June 2025 Newsletter

Posted on June 2, 2025 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Fifth in a series on the Ten Commandments by Donald Shoemaker

The Fourth Commandment

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

– Exodus 20:8-11 (& Deuteronomy 5:12-14)

#1 – In one word, how do we obey the 4th Commandment?

This commandment is the longest of the ten. The 47 words for this command in Hebrew distill down to one: “Rest!”

There is a spiritual lesson here too—a second sense in which we obey the 4th Commandment. We by faith embrace the Gospel of Jesus and enter “a Sabbath-rest [from our works] for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:1-11). This fits “we are saved by faith and not by works” as taught in Ephesians 2:8-9.

#2 – How did the Mosaic Law ground this commandment with authority?

In Genesis 2 the day of rest is grounded in God’s activity during “creation week” (Genesis 1). God labored six days in his creation activity and then rested. Because he did so, he blessed the seventh day and made it holy. The command, in essence, says, “God took the 7th day off and we should too.”

That this teaching is part of God’s creative activity makes a strong argument for it being for all humanity and not just for Israel. It is a “creation ordinance.”

#3 – What are the broader implications of this commandment?

The benefit of rest from the routines of labor applied not only to the Israelite worker who hears it. It applied also to his:

• Sons and daughters
• Male and female slaves
• Beasts of burden
• Neighbors who were immigrants

This commandment creates concern for how others ought to be treated. Whatever rest is deserved by the laborer is also deserved by those under his authority. One’s slaves are to be treated as is right and fair (Colossians 4:1); an Israelite must treat an immigrant in ways that show he remembers what it was like to be an oppressed immigrant in Egypt; righteous people care for the needs of their animals (Proverbs 12:10). All of this has more implications behind it than we often give it. What the commandment teaches about the Sabbath should serve as a launching pad for ongoing thinking and decisions about how we should treat others as individuals and as a society.

#4 – As “Lord of the Sabbath,” how did Jesus live it and explain it?

Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). That is, he personified it in his own life, he unfolded its deeper meaning by what he taught in word and example, he opposed legalism that contradicted what it claimed to uphold and imposed “the letter of the law” but not its “spirit.”

As “Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5), he defended his disciples when they satisfied their hunger by “work” (plucking grain) on the Sabbath by quoting scriptures that paralleled what the disciples did (Matthew 12:3-5). He drained Sabbath-keeping of burdensome legalism by declaring, “the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

He healed on the Sabbath, declaring that it is right to do good on the day God had blessed (Luke 6:6-11). He declared that people at the very least deserve the same benevolent care we would show a sheep in distress on the Sabbath, arguing from the lesser to the greater (“People have more value than sheep” – Matthew 12:11-12).

By the time Jesus lived on earth a new feature in Israel’s life had developed which was unknown to the Old Testament—SYNAGOGUES had come into existence to meet the spiritual needs of Jewish people unable to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. There the words of the law and prophets would be read and taught, psalms sung, and prayer offered. We have this marvelous report of what Jesus did while in Nazareth, the town of his upbringing (Luke 4:16): “On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as was his custom.” Today we might say, “From childhood Jesus strongly developed the habit of going to church every week!” Synagogues throughout the empire were weekly gathering points for followers of the Jewish faith. The Book of Acts affirms this and early Christian evangelists accommodated themselves to it. Read the accounts: Acts 13:14, 42, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4.

#5 – How has the commandment been applied over centuries of time?

Briefly and basically there have been four positions on obeying this command:

1) Christians should follow the Jewish pattern and observe the 7th day as a Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

2) The “Christian Sabbath” (Sunday) is now, by God’s will, the day to which the 4th Commandment applies. Emphasis is put on worship and service as well as rest. Advocates of “Sunday sabbatarianism” have differing opinions over how and to what extent the Christian Sabbath is subject to rules. For one of the more restrictive examples, see the appendix.

3) By God’s will, Christians should observe Sunday as “The Lord’s Day”. It is a feature of God’s New Creation. Jesus arose on this day; the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost on this day; Gentile Christians more and more came to worship and hear the Word on this day (Acts 20:7).

4) As a matter of Christian liberty and not by divine command, many Christians have set Sunday aside as the day for worship, service and rest. They see Paul’s words about day observance as allowing this liberty as taught in Romans 14:5-6 – “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.”

#6 – Conclusions on how we can “Do Sabbath” today

My sentiments are with #4 above, but not dogmatically so. I’m not strongly impressed with proof-texts making Sunday “The Lord’s Day.” It’s not clear to me that Revelation 1:10 proves John was “in the Spirit” on a Sunday. And the offerings mentioned in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 are to be set aside on Sundays by each wage earner in a private way (like in a “cookie jar”), not through a church offering. Besides, this was a temporary arrangement, as the context shows.

Martin Luther wisely saw the commandment’s fulfillment in our fear and love for God, which leads us to hold his Word sacred and gladly hear and learn from it. [Small Catechism, “The Ten Commandments”]

I agree with John Calvin, who supported (1) establishing a special day for assembling to hear God’s word and worship and (2) setting aside one day in seven for relaxation from labor for self and for others under one’s authority. [Institutes 2.8.28; Instructions in Faith (1537), Sermons on the Ten Commandments]

I yearn for a culture that is sensitive to, and respectful of, the desire of (most) Christians to gather on Sundays for worship and the Word. I can remember when many secular communities were sensitive to avoid scheduling activities that conflicted with the times set aside for worship.

I call on churches and families to resist the secularization of Sundays for public events and sports. I call on churches to bear witness to the sacredness of a “designated day in seven” and for families to sacrifice a sport if necessary.

The erosion of respect for Sunday as a dedicated day for worship is certainly a leading reasons why loyalty to the church, hence to Christ, has diminished (we cannot separate Christ from his body). No one is being coerced to attend a religious gathering; nor should anyone be made to “pay a cultural price” for doing so. Isn’t that in accord with our First Amendment?

Hebrews 10:24-25 is as relevant today as when written (I view a church gatherings as the most likely place where “spurring one another on toward love and good deeds” will occur): “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

“Doing Sabbath” (at least as well as we know how) will move us toward several new freedoms and masteries: (1) freedom from the love of money and what it can provide; (2) freedom from the judgment of others in matters where we have a right to make our own decisions; (3) freedom to engage in a vocation without being dominated by it; (4) freedom from the tyranny of time so we can master our use of time—under Jesus’ lordship over all the above.

Finally, let’s be cautious on how to apply the Sabbath command in light of the fact that this is the only command of the ten not taught prescriptively in the N.T.

Note: As I studied many sources for this relatively brief look at the 4th Commandment, I’m amazed and humbled (but never tell others how humble you are!) by how little I’m able to treat this topic as it deserves. I haven’t even touched on biblical teaching about Sabbaths other than the weekly one that Israel was to observe, nor the Sabbaths we are definitely not to observe (Colossians 2:16-19). Nor have I developed the implications of Sabbath-keeping on how we treat God’s creation. So let my brief words here spur both you and me on to understanding biblical teaching on the Sabbath better.

For further study I recommend The Ten Commandments by Kevin DeYoung, chapter 4, and The Law of Perfect Freedom by Michael Horton, chapter 5.

“We hold that the seven day working week is abnormal, and we hold that one day of rest in seven should be provided by law.”

– President Teddy Roosevelt

Note: In this time of change in the Roman Catholic papacy, I wish to share an editorial I wrote upon the passing of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

One Evangelical’s Gratitude for John Paul II

Guest Editorial by Donald P. Shoemaker
Press-Telegram, Long Beach, CA, April 9, 2005

In the conservative Protestant environment of my upbringing just about anything that came from Rome was suspicious. The Roman Catholic Church was, so we were taught, the “scarlet harlot” of the Book of Revelation, chapter 17—clearly identified by her vestments of purple and scarlet, her gold, silver and jewels, and the golden chalice in her hand. She was destined to align herself with the Antichrist, the Devil’s ruler of the End Times, until he tired of her domination and tossed her aside and ruled supreme until his defeat by the King of kings.

To us Catholicism was as Winston Churchill characterized the Kremlin, “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Church rituals with their beads and vestments and Latin were a world away from our simple message and revivalist enthusiasm.

A more historically informed approach to biblical interpretation has led to a better look at the Book of Revelation. But what really affected our thought was a courageous and humble man who came out of nowhere to become John Paul II.

John Paul was a human face with which we could easily connect, not a lofty anachronism from the Middle Ages. Coming through the crucible of suffering under two totalitarian systems and being willing to return to Poland to suffer with his people if events so summoned him, he personified the call of Jesus to take up the cross and follow Him.

We saw him as a powerful spiritual leader who in God’s providence, though not single-handedly, brought on the collapse of the Communist evil in Eastern Europe. Though Joseph Stalin mocked the pope in 1935 with “How many divisions has he?” we saw in John Paul the spiritual power of the cross and the Gospel at work emancipating human souls from misery.

We appreciated the unabashed orthodoxy that John Paul represented. His resolute support of pro-life issues resonated with us (opposition to abortion on demand is the one moral position that unites Evangelical Protestants whether their politics are right, left or center).

Significant issues remain on both sides. Some conservative denominations still pronounce that the papacy is the Antichrist. Obsolete attitudes and teachings are readily found amongst Evangelicals, as if the Second Vatican Council never happened.

Pragmatists that we are, Evangelicals cannot see any compelling reason to withhold the option of marriage from priests and we can give many reasons for this option. We are solidly in the Reformation commitment to the authority of Scripture alone, not Scripture and Tradition. We don’t like to hear Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger say that our communities of the faithful are not truly “the Church.”

We see true “apostolic succession” as fidelity to apostolic doctrine more than as a continuity of bishops. We are not comfortable with the veneration rendered to the Virgin Mary, though we are chastened that we have not honored the spirit of her words in The Magnificat, “All generations shall call me blessed,” for she should indeed be our model of devotion and discipleship.

What would many Evangelical Protestants hope to see emerge from the upcoming Conclave? I speak for myself, but I think I have the pulse of much of our movement.

We want to see a pope emerge who would forge a strong confessional relationship with theologically conservative Protestants. We are one in heart with Catholics who can confess the Ecumenical Creeds without crossing their fingers behind their backs.

We would delight in a pope who comes from the Southern Hemisphere, where Christianity is vibrant and growing and orthodox. We want this to be the wave of the future.

Finally, we want to see a pope who continues John Paul’s ministries of being a shepherd to his people and a prophetic voice to the world. News analysis presently abounds with bobbing heads complaining that John Paul did not bring strong administrative skills to the Vatican and they hope the new pope will.

God forbid! In the earliest days of Christian history the infant church carefully and wisely separated the apostolic role of teaching and prayer from the administrative role that others should do (chapter six of the Book of Acts).

I dread to ponder the outcome had John Paul devoted himself to management instead of pastoral and prophetic ministry. We might have the Vatican well oiled and Eastern Europe still in chains.

The Spirit of Pentecost—Uniter or Divider?
A Message for Pentecost Sunday, June 8

Baker Book House has a legacy of producing excellent books by scholars across the Evangelical spectrum. I look at my library shelves and see Millard Erickson’s Christian Theology as a stellar example.

Sadly, BBH in one instance is failing to reflect its broad Evangelical perspective. It is producing the Word and Spirit Commentary on the New Testament. These books are written by “biblical scholars from the Spirit-filled tradition” and “aimed at Christians who identify as Spirit-filled.”

My problem is this: no segment of Christianity should lay special claim to being “Spirit-filled.” Yet this publisher declares the Pentecostal/charismatic movement to be the “spirit-filled” tradition within Evangelicalism. Are Erickson and other writers of Christ-centered theology “not Spirit-filled”?

The Holy Spirit—the Spirit who filled the waiting disciples at Pentecost—is the Spirit who unites all disciples of Jesus, not the Spirit who singles out some disciples of Jesus for special mention as the truly anointed spiritual elite. And in the New Testament the “Spirit-filled” don’t go around tooting their own horns.

“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, [Pentecostals or not; Charismatics or not]—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” – 1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV [bracketed words obviously mine!].

Spiritual gifts are greatly varied. No particular gift separates those Christians who “got it” from those who “don’t got it.” See 1 Corinthians 12:27-31.

“There is one body and one Spirit” and we are called to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3-6). BBH is not “maintaining.”

The whole fullness of deity dwells bodily in Jesus and we are complete in him (Colossians 2:9-10). “Fullness” is in Jesus, not in “Jesus plus something more.”

Let’s be true observers of Pentecost by confessing the one Spirit who came and unites all who believe in Christ. “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life…who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified.” – The Nicene Creed

[Note: the Pentecostal movement is memorable to me. At age 9, I knelt at the “altar” of a Pentecostal church to give my life to Jesus. My first sermon at age 18 was in an Assembly of God church. I identified with this movement for five years thereafter.]

A Timely “Message of the Month”

Communion at Weddings? Think Again!
By Donald Shoemaker

June is known for its weddings. So I think it’s timely as June approaches to examine a practice that some wish to do at their wedding. Over my fifty-five year career as a pastor I’ve seen a lot of changes in wedding practices. One of these is introducing Communion (the Eucharist or the partaking of the “Bread” and the “Cup”) into the ceremony.

Specifically, the bride and groom partake of the Bread and Cup as an expression of their marital union in Christ and faithfulness to Him. While these commitments are wonderful, there is a need to explore the appropriateness of using one of the church’s ordinances (I prefer to say “sacraments”) to depict them. In this essay, I would like to give my reasons why I do not condone this practice as it is usually done in weddings.

The basic question is this: Is it biblically appropriate for the bride and groom to partake of Communion during their wedding ceremony (a worship occasion, indeed!) while others (Christians or not) look on and do not participate? I want to make it clear that I am not demanding a biblical precedent for this practice as a prerequisite for allowing it. Indeed, there is no biblical precedent for church weddings, period! Absent a biblical prohibition, many might think such a Communion practice could be allowed as an exercise in Christian liberty. But I think several factors point to disallowing it.

First and foremost, the example set by our Lord and His disciples points to participation by all followers of Christ who are in attendance.

When Jesus instituted Communion everyone present partook of the elements (Mark 14:23; Luke 22:19-20). In fact, Jesus explicitly commanded all to partake. He “took a cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.’” (Matthew 26:27). He didn’t say, “Drink, a couple of you.”

While we should not demand exact duplication of every small detail when Jesus instituted “Communion,” certain details are germane to the practice and worthy to retain. Thus, we don’t demand that the elements be Passover bread and wine. But “bread and the fruit of the vine,” as signs taken from life’s necessities, are appropriately signs of redemption through Christ’s body and blood rather than, say, donuts and coffee. The disciples partook of Communion as representatives of the church, which would soon begin, and they stand for the whole company of the Faithful. Their universal partaking is appropriately seen as a pattern for the church.

Second, the theology of Communion (what it means or intends to signify) is explicitly clear in the New Testament. Communion is an expression of the unity of the People of God as they all partake of the Bread and Cup. Partaking of the Bread is sharing in Christ’s body; partaking of the Cup is sharing in Christ’s blood (I Corinthians 10:16). “All partaking of one bread” is a sign that we who are many are one body. We should be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit” on this truth (I Corinthians 10:17; Ephesians 4:3-4).

One way to be diligent is to be sure that the Communion elements are available to all the People of God who are present at a worship occasion. We simply must not partake of Communion in ways, which fail to illustrate (or worse, which illustrate contrary to) the unity of the People of God. To do so is to twist the ceremony.

Third, a “personal service of Communion” with other believers watching takes unto itself a mysterious sacramentalism and surrogatism that is contrary to the Protestant Reformation spirit (one might read John Calvin’s comments on the Lord’s Supper in the Institutes, Book 4, Chapter 17, Sections 38, 39 & 43). While believers can observe a baptism, there is no biblical record of believers watching a Communion while not partaking of it themselves (a decision by an observer to abstain from Communion for spiritual reasons is not relevant here).

Fourth, to observe Communion for other than its biblical signification is to lower Communion from a divinely-ordained sacrament to a church practice that has its origin in the mind of man, like lighting a Unity Candle or exchanging rings. But Communion originated in the mind of God. And it is simply not a symbol given by the Lord to His church to enable a nuptial couple to express their “oneness in Christ.” Let the candles and the rings say that. In my opinion, it’s no accident that the practice of Communion at weddings is more prevalent among groups that have a theologically weak view of Communion in the first place.

When it comes to “church polity” (how a church should run itself), Presbyterian church order is among the more thoughtful to be found. The Presbyterian Book of Order expresses itself on the proper observance of Communion at weddings:

Celebration of the Lord’s Supper at the marriage service requires the approval of the session [the local church elders], and care shall be taken that the invitation to the Table is extended to all baptized present.

(Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church [USA], “Marriage”, W-4. 9003; 1990)

Good thinking!

Having Communion at a wedding is not a problem in itself so long as all believers present are offered the opportunity to partake. I officiated at one such occasion. The diplomatic problem is, how do we explain the biblical significance of the Communion and request that it be observed only by Christians who are present? Perhaps the best solution would be to announce (after carefully explaining its meaning) that the Communion is open to all who believe in Christ as Savior and Lord*, and then those who wish to partake may come forward to do so.

I recommend that churches have the policy that “Communion” may be observed at weddings provided that approval is received from the church’s governing board and the invitation to partake is extended to all believers in Christ who are in attendance. To do otherwise is, in my opinion, to diminish the significance of Communion from the high place where Jesus and the Apostles placed it.

* Some may limit Communion to baptized Christians. I don’t discuss that here.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don was a member of the clergy in the Long Beach, California area from 1970 to 2024. He has served as Pastor Emeritus of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (where he was senior pastor 1984-2012) and as Senior Chaplain of the Seal Beach Police Department (2001-2024). He previously was an assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University (1976-84) and chaired the Social Concerns Committee in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches from 1985 to 2019.

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity magna cum laude from Grace Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary with a concentration in Christian ethics, and a Doctor of Ministry from American Baptist Seminary of the West (now Berkeley School of Theology) with a concentration on the Charismatic Movement. His law school studies included a course on the First Amendment.

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They moved to Temecula, California in 2024 after living 54 years in Long Beach.

Appendix to “The Fourth Commandment”

The Book of Order of The Presbyterian Church in America (Chapter 48)

The Sanctification of the Lord’s Day

48-1. “The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy sabbath to himself.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism 58).

48-2. God commanded His Old Testament people to keep holy the last day of the week, but He sanctified the first day as the Sabbath by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. For this reason the Church of the new dispensation has from the time of the apostles kept holy the first day of the week as the Lord’s Day.

48-3. It is the duty of every person to remember the Lord’s Day; and to prepare for it before its approach. All worldly business should be so ordered, and seasonably laid aside, as that they may not be hindered thereby from sanctifying the Sabbath, as the Holy Scriptures require.

48-4. The whole day is to be kept holy to the Lord; and to be employed in the public and private exercises of religion. Therefore, it is requisite, that there be a holy resting, all the day, from unnecessary labors; and an abstaining from those recreations which may be lawful on other days; and also, as much as possible, from worldly thoughts and conversation.

48-5. Let the provisions for the support of the family on that day be so ordered that others be not improperly detained from the public worship of God, nor hindered from sanctifying the Sabbath.

48-6. Let every person and family, in the morning, by secret and private prayer, for themselves and others, especially for the assistance of God to their minister, and for a blessing upon his ministry, by reading the Scriptures, and by holy meditation, prepare for communion with God in his public ordinances.

48-7. Let the time not used for public worship be spent in prayer, in devotional reading, and especially in the study of the Scriptures, meditation, catechising, religious conversation, the singing of psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs; visiting the sick, relieving the poor, teaching the ignorant, holy resting, and in performing such like duties of piety, charity, and mercy.

May 2025 Newsletter

Posted on April 17, 2025 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

May 2025 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Mary Magdalene outside Jesus’ tomb

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

– Romans 6:9-11

Bible Insight for Easter – Dying & Rising with Christ

We don’t tend to think of Romans 6:1-14 as an Easter text. But just take a couple of minutes to read it with that possibility and see the thoughts that spring forth. The Apostle Paul is answering the claim that it’s OK to go on sinning as a Christian because God’s grace will always rise to the occasion.

Paul’s answer (verse 2+): “That’s unthinkable!” “We died to sin. How can we live in it any longer!” Then he reminds us of our baptism and what it means.

1. We were baptized into Jesus’ death (v. 3)
The message, then, of Good Friday is not only did Jesus die but he died for us. Even more, we died with him and were buried with him and this is realized and expressed in our baptism (v. 3).* Our “old self “ was crucified with him, so that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Death is the great emancipator!

2. We arose to newness of life, as Jesus did (v. 4)
When my great-great-grandparents left Germany to move to America in the early nineteenth century the waters of the Atlantic separated them from the old life and united them with the new. The old life is gone; the new has come.

Christian baptism is our “Atlantic.” We are separated from the old life when sin could master us. We are brought into the new life, so we can live for God.

Paul’s words challenge us: Since you have died and risen to new life with Christ: (1) Don’t let sin reign in your bodies so you obey its evil desires. (2) Don’t offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness. (3) Instead, offer the parts of your body to God as instruments of righteousness (see verses 11-13).

Anytime we are tempted to do evil, we need to interrupt the negative thoughts with the higher lessons of our baptism: “I said ‘No!’ to the old life. I again say ‘Yes!’ to my new life. Sin shall not have dominion over me any longer.”

* The single immersion mode of baptism probably depicts this death and resurrection theme best. But water baptism is rich with many themes and lessons and so it really can’t be restricted to any one mode. No mode says it all.

Fourth in a series on the Ten Commandments by Donald P. Shoemaker

The Third Commandment

“You shall not take the name of the Lord [YHWH] your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

– Exodus 20:7 & Deuteronomy 5:11

“YAHWEH, our ADONAI, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”

– Psalm 8:1

“Good God!”
That’s what I said when I went into a car dealership to buy a cover for my Explorer and they told me what it would cost.

Was I taking the Lord’s name in vain? Probably not, but I could have used a better choice of words, like “Lord, have mercy!”

#1 – What Is God’s Name?

Well, for a start, “God” is not God’s name! When we use the expression, “He’s really made a name for himself! He’s a great athlete.” Or, “She’s really making a name for herself! She’s a fine scholar.” – then we’re getting close to the meaning of the statement, “God has a name!”

God’s name isn’t just how we address him. It’s how he has revealed himself through the marks of his character (attributes) and deeds. We can speak of his qualities of grace, such as his love, mercy, and long-suffering nature. We can speak of his qualities of greatness, such as his all-knowingness, his all-powerfulness, and his presence throughout the world and universe. God’s “Name” emerges as we see how these qualities unfold in his Word and world.

Three “names” of God are “Yahweh” and “Adonai” and “El.”

“Yahweh” (“Jehovah” or “LORD” oftentimes in English) — Formed from the four Hebrew letters יהוה (YHWH), meaning “I AM”.

God spoke to Moses through the burning bush and called him to lead the people. Moses asked, “What shall I say to the people when they ask, ‘What is his name?’” God replied, “I AM WHO I AM” [YHWH ESHER YHWH]. You are to say to the people, ‘I AM [YHWH] has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-15 NIV)

“Adonai” – Lord, master, sovereign over us (Psalm 68:17-20).

“El” — Usually used in the plural (“Elohim”) for intensity. God is mighty and awesome. This is especially seen in creation (Genesis 1:1).

These names are often combined with other words to describe God, his character, and his activities more fully. Four examples:

“Jehovah-Jireh” – The Lord will provide (Genesis 22:14).
“Jehovah-Shalom” – The Lord is our peace (Judges 6:24).

“El-Shaddai” – Almighty, all-sufficient, whose power nourishes and blesses his people (Genesis 17:1; 28:3).
“El-Roi” – The God who sees us in our distress (Genesis 16:13).

#2 – What does it mean to “take the Lord’s Name in vain”?

God’s name “can be blasphemed (Isaiah 52:5), polluted (Jeremiah 34:16), profaned (Ezekiel 36:21-23) as people rebelled against God himself.” (Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 4, p. 150. Pages 147-51 give a wider discussion of “Name”).

And God’s name can be taken in vain, as the 3rd Commandment says explicitly. To take God’s name in vain is to use it in an empty, idle, frivolous, insincere, or self-serving way. And people can be quite creative in how they do this (see below)!

#3 – What is the Judgment for taking the Lord’s Name in vain?
God is jealous of his name, so we should not be surprised to learn…
“…the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

The Law of Moses imposed the death penalty upon any who “blasphemes the name of the Lord” (Leviticus 24:16). This is not talking about something said frivolously, like when you or your coworker loses his cool. It is the intentional heaping of insult (in a variety of ways) on the highest and holiest name of God. “[Sanhedrin 7:5] The blasphemer is not punished unless he uses the name specifically” (Dictionary, p. 150).

We consider this death penalty to be part of the civil code of the Law. We thus see from Moses’ law how severely wrong it is to use God’s name in vain.

Civil Law today will not punish misuse of God’s name, unless one lives under some extreme form of theocracy. An exception, though, would be perjury in court. One who is under oath to tell the truth uses God’s name in vain if he lies (assuming the oath contains “so help me God”). But the main force of sworn testimony in a secular courtroom is possible punishment for lying under oath, not for misusing God’s name.

Civil judgment aside, the Bible is clear that a Day of Judgment is coming when taking God’s name in vain will be punished. Among many passages:
“Fear God and keep his commandments…for God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
– Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (see Revelation 20:11-15 and 21:8)

#4 – What are ways we might take Lord’s Name in vain?

1) We make a promise to God and fail to keep it.

2) We give our word (written or verbal) to someone and fail to keep it.

3) We fail to keep our word in paying off our debts.

A drywaller came to work at our home one day. He apologized for being late, saying he was having trouble collecting a debt owed by a family he had served. Then came the zinger: “And they send their children to a Christian school.”

Such failures are forms of blasphemy. They bring God’s name into disrepute.

4) We swear an oath in God’s name and fail to fulfill our oath.

“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow [like your annual offering pledge]. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.” – Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

5) We are irreverent in worship gatherings where we should come to honor God in our singing and hearing of his Word.

Inattentive texting during worship, being tardy, distracted or distracting talking, interrupting worship with your exit if it isn’t essential, trying to be “funny” or “silly” in a worship service, not singing, dressing immodestly or provocatively in any way—these are just a few examples on how God’s Exalted Name is trivialized in what passes for a worship service today.

I’m glad for casual contemporary worship. But irreverence is always near.

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” – Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

6) We blaspheme God by showing disregard for the honor of his name.

With this sin, we by word or deed willfully dishonor God and bring ridicule on his name.

The Apostle Paul indicts those who live under God’s numerous blessings but who dishonor him with sinful behavior.

“You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” – Romans 2:21-24

7) We validate our decisions and directions in life by appealing to God’s name. This may even rise to the sin of “putting God to the test.”

“I felt led of the Lord” is a common use of God’s name in an empty (even manipulative) way. It trumps discussion, quenches evaluation, and implies that all who disagree with you are automatically wrong. I once questioned a ministry decision by a pastor from another church. I was told, “If I were you, I wouldn’t question the Lord!” I said, “I’m not questioning the Lord. I don’t think the Lord had anything to do with it.”

When I was a pastor I had two rules for the staff and other leaders when a ministry was discussed. Don’t appeal to the will of the Lord either (1) to justify a direction in which you want your ministry to go, or (2) to explain away the failure of a ministry you lead. Give reasons to support a ministry direction you believe you should do. Analyze reasons why a ministry didn’t turn out successfully as you had hoped it would. Don’t “punt to God” to justify either a ministry’s direction or its failure. Why “put egg on God’s face” when a ministry goes south that you claimed was led by God?

To repeat: Don’t appeal to God’s name to validate your own decisions or the success/failure of your own adventures. To remedy this temptation, please study the concept of Christian Freedom. You are free before God to make your own decisions, so long as they accord with God’s commands. Then you are the owner of your decision, for good or ill, bang or bust.

#5 – How can we obey this negative command in a positive way?

1) We call on the name of the Lord for our salvation.

“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21 – Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost).

This isn’t a fixed formula. It is a heart and life commitment, whether said one way or another.

Jesus told of the tax collector who prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:14). Jesus said this man went home that day “justified.” Consider also Romans 10:9-10 – “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Water baptism is a perfect context to call on God’s name for salvation. “Why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” – Ananias to Saul during the time of his conversion (Acts 22:16).

2) At critical times God’s servants will call on the name of the Lord to renew their commitment and remind themselves of God’s promises. It may be appropriate to symbolize renewed commitment some way.

Abraham “built an altar to the Lord” and “called on the name of the Lord.”
– Genesis 12:8; see 13:4 and 21:33 and many other references.

3) We should joyfully uphold the name of the Lord when we gather to worship Him.

“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” – Psalm 7:17

When Holy Communion is part of a worship service, view it as an occasion to uphold God’s name. “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”– Psalm 116:3 (which appropriately applies to the Communion cup)

4) Make fewer promises, but uphold all promises you make—all the more if you insert God’s Name into the promise made.

“If you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.” – Deuteronomy 23:22-23

5) We should uplift the name of the Lord at every appropriate opportunity, whether in word or deed.

This can take many forms—witnessing, apologetics, speaking truth against falsehood, speaking biblical values against evil, confronting our culture’s misdeeds or confirming its right actions. This requires prayer, preparation, discernment, and boldness as well as earning the right to be heard.

6) Pray The Lord’s Prayer regularly (that God’s name will be “hallowed”).

7) Let the life you live be a credit to God’s name.

God says, “My name is trademarked! As my people you are licensed to use it. But be careful. Never use it contrary to my instructions. Never insult nor embarrass my name or put it down. Always use my name in ways constructive and uplifting. Follow my instructions and you will be blessed. Break my instructions and I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of my Law.

Civic Friendship versus “The Politics of Grievance”
The Catholic Difference
“Against the politics of grievance”
By George Weigel

How are Christians to assist and engage their culture, meaningfully and helpfully in this time of divisive “grievance politics”? I found this article by Mr. Weigel to be very insightful. Used by permission. – DS

“Woke,” shorthand for what was once known as “political correctness,” helped fuel a grievance-based progressive politics that did immense damage to the American body politic, while filling young minds with a surfeit of historical nonsense. The New York Times 1619 Project, which falsified the story of the United States by reading our entire national history through the lens of America’s original sin, slavery, was wokery’s Platonic form. It poisoned school curricula and underwrote the race-baiting politics that followed the murder of George Floyd.

Unfortunately, just when the politics of grievance seems to be running out of gas on the American left, it has emerged with a vengeance on the American right. Slogans like “we’ve been ripped off” — which distort the record of the most successful peace-keeping security architecture ever created (NATO), and which provide cover for tariffs that could wreck the world’s most successful engine of economic growth — exemplify a new grievance politics that’s the flip side of wokery. And in the form of social media mobs, right-wing grievance politics is alarmingly similar to the cancel culture of the left.

It’s not that grievances aren’t real. Some are, and there is a moral obligation to address and remedy them. But grievance politics inevitably leads to the dissolution of political communities — or, just as insidiously, makes political community difficult, if not impossible, to form.

Why haven’t the Palestinian people been able to form and sustain a self-governing political community capable of making peace? Because as my friend, the late Arabist Fouad Ajami, put it in 2001, “A long, dark winter has descended on the Arabs…[who] abandoned [themselves] to their most malignant hatreds.” And because of that, “Nothing grows in the middle between an authoritarian political order and populations given to perennial flings with dictators.”

Why is China seeking global hegemony rather than fitting its dynamic, creative population into a peaceful, prosperous world order? Part of the answer lies in Xi Jinping’s personal Maoist demons. But those demons play on the grievance that Xi and other Chinese communist leaders call China’s “century of humiliation.” Thus the grievance-based politics of the People’s Republic of China yields a draconian system of technologically sophisticated social control married to international aggression. Meanwhile, across the Taiwan Strait, the first democracy in 5,000 years of Chinese civilization flourishes, in part because its people do not indulge themselves in endless grievance-mongering.

Then there is Russia. Vladimir Putin’s war against the West is most obvious in his brutal invasion of Ukraine. Yet before (and during) that challenge to any decency in world affairs, Putin launched forms of hybrid warfare that ranged from poisoning the global information space with lies to severing communications cables in the Baltic Sea to assassinating political opponents who sought refuge in the West. All of that has been justified in terms of historic Russian grievances that amount to “We don’t get no respect,” coupled with KGB-Man Putin’s bizarre conviction that the collapse of the Soviet Union — one of history’s worst tyrannies — was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the twentieth century.

Contrast these examples of grievance-based, and often lethal, politics with the Tuskegee Airmen.

I’ve long harbored a deep respect for these first African American military aviators, who overcame centuries of racial stereotyping and prejudice to become successful fighter pilots in World War II. Anyone who has watched the films The Tuskegee Airmen and Red Tails cannot but be appalled by what these heroic men endured in order to serve their country in the U.S. Army Air Force. They triumphed, not through the politics of grievance, but by following the motto “Rise Above” — which did not refer to flying their P-51s above the B-17s they protected from the Luftwaffe, but to rising above the mindless racism that harmed the racists as least as much as it harmed the victims of prejudice.

American public life today would be considerably improved if those addicted to grievance politics, woke and MAGA, adopted the chant of the Tuskegee Airmen in Red Tails: “Nothing’s Difficult/Everything’s a Challenge/Thru Adversity to the Stars.”

The core Catholic social doctrine principle of solidarity teaches us that a self-governing democracy can only be sustained by a widely shared sense of civic friendship and mutual responsibility — the kind that Americans displayed when, across the political spectrum from MAGA to woke, they rushed to the aid of their neighbors when Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina. It would be helpful if our public officials would appeal to that spirit, rather than to the grievance demon, in rallying support for their proposed policies.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Author of many books and articles, his Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st Century Church (2013) and The End and the Beginning (2010), John Paul II’s strength of conscience in his battle against communism, are two I recommend.

George Weigel’s column The Catholic Difference is syndicated by the Denver Catholic, the official publication of the Archdiocese of Denver.

“Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away.” – Proverbs 27:10

But perhaps best of all is a brother who is near and who cares …

Our two cats, Shadow and Pumpkin, came from the same litter almost 18 years ago. “Shadow” has lived up to his name. He’s always been a bit reclusive and stand-offish. Pumpkin was the forward cat. If the doorbell rang, Pumpkin might go answer it as Shadow ran under the bed.

But Pumpkin’s health declined noticeably after the first of this year. In early March, Shadow – sensing whatever cats sense – warmed up to his brother and stayed by his side. Shadow was truly a caring brother until March 6, when Pumpkin was with us no more.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

March-April 2025 Newsletter

Posted on March 3, 2025 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

March-April 2025 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

February 16 – Southern California’s first snow of the Winter Season Very late in coming, but beautiful from our balcony
11503’ Mt. San Gorgonio (right), highest mountain in S. California

Third in a series on the Ten Commandments by Donald P. Shoemaker

The Second Commandment

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image,
or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them,
for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third
and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me
and keep my commandments.”
– Exodus 20:4-6 & Deuteronomy 5:8-10

#1 – The length of the Second Commandment

As you can see by reading it, this commandment is very long—the next longest of the ten. My word-count puts the English reading at 91 words. My count of the Hebrew reading is 43 words. The commandment on keeping the Sabbath has 62 words in Hebrew.

By contrast, the four great “do not…” commands (on murder, adultery, stealing and lying) have only a total of 11 words in the Hebrew text. And even if you add the “do not covet” command to them you still only have 25 words.

Length doesn’t prove importance (every pastor needs to learn that maxim!). But this long commandment comes packed with don’ts, details and reasons to obey. We shall take the length of this command very seriously!

#2 – The Meaning of the Second Commandment

God’s Command:

You shall not make for yourself a carved image,
or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them

This rule forbids any images that intend to represent God, like the Golden Calf (or false gods). The danger is, people will confuse the depiction with God, as if to say, “That’s what our God is like.” Since God is spirit, representing him visually contradicts what God is. The commandment is not against all art, including religious art or art that conveys beauty for the sake of beauty. Both the Tabernacle and the later Temple had displays of art, for examples in curtains, images, and in objects.

In my childhood church the beautiful stained glass windows depicted biblical scenes and stories, especially about Jesus. They have been lifetime memories for me. The worshipper is surrounded with beauty that enhances the worship experience. Such displays have fallen victim to pragmatism and functionalism (“they cost a lot, serve no need and creating them doesn’t align with our Purpose Statement”). So we need better Purpose Statements.

God’s Jealousy: “for I the Lord your God am a jealous God”

This strikes us strange, for isn’t jealousy a sin? Usually it is. “Jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge” (Proverbs 6:34); “Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” (Proverbs 27:4); “Let us walk properly…not in quarreling and jealousy” (Romans 13:13); see also Galatians 5:20 and James 3:14, 16.

But sometimes jealousy is a virtue, especially when it speaks of God’s jealousy. Because God is honorable, he is jealous for the honor of his name. He wants it never to be defaced. Because God is loving, he is jealous over his children. He wants them never to turn from him and follow siren songs and wrongdoers. When God or we are protective over something good, this is good jealousy.

God’s Punishment:

visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me

Not that our children, rather than we, must answer for our sins. But sin has consequences and these consequences sometimes have a long “half-life.” It is not hard to think of sinful behaviors by parents that have ruinous effect on their children and subsequent generations. The good news is that God can break the cycle and consequences of sin if people turn to him, although the wrongful patterns of immediate ancestors may still be stumbling blocks.

God’s Blessing:

but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me
and keep my commandments.

God uses what I’ll call a “hyperbolic ratio.” As if God says, in comparison to the lasting results of hatred and evil, the lasting results of love and obedience are beyond measure! God’s blessing is deep and lasting, both now and into the future, for those who love him and show that love by obedience.

Be sure to notice the inseparable link between love and commandment keeping. They are not two different ways of relating to God, one good and one futile.

#3 – What happened to the bronze serpent that Moses made?

The Israeli pilgrims grew impatient at how long the results were taking. “Why do we have to wander and thirst in this wilderness and put up with this awful food?” The food was actually God’s gracious blessing to them. The story continues…

Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Numbers 21:6-9)

Not the bronze serpent itself, but faith in God’s Word (“Look and live!”) brought healing. Thus, the serpent lifted up becomes a type of Jesus crucified. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:15). This is well expressed in an old Gospel Song by prolific songwriter William Ogden (1887), “Look to Jesus now and live.” *

But there’s a bad and sad turn to the story of the serpent! Judah’s King Hezekiah brought major religious reform to Judaea seven centuries later to correct the evil trends of his father, King Ahaz.

And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Ashe′rah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had burned incense to it… (2 Kings 18:3-4)

The bronze serpent Moses made had been preserved as a relic by the people of Israel for centuries. But this relic, instead of being a reminder of God’s faithful word and an inducement to obedience, became an object of unholy veneration. So King Hezekiah destroyed it seven centuries after Moses made it. Maybe it would have been better for antiquity had the king boxed it up and stored it. But he did what he did and God was pleased with his reforms against idolatry.

James Nicholson’s Gospel Song “Whiter than Snow” (1872) comes to mind, with its use of images from Psalm 51:7 about repentance and cleansing:

Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

The story about the bronze serpent calls us to search our lives and remove all that prompt us to commit any sin associated with idolatry.
It also warns us that even something that was once a testimony to God’s faithfulness can become an idol, when it becomes something we venerate rather than a means of venerating God. (A church’s music styles and instruments can be things we cling to like idols—as if spirituality resides in them—rather than seeing them as means for worshipping the true God.)

* Listen to a very pleasant rendition of “Look and Live” by a youthful choir in Ghana (Africa). Browse the other fine songs they sing, such as Haydn’s “The Heavens Are Telling.”
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=William+Ogden+songwriter&mid=C998ED776637DC132018C998ED776637DC132018&FORM=VIRE

#4 – The Positive Side of this Negative Command

Worship God as he commands in ways that please him.

“…the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” – Jesus (John 4:23-24).

From the context we learn that “where” we worship is not consequential. But “how” we worship is very consequential. It begins with the nature of God. God is spirit. So making a material object to represent God is wrong. Proper worship is based on God’s truth and a spiritual relationship with him.

Briefly, worship must be both individual and corporate (together with others). One does not exclude the other, so don’t even try.

Corporate worship is participatory, not simply watching a performance by semi-professionals. This is an indictment of certain practices in “contemporary worship.” It might be contemporary, but it is not worship.

True corporate worship is very personal but it is not private (you won’t find me picking “I come to the garden alone…” as a worship song!).

Corporate worship includes many features, such as Holy Communion (the “Eucharist” or “The Bread and the Cup”). Intercessory prayer, teaching of the Word, “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” are other particulars.

Any particular feature of worship does not have to be commanded in the Bible in order to be acceptable to God. When a feature of worship is neither forbidden nor commanded, those who lead worship have the option of making a wise choice whether or not to use that feature. An example would be what musical instruments to use, or none at all. Leaders must look to what would best uplift the hearts of worshippers into God’s presence. Neither legalism nor irresponsible freedom is in order.

#5 – What about artistic images of God the Father, or Jesus the Son?

I’m a bit out of my league on this point, and I’d welcome the thoughts of experts. Is there a “Philosopher of Christian Art” out there?

I think attempts to display the likeness of God the Father should be avoided. I know I’m even calling into question Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” (1508-12). But I have a hard time accepting a representation of God, who is spirit, in Christian art, where God is given visual physical features.

Depicting Jesus is a different matter. If Jesus were doing his earthly ministry today we would have pictures and videos of him. But there are no pictures and videos—only artistic renderings. We must not allow these renderings to form the image of Jesus we have in our hearts. For many years Sallmon’s “Head of Christ” was everywhere, giving us a pietistic Jesus who looked spiritual, disengaged and passive. More recently, Jesus is made to look like he came out of the Jesus Movement, maybe even with blue eyes.

We may have our artistic depictions of Jesus, while being sure that they do not dictate our understanding of Jesus, his temperament and personality and looks. In reality, Jesus looked like a man from first-century Judea and Galilee. But as a savior of people everywhere, how he exactly appeared as a historical figure does not matter to us (Paul might mean this in 2 Corinthians 5:16).

Jesus is now exalted, and the New Testament reveals this exalted state. I see nothing wrong with artistic depictions of Jesus in glory that follow the New Testament’s vision. Artists can have a field day painting themes from the Book of Revelation. Read how his exaltation is depicted in Revelation 1:12-16.

#6 – Two examples of contemporary idolatry

The worship of “worship”. That is, experiencing worship dynamics themselves captures and stimulates us. This promotion caught my eye:

With cutting-edge technology in our state-of-the-art venues,
this is a worship experience you won’t forget!

In my lifetime I’ve seen trends away from the simplicity of the Gospel in song and word and sacrament. Without stifling creativity and excellence in worship and a welcoming spirit as we gather, we need to examine if we have lost the “God-centered” nature of worship to focus on what wows the crowd.
Would it make any difference in our worship if the Holy Spirit stayed home?

One more: covetousness (the 10th Commandment) is a form of idolatry. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). Are we obsessed by wanting something, or something like, what belongs to our neighbor? Or have we learned the quality of contentment with what God has given us? The former is idolatrous; the later is progress in godliness.

#7 – An exemplary counter-cultural response to idolatry

Are we aware of what is idolatrous in our culture? Do we know how to respond to it? See the Apostle Paul’s discernment, grief and response:

“Now while Paul was waiting for them [Silas and Timothy] at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there…

“Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” – Acts 17:16-17, 29-31

Economic Liberty Vigilance –
Honor where Honor is Due – Romans 13:6

“…with all these blessings, what more is necessary to make us a happy and a prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellow citizens, a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.
This is the sum of good government…”
– President Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Speech (March 4, 1801)

Commentator and radio host LARRY ELDER recently came up with a great idea * : Give the Presidential Medal of Freedom award (the highest civilian award of the United States) to ECONOMISTS THOMAS SOWELL (94) and WALTER WILLIAMS (posthumously).

Sowell, born in poverty in segregated North Carolina and orphaned at age nine, never finished high school but earned his GED while serving as a marine. He attended Howard University, Harvard, and Columbia and received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. He has authored 49 books and thousands of articles and is a Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Quotes on economics by Sowell:

“It’s hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.”

* See: Townhall, February 6, 2025

“The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.”
“Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant than only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.”

Williams, raised in a Philadelphia housing project by his single mother, served in the army and later received a master’s and Ph.D. degree in economics from UCLA. He chaired the Economics Department of George Mason University. He authored a dozen books including his autobiography, Up from the Projects.

Quotes on economics by Williams:
“But let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you — and why?”
“How does something immoral, when done privately, become moral when it is done collectively? Furthermore, does legality establish morality? Slavery was legal; apartheid is legal; Stalinist, Nazi, and Maoist purges were legal. Clearly, the fact of legality does not justify these crimes. Legality, alone, cannot be the talisman [miracle charm] of moral people.”

“Prior to capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving your fellow man.”

I think Larry Elder’s proposal is excellent and I intend to write the President about it. If you agree, consider sending a letter to:

President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500

Bible Insight –

Finding God’s Will for Our Lives
(Lessons from Adam and Eve)

Knowing God’s will on a personal level can be an anxious effort for many Christians. I was recently reading the first two chapters in the Book of Genesis and I saw some practical guidance there. Perhaps we can learn from our first parents (Eve appears in 2:18-24) about how to know God’s will and do it.

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17 ESV)

1. God delights in giving us things that bring us pleasure.

God is not a utilitarian God only interested in the functional value of what he makes, as if he had said, “Eat the fruit! So long as it nourishes you and keeps you alive, why should you care about how it looks or tastes?“ No, the trees were “pleasant to the sight” as well as providers of food.

The reformer John Calvin spoke of things in life that are necessary to us, but at the same time “serve delight more than necessity.” We can therefore have a clear conscience enjoying the delights of life. He criticized Christians who, in reacting to worldliness and materialism, “allowed man to use physical goods [only] insofar as necessity required.” Calvin said, “They were far too severe” and “fetter consciences more tightly than does the Word of the Lord.”
“If we ponder to what end God created food, we shall find that he meant not only to provide for necessity but also for delight and good cheer.” Calvin references Psalm 104:14-15 – “[God] makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth, wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Bk 3, Ch 10, Sec 1 & 2).

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was one of America’s founders. He was a deist who generally despised Christianity. Yet he did appreciate the charitable work of the Quakers but not their austere, plain living. In his book The Age of Reason Payne said that while he honored their works of charity, he was very glad the Creator didn’t consult with them when he made the world, or what a drab creation it would have been! “Not a flower would have blossomed its gayeties, nor a bird permitted to sing.”

We’re not doing God’s will by separating ourselves for “spiritual” reasons from what he created to give us delights. And it’s a bad witness too!

It has been trendy for churches to build worship places that are functional while being bland and drab—lacking beauty, especially any beauty that might be identified with Christianity. Such planners need to ponder creation’s beauty and how it might inform the places we dedicate for worship.

2. It is God’s will for a home’s provider to seek gainful employment.

This is also expressed in the verses above. Work is not a curse in itself, though it is under a curse because of sin (Genesis 3:17-19). Slothfulness is soundly rebuked in scripture (Proverbs 20:4 et. al.).

“A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:24).

3. God did not make us to be moral robots that obey him as we’ve been programmed. He created us capable of making moral choices.

So in God’s providence, God put two trees in the Garden of Eden—the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—to test man. God forbade eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but commanded man to eat of and take pleasure in all else the Garden of Eden produced.

Adam and Eve didn’t have to get up in the morning and ask, “God, what is your will for me today? I’m surrounded with so many choices, I need to know which fruit I should enjoy today.” No, God had already said, “Of every tree of the garden [except one] you may FREELY eat.” That’s emphatic. To question or go on searching for what God’s will might be when God has already told us to delight in his gifts is to show a lack of faith in his Word.

Adam’s one moral task is to keep God’s commandments, not to “seek God’s will” in some private, personal, mystical sense. But in this one task he failed miserably.

In a figurative sense, we may find ourselves seeing two trees before us day after day—situations facing us that require moral choices. In these circumstances, we must decide which fruit to eat: “Will I obey or disobey?”

I end these thoughts with a quote I love from Martin Luther:

Our freedom pertains to things about which God has given no command. For example, outward actions. At the table one is at liberty to take either pears or apples, to drink either beer or wine, to dress in either black or white, and to go to one friend or the other. In such matters you have a choice, and it is certain that even these optional works become a worship of God and please God if you walk in faith and abide by the commands of God and have a good conscience. People need to be taught these things.

Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected
if it is received with thanksgiving,
for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
– 1 Timothy 4:4-5

The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
but the things that are revealed
belong to us and to our children forever,
that we may do all the words of this law.
– Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV

Near-Total Destruction along the Pacific Shore

One picture can convey what words can’t. Through Malibu along Pacific Coast Highway almost nothing remains of the lengthy row of zillionaire homes that once sat between the highway and the shoreline after the hurricane-force horizontal fires howled through in January.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California after living 54 years in Long Beach.

February 2025 Newsletter

Posted on February 3, 2025 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

February 2025 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

The First Commandment
“You shall have no other gods before me”
Second in a series on the Ten Commandments by Donald P. Shoemaker

“…this commandment is the very first, highest and best, from which all the others proceed, in which they exist, and by which they are directed and measured…”

—Martin Luther, “Treatise on Good Works” Works of Martin Luther vol. 1, p. 194

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e’er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart

— “Ancient Words” (second verse) by Lynn Deshazo (Hosanna! 2001)

#1 – The texts of the First Commandment

“You shall have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 5:7

Exodus 20 contains the first presentation of the Ten Commandments. Deuteronomy 5 contains the second. After all, the word “Deuteronomy” refers to a restatement of God’s Law (“deuteros” + “nomos”).

#2 – Why should the Ten Commandments be given a second time?

The listeners to the law in Deuteronomy 5 represented the second generation of those who came out of slavery in Egypt. At the most, they were children when Moses presented these commandments the first time.

“The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today” (Deuteronomy 5:2-3).

The covenant (its promises and commandments) was not for one generation alone but for generations yet to come. Here it is for the children of the first.

Truth worth its salt is worth repeating. Each year in January we might hear someone deliver Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. And so it is with other national holidays. What’s important bears repeating, lest we forget.

The Church is always just one generation away from losing its orthodox beliefs and/or behavior. Again, truth bears repeating, lest we forget.

Moses repeated God’s commands so the next generation would “fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments” (6:2).

“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand’” (6:20-21).

The trend in many churches is to segregate people by their ages, to help promote “relevance” of course. The loss is huge, as the intergenerational communication of God’s word and work and ways is seriously compromised.

#3 – The Preamble of the First Commandment

Before giving a command, God tells the people who he is and what he has done by grace in their behalf.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves” (Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:6). The commandment-giver is YHWH (“Yahweh” = “LORD” = “Jehovah”), the God who is there for us and always will be; the God who keeps his promises.

He is the God who delivers his people not only from another country but from the existential state of slavery and oppression. For the Israelites then, it was at the hands of the Egyptian pharaoh and taskmasters. Most people may think of the glories of Egypt and the pyramids. Israelites need to remember the inhumane slavery of her past.

For Christians, the slavery was to sin, and we were oppressed by Satan and other taskmasters that sin imposed on us. “[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

#4 – The Meaning of the First Commandment

“You shall have no other gods before me” might imply at first notice a form of “henotheism.” Henotheism singles out one particular god among many for worship and obedience. This commandment would then be saying, “Don’t make any of the other gods out there equal to the God of Israel.”

But this is not at all the conviction that undergirds the First Commandment. Israel confesses Jehovah God as the only God (monotheism), not the top god among many. This is clear throughout the OT and NT scriptures.

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
– Isaiah 44:6-7

I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
– Isaiah 45:5-6

For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
– 1 Corinthians 8:5-6

The words “no other god” simply acknowledge that the other nations worship idols as their gods. Israel must worship, obey and serve the only God.
The God of Israel is a personal living God who “will not be satisfied with anything less than a personal relationship with men and women whom he created in his image” (The Pentateuch as Narrative, p. 285).

#5 – The Positive Side of this Negative Command

The Ten Commandments are like batteries with two polarities—positive and negative. You need both polarities to get any value out of the battery. Eight of the Ten Commandments are negatives, so we must also seek and live out positive expressions of them. Only two are positive commands. They require that we avoid doing whatever negative things are opposite their demands.

The First Commandment is a negative—it tells you what you must not do. We must look for the positive side. What does the commandment, therefore, require us to do?

We must confess God as first in our lives, the only legitimate claimant to our loyalty—our love, our worship, our service, our devotion. (Please avoid the common testimony that “I made him Lord of my life.” He has always been Lord of all—we just get around to confessing him as such and living accordingly.)

#6 – Today’s false god: The Cult of the Self

Dennis Prager sees the wrongdoing of the First Commandments this way:

When anything else is worshipped, it is a false god. In other words, when anything is made an end in itself, rather than as a means to God and goodness (as defined, most especially, by the Ten Commandments) it is a false God. (The Rational Bible: Exodus, p. 228. Italics by the author)

Let’s focus on one primary “other god” in our time: self. We make “self” the center of reality in matters of morality. We make the ability to love ourselves an essential for fulfillment. Some even twist Jesus’ second love commandment (“Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:39) to make development of “self-love” a priority and prerequisite to obeying the love command. In contrast, the Bible labels self-love as a sign of the perilous “last days” (2 Timothy 3:2).

The Apostle Paul warns of those whose “god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame” (Philippians 3:19). Some writers speak of the unholy false trinities of “sex, silver and stomach” or “pleasure, possessions and position.”

#7 – The “false gods” of Romans 1

In this sad but magnificent chapter, the Apostle Paul speaks of the witness of creation to the reality of God. His “eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (verse 21).

Humanity, however, suppresses this truth and exchanges “the glory of the immortal God for images” that look like man or birds or animals…”

At this point, God abandons those who suppress the truth and form false gods. As a consequence of this idolatry, a powerful litany of sins is listed in the last half of chapter one (verses 22-32) starting with sexual impurity that degrades the body and ending with ruthlessness. All are in contrast to the moral ways that follow devotion to the One True God.

#8 – Other “false gods” clamoring for attention.

What else clamors for a deity position at the head of the line? Love secularly understood, money and what it can buy, Americanism and blind uncritical patriotism, environmentalism and “Mother Earth” pantheism. Even life itself (a pro-life leader would end his letters with: “God is Life; Life is God”). Can you think of others?

Scientism is a competitor for the top spot. Remember the mantra by some in government: “We’ve got to follow ‘the science’.” As if science yields all the right questions and answers and deserves our unquestioned acceptance and adoration. But right and wrong, religion and God, love and hate, wisdom and foolishness—such quests are not subject to scientific inquiry. One who says, “I don’t accept what science cannot establish” is serving science as a god and his truncated life is to be most pitied.

#9 – A worthy quest and commendation

“…you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God…”
– 1 Thessalonians 1:9

Religious Liberty Vigilance –

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” – 1st Amendment

2025 Religious Freedom Day

January 16 was another Religious Freedom Day in America. Who noticed?

As a new resident of Temecula, California I went to the City Council meeting on January 14 to do what I did several times when I lived in Long Beach—I talked about religious freedom.

Here is the text of my 3-minute address:

Mr. Mayor, members of the City Council, city officials and fellow citizens, my name is Donald Shoemaker and I reside in the city’s third district.

My wife, Mary, and I moved to Temecula last year after living in our Long Beach home for 54 years. During those years I served as pastor of two congregations in Long Beach and Seal Beach and taught theology at Biola University. I also served for 23 years as chaplain of the Seal Beach Police Department.

We feel very welcomed here in our new community. In fact, yesterday I was “welcomed” by getting a Jury Duty Summons in the mail!

Anyway, as part of our settling into “the good life” of this city, I want to address the council this evening to emphasize that January 16 is Religious Freedom Day in America. Each year since 1993 the President of the United States has issued a Proclamation on the importance of religious liberty and designated January 16 as Religious Freedom Day. *

Last year’s proclamation said this:

The constitutional right to practice our faiths peacefully and openly is a core tenet of our democracy and helps us fulfill one of our highest aspirations as a Nation: to be a citadel of liberty and a beacon of freedom.

Everyone must be free to practice their faith without fear, whether they are gathering for worship, attending a religious school, participating in the activities of faith-based organizations, or simply walking down the street wearing the symbols of their faith.

Sadly, it is not safe in some places in today’s America to wear symbols or words expressing one’s faith. Anti-Semitism has broken out on many campuses. Even in a country as free and tolerant as ours, the jungle of religious oppression is never far away. Therefore vigilance to uphold religious freedom remains our constant duty.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday tomorrow let us remember that his principled stands based on his religious beliefs led to his untimely death.

American history has had its religious intolerance. But overall our country has embraced a unique tradition of religious liberty that has prevented religious domination, conflict, and persecution and nurtured an environment where religion has flourished and where people have been left free to choose which faith they shall live by.

I urge the citizens of Temecula, the leaders of this city, and our local educators to make religious freedom a keystone of our civic life and experiences, and of our thinking and teaching. Thank you.

* The Biden administration issued this year’s proclamation belatedly on January 15.

Andrea M. Picciotti-Bayer, legal analyst for Eternal Word TV Network (Catholic television), said, “For many Christians, it will be a moment of bitter irony. Every president since 1993 has made this annual declaration to commemorate Religious Freedom Day. Sadly, none has harmed freedom of religion more than America’s second Catholic president.”

Back the Badge
LODD (Line of Duty Deaths) in 2024

“Blessed are those who maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3

“Under 100” is a goal in law enforcement. All law enforcement should diligently train and carefully follow cautionary procedures so that the total number of LODD in a year can be under 100.

It’s getting closer but there is still a ways to go. In 2024 there were 145 LODD —a five percent decrease from 2023. The highest cause is gunfire (49) followed by automobile crashes (20). Third is 9/11-related illnesses—still a stubborn 14 after 24 years of statistics.

Very sadly, the final death of 2024 was on Christmas Day—Ohio Correction Officer Andrew Lansing, working volunteer overtime, died from an assault. Prisoner Rashawn Cannon stepped out of a line of prisoners walking to breakfast and approached Lansing, who was working alone in the prison yard.

Blunt force injuries to his head was the cause of Officer Lansing’s death. Lansing (62) was a 24-year veteran of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. A letter postmarked January 4 was sent to the officer’s home celebrating his death, encouraging violence, and ending with “Allahu Akbar.”

Some precautions to help prevent LODD and achieve the “Under 100” goal:
• Remember: Complacency Kills
• Know Your Surroundings
• Apply the WIN (What’s Important Now?) Principle.
• Avoid Working Alone. When you must, follow special safety procedures.
• Watch Your Speed
• Always Wear Your Seatbelt

“May God always have your “6:00” (protection from behind).”

“Back the Badge” is an occasional essay written by Donald Shoemaker, a police chaplain (now retired) with Master Certification and 23 years of experience, and an ordained minister with over 55 years of experience.

Political Commentaries

Political Commentary #1 – The Bishop’s Comments at the Inaugural Prayer Service, Washington Cathedral, January 21

“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you and, as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples.”
– Right Rev. Mariann Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington

Was the “Right Reverend” the “Wrong Reverend”? I think so. She shamed the sacred pulpit and brought discredit on the honorable service of clergy. *

As a pastor, I gave sermons for 34 years as I served two congregations. More and more, I was resolute that politics must be separated from biblical teaching and kept out of the church.

At the same time, l recognize that biblical teaching addresses moral issues that find their way into political arenas. So, it is hard sometimes to keep politics and biblical teaching absolutely separate. “Love your neighbor as yourself” is biblical teaching which needs to be applied “where the rubber meets the road” at many levels—home, businesses, civic life, governmental policy, etc. And this may lead to honest differences of opinion—all the more reason not to bring one side of a serious debate into the one-directional pulpit.

* For a well-expressed contrary opinion: David W. Marshall, “Bishop Mariann Budde Challenges Donald Trump and Religious Hypocrisy in Bold Sermon,” ThyBlackMan, January 28, 2025.

There’s another factor: propriety. Truth (assuming it is truth) must be combined with discretion. Notice what the Bible says:

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.”
– Proverbs 8:12 (see also Proverbs 2:11; 3:21; 5:2; 11:12). “Discretion” (Hebrew: m’zimma) is shrewdness, resourcefulness that must be combined with “knowledge” (da’at) for disciplined wisdom to exist.

“Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard” – Daniel 2:14. This scripture is very relevant, in that Daniel was facing a life-or-death situation and needed a chance to present his case before the King. Discretion (Hebrew: t’m) seems to speak of doing something “in good taste.” It seeks to present the truth in the most effective and appropriate way. (Resource: New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis)

“Discretion” must guide us in how to present the message we want to convey. The pulpit may not be the best forum. Perhaps dialogue in a discussion group is a better format.

I emphasize that using a pulpit before a large audience in what was supposed to be a prayer service is not the wise format to direct a lecture to one person sitting there—in this case the President of the United States. This is no more appropriate than using a wedding to lecture the bride or groom on their political activities in front of guests. These all rise to the heights of insensitivity and lack the wisdom and discernment the Bible calls us to have. Jesus said, “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” In contrast, we shouldn’t “be as harmless as serpents and as wise as a dumb animal.”

Issues like immigration and transgenderism are multifaceted and complicated topics. To aim one’s moralism on these topics at the President in attendance is incredible reductionism.

Finally, the bishop seems to lump all kinds of immigrants together. She does allow that some “may not have the proper documentation,” which trivializes the problems arising from illegal entry into the country. All too often immigrant issues are presented simplistically or one-sidedly. I’m more generous on immigration issues than the president is, but I personally would not want to be cared for at a hospital during the night shift by one who is not in this country legally.

Four good words: “High walls, wide gates.”

Bottom Line: The bishop was anti-ecumenical at what was supposed to be an ecumenical occasion. This may doom such services in the future, and lead to more separation of religion from state and people from people.

Political Commentary #2 – The Speaker of the House of Representatives and “Jefferson’s Prayer”

After a grueling process of getting elected Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson gave an acceptance speech, which was excellent. He is an excellent man.

But then Speaker Johnson quoted “Jefferson’s Prayer”:

“Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Speaker Johnson said Thomas Jefferson recited this prayer every day of
his presidency and afterward every day until his death. Mr. Johnson added:
“I wanted to share it with you here at the end of my remarks. Not as a prayer per se right now, but really as a reminder of what our third President and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence thought was so important that it should be a daily recitation.”

When he finished his fine speech I turned to my wife and said I wasn’t too sure about this prayer. It didn’t sound very “Jeffersonian.” And I doubt very much that Jefferson ended his prayers with “we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Further checking affirms my concern. The Jefferson Foundation labels this prayer “spurious” and on a website page about this issue says, “We have no evidence that this prayer was written or delivered by Thomas Jefferson.”

It’s actually found in the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer (1928) as a prayer “for our country.” In a book on Anglican prayers, Episcopal priest Christopher Webber attributed the prayer to Rev. George Lyman Locke (1835-1919), a minister in Rhode Island. Too late for Jefferson, who died in 1826.

I found this prayer under “Prayers for National Life” in the Book for Common Worship for The Presbyterian Church (USA). I also found it in almost identical form as a prayer for the nation in the Lutheran Service Book (The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod), page 313.

The speech was a great speech and the prayer is a great prayer. But it was not Jefferson’s prayer.

Whenever I teach on Christian social action, I have this as an emphatic point of guidance: “GET THE FACTS! GET THE FACTS! GET THE FACTS!” Never present a misstatement as a gift to your critics that they can then take and use against you. Be skeptical about what you read in a time of controversy. Check and double check. How you represent the views of your opponents should be so accurate that they will say that is, indeed, their position.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don has been a member of the clergy in the Long Beach, California area since 1970. He has served as Pastor Emeritus of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (where he was senior pastor 1984-2012) and as Senior Chaplain of the Seal Beach Police Department (2001-2024). He previously was an assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University (1976-84) and chaired the Social Concerns Committee in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches from 1985 to 2019.

January 2025 Newsletter

Posted on January 3, 2025 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

January 2025 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something. … My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.”

– Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter teaching his Sunday School class at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia

The Ten Commandments
An Introduction
By Donald P. Shoemaker

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God’s own heart
Oh, let the ancient words impart

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart

— “Ancient Words” by Lynn Deshazo (Hosanna! 2001)

This is the oldest existing manuscript containing the Ten Commandments.
It dates back to the 1st Century BC. The scroll contains the commandments as found in Deuteronomy 5. It is part of the 1952 “Dead Sea Scrolls” discovery.

#1 – Where do we find the Ten Commandments?
a) Exodus 20:1-17 (chapters 19-20 provide the wider context)
b) Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (chapters 5-6 provide the wider context)

#2 – Are there exactly ten? And are they all “Commandments”?
The Bible itself does indeed speak of ten.

Exodus 34:28 – So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Deuteronomy 4:13 – And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.

Deuteronomy 10:4 – And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me.

But are they all “commandments”? Dennis Prager* carefully notes that they are actually “Ten Statements” (aseret hadevarim). We commonly use the word “DECALOGUE” as our name for the ten [“deca” = 10; “logue” = words, “logos” being the Greek term for “word” – note John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the word” [logos]). Hence, they may be called the “Ten Words.’

* Dennis Prager is the author of five volumes on the Five Books of Moses. The set is titled The Rational Bible and it is certainly his magnum opus. Prager is a master communicator with a strong grasp of the Hebrew language of scripture. Leviticus has not been published yet. I will be studying his teachings in Exodus and Deuteronomy for this series.

Prager has been away from his M-F radio talk show since November 13, when he suffered severe injuries in a fall, and he has been hospitalized since. My wife and I make his recovery a regular item of prayer.

#3 – Listings of the Ten Commandments (Words)
Note: these are abbreviated statements in most cases, as we will see. As summary statements they are easy for reading, learning and memorization. The extended statements need to be part of our more in-depth study.

The Ten Commandments in Judaism
1. You shall have no other gods besides me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness.
3. You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not commit murder.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

Prager and a few others see the phrase “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2) as the “First Word.” It confesses strict monotheism and puts that confession at the head of the list. Verses 3-6 then become the “Second Word” (prohibiting idolatry).

The Ten Commandments – Roman Catholic and Lutheran
1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Some Protestants accuse Catholics by saying that the Catholic list deliberately takes out the prohibition against graven images in order to allow such images in churches. This is both unfair and inaccurate. The Catholic expanded first commandment contains the prohibition of graven images.

The Ten Commandments – Most Protestants and Eastern Orthodox
1. You shall have no other gods but me.
2. You shall not make unto you any graven images.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
5. Honor your mother and father.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

This list follows the numbering of Origin in the 3rd century, whereas the Catholic and Lutheran list follows Augustine in the 5th century. No sinister notions are intended. “This is simply a matter of evolved practice. All the commandments are there in both; we just number them differently” (“In the Know with Father Joe [Black],” Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland).

My childhood Lutheran pastor was asked, “Which way should we learn the Ten Commandments?” His reply: “Just learn them.” Good advice still.

#4 – What about posting the Ten Commandments in public schools?
Louisiana law now requires posting the Ten Commandments in the public schools. The law specifies the language of the King James Version—hence, a Protestant list. What if parents in a district want the Catholic list? As of November, a court has placed a “hold” on this law. I expect the courts will void any “stand alone” displays of the Ten Commandments. We’ll see. . .

#5 – The way to salvation? Or because we have salvation?
The setting of the Ten Commandments in Exodus makes clear that these commandments are given to a people who have already experienced deliverance from bondage by God (“salvation”).

The first words are, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). Even more forcefully, God directed Moses to say this to the Israelites: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4). God then calls the people to obey him and keep his covenant.

Obedience to God’s commands testifies to a salvation already theirs. The Apostle Paul affirms the same. By grace through faith we are saved, not by our works. But then, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

#6 – Are the Ten Commandments for “believers” only or are they standards for all people to follow?
To list the commandments stripped of their gracious setting seems to break their intended purpose. Still, we can’t avoid seeing that most of the commands are reflected in the social values and even laws of a decent society.

To put it another way, a secular society wouldn’t be a good place to live if it didn’t honor the role of good parents and the bond of marriage and have laws against murder, theft and perjury. Secular society can also uphold religious liberty so those who wish to worship God according to these commandments can do so without fear of punishment or coercion.

Wayne Grudem speaks of the value the Ten Commandments have outside the covenant community:

. . . the New Testament authors, guided by the teachings of Jesus and by the further leading of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’s ascension into heaven, understood that God, in his wisdom, placed within the Ten Commandments some broad principles that would not only teach the people of Israel what kind of conduct is pleasing or displeasing to him, but would also be useful for teaching others outside of Israel, and throughout all history, about such conduct. In short, the Ten Commandments radiate God’s wisdom for all of human history. [Wayne Grudem, “How and Where the NT Authors Reaffirm the Ten Commandments (Except One), Christian Ethics, pp. 241-42.]

#7 – What makes the Ten Commandments so unique?
1. The Ten Commandments are the first and only example of a covenantal relationship between a deity and an entire people. In them God reveals his will to an entire people who are then answerable to its terms.

2. Unlike other ancient treaties between a ruler and his people, the Ten Commandments focus not only on the people’s relationship with the ruler, but also on each individual’s behavior toward every other individual.

3. The Ten Commandments treat both religious and social obligations as expressions of divine will. In doing so, the religious conscience is expanded to include matters of interpersonal morality. Thus, one who is unethical cannot at the same time be religious.

4. Unlike other legal codes, the Ten Commandments are laws that are simple, absolute, and devoid of qualification.

* Summary of points from Prager’s Exodus, pages 219-220. Bold type mine.

#8 – The Ten Commandments and The Love Commandments
It’s easy to find versions of ethics that tell people to simply live by the promptings of “love.”

What the world needs now is love, sweet love.
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. – Burt Bacharach

The big problem is, love can motivate but it doesn’t educate. The world has too little love but it also keeps too few commandments.

Jesus taught that loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbor as ourselves are the two commandments on which all the Law “hangs” (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus’ words keep us from neglecting the law (“love without law”), but also keep us from cold, formal, legalist law-keeping that freezes out love in how we serve God and people (“law without love”).

#9 – Are Christians today supposed to “keep the law”?
Martin Luther and John Calvin, the two greatest reformers, both taught the abiding, continuing value of the commandments.

The Apostle Paul’s word, “You are not under the law but under grace” (Romans 6:14-15) doesn’t mean we are not under the law’s moral standards. We can’t “love our neighbor as ourselves” apart from commandments like “you shall not commit adultery or kill or steal or bear false witness or covet” (Romans 13:8-10).

The New Testament, in one way or other, often reflects and affirms the Ten Commandments (see 1 Timothy 1:8-10).

There is one noticeable exception: the command to keep the Sabbath. But even in this case most Christians debate how to fulfill it, even if they practice how to avoid it. We’ll wrestle with this problem when we consider the 4th Commandment on how to keep the Sabbath.

#10 – Finally, what about those “two tablets”?
Moses brought two tablets containing the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai. He lost his temper a bit and broke them the first time, but God replaced them. What were they?

They were not:
• One tablet listing our duties to God, the other tablet listing our duties to one another.
• Numbered with Roman numerals.
• Written only on one side.
Most likely the tablets were small enough to carry in one’s hands. They were two copies of the commandments, written on both sides, resembling ancient treaty documents.

I look forward to examining the Ten Commandments one-by-one. We’ll be using the common Protestant listing of the commands.

Good Reading on the Ten Commandments:

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book 2, Chapter 8), “Explanation of the Moral Law (The Ten Commandments).”
* Kevin DeYoung, The Ten Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them. [192 pages, with simple and practical explanations of the commandments]
* Wayne Grudem, Christian Ethics. [Approx. 1200 pages of in-depth explanations and applications of the Commandments and related issues such as how to use the Old Testament for ethical guidance]
Michael S. Horton, The Law of Perfect Freedom (Relating to God and others through the Ten Commandments).
Martin Luther, The Small Catechism, “The Ten Commandments.”
Gilbert Meilaender, Thy Will Be Done—The Ten Commandments
and the Christian Life.
* J. I. Packer, Keeping the 10 Commandments. [Brief and practical]
Dennis Prager, Deuteronomy, pp. 67-110.
Dennis Prager, Exodus, pp. 219-77.

* Recommended

Good Guidance for
Setting Our Priorities in The New Year
By Harry Saltzgaver

“I remember that I’m not the one in charge — the ‘Big Amigo in the Sky,’ as one of my friends calls God, handles those duties. My job is to do the best I can to make the world around me a better place.

“That starts with family, and quickly moves to my various communities — church, charities, Long Beach, the job. I am truly blessed to have them all, and I’ll try to remember that in the coming year.”

—Harry Saltzgaver, columnist for the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Grunion Gazette; a dedicated member of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, California.

2024 – Hanukkah and Christmas Converge

A rare convergence of these two special observances just occurred. December 25 was the start of Hanukkah, the 8-day Festival of Lights that symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness.

The festival takes us back to the Second Century BC, when the Syrian-Greek Seleucid Empire conquered Israel. When Antiochus Epiphanes came to the throne a time of tyranny fell on Israel. Her ancient Jewish faith and its traditions were suppressed. The Jewish temple was turned over to the worship of Zeus and desecrated.

This led to what is known as the Maccabean Revolt. When it succeeded, the Temple was cleansed of pagan statuary and its worship was restored, including lighting the menorah candles which symbolized God’s presence.

The Christmas story tells of the visit of the Magi who travelled to Judea to worship the Christ Child. King Herod would tolerate no competition and eventually slew the young male children in Bethlehem. But Jesus and his family had already escaped to Egypt (read the entire account in Matthew 2).

Both traditions celebrate the triumph of good over evil and underscore the importance of religious freedom that is protected from the excesses and opposition of secular governments. When the state forgets its limited role it often assumes the characteristics of a religion and oppresses all contrary voices.

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3

“Don’t Steal in Seal” – a city’s warning

Pro-active no-nonsense work by the Seal Beach (CA) Police Department stopped three thieves in their tracks in December after they walked out of stores with stolen items. Police car and body cameras show officers chasing the thieves and arresting them. The arrests drew national attention.

This action was greatly helped by voters who, in November, passed Proposition 36, which undid damage from earlier propositions that hindered good law enforcement. Prior to Prop 36, shoplifting of items valued at less than $950 was considered a misdemeanor. Worse in Los Angeles County, the District Attorney wouldn’t prosecute misdemeanors. So “Steal? Why worry?”

No longer. Such theft can be considered a felony if one has prior convictions. And hitting multiple merchants or doing it in concert with others (conspiring) also enhance the charges. Citizens should support the police on these points.

Two of the arrestees were recorded by video as they sat cuffed in the back seat of a police vehicle. “It’s a felony?” “Bitch new laws. Stealing is a felony.” “And this is Orange County. They don’t play.”

Lessons: “Don’t do retail theft crimes, and certainly don’t do them in Orange County and especially not in Seal Beach. California law won’t let you off so easy any more!”

Kudos to SBPD! I’m honored to have served this agency.

“Back the Badge” is an occasional essay written by Donald Shoemaker, a police chaplain (now retired) with Master Certification and 24 years of experience, and an ordained minister with over 55 years of experience.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

December 2024 Newsletter

Posted on December 3, 2024 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

December 2024 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

A Thanksgiving Prayer to God…

“You enter our time to supply our needs, but you reserve eternity for us. You inspire with the sheer beauty of creation. You entice with redemptive mercy. You promise rewards as payment.

“All the praises I can offer do not suffice. I thank your majesty for the abundance of your immeasurable goodness, and I ask that you would continue to multiply your grace in me.”

– Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Message of the Month”

Our Christmas “Call to Worship”

When I was a senior pastor I would select the hymn(s) to be sung in our worship services each Sunday. For sure, when the first Sunday of Advent came along (December 1 this year), I would have our services open with “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – a remarkable Christmas carol summoning all worshippers to join the beginning of a festive season of song.

We’re not sure who originally wrote “Adeste Fideles” (Latin name). It seems to come from the mid 18th century. We do know that “Adeste Fideles” was translated into English as “O Come All Ye Faithful” in 1841 by the English Catholic priest Frederick Oakeley. Thank you, Fred, for this great gift.

These three verses are probably the ones most commonly sung by Americans:

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God, glory in the highest:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

I’d like to focus on a theme from two verses—just who this Jesus is who has come to us in a manger?

Fourth Century Christianity was wracked by “The Arian Controversy.” Arius was a presbyter from Egypt. He argued that Jesus was not “co-eternal” with God the Father. Nor was he equal to the Father in essence. Jesus was “similar to” the Father (homoiousion), not of the same essence (“homoousion”). He indeed was “a god” created by God before all else and is subordinate to God.* Never would the presence or absence of a tiny “iota” [“i”] be so consequential! Think of that when someone says, “I don’t have a iota of interest in …”

* If you want to interact with a modern version of Arianism, just answer the doorbell some Saturday morning, and the two who will be on your porch (with others canvassing your neighborhood) will eagerly engage you in conversation!

Less obvious but more pernicious, much of modern professed Christendom has reduced the person of Jesus to that of a moralizing teacher.

Standing against Arius was Athanasius, a deacon of the church in Alexandria, Egypt. He argued that Jesus was of the same essence as the Father. Athanasius is properly regarded as “The Father of Trinitarianism” (One God— the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit).

The controversy became so great that Emperor Constantine, wanting to keep peace in the empire, called for a conference in Nicaea, a city in modern-day Turkey, to deal with the problem (325 AD). Note that the Roman Empire was now led for the first time by an emperor who professed Christianity. It’s no longer Nero’s empire! And just a few years earlier Diocletian had brought the last Roman persecution against Christians. It’s hard for us to imagine political leaders in America being so concerned about doctrine as to call for a council to settle a matter. I can’t picture Gavin Newsom caring in the least!

The Council of Nicaea endorsed the Athanasian understanding of Jesus’ eternal existence and divine nature. The “Nicene Creed” was finalized by the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. It is even today confessed widely throughout Christianity, more than any other creed.

What does the Nicene Creed confess about Jesus [see John 1:1-5, 14, 18; Philippians 2:5-10; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 22:12]?

[We believe] in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance [homoousion] with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

When we read some phrases of “Adeste Fideles” the truths of the Nicene Creed shine through and are there for us to sing:

Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore him…

True God of True God,
Light from Light eternal
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father [or: Very God]; begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

With this great carol, let the praises of Christ this Advent season begin!

“80” on the 8th and Counting!
Some Help from Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is especially for all who reach 70 or 80 years of age. It sets God and humanity in very sharp contrast. God is eternal and we are but mortals.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
(Psalm 90:1-4 ESV)

And what if we reach the great milestones of 70 or 80?

The years of our life are seventy,
Or even by reason of strength eighty;
Yet their span is but toil and trouble;
They are soon gone, and we fly away.
(Psalm 90:10)

How should we then live, in light of God’s eternity and our mortality?

Teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
(Psalm 90:12)

To number our days is to treat each day as significant. We no longer have yesterday and tomorrow has not yet come (nor is it guaranteed). But we do have today.

“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Jesus (Matthew 6:34 ESV)

Shouldn’t we begin our morning with a brief prayer for God to direct our day? Then, as Martin Luther suggested, pray “The Lord’s Prayer” and go on our way rejoicing.

As we progress through the day, how can we bless others today? How can we make our world a better place today?

Not every day brings sunshine, but rain is what brings growth. Look at every situation as a new opportunity to flourish.

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength.” – The Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:12-13 NIV)

Is there a person who should be called or texted (no, call that person as your first option)? Does someone need our apology or prayer or word of thanks? Do we have a debt or obligation that should be cared for today?

As each day closes, have we confessed our “sins of this day” and received his grace and forgiveness? Have we thanked God for the day’s opportunities and blessings?

A New Day

This is the beginning a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is very important because
I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever,
leaving something in its place.
I have traded for it: I want it to be gain – not loss;
good – not evil; success – not failure,
in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.

California’s Great Seal depicts a grizzly bear, the state’s official animal. The bear is feasting on grape vines, representing California’s wine production. But 100 years ago – November, 1924 – The last sighting of a California grizzly bear was reported in Sequoia National Park.

Coming in January and throughout 2025 . . .

“The Ten Commandments”

Please join me and other readers as we take time each month to look at these Commandments. Whether one is a “believer” or not, can we agree that these commandments have had a remarkable influence for good on the world even up to the present?

Picture: Moses (holding tablets symbolizing The Ten Commandments) is at the apex of the East Pediment of the U.S. Supreme Court building. He is between the Chinese philosopher Confucius and the Greek lawgiver Solon, representing three of the great influences on American law. This depiction of Moses with other significant historical figures should be kept in mind any time debate occurs over public display of The Ten Commandments. Moses with The Ten Commandments is also depicted in the courtroom itself, amongst many lawgivers.

“Transgender Day of Remembrance”
(November 20) and
“Transgender Awareness Month” (November)
now recognized
by Long Beach, California.

The flag will fly each November.

So said a resolution passed unanimously by the Long Beach City Council on November 19. This day will be “a time to celebrate, honor, and stand up for our transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse friends…and to remember those members of our community who have been lost to anti-trans violence.”

Thus all citizens with another voice are stifled by non-scientific thinking that impacts minors through social media. All reasoned arguments and life experiences contrary to the prevailing narrative are passed over by those who should represent all city citizens.

Better listen to Democrat Adam Sieff, once a counsel to the Biden for President campaign: “Tolerance matters… If we want people to respect the existence of different gender identities, we need to respect the normal reservations about performing irreversible sex-change operations on 12-year olds.”

These are violent mutilations of minors! Reminds one of the sexual mutilation of young women in some 3rd World cultures. Where is the outrage? One can sympathize with certain trans issues without accepting transgender ideology as “gospel” and its activism as “good works.”

What other flags now ought to be flown to support a cause or belief and to remember any who have been persecuted, discriminated against, or have suffered or died over it? Surely a flag supporting victims of anti-Semitism would qualify, among many others.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

November 2024 Newsletter

Posted on October 31, 2024 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

November 2024 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

A Practical Word on Reformation Day
October 31, 2024

October 31, 2017 is the day, according to the reformer Philip Melanchthon, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses (written in Latin) to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, in the Electorate of Saxony. Intending to spark an intellectual debate, Luther instead sparked a reformation, in part thanks to the invention of the printing press.

In our day of narrow-minded activism and divisive causes, we might do the political process a favor by remembering a word of advice from Luther:

“He is a mighty poor Christian who for the sake of a single castle would put the whole land in jeopardy.”

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who maintain justice.”
– Psalm 106:3

Adieu to “Blue Bloods”
But NYC Law Enforcement Must Go On

My wife and I have been avid watchers of “Blue Bloods” (the NYC police department led by Commissioner Frank Reagan [Tom Selleck]). At our dinner table we even use the prayer that the Reagan household shares around their family dinner table:

Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts
which we are about to receive from Thy bounty.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Alas, the still-strongly-popular “Blue Bloods” will be gone from its network in December after fourteen seasons. Quite a run! We still will watch reruns, as we regularly do, but we wish the program would continue.

The series featured dramatized police work in many difficult situations. I saw one report that 95% of NYPD officers would never fire their weapons during an enforcement situation throughout the course of their careers. Detective Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg), on the other hand, seemed to dispatch a bad guy in every other episode or so.

Why going off the air? I wondered if perhaps its in-your-face anti-Woke scenes played a part. Production costs, however, seem to be the reason, even though the cast had agreed to pay cuts.

One perspective of law enforcement that stands out is what’s called the “broken window” theory—if enforcement of the law breaks down over smaller crimes, this will spill over into greater disrespect for the law and still larger crimes. Which leads to an ongoing debate over NYC law enforcement…

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities…
Rulers hold no terror to those who do right, but for those who do wrong.
If you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.
He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” – excerpts from Romans 13:1-5

“Gate-jumping” is no victimless crime. It deprived NYC transit of $690 million dollars in 2023. It violates a covenant of trust. It leads others to say, “Why then should I pay?” Or to justifiably feel unsafe and violated. Would you like to sit in a subway car with your family with several gate-jumpers around you?

Two officers took action, as they were supposed to, when a man jumped the gate on Sunday, September 15. When he later refused to comply with lawful orders, when a Taser was ineffective, and when he drew a knife and moved toward the officers, they opened fire. Tragically, a bystander was critically wounded. It took six officers 15 minutes to subdue the gate-jumper, who was also wounded by gunfire. The wounded suspect had 20 prior arrests.

Critics abounded, accusing the officers of endangering lives in an enclosed space, not de-escalating the situation, and for using lethal force.

But NYC mayor and former NYPD captain Eric Adams defended the officers. “He was not shot for fare evasion. He was shot because he had a knife and he went after the police officers. I thought those officers responded accordingly.”

Officers put themselves in harm’s way when necessary to protect others and uphold the law. They know that in an unexpected instant they could become the center of controversy that could spread near and far. Their careers, families and their own lives could be permanently altered. How tempting would it be to look the other way in such situations?

But that is not their calling or oath, or God’s will. Because of situations like what happened in NYC on September 15, we must all the more…

““Back the Badge”

Donald P. Shoemaker
October 2024

“The Apostles’ Creed”
(Part 10 – Final Lesson)

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

There’s a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.

Somewhere.
We’ll find a new way of living,
We’ll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere . . .
– 1957 Broadway musical “West Side Story”

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
– Dorothy sings in “The Wizard of Oz”

Statue donated to the United Nations
by the Soviet Union in 1959
Inscribed with the biblical words of Isaiah 2:4 –

“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.”

Humanity yearns for a brighter, better future “somewhere.” How can we not yearn for a world at peace in light of today’s turmoil? Jesus spoke of “wars and rumors of wars” until the end of this era—short-term discouraging but ultimately hopeful words (read Matthew 24:6 and Luke 21:9-10).

The answer to the yearning is found in how God will bring a Better Tomorrow.
That’s what the final two phrases of The Apostles’ Creed are all about as they highlights two major, essential teachings of Bible prophecy: Resurrection of the body and Life Everlasting.

10A – The Apostles’ Creed is a Trinitarian Creed.

Not, of course, Trinitarianism at the level of development found in later creeds, but certainly in essence, as the formula for Christian baptism is “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

The first segment of this creed focuses on God the Father, the second on Jesus Christ his only Son. Now the focus is on the Holy Spirit.

The third and final segment of The Apostles’ Creed begins with “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” We have tied these words to the phrases “I believe in the holy catholic church” and “the forgiveness of sins.” Now we complete this final part of the divine triad by linking the Spirit to resurrection and eternal life.

The Spirit is not “third and therefore last in importance.” The Spirit’s primary ministry is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, and this creed indeed does that in the main second portion. Thus, The Apostles’ Creed is a Spirit-filled creed.

The Spirit is not to be ignored or side-lined, nor is he to be made most prominent. So these two extreme tendencies in Evangelical thought and life must be avoided. Sadly, a large segment of the Evangelical community has not only made the Spirit most prominent, but has a made a particular understanding of the Spirit (post-conversion baptism in the Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues) a test of spirituality or even of true acceptance and fellowship. At the other extreme, a very different understanding of the Spirit (often some version of “cessation” of spiritual gifts) has likewise excluded those who disagree.

The Resurrection of the Body
10B – The resurrection of the body is uniquely the work of the Holy Spirit (or, if you please, the work of the Father through the Spirit).

The Apostle Paul taught in Romans 8:11 (ESV) – “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”

No Holy Spirit within, no resurrection to Eternal Life!

10C – Resurrection, not a disembodied existence in Heaven, is the goal of our salvation.

“Heaven” is the location of our “intermediate state.” This suggests a way-station prior to the ultimate goal of life’s journey. Much preaching and many songs present Heaven as the ultimate goal and journey’s end. This puts us, to use N. T. Wright’s rather blunt words, into a state of blissful post-mortem disembodiment. Yes, this is bliss, for we are “with the Lord.” But it is not the completion of our humanity. Resurrection and the attendant glorification are.

10D – Resurrection of the body puts Jewish/Christian anthropology at odds with other ways of understanding “who we are”.

Biblical anthropology sees us as “whole persons,” not as embodied souls or spirits. Our make-up is one of psychosomatic unity, not separation. Whatever “parts” we may have, God sees us as whole persons.

Our body and soul dimensions belong together. Death rips this unity apart. Resurrection rejoins it and completes our salvation as we become what God created us to be.

10E – Resurrection of the body is a miracle not dependent on the preservation of the body.

Certainly both ancient and modern humans realize that the human body decomposes. Only rarely is this process prevented or slowed through ancient and modern efforts to preserve the body.

Resurrection of the body will happen not because it has been preserved like canned vegetables or by cryogenics. Resurrection will happen because of Jesus’ divine power to subject all things to his will. “We eagerly await a Savior from [heaven], the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21).

There is both continuity and discontinuity between our mortal bodies and their resurrected essence. “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.” See 1 Corinthians 15:35-54 for extensive teaching on this.

The Life Everlasting

10F – The Creed simply declares “The Life Everlasting” and leaves us to search out the fine points of what this means.

The lesson I see from this is that a confession accepting the biblical reality of eternal blessed existence is essential. How we systematize the biblical information into ideas on what it will be like should not be made a test of orthodoxy or the basis for fellowship (such as for church membership).

Now for some “fine points”:

The Book of Revelation engages in “recapitulation” at times, which is to say that the writer hits the “rewind” button and backtracks to look at things in a different way (such as topically). But is a “rewind” justified in Revelation chapters 19-20? Or can we simply take the details sequentially?

If we take the details sequentially we will have: (1) Jesus’ second coming, (2) the binding of Satan, (3) the first resurrection (much preferred!), (4) the millennial rule of Christ on earth, with the saints as co-regents, (5) a final satanic rebellion and Satan’s banishment forever, (6) the second resurrection and judgment, (7) the eternal state in the New Jerusalem.

There. If that sequence is yours, you are a “Pre-millennialist,” which is to say, you believe Jesus will return and establish his millennial rule. There are other options (see the box below for one).

11F – “Pre-millennialism” does not speak with one voice. Rather, it has sub-options.

Church history shows developing forms of Pre-millennialism, A-millennialism and Post-Millennialism co-existing while jockeying for widest acceptance. It’s appears to me that Pre-millennialism was preferred in the Early Church. See Contemporary Options in Eschatology by Millard Erickson for a summary.

In the 20th Century “Dispensationalism” was a dominant version of Pre-millennialism. It sees the Millennium as a period of restoration and blessing for Israel, including a Temple and its worship particulars. Another version calls itself “Historic Pre-millennialism.” It sees God’s children enjoying millennial bliss without a sharp distinction between the Church and Israel.

The above summary is simplistic almost to the point of embarrassment. But the reader needs to grow in his or her understanding of “Bible prophecy” with these distinctions in mind. We need to understand the differences, depict each view fairly, and chose what appears to be the best option. I was not afforded this challenge in my theological education.

I do see a millennial role for a restored Israel, trusting in its Messiah and being a blessing to the world. I have many questions as to details. No, I don’t believe it is necessary to hold that a Millennial Temple will be built that reconstitutes sacrificial practices and excludes all who are “uncircumcised!”

Nor do I believe that a future restored Israel legitimatizes the current State of Israel as a prophetical fulfillment (but today’s Israel does have a historical claim for land and country). Nor do I believe in a rapture of the church at any time separate from Jesus’ glorious return, which is our “blessed hope.”

I do believe in a millennial world of remarkable abundance, peace and safety, with Messianic rule and justice and with never-seen-since-Eden harmony between a redeemed humanity and the created order. I don’t claim to understand how all the pieces will fit (I’ll still run from a rattlesnake).

“Peace” – 1896 Painting by William Strutt
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them – Isaiah 11:6

12F – How do we receive Life Everlasting?

“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the waters of life.” – Revelation 22:17

May God bless this study and fill us with hope for a bright Tomorrow of completed redemption. And may all of us be open in heart and mind to the thoughts that were expressed.

May the entire Apostles’ Creed become part of our understanding and regular recitation. Abundance of blessing will be ours.

Some suggested reading on biblical “Future Events”:

• Evangelical Theology by Michael Bird. Part 3 – “The Gospel of the Kingdom: The Now and the Not Yet.” (Pre-millennial)
• The Christian Faith by Michael Horton (my former student!). Part 6 – “God Who Reigns in Glory.” (A-millennial)
• A Case for Historic Premillennialism edited by Craig Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung.
• And if you are interested in the “rapture” question, my 2024 essay The Second Coming of Christ and The Rapture of the Church, is available to you free by email upon request. (Post-tribulational)

Fine reading on The Apostles’ Creed, among many good options:

• Affirming The Apostles’ Creed by James Packer.
• What Christians ought to Believe by Michael Bird.
• The Faith by Pope Benedict XVI.
• The Creed by Luke Timothy Johnson.

May the entire Apostles’ Creed become part of our understanding and regular recitation. Abundance of blessing will be ours.
Is there an answer?

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! …they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”
– Revelation 20:6 (English Standard Version)

Many Christians see this “rule with Christ” as a literal 1000-year period following Jesus’ “Second Coming.” So they are known as “Pre-millennialists.” Other Christians see this as a present “rule with Christ,” a non-literal Millennium. So they are known as “A-millennialists.” Actually, they are more accurately “Realized Millennialists,” for they see the “Millennium” being fulfilled in the “now.”

But I see a problem! The Book of Revelation says this millennial period will NOT be a time of satanic activity. An angel seizes the Devil (Satan) and casts him into a pit, “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended” (read Revelation 20:1-3). If the Millennium is being realized now, it cannot be a time of satanic activity throughout the world of nations!

No, the Devil isn’t a released prisoner with a tracking device attached to his ankle to monitor and limit his movements. The Devil is bound and sealed into prison!

What do the Scriptures say?

“The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.” – Matthew 13:38-39
Clearly, in this parable Jesus taught the devil is active and deceptive in the present age before the time of the end, striving to frustrate the work of God in the world.
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7
“Give no opportunity to the devil.” – Ephesians 4:27
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:11
A church leader “must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” – 1 Timothy 3:7
“Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit” – Acts 5:3 (Peter’s admonishment to Ananias)

And most significantly, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

Sounds like “Satan is alive and well on planet earth,” to use the title of a book by prophecy guru Hal Lindsey. Christians honest with themselves acknowledge the constant struggle with Satan that marks the present life:

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe.
His craft and power are great.
And armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.
– “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” by Martin Luther

The present age, as scripture testifies, is a time of significant satanic activity. The devil is on God’s leash, yes, but he certainly isn’t bound that he might not deceive the nations, let alone the church. This being the case, how can the present age be the “realized Millennium”? Maybe Pre-millennialism is a better option.

Food for thought! But perhaps A-millennial readers whom I respect have an explanation and will let me know.

Civil Discourse in a Political Season
Over 50 years ago, shortly after I arrived from Indiana to begin a pastorate in Long Beach, California, I was invited to give a prayer at the Long Beach City Council. I knew from reading the local newspaper that there was a lot of ill will in city government at the time that led to harmful speech, so I began my prayer with a reading from the Epistle of James (3:17-18):

The wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

The words of James are still applicable to modern politics (and all conversations). As theologian Michael Brown says, “Coarse rhetoric may get the crowds going, but is fleshly, unproductive, and contrary to the Spirit.”

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California

October 2024 Newsletter

Posted on October 8, 2024 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

October 2024 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Should Biblical Values Impact Secular Rulers?

Answers range from “Not at all” to “Only Christians are qualified to rule.” Neither extreme is acceptable in my view. But is there a middle position that is reasonable and good for a country and its leaders?

Here’s a thought: The Prophet Daniel informed Babylon’s king that God would afflict him with insanity because of his pride, misrule, and failure to see that God rules over the kingdoms of man. Read the Book of Daniel, chapter 4.

Daniel then told King Nebuchadnezzar how to avoid the coming punishment—words of wisdom for all rulers:

“Break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” – Daniel 4:27

“I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”
– Joel 2:30-31

I thought of this scripture as the apocalyptic scenes of incredible fires appeared recently west and north of where we live in S. California.

In the Old Testament’s “Book of Joel” God used terrible happenings to shake complacency and turn hearts to him (Joel 2:32 – “Everyone who calls on the name of the rd will be saved.”).

Politics and God’s Kingdom

Be involved in both, but don’t forget which has priority!
Temper your political activism with Kingdom values.

By Donald Shoemaker

We’re hearing a lot today about “Christian Nationalism” and most of what we hear is negative. I intend to study this topic more, though right now I think the concern is overblown and being used by critics to raise money.

Christian activism in the realm of politics is both necessary and fraught with dangers. Before we embark on it, and to give ourselves a periodic “tune-up”, we must ponder how the world of politics interfaces with the rule of God. The Apostle Paul’s words on the nature of God’s Kingdom are instructive as we do this.

“The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 14:17 NIV

What the Apostle Paul is teaching us here is, God’s kingdom rises above temporal issues like what we eat and what we drink. Our choices on foods and beverages are choices that belong to this passing age (not that we won’t eat and drink in the Kingdom—we will, I’m happy to report!). Decisions we make on things like these are not to become issues of spirituality or judging others (religious rules we create to the contrary). Jesus taught the same truth (Matthew 15:17) and Paul did elsewhere as well (1 Corinthians 6:13).

If issues of eating and drinking don’t matter for the kingdom, what about issues of politics? What about labels like “conservative” or “liberal”? What about economic systems like Capitalism and Socialism? What about political issues that, in spite of a careful search, don’t seem to be highly laden with moral concerns (like term limits)? What about when people of good will differ on various ways to address common concerns (such as health care or immigration or gun control or homelessness)?

Christians seem prone to confuse the limited issues of the political sphere with the sweeping issues of the Kingdom sphere. We confuse the time-bound and temporary realm of politics with the timeless and eternal realm of God’s rule. We confuse political Band-Aids with God’s decisive moral victories.

We regard some candidates for high office as messianic. We divide the Body of Christ improperly over temporal issues and solutions. When religious leaders go on the stump for political causes and do so in the name of the Gospel, they cheapen and dilute our high calling and our glorious announcement—the good news of the Kingdom.

Does this mean we withdraw and isolate ourselves and let everything “go to the dogs”? No, not at all. Christians are dual citizens. We do “polish the brass on a sinking ship.” Biblical imperatives and citizenship rights both drive us into the public and political spheres so we can speak out and influence the course of our society. The Kingdom message we profess is, after all, a comprehensive moral and social vision, not just a “personal relationship with Jesus” and an ethereal, other-worldly “heaven to come.”

Yes, we pray and work for the welfare of our community (Jeremiah 29:7). But we must look for incremental gains and not much transformation. We choose our battles wisely and graciously. We must save a lot of our idealism for the Kingdom and be “as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves” here and now. Thankfully, God may grant us a profound victory now and then, like the abolition of slavery. But William Wilberforce fought slavery a step at a time with no sure hope of beholding sweeping victory with his own eyes.

Politics is the art of compromise. It blends the ideal with realism and pragmatism. If we insist on the whole righteous pie, we are likely to get no pie at all. Political leaders are prone to sin like the rest of us and are out to serve self-interest. Sin is in all of us, not just in “them” on the other side. And God’s grace is working through “them” as well as us. No politician wears a white hat or a black hat like in the old “westerns.”

In light of the majesty of God’s Kingdom and the limits (yet God-ordained validity) of Caesar’s kingdom, we must lift up our eyes to the former and lower our present expectations with the latter. We must embrace and long for God’s kingdom while engaging and appreciating man’s.

That’s our calling and struggle, and I struggle with it all the time.

“Good Government Starts Here”

A Useful Guide in an Election Season

By Donald Shoemaker

Thomas Jefferson spoke in his first inaugural address (1801) of our need for a “wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.”

In this spirit, I’ve thought about certain non-partisan values that should characterize good government and the officials who are elected and appointed to its many positions. Here are seven qualities I wish to see as I evaluate those seeking office this election season:

• Frugality – viewing public funds as a limited resource to be prudently handled with great care and not as a constant spring where there is always more to be tapped. It must always be remembered that every tax dollar, regardless of its source and our political good intentions, takes money from people and not from impersonal things.
• Accountability – recognizing that managing public funds and exercising power are solemn trusts. Those who do these things must see themselves as stewards answerable to the people. Most of us believe accountability is due “in the sight of both God and man.” But even if a politician doesn’t think God exists, he knows the citizen does. Accountability also measures actions by their impact on the future long after a term of office has ended.
• Integrity – being people of truthfulness and fairness and good character in light of reasoned principles acknowledged by almost everybody.
• Efficiency – getting the most “bang for the buck” by avoiding wasted time, squandered resources, incompetence and bloated bureaucracy. Jefferson’s call for “suppression of unnecessary offices, of useless establishments and expenses” needs to be heeded as never before.
• Productivity – ensuring that resources of funding, time and talent are used for intended and effective purposes and not, as examples, for self-aggrandizement or for programs likely or proven to fail. A good leader regards no program as sacrosanct and regularly evaluates them for both effectiveness and efficiency.
• Accessibility – demonstrating openness to the people they are selected to serve, whether these people are supporters, detractors or indifferent.
• Temperance – realizing that the state’s power to compel behavior is a great and potentially dangerous power and therefore exercising great reserve and wisdom in its use in our free society.

We may then move beyond these qualities to the issues we cherish and the inevitable partisanship of any election. But without these qualities even our most favored office seekers will be compromised in their missions, to everyone’s damage and cynicism.

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 9)
[I believe in]
“the forgiveness of sins”

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion.
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
Or repay us according to our iniquities”

– Psalm 103:2-4, 10

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sins.”

– Psalm 51:1-2

“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.”

– Psalm 32:1

“…we have sinned in thought, word, and deed,
and…we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition.
Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God,
our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ,
and saying: ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner.’”

– Lutheran Service Book, “Divine Service, Setting Four”

9A – The Holy Spirit leads us to conviction of our sins.

The third and final segment of The Apostles’ Creed begins with “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” We have tied these words to the next phrase, “I believe in the holy catholic church.” Now we tie them to the phrase, “The forgiveness of sins.” God’s Spirit moves our hearts to conviction of our sins (genuine remorse leading to repentance and resolve to abandon the wrongs we have done).

9B – Forgiveness assumes that a standard of right and wrong exists.

Without a standard we would need no forgiveness. We’d only have mistakes needing attention: “I’ll drive more carefully and pay less for insurance.”

Our search for standards should start with The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). It should then consider scriptures that focus on human wrongdoings (e.g., Romans 1:18-32; Romans chapters 12 & 13; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-26; Ephesians 4:17-5:14). And nothing can replace our overall reading of the Bible to see how it confronts human evil then and now, by others and ourselves.

9C – God’s forgiveness is not for those who think they are good, but for those who know they are bad.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:8-9

Jesus told a story of two men who illustrate the verses above.

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I have.”

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.

9D – Forgiveness of sins is necessary for true reconciliation to occur.

Can we name one single word that summarizes the Christian faith as we understand it? I think that word may be “RECONCILIATION.” Reconciliation is when two sides at odds with one another are brought together by removal of the issue or issues that have divided them.

The ultimate reconciliation is, as we sing at Christmas season, “God and sinners reconciled.” How can this be? “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against him” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Reconciliation isn’t only vertical (God and sinners); it’s horizontal too—between people who wrong others and are wronged by others. Jesus taught the one who has wronged another: “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Likewise Jesus had a word to the one who had been wronged: “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over” (Matthew 20:15). Jesus also set forth additional steps that should be taken (vv. 16-17—see next point).

9E – Jesus commissioned his church and its God-ordained leaders to play a vital role in the process of forgiveness.

Continuing Jesus’ teaching on reconciliation (or the lack thereof) found in Matthew 18:15-20, if a wrongdoer “refuses to listen even to the church [as it calls him to reconciliation], treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector [exclude him from the church for his unrepentant heart]” (Matthew 18:17).

Perhaps anticipating negative reaction to this, Jesus declared strongly,. “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (v. 18). When the church acts in accord with Jesus’ teaching and by his (delegated) authority, heaven will back the church when it retains or remits a person’s sin.

In our day of weak attitudes toward church authority, this strong word by Jesus (“I tell you the truth” or if you will, “truly, truly”) needs to be heard.

But there’s more! The Risen Lord gave to his disciples, as leaders of the church-that-is-to-come, a similar authorization (John 20:22-23)—one that causes many an evangelical Christian to have a severe allergic reaction:
“He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’”

NOTE: the future perfect passive verbs in Matthew 18:18 and here in John, rendered “they will be bound/loosed” and “they are forgiven/not forgiven,” are difficult to translate and no version does it more awkwardly than The New American Standard Bible: “shall have been bound/loosed in heaven” and “have been forgiven/retained.” Of these renderings the New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce said, “Whatever this is, it’s not English.”

The NASB would render the verdicts of heaven as prior to the verdicts by the church. It’s doubtful this is Jesus’ point. Regardless, the two texts are saying the verdicts of the church and its leaders are in tandem with the verdicts of heaven regarding retaining or remitting sin. This issue is bigger than my space here, and I leave it at that.

Many a church has “retained sin” willy-nilly when a member violates legalistic rules. This is not what Jesus authorized nor what the Holy Spirit would empower. But when a church disciplines its own by forgiving or retaining sin (positively or negatively), in Jesus’ name and by his authority, it is not an action to be taken lightly. Let’s liken this to a pastor’s refusal to unite a couple in marriage for some serious reason, versus his positive word in a different instance: “By the authority of the Lord Jesus, I now pronounce you husband and wife in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!”

9F – Thus, we are reminded that both forgiveness and the subsequent reconciliation are conditional.

Forgiveness isn’t unconditional, either vertically or horizontally. God forgives our sins based on the sacrificial death of Christ who bore our sins, and conditioned also upon our own genuine repentance. Forget the words of the old song: “Though it makes him sad to see the way we live, he’ll always say, ‘I forgive.’” No, he won’t.

So also it is with horizontal forgiveness. The notion “when someone wrongs you, immediately forgive that person in your heart” turns interpersonal forgiveness into self-therapy and trivializes the evil that people do against others. To the contrary, Jesus taught, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3).

9G – What does “The Nicene Creed” (AD 381) say on this point?

It throws water on “the forgiveness of sin”:
“I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.”

The Nicene Creed generally follows the points of The Apostles’ Creed but definitely enlarges most of them. This statement, which actually confesses Christian Baptism, certainly does that.

What can we say? We start with Scripture:
• John the Baptist preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3).
• When convicted listeners to his sermon on the Day of Pentecost asked Peter, “What shall we do?” he said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38).
• Saul, who would soon be an apostle of Christ, was told by Ananias what his apostolic mission would be. Then Ananias said, “Now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). Baptism and calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9) were kept together.
• “Baptism…now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 4:21).

The sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion have outer and inner realities, sealed together by the Holy Spirit in the Words of Institution.

That is to say, the outward signs of water or bread and wine are united with the inner reality of remission of sin by the words “I now baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” or “Take and eat; this is my body given for you” and “This is my blood poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.” (The accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and 1 Corinthians all teach the same truths though their specific words vary.)

Because of this union, it is just as valid to say “my sins were washed away in baptism” as to say “my sins were forgiven when I confessed Jesus as Lord.” (A married couple might speak of “the day we exchanged our rings” or “when we said our vows.” Same reality, two ways of expressing it.)

In our evangelism this union of outer and inner realities should not be broken. One way it’s broken, leading to confusion, is by having an unnecessarily long gap between one’s confession “Jesus is Lord” and one’s Christian baptism.

The Apostle Peter was caught off-guard when the Holy Spirit fell on uncircumcised gentiles as they heard the word of salvation (Acts 10:44-46). He rightly responded to this fait accompli by ordering the baptism of the converts. Peter kept the outward sign and the inner reality together.

Much modern Christian evangelism doesn’t even mention baptism, unlike the examples we find in the New Testament. (Acts 2:37-41; 8:12, 37-39; 9:17-19; 10:47-48; 16:14-15, 29-33; 18:8; 19:3-5; 22:16)

Many evangelical churches have separated baptism from the saving confession in practice through the introduction of another “sacrament” – the “walking forward invitation” to receive Christ, followed sooner or later by baptism (hopefully) when one gets around to it.

Better that we invite one who wishes to receive Christ to enter the waters of baptism as soon as it is feasible (see Acts 8:34-38 for the baptism of the Ethiopian by Philip the Evangelist after he heard the Gospel).

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California

September 2024 Newsletter

Posted on August 29, 2024 by admin

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September 2024 Newsletter

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Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing,
Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”1304″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

LABOR DAY – September 2
A Liturgy For Those Who Are Employed

LABOR DAY

A Liturgy For Those Who Are Employed
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey

O Christ who supplies my every need, I praise you for all provisions and for the means by which they are provided.

For my current employment, in this season of life, I give you thanks. By it, may I meet my own needs, and contribute to the needs of others.

Let me work and serve in this position with mindfulness, creativity, and kindness, loving you well by loving all whom I encounter here.
Jesus, be ever present as mediator between me and my employer,
between me and my supervisors and co-workers,
and in all my dealings with others in this work,
reminding me that my treatment of them
is the strongest evidence of my affection for you.

Grant me therefore the patience to listen to others,
the humility to learn from them,
the compassion to consider their needs as my own,
and the grace to wear well the name of the Lord in this place,
remembering that I arrive here each day as an emissary of your kingdom.

And so I offer this small service to you, O Lord,
for you make no distinction between those acts that bring a person the wide praise of their peers and those unmarked acts that are accomplished in a quiet obedience without accolade. You see instead the heart, the love, and the faithful stewardship of all labors, great and small.

And so, in your loving presence, I undertake this task.
O God, grant that my heart might be ordered aright, knowing that all good service faithfully rendered is first a service rendered unto you.

Receive then this my service, that even in the midst of labors that hold no happiness in themselves, I might have increasing joy, Amen.

See “A Liturgy For Those Who Employ Others” in my September 2023 Newsletter or email me and ask for a copy. Used by Permission of Rabbit Room Press.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

2024: The Re-Paganizing of the Olympics?

Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (c. 1495-98)
Group 1 – Bartholomew, James, son of Alphaeus, and Andrew. Group 2 – Judas Iscariot, Peter, and John. Jesus.
Group 3- Thomas, James the Greater, and Philip. Group 4 – Matthew, Jude Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot

The Olympic games began in Greece in 776 BC. In 396 AD the now-Christianized Roman Empire banned the games as a pagan ritual in direct conflict with Christianity. 1,500 years later, in 1896, the modern Olympic games began.

I remember the fascination of reading The Iliad and The Odyssey as ancient works of literature in high school. I didn’t think I was acknowledging paganism in any way. Seems we moderns had demythologized the Greco-Roman gods. Or have we? A revival may be in the works. This was part of the opening ceremony of the Olympics:

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches, condemned the drag parody of the Last Supper at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris.

“Blasphemy towards God is not progress, nor is it right to insult the religious beliefs of our fellow men,” the Ecumenical Patriarchate stated. “The spontaneous expression of aversion and disapproval by the world, hopefully, has sent a sufficiently loud message to those responsible and is a source of hope to avoid similar actions in the future.”

But the director of the opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly, insisted that “The Last Supper” wasn’t the inspiration behind the scene. “Dionysus arrives at the table because he is the Greek God of celebration and that sequence is called ‘festivity.’”

“The God of wine, which is also a French jewel and father of Sequana, the Goddess linked to the River Seine. The idea was to create a big pagan party in link with the God of Mount Olympus.”

If the above showed disregard for the 1st Great Commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, what happened when women’s boxing violated the 2nd Great Commandment, to love our neighbor as ourselves?

Imane Khelif of Algeria, who a year ago failed a gender eligibility test by the International Boxing Association, went on to win Gold in women’s boxing after (earlier) defeating Angela Carini of Italy who, despite her skill and physical conditioning, lasted only 46 seconds in the ring. She would later say she had never been hit so hard (in the face) as she was by a blow from Khelif.

The Bible isn’t a manual on sports and gender issues, nor on questions about gender ambiguity or dysfunction. But it makes gender identity a foundational feature of our humanity as bearers of God’s image. “Male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Who would have thought that the push for equality would trample legitimate differences, prevent women from reaching their goals in sports, and countenance men pummeling women?

Reference: What does science tell us about boxing’s gender row?, Sofia Bettiza, BBC (August 9, 2024)[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 8)
[I believe]
…in the holy catholic Church,
the fellowship of the saints

We continue in the third section of The Apostles’ Creed. Remember that the first section is about God the Father. The second section is about The Lord Jesus Christ. The third section begins with our confession of The Holy Spirit and then quickly moves on to other points, all stated briefly.

8A – It is fitting that confession of the Church follows right after confession of The Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit there is no Church.

Sure, religious communities can go right on with rituals (now stripped of the Spirit’s presence) and messages void of the Spirit. H. Richard Niebuhr once said that the message of religious liberalism is:

A God without wrath brings people without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.

The Holy Spirit is not necessary for such a message and would never empower it. Such a church should be called “Ichabod” (“The glory has departed”).

Here are some of the ministries of the Spirit in relation to the church:
1. The Spirit baptizes us into the Body of Christ, which is the church
(1 Corinthians 12:13).
2. The Spirit distributes various charismatic gifts within the church as HE so determines, not as WE determine or demand (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Pentecostals have often told us what the Spirit MUST do; non-Pentecostals may tell us what the Spirit CAN’T do. Truth is, the Spirit does what he WILLS TO DO in the church.
3. The Spirit indwells the church (Ephesians 2:21).
4. The Spirit guides and invigorates church worship (Ephesians 5:18-20).
5. The Spirit helps guard the truth of the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:14).

8B – What are the “Marks” of the true Church?

Protestants speak of different “marks” of the true church. Some reduce this to trivial things like calling your church by just the right name. More substantially, one common list (from Reformed, or Presbyterian theology) is that a true church will (1) teach the Bible as God’s Word, (2) observe the Sacraments, and (3) discipline its members. Good points!

The Apostles’ Creed gives us three marks of the true Church.

1) The Church is “One”

This mark draws from the teaching of Jesus: “I pray for those who will believe in me…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
– Jesus (John 17:20-21)

• This is more than a spiritual “oneness” which no one can see.
• It is more than an organizational “oneness”.
• It is more than an eventual oneness—together in heaven.
• And for sure it is not a “oneness” over non-gospel issues (like political or racial or cultural or social identity, etc.). These “unities” actually divide Christians and make things other than “The Gospel” the gospel.

No, Jesus said this “oneness” would be observed by the world of non-believers, who would draw right conclusions about God’s gift of his Son when they see genuine Christian oneness in life and action. If non-Christians walk into our church gatherings, would they see a true oneness that gives them positive thoughts about God? Or would they see _____ (fill in the blank)?

2) The Church is “Holy”

“The holiness that marks the church is both a divine gift and an urgent task,” says Michael Bird in his excellent book Evangelical Theology. He’s talking about moral, ethical holiness that separates us from evil, which we pray for when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Sad are the occasions, big and small, when the world of non-Christians observes the Church and wonders where the “Holy” has gone!

3) The Church is “Catholic” – we better make this a separate point!
8C – Wait a minute! I’m a Protestant! How can I say, “One holy catholic church”?

Several years ago my church got new hymnbooks. They had a page with “The Apostles’ Creed”. And that page changed this phrase to “One holy Christian church.” What’s going on? Well first, of course it’s correct to say “Christian” church. We are that and it should mean a lot to us.

But that’s not what the historical Creed says! Deep and wide and long in Christianity stands the confession, “One holy catholic church.” Small “c”.

The word “catholic” means “universal.” It comes from the Greek word “kathalou” – “entire, according to the whole.” So this is a confession of the togetherness of all true Christians and Christian communities everywhere, now and throughout history and into eternity.

“The church is not restricted by geography, ethnicity, gender, class or status. It is a universal assembly that is made up of people from every tribe, language, culture, and place.” – Michael Bird

Revelation 5:9 – “With your blood you have purchased people from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Please excuse me if quoting from Wikipedia is a problem, but this is well said:

Applied to the Church, the adjective “catholic” means that in the Church the wholeness of the Christian faith, full and complete, all-embracing, and with nothing lacking, is proclaimed to all people without excluding any part of the faith or any class or group of people. The adjective can be applied not only to the Church as spread throughout the world but also to each local manifestation of the Church, in each of which nothing essential is lacking for it to be the genuine body of Christ.

8D – What does “Apostolic” mean in the Nicene Creed?

The Nicene Creed adds “apostolic” to “one holy catholic…church.”
Ephesians 2:20 teaches us that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” So the apostolic office played a critical role in the founding of the Christian church.

One of the commendations of the first Christian community in Jerusalem is that “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). The apostles were selected by Jesus, taught by Jesus, observed Jesus, and promised by Jesus that the Holy Spirit would remind them of everything He had said (John 14:26). Being, then, an “apostolic” church means being faithful to the apostolic message about Jesus—who He was, what He did, what He taught. This deposit of truth is to be guarded and perpetuated by the church of all ages. “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:14).

A doctrine worth our strong embrace is grounded in apostolic teaching and broadly held throughout the orthodox Christian world. Any so-called “Bible prophecy insight” [or other peculiar doctrine] that pops up late in time within a narrow segment of the Christian community fails these tests.
–From my essay The Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church

[Note: the issue of “apostolic succession” enters this word as well, and I don’t deal with that here. Also, it is important to note that The Apostle Paul’s apostolic credentials put him on a par with “the Twelve” but did not make him one of “the Twelve.” And the word “apostles” seems to include a number of believers on whom the Holy Spirit bestowed this charismatic missionary/church-planting gift. I also don’t deal here with the question of modern apostleship, which can lead to quite a debate—and lots of problems too.]

8E – “The communion of the saints”

This confession has both horizontal and vertical aspects. Horizontally, it refers to a bond of truth and love with all Christians who live (and sometimes languish in persecution) everywhere on earth. Therefore we sense a special bond with believers everywhere. And we have a call to be of service to all believers here and elsewhere, especially those facing suffering and persecution for their faith throughout the world.

For years I have said that prayer and care for The Persecuted Church is a great omission in many missionary circles today.

Second, this confession has a vertical aspect: our thanksgiving for and union with the saints who have gone on before us into Jesus’ presence.

Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won.
– “The Church’s One Foundation” by Samuel J. Stone (1866)

The greatest hymn to sing about the church “below” and the saints “above” is, in my opinion, “For All the Saints, Who from Their Labor Rest” by William Walsham How (1864). Be sure your church sings it around “All Saints Day”!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

I conclude our examination of this topic in The Apostles’ Creed with a warning about the church in our present world.

“The Western world has changed; [it is] very quickly becoming post-Christian and radically secular. The church is no longer the chaplain for Christendom; it is now a recalcitrant resistance to the secularizing agenda.” – Michael Bird

Our calling more than ever is to be salt and light in our world, offer a radical alternative to destructive establishments and trends wherever found.

A first-century critic of Christianity had this to say when Paul’s apostolic mission team reached the City of Thessalonica: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6). It was not a compliment. But it is always a witness to be sought by the “one holy catholic and apostolic church.”[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1724954989199{background-color: #dd9933 !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Can I be a part of the universal church without joining a local congregation?

Sorry, no (rare exceptions)! That’s a false separation. You can’t obey the many biblical commands or follow biblical examples without meaningful involvement with a local body of believers that displays the “marks” of the church. It’s like wanting to be a firefighter in the City of Long Beach but then refusing assignment to one of its 24 local fire stations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Are Churches Preparing Their People for
“The Coming Distress”?

“You have not yet resisted unto blood” – Hebrews 12:4

Theologian Robert McTeigue, SJ, considers the state of the contemporary church and answers…

I’d have to say no – for a variety of reasons. First, serious talk about serious topics would work against “Father Cheerful’s” commitment to forming “a welcoming community”; trying to prepare people for martyrdom would fail to “meet people where they’re at.”

What would happen to the “Typicalians” [members of the typical lukewarm church] if they ever had to face or surmount aggressive or even kinetic persecution? What if “bird flu” suddenly makes worship a “non-essential service” again? What if a federal agency suspects that “St. Typical’s” is a hotbed of “far-right…Christian nationalist domestic terrorism”?

The dearth of sound teaching and the trivialization of worship at “St. Typical’s” will not ready anyone for [martyrdom, whatever its form]. The bodies, minds, and hearts of the “Typicalians” are, humanly speaking, unprepared to receive the graces necessary for any form of costly fidelity—whether the cost of fidelity is paid all at once in blood or paid over decades of hidden yet heroic daily duty. “Fr. Cheerful” has made clear that he will not offer the necessary preparation; the “Typicalians” have made clear that they will not receive it.

Here I can’t help but recall the observation of A. W. Tozer: “A church that can’t worship must be entertained; and people who can’t lead a church to worship must provide entertainment.” “Fr. Cheerful” [has] agreed to provide the entertainment.
– Robert McTeigue, Crisis magazine (on line), August 12, 2024

Nickolas Kristof—“Progressive” No More

As I’d read Nickolas Kristof’s columns in the NY Times I came to regard him as a “Realist Liberal.” Not merely theoretical, he’s seen the world in real time from the streets and trenches.

Now Edward Felsenthal has reflected in the NY Times (May 12, 2024) about why Kristof no longer considers himself to be a political progressive.

Felsenthal: “You write that ‘as progressivism became an ideology of the educated, it distanced itself from the people it nominally championed’ and [you] criticize what you call a progressive impulse to ‘address problems by revising terminology.’ Do you consider yourself a progressive?”

Kristof: “No…five or ten years ago I might have. But the metric of progressivism should be progress. And in the West Coast cities, where progressives have dominated policymaking, we see regress.

“And I just think we can’t blame this on Republicans. Because there aren’t any in Portland. This is our mess. We created it. Seeing the challenges in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, have made me more wary of progressivism. Outcomes are what matter. And our outcomes on the West coast cities are not good.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California.

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August 2024 Newsletter

Posted on August 2, 2024 by admin

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August 2024 Newsletter

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The Black Family Reunion

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2062″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Colbert King writes – “I am setting aside this weekend to engage in a historic ritual: a Black family reunion.

“It is a tradition that grows out of the post-emancipation era when formerly enslaved men and women sought to be reunited with family members who had been separated from them or sold away by enslavers.”

The Washington Post (Jun 29, 2024)

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George Gentry—
A Soldier of Christ and of Country

A Bronze Star for Heroic Military Service

December 8, 1967 was special for me—my 23rd birthday. Half a world away in Vietnam, that day was also significant for U.S. Army Lt. George Gentry. While leading his platoon on an assignment he was severely injured by a land mine. With wounds and paralyzed from the waist down, George was taken to several hospitals. He retired from the Army in March 1968, and later settled in So. California. During one hospitalization he met his future wife, Chris.

I became George’s pastor in 1984 at Grace Brethren Church (later to be Grace Community Church) in Seal Beach, California. George had intense passion for the men and women in the armed forces and for our missionaries around the world. Knowing that our church was in a denomination that had a tradition of military “non-combatance” (derived from, but not the same as pacifism), George asked me early on if I supported that position. He was firm. If I did, he would have to leave the church, he told me. I didn’t and so he didn’t either!

George regarded each day of life after that December 8 as a bonus gift from God. He took his service for God seriously, all along supported by Chris, who shared in his travels, church ministries, many hospitalizations and more.

His recent years saw many lengthy hospitalizations at the VA Hospital in Long Beach, California. Finally, on June 7, he departed this life at age 82, to be with the Lord he had loved and served.

Citizens of our nation must honor and never forget our veterans, especially those like George Gentry who paid a high price for their service, and those who paid the ultimate price.

[PICTURE: George is honored by U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher at a “9/11 Remembrance” sponsored by Grace Community Church of Seal Beach in 2005.]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Soon the Summer Recess Will Be Over…
What Universities Should Be Doing
What Universities Should Be Doing

Students march and rally on Columbia University campus in support of a protest encampment supporting Palestinians, despite a 2pm deadline issued by university officials to disband or face suspension, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S.,
April 29, 2024. REUTERS

1. Assure the safety and security of all on campus.
All, including Jewish students, should have access to all campus spaces (classrooms, dorms, libraries, cafeterias, extracurricular spaces). [Comments under main points are abbreviated.]

2. Clarify and enforce existing rules surrounding protest.
Provide appropriate avenues for protests and clarify consequences for those who opt to break the rules. Warn those who break the rules about next steps, including calling in civil authorities. Protests must abide by time, place, and manner restrictions and not create a hostile atmosphere.

3. University leaders and especially student-facing administrators must check in with their Jewish community on campus.
Ensure their needs are being met and concerns taken seriously and communicate with Zionist students whose Jewish identities are increasingly targeted for hostility and invectives at protests.

4. Administrators should never cede ground to protesters who break clearly-established campus rules.
Administrators must not tolerate tactics of rule-breaking, bullying, harassment and violence, or reward these protestors by treating their conduct as starting points for negotiations.

5. Administrators should communicate clearly and unequivocally about what constitutes free speech versus unlicensed disruption.
Interfering with access to campus spaces, occupying buildings, vandalism, cancellation of classes, interruption of scheduled events—all are disruptions that interfere with free speech and the free exchange of ideas.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Religious Liberty Vigilance

Weigh Church Activism Carefully
in this Politically-Charged Season

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

– Thomas Jefferson (1802) Letter to Danbury Baptists

Radical secularists like to raise “the wall of separation” against all religious activism, which is not what our founders envisioned. But the opposite extreme—churches heavily involved in politics—is not healthy either for the country or for the churches.

We are entering a political season where religious involvement will be active as never before. Some is necessary, much is permissible, little is prohibited by the Constitution. Let’s be careful. What is permissible may not be wise.

I recommend that pastors and activist lay members consider the counsel from Pastor/Theologian John Piper about patriotism in the sanctuary and pastors introducing politics into the worship experience.

The Sunday church gathering should be wonderfully and gloriously vertical in its focus. We gather to focus on God. But those gatherings can get horizontally hijacked by other good things…

If the Godward focus gets lost, Sunday becomes “man-centered” and “the vertical focus is blunted.” We need political activism, but not on Sunday morning. The Pledge of Allegiance, even American flags, do not belong in a worship service that is called to highlight the absolute allegiance that we have to Jesus.

– John Piper, Theocracy, Igniting Revolutions, and Patriotism in the Church
June 29, 2024

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“Idolatry” – Have we crafted an idol?

And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods
[or: “This is your god”], O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’”

– Exodus 32:7-8 (ESV)

“Idolatry” comes in several flavors. Here’s a common one: “Idolatry is our attempt to fashion the god we would like to see, rather than seeing God as he has revealed himself, whom we should honor and accept and, as appropriate , strive to exemplify.”

Fashioning a god to suit ourselves was Israel’s sin when it made the golden calf. They were not turning to other gods.They tried to fashion God into an image of their own making, which they could relate to more easily.

I was listening to a Christian contemporary music station recently. Now, listening to the music isn’t wrong. In fact, it can be quite uplifting and edifying (sometimes not!). But the chatter between songs can become tedious to listen to (like the guest singer you bring to your church who rambles on between songs). Worse than tedious, the host can speak nonsense or even heresy.

On this occasion the radio host used many words to say something like this: “I saw a painting of Jesus holding a little child who pinched his nose, and Jesus laughed and laughed. Now, that’s the kind of Jesus I can believe in.”

Now Jesus probably was a guy who could be humored, just as he could be sorrowful or angry. But the biblical revelation doesn’t present the humor.

Better to repent of this idolatry and look at the Bible’s depictions. Better to see Jesus weeping than laughing. I’m glad English translators emphasized “Jesus wept” by making these words the Bible’s shortest verse (John 11:35). Jesus deeply empathizes with our sorrows, as the Gospel song says: “He took my sins and my sorrows and made them his very own.” Paint him that way!

Don’t create an image of God; let’s BE God’s likeness (Ephesians 4:24+).

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 7)

I believe in the Holy Spirit
“Without the Holy Spirit, God is distant, Christ is in the past, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is simply an organization, authority is domination, mission is propaganda, worship is the summoning of spirits, and Christian action is the morality of slaves.”

– Ignatius Hazim, Patriarch of Antioch

We come now to the third and final section of The Apostles’ Creed. The first section centered on God the Father; the second on Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
The third section has only ONE STATEMENT on the Holy Spirit before moving on to other topics—topics not unrelated to the Holy Spirit, but not focused on him either.

How much of the Latin Creed is devoted to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
God the Father – 9 words
Jesus Christ, God’s Son – 51 words
The Holy Spirit – 4 words, out of 16 in the third section

“Credo in Spiritum Sanctum”

7A – Does the Creed minimize the person and work of the Holy Spirit?

Yes and no. Certainly, it might make it easier for us to pass quickly over the Spirit in our minds. Lots of Christians have done this, sometimes from sheer negligence or from fear because we think the Holy Spirit is overplayed in some churches and movements—and that’s not an unfounded fear.

But the way to respond to this fear is not to minimize the Spirit but to teach on the Spirit correctly, that we might then experience the Spirit genuinely. Are some congregations fearful of what might happen if the Holy Spirit ever got “loose” in its midst? We’d rather play it safe and keep the Dove in a cage!

7B – The Holy Spirit’s primary ministry is to direct us to Jesus Christ.

“When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth… He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
– Jesus (John 16:12-15)

“No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

Of course, we can “mouth” the confession “Jesus is Lord” without the Spirit. Jesus himself said many will say “Lord, Lord” and not know him (Matthew 7:21-23). But a genuine, heart-felt confession/commitment to the Lordship of Christ, including in my opinion embracing Jesus’ deity, is only possible by the unction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

NOTE: In 1 Corinthians 12:3 the confession “Jesus is Lord” is set against the absolute denial of Jesus’ Lordship—“anáthema Iēsous,” which is definitely not by the Holy Spirit. It is possible this can be seen in the context of persecution, where one who claims to be a follower of Jesus is called on to curse him. The curse can’t be by the Spirit, nor is the confession “Caesar is Lord” of the Sprit. But the confession “Kúrios Iēsous” in the face of persecution is definitely of the Holy Spirit (see Mark 13:11). It is hard for modern Christians who enjoy religious liberty and free speech to grasp how significant this confession induced by the Spirit would be in a world where Caesar is Jesus’ arch-competitor.

For a discussion of confessing or cursing Jesus in a persecution context: Oscar Cullmann, The Christology of the New Testament, chapter 7, especially pages 215-22.

I also note that this confession is at the introduction to the Apostle Paul’s very lengthy teaching on charismatic gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14). Being Spirit-filled is not proven by some kind of rapturous display—even pagans can do that, Paul says! No, the Spirit’s empowerment is evidenced by a credible, mindful conviction and confession that “Jesus is Lord.” See the opening three verses of 1 Corinthians 12 for this.

Since the Spirit is in the world to draw people to Jesus, it is fitting that the Creed devotes so much space to highlighting Jesus. In my mind, this doesn’t mean overlooking the Spirit. It means responding to the ministry of the Spirit.

“Where Christ is prominent, the Spirit is at work.
Where the Spirit is prominent, he is not being allowed to do his work.”

To put it another way, the Christ-filled church (the church where Jesus is highlighted and worshipped, taught and served) is the truly Spirit-filled church, whether that church be Pentecostal or not, Charismatic or not.

Ponder the parallel between the very well-known Ephesians 5:18 and the lesser known Colossians 3:16:

“Be filled with the Spirit” – Ephesians 5:18
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” – Colossians 3:16

I suggest: to be filled with the Spirit and to have the word (message) of Christ dwelling in us richly are essentially the same thing. Read the contexts.
The Apostles’ Creed is “right on” with its emphasis on Jesus!

7C – How does the Nicene Creed (381 AD) expand teaching on the Holy Spirit beyond the four words of The Apostles Creed?

The Nicene Creed is important is that it is the only creed proclaimed throughout the Christian world. Here are its clear words about the Spirit:

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.

7D – What was the “filioque” controversy?

The Latin text of the Nicene Creed (as recited in Western churches) says: qui ex Patre Filioque [“and the son”] procedit. Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father alone, or “from the Father and the Son”? Here is what Jesus said:

“When the counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the spirit of truth who goes out from the Father [qui a Patre procedit—Latin Vulgate], he will testify about me.” – John 15:26-27

So, Scripture is explicit that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. But from the Son also? The Spirit is sent by Jesus according to verse 26. And John 14:15 (NIV) tells us Jesus “will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor…the Spirit of truth.” Furthermore, Revelation 22:1 depicts the “water of life” flowing “from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

It seems to me that the Spirit proceeds from the Father in a direct sense, and proceeds from the Son in a supportive sense. But the explicit teaching of scripture establishes that the Spirit proceeded from the Father.

If you wonder why this issue (over one word in Latin) should split Christianity into East and West in 1056 AD, you wonder with me. But, as is typical in all church splits, there is more to it than what lies on the surface.

The surface issue: Should the phrase “and the son” be in the Creed?

The much bigger underlying issue: The question of where authority ought to reside in the church under the ultimate rule of Christ.

Here is a very brief summary of the controversy:
• The word “filioque” was NOT in the Nicene Creed of 381 AD.
• From the 6th Century on, many Latin (Western) liturgies added the phrase.
• In 1014 the pope approved adding “and the son” into the liturgy of Rome but this was rejected by Eastern Christianity.
• The phrase was an issue in the East/West division of Christianity in 1054 AD.

As I see it, the fundamental issue was the question: ”Who has the right to change the Nicene Creed?” The Eastern Churches insisted that a decision by an ecumenical council could only be altered by another ecumenical council. Nothing or no one else had the authority to do so, not even the pope.

Beyond this, some thought that leaving out the phrase diminished the position of God the Son. Others thought that including the phrase diminished the position of God the Father.

Very frankly, I have trouble making an issue over the “filioque” clause. Proper teaching can present the roles of God the Father and God the Son appropriately. The Nicene Creed is correct with or without the clause.

Am I missing something or being simplistic or in error on this? Your input to me is welcome. I’ve tried to think of an analogy. A newborn “proceeds” from the mother and father, but not in the same way. The father “issues forth” the seed; the mother “issues forth” the ovum and the newborn “proceeds from” her womb. The two “proceedings” seem to be on two different planes. But if we must pick one, I’d say the newborn “proceeds from” the mother.

7E – What are the key ministries of the Holy Spirit?

Rather than giving lengthy points, I simply pass on six important ministries of the Holy Spirit, the first four coming from Dr. James Packer. The Holy Spirit:

1. Convinces us of the truth of the Gospel
2. Assures us we are God’s children (Romans 8:16)
3. Moves us to bear witness to Christ
4. Bestows one or more spiritual (charismatic) gifts on every Christian
5. Intercedes for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27)
6. Will someday give life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11)

The Spirit also must guide and fill our worship services, empowering us to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs from our hearts (Ephesians 5:18-20).

I fear that today’s trend toward technology, professionalism and showiness in worship can quench the Holy Spirit and make his presence superfluous.
What difference would it make in our worship time if the Holy Spirit didn’t show up at church next Sunday?

7F – What must I “do” to receive the Holy Spirit?

The first thing to do is toss away all the lists of things you may have tried that tell you what you must do to receive (or be filled with) the Holy Spirit, whether it is Kenneth Copeland’s seven points, Oral Robert’s four points, Campus Crusade’s four points, John Walvoord’s three points, Don Basham’s breathing exercises, or any others.

The second thing to do is read what Peter told the convicted crowd on the Day of Pentecost (the bold is mine, not Luke’s or Peter’s):

Now when they heard this [Peter’s message about Jesus—his death, resurrection and exaltation—read Acts 2:22-36] they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

(1) Repentance (a “change of heart” about our sin and our rejection of Jesus) and (2) water baptism—these are the two “steps” Peter told the crowd of seekers to “do.” “Do” is in quotes because ultimately repentance and baptism are not works we do but rather God’s works in us and for us.

Baptism is better understood as the visible sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit rather than its effective cause. We see this from Acts 10:44-48, where the gift of the Holy Spirit preceded the gift of baptism. As I see it, the gift of the Spirit is not bestowed through baptism nor is it to be separated from baptism. Check it out in the New Testament, which is always a good thing to do. And remember this: “The idea of an unbaptized believer does not seem to be entertained in the New Testament” (F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, p. 70).

“The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in the world, and especially in the church.”
“The Holy Spirit gives stronger or weaker evidence of the presence and
blessing of God, according to our response to him.”
“The Holy Spirit’s influence will be to bring a Godlike character or atmosphere
to the situations in which he is active.” – Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

Holy Sprit, ever living as the Church’s very life;
Holy Spirit, ever striving through us in a ceaseless strife;
Holy Spirit, ever forming in the Church the mind of Christ;
You we praise with endless worship for your fruits and gifts unpriced.

– Timothy Rees (1921)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] An Unexpected
Dinner Guest

As my wife and I dined at a popular restaurant in Old Town Seal Beach we realized we had a surprise guest at our table!

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California.

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