“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
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
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.
© 2025 Donald Shoemaker