. We must be careful of the doctrines of men:

Mr 7:7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.

Recommendations

For five point Calvinists, I recommend reading two books. First the book by Dave Hunt entitled “What Love Is This?”. The second is an 801 page book entitled, "The Believer's Conditional Security" by Daniel Corner. These two books bring some balance back from all the heavy emphasis on OSAS in many ministries today. I must caution that I do not agree with every method and premise in Corner’s refutation of Calvinism, as should be evident by the paper you just read. It is my hope that this book will remind Christians that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It‘s good to study the issues of predestination just as it’s good to study the issues of shipwrecking one's faith. Hopefully after careful study a Christian will come to the conclusion that, somehow, both the concepts of predestination and freewill coexist equally in the Word of God and thus we must accept them by faith, even if we cannot fully understand them as one concept together.

In short, God knows who has been saved from beginning to end. We, as created beings, cannot know the final salvation outcome for anyone except for ourselves as we continue in faith believing, though we can rightly discern a person’s current spiritual condition by their doctrine and fruit (Jn. 15:20, 2 Tim. 3:12, 2 pet. 2:7-8, Rom. 6:21, Lk. 8:21, Jam. 2:14, Gal. 1:8-9, ! Cor. 15:1-4, 1 Pet. 4:4, 2 Cor. 6:17-18, Jn. 8:32-36, Rom. 6:16-18). The word “believe” is more accurately translated "continue believing" (continuous tense in the Greek in many passages) till the end. Many strict OSAS teachers promote a "grace without the need for continued faith" and a "salvation based on a past moment of belief" thereby teaching Christians not to really fear God's judgement on their continued habitual sins and lack of faith. This has brought a number of false interpretations of Scripture, and an ignorance of the true grace teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.

One of these false Calvinistic teachings is that believers "can never fall away" (Heb. 6:4-6, Mark 14:27, 2 Pet. 1:10, 1 Cor. 10:12) or "be cut off" (Rom. 11:22) in opposition to clear teaching in Scripture. This causes Christians not to take unrepentant immorality, idolatry, false teachings, false prophecy and the false anointing of the Third Wave as seriously as they should. This is because many OSAS teachers claim that "God will never allow believers to be deceived" even though the Bible includes dire warnings to believers against being deceived by false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1, Luke 21:8, 2 Cor. 11:13, Mt. 24:5,11,24, Eph. 5:6).

Another of the false teachings based on OSAS (this is my opinion, not necessarily Dan Corner's) is that believers cannot be demonized (not speaking of "possession", but "demonization") which is contrary to both Biblical examples of demonization of believers (Job 1:8-9; 2:3; 2:7, 1Sa 16:14-16, 18:10, 19:9, Matt. 15:22-28, Matt. 16:22-23, Mark 1:23, Luke 9:52-56, Luke 13:11-16, John 6:70-71, 13:27 Acts 5:1-11, Acts 8:9-24, 2 Cor. 12:7, Gal. 3:1, 1 Tim. 1:19-20) and Biblical teaching to not give the devil a foothold or to allow the sin nature to control us (Eph. 4:25-27, 1 Cor 5:1-5, 2 Cor 2:10-11, 2 Cor. 11:3-4, 1 Tim. 4:1-2, 2 Tim. 2:24-26).

Friday, October 15, 2010

What should I do?

I wrote an article many years ago about people's attitude toward their minister. It explore the fine line of expectation that ministers must walk. I want to reproduce that article and then give some reflections and thoughts after.

If he is young, he lacks experience; if his hair is gray, he is too old.
If he has five or six children, he has too many; if he has none, he is setting a bad example.
If his wife sings in the choir, she is too forward; if she doesn't, she is not interested in her husband's work.
If he speaks from notes, his sermons are canned and dry; if he speaks extemporaneously, he is not deep.
If he spends too much time in study, he neglects his people; is he visits, he is a gadabout.
If he suggests improvements, he is a dictator; if he makes no suggestions, he is a figurehead.
If he uses too many illustrations, he neglects the Bible; if not enough, he is unclear.
If he condemns sin, he is cranky; if he doesn’t, he is a compromiser.
If he preaches over 30 minutes, he is windy; if less, he is lazy.
If he preaches the truth, he is offensive; if he does not, he is a hypocrite.
If he fails to please everybody, he is hurting the church; if he does try to please everybody, he has no convictions.
If he preaches the tithe, he is a money grubber; if he does not, he is failing to develop his people. If he receives a large salary, he is a mercenary; if a small salary, it proves he isn’t worth much.
If he is the only preacher, the people tire of just one man; if he invites guest preachers, he is shirking his responsibilities.
If he never takes a day off, he is a workaholic; if he plays golf or goes fishing, he is irresponsible.

Now some will say that I'm writing this out of sour grapes. The truth is I am not bitter or soured on the ministry in any way. I wrote this in August of 1997. It was republished soon after moving to Colorado. And now again in 2010.

This is a reflection on the ways that people will view their minister. It can't be helped. The minister cannot control peoples expectations, especially unspoken ones. There is no telling what people, no matter how loving they are, will think of a minister. Nor is there any way to control it. The minister is called of God not of men. Let me give you an example.

The Apostle Paul annoyed the heck out of people. He didn't leave anyone out; he was an equal opportunity annoyer. Gentiles, Jews, Romans, Greeks, slaves, freemen, faithful, hypocrites, mothers, father, friends, enemies, the list could go on. And he did this everywhere he went.

Like this one time he was walking through this one town, minding his own business, and this random soothsayer girl comes up behind his and starts shouting that Paul is "a servant of the most high God and he's here to tell you the way to be saved." She does this for several days. Finally Paul turns around and tells the spirit that is troubling her to "get out!" Well that isn't to irritating but apparently this girl was owned by some guys who were pimping her as a fortune teller and making quite a handsome profit.

Well these guys realized that their cash cow dried up and they were out of business. They grabbed Paul and his friend and hauled them before the hangin' judge saying "these guys have created an uproar in the the whole city." This stirred up a crowd. The mob decided to attack. So the magistrate beat Paul and Silas and threw them in jail. Problem solved, right, wrong. Paul sang all night long. Then God caused a miracle, the jail busted open and Paul was free. But he didn't leave. In fact, he stayed and brought the jailer, and a bunch other, to Christ and baptized them.

Well you'd probably think the story ends there, but you'd be wrong. Some officers came to release Paul, but he still wouldn't go. At that time a Roman citizen could not be publicly humiliated the way Paul had been. Paul could have let it go. But he didn't. He made the magistrate come and apologize in person. They judge begged Paul to leave the city. He didn't.

Something similar happened in the next town Paul visited. And when those people heard Paul was in another town near by, they sent a gang to that town to finish Paul off. This continued with Paul throughout his life.

Paul was the same before God called him into ministry as he was afterward. People constatnly misread, misinterpreted , and misunderstood Paul. He was this short, bald, red-faced, scruffy-looking little man who I've always pictured as looking and sounding just like Groundskeeper Willy.

Could Paul control people's expectations of him? Could he help them process their inner feelings and viewpoints of him? No. And neither can I do that.

People will think what they want to think. My job is to be who God made me to be; to follow Him no matter what obstacles may be in my way. My purpose is to make Him look good, not me. To obey His will, go where He leads, say what He would have me say.

If a minister's life points to anything but God amazing ability to work with anybody, it's wasted. Let the critics say what they will. Who are they really criticizing?

Monday, September 27, 2010

Resume

Here's my resume. Thanks for taking a look.
http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=508391046&notes_tab=app_2347471856

Thursday, April 29, 2010

To the Pain: Days 7, 8, 9

The last three days have been good, overall. I was on one pill daily of prednisone. My pain and inflammation have been minimal. The experiment seems to have worked and that's good. At least the first part of the experiment has been a success. The idea of taking down the swelling and inflammation in order to get a level start on the gout medicine was what sold me on taking the allopurinol in the first place.

I had heard the diagnosis before; gout. Immediately I didn't believe. My grandpa had gout. I saw him suffer, what seemed to me to be, a continuous attack of gout from the time I was small. My grandpa ate pork sausage, ham, hamhocks (whatever they are), and bacon every day of his life. He knew it was the pork that gave him gout. He said so and I believed him.

I believed it so well that when my doctor said that I had gout, my first reaction was disbelief. I don't eat pork like my grandpa ate pork. Therefore, how can I have gout? I don't eat rich foods. I don't drink alcohol. I don't have any of the usual suspects for gout in my diet. My conclusion was I don't have gout. And my solution was I'm not going to take the medicine for gout.

A series of doctors and PAs gave me alternating diagnoses; gout, osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel, tendinitis, gout. Along with the varied diagnoses came varied solutions; allopurinol, ibuprofen, ice, heat, lose weight, exercise, bah, blah, blah. Any wonder I was confused? The kicker was; they never did a lot of testing. All this was based largely on clinical diagnoses; you know, "doctor, it hurts when I do this" "so, don't do that anymore". OK so it's an old joke. But I'm telling you that's the way I was treated.

The latest doctor was no different. He listened very politely. Then said, "You have gout."

...It's not that I want to be disrespectful, but good grief. Have some imagination, already.

Then he did something different. He suggested an experiment: run though some predisone and then introduce the allopurinol. Then he spoke condescendingly to my wife. Which we'll cover in a separate blog. It is not a career ending move. But it is a fatal flaw in his care for me, his patient. I'm searching for yet another new doctor at my beloved HMO. I'm not searching because he didn't provide me with the answer I wanted. I'm searching because... I just don't like him.

So, the experiment goes on. And I'm looking forward to the next phase.

Monday, April 26, 2010

To the Pain: Day 4, 5, 6

So, hey, it's been a couple of days. I guess time flies when your not having constant pain. And that's a great thing for me. I have a sense that life is improving because of less pain. Every step doesn't cost me. Every keystroke doesn't make me hesitate. I like it!

It's even possible that this could be a new lease on life. For example, I went for a walk/ run with my son, Andrew, the other day. It was gorgeous outside and I felt terrific. He said, "let's go for a run." I said, "how about a walk." We compromised and off we went. We covered between 4 and 5 miles. And, actually other than being a little soar from not regularly exercising, I don't have the pain I normally would have after such an excursion.

So, things are good on the prednisone trail. No adverse side effects to speak of; at least none that I'm aware of. (Last night's waterworks not withstanding) And, the direct and desired effect of reducing the inflammation and tenderness in my joints is being achieved. As I said, I like it!

The regimen starts with a higher dose and tapers down for 9 days. This is day 6, so starting tomorrow, I will be taking 1 pill a day. I interested to see if the effects will be lasting. Presumably, this is a temporary fix for the purpose of giving the joints time to recuperate. But I don't think the prednisone has any effect on the uric acid crystals that cause the irritation in the joints.

If that's true, then the next step in this process is critical; namely introducing allopurinol. This is the medicine the doctor says will fix what's ailing me. It's a drug I'll have to take for the rest of my life. That in itself is an interesting proposition for me. But we'll save that for another time.

For now, what is Allopurinal and what does it do. For this we turn to that most reliable of sources, wikipedia:

Allopurinol is a drug used primarily to treat hyperuricemia (excess uric acid in blood plasma) and its complications, including chronic gout

Allopurinol is a structural isomer of hypoxanthine (a naturally occurring purine in the body) and is an enzyme inhibitor, inhibiting xanthine oxidase. [it] is responsible for the successive oxidation of hypoxanthine and xanthine resulting in the production of uric acid, the product of human purine metabolism. In addition to blocking uric acid production, [it] causes an increase in hypoxanthine and xanthine... Allopurinol therefore decreases both uric acid formation and purine synthesis.

Allopurinol does not alleviate acute attacks of gout, but is useful in chronic gout to prevent future attacks.

...allopurinol has two important disadvantages: its dosing is complex, and some patients will be hypersensitive to it. Therefore, use of this drug requires careful monitoring.

Side effects of allopurinol are rare, though significant when they occur. A small percentage of people develop a rash and must discontinue this drug. The most serious adverse effect is a hypersensitivity syndrome consisting of fever, skin rash, eosinophilia, hepatitis, worsened renal function and, in some cases, allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome. Allopurinol is one of the drugs commonly known to cause Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TENS), two life-threatening dermatological conditions.

Allopurinol can cause severe pancytopenia. It can also cause breast enlargement in both males and females.

Allopurinol can lower blood pressure in mild hypertension.

Sounds fun... I guess I give it a whirl.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

To The Pain: Day 2

Well, that went pretty well. Most of the day yesterday I did not have pain in my hands and feet. That is something for me. I haven't been without pain for about 4 or 5 months. It felt great in fact. I walked without a limp and had my normal stride back.

The biggest difference I noticed was that I was able to, for the first time in a month, bend my backwards past 0°. It feels so good to ba able to use that finger after having it out of commission for so long. I had almost come to the conclusion that I would not have the full use of that finger for the rest of my life. I pictured Addison sitting on my lap examining my hands. Then gazing up at me and saying, "Granddad, why's your finger so crooked?"

Yesterday, I moved faster than I have in a while and thought it was near normal speed. Although I must admit that sitting in one position for any length of time is still not a good idea for me anyway. I was glad I could move.

So, as the day progressed, I felt better and better. The better I felt physically, the better I felt in every other way. By the time late afternoon rolled around, I felt GREAT! It was wonderful and I thought when I got home I might go for a walk and Oh, the dogs are there to greet me and aren't they nice dogs and look at the pretty flowers nad gee, I' should make about 10 phone calls, that won't take but about 30 seconds and ....

If I remember the list from yesterday, one of the side effects was euphoria. Yup, definitely euphoria. Yeah, I think I got that one, alright. Around 11:30 last night was when I started to wind down. I may have seen a butterfly net in O's hand at one point earlier in the evening, I'm not quite sure; It's all kind of a blur.

Me likey prednisone.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

To the Pain

This is day one of a 9 day round of prednisone to treat the pain in my hands and feet. The diagnosis is gout. Even though I have none of the contributing factors to that call other than the pain and swelling. Although a clinical diagnosis seemingly is enough to prescribe this kind of treament, the "gold standard" is to aspirate the joint of the great toe (stick a needle in it and draw out fluid) and see if there's uric acid present. Well, that's not going to happen, I assure you. And for good reason: I'm deathly allergic to needles. I thought this would be a good way to journal the treatment and see what happens.

According to wikipedia (THE most reliable source known to mankind):
Prednisone
is a synthetic corticosteroid drug that is particularly effective as an immunosuppressant, and affects virtually all of the immune system. It is used to treat certain inflammatory diseases... but has significant adverse effects. It is usually taken orally... Prednisone is a prodrug that is converted by the liver into prednisolone, which is the active drug and also a steroid...

Here is a list of the side effects:

Major

Minor

The idea is to reduce or eliminate the pain in my hands and feet. And then start the drug for gout, allopurinol. Which, over time controls the level of uric acid on the blood. In some ways I'm looking forward to this, but as far as the possible side effects; not so much.

I have had prednisone treatment before. Following both ear surgeries, I took it to reduce inflammation and promote healing. It worked with no adverse effects, at least that I'm aware of. So, hopefully this time will be the same.

If this gets rid of the pain, I'm all for it.

I'll keep you posted.