January 2023 Newsletter

Posted on January 3, 2023 by admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”949″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”“A Piece of My Mind”” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:50px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”January 2023 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

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

A Scripture to Start the New Year

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

– Proverbs 3:1-6 ESV

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Message of the Month

My “Thorn in the Flesh”

“…in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me,
‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

– The Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 NIV)

It happened in the middle of the night in the fall of 1955. I still remember hearing my father’s painful groans. Our doctor quickly came to our home to examine him. Likely a kidney stone. The doctor sent him to the hospital.

My dad lay in the hospital for days and days at $8 a day. Finally he had surgery. His kidney was so damaged that it was removed along with the stone. Again he lay in the hospital for days, it seemed. When at last he went home it was for a long, slow recovery. I remember the long scar over his hip.

His remaining kidney eventually failed and he died of renal failure in 1972.

A year after my father’s episode my mother had a stone attack in the middle of the night, almost a carbon copy of my father’s incident. She too had surgery and a long scar but did not lose a kidney.

So my odds were not good. My first stone attack came in my early 30’s with a pain second to none. I passed it later that day in the hospital while being
X-rayed. The second stone came painfully two years later. Since then I’ve had several. Some by surprise with no pain; some with moderate pain.

In the 1980’s I heard about a new process called lithotripsy—the use of shock waves to knock a stone apart, allowing it to pass without surgery. I was carrying a stone, so I got on the list. I was glad for total anesthesia, because I learned right before the procedure that they put you in a sling wearing only the clothes you were born with. They moved you across the room in plain view and lowered you into a tank full of water.

He flew through the air with the greatest of ease,
The naked young man on the flying trapeze.

The doctor put your kidney in the crosshairs of two screens and fired surely the world’s largest spark plug hundreds of times till the stone broke up. The next day you felt like a horse had kicked you, but it beat surgery and a scar.

It’s all very different now. Last year and last month I had lithotripsy twice. You are wheeled into the procedure room and you scoot over onto a special cot. And that’s all I remember. The stone fragments (and there were many, like sand) pass over the next few days. I did have to go to the emergency room once because of pain. One stone I passed was 3/16” (4.76 mm). Rather large, I thought, to go down such a small tube.

And O yes, I prayed during the times of discomfort. I prayed a lot. “Lord, take this thorn away from me.” So far the Lord has been silent, though the “thorn” did pass. Paul’s word about God’s strength showing through us when we are weak bears remembering along with God’s assurance, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

The Apostle Paul didn’t precisely identify his “thorn” and that makes the scripture mean more for us. Assuming it wasn’t a literal “thorn,” Paul spoke about a messenger from Satan who afflicted him.

Some people are “thorns in the flesh” to put it milder than the metaphor of being a pain in another body part.

Are you facing down a thorn in the flesh?

Has God removed it in answer to prayer or is he ministering sufficient grace to you, to enable you to bear it?

Has it been a channel for God’s power to be experienced and seen in ways that would not have happened, had we been spared the pain?[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”1881″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]

Every Business Needs a Prophet
Biblical Values in the Workplace

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“Hell Hath No Fury Like a Jilted Widow Seeking Justice”

(About the Duty of Those Who Serve the Public)

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” [“…otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” – New American Standard]

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”
– Luke 18:1-8 NIV

Jesus’ point is that God is not like that judge. He doesn’t have to be pestered. Justice is his middle name and he stands ready to render it (see James 5:1-9).

The justice implications of this story for today have not been well explored.

Jesus called the judge “unjust” because he dragged his feet in doing what his position required. He only thought of himself. Now I want to apply this to how businesses ought to be responsive to their customers in our modern era. I don’t think I’m taking undue liberties with the text.

This past Fall I tried to process a matter with a reputable company that handles some of my retirement accounts. It was not a complex issue.

First I encountered long waits on the “customer service” line that made the phrase an oxymoron. If a company has to say over and over, “Due to an unusually high volume of calls…,” then its time to add more lines and people to answer them. If a company says, “Your call is important to us,” then it should answer the call within ten minutes or the call ISN’T important to them.

Then, after a 40-minute wait on the fifth try a representative answered. He said he would email me several documents that would handle my issue. Then the call was lost. When I got the documents (6) I saw they were all wrong and of no use. On his email he was identified as a temporary “contract employee” so he apparently did not know his work very well. Not good for the company.

I called the company’s local office, which had been helpful in the past. But now their number just connects you to the dreaded “customer service.”

This now called for “The Penpoint Solution”! I needed to write two letters.

The first letter went “To Whom It May Concern” at the local office of this company. I briefly explained my issue and problems. Within a few short days I was contacted by a local rep who sent the forms I needed. I returned them, she reviewed them and submitted them. All is solved!

My second letter, as is my custom, was written to the company CEO. I knew he wouldn’t see it, but it might get “kicked down” to one who would see it and act. I prefer this over a “bottom-up” approach, and I often get good results.

I commended the company’s local rep. I expressed my frustration over the “your call is important to us” system and the rep who sent the wrong stuff. “I do not commend the poor customer service I had while trying to work with your phone-in system. You seriously need to improve this. Thank you for considering my concern.”

That yet awaits a response. I hope this company will no longer be “unjust” like the ruler who avoided helping his constituents. “Every Business Needs a Prophet” and all need to ponder how Jesus’ story about unjust treatment of constituents could implicate them.

We Need More Like “Good King Wenceslas”

Here’s a post-Christmas Carol we rarely sing. It’s about a good king, very different from the “unjust judge” of Luke 18. He used his position of authority to render a gracious act of kindness to a needy subject in his realm. “The Feast of Stephen” puts the song on “The 2nd day of Christmas.”

“King Wenceslas” actually was a 10th century Duke of Bohemia. The nineteenth century author of the carol was John Mason Neale and the tune “Tempus adest floridum” dates to the 13th century.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Good King Wenceslas looked out,
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night,
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
Gath’ring winter fuel.

‘Hither, page, and stand by me,
If thou know’st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?’
‘Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence,
By Saint Agnes’ fountain.’

‘Bring me food and bring me wine,
Bring me pine logs hither,
Thou and I will see him dine,
When we bear them thither.'[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Page and monarch forth they went,
Forth they went together,
Through the cold wind’s wild lament,
And the bitter weather.

‘Sire, the night is darker now,
And the wind blows stronger,
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.’
‘Mark my footsteps, my good page,
Tread thou in them boldly,
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage,
Freeze thy blood less coldly.’

In his master’s steps he trod,
Where the snow lay dinted,
Heat was in the very sod,
Which the Saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor,
Shall yourselves find blessing.[/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 –

“I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from inter meddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises.”
– Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Miller, 1808

UPDATE: Religious Freedom and The “Respect for Marriage Act”

With great fanfare President Biden signed the “Respect for Marriage” act on December 13, 2022.

Simply put, here’s what the “Respect for Marriage Act” [RMA] does:

• Repeals the “Defense of Marriage Act” (1996), which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The Supreme Court had already nullified it.
• Requires states to recognize same-sex marriages that were solemnized in other states. (It does not require states to allow same-sex marriages.)
• Gives the Department of Justice the right to take civil action and give “harmed” individuals the right of private action when a violation of RMA is perceived to have occurred.
• Recognizes a marriage “between two individuals” if it is valid in the state where it occurred. Polygamous marriage is clearly not recognized.
• As amended by the Senate it specifies that RMA does not impact religious liberty or conscience. “Nothing in this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed to diminish or abrogate a religious liberty or conscience protection otherwise available to an individual or organization under the Constitution of the United States or Federal law.”
• As amended it specifies that non-profit religious organizations [with a list of examples] including faith-based social agencies and educational institutions are not required to provide any services or goods for the purpose of solemnizing or celebrating a marriage and cannot be subject to any civil claim or cause of action.

My observations after December 13, when the bill was signed into law:

1. One who has followed the religious freedom assurances in this new law (as I have) would think something entirely different was signed on December 13 the way the news media reported on the signing ceremony.

News coverage and politicians either ignored the religious freedom protections (Section 6), or gave a token word about them. To say no clergy will be forced to perform a same-sex marriage is to convey a protection in search of a problem. Except for an extremist fringe (personified in Beto O’Rourke of Texas), no one has called for forcing clergy to perform a marriage. Such abuse of power would never stand the scrutiny of the First Amendment.

Likewise, the need to protect interracial marriage by this legislation is, in today’s America, another protection in search of a problem.

2. I heard comments about the need now to push for new legislation—specifically, the “Equality Act.” With its repudiation of religious liberty protection, the “Equality Act” would be a disaster for religious freedom.

3. Only the naïve would think RMA is the last word on polygamous marriage.

4. The Supreme Court’s “Obergefell v. Hodges” decision (2015) set up a potential conflict between LGBTQ+ rights and First Amendment religious freedom rights. Language in RMA somewhat removes this potential conflict.

Without the “Religious Liberty and Conscience” exemptions RMA would be flawed by its one-sidedness. I previously decided I would without great enthusiasm support RMA because of the religious liberty amendment which, though incomplete, preserves the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and is needed. (“Support without great enthusiasm” is a far cry from giving it an “endorsement.”)

5. Please note the position statement on RMA by the National Association of Evangelicals (an appendix at the end of this newsletter).

For comments of support of RMA by the Mormon Church see: https://www.deseret.com/2022/11/28/23482594/respect-for-marriage-act-religious-freedom-latter-day-saints

“Roe v. Wade” Would Have Been 50 This Month!

When “Roe v. Wade” reached its 25-year mark in January 1998 I wrote the following opinion piece. It was published as an op-ed in the Long Beach (CA) Press-Telegram on January 22, 1998, the 25th anniversary of the day the Supreme Court rendered its decision.

Of course, “Roe” didn’t survive to reach its 50th birthday. It was reversed by the court in its “Dobbs v. Jackson” decision of June 24, 2022. Decisions about abortion were returned to the several states where they belong. The court rejected the claim that abortion rights were rooted in a “right to privacy” to be discerned in the U.S. Constitution’s “penumbra.”

As you read this op-ed, think about how relevant its statements continue to be. Or are they outmoded and now replaced by—what?

Does not my comment about the continuing debate even today still resonate?
“Rather than resolving the great debate, Roe v. Wade fueled the most acrimonious polarization of our time which shows no signs of abating.”

Roe v. Wade at 25 – Abortion Debate Still Rages

By Donald P. Shoemaker
Senior Pastor, Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, California
Chairman, Social Concerns Committee, Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches

My aunt and uncle live in a fine Southern California retirement community. During a recent visit I was taken by my uncle on a tour of the community’s nearly completed state-of-the-art facility for Alzheimer’s patients.

We looked inside one room that would soon house a patient. There was no mirror in the bathroom for there is no need for a mirror. The patient who would eventually stay there has no awareness of who he or she is.

Relatives of the patients will be able to visit with them in a comfortable sitting area. But there will be no depth of communication, for the Alzheimer’s patient no longer has a capacity for an “I-Thou” relationship.

As this disease takes its toll, connection with the past and present is lost. All sense of futurity is gone.

When my uncle and I tried to leave we had a problem. There was no way to open the facility’s door from the inside without knowing a special code. This is needed because Alzheimer’s patients no longer have a sense of “here” or “there” and must be protected in their movements lest they wander aimlessly and into danger. We located a worker who could let us out.

The best of care will be provided for these dependent patients. And so it should be, for the spark of human dignity remains in them. As Christian teaching would affirm, they yet retain, in spite of their physical brokenness, the Image of God.

Since my visit to that care facility I have often thought of the issue of “personhood” and how a debate on human personhood and abortion has raged for three decades since permissive abortion laws were first put on the books in the 1960’s. Originally designed for “those truly tough cases,” the laws triggered an abortion avalanche and were themselves swept away by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision 25 years ago today.

“Right to Life” advocates have argued for a genetic understanding of personhood. Human life, it is said, begins at conception and ought to be respected and protected from violent assault from then until natural death. Personhood is tied to the biological fact of being human, one of “us” rather than an “it” or one of “them.” Right to Life advocates have argued for the full person of unborn humans or at least that enough claim to personhood exists for the life of the unborn to be worthy of protection.

Others have seen personhood as a developing value throughout the prenatal state. In this case, our unborn have a greater and greater claim to life and protection and any termination of their existence requires increasing grounds for justification the longer they exist in utero. As a result, these people join with the “Right to Life” advocates in wanting to ban late-term abortions, especially the gruesome and barbaric “partial birth” (dilation and extraction) procedure.

Defenders of permissive abortion laws, of course, do not see matters that way. Personhood is connected to socializing capabilities, or perhaps to intellectual capacities.

Philosopher Mary Ann Warren has argued that there are five traits central to the concept of personhood which we can summarize as (1) consciousness, (2) reasoning, (3) self-motivated activity, (4) the capacity to communicate and (5) the presence of self-concepts and self-awareness. Not all of these need be present for a “person” to exist, but a measure of them must exist and a being that lacks all of them is certainly not a “person” in a moral sense.

The late medical ethicist Joseph Fletcher had a long list of personhood criteria, including self-awareness, time consciousness, a sense of futurity, a sense of the past, the capability of relating to others, communication and control of existence.

Criteria like these clearly exclude the unborn from the realm of “persons.” Abortion can be endorsed as an acceptable moral practice secured, as the Court saw it, by a “right to privacy” implicit in the U.S. Constitution.

What may surprise others but which certainly does not escape the notice of thinkers like these is that infants aren’t “persons” by this standard either. Nor are the comatose and others who lack self-awareness and self-control. Infants lack a moral claim to personhood and therefore are disposable, although we may value them for their potential and charm or for other utilitarian reasons.

As the issue of human cloning rises on the scientific and ethical horizon, a justification could be made for cloning human life and harvesting body parts to serve the rest of us who have successfully achieved our personhood, at least in the eyes of those who control things.

Which brings me full circle to the excellent care facility for Alzheimer’s patients. By the thinking that has prevailed to give us abortion, these patients are not persons. Unlike the unborn, their futurity and their social and intellectual potential are gone. As their disease has progressed, they have gradually but surely lost all claim to the care and love and protection personhood would afford.

In Roe v. Wade, the court threw up its hands and professed agnosticism on the issue of when personhood begins. Incredibly, it then proceeded to adopt a particular view of personhood (you have value at birth) and imposed a model of prenatal “trimesters” and a latitude which, in effect, have given us abortion on demand. The court never allowed the open public debate and legislative deliberation on this issue that is appropriate in a free and democratic society.

When the Supreme Court ruled on doctor-assisted suicide last summer, this practice did not receive the constitutional “green light” its advocates had hoped for. One might have expected the court to declare a right to assisted suicide on the same “right to privacy” grounds that gave us abortion on demand. But the court saw the need to guarantee “an earnest and profound debate about the morality, legality and practicality of physician-assisted suicide [that should take place] in a democratic society.”

That statement may be the closest thing we will hear from the court that sounds like an apology for Roe v. Wade. Rather than resolving the great debate, Roe v. Wade fueled the most acrimonious polarization of our time which shows no signs of abating.

My aunt passed away in October 1998 and my uncle passed in January 2006. They are interred in Arlington National Cemetery, where I was honored to officiate at his military funeral.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1672774688935{background-color: #c6956f !important;border-radius: 5px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]More from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks…
Campus Intolerance vs. the Collaborative Pursuit of Truth

“[My year at Oxford University] was a glorious experience, thrilling, bracing, mind-expanding. I discovered that university was a place where you listened respectfully to views radically opposed to your own, in the knowledge that others would listen respectfully to yours.”

“Since then, university campuses throughout the West have become places of swirling intolerance of a kind I never thought I would see in my lifetime.”

“A cluster of concepts that has invaded Western university campuses [his examples: micro-aggressions, safe spaces and banning of speakers] has had the cumulative effect of putting at risk academic freedom and the role of the university as the arena of intellectual diversity, reasoned argument, civil debate, respectful listening, and the collaborative pursuit of truth.”

– Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Morality—Restoring the Common Good in Divided times (Basic Books, 2020), from pages 169-74[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Maturity in Christ
By Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

[W]e should speak of the “measure of the fullness of Christ,” to which we are called to reach in order to be true adults in the faith. We should not remain infants in faith, in a state of minority. And what does it mean to be an infant in faith? Saint Paul answers: it means “tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery” (Ephesians 4:14). This description is very relevant today!

How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking… The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves – thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error.

…[R]elativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and “swept along by every wind of teaching,” looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today’s standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.

However, we have a different goal: the Son of God, true man. He is the measure of true humanism. Being an “Adult” means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today’s fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature. It is this friendship which opens us up to all that is good and gives us the knowledge to judge true from false, and deceit from truth.

…At the hour in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus transformed our rebellious human will into a will shaped and united to the divine will. He suffered the whole experience of our autonomy – and precisely bringing our will into the hands of God, he gave us true freedom: “Not my will, but your will be done.” In this communion of wills our redemption takes place: being friends of Jesus to become friends of God. How much more we love Jesus, how much more we know him, how much more our true freedom grows as well as our joy in being redeemed.

Thank you, Jesus, for your friendship!

Excerpts from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’ homily on the opening day (April 18, 2005) of the Conclave that would elect the next pope following the death of Pope John Paul II. Cardinal Ratzinger, who died December 31, would be elected the following day and become Pope Benedict XVI.

APPENDIX: The Position of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) on the Respect for Marriage Act

The Position of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) believes God designed marriage as an exclusive covenantal relationship between a man and a woman. We cherish the freedom to preach, teach and practice these core convictions, while respecting our fellow citizens who do not share these beliefs. For this reason, we welcome the religious liberty protections in the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA).

The NAE does not agree with the understanding of marriage expressed in this bill. But precisely because our beliefs are not shared by many of our fellow Americans, we welcome the additional protections that Congress provided in this bill for those who do hold traditional beliefs about marriage.

Some of the religious freedom provisions in the bill include:
• Congress finds traditional beliefs about marriage are reasonable and deserve respect. Congress for the first time has declared, on a bipartisan basis, that “[d]iverse beliefs about the role of gender in marriage are held by reasonable and sincere people based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises. Therefore, Congress affirms that such people and their diverse beliefs are due proper respect.” This reduces any threat to the tax-exempt status of religious organizations with the Internal Revenue Service. There is no basis in this bill for a national policy equating support for traditional marriage with racism or bigotry.
• Existing religious freedom protections are reinforced. The bill acknowledges the existing constitutional and statutory protections for religious freedom, and none are diminished by this act. This includes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which some in Congress have worked to diminish in scope, as well as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
• New protection for religious schools and nonprofits. The bill expressly provides that religious nonprofits and their employees “shall not be required to provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges for the solemnization or celebration of a marriage.” These organizations and persons also cannot be sued for exercising this right.

Since the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision in 2015, same-sex marriage has been legal in all 50 states as well as in all U.S. territories. The Respect for Marriage Act does not change that. In the unlikely event that the Supreme Court were to overturn Obergefell, the RMA would require states to continue recognizing same-sex marriages licensed in other states, but it would not require any state to issue same-sex marriage licenses. The significant change with the RMA is that religious organizations receive the religious freedom protections outlined above.

These freedoms were not contained in the original version of the RMA passed by the House of Representatives in July 2022, nor were they in the initial Senate version. We issued a statement reaffirming our convictions about marriage and the need for robust religious freedom protection in any legislation. Several senators negotiated the additional provisions that became part of the final bill including, notably, Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Rob Portman (R-OH), with the support of the bill’s chief sponsors, Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

The NAE will continue to support efforts that strengthen religious freedom protections for all people. The bipartisan process leading to the inclusion of religious freedom protection in this bill demonstrates that, despite deep and significant disagreements, advocates of religious and LGBTQ rights can work together to reduce hostility between our communities. This opens new doors to respectful relationships and a more winsome gospel witness and ministry with all our neighbors.

December 9, 2022

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for over 56 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

December 2022 Newsletter

Posted on December 1, 2022 by admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”949″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”“A Piece of My Mind”” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:50px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”December 2022 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Mary and Elizabeth

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.

– Mary’s Song “The Magnificat” (Luke 1: 46-50 KJV)

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M“O Come Let Us Adore Him!”

F– Worship at the Birth of Jesus
(10th and Final Essay on Worship for 2022)

“Pastor Don, why doesn’t our church have a Christmas Eve service?”

“I’m always trying to come up with new ideas but I have two problems. One, half my ideas are no good. Two, I don’t know which half!” I shared this thought several times over the years with church leadership and a couple of times in sermons.

So it was with Christmas Eve services for many years. “Pastor Don, why doesn’t our church have a Christmas Eve service? I’d really like to spend this time with my own church family!” – from a High School girl, devout and active in our church. My standard answer drawn, I thought, from many years of experience: “Our church just isn’t much into special services.”

But one year I finally gave it a try and we had our first Christmas Eve service.
The church was absolutely packed, which for us would be over 300. Good riddance to my wrong idea about Christmas Eve services! Since then, we’ve increased to two and then three services.

People really love to sing at Christmas time. They really, really love to sing traditional Christmas Carols. They want to hear familiar biblical stories about the birth of Jesus. Visitors will come and come. Now I know! Christmas Eve and Easter are the two times we can still draw visitors with relative ease, even in the highly-secular communities where many of us live.

Here are some pointers for having a fine Christmas Eve experience:

1. Plan the service(s) with visitors foremost in your mind. No “in house” or unexplained terms about Christmas (like “The Incarnation”). If you focus on visitors, members will benefit too. But the opposite isn’t true.
2. Advertise as would be reasonable in your locale (our small community has a newspaper everyone gets, and I preferred a large ad in it). But remember that personal invitation by church members is the best way to bring in visitors—tried, tested, proven.
3. Keep the service under an hour. Too much of a good thing can ruin it. Better to have people wish they had sung more than wish they had gotten out sooner. Remember, it’s a busy season for many.
4. Separate the services by enough time for people to fellowship, for the worship area to be tidied up, and for parking to “turn over.” I’d recommend a one-hour break, but half an hour might work.
5. I have no opinion on whether afternoon or evening service times are better, or a mix of the two. This is a bigger issue if you have only one service.
6. Have the worship location abundantly decorated for Christmas, indoors and out. Clear and prominent signage on childcare, restrooms, worship area.
7. Sing the familiar, traditional Christmas Carols and do it with simplicity, not with a lot of flourishes or anything else that would stifle singing.
8. Don’t sing the carols in isolation from one another, but tie them in with the Christmas stories of the Bible through appropriate scripture readings.
9. Have special music, but be sure to make it impactful. Use the best talent the church has to offer. Don’t overdo it.
10. If someone can do it skillfully, have a Children’s Story with the children down front. But make it brief and interesting to the kids (the adults will love it too). If you can’t do these with ease, leave it out.
11. Soft sell the church to visitors through brief, excellent announcements and a table display. Visitors are not a captive audience. Make them feel welcome but not on the spot. Make them want to come back.
12. Don’t take an offering or, if you do, make it specific to some special seasonal ministry of care.
13. Share the Gospel in a simple, brief sermon, drawn from the biblical stories of the birth of Jesus. Invite a heart-response. But no tricks or “come forward” invitations.
14. I’m ambivalent about having everyone holding a lit candle. Check fire regulations. You can’t be too careful.
15. If you have multiple services, treat each service and those present as if it’s the only service you are having. Never refer back to a previous one.
16. Serve some hot Wassail outside after the service. The tavern next door to our church often would prepare it for us for free (and not spiked)!
17. One idea if you have multiple services: schedule one as late evening (11:00) and serve Communion at it (and see how it goes).
18. Sadly, have more-than-adequate security for the services.

If, as this year, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, have just one service (space permitting) and include all groups and ages in it. Limit it to one hour. Consider the wisdom of whether to make it identical to the Christmas Eve services. And don’t forget—lots of Christmas Carols and scripture readings.

Christmas celebration can continue into January if Epiphany Sunday (January 8 next year) is observed. It is based on the visit of the Magi (Matthew 2).

Songs We Learn from the Stories of Jesus’ Birth

One reason the Christmas Stories induce worship is that they introduce us to God’s Holy Spirit—an essential power in genuine Christian worship.

The Holy Spirit’s presence and power enable robust, sincere singing from our hearts. A mark of the truly Spirit-filled church is its heart-felt singing to God.
“Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18-19)

No surprise, then, that the Holy Spirit inspired four songs that have become vital features of Christmas worship. And no surprise that the Gospel of Luke, which lets us know that the coming of Christ brings the era of the Holy Spirit, would have these songs for us. We know them by titles that come from the first word(s) of their text as found in the Latin Bible.

1. The “Magnificat” – Mary’s Song (Luke 1:46-55)

Mary’s Song emerges from a marvelous encounter between two, no—make that four, persons: (1) the Virgin Mary herself, (2) her relative Elizabeth, (3) Elizabeth’s unborn son John, and (4) Mary’s unborn son Jesus (1:39-45).

After Elizabeth blessed her (“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord said to her will be accomplished!”), Mary exclaimed:

• She, Mary, would be honored by God for her humble obedience (46-49). All generations will call her “Blessed.” The reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) said of Mary, “She deserves to be called blessed, for God has accorded her a singular distinction, to prepare his son for the world, in whom she was spiritually reborn.”
• Her son will turn the world’s values upside down (50-53). He will give mercy to those who fear him, but dismantle the proud and powerful. Mary’s words, a standing challenge to our errant status quo, should mold our understanding of God’s will for his world more than they do.
• God will remember his promises to his people and be their help (54-55).

2. The “Benedictus” – Zechariah’s Song (Luke 1:67-79)

The Christmas Story actually begins with the story of an old man named Zechariah, a priest of God favored to be the father of “John the Baptist.”
Read the fine accounts in Luke 1 of Zechariah, his wife Elizabeth, and John.

On the day baby John was circumcised (the 8th day), Zechariah brought forth the Spirit-induced song known as the “Benedictus.”

• Jesus will bring us deliverance from our spiritual enemies and enable us to delight in doing the will of God (68-75).
• John will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord (in the person of Jesus) and will bring them the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins (76-79).

3. The “Gloria” – The Angels’ Song (Luke 2:13-14)

An angel appeared to shepherd in the fields watching their flocks at night and relayed the “good news” that the Savior was born in Bethlehem that very day. “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (2:8-12).
A great company of the heavenly host suddenly appeared with the angel, praising God and saying the word of the “Gloria” (verse 14).

• Praise to God.
• Peace to all on whom God’s favor rests. “Goodwill to men” (King James Version) is most familiar. But the words are not universal. Not everyone accepts God’s grace, so not all enjoy the peace that grace renders. “Peace” follows “grace” often in the New Testament.

4. The “Nunc Dimittus” – Simeon’s Song (Luke 2:29-31)

Fast forward to eight days after Jesus’ birth, when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised. A godly Spirit-led man named Simeon had been assured by the Spirit that he would see “the Lord’s Christ” before he died. Embracing the baby Jesus in his arms, he exclaimed:

• He could now “depart in peace” for he had seen God’s salvation.
• The child will be a blessing to all people—a light of truth to Gentiles and glory to Israel.

Songs we’ve come to love that grew from the Christmas Stories

Handel’s “Messiah” tells many parts of the Christmas story. Much of it draws from texts in the Old Testament, especially from the Prophet Isaiah. I find two choruses clearly drawn from the New Testament:

• “Glory to God” (the angelic chorus of Luke 2:14). This majestic and hard-to-sing chorus follows four recitatives that sing of the appearances of the angel of the Lord and of the company of angels (2:8-13).

• “Behold the Lamb of God” rises from the cry of John the Baptist when he saw Jesus approaching to be baptized (John 1:19).

We enjoy singing many traditional Christmas Carols that link to “The Story” (several of these can fit into multiple categories):

• Mary’s Visit by the Angel and Her Song(Luke 1:26-56)
“To a Virgin Meek and Mild”
“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”

• Zechariah’s Song (Luke 1:67-79)
“Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus”
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

• The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-7)
“Silent Night”
“Joy to the World!”
“Away in a Manger”
“What Child Is This?”
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
“Good Christ Men, Rejoice”
“O Holy Night”
“Once in Royal David’s City”
“He Is Born, the Divine Christ Child”
“Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
“Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne”
“He Is Born”

• The Shepherds and the Angels (Luke 2:8-20)
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (The greatest carol of all!)
“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night”
“Angels We Have Heard On High” (“Gloria in Excelsis Deo”)
“Go, Tell It on the Mountain”
“The First Noel”
“On Christmas Night All Christians Sing”
“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”
“Angels from the Realms of Glory”
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

• The Coming of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
“We Three Kings”
“O Come, All Ye Faithful”
“As with Gladness Men of Old”

Some Christmas Carols look beyond the birth of Jesus to the coming of God’s Kingdom in its fullness. Isaac Watts’ “Joy to the World” (1719) proclaims, “He comes to make his blessings known, far as the curse is found…”

Similarly, a few carols move past the birth of Christ to a vision of a world with peace and justice. The Unitarian minister Edmund Sears wrote that way in
“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” (1849). Perhaps the best-known example is the wonderful poem, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1863).

And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Christmas Season would be incomplete without meaningful carols that refresh our hearts with the richness of its meaning. The Spirit of God would not have given us poetry about Jesus’ birth if it did not contribute highly to our understanding of that message and our worship of “Him who came.”

So, “O come let us adore him! Christ, the Lord.” Merry Christmas!

[To Those Who Select the Songs in our Churches: All the traditional Christmas songs are in the Public Domain. So publishers have done with them as they wish. In selecting songs, we must be sure that all the words match among the various ways we share them (hymnbooks, handouts, projection, etc.). Otherwise some will sing this while others sing that.][/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 –

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must…undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” – Thomas Paine

Religious Freedom and
The “Respect for Marriage Act” (HR 8404, S 4556)

I’m passionate about religious liberty. But I need to remind myself from time to time: “I have to choose carefully which hills to fight on.”

The “Respect for Marriage Act” (RMA) with an amendment that addresses many concerns about religious liberty has passed the Senate. It now goes back to the House (because there was no amendment when the House first passed it). If passed, it goes to the President for his signature.

Simply put, here’s what the “Respect for Marriage Act” would do:
• Repeal the “Defense of Marriage Act” (1996), which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The Supreme Court already nullified it.
• Require states to recognize same-sex marriages that were solemnized in other states. (It does not require states to allow same-sex marriages.)
• Give the Department of Justice the right to take civil action and give “harmed” individuals the right of private action when a violation of RMA is perceived to have occurred.
• Recognize a marriage “between two individuals” if it is valid in the state where it occurred. Polygamous marriage is clearly not recognized.
• As amended by the Senate it specifies that RMA does not impact religious liberty or conscience. “Nothing in this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed to diminish or abrogate a religious liberty or conscience protection otherwise available to an individual or organization under the Constitution of the United States or Federal law.”
• As amended it would specify that non-profit religious organizations [with a list of examples] including faith-based social agencies and educational institutions are not required to provide any services or goods for the purpose of solemnizing or celebrating a marriage and cannot be subject to any civil claim or cause of action.

The above is a summary and obviously the bill is more detailed. My comments are based on the text and status of the bill as of November 29, 2022.

My observations:

1. Competent people and organizations that I respect have contrasting opinions on RMA. Some Christian legal scholars insist that the “Respect for Marriage Act” does not sufficiently protect religious faith and practice in addition to guaranteeing recognition of same-sex marriages. Others insist that religious protections, while not thorough, are quite broad in RMA.

I definitely note that RMA does not extend its protection of religion to people of faith who exercise their convictions in the secular workplace. No employee or business owner should be compelled to speak (such as through artistic work) words that support a marriage that violates his/her religion-formed conscience. If “Freedom of Speech” means anything, it means that.

However, the RMA does avoid perpetuating the error of the now-comatose “Equality Act” that would have taken away the right of people to assert the important Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) as a protection for their exercise of religious freedom in matters covered by the act. This is critical.

2. The “Respect for Marriage Act” likely represents (but didn’t create) the greatest cultural shift of my lifetime. In 1996 the U.S. Congress passed the “Defense of Marriage Act” by supermajorities (342-67 in the House, 85-14 in the Senate). It was supported and signed by President Clinton. At the time, American opposition to same-sex marriage was around 70%.

I understand that 70% of the American public now accepts same-sex marriage. In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court (Obergefell v. Hodges) decided that same-sex marriage was a constitutionally guaranteed right. It is strongly supported by President Biden. These are simple facts, not opinions.

3. Yes, the church has a definite responsibility toward the wellbeing of society. Early Christianity did, after all, strongly oppose infanticide as practiced in its culture. But the church can be under no sense of illusion or compulsion that it must make society conform to all its moral positions. In other words, it must choose what hills to fight on. If we keep the tension between what we work to accomplish in this age versus what we hope for when Christ’s Kingdom is realized we will avoid the (phony) charge that we are “Christian nationalists” out to impose our religion on the reluctant. Keeping this tension also means we can settle for “half of a pie” at times. It recognizes that the process of legislation involves tradeoffs.

As a Christian social activist I have weighed these developments carefully and thought about what the role and responsibilities of Christian churches, faith communities and individuals are to be in our present cultural environment.

I ponder the words of the Apostle Paul: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside [answer: ‘Yes!’]? God will judge those outside” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). And God’s judgments are fair and true.

My decision is to double-down on support for religious liberty. RMA does not establish the right to same-sex marriage. That has already been done. Without the “Religious Liberty and Conscience” exemptions RMA would be flawed by its onesidedness. I have decided I will without great enthusiasm support RMA because of the religious liberty amendment which, though incomplete, preserves RFRA and is needed.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1669913730660{background-color: #c6702d !important;border-radius: 5px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

How Essential Is Truth?

“A world of truth is a world of trust, and vice versa. In it, there is something larger than individuals seeking their own interest. Where there is honesty—truth and truthfulness—there tends to be law, order, and prosperity.
A respect for truth is essential for authority, collaborative endeavor, and human graciousness… Where truth dies, there trust dies.”

– Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Morality—Restoring the Common Good in Divided times (Basic Books, 2020)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Message of the Month

This Thanksgiving – Thankful for Family, God’s Plan for Passing the Faith to Future Generations

My wife and I have been listening to the Book of Deuteronomy. Again and again, I hear how important it is (1) to keep in touch with history and (2) to pass the faith and its values on to future generations.

A man once told me, “It’s not my job to teach religion to my children. That’s the Church’s job.” The latter part is true; the first part totally false. The church is there to support the parents’ efforts and nurture the faith of families.

And Moses declared, “Hear, O Israel: Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

“Teach them [God’s instructions] to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 11:19)

Message on the Bottle:
PAIRS WELL WITH
Officiant duties
“Will You Marry Us?”

The lesson is that parental love for God and the beliefs, values and commandments that come from God’s Word are to be conveyed through all the experiences of life. Bible reading at the table is important; how the parents live out the lessons of their faith day by day is all-important.

This Thanksgiving was especially poignant for me. My granddaughter Rylee (our first) recently became engaged to Justin, a fine young man. At our Thanksgiving gathering they, well, let the picture tell the story![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]My Alma Maters, Grace College (B.A., 1966) and Grace Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1969) in Winona Lake, Indiana have installed DR. DREW FLAMM, Ph.D. to be their seventh president.

A high-energy leader, at 40 one of the youngest college presidents in the U.S., he brings experience, dedication and “can do” motivation to his role. His inauguration into his new role marks a generational change but not a change in energetic leadership as he succeeds Dr. Bill Katip, a “pedal to the metal” president if there ever was one. Drew makes “Knowing Christ and making Christ known” (the motto of the college and seminary) his clear, Christ-centered theme.

The college is remarkably different from when I arrived as a student in 1962 to become part of a student body a fraction the size of my high school graduating class. Grace is known now for its innovations, many achievements, strong enrollment, community engagement, a fine campus and more. I wish and pray the best to the new president and I’m proud to be an alumnus twice over!

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

November 2022 Newsletter

Posted on October 31, 2022 by admin

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This Thanksgiving – Give thanks for God’s Gift of Life

For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul know the right well.

My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being un-perfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

– Psalm 139:13-17 (King James Version)

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“Proposition One” – California’s Voters Will Decide

“The state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives. This section is intended to further the constitutional right to privacy… and the constitutional right to not be denied equal protection… Nothing herein narrows or limits the right to privacy or equal protection.” – Text of Proposition One

“Proposition One” is the response of California’s governor and legislature to last summer’s “Dobbs” decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. “Dobbs” ruled that abortion was not a right secured in the U.S. Constitution. It returned the issue back to the states, which is where it was before “Roe v. Wade” (1973).

Please take a minute to note my observations on this proposition:

Proposition One makes abortion an absolute right, whereas Roe v. Wade explicitly rejected the notion of “abortion on demand.”
Roe v. Wade acknowledged (in its controversial “trimester” statements) a claim to life on the part of the viable fetus. Proposition One ignores any claim to life on the part of the human fetus, including after viability and up to birth.
California’s abortion laws (going back to the 1960’s and considered “progressive” by abortion advocates at that time) allowed for abortion up to fetal viability (except in cases of fetal deformity). Abortion was also permitted at any time prior to the birth of the unborn child to protect the life or health (broadly understood) of the mother. The “Dobbs” decision does not change any of this.
Through legislation and advertising, the State of California and its governor are promoting the state as a “welcoming destination” for anyone seeking abortion who lives outside the state, including through a website: www.abortion.ca.gov.
Abortion, including the right of a minor child to have an abortion without parental notification or consent, is protected by California’s current privacy laws.

Before there was a national debate over abortion (late 1960’s+), the popular weekly publication LIFE Magazine had a pictorial issue titled “Life Before Birth.” It began,
“The birth of a human life really occurs at the moment the mother’s egg cell is fertilized by one of the father’s sperm cells” and “In the Western world a person’s life is reckoned from the day he comes out of the womb. But the Chinese, overestimating by three months, traditionally counted a child one year old at birth in recognition of the unceasingly active life that has already taken place.”

This reflected my own secular, non-religious understanding before I developed any religious convictions on the issue. A pregnancy decision involves two patients—the mother and the unborn child. In light of this, I cast my vote against “Prop. One.”[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Back the Badge
“Blessed are those who maintain justice.” (Psalm 106:3)

Still touched and grieving
eleven years later

October 12, 2011 – Early in the afternoon an armed and angry man bent on evil entered a salon in Seal Beach, California and killed eight people including his ex-wife.

The case languished for almost six years, hindered by charges of prosecutorial misconduct. Be that as it may, the perpetrator pled guilty in 2014 and was sentence to eight consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the worst mass murder in Orange County history.

First responding police officers were willing to put their lives on the line to engage the perpetrator however necessary(he was captured right away). Several officers then had to be involved in the traumatic crime scene investigation, offer care of arriving family members, coworkers and friends (we opened a family assistance center at a nearby library), and in one case an officer accompanied a wounded man to the hospital in an ambulance (he did not survive).

The families and the community will never be the same. The police department, dispatchers, fire and police first responders will never be the same. As a police chaplain who continues involvement in the aftermath of this event, now eleven years later, I can say I will never be the same.

Each year, a few minutes after 1:00 p.m., I gather with some family members at the memorial to this massacre located in a park near the ocean. We reminisce, we share words of comfort and purpose, we observe a minute of silence, and I offer a prayer. I did this again on October 12th.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said William Gladstone, 19th Century British politician. Whatever the reasons, valid or regrettable, for the great delays in (flawed) justice, I grieve at the additional stress and sorrow the delays put on the families of the victims. And I honor fire and police personnel who sacrificed so much to do their jobs that horrible day and thereafter.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Message of the Month –
“A Day to Reflect on Life”

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

– Psalm 90 (verses 1, 2, 10, 12, 14) KJV

October 31 is a threshold day for me. In years and months and days I reach the age my mother was when she passed away. She died four months after being diagnosed with cancer, passing in our home as she desired. My wife provided marvelous loving care and we were assisted by fine hospice personnel.

Also sadly, I passed my father’s “too soon” date of death fourteen years ago.

I thank God for each day and its gift of life—its joys and opportunities and, yes, challenges.

The Bible is so very realistic:

God is eternal; we are mortal. Best we live each day aware of this.
We need to treat each day as significant. We should count them as we count the hairs on our head—the Bible’s way of speaking of the significance of even small things. This counting wouldn’t take me as long now.
We have “today” – we should make the most of it. It is a day to offer God a heart of wisdom. It is a day to express love, make that phone call we’ve been putting off, enjoy that activity we’ve been thinking about, attend worship as we have opportunity, enjoy family, serve the Lord.

“God, thank you for the years of life with which you have blessed me.”

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“Triumphant Worship: The Book of Revelation” – 9th Essay on Worship for 2022

Throughout much of my Christian life (age 9+) I looked on the Bible’s last book, the Book of Revelation, as a mysterious unfolding of the End Times, a puzzle to be pieced together. If we thought we had it figured out, my how dogmatic we could be!

A creative thought entered my mind a few years ago as I read and pondered this book anew. Is it possible to look at this book “Doxologically”? That is, can Revelation be seen as a Book of Worship? I viewed the whole book through that lens and marveled at the treasures waiting to be opened. As you move through the coming points, see how many songs you recognize!

1. I learned about the God I should Worship

In Revelation we immediately see incipient worship of God as a Trinity. True, it would be many years for the Christian church to articulate the doctrine of the Trinity as it still resonates with us. But it would be wrong to overlook the “seeds” of this teaching found in the New Testament.

“Grace and peace to you from him which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth” (1:4-5, see through verse 8).

Our God is powerful Creator of All. So we sing, “Thou art worthy…to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created…” (4:11 King James Version)

We worship “the Lamb of God” who was slain, his blood shed for our redemption, who now lives and rules (see 5:9-13). “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing” (5:12). God the Father and Jesus the Lamb are worshiped together: “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (5:13).

I use the King James Version throughout this essay because of its elegant poetic language. Painting by Raphael (1518): Michael the Archangel vanquishes Satan (Revelation 12:7-9).

2. I learned about the Worshipers too

The heavenly worship scene in chapters 4 and 5 has a fascinating sequence of worshipers. It starts (I am happy to say) with a quartet! “Four living creatures” repeat the praise: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (4:7).

Second, a choir of 24 elders breaks into praise (4:11 and 5:9-10). This is followed by a huge multitude of angels (5:11-12), then by the whole of creation (5:13). Lastly, the praise reverts back to the quartet, with their “Amen!” as they prostrate themselves in worship before God (5:14).

I challenge every worship leader to think creatively on how a version of this could be reflected in our worship services! Start small, crescendo greatly, decrescendo to how you began, end with demonstrable worship.

A special category of worshipers is highlighted in Revelation—persecuted saints. They have “come out of the great tribulation” (7:13-14) and cry out, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

They are now in God’s presence, never to suffer again, their tears forever wiped away (7:15-17). Think of this scene when you think of all who are persecuted a lot or a little today for being faithful to Jesus. Think creatively on how the spirit of this heavenly scene could be expressed in today’s worship.

3. I learned about how Worship can be done

The Book of Revelation records many features of worship. Many Christians have never practiced them but some Christian traditions include them in worship. Being in the Book of Revelation, they are ipso facto forms of “New Testament” worship and can be incorporated into our worship accordingly.

We find honor and humility expressed in actions. The Elders fall down and lay their crowns before God’s throne (4:10). The writer John falls down before the glorious Christ (1:17). Prostrating oneself isn’t natural to many American Christians, but it certainly is an appropriate form of worship.

Symbolic clothing may be worn. A worshiping multitude is clothed in white robes (7:9), probably symbolizing purity. On occasion (commonly at weddings) I’ve worn a robe which (I think) befits the solemnity of the occasion. I conducted a funeral in South-Central Los Angeles once and, as the only “Anglo” present, I thought it befitting to show respect to the occasion and to all who attended by wearing a robe.

Worshipers celebrate by holding palm branches – we at least might do that on Palm Sunday (7:9). Incense and smoke accompany the rising of our prayers to God (8:3-4). Such prayers may include pleas for God to judge evil, given how the angel takes the censor containing the prayers and, before God, fills it with fire and hurls it to the earth. If this scene is found in “Revelation Worship” then such symbolism is certainly appropriate now.

Then we read about extremely loud praise (5:12; 7:10). In much of my background this kind of worship would be seen as hyper-emotionalism, except in my Pentecostal circles. We may frown on it and avoid it. Perhaps instead we ought to engage in it “when the Spirit moves us all.”

Then there is worship through silence—for half an hour (8:1). This seems to be the “silence of awe” prior to a great work of God. There can also be the silence of preparation, prayer, sorrow, patience and more. Whatever the silence expresses, it shows a place for “holy silence” in worship. But there is also boring silence, so we must be discernful. “Holy silence” rises as a challenge to some contemporary worship styles which always have to have something happening—fast movement, sound bites, quick images, etc.

The Lord is in his holy temple.
Let all the earth be silent before him. (Habakkuk 2:20)

I wouldn’t want to be legalistic either way—banning these forms of worship or demanding them, certainly not as proofs of spirituality. I do want to be open to them, whether they seem highly liturgical or highly emotional.

4. I learned about Worship that SHOULDN’T be done

In Leviticus 10:1-5 we read the chilling account of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, priests and sons of the High Priest Aaron. What was their wrong? Offering “unauthorized fire” before the Lord contrary to his command.

The passage raises more questions than answers. We’re not told exactly what they did wrong. I think the key phrase is: “…contrary to [God’s] command.”

Our Christian liberty gives us lots of freedom to be creative in worship. We don’t have to have a command from God for everything we do. But we must not do anything contrary to his command. Are we guilty in this? Do we break worship rules such as in 1 Corinthians 14 (use of spiritual gifts) or 1 Timothy 2 (modest dress at worship)? Do we forsake the Lord’s Table? Do we fail to practice robust Spirit-filled singing in our services? Are our messages truly “preaching the Word” or have we wandered off track?

Here are three forms of worship forbidden in the Book of Revelation:

Worship of Demons and Idols (9:20-21)
Worship of the Devil and the Antichrist (13:4, 11-17; 14:9-10)
Worship of Godless Commercialism (read the lament of chapter 18)

Finally, we must not worship God’s angels. Twice in this book John falls before God’s angel as the angel conveys God’s invitation to “the wedding supper of the Lamb” (19:10) and shows him The New Jerusalem (22:8). In both cases the angel says, “Do not do it! Worship God!” (verse 9). “Worship” here (the verb is proskuneō) is simply to “fall toward.” It is forbidden to “proskuneō” before an angel or before a spiritual leader (Acts 10:24-26).

When Jesus squared off with the Devil and his temptations, Jesus responded forcefully and clearly: “Worship [proskuneō] the Lord your God, and serve him only” – Matthew 4:10. Interesting that John observes the glorious presence of Jesus (1:12-16) and fell at his feet as though dead (1:17). Jesus accepted that worship and placed his right hand on John, saying, “Do not be afraid.”

Obedient worship of God is a matter of the highest urgency. The Book of Revelation gives us marvelous guidance through instruction and example and worship texts (see next page). Let’s hear and heed what God’s Spirit is saying to the churches about worship.

Next Issue: “ ‘O Come Let Us Adore Him!’ – Worship at the Birth of Jesus”
–10th and final Essay on Worship for 2022

Worship Songs given to the Church
from the Book of Revelation

George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah”

“Worthy Is The Lamb” (5:12)
“Amen” (5:14)
“Hallelujah!” (11:15; 19:1-4, 16)

Other Christian Hymnody and Choruses
Just a partial list I compiled! What songs would you suggest?

“Lo, He Comes in Clouds Descending” (1:7)
“There’s a New Name Written Down in Glory” (2:17)
“Round the Throne” (chapter 4)
“Behold Our God” (4:2)
“Holy, Holy, Holy” (4:8)
“Thou Art Worthy” (4:11)
“Is He Worthy?” (5:2-5)
“You Are Worthy” (5:9)
“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” (5:11)
“All Hail the Power of Jesus Name” (5:11-14; 19:11-16)
“To Him Who Sits on the Throne” (5:13)
“Agnus Dei” (5:23)
“I Wish We’d All Been Ready” (6:5-6)
“Blessing and Glory and Wisdom and Thanks…to our God forever” (7:12)
“Are You Washed in the Blood?” (7:14)
“We Shall Overcome” (12:11)
“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” (14:14-16)
“Battle Hymn of the Republic” (14:19)
“Praise Our God, All Ye His Servants” (19:5)
“Crown Him with Many Crowns” (19:12)
“The Holy City” (21:1-3, 23; 22:4-5)
“Twelve Gates of the City” (21:12-13)
“Lily of the Valley” (22:16)
“All Who Are Thirsty” (22:17)
“Soon and Very Soon” (22:20)

Whether they’re the or the

“…there’s no joy in Mudville Cleveland. Mighty Casey has struck out.”

I grew up in north-central Ohio, and only one baseball team really mattered there—the Cleveland Indians. If you went over the border into Pennsylvania, you might want to temper your enthusiasm for the Indians. That’s Pirates country and them folk won’t take kindly to you.

The Indians had a triumphant season in 1954, winning 111 games and going confidently to the World Series where the NY Giants restored their humility in four games. 111 wins! Can anyone say “2022 Dodgers,” knocked out dramatically in the division championship by the San Diego Padres? The Indians haven’t won a series since, losing this year in the division games.

But they did get a name change! First, let me stipulate that “Chief Wahoo” was bad for both the team and Native Americans. May he RIP.

But “Indians”? “Any use of Native American names and/or symbols by non-native sports teams is a harmful form of ethnic stereotyping that promotes misunderstanding and prejudice which contributes to other problems faced by Native Americans.” – so sez over 115 professional organizations, including scientific experts (as if the issue has anything to do with science).

I’m underwhelmed by the Words & Symbols Police. I lived in “Indiana” (will that change?) for eight years and saw native terms and titles everywhere. In sports, Indian names speak of prowess and valor and strength and resolve.

The new name comes from The Hope Memorial Bridge with its statuary “The Guardians of Traffic.” It’s right near the ball stadium. If it had to happen, it seems like a good change. Plus, it’s clever that only two letters had to be dropped: INDIANS became the GUARDIANS. And the lettering style stays.

Look out! BRAVES, WARRIORS, CHIEFS—you’re next. What about team names expressing barbarism and thievery: PIRATES and RAIDERS? Then we’ll move on to the Los Angeles ANGELS and the San Diego PADRES, with their religious names that may cause some to feel left out. Besides, the name PADRES is odious to some who resent the influence of the Catholic Church in California’s history.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who does now own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”
– Jesus (John 10:11-13)

Putting Human Faces on the Immigration Issue

After stripping on knee-high snake guards and bowing his head to invoke God’s protection, Tucson-based Pentecostal pastor Oscar Andrade marches off into a remote desert at dawn to look for a Honduran migrant missing since late July.

The pastor bushwhacked for three hours in 100-degree heat, detouring around a mountain lion, two rattlesnakes and a scorpion.

On the fourth search, the pastor and his Capellanes del Desierto [Desert Chaplains] rescue and recovery group found the man’s ID card and wallet 40 feet from a skull and other bones, picked clean by animals and the relentless sun.

Since March, Andrade has received over 400 calls from families in Mexico and Central America whose relatives—sick, injured, exhausted—were abandoned by smugglers in the borderlands.

Forensic experts estimate 80% of bodies in the desert are never found. The bodies found point to one of the deadliest seasons on record along the always-dangerous Southwest border.
– October 22, 2022 Long Beach Press-Telegram (edited excerpts)

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for over 55 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

October 2022 Newsletter

Posted on October 3, 2022 by admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”949″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”“A Piece of My Mind”” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:50px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”October 2022 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Relic of Self-Esteem

Phrases like this have been displayed in public schools and elsewhere to promote students’ self-esteem.

It’s far from a sure thing! Sadly, some of those students will make the world worse. Self-esteem is built over the years as skills, wisdom and service develop, along with respect for self and others as people made in God’s likeness.

Better to grow up working on how we want the world to look back upon us: “The World Became a Better Place Because You Were in It!”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Important Word to Everyone,
Especially Pastors and Church Leaders

Churches and Political Action—
What Pastors and Churches Should and Should Not Do

The present election season is extremely important in American politics. So what’s a pastor or church to do? Or not do? From my 50+ years of activism and based on the law as it now stands, I offer these thoughts to assist you.

These guidelines have appeared here before. They were even distributed once to a list of pastors by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an organization with which I rarely agree!

I challenge all churches to do all they can that is legal and ethical, but not to cross the line. Please share these three pages.

– Donald Shoemaker

1. I RECOMMEND these points of guidance:

• Always maintain a distinction between the ultimate issues of the Kingdom of God and the penultimate possibilities of the political process. The latter are worthwhile but not perfect. They are secondary and not primary. They need the church’s voice and attention but must not get top billing.
• Preach on morally laden issues and proposals like good or bad legislation or initiatives. But be sure that the biblical “connectedness” is made clear. Of course we preach sensitive to the congregation and visitors in such matters, but avoiding the topics should not be considered an option.
• Have the church’s official body (Elders, board, or congregation) take positions on issues subject to the above qualifications and when the issue is important.
• Do voter registration at the church before and after services. This is a non-partisan activity.
• Have a forum to educate church members on ballot initiatives. Have a table for people to sign initiatives the church has approved.
• Encourage members to write elected and appointed officials to express their opinions and to ask for a vote for or against a measure.
• Have your facility used for voting, subject to acceptable rules (for examples, I wouldn’t accept a demand to cover the cross but removing a literature table may be acceptable). This is a natural way of showing interest in the wellbeing of your community.
• DO NOT politicize your message. By “politicize” I mean stridently or subtly speaking for or against a particular party or political stratum.
• Remember, the spiritual upbuilding of the saints is always the goal in a worship service. This influences sermon style and content immensely.
• Politically activist Christians must remember that the unity of the church must transcend all political and secular unities.
• Remember the admonition (I’ve made it often and sometimes it’s been heard with much irritation, but at least the point wasn’t missed):

“The church is the one place where a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican should be able to join hands and sing,
‘We Are One in the Bond of Love’.”

2. From a LEGAL STANDPOINT, here are the “Do’s and Don’ts”:

• Churches MUST NOT endorse or oppose a candidate.
• Pastors MAY as individuals support or oppose candidates, but MUST NOT convey that they speak for their churches. And they should not proclaim their “personal decision” in any church medium (like the pulpit or newsletter or on-line). No preaching, “I’m not telling you who to vote for and I’m not speaking for the church, but here are the people getting my support…”
• Churches MUST NOT use their resources (like facilities, property or equipment) in contexts that endorse or oppose a candidate.
• Churches MAY invite candidates to speak if done even-handedly and not selectively. Their presence in a service or in the pulpit MUST NOT convey the church’s support of any candidate.
• Churches MAY distribute voter guides, but I don’t recommend it because almost all have a “slant” to promote. I also would not allow members or outside groups to bring literature to the church or blitz cars in the church’s parking lot with flyers. If outsiders show up or blitz the parking lot, it may be wise for the pastor to disavow the activity.
• Churches MAY schedule a forum where the candidates for an office are invited to speak and answer questions. If only one shows up that’s not a legal problem, but it may not look the best and the church would need to be careful not to have the occasion appear to be an endorsement of the candidate who appeared.
• Churches MAY spend money and lobby and encourage members in support of or in opposition to an initiative, ballot measure, or a piece of legislation. The limitation is that the resources expended MUST NOT be “substantial”. This may be interpreted as “not more than 5% of resources”, which would almost never be exceeded in churches as reticent as evangelical churches traditionally are. The limit applies not just to money spent but also to factors such as paid staff time.

3. Topics to Proclaim:

Churches have a powerful communication instrument known as “The Pulpit” (even if “pulpit” is now a metaphor). Here are some topics, which could be sermons, sermon points, or discussion points:

• Immigration from a biblical perspective
• The Sovereignty of God over the governments constructed by human beings (“The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.” – Daniel 4:25)
• Religious Freedom and how it is eroding
• How healing can come to fractured race relations
• The duties of good Christian Citizenship (in light of our living now in a multi-religious and participatory republic rather than in the Roman society that disadvantaged and even persecuted believers and where few had citizenship rights)
• The need for fiscal wisdom and accountability in government
• Godly people of the Bible who served the secular state and society of their times (Joseph, Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah)
• How God works peace and justice through governments he establishes, be they ever so fragile and faulty
• What God expects of secular rulers and those who “bear the sword”
• The Issue that Won’t Go Away—Protecting Unborn Human Life

donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

♪“The Answer, My Friend,
Is Blowin’ in the Wind.”♪
– Or Is It???

This picture is of a younger “me”, taken around 1989. I am at the top of Mt. San Gorgonio after camping for a night along the 23-mile trail. At 11,503’,
Mt. San Gorgonio is the tallest mountain in Southern California. To the right of my left shoulder is 10,834’ Mt. San Jacinto, my favorite mountain to climb. Palm Springs is behind the ridge over my right shoulder.

Between the two mountains is the San Gorgonio Pass. It’s one of the deepest (9000’) passes in the U.S, where wind whips through at high speed day in and day out. It’s one of the most continually windy spots in the U.S.

One segment of the wind farm, with Mt. San Gorgonio in the background

So the San Gorgonio Pass is the most natural place I can think of to have wind turbines. And over the years I’ve looked down from San Jacinto Peak to see more and more and more, almost to the point of turbine blight. But I still understand why we would want to put them there.

There was an effort to construct turbines off the windy coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but localists fought it off, including environmental guru John Kerry. Mr. Kerry, a “not in my backyard” man or a “do as I say, not as I do” man (or both), travels the world in a private jet to fight global warming. Private jets are proportionately the worst means of travel when it comes to global warming.

The problem with wind power and solar power is their lack of constancy. They are intermittent in many places. So if we’re going to light our cities and charge our cars dependably, we’re going to need other sources of energy.

One is cheap hydropower, but as our rivers and reservoirs get lower, that won’t be as dependable. Another is natural gas—clean and plentiful. But in a few short years natural gas has gone from trendy (remember signs on trucks like: “This Fleet is Powered by Clean Natural Gas”) to an obscenity. Those who love cooking with natural gas may not be able to do so soon (back to electric!).

Another source of dependable power is nuclear generation. But many have considered that obscene for years. California has only one nuclear plant left, which produces 8% of the state’s electrical demand. It’s slated to close, but Gov. Newsom signed legislation to extend its life to the dismay of some.

Nuclear power has its challenges, especially storage of “spent” fuel, but if we applied the same determination, resources and research to that power source as we do to other futuristic sources of power (which may not succeed), I think we could see a (literally) brighter future. Some opponents of possible power sources seem to leave environmental science behind to embrace ideology.

Today (September 3) as I write this first draft, it’s 104 degrees outside. We’ve got the A/C set at 79 degrees. Our electric bill is high (electric is up 25% over a year ago) and there are threats of rolling blackouts. People are now being told—listen to this!—not to charge their electric cars between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. The main reason I can think of for charging one’s electric car at 4:00 p.m. is that you need to do so. Otherwise, you’d wait and charge it at night.

Where are we going to get the energy to produce the electric we’ll need when California’s ban on new gas-powered vehicles comes in 2035? How are we to protect our planet while serving the reasonable needs and enjoyments of all (including billions of disadvantaged people around the world, for whom strong environmentalism is a luxury and hindrance to a little prosperity)?

These are creative challenges to us who take the Bible’s creation mandate seriously. God created humans in his own likeness and told them to subdue the earth and rule over all other created life (Genesis 1:26-30). This rule is to be for human enjoyment and benefit, but it also must be a responsible, respectful and conservation-oriented caretaking, as many scriptures testify.

“Let the birds increase on the earth” – God’s creative word on creation’s “5th Day” (Genesis 1:22). Wind power has a special challenge: How to minimize the death of birds. I surveyed some literature and found wild disparity on how many birds are killed by windmills compared to other sources of energy (reflecting some bias, I’m sure). Since nobody is counting carcasses, estimates range from 140,000 to 328,000 annually. Some argue that taller, bigger windmills are more dangerous and others say they’re safer. Should we take comfort that only 19 birds die per megawatt of energy in California (but only 4/mg overall in the US!!)? Of real concern is the disproportionate death of larger and exotic birds, including some on the Endangered Species list. One report claimed that 75 golden eagles die each year due to the 5000 turbines at a single wind farm (of five) within the Alamont Pass Wind Resource Area in California.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

T“Worship Beneath the Cross of Jesus”(Luke 23:26-56)

– 8th Essay on Worship for 2022

(“Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered death and was buried”

The Nicene Creed (325 AD)

For Christians, Jesus’ death on the cross is a powerful moment of history. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV).

The Apostle Paul opposed any softening of the Gospel. The Gospel was being diminished in the church at Corinth by the “wisdom of this age” to make it fashionable. Against this, he asserted, “We preach Christ crucified!”

Modern “wisdoms of this age” include religious liberalism, Americanism, “self-help” and therapeutic messages, religious-zeal environmentalism, political issues, “health and wealth” gospels, “wokeness” and adjustments in worship and message to draw crowds. Many can be found in evangelical churches.

If the cross of Jesus is central to our message and who we are as Christians, then surely it will be central in our worship. If it isn’t, something is very wrong. What are some themes of the cross that should affect our worship?

1. The Cross calls us to FOLLOW Jesus in SUFFERING and OBEDIENCE.

As Jesus was led away to be crucified, “They seized Simon from Cyrene…and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus” (Luke 23:26).

Perhaps Simon was in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. Whatever his reason for being there, he happened to be in the right place at the right time. He felt the touch of a Roman sword on his shoulder and heard a voice of authority say, “You have just volunteered!”

So Simon carried the cross for Jesus, becoming a type of every follower of Jesus, modeling what our task should be. Jesus said (Luke 14:27), “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Not all suffering is cross-bearing, and not all cross-bearing is from obedience to Jesus (some Christians make their own crosses and carry them loudly!). But when loyalty to Jesus leads to suffering and sacrifice, you are taking up your cross and following Jesus. See 1 Peter 2:20-21 and 4:15-16.

Simon’s deed and our own calling to bear the cross should lead us to sing:

May I be willing, Lord, to bear daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cross of grief to share. Thou hast borne all for me.
– “Lead Me to Calvary” by Jennie Evelyn Hussey, 1921

2. The Cross sets forth Jesus as THE MAN FOR SINNERS.

Jesus offended the VSP’s— the Very Separated People. On the day of his baptism he identified with sinners. He feasted with sinners, and his accusers asked him, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:27-32).

Again and again, Jesus placed himself on the side of the sinner crowd rather than with the self-righteous crowd (read his encounter with the crooked tax collector Zacchaeus— Luke 19:1-10).

Now at Calvary, Jesus is once again with sinners. “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, one on his left” (Luke 23:32-33).

In worship we celebrate “the Man for sinners” and declare:

Man of sorrows! What a name for the Son of God who came.
Ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
– P. P. Bliss (1875)

Jesus! What a friend for sinners. Jesus! Lover of my soul.
Friends may fail me; foes assail me. He, my savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah! What a savior. Hallelujah! What a friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving—he is with me to the end.
– J. Wilber Chapman (1910)

3. The Cross teaches us FORGIVENESS – GOD forgives, WE should too.

Jesus prayed for his tormenters (Luke 23:34). “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

This prayer must have caught on with the first Christians because Stephen, the first Christian martyr, prayed the same way at his execution. Stephen fell to his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60).

Paul knew what it was like to experience God’s forgiveness: “I was once a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent man. I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly” (I Timothy 1:13-14). He would teach the church: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). So in worship we bear witness to forgiveness:

Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary.
They pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me.
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry, “Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”
– “Arise, My Soul, Arise” by Charles Wesley (1742)

Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess;
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.
– “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” by Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane (1868)

4. The Cross brings us SALVATION because JESUS BORE OUR SINS.

He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
The punishment that brought us peace was upon him…
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)

One of the two criminals crucified with Jesus said, “We are getting what our deeds deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong.” He turned to Jesus and pleaded, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied,
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42-43).

Guilty vile and helpless we; spotless Lamb of God was he.
Full atonement—can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners’ gain.
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
– “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” attr. to Bernard of Clairvaux (12th Century)

5. The Cross signals Jesus’ VICTORY over DEATH, EVIL and the DEVIL.

I have two problems with how evangelicals often observe Communion:
(1) We hurry through it. We have “fast food” McBread and McCup. “Here’s the Bread, here’s the Cup—We’re all done, time is up.”
(2) We are too somber. We make Communion like a “wake” for the dead.

Early Christians feasted and celebrated the Cross as a victory. This “victory celebration” has been lost in many church Communions today.

“Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’” (Luke 23:46). Jesus thus declared: “My task is complete. The price has been paid. Salvation is secured. It is finished! Take me now, Father.”

Lifted up was he to die. “It is finished” was his cry.
Now in heaven exalted high. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

The Apostle Paul is clear that the cross is a great triumph. “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). So in worship we proclaim the victory:

This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
1 Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.
2 Power, riches, wisdom and strength, and honor, blessing and glory are his.
3 Sing with all the people of God and join in the hymn of all creation.
4 Blessing, honor, glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.

For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia
– John W. Arthur (1970)

Next Issue: “Triumphant Worship: The Book of Revelation” [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Religious Liberty Vigilance –

America’s Experiment
of not having a State Church

“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.”
– The First Amendment

“No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
– Article 6, Clause 3 of the U. S. Constitution

As we commemorate the United Kingdom’s transition from Queen Elizabeth to King Charles, we have special opportunities to observe how the connection between church and state in that nation differs from here in the U.S.A.

Government and religion have been linked throughout human history. This was true under Israel’s scriptures and in the world’s other nations. The Book of Daniel, chapters 3 and 6 give clear examples of the challenges it posed for those who didn’t accept the idolatrous state religion centered on the king. Warning: A nation need not be “religious” to merge religion and government as seen in officially atheistic North Korea, which deifies its supreme ruler.

While the Archbishop of Canterbury is the highest cleric in the Church of England, the British monarch serves as Supreme Governor of the Church.
He or she approves the appointment of archbishops and other church leaders. In addition, 26 bishops serve in the House of Lords. Imagine having Harry Truman or Warren Harding or Andrew Jackson as supreme governors of the church in America!

After it gained independence, the United States chartered a different and historic course. No established national church or religious test for office. No law passed by Congress that hindered the free exercise of religion.
These two principles (embodied in the “Establishment” and “Free Exercise” clauses of the First Amendment) are not conflicting points that must be kept in tension; they are “friends” that together protect religious liberty.

My opinion is that when religion and state are too close, it’s often bad news for religion. The official religion becomes the handmaiden of the state; other faiths likely suffer exclusion and persecution.

There will always be tensions over religion. The Covid pandemic and expansive federal and state governments all challenge religious liberty.
To make matters worse, most citizens don’t even know what rights the First Amendment guarantees and a noisy minority would like to change things. The political far right and far left (especially) pose threats to religious thinking, speech and practices that do not accord with their agendas.

I believe religion, especially biblical Christianity, has thrived under the American system. Respecting and upholding this tradition should be the passion of every Christian. We don’t need a state church to further our mission. We only need the state to be “hands off” of religion.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1656698124270{background-color: #21e0d3 !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

The Need to Think of the “Common Good”

“If we focus on the ‘I’ and lose the ‘We,’ if we act on self-interest without a commitment to the common good, if we focus on self-esteem and lose our care for others, we will lose much else. Nations will cease to have societies and instead have identity groups. We will lose our feeling of collective responsibility and find in its place a culture of competitive victimhood. In an age of unprecedented possibilities, people will feel vulnerable and alone.”
– Jonathan Sacks, Morality—Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times (moral philosophy book)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]One more time! Would you like to read the most recent (August 28) update of my essay on “The Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church” (an expansion of three essays in recent newsletters)? You may access the essay at: http://donaldshoemakerministries.com/blog/for-me-the-rapture-is-up-in-the-air/

Many have requested and received a PDF copy of the essay. If you wish to have one, please request it at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net and I will send you a copy via email. I recommend the PDF version for reading, printing and sending.

Thank you for your interest!

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for over 55 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

September 2022 Newsletter

Posted on September 1, 2022 by admin

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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

Vin Scully
(1927 – 2022)

The “Voice of the Dodgers”

A devout Christian and a man of humility who exuded reason and fairness and brought human warmth to Los Angeles for almost 60 years.

He made Los Angeles a better place to live.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Mikhail Gorbachev
(1931 – 2022)

“The Last True Believer”

Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union who really believed in that ideology. It just needed some major reforms. But his reforms led to the end of the Union. With Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, he goes down as a consequential (for good) leader of the last half of the 20th Century.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Vin Scully leads the fans in singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”

“Goodnight, everybody!”

2016 – Dodger Baseball’s legendary announcer Vin Scully, 88, will sign off for the last time in a few days, after 67 seasons as “The Voice of the Dodgers.”

When Vinny turned 80 in 2007, sportswriter Paul Oberjuerge wrote of him. I was fascinated by how his characterizations of Scully could compare with ministers—my career. How do we preachers measure up to Vinny?

• Vinny has “relentless goodwill” and contagious love for the game. He makes every game seem important and convinces you of the same. How many times haven’t I heard him say late in the game, “Good ball game!” You actually don’t mind hearing him speak for three hours (no call here for three-hour sermons, but do we convey each sermon is important and worth a listen?).

• He is personable and free of pretense and ego. He is pleasant and reassuring. He is smart, but never comes across as a “know it all.”

• He makes his message personal. It’s as if you, the listener, are the important one and he has invited you to “pull up a chair” so he can tell you about the game. Do people feel such intimacy with our sermons?

• He doesn’t follow fads and never uses jargon. That’s a challenge to us preachers, in whose trade there’s always a new fad to talk about or new lingo to use to show others we know something they don’t.

• He can be critical without being irritating—like it really hurts him to report hooliganism at the park or a player’s excessive aggression.

• When you meet him you feel he likes you as much as you like him.

• He conveys a sincere feeling of gratitude to God while knowing that baseball’s good times won’t last forever. “If you want to make God smile, tell him your plans.”[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

The breadth of this snapshot of the Universe is likened to having a grain of sand at arm’s length.

‘The new Webb telescope, in orbit around the sun 1 million miles above Earth and four times the distance to the moon, is able to penetrate the universe as nothing before it could do—taking us toward the beginning of time. To look into the sky is to look into the past. When I glimpse the sun, I don’t see the sun that “is” but as it “was” eight minutes ago.

The Bible asks and answers the question, “How can God, the Creator of such vastness, have any interest in me?” (Psalm 8 from the King James Version)

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
who hast set thy glory above the heavens…
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
thou hast put all things under his feet…
How excellent is thy name in all the earth!

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Taking Our
Christian Baptism Seriously

“We were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” – 1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV

This baptismal service (“yours truly” officiating) dates back to 2011. After considering many baptismal options, Grace Community Church in Seal Beach, California uses one of these: (1) this portable baptistry or (2) the Pacific Ocean one block away!

Our church practices a mode of immersion baptism known as “Trine Immersion” (a triple immersion). This mode is easily traceable back to the post-apostolic church (early 2nd Century and later). Thus, we need this kind of baptistry (though on rare occasions we have baptized by pouring water over the head of the candidate—which also is historically based).

Baptisms in the baptistry take place during a Sunday morning service. Baptisms in the ocean take place when the water is nice and warm.

Our church’s Elder Board once received a request that we OK a baptismal service in a backyard swimming pool, because the candidates for baptism didn’t want their baptism to identify them with the church. The Board wisely and rightly said NO! Read James Packer’s lesson excerpt:

Baptism has social implications. Involvement in the “body life” of mutual sympathy and service for Christ must be the rule for all the baptized.

Isolationism in church—sitting apart, not getting acquainted, dodging responsibility, and so on—is often condemned as denying the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. We need to see that it denies the meaning of baptism too, and just as drastically. Is that clear to us now? Are we making it a matter of conscience that by active love of our fellow-Christians we should show that we know what our baptism means?

– James Packer, Growing in Christ

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Message of the Month –

A Lesson from the Travails of “Hillsong”

My Jesus, my Savior
Lord, there is none like You
All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of your mighty love
My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship you.

– “Shout to the Lord” by Darlene Zschech
Hillsong Worship (1994)

This song instantly became a favorite of mine! And here are just a few more Hillsongs that have ministered to me and to many others in worship services:

What a Beautiful Name
Cornerstone
Mighty to Save
This I Believe
Here I Am to Worship
How Great Is Our God
Mighty to Save

“Hillsong blessed believers with wonderful songs and stood as an example of service to its community” – Stephen Strang. But alas, the ministry known as “Hillsong,” which exploded from its start in Australia and became a wide-spread church phenomenon, has fallen on hard times.

Details are not hard to find and won’t be put forth here. Flamboyant pastors, autocratic leadership, powerful positions, multiple megachurches—all have their perils. I personally wouldn’t join any church body that calls its leader “Global Senior Pastor” nor a church ruled by an autocratic pastor rather than led by a qualified group of elders. *

The question I raise for now is this:“Should the failings of a movement and/or its leaders call for rejection of its music—worship music that has had a worldwide impact even greater than Hillsong itself?”

Some Christians think so, and I understand. It’s a form of the “guilt by association” argument. To sing the music is to think of the movement that produced it. To those persons, the singing is at the very least unedifying.

The church in Corinth asked the Apostle Paul about “foods sacrificed to idols.” How is it possible for Christians to please God by eating foods dedicated to idols? Paul goes to the heart of the matter (1 Corinthians 8:7): “Some are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.”

I might paraphrase, “Some people think of Hillsong’s flaws every time they sing one of Hillsong’s songs—they can’t separate the two in their minds. Thus, singing such songs does not benefit them spiritually.”

I can remember (yes, I’m old enough!) when electric (amplified) guitars were a big issue in churches. How can a church allow these guitars into worship when they remind us of acid rock and various debaucheries? Should we teach on this to mature people’s thinking or should we create prohibitions to protect those who judge until the last old-timer goes to Heaven?

So what’s a church to do? Here are four issues to think about:

First, Paul calls the consciences of these people “weak.” For at least three reasons, a Christian shouldn’t want to manifest a weak conscience:

(1) A linkage between idols and food (or between Hillsong’s wrongs and songs) isn’t really there objectively and shouldn’t be there subjectively in our minds (1 Corinthians 8:1-8).
(2) A perpetually “weak” Christian limits his capacity to enjoy things in God’s world that God is actually able to bless (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
(3) A “weak” Christian is unable to follow Paul’s ministry flexibility of “being all things to all people”—weak with the weak, without law to those without law, etc. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

But secondly, the church needs to be sensitive to those who can’t (yet!), in their own minds, separate the food from the idol (the music from its source).

Third, Christians shouldn’t be static in their minds. They should grow from “weak” thinking to “strong” thinking. The church that ministers to the “weak” only by protecting them and not by challenging them to grow in their thinking is failing its duty to them. If the people of a congregation have the same hang-ups year after year over issues where they should be free to decide rather than be bound by rules, that congregation is static in its thinking and not growing in the freedom of Christ.

Fourth, I don’t think Paul would tolerate having weak theology, with its condemnations and rules, control the church’s ministries and direction.

So my counsel to a congregation where some are troubled in conscience over Hillsong music might be (1) protect these people for a period of time, perhaps by temporarily not singing the songs in corporate worship (NOTE: a church with multiple worship services has an ideal situation for handling this—it can stop the use of certain songs in one service and continue them in others), (2) teach on Christian liberty and challenge people to follow the open thinking the Apostle Paul gives, and (3) set a goal on when singing the songs can resume.

For biblical instruction on the kind of issues raised, read Romans 14:1-15:13 and 1 Corinthians 8-10. Keep in mind that Romans and 1 Corinthians deal with very different issues but offer similar principles and solutions.

For helpful reading about the Hillsong controversies: “What’s behind the bad press about Hillsong?” (Chris Friend) and “Lessons from the Hillsong Controversy” (Stephen Strang) from the July-August 2022 issue of Charisma.

* A church can be led by a truly empowered (not a rubber stamp) elder board and at the same time have pastoral leadership with considerable authority. The key is that the authority is delegated by the board (usually in well-written job descriptions, but also in bylaws and board motions) and accountable to the board, which in turn fulfills its fiduciary duties to the church. The larger a church gets, the greater the need for delegated authority. Only very small churches can be governed by pure congregational government, and they will stay small if they insist on operating that way.

Even a quality elder board (which I think is more biblically supportable than other forms of church government) can’t do all the governing in a larger church. Its members will burn out if it does not delegate and allow qualified and accountable individuals to lead. The elders should decide major issues and big expenditures and pastors and other staff should decide week-to-week, month-to-month and even year-long matters. For an excellent study of church governance: Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (2nd edition) pp. 1114-1175.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

“Ceremonies Sent from God that Help Us Worship”
– 7th Essay on Worship for 2022

Human beings are incurably ceremonial, and that’s fine!

At the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, California I offered a prayer at the changing of the command. I prayed to dedicate a new bridge and a new firehouse and, yes, a parking structure for the LA County Courthouse in Long Beach. All these events were ceremonies. I even prepared and led a ceremony once for the cleansing of a hotel room where the last guest had killed himself!

And we have religious ceremonies! We have weddings, funerals and memorials, baby dedications, dedications of new buildings and ministries.

Scripture itself teaches certain ceremonies. Passover, Pentecost and the Day of Atonement are featured ceremonies in the Old Testament. The New Testament speaks of anointing the sick with oil (James 5:14-16), washing the feet of Jesus’ disciples (John 13:1-17), and laying on of hands for Spirit empowerment (1 Timothy 4:14) or special ministry (Acts 13:3).

But let’s focus on two highly important ceremonies God has given to the church and provided guidance in our doing of them—BAPTISM and COMMUNION (the Eucharist). Here are 10 Facts for us to know and heed:

Fact #1 – Baptism and Communion may be called either “ORDINANCES” or “SACRAMENTS.”

What is a “Sacrament”?
A holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 92)

I can use either word “ordinance” (something ordered by the Lord) or “sacrament.“ I prefer “sacrament” because (1) I believe God is uniquely present and graciously ministering to us in these rituals, and (2) I think both baptism and Communion have been wrongly minimized in many churches. In the Sacraments, God takes ordinary practices and leads us to extraordinary truths and benefits.

Fact #2 – Sacraments may be explained with three words:

“SYMBOL” – represents a saving work of God. (But never should we think of Baptism and Communion as “just symbols” or “only symbols.”)
“SIGN” – points to a saving work of God. (Without the sign, you may pass over it and miss it)
“SEAL” – confirms the saving work of God. (Like a handshake seals the deal)

Fact #3 – The Sacraments have three features: the OUTWARD SIGN, the INWARD REALITY, and the WORD of GOD (“Words of Institution”) that by the Spirit brings the sign and the reality together into a DIVINE EVENT.

What makes Baptism different from taking a dip in the pool?
Or Communion different from eating food samples at Costco?

Answer: the Word of God, which connects the outward sign to the inward reality. “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” or “This is my body, given for you” and “This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many.”

Fact #4 – The Sacraments give a BOOST to our FAITH—God seals his promises to us through visible signs.

With the disciples, we need to say to Jesus, “Lord, increase our faith!” Admit it—our faith often needs a crutch! God understands the brittleness of our faith. So, through signs that we hear, see, feel, smell, and taste, God lifts our hearts to spiritual realities so we might perceive them by faith.

Fact #5 – The Sacraments should be seen as “means of grace” – avenues whereby God extends his grace to us. But don’t make an error in understanding this.

Error #1 – There are no other “means of grace.”

In his excellent Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem explains that God uses many ways to give more grace to Christians in addition to baptism and communion: teaching of the Word, prayer for one another, worship, discipline, giving, spiritual gifts, fellowship, evangelism, ministry to one another.

Error #2 – They are automatic and effective, even if faith is absent.

No, Baptism is not like a car wash, and Communion is not like a vaccine.

Error #3 – Baptism and Communion are good works we do for God.

No, they are good works God does for us. Just as we receive the gift of Christ, so we receive baptism and receive Jesus’ body and blood. God in his sovereign grace has chosen to bestow spiritual benefits on us through tangible signs he has designed to bless and enrich our faith.

Fact #6 – The Sacraments can be signs of JUDGMENT instead of signs of grace (I Corinthians 11:27-32).

The Corinthian Church, Paul’s spiritual problem child, managed even to mess up Communion by turning its Love Feasts into times of selfish gluttony and drunkenness. So Paul warned the church of God’s discipline.

Abuse of Communion can bring discipline from God. It is no ordinary table that we are approaching.

Today Roman Catholic leaders who would deny the Eucharist to Catholics who actively promote abortion rights are accused of “weaponizing” the Eucharist. In reality, they are mercifully warning of God’s judgment.

Fact #7 – The Sacraments connect us to the PAST (I Corinthians 11:26).

Staying in touch with our spiritual roots is becoming a lost practice. Baptism and Communion help correct that. In baptism we connect with our Lord’s baptism, obedient life and suffering. In Communion, Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Communion Table is a vivid reminder, a spiritual time machine, that sets us before the Cross to ponder Jesus’ sacrifice and its meaning to us.

Fact #8 – The Sacraments connect us to CHRIST and to his CHURCH
(I Corinthians 12:13; 10:17).

Baptism is the usual entryway into the life of the church. “By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body…” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Communion binds us together by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 10:17). I prefer to express this with a “common loaf” if at all possible. Breaking bread with my brother or sister is not privatistic like eating a tiny morsel of bread with my eyes closed can be.

Fact #9 – Baptism is our Sacrament of Initiation. Communion is our Sacrament of Continuation.

Baptism is God’s appointed sacrament to launch us on the road as a disciple of Christ. It is “once for all” – never to be repeated. We start the journey once.

Communion is our continuing sacrament of renewed fellowship with Christ in the presence of one another. When we fall off the spiritual pathway and get back on, we don’t return to the beginning. We continue at the Lord’s Table.

New Christians should quickly move on from baptism to nurture the good habits that build our relationship with a Christian community (Acts 2:41-42). This includes devoting ourselves to “the breaking of the bread.”

As a “continuing sacrament,” Communion should be frequent, even weekly.

Fact #10 – The Sacraments point us to the FUTURE—our complete salvation (Mark 14:22-25).

Our baptism initiates our citizenship in the coming Kingdom. By it we take our “oath of citizenship” as we call on the Lord (Acts 22:16; Romans 10:9-10).

Jesus linked Communion with the future: “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14:23-25).

I urge us all to elevate our understanding of the Sacraments—God’s enabling, uplifting gifts to his church. I pray our worship will always be enhanced whenever we rejoice with those who are baptized and partake at the Lord’s Table with all the Faithful.

Next Issue: “Worship Beneath the Cross of Jesus”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Religious Liberty Vigilance –
A Good Year in Court for Religious Liberty

In its session that ended in June the U.S. Supreme Court rendered several decisions that resonate with First Amendment guarantees.

Shurtleff v. Boston – the court ruled unanimously that the City of Boston was wrong in banning the flying of a Christian flag on a pole that was otherwise available to other community groups for flying a variety of flags. I found it interesting that this decision was opposed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State but supported by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Retiring Justice Stephen Breyer wrote, “When the government encourages diverse expression — say, by creating a forum for debate — the First Amendment prevents it from discriminating against speakers based on their viewpoint.” 

Ramirez v. Collier – the court ruled 8-1 that a convicted murderer had the right to have his pastor present to place his hands on him and pray out loud at the time of execution.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that there has been a long history of allowing pastors to deliver prayers at executions and “lay hands” on the individual being executed. He also noted that Texas had not shown a compelling state interest for prohibiting the prayer (as required by the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act that protects the religious rights of prisoners).

Carson v. Makin – the court ruled 6-3 that the State of Maine violated the Constitution by preventing families from using state aid to send children to religious schools while it supplied aid for children to attend other private schools.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Maine’s ‘nonsectarian’ requirement for its otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.”

Kennedy v. Bremerton School District – the court affirmed 6-3 the right of Coach Joseph Kennedy to offer personal prayer at the 50-yard line after a game. The court did not find anything coercive about his action that would make players feel compelled to pray.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote, “That the First Amendment doubly protects religious speech is no accident. It is a natural outgrowth of the framers’ distrust of government attempts to regulate religion and suppress dissent.”

In this case, I’ve imagined the team-building practice of a coach joining the players once a week for a lunch in the school cafeteria. The coach briefly bows his head and prays silently before eating lunch (a common biblical practice). Would the “religion police” come down on this coach for creating a scene that might make non-religious students feel uncomfortable or might compel others to pray who otherwise wouldn’t have done so?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1656698124270{background-color: #21e0d3 !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Civility in Difficult Times

“People who cannot restrain their baser instincts, who cannot treat one another with civility, are not capable of self-government … without virtue, a society can be ruled only by fear, a truth that tyrants know all to well.” — Charles Colson

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A Very Under-Reported Massacre

It was barely a blip on the news in America. On Pentecost Sunday (June 5) two gunmen entered worship services at St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo in southwestern Nigeria.

BBC News reported that at least 50 bodies had been taken to two hospitals in the town.

In May 2022, a young Nigerian Christian woman was beaten to death by a mob for posting the message “Jesus Christ is the greatest. He helped me pass my exams.” Her words were to some an offence punishable by death.

“Open Doors USA,” an organization that tracks religious persecution, has documented the killing of 4650 Christians in Nigeria in 2021.

[Most of this information comes from “The Christian Martyrs of Nigeria,” in The Wall Street Journal (June 8, 2022). The writer, David Curry, is President of “Open Doors USA” and also is a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.]

Attacks on pro-life counseling centers have been in the news since the U.S. Supreme Court returned the debate over abortion laws back to the states.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Would you like to read the most recent (August 28) update of my essay on “The Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church” (an expansion of three essays in recent newsletters)? You may access the essay at:

For Me The “Rapture” Is Up in the Air!

If you would like a PDF copy of the essay, please request it at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net and I will send you a copy via email. I recommend the PDF version for reading, printing and sending.

Thank you for your interest!

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for over 55 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

July-August 2022 Newsletter

Posted on July 1, 2022 by admin

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The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
All creatures look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.
– Psalm 104:12, 27

One of the many hummingbirds who visit our backyard feeders decided to build a nest right outside our bedroom window. We’ve enjoyed watching the mother sitting over two eggs in the nest she made (the nest is about 1-1/2” across and the eggs were the size of pinto beans). They hatched and then we’d see mother dutifully feeding two very tiny chicks.

Not tiny for long. Mother kept up the feeding and the two birds would stand at the edge of the nest flapping their rapid wings. They flew off on June 6 and 7, about a month after the eggs were laid.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Back the Badge
“Blessed are those who maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3

Always “On Call”

In the Bible we read a word of advice from the Apostle Paul to his young colleague Timothy: “Be prepared in season, out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).

The words have broad application beyond advice to Christian ministers who find ourselves called on suddenly when not “on the job.” Emergency responders such as firefighters and police officers are especially called to be “prepared in season, out of season.”

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics begins with “As a Law Enforcement Officer my fundamental duty is to serve; to safeguard lives…” (and much more). The officer promises to “be constantly mindful of the welfare of others.” Such commitments know no “punch clock” timing.

Picture Courtesy of
The Orange County Register

May 21, 2021 – Sgt. Joe Garcia of the Seal Beach CA Police Department was driving the freeway on his day off, heading toward a park to do some mountain biking. When traffic slowed to a crawl on the freeway, he saw the reason why. A woman and her 6-year-old son—victims of “road rage”—were on the freeway shoulder, the son with a gunshot wound in his back.

Sgt. Garcia laid the boy on a blanket and administered CPR until paramedics arrived. Upon arriving at the hospital several miles away, Sgt. Garcia learned the child had died. He would later say, “Once I saw Aiden [the boy’s name] I immediately thought it was my boy” who turned five years old the same day. When he heard Aiden didn’t make it, “I pulled over and broke down, because I just kept saying in my head this mom is now without her son.”

This past May the American Red Cross of Orange County (CA) rightfully honored Sgt. Garcia with the “First Responder Hero Award.”

It might be said that Sgt. Garcia’s quick response that day is what any dedicated officer would do. True. But this doesn’t at all make the trauma routine. An excellent officer’s training will kick in when he or she is confronted with a life-threatening emergency. But these officers don’t leave their humanity behind.

[Details of the incident and award are from The Orange County Register, May 21, 2022.]

A PERSONAL NOTE: I was a young pastor in the mid-1970’s when our home phone rang in the middle of the night. It was a distraught father calling to tell me his teen son had just died from an accidental gunshot wound. I went to the boy’s grandparent’s home to give them the tragic news. Then I drove to the regional hospital, arriving just as the family was about to view the boy’s body.

After some hours I returned home. I stood in the doorway of my 4-year old daughter’s bedroom watching her sleep so peacefully. I was thankful to God for my family’s safety and struck by the fragility of life at the same time. That night will never leave my mind.

What Key Identification Info Is Missing Here?
An on-line news source put out this alert. What’s missing from it?

SEAL BEACH, CA — The Seal Beach Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding the suspects in an armed robbery at a T-Mobile store on Tuesday [May 10, 2022].

One suspect was described as a man in his late 20s, about 6 feet tall and weighing 180 pounds. He was wearing a black jacket with dark jeans, Seal Beach police said.

A second suspect was described as a man in his late 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. Police said he was wearing a gray jacket with gray sweatpants.

Gender, clothing, approximate height, weight and age—it’s all there.
Wouldn’t it be good public service to give the racial IDs of the suspects?
This detail was available and vital. But would it be “incorrect” to report it?

A Meaningful Prayer for a Church and a Hurting World
Men and women from the congregation offer prayers to open our church services. I thought this prayer given June 12 was especially excellent. I share it slightly abbreviated. Thanks to Andreas Gratopp, who gave me the text.

Dear Heavenly Father, we are grateful that You bless this place and this gathering with Your presence. We are comforted to be able to continue returning to Your house to listen to the good news, to your Gospel.

As we look forward to summer… remind us to celebrate and be thankful for the fruits and freedoms that this Nation provides. We thank You Lord, for bestowing Your justice, Your mercy and Your faithfulness to all that call this land home.

Father, please be with our brothers and sisters that are suffering here and around this fragile earth. We ask that You guide them in their fight for justice, for mercy and for peace in their respective lives. Please lift up their faces, to be able see Your grace. Place your loving hand on burdened shoulders and lighten their load…

We turn to You with our eyes open, with our ears trained to listen, with our voices ready to sing and pray, and with our hearts prepared to receive Your Son. Lord, we thank you for the Spirit that surrounds us and encourages us to be faithful. Whatever our circumstance, we look up to You and we are grateful to know that Your love, Your gospel, is always available to us.

All of these things we ask and pray for in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Picture: Outdoor 9:30 a.m. service of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, CA
(June 26, 2022). Services at 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. are held indoors in the church sanctuary. The outdoor option is popular and has remained even after Covid restrictions were lifted for indoor gatherings.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Learning Worship from the First Christians
– 6th Essay on Worship for 2022
“[Jesus] read the Old Testament. It’s strange that many Christians don’t read what Jesus read.”
– Dennis Prager
Christians sometimes romanticize the Early Church. “Why can’t we be like the Early Church, those first Christians?” Some churches and denominations actually stress the importance of duplicating the Early Church, in organization or worship or spiritual gifts.

But if we strive to be like the Early Church we can expect some undesirable things: controversies, excluding people who should be let in, letting in people who should be excluded, false doctrine, worship abuses and legalism.

Still, we can learn a lot by seeing how the Early Church worshiped. The worship patterns of the Early Church are fascinating and helpful.

God does not require that we Xerox the worship of the Early Church and do it exactly that way. But we should consider patterns in Early Church worship and how to apply them to our own experience, so we might worship in a more God-pleasing way.

We should follow the spirit of what we learn and, in accord with our Christian freedom, employ what will serve the tasks of our modern church the best.

Three Biblical PRECEDENTS for Worship
After the birth of the Christian Church on the Day of Pentecost (30 AD?), worship patterns slowly emerged. Early Christian worship didn’t just start from “scratch.” Some things were new, needing to be developed. But three key features were quite old, simply needing to be appreciated and used.

First, the Early Church was never without a BIBLE (Holy Scripture).

It already had what Christians call “The Old Testament”—a body of literature Paul would describe as “inspired of God and profitable…” (2 Timothy 3:15-17). They had words from God that could light their pathway in worship and more.

Second, the Early Church was never without a HYMNBOOK.

It already possessed The Psalms. Some traditions in the Protestant Reformation have said we should ONLY sing the Psalms. That’s legalistic. Isaac Watts (1674-1748), “The Father of English Hymnody,” wrote 800 songs, many based on the Psalms (“O God Our Help in Ages Past” and “Give to Our God Immortal Praise”), but also songs not from the Psalms (“Jesus Shall Reign” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”). I’m glad he “broke the mold.”

Still, to ignore or minimize this rich, inspired hymnbook is poverty. I mention again that the “Jesus Movement” of the 1960’s and 70’s restored Psalm-singing to the church. If you are old enough to remember, think how little Psalm-singing took place before that movement.

Third, the Early Church was never without a TRADITION.

This “tradition” was the worship of the Jewish synagogue (read Luke 4:14-21). The synagogue service had these elements (note: we know more about worship details of the 2nd and 3rd centuries than we do of the 1st century):
• The Confession (Deuteronomy 6:4 – “the Lord is one.”)
• The Prayers
• The Readings (from the Law and Prophets)
• The Instruction from the scriptures
• The Benediction

Worship in the synagogue was “God-centered” and Jesus shared in it. Here is an important word on Jesus’ worship habits: “On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom” (Luke 4:16).

Jesus, our example, nurtured faithful and meaningful worship habits. In this spirit, we are instructed not to forsake our own “gathering together” (Hebrews 10:25). Do you remember the question, “WWJD?” (“What Would Jesus Do?”)? Jesus would be in a worship gathering on The Lord’s Day.

A Biblical PATTERN for Worship (Acts 2:42)

Since first discovering it I have always encouraged Christians (especially new believers) to develop the pattern for worship found in Acts 2:42. Once baptized, these new believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to [the] prayers.”

1. The Apostles’ Doctrine – This is the teaching of those chosen and taught by Jesus to unfold the meaning of his life and death and to establish his followers in the Faith. Now this teaching is found in the New Testament. It is also well summarized in the historic creeds we may recite in church.

“The Apostles’ Doctrine” will keep us from heresy (which contradicts and destroys the church’s message) and from market-driven or politics-driven trendy topics (which water down or ignore the church’s message).

2. The Fellowship – Regular “getting together” to help with needs and share warmth, rejoicing and tears. This protects us from unhealthy spiritual individualism
(“I come to the garden alone…”). Biblical fellowship is well expressed in the familiar hymn:

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

3. The Breaking of [The] Bread– This is more than “breaking bread” as a sign of friendship and togetherness. There is a definite article (“the”) before “bread.” It very likely refers to “the Bread” of the Lord’s Table, the Communion Bread. This divine tradition was established very quickly in the life of the Early Church (1 Corinthians 11:23-24 NIV): “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”

Frequent receiving of “Communion” keeps our thoughts Cross-centered and renews our intimate togetherness with Jesus, the One crucified for us.

4. The Prayers– Meaningful prayer is often spontaneous. Here though the reference is probably to planned or ritual prayers. Rather than criticizing this as empty ritualism (which it can be, but our spontaneous prayers can be empty and torturous to others as well!) we can use ritual prayers helpfully.

The best prayer ritual we can ever have is the frequent recitation of “The Lord’s Prayer” Jesus gave us to pray. We should also pray the Psalms.

Churches always face the pressure to be conformed to the world rather than transformed by the Word. We ask people what they want and make worship “man-centered.” Instead, we should seek out what God wants and make worship “God-centered.” * We demand that the church meet our needs. Instead, we should ask, “What needs did God create the church to meet?”

If our worship is centered on God, strengthening to believers, sensitive to non-believers, and meeting the needs God equipped it to meet, then we will have good worship. Godly-minded people will be pleased. Most of all, God will be pleased. All this we learn from the worship of the earliest Christians.

I love to live in Your house, O Lord.
I love to sit here at Your feet,
And let Your words be the food I eat.
The food I eat.

I love to live in Your house, O Lord,
to dine at the table with my King.
And give to You the praise I bring.
The praise I bring.
– “The House of the Lord” by Glen Veenstra

* Churches are free to “flex” on morally-neutral features of worship (kinds of instrumentation, choirs, praise teams, style of sermon delivery, etc.) for the greater benefit of those present. “Being all things to all people” can be difficult if the church has multiple kinds of people attending with different preferences. Paul doesn’t teach that oldsters and the “weak” should control things (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23), nor does he permit legalism to prevail (Galatians 2:11-15).

Next Issue: “Ceremonies Sent from God that Help Us Worship”[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]This Independence Day – Appreciate American Leaders Who Excelled, Moral Shortcomings and All

The Jefferson Memorial

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever. Commerce between master and slave is despotism. Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free.”
– Thomas Jefferson, “Notes on the State of Virginia”

The City of Long Beach is pondering changing the name of a park from “Lincoln Park” to a name of interest to Native Americans. OK, maybe the park is on land with a history many of us don’t know. If the change is made, I hope “Lincoln Park” can find a place to bear its name somewhere else. Don’t judge an imperfect Lincoln in a way that cancels his magisterial accomplishments.

Thomas Jefferson was not a perfect man. Will the perfect person please stand, that we might pay you honor? His slavery practices fell well short of his proclamations on slavery. To put it another way, though he was a sinner who kept slaves, Jefferson set forth principles bigger than he was—principles that helped sow the seeds of abolition. This must not be forgotten.

Our nation’s pacesetters need to be evaluated by the mores and standards of their own generations, not by “righteous people” who come along later— who’ve had more of a chance to learn and grow from the mistakes of the past.

We honor President Franklin D. Roosevelt but we must not forget his evil actions against innocent Japanese-Americans. Eighty years ago he signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the War Relocation Authority, which led to placing 120,000 West Coast Japanese-Americans in relocation camps.
Should we “correct” our history and close his monument in Washington, DC?
No, but we must tell the story and never forget his great wrong.

Likewise, California’s attorney general (and later its very popular governor) Earl Warren* was a strong supporter of the relocation camps and urged the president on. On the way up the coast on Highway 101, just past Santa Barbara, we pass the Earl Warren Showgrounds. Should this be renamed and his name cancelled? No, but his complicity in the interning of American citizens of Japanese descent must be remembered.

* See: Greg Robinson, By Order of the President, pp. 96, 101, 102, 126. Most Americans today remember Earl Warren as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969, whose appointment President Eisenhower later called “the biggest damn-fool mistake I ever made.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1656698124270{background-color: #21e0d3 !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Roe v. Wade Overturned by U.S. Supreme Court
Dobbs v. Jackson (June 24, 2023)

Here are two important quotes giving (1) a SUMMARY of the decision, and
(2) the LIMITATION of the decision to the abortion issue alone.

(SUMMARY) “We therefore hold that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. Roe and Casey must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives.” [page 69]

(LIMITATION) “…the Solicitor General suggests that overruling those decisions would ‘threaten the Court’s precedents holding that the Due Process Clause protects other rights.’”
“…to ensure that our decision is not misunderstood or mischaracterized, we emphasize that our decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right. Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt
on precedents that do not concern abortion.” [page 66]

The decision, concurrences and dissent are well worth a read (you may skip the long syllabus and go straight to the decision).
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]For Me, The “Rapture” Is Up in the Air!
By Donald Shoemaker
PART THREE (of 3): The Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church – Some Helpful Reflections

In “Part One” ” I shared my movement away from a doctrinaire “Pre-tribulation Rapture” view toward (1) greater openness on the subject and (2) the observation that this subject is not a “Truth of the First Order” where we speak with high certainty. Rather, it is a “level three” or “level four” teaching, which carries less certitude and shouldn’t divide us.

In “Part Two” ” we saw how Paul’s letters to the Thessalonian Christians contain an amazingly large amount of teaching on the Second Coming of Jesus and also contain a surprisingly small amount of teaching on the Rapture. This is significant all the more in light of the fact that the Rapture is likely taught nowhere else in the Bible.

We looked at the seven references in 1 and 2 Thessalonians to the Second Coming and the Rapture. My conclusion from my study: These texts together support or lean toward the idea of the Second Coming being one comprehensive event, not “Events A and B.”

Now for “Part Three” I want to discuss a number of issues that relate to the Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church.

1. Why the current disinterest in Bible Prophecy?
When I was a young Christian in the 1960’s I was concerned that a general disinterest in Bible prophecy seemed to be settling into evangelical churches and ministries. This was a BIG change from the 1950’s, when Bible Prophecy was a huge teaching theme. Trends in youth ministry pointed us to focus on problems of this world and our role in changing things. Prophecy took a back seat, for it was seen as a hindrance to this-world ministries.

Everything changed dramatically again with the arrival of The Jesus Movement in the late 1960’s. Many of the “Hippies” who were attracted to The Jesus Movement were kind of “doomsday” people to begin with (the singer Barry McGuire, who converted to Jesus, was already known in the entertainment world for his song “Eve of Destruction”).

The Jesus Movement was highly influenced by the Calvary Chapel churches that grew from it and by Hal Lindsey (author of The Late Great Planet Earth). Calvary Chapels were strongly into Bible Prophecy and were (and still are) strong proponents of the “Pre-Trib Rapture.” Youthful Christians were taught that the Rapture could happen at any moment. Youthful songwriters produced songs on prophecy themes (like Larry Norman’s pre-trib song “I Wish We’d All Been Ready”). The youth of my own congregation in Long Beach, California started a regular “Jesus Meeting” gathering known as “Last Generation.”

The popular film “A Thief in the Night” promoted a pre-tribulation rapture. San Diego-based pastor and author Tim LaHaye, whom TIME Magazine named one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America, produced the immensely popular “Left Behind” series of 12 books that depicted a world in turmoil after the sudden pre-trib rapture of the saints.

Youth-driven interest in prophecy topics had never been greater, I’m quite sure.

Now today we have lapsed back into disinterest in Bible prophecy. One writer said you have to be over 50 to be interested (all those Jesus People are now well over 50!). This could be blamed on the excesses and extremes of some prophecy teaching. Or to the “this-world” orientation of a lot of teaching and ministries today (including efforts to change society). Or simply to a blind spot in our attention to one of the Bible’s key themes.

Whatever the reasons, the current disinterest is nothing new. “I’ve seen it all before!” The Church needs to be concerned about it and reform itself by a healthy restoration of Bible Prophecy.

2. Can even good teaching on Bible Prophecy lead to bad behavior?
Let’s stipulate: Bad theology leads to bad behavior. But can good teaching lead some to wrong behavior. This seemed to be the case in Thessalonica, when Paul wrote his two letters to the church there.

That church seemed remarkably free of bad thinking and bad living *. Still, Paul makes reference to some bad behavior which might well be linked to the teachings on prophecy the church had learned:

We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 NIV)

Here’s the error: Instead of minding their own business they started minding the business of others. Idleness creates unhealthy dependence and nosy busybodies. Paul’s strong words of solution were “be quiet, earn your own bread. And if you won’t work, then you don’t eat!” He gives the practice of his own missionary team as an example to follow: “We worked hard among you and didn’t ask you for anything” (verses 7-8).

Unfortunately, even truthful teaching about Jesus’ second coming can lead to wrong application of the truth if guidance on good behavior isn’t given. Trust in the return of the Lord should lead to energetic service and devotion to everyday duties. It must not lead to idleness and dependency. Or to the “cultural withdrawal” we sometimes see today.

A church once began near my home. The pastor announced in the local newspaper that his new church wouldn’t own any buildings because Jesus was coming soon. But Jesus didn’t come immediately and in time some couples in his congregation wanted to get married.
How does a pastor handle weddings if his congregation has no place of their own to meet? Well, why not go ask other churches if they could use their church building for wedding ceremonies? See the dependency? Update: that church now owns its own building!

We must be sure to provide example after example of the godly living that must proceed from good prophetic teaching, lest listeners misapply the teaching and go astray.

[ * Paul also identifies some apparent sexual misbehavior in this congregation, but doesn’t seem to link it to prophetic teachings. Rather, to a failure to honor the human body as we should (1 Thessalonians 3:3-8).]

3. Arguments for a Pre-tribulation Rapture based on biblical issues, not biblical texts

• An imminent “Rapture”?
In his book The Rapture Question John Walvoord stated that the Rapture is not explicitly taught in Scripture (p. 148 in 1957 edition, deleted in later printings). This is not a disproof in itself, but acknowledges that the doctrine is essentially rationalized from other topics *.

One rationalization is the “imminence” issue—an “any moment” return of Christ. If the Rapture is “imminent,” then no signs—certainly not the Tribulation—can precede it. It is further argued that an “imminent rapture” is a stimulus for godly living, and this stimulus is lost without an imminent rapture.

There are warnings in scripture about the Lord’s sudden, unexpected return that will catch many unprepared. “Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). However the reality is that such warnings are intended to prepare people for the post-tribulational Second Coming (24:30), not a rapture seven years earlier. Indeed, Jesus alerts his followers to look for signs of this “imminent” event and to be prepared, because its exact timing is unknown. Combined with this is Jesus’ word that “for the sake of the elect” the final days of stress before his return will be shortened (Matthew 24:22). How much, we’re not told. **

Here’s a challenge: before us are two devout Christians. One believes the Rapture could happen at any moment. The other Christian’s prophetic system teaches that certain events will precede the Rapture. Show me that the first person’s prophetic outlook will make him any more godly, any more “ready” for the Lord’s return than the other. I doubt you can. Hopefully, our commitment to pleasing our Lord goes deeper than where Jesus’ coming for his saints is placed on the prophecy chart hanging on some wall at church.

* It’s true that doctrines can be rationalized from biblical statements that don’t teach it explicitly. The Trinity is a prime example. But the many texts that would lead to a reasoned doctrine of the Trinity are quite clear (the deity of Christ, for example, in John 1:1 and Philippians 2:5-11).

** Anyone who has tried to interpret Matthew 24 and related texts knows how Jesus’ words on the destruction of the Temple (70 AD) and his Second Coming are intermingled and is aware of how difficult this makes our understanding of many specific verses.

• Sharp distinction between Israel and the Church?
The system of interpretation known as “Dispensationalism” distinguishes Israel and the church (and God’s promises to each). The argument here is that God will conclude his dealings with the Church (by rapturing it) before he resumes his favored dealings with Israel. Richard Mayhue stated that “nowhere in Scripture is it taught that the Church and Israel would coexist as the centers for God’s redemptive message and yet remain mutually exclusive.”

Some writers are adamant, insisting that God’s ministry to the Church must end before he resumes his ministry with Israel.

I call this insistence the notion that God can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Why can’t God multi-task if it fits his purposes?

Others say the non-congruence of these two works of God is a free decision by God (which fits our understanding of God’s freedom better).

This is an example of where new perspectives on Dispensationalism are modifying that system. A pre-tribulation rapture once thought to be a necessary implication of this system is no longer seen as such. Note some statements by Robert Saucy (pages 8-9 and 26-27 in The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism):

While most dispensationalists probably hold to a pretribulation rapture of the church as being in certain respects more harmonious with dispensationalism in general, many would not desire to make this a determining touchstone of dispensationalism today.

Saucy argued for a “mediating position”: (1) a natural understanding of the prophetic Scriptures that appear to assign a significant role to the nation Israel in the future is retained; (2) God’s program is viewed as unified within history. A radical discontinuity between the present church age and the kingdom promises to Israel is denied.

This is a big debate. The only point I make here is that a particular position on the timing of the Rapture should not be inferred from a conclusion on how God can or must deal with Israel and the Church.

• Exemption from God’s judgments poured out during the Tribulation
I noted in “Part Two” of this 3-part study that it is hard to contemplate the presence of the saints on earth during a time of God’s intense worldwide outpouring of his wrath as it seems to be described in Revelation 16. This leads some to support a “pre-wrath rapture” theory. Others look to the plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7-11) as evidence that God can protect his chosen ones while his wrath is expressed all around. They note the seal of protection on the 144,000 during the Tribulation as an example (Revelation 7:1-8). Others hesitate to impose a worldwide notion on texts that may not intend such a perspective (e.g., Luke 2:1).

Still others would spiritualize at least some of the plagues. I’m fascinated by the views of Dwight Pentecost (a strong “literal meaning” advocate for understanding prophecy texts). He says the outpouring of God’s wrath in the “vial” judgments of Revelation 16 have reference to unbelievers and special reference to the Beast [Antichrist] and his followers. He goes further and spiritualizes at least some of these plagues. A judgment on the “seas” refers to spiritual death; one on “rivers” and “fountains of life” shows that the Beast is unable to nourish and sustain life. Judgment on the sun speaks of “spiritual blindness” (Things to Come, pp. 363-64).

The issue I identify remains but has possible solutions. And it definitely does not require a rapture that would exempt Christians from the Tribulation and its persecutions.

4. Two examples of change from a strict Pre-tribulation Rapture position

The pre-tribulation rapture position had its rise with the Plymouth Brethren and the Bible Conference movements of the 19th century. Dispensationalism got a huge boost in the U.S. from the great popularity of The Scofield Reference Bible.

One reference to the pre-tribulation rapture in The Scofield Reference Bible is clear (commenting on the “restrainer” of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7 being the Holy Spirit in the Church, p. 1272). Scofield’s main impact is his sharp distinction between scriptures referring to Israel and the Church. For example, he would hold that the prophecies in the Synoptic Gospels have little to say directly to the Church.

The pre-tribulation rapture found its way into many doctrinal statements of Dispensational flavor in the first half of the 20th century. It also became popular in the new Pentecostal movement, which was “end times” focused. Many thought it was a bulwark against liberalism. Insist on this doctrine and liberalism will never take root!

The Bible Institute of Los Angeles (which morphed into Biola University, where I once taught) has a clearly mainstream evangelical doctrinal statement (1912) that doesn’t get into the rapture issue. However, a number of “Teaching Positions” were created over the years to clarify the doctrinal statement. In reality, some positions added to the school’s doctrines rather than just clarifying them.

Biola’s teaching position on the Rapture added to the doctrinal statement as it said:
“The Scriptures are to be interpreted according to dispensational distinctive with the conviction that the return of the Lord for His Church will be premillennial, before the Tribulation, and that the millennium is to be the last of the dispensations” [italics mine].

As a biblical studies professor, I found this position to be a confining limitation on freedom of inquiry on an issue over which evangelicals should be able to hold various positions without putting themselves outside the “Bible-believing” camp.

Biola’s current position, however, is quite different: “Before these millennial events, the believers will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (I Thess. 4:13-17). The time of this ‘rapture’ is unknown, and thus believers are to live constantly watchful and ready.” Yes!

Likewise, my own denomination (The Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, now commonly known as “The Charis Fellowship”) adopted a clear pre-tribulation rapture position in its 1969 doctrinal statement:

SECOND COMING. The personal, visible, and imminent return of Christ to remove His church from the earth (1 Thess. 4:16-17) before the tribulation (1 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 3:10), and afterward to descend with the Church to establish His millennial kingdom upon the earth (Rev. 19:11-20:6). [Italics mine]

This reflected a move away from the simple statement on eschatology in The Message of the Brethren Ministry” (1921):

The personal and visible return of our Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the glorious goal for which we are taught to watch, wait and pray.

The change represented a doctrinal “tightening” viewed by many as a progressive step coming from deeper insight into scripture. But not all of us were content!

In the year 2000 I wrote an article titled “Grace Brethren Eschatology: Where Should Our Fellowship Go?” in Sharpening One Another, a publication of the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers. I presented a series of statements encouraging us to ponder turning away from a dogmatic pre-tribulation rapture position and back to the simplicity of “The Message of the Brethren Ministry.” [See Appendix #1]

In 2015-16 the FGBC/Charis Fellowship adopted a new document known as “The Charis Commitment to Common Identity.” It is an interesting document worth a look (under “about” at www.charisfellowship.us). Its eschatology statement is premillennial without dogmatism about the timing of the Rapture:

The present Church age will come to an end when our Lord comes in the air to remove His Church from the earth and fulfill His promises to Israel. The second coming of Christ is the personal, physical, and visible return from heaven of Christ to earth with His Church, to establish His thousand-year reign before instituting His eternal kingdom.

The Charis Fellowship’s educational institution, Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary, retains a pre-tribulation rapture statement in its “Covenant of Faith.”

These two examples represent a broad trend in conservative denominations toward the loosening of position-taking on the Rapture of the Church. Other evangelicals have, on the other hand, retained the pretribulation rapture point—the Assemblies of God and the Calvary Chapel network are examples of denominations doing this.

Some Final Words
(We believe) in one Lord Jesus Christ

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.

– The Nicene Creed (325 AD)

Millions of Christians express their unity of faith in Christ’s return as they recite this creed or the similar though briefer Apostles’ Creed.
I strongly believe that the various perspectives on the details of the Second Coming of Jesus and the Rapture of the Church are to be points of discussion rather than division, for celebration not for conflict, for anticipation not for acrimony.

Therefore I tend to oppose doctrinal statements that go beyond the simple, clear, significant confessions of the post-apostolic church on Jesus’ present Session in heaven, his return in glory, the resurrection of the dead, judgment of all, and life in the world to come.

What is my “preference” so far as the Rapture is concerned? Well, of course, my personal preference is for a pre-tribulation rapture. I want to escape the trials of the Last Days. But what does the biblical information support? I fear that the desire for an exemption from tribulation is a feature of comfortable Western Christianity, which has enjoyed unparalleled religious freedom and a long vacation from major tribulation. But that is not the experience of many Christians over time or around the world today (“…through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God.” – Acts 14:22 ESV).

My operational and theological thesis now is that the Bible does not provide support for a two-stage Second Coming—what I have referred to as “Second Coming A” (the Rapture) and “Second Coming B” (the Revelation). There is no compelling reason to hold to more than a single comprehensive “Second Coming in Glory.”

That said, I pray my mind stays open for I know there is much more to learn in humility because “now we see through a glass dimly” and we will not “fully know” until we see Jesus face-to-face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Jesus’ Second Coming in glory is “The Blessed Hope” of the Church which the Apostle Paul presented in Titus 2:11-13 as an inducement for godly living. I stress again that this godliness-inducing event is Jesus’ glorious appearance, his “epiphaneia” after the Tribulation, to establish his Kingdom (Revelation 19:11-16).

The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing
[epipháneian] of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…

“Veni, Domine Jesu”
“Come, Lord Jesus!”

(Revelation 22:20)

Please see two Appendices below.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for over 55 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

© 2022 Donald P. Shoemaker[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Appendix #1 –
My article on “Grace Brethren Eschatology”

(Reprinted from Sharpening One Another, publication of the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers, May, 2000)

Grace Brethren Eschatology:
Where Should Our Fellowship Go?

By Dr. Donald P. Shoemaker, Senior Pastor
Grace Community Church (FGBC)
of Seal Beach, California

In 1921, Dr. Alva J. McClain authored “The Message of the Brethren Ministry,” setting forth the common beliefs of the Brethren ministers of that day. The statement has been a defining document of our movement ever since and was endorsed by our General Conference in 1938.

This is the eschatology statement of “The Message”:

The personal and visible return of our Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the glorious goal for which we are taught to watch, wait and pray.

Since the summary of our beliefs is always a current statement of a never-ending process (this side of Glory) to articulate truth, rather than a statement of our perfect understanding of truth, I believe the time has come for us to revisit our current position on eschatology. Specifically, I suggest it is time for us to extend latitude toward more than one evangelical option on how the Rapture of the Church relates to the Tribulation Period.

Here are some reasons for my thinking…

(1) Belief in a pre-tribulation rapture is neither an essential part of historic Christian confessions nor (either in breadth or duration) of the belief patterns of the Brethren throughout our history.

(2) The notion of a 7-year tribulation rises from only one interpretation, among many viable ones, of Daniel 9:25-27, an apocalyptic passage notoriously cryptic.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text](3) The pre-tribulation rapture is generally defended along inferential lines rather than from relatively straightforward statements of the biblical text.

(4) Creating our identity around a fine point of eschatology and separating from other Christians over such a fine point seem contrary to “maintaining the unity of the Spirit” in the Body of Christ.

(5) The study of eschatology is by nature a tentative exercise, especially the more we refine our position beyond the fundamental points of a Second Advent, resurrection, judgment and eternal state.

(6) Twentieth-century “Dispensationalism” has undergone modifications in recent years that have called into debate some of its features previously thought to be “necessary.”

(7) A survey of Grace Brethren ministers in 1982 found that a sizeable minority of ministers confessed varying degrees of reservation over our stated position on a pre-tribulation rapture. The number of ministers with reservations has most likely increased since 1982. A spirit of honest inquiry on matters not foundational to our faith as Christians is best done in an unthreatening and brotherly context where we can be “free to disagree.”

(8) Our witness to our world and our expression of our self-identity should focus on the major themes that separate “light from darkness” (or at least they should express major theological themes) rather than peripheral or tangential areas where godly, conscientious Christians have differences.

So I would pose the question, “Is now the time for us to identify ourselves more with the historical Christian hope and with the Evangelical mainstream in our eschatology?”

A return to Dr. McClain’s articulate words could be the right step in that direction.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Appendix #2

Primary Sources for the 3-part study: “For Me, the ‘Rapture’ Is Up in the Air!”
(The Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church)
(May, June, & July-August Newsletters)

Archer, Gleason, et. al., The Rapture—Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulational?
Bird, Michael F., Evangelical Theology (second edition), “The Gospel of the Kingdom,”
pp. 297-393.
Blaising, Craig, et. al., Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church.
Bruce, F. F., Word Bible Commentary: I & II Thessalonians (vol. 45).
Demarest, Gary W., Mastering the New Testament: 1, 2 Thessalonians; 1,2 Timothy and Titus.
Erickson, Millard J., A Basic Guide to Eschatology.
Fee, Gordon D., The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians.
Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology (second edition), “The Doctrine of the Future,”
pp. 1343-1418.
Gundry, Robert H., “An Open Letter to Dr. John F. Walvoord concerning his book
The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation” (36 pp.).
__________, Commentary on the New Testament (vol. 2), Romans-Revelation, pp. 812-31.
__________, The Church and the Tribulation.
__________, First the Antichrist.
Ladd, George, “Eschatology,” A Theology of the New Testament, pp. 550-58.
__________, The Blessed Hope.
__________, The Last Things.
Mayhue, Richard L., “Why a Pretribulational Rapture?” The Master’s Seminary Journal
(Fall 2002) 241-53.
Marshall, I. Howard, The New Century Bible: 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
Morris, Leon, The Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians.
Ortlund, Gavin, Finding the Right Hills to Die On—The Case for Theological Triage.
Pentecost, J. Dwight, Things to Come.
Sailhamer, John H., Biblical Prophecy.
Sandy, D. Brent, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic.
Saucy, Robert G., The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism.
Schreiner, Thomas R., “Who are the 144,000 in Revelation 7?” Crossway
(daily e-edition for June 13, 2022).
Shoemaker, Donald P., “Grace Brethren Eschatology: Where Should Our Fellowship Go?” Sharpening One Another (Association of Grace Brethren Ministers, May, 2000).
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (vol. VII), “episunagōgē,” pp. 841-43.
Walvoord, John F., The Blessed Hope and The Tribulation.
__________, The Rapture Question.
__________, The Thessalonian Epistles.
Weima, Jeffrey A. D., 1-2 Thessalonians.
Whitcomb, John C., The Rapture and Beyond.
Wright, Randy. “Arguing the Pre-Tribulation Rapture from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Alone.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

June 2022 Newsletter

Posted on May 30, 2022 by admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”949″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”“A Piece of My Mind”” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:50px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”June 2022 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Memorial Day: Honoring a Schoolmate Killed Doing Heroic Service

I didn’t know David Winder well. His class was ‘64; mine ‘62.
He joined the U.S. Army and went to Vietnam in November of 1969 as an unarmed senior medical aidman. On May 13, 1970 his company came under intense attack in a rice patty and found themselves up against automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

PFC Winder crawled under fire to reach wounded soldiers. In spite of his own injuries he treated one wounded soldier. Before he could reach another he was mortally wounded.
For his selfless effort to serve the fallen, he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. He was 23 when he died.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

John Lennon’s “Imagine”

For the first time ever, Julian Lennon sang his father’s song “Imagine” in public for a “Stand Up for Ukraine” rally. I learned this watching ABC News, which played excerpts of the beautiful song.

Later I looked at all the lyrics of “Imagine,” not just words sung on ABC News. Some of you may know it all by heart, but I don’t. Some phrases:

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky…

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too…

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man…

Lennon imagined a world where people believe this life is all there is. No heaven or hell, therefore no accountability beyond what might happen here.

The world is one, without nations or borders. No call to fight or die for your country, for there are no countries.

And there is no religion, the people’s opiate, the source of what hinders universal peaceful brotherhood. Even the old liberal religious idea of “The Fatherhood of God” over the brotherhood of man is fanciful and unnecessary.

And there are no private possessions with the greed and lack of brotherhood that goes with them. Instead everyone together happily shares the world.

This idea of a nirvana centered on the ideal possibilities of a humanity that has rid itself of religion* and is free of borders and possessions was attempted in 1917 and after by various Marxist entities promoting materialism, internationalism, atheism, collectivism (these parallel the above “Imagines”).

Marxist experiments have been utter failures. Pathways to its idealism have led to bloodshed, oppression, suffering, famine and want, and tens of millions of deaths. The perfect society never quite arrives. So “the dictatorship of the proletariat” rules as we await the elusive nirvana.

Years ago I heard a lecture at the University of Southern California by a graduate student working on a double doctorate (theology and economics). He advocated Marxism as the key to human flourishing. I walked with him to lunch and asked him, “Are there any working models of your theory anywhere in the world?” He said no, there weren’t any.

He has to have more faith than I have to embrace his own “Imagine” vision.

* My opinion: when a secular authority eliminates religion, the secular authority itself becomes the new official religion. Alternatively, the secular system may try to domesticate religion to be a mouthpiece of the state. This is attempted in China today. Authoritarian and especially totalitarian systems cannot tolerate religion’s independent and contrary voice. So long as the U.S. has robust freedom of religion (and with it free speech and freedom of assembly), religion will never be subjugated or “cancelled” by the state.

Family Member Has Pleasant Surprise at Texas Airport

Son-in-law Rick Turner was waiting with friends at the San Antonio airport for a flight to LA when they noticed recent California gubernatorial candidate and talk radio personality LARRY ELDER
sitting a few feet away.

Rick said, “Hi Larry! How are you?” Larry smiled and walked over to shake hands with Rick and his friends. They all joined in a lively conversation. Rick summed up the encounter this way: “His personality was very inviting and engaging. He seemed to be enjoying himself during our time together. I know we did.”[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Day of Rejoicing: Worship in the Book of Nehemiah
(Or: “Church Choirs—To Be or Not To Be?”)

– 5th Essay on Worship for 2022

I love many styles of worship. I’ve worshipped in Pentecostal churches out in the countryside. I’ve played the piano in “Hillbilly G” while people clapped, sang and danced in the aisles. I’ve also worshipped in majestic sanctuaries and been thrilled to hear the pipe organs.

My very earliest worship experience was in a formal Lutheran church. Sunday morning worship services began with a grand processional. The pipe organ lifted its volume and began to play the first hymn. At just the right moment, as the choir reached the halfway point down the long center aisle, the choir would start to sing and a thousand worshippers would join in.

The choir was followed by acolytes carrying various ornaments of worship and by the choir director and pastors. The choir would take its positions to the right and left of the altar, the pastors would pray before the altar—all this during the first hymn.

The theological term for this worship experience is “Whoa!”

Is there biblical PRECIDENT for such worship? O yes!

Two great biblical scenes for choral worship: (1) The great assembly around God’s throne in Revelation 4-5; and
(2) the two choirs at the dedication of Jerusalem’s wall in Nehemiah 12. The angelic hosts reciting “Glory to God” to the shepherds when Jesus was born should be noted also.

But is there a biblical CALL for this kind of worship in our churches today? For this, I have to give a more nuanced answer. I think we must distinguish between what God expects in worship and, on the other hand, what God permits in worship, some of which may be illustrated in Scripture.

Pastors and worship leaders must choose between two ways to “think worship.” One says we can only do what the New Testament requires (what I call the biblical limitation view). What isn’t commanded is forbidden.
Follow this, and you have no choirs. Nor musical instruments. In reality, I’ve never heard an advocate of this view take it to its logical extreme: no church buildings, no audio equipment, no electric, etc.

I would advocate the alternate: the biblical permission view. We ask, “What does Scripture require in worship?” We give answers like: “approach worship with sins confessed, worship ‘in spirit and in truth,’ all the people sing heartily, observe the Sacraments, engage in prayer, hear the Word.”

Beyond these, we have permission to introduce features into worship so long as they are not forbidden. Important: such features must conform to worship principles. We ask ourselves questions such as: “Does this glorify God or ourselves? Does this build other worshippers up spiritually or just give me a private blessing? Is the worship God-centered or man-centered? Does it serve our ‘excellent God’ excellently? Does this lead us toward Jesus or detract from Jesus?” I’ve attended some gatherings where it seems necessary to introduce fun into worship, and I think this violates “biblical permission.”

So, Nehemiah 12 gives biblical precedent to choirs (at least for special occasions—“Days of Rejoicing”!) and no one can say, “Choirs aren’t biblical!”Church leadership is then free as a matter of Christian liberty to have a choral ministry or not, based on the church’s vision, desires, talent and capabilities and subject to principles like what I set forth. There’s much “pomp and ceremony” in Nehemiah 12, and my points above should keep us from the extremes of either demanding it or condemning it. “Formal” worship isn’t the same as “dead formalism” when filled with the Word and the Spirit.

Now, what are the interesting details of Nehemiah’s “Day of Rejoicing?”

1. Jerusalem’s new wall is completed and now it’s time to rejoice!
2. Personnel included Levites, songleaders, musicians, singers, and gatekeepers—the security team. They came to Jerusalem to “celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres” (verse 27).
3. Cleansing from sin must precede worship. So the priests and Levites purified themselves ceremonially, and purified the people, the gates and the wall. Yes, spiritual cleansings can be done through a ritual (30).
4. There were two large choirs. The choral processions began at the “Valley Gate” in the new wall and then went to the right and to the left.
5. The right choir went on to the Water Gate. It included musicians and many leaders including Ezra, teacher of God’s Law, who led it (31-37).
6. The second choir went to the left past several gates toward the Gate of the Guard (38-39). The two choirs literally encircled Jerusalem—a sign of taking possession of the city inside the new walls.
7. The two choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah, and what a sight and “surround sound” it must have been for the people below and between them! I expect some of the songs were antiphonal, for the setting was ideal for this and some singers were experienced at it (24). Churches can use such a configuration for uplifting worship.
8. All joined in song, for “God had given them great joy… The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away” (43). Women and children sang. Worship leaders didn’t have the rule some churches have today that children aren’t permitted in the worship service!
9. Sacrifices were also offered under the terms of the Old Covenant (43). We should bring appropriate New Covenant sacrifices, beginning with ourselves (Romans 12:1). We also sacrifice with robust singing and recitation, good deeds and helping others. “Through Jesus…let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16).
10. The people contributed to the cost of worship (44-47). Seat-of-the-pants worship may come cheap, but well-planned, well-prepared, well-presented worship costs. My goodness, they’ve even got singers and musicians on the payroll!

Let’s face it—from a human viewpoint, worship is a ridiculous thing to spend money on. In fact, worship itself is ridiculous! Some churches want to spend minimally on worship. They don’t see worship spending as being “On Mission.” But while spending a lot on worship doesn’t guarantee great Spirit-filled worship, Spirit-filled worshippers will understand the propriety of spending. If God is pleased with our worship, and we (like the worshippers in Jerusalem) too are pleased, we should take joy and pleasure in spending all the money it takes.

How far do WE need to go to capture the spirit of “Nehemiah Worship” ???

Next Issue: “Learning Worship from the First Christians”
Please continue with me in this pilgrimage![/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Religious Liberty Vigilance –
First Amendment Protection in Tough Times

California’s Penal Code (302) reads:
(a) Every person who intentionally disturbs or disquiets any assemblage of people met for religious worship at a tax-exempt place of worship, by profane discourse, rude or indecent behavior, or by any unnecessary noise, either within the place where the meeting is held, or so near it as to disturb the order and solemnity of the meeting, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. [302 PC has five additional points]

Examples of violations include:
• Interrupting a worship service
• Heckling a pastor during a religious service
• Yelling rude comments at people on their way into the service
• Making obscene gestures to those present at a church service

Every church or religious gathering needs to have plans to face a disruption:
• Find out if your community or state has an ordinance or law against disrupting a house of worship. If not, request of your council or legislators that one be passed.
• Be familiar with whatever protections your own state and locality might provide.
• Have a security team already trained and in place prior to any difficult situation.
• Call 911 immediately once a violation is observed or imminent.
• Remember the violation: 302-PC. Even better, have a copy of the section available.
• Notify any obvious leaders that protesters must not trespass on church property.
• A citizen arrest by one who observed the misdemeanor may be appropriate with care. The security team should be familiar with applicable citizen arrest codes.
• Indicate to law enforcement your desire that arrests be made and you are willing to press charges. Let authorities sort out the charges.
• Be prepared to offer forgiveness to any who sincerely express remorse to you.

Reasonable Limits to Protest in a Democracy
“The right to assemble and speak freely is essential to democracy. Erasing any distinction between the Public Square and private life is essential to totalitarianism. It is crucial, therefore, to protect robust demonstrations of political dissent while preventing them from turning into harassment or intimidation. . .

To picket a judge’s home is especially problematic. It tries to bring direct public pressure to bear on a decision-making process that must be controlled, evidence-based and rational if there is to be any hope of an independent judiciary.”

– Editorial Board, The Washington Post, May 8, 2022

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

For Me, The “Rapture” Is Up in the Air!
By Donald Shoemaker

PART TWO: The Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church in Paul’s Thessalonian Letters

In “Part One” I shared my movement away from a doctrinaire “Pre-tribulation Rapture” view toward (1) greater openness on the subject and (2) the observation that this subject is not a “Truth of the First Order” where we can speak with certainty. Rather, it is a “level three” or “level four” teaching, which carries less certitude and shouldn’t divide us.

In “Part Two” we see how Paul’s letters to the Thessalonian Christians contain an amazingly high amount of teaching on the Second Coming of Jesus. They also contain a surprisingly small amount of teaching (twice) on the Rapture, especially in light of how huge this teaching is in some circles. This is very significant in light of the fact that the Rapture is likely taught nowhere else in the Bible (possible exception: Matt. 24:30-31).

In this essay I’ll review the seven references in 1 and 2 Thessalonians to the Second Coming and the Rapture. Do these texts together support or lean toward the idea of the Second Coming being one comprehensive event? Or do they lead us to think of a separate “Second Coming A” (the Rapture) and a “Second Coming B” (the Revelation)?

Some points on the church at Thessalonica as we begin. It was a good congregation, dear to the Apostle Paul’s heart. It was founded by Paul during his second missionary journey after he entered today’s Europe for the first time (Acts 17:1-9). Shortly after, he travelled to Corinth and established a church there, remaining there for 18 months. During this extended period, he wrote his letters to the Thessalonians, in part to address some confusion in their minds over the Second Coming and to put their hearts at ease. Even good congregations can have some confusion! We may date these letters around AD 49-52.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (New International Version) – “…you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

• True conversion is both a turning away from something (idolatry here) and a turning toward something. These new Christians turned their hearts toward God and their hope toward Jesus’ return from heaven. The Second Coming must be, for believers, an anticipated event full of encouragement to good works.
• Jesus’ return will mean deliverance from wrath—the rescue is so certain Paul puts it in the present tense (“who rescues us”). In Paul’s writings, “wrath” is God’s justified actions of judgment against all evil and all who set themselves against him (Romans 1:18; 2:5, 8; 3:5; 4:15; 5:9; 9:22; 12:19) unless the context indicates otherwise (Romans 13:4-5, for the just wrath of the magistrate against evildoers). It is not the wrath of the Devil or the Antichrist. See comments on 1 Thess. 5:9.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 – “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.””

• Jesus taught us to use our resources to win others so they might welcome us into eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9). So here, Paul labored to win people to Christ and establish them in their faith, so he might glory in Jesus’ presence with them.
• Paul here uses the word “parousia” for Jesus’ coming six times in the Thessalonian letters and once in 1 Corinthians 15:23. As we will see, it is one of three words Paul uses for the Second Coming. It can mean “arrival” or “presence.” F. F. Bruce says the word was used to describe “the official visit of a high-ranking personage to a province or city, when he was met on his approach by a deputation of leading citizens who escorted him formally for the remainder of his journey.”

1 Thessalonians 3:13 – “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

• The Second Coming, properly taught (without lots of speculation), both induces and requires holiness of life (being prepared and watchful for his coming). Here is a prayer that we will be holy on that Day. Perhaps the idea of accountability at the judgment is in view (“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” – 2 Corinthians 5:10; see Romans 14:10).
• “Parousia” appears for the second time, translated “comes” (NIV), literally, “in the coming of our Lord Jesus.”
• Jesus will come “with all his holy ones.” This may refer to angels (“…he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels”—Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7). Or it may refer to the saints who will accompany Jesus when he returns (Revelation 19:14). The point would be, the Thessalonian believers will be “blameless and holy” and thus able to join the company of saints who will accompany Jesus. Robert Gundry sees this as a reference to disembodied souls of deceased saints who will accompany Jesus when he returns (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – “13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

These verses are the first part of a long and very significant passage in 1 Thessalonians about the Rapture and the Second Coming. The second part is chapter 5, verses 1-11. I’m leaving the verse indicators intact in these longer passages. The chapter break is unfortunate, for it separates the second part from the much-more familiar first part.

First Part: Comfort replaces uninformed grief

• (13) As the first generation of Christians began to pass, living Christians understandably wondered how the departed would share in the blessings of Jesus’ return. Paul assures them of a hope not shared by those whose worldview omits any thinking about God and the afterlife.
• (14-15) Far from missing out on the hope, these who have “fallen asleep in him” will rise from the dead and be joined with Jesus in their glorified bodies (alternate view: the souls of deceased believers will accompany Jesus and be reunited with their bodies, which are then raised glorified). Those alive when Jesus returns will gain glorified bodies by being “changed” without dying (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).
• (15-17) A verbal record of something Jesus taught or a revelation from the Lord Jesus to Paul brought assurance that those dead when Jesus returns will not be at any disadvantage. Indeed, they will rise first and the living will have to catch up!
• (16) This will be a very noisy event (far from a “secret rapture”—see below). First a loud command (that could wake the dead! See John 11:38-44 for Jesus’ loud command at the tomb of Lazarus.). The archangel’s voice and a trumpet call follow.
• (17) Living saints are “caught up” with resurrected saints to meet the Lord in the air and are (together) forever with the Lord. But where? The text doesn’t say up or down, whether Jesus turns around or the saints turn around! The verb “caught up” (harpazein) suggests a strong action, often to the benefit of the one “caught up.” In Acts 23:10, Roman soldiers “caught up” Paul to save him from an angry crowd. In Revelation 12:5, the (Christ) child is “caught up” to God’s throne to save him from the dragon, which planned to devour him.
• I. Howard Marshal says, “The Greek word used here [apantesis, “to meet”] probably carries an allusion to the way in which a visiting dignitary might be met on the way to a city by a representative group of citizens who would then escort him back to the city.” When Paul arrived in Italy (Acts 28:15), some believers in Rome came “to meet” him and escort him to Rome. This would support the idea that the Rapture is part of the glorious Second Coming where Jesus returns to earth accompanied by the saints. The Rapture would thus be post-tribulational. However, F. F. Bruce cautions, “But there is nothing in the word ‘apantesis’ or in this context that demands this interpretation. It cannot be determined from what is said here whether the Lord (with his people) continues to earth or returns to heaven.” Cautious interpretation suggests that we not draw a firm conclusion “pre” or “post” from these verses. Leon Morris wisely says, “This is the fullest description of the Parousia in the New Testament, and when we reflect on the little that is said here we are warned against being unduly dogmatic about what will then happen.”
• The word “Rapture” comes from the Latin Bible’s verb for “caught up” (“rapio”).
• (18) The main point: “Take heart! The dead will rise and meet the Lord!”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 – “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Second Part: Alertness and sobriety replace sleeping and drunkenness

• (1)“Now” (peri de) introduces a new issue in the topic of Jesus’ return. In essence, be prepared! “Times and dates” (kronōn kai kairōn) refers to the End Times and its high points. Jesus told his disciples that we cannot know the “times and dates” (same nouns as in Acts 1:7). No matter, no problem—Christians have often tried to figure out “times and dates,” especially in the past 100+ years.
• (2-3) When “The Day of the Lord” arrives, most will not be prepared. Instead, they will be living as if it won’t happen and they are content with the illusion of “peace.” For them, “The Day of the Lord” will come like a thief and catch them by surprise.
• (4) Others will be prepared for this Day, awaiting it with eagerness and sober, godly living. For them, “The Day of the Lord” will NOT come like a thief, for they are ready.
• What is “The Day of the Lord?” It’s a day when God steps into human affairs to execute judgment and vindicate righteousness. The phrase may describe God’s judgment in history, like a locust invasion or army that drew people to repentance (Joel 1 & 2). “The Day of the Lord” also looks ahead to God’s final intervention in human affairs—the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20). Many will be ready for that day but many others will not be—the key point of
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.
• (2, 4) “Like a thief in the night” is sometimes used to describe a pre-tribulational secret rapture (“Second Coming A”) as opposed to Jesus’ glorious public coming (“Second Coming B”). A movie named “A Thief in the Night” came out in 1972, depicting a secret rapture that left a lawn mower running unattended and a razor buzzing in the sink because their users were secretly raptured (apparently taking their pants with them). But this misses the point! The metaphor “thief” points to what is unexpected by the unprepared. It does not describe the nature of the Rapture. If Jesus’ return is to me “like a thief,” that’s my fault!
• (9) “For God did not appoint us for wrath, but to receive salvation…” The verse begins with “for” (hoti), giving a reason and incentive for us to maintain faith, hope and love (v. 8). Consistent with Paul’s use of the word “wrath” (orge), Paul is speaking of God’s wrath poured out on a world rejecting him. It does not refer to the “wrath” of the Devil (Revelation 12:12, using the word “thumos”) or other forces of evil we are forewarned to resist. The verse promises exemption from divine wrath rather than exemption from the Tribulation.
• There is a viewpoint known as “the pre-wrath rapture” theory—the Rapture will be near the end of the Tribulation before God casts his rapid worldwide judgments on the earth (Revelation 14:1-5, 14-16, chapters 15 & 16). This is not an unreasonable position, should the judgments proceeding from God’s “wrath” be so widespread and of such magnitude that Christ’s followers simply could not be exempt from them if they were around during that hour of judgment. If we try to reconcile
1 Thessalonians 5:9 with Revelation 14-16, we must proceed with humble caution, insomuch as we don’t know “the times or the dates” of such happenings. We’ll see…

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• Jesus’ church is full of “spots and wrinkles and blemishes” (Ephesians 5:27). As I grow older, I see these increasing on my body. But in a maturing church there should be fewer and fewer of these due to God’s cleansing and holiness-producing ministries for us. Our confidence in the Second Coming actually induces moral purity (1 John 3:2-3). On the Day of Jesus’ return this process will be complete.
• “Spirit, soul and body” are not three “parts” that comprise us (the doctrinal term for this is “trichotomy”) any more than loving God with all our “heart, soul, mind and strength” (Mark 12:30) means we have four parts. Rather, we are to love the Lord and be kept blameless through and through, with all our being.
• “The coming of our Lord” gives us the fourth use of parousia (“arrival, presence”) in these two letters (after 2:19, 3:13, 4:15). Paul doesn’t infer two parousias, but just one (with the definite article, “the coming,” which includes the Rapture).

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 – “He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”

• This is clearly a reference to Jesus’ Second Coming in power and glory (“Second Coming B” if you follow that scheme). Its dramatic display for all to see is underscored by “revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”
• Important point: It seems to me that the church’s relief from persecution (“relief to you who are troubled”) would be fulfilled at the Rapture if it were pretribulational rather than at “Second Coming B.” But that is not what these verses say. Final relief from persecutors comes when Jesus is gloriously revealed, not before.
• “Revealed from heaven” introduces a new word describing the Second Coming—apokalupsis. The word goes beyond “presence” (parousia) to convey Jesus’ very open manifestation in contrast to his present hiddenness. His lordship will be revealed in power and glory and he will openly dispense justice. It will be “pay back hour” for all who have persecuted the church (“those who trouble you”).
• Jesus will be “glorified” and “marveled at” by his saints who surround him. My thoughts go to Revelation 19:14 – “The armies were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Jesus’ bride has already clothed herself in “fine linen, bright and clean,” which are all her righteous acts—19:5-6). In fact, the whole openly glorious description of the Second Coming (Revelation 19:11-16) fits apokalupsis quite well.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8

This final passage on the Rapture and Second coming is clearly the most challenging! How we interpret it will pretty well determine whether we hold to a “pre” or “post-trib” Rapture. The whole context (2:1-12) is really the heart of 2 Thessalonians.

“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.”

• Verse 1 is a beautiful summation of “the Rapture.” At this event, (1) Jesus will arrive (the parousia) and (2) his followers will be “gathered [episunagōgēs] to him.” The latter word is only used one other time in the New Testament—for the gathering of believers in worship assembly (Hebrews 10:25). It is also used in 2 Maccabees for the regathering of Israel after her Babylonian exile. These few words very nicely sum up the detailed teaching on the Rapture in 1 Thess. 4:15-17. The two passages are, as I said earlier, the only likely references to the Rapture in the whole Bible.
• Even a very good church can be troubled by bad doctrine. This church risked being “unsettled” and “alarmed” by teaching purportedly from the Apostle Paul, who would now set their hearts at ease.
• The misleading teaching may have come by someone’s (false) word of prophesy, or by a report that Paul taught these things, or a misunderstanding of what he had taught when with them, or even by a letter claiming to be from him. Paul didn’t know. Whichever, what “word” was so disturbing? “The day of the Lord had already come.” If true, they had missed out on its blessings. If true, their hope for relief from sufferings and persecution was a false hope. There will be no relief!
• The return and gathering of verse 1 is referred to in verse 2 as “the day of the Lord.” It is wrong to separate, as some do, the “Rapture” from “the day of the Lord.”

“3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”

• Whatever was said by whatever means, Paul counters, “Don’t be deceived.” More than just saying, “Get over it!” he gives the reason why they need not be unsettled. Before the “coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,” before the “gathering together,” two events must happen first: (1) the rebellion (apostasia—“apostasy”) and (2) the revealing (apokalupsthē, a verb form of apokalupsis) of “the man of lawlessness.” Since those haven’t happened, the day of the Lord cannot have happened either!
• I suggest these two happenings be viewed as one leading to the other. Great apostasy (moral, spiritual, doctrinal rebellion) welcomes the “man of lawlessness.” The soil of sin and falsehood readily receives the seed.
• A very small number of interpreters have said the word apostasia refers to the “departure of the saints in the Rapture.” If this were correct, as Charles Ryrie noted, this would be a clear text that the rapture precedes the arrival of the Antichrist. But Ryrie and almost all “pre-trib rapture” teachers reject it.
• “The man of lawlessness” is also called “the man doomed to destruction” (literally, “the son of destruction”). Elsewhere in scripture he is the Antichrist (1 John 4:3) and the “beast out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1). At the Second Coming he will be overthrown by Jesus’ breath and destroyed by the splendor of his coming (verse 8).
• But until then, once he comes look out! He will be the archenemy of God and his people. He will exalt himself over God and even set himself up “in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God.” Other scriptures point to his blasphemy and persecution of the saints and to the worship he will demand (Revelation 13:5-17).
• Does this text tell us that a temple to God will be built (in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount)? This has been rumored for decades. I have two realistic comments. First, expect “the mother of all wars” if the Dome of the Rock were ever demolished to make room for a new temple. Won’t happen. Second, I think this notion counters the claim by many “pre-trib rapture” advocates that the Rapture will happen suddenly with no signs preceding it. How many years would it take for a new temple to be proposed, designed and constructed and then for some time to pass before this “man of lawlessness” can occupy it? Certainly much of this project must precede a Rapture that would come (as many propose) 3-1/2 years before this temple blasphemy occurs. Yes, there were three actual desecrations of the Second Temple before the Romans destroyed it and the city in AD 70. But I’m prepared to see this reference to a “temple” as metaphorical of how “the man of lawlessness” will seek to displace God. Gordon Fee says, “By the time Paul wrote this letter the temple in Jerusalem no longer held any importance to him*, except in a symbolic way to remind others of God’s past presence with his people.” [*Is no “importance” an overstatement? Perhaps “no salvific importance.” His overall comment stands.] I find it very unlikely that Paul would call a rebuilt temple in the End Times “God’s temple” in light of his spiritualizing of the temple elsewhere (Ephesians 2:19-22).

5 “Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”

• (5-6) In this case, the church’s angst over the Day of the Lord was due to her forgetting what the apostle had taught in person. She just needed to be reminded. Our limitation is we don’t know all that Paul taught them. For a big example, we don’t know what it is that restrains this man of lawlessness from being revealed. Paul doesn’t repeat all he taught this church for the sake of later Bible students, and humble teachers of the Bible shouldn’t teach what isn’t given to them to teach!
• (6, 7b) Paul uses both the neuter “what is holding him back” and the masculine “the one who now holds it back.” Once this restraint/restrainer is removed, the man of lawlessness will be revealed.
• (7a) Evil, “the secret power of lawlessness,” is with us now. We see it and suffer from it often and sometimes fall into it ourselves. We must expose today’s evils and resist them by God’s enablements, while knowing that much greater evil lies ahead.
• (7b-8a) Once the restraint is removed, the man of lawlessness will step forth. We see God’s sovereignty here even against the forces of evil. This is a key theme throughout the Book of Revelation (see Revelation 17:17).
• We can’t restrain curiosity, can we? What/who might this restraint/restrainer be? Some say: the restraint of the state doing its proper role (Romans 13:1-7) and personified in its leader (Rome and its emperor, and all subsequent restraining powers). When this authority collapses, the man of lawlessness will emerge. Some says it’s the Holy Spirit (“spirit, pneuma” is neuter, yet the Spirit is a “he”). This would be God’s Spirit in his role of restrainer. But then this view adds a second layer: this is the Holy Spirit insofar as he indwells the church, and he is removed when the church is raptured (hence, before the man of lawlessness can be revealed). This second point is handy but speculative. And farfetched. It requires that all the evangelism during the Great Tribulation (and there are many converts—Revelation 7:9, 13, 14) and all the strength required to resist the Tribulation’s great evil will be accomplished without the Spirit’s indwelling. It also requires that the Spirit, a key blessing of the New Covenant and a benefit Jesus said would be with his followers forever (John 7:37-39, 14:16; Acts 2:17-18), will be removed as if the Covenant and Pentecost are reversed. No, this is a wrong view. Truth be told, we don’t know what or who the restrainer is. Gary Demarist quotes Augustine (“I admit that the meaning of this completely escapes me.”) and adds, “Three cheers for Augustine!”
• (8b) We do know that the days of the man of lawlessness are numbered and he will be destroyed by the glory of the Second Coming. After one final bold resistance he is cast into the “lake of fire” (Revelation 19:19-20).
• Paul now adds a third magisterial word for the Second Coming: epiphaneia—“…the splendor [display] of his coming [parousia].” The word could describe a visit by the emperor. It well fits Paul’s emphasis on the power and glory of the returning Lord.

Reflecting on what has been said…

Good Bible teachers differ on many points of Bible prophecy—some minor, some major. But they do not differ on the fundamentals. Remember the announcement given when Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:11): “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
With the Second Coming of Jesus, his followers (living and resurrected) will, with glorified bodies, be united with Jesus forever. All will face a Day of Judgment. Those who believe the Bible will differ on whether there is one resurrection or more, and one judgment or more. But there is no denial of either resurrection or judgment.
It is with the nature, relationship and sequence of End Time details that conscientious students of the Bible differ. At times the differing has been acrimonious, divisive and a tad self-righteous, with the “heresy” label applied to others. We should regret this because of its harm to Christian unity and because it impedes our ongoing search together for biblical answers (or recognition that some answers must await the fulfillment of the prophecies).
Is the Second Coming one comprehensive event that encompasses the resurrection of the saints and the rapture of the Church? Or is there enough contrast between details so that a distinction and separation between the Rapture and Jesus’ full Revelation (what I’ve called “Second Coming A” and “Second Coming B”) should be maintained? And if there is separation, does the Bible further support the teaching that the Great Tribulation will intervene (thus exempting Christians from that agony)? In fact, does the Bible even teach a
seven-year Tribulation? Or might it be a 3-1/2 year Tribulation period (Revelation 13:5)?
Based on my reading of Scripture, especially of the “Second-Coming-rich” Thessalonian epistles, I think that viewing the Second Coming as a multi-faceted yet comprehensive event has greater biblical support than does the view of a separate Rapture and Revelation. It may come across self-serving to say so, but I think the burden of proof lies with the latter interpretation. Paul’s Thessalonian letters do not warrant that interpretation.
This is not to say that a Post-tribulation Second Coming view is without problems. All the views on the Rapture have their problems. If the final outpourings of God’s wrath found in Revelation 15-16 are literal and as intense as described, it is hard to imagine that Jesus’ faithful followers who are promised exemption from God’s wrath could still be present on earth (hence, some prefer the “pre-wrath” rapture view). Since I hesitate to impose human time reckoning on prophetic scriptures and their metaphors (Acts 1:7), I’m content to live with this question.
Above all, I want to keep an open mind on what and how the Bible teaches about the future. And I want to grow in knowledge through fellowship and study with those who agree or differ with me.
In “Part Three” I’ll discuss prophecy issues further. Thank you for walking with me.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for over 55 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

May 2022 Newsletter

Posted on May 2, 2022 by admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”949″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”“A Piece of My Mind”” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:50px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”May 2022 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Our Front Garden

Responding to Suffering in Ukraine

“We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” – Nehemiah 4:9

Governor Nehemiah was sent by the King of Persia to oversee rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. People in surrounding nations opposed this effort with their insults and threats of violence. So Nehemiah followed his two-pronged response— Prayer and Action.

Often our promise to pray (which we may forget to do anyway) becomes our excuse to do nothing else! Let’s respond to the Ukraine tragedy as Nehemiah would—prayer AND effective actions, especially defensive (by governments) and assistance actions by us all. (See good giving options at the end of this newsletter.)[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

For Me, The “Rapture” Is Up in the Air!
By Donald Shoemaker

In my early Christian experience it was a “given,” as surely as “Jesus died for our sins” is a “given,” that the “Rapture of the Church” would precede a 7-year Great Tribulation on earth. This is what, I was sure, the Bible taught as a key feature of “the end times.”

During the Tribulation period “The Antichrist” will dominate the world and persecute the People of God (converts to Jesus during that period). At the end of this Tribulation, Jesus will return with his raptured church to earth from heaven in power and great glory, to judge those living at that time and to inaugurate his Kingdom on earth (“The Millennium”).

In short, the “Church” will be absent from the world during the Tribulation period when the Antichrist rules. We had charts that made this clear. In fact, I made my own chart from 20 feet of meat wrapping paper taken from the grocery store where I worked and I hung it up at the front of each church service during my summer-long series of prophecy sermons!

This teaching was as certain to me as “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son.” The “Pre-trib Rapture of the Church” was locked into innumerable doctrinal statements in churches, Christian schools and ministries. I once saw a church’s list of membership requirements. One was, you had to believe that a list of prophetical events like the Rapture would happen in exactly a certain order or you could not join that church.

I expressed such thinking once in a parody of a Gospel Song. Try singing it at your church!

When He shall come with trumpet sound
I’ll leave ere Satan stalks the ground.
The “times and seasons” will unfold
Just like our charts have long foretold.

But this doctrinaire eschatology began to unravel in my mind over time. Briefly:

1. I made some words of Jesus central to my thinking about prophecy: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7).

2. As my circles of Christian fellowship and academic study grew broader, my understanding of what is theologically and spiritually essential relaxed (some would call this a spiritual problem rather than healthy growth). I also came to realize I had not been exposed to or taught alternate views on prophecy very objectively.

3. I once took a week to read two books on the “Rapture” with two different views: (1) The Rapture Question by John Walvoord (teaching a pre-tribulation Rapture) and (2) The Blessed Hope by George Ladd (teaching a post-tribulation Rapture). I found Ladd’s spirit to be one of gracious academic inquiry and Walvoord’s teaching to be…well, I thought, “Aren’t there any better proofs than these?”

4. I became convinced there needed to be a “hierarchy” of doctrinal positions. Namely, (1) essential doctrines, core teachings that are scriptural beyond a reasonable doubt; (2) likely doctrines, which seem supported by a preponderance of biblical evidence; (3) less certain areas of belief, where (so far as prophetic teaching is concerned) we’ll have to “wait and see.” We don’t need to get in a tizzy over #3 things, as if “The Faith” sinks or swims over them. (As one example, I’d place Holy Communion as an institution the church should observe as a #1 teaching; the exact understanding of its sacramental significance as a #2 teaching; and decisions such as how [wine or juice, with or without a meal?], or when Communion is to be observed [weekly or monthly or…?] into #3 category of teachings.)

I know some think “all doctrines are equal and level” and “the more spiritual you get, the deeper your certainties become.” But this isn’t good thinking. The Apostle Paul set forth flexible application of doctrine to ministry (1 Corinthians 9:19-22) and non-judgmentalism in observances for the sake of church unity (Romans 14). Both of these required doctrinal assessments on Paul’s part. Paul also set forth a major caution that should give us pause (“Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” – 1 Corinthians 13:12).

At this point I’d like to offer a perspective on “doctrinal hierarchy” set forth in a recent book by Gavin Ortlund, Finding the Right Hills to Die On—The Case for Theological Triage (Crossway, 2020), p. 19.
• First-rank doctrines are essential to the gospel itself.
• Second-rank doctrines are urgent for the health and practice of the church such that they frequently cause Christians to separate at the level of local church, denomination or ministry.
• Third-rank doctrines are important to Christian theology, but not enough to justify separation or division among Christians.
• Fourth-rank doctrines are unimportant to our gospel witness and ministry collaboration.

When it comes to prophecy issues, I would make the Second Coming of Christ, Resurrection and Final Judgment first-rank doctrines. I would place the debates over the Millennium (the extent to which God’s Kingdom is “already here” or “not yet” and the details of a Millennium before/after Jesus’ return) into the second or third rank. I would place debates over the timing of the Rapture as it relates to the Tribulation and various other “prophetic happenings” into the third or fourth rank.

A final comment at this point: Christian orthodoxy confesses in the words of the Nicene Creed (AD 325), “one holy catholic and apostolic church.” This teaches me that a doctrine worth our strong embrace is grounded in apostolic teaching and broadly held throughout the orthodox (small “o”) Christian world. A so-called “Bible prophecy insight” that pops up late in time within a narrow segment of the Christian community fails these tests.

NEXT MONTH: The Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture in Paul’s Thessalonian Letters[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The Psalms—The First Christian Hymnbook – 4th Essay on Worship for 2022
I have about 20 hymnbooks in my theological library at home. Over my years as a pastor my robust singing congregation welcomed older hymns into worship services alongside fine contemporary songs. The heritage of song today’s churches have is a rich resource (sadly becoming underutilized). First Century Christians didn’t have 20 hymnbooks, but they did have one that was unparalleled and unrivaled: the Book of Psalms. Old themes ever new.

When the “Jesus Movement” happened in the late 1960’s and after, an amazing trend took place. Many Christians began to sing the Psalms! Others expanded their psalm-singing. Composers put the Psalms (as written in the poetic elegance of the King James Version) to simple, delightful tunes.

Thy lovingkindness is better than life;
Thy lovingkindness is better than life.
My lips shall praise thee, thus will I bless thee;
I will lift up my hands unto thy name.
(from Psalm 63:3-4; sung antiphonally)

Today’s church continues to benefit, though I sense the singing of Psalms has waned somewhat. Sad. Let’s reverse this decline!

We start with one kind of psalm that is incredibly relevant given the bloodshed in Ukraine. We call them “Imprecatory Psalms” – psalms that call for death and pain on those who work evil in the world (“Imprecation” – what invokes a curse or pronounces a judgment). “Pour out your indignation on them, and let your burning anger overtake them” – Psalm 69:24.

Here is quite a list of Imprecatory Psalms:
Psalm 5:8-10; Psalm 6:8-10; Psalm 11:5-7; Psalm 12:3-4; Psalm 35; Psalm 37; Psalm 40:14-15; Psalm 52:1-7; Psalm 54; Psalm 56:1-7; Psalm 57:1-4; Psalm 58:6-11; Psalm 59; Psalm 69:23-28; Psalm 79; Psalm 83:9-18;
Psalm 94; Psalm 137:7-9; Psalm 139:19-22; Psalm 143.

Some Imprecatory Psalms record the cry of the psalmist for vengeance. Some express what God will do. What are we to make of these psalms?
• They express the pain of a person seriously grieved by another.
• They call for judgment from God, whom we know is just and fair.
• They may question why God seems to delay or not care when wicked people cause good people to suffer.
Imprecation can even be found in the New Testament. “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:9-10 KJV).

Let’s be honest. We’ve all felt like pronouncing an imprecation on someone. We may feel that way right now against those who attack the innocent in Ukraine, or who commit crimes of violence on our streets and sidewalks. When evil seems to triumph, we should imprecate! And what could be a better way than to use the imprecations found in the Psalms?

Praying an imprecatory prayer should be part of our “toolbox” as we confront evil or suffer under it obediently—it’s not “unspiritual” so to pray. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone [but not all will live at peace with you!]. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room [step aside] for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:18-19 NIV).

This the Lord hates; it is an abomination to him:
“Hands that shed innocent blood” – Proverbs 2:17

Imprecation:
“God, lead us to hate what you hate.
Bring your wrath and judgment on those who
shed innocent blood in our world today.”

Imprecation songs are hard to find today. This Thanksgiving hymn is close:

For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take his harvest home.
From his field shall in that day all offenses purge away.
Give his angels charge at last to the fire the tares to cast…
We cannot cover all the themes in the Psalms. Here are some great ones:

PSALMS OF LAMENTATION (Psalm 137:1-4; see Psalm 42:4)

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down,
yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song;
and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

Her own disobedience plus the power of a pagan nation had deprived Israel of her homeland AND her expressive worship. When oppression by others or by Covid, or when our own disobedience prevents us from worshipping as we ought, there should be cries of lamentation.

PSALMS OF CONFESSION (Psalm 32:1-5; see Psalm 51)

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered…
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groanings all day long,
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me…
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Sin is our ongoing experience, and confession of it to God is essential (1 John 1:9). So words from the Psalms are there to assist us in our necessary task.

PSALMS OF FRUSTRATION (Psalms 42, 55 and 73)

• Over the success of the wicked while my life seems so unfair (Psalm 73).
• When life doesn’t show me there really is a God who cares (Psalm 42).
• When a good friend fails me (Psalm 55:1-4). Jesus, of course, is the one truly betrayed by one close to him—this psalm was fulfilled in Jesus’ experience. He knew what it meant to be abandoned by friends—for them not to be “there” as they promised, when he needed them.
• When God seems to have forsaken us (Psalm 22:1-2).
The Psalms call us to honesty—about life, ourselves, others. Even about God as we are experiencing him. The Psalms keep us from pious platitudes that so often seem to mark our public prayers and testimonies.

PSALMS CELEBRATING GOD’S CREATION (Psalm 19:1-6; Psalm 104)

The heavens declare the glory of God! On the earth God constantly displays his care for humankind and for all the creatures he has made.

Psalm 19 song: “The Heavens Are Telling” (Joseph Haydn)
Psalm 104 songs: “All Creatures of Our God and King” (Francis of Assisi)
“I Sing the Mighty Power of God that Made the Mountains Rise” (Isaac Watts)
“Shout to the Lord” (Hillsong) and “God of Wonders” (Chris Tomlin)

PSALMS TEACHING THE ART OF WORSHIP

• Worship with sincere and longing hearts (Psalm 42:1-4).
• Worship in a spirit of unity (Psalm 133). Now, this needs attention!
• Worship with lots of gusto! (Psalm 33:1-3 commands four important essentials in worship music: skill (on musical instruments used in worship), freshness, joy and fervor. Psalm 63 calls for uplifted hands and lips of praise. Psalm 150 – “Praise him with trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, strings, flute, cymbals. Praise him in the dance.”)

Virtually all the instrumentation and forms of worship in Psalm 150 have been criticized or even banned by churches at one time or another.
King David’s wife Michael criticized his exuberant worship. Kill-joys like her have served on many a church’s worship committee!

Finally, scripture teaches us to sing in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Christians and the churches they belong to will be enthusiastic worshippers if they are filled with the Spirit and the Word of Christ, and obey the psalms they read and sing. I for one cannot understand how a church that sings the psalms could abandon the use of musical instruments, as if God didn’t welcome them in worship.

Next month: “Day of Rejoicing: Worship in the Book of Nehemiah”
Please read Nehemiah 12 and continue with me on this pilgrimage![/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Religious Liberty Vigilance –
Religious Education’s Right to “Keep the Faith”

On March 29, 2022 the Vatican issued a document spelling out what it means for a Catholic school to maintain its “Catholic Identity.”

“The whole school community is responsible for implementing the school’s Catholic educational project as an expression of its ecclesiality and its being a part of the community of the Church,” the document said. “Everyone has the obligation to recognize, respect, and bear witness to the Catholic identity of the school, officially set out in the educational project,” it continued. “This applies to the teaching staff, the non-teaching personnel, and the pupils and their families” [emphases mine].

Difficult problems arise if a church or religious school drifts from its basic commitments and allows its hiring practices to erode. Hiring teachers and others who don’t adhere to the institution’s religious identity will lead to a crisis if a church reformer later wants to restore the school to its roots. Witness the pushback from teachers and even (inappropriately) government officials in 2015 when Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco set out to reestablish faculty commitment to Catholic teachings and values.

What religious freedom arguments are the courts likely to accept when a church or religious institution asserts its right to uphold its teachings and values in its employment practices?

* (1) The “Ministerial Exception” – Is the employee a minister? If the employee has important religious responsibilities, that person is a “minister” (even though not “ordained”) and the organization has an unqualified right to determine what standards should apply.

* (2) If the employee is not a “minister”, what still might protect the religious organization?

• Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees from discrimination. But it has an exemption: religious organizations may choose to hire people who uphold the observances, practices and beliefs of a particular religion.
• The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993) prevents the federal government from interfering with the operations of a religious organization unless the state can establish a “compelling state interest” and when the state’s action is narrowly tailored.
• Doctrine of Church Autonomy – Government allows religious organizations to define their own answers to: “What is this religious community?”
• Doctrine of Expressive Association – The government must not force a religious organization to accept people who would undermine its expressive message.
• Entanglement – The Establishment Clause required that Government must not entangle itself with religion’s inner workings. The definitive decision on this is Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971).

What I find remarkable is how supportive the U.S. Supreme Court has been in the protection of religious values. Of twenty cases* before the U.S. Supreme Court in the past decade, nineteen decisions have come down on the side of religious freedom. Of these, fifteen were supermajority victories; only four were decided 5-4.

* Source for information in items (1) and (2) and on the twenty cases before the Supreme Court: My personal notes from “Current Key Religious Freedom Cases” by Luke Goodrich, J. Reuben Clark Law Society-Orange County Annual Religion and the Law Symposium, March 30, 2022. The comments for the speaker’s bullet points on “the Civil Rights Act,” “RFRA” and “Entanglement” are my own.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]A Personal Memorial Day Message

Pastors, Churches, Veterans, Active Military Personnel, Others who should be interested –
Are you supporting our Military Chaplains*?

Military chaplains play a vital role in the lives of our men and women in uniform through encouragement, care during trauma, prayer, teaching, leading worship services and providing other non-sectarian forms of support.

Imagine a chaplain putting his own life at risk during a serviceman’s final moments of life on the field of battle, leading the mortally wounded soldier in “The Lord’s Prayer.” Or providing solace to a soldier who has just lost his buddy in conflict. It happens.

My own denomination supports military chaplains through a ministry known as The Eagle Commission (www.eaglecommission.org). More pastors and churches in my denomination need to get behind The Eagle Commission through congregational education, prayer and financial support.

What is your denomination or church doing to support chaplains?

* Note: Military chaplains are commissioned officers and appropriately compensated by the government. Support of chaplain ministries covers recruitment and scholarship programs for future chaplains, expenses of a denomination’s endorsing agent, travel expenses to denominational conferences, and much more.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Dean of Canterbury Cathedral to Retire

Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral since 2001, will retire on May 16, one day before his 75th birthday.

When “Covid” hit, Dean Willis began his daily “Garden Prayer Service” on YouTube, in various settings of the cathedral grounds surrounded by flowers, animals and birds. We have watched these inspiring programs often. Most Sundays after our own church service we watch his Sunday Garden Service and often watch morning worship in the Cathedral afterward.

I encourage you to take in some of his services before May 17. Simply go to “Canterbury Cathedral” on YouTube.

Give with Confidence for Ukrainian Relief:

Samaritans Purse
www.samaritanspurse.org

Slavic Gospel Association
www.sga.org

Encompass World Partners
www.encompassworldpartners.org

World Vision
www.worldvision.org

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

Don has been a member of the clergy in the Long Beach, California area since 1970. He now serves 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+). 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 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for over 55 years. They have 2 children and 6 grandchildren.

April 2022 Newsletter

Posted on March 30, 2022 by admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”949″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”“A Piece of My Mind”” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:50px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”April 2022 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

The Easter Hymn

(dated 2nd-3rd century AD)

Christ is risen, Hell is in ruins.
Christ is risen: the demons are fallen. Christ is risen: the angels rejoice.
Christ is risen: the tombs are empty. Christ is risen from the dead indeed,
the first among those who have fallen asleep.
Glory and power are his forever and ever. Amen.

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Charles W. Colson (1931-2012)

From Ruthless Power Player in the Nixon White House to
Born-again Christian, from Felon in Prison to Founder of Prison Fellowship and a Major Contributor to Christian Thought till he collapsed giving a speech on March 30, 2012.

April 21 marks the 10th Anniversary of Charles Colson’s death.
The column below was published in The Los Angeles Daily News and other newspapers affiliated with the Southern California News Group.

Donald P. Shoemaker:
Watergate’s Charles Colson transformed lives and ideas

By DAILY NEWS
PUBLISHED: April 24, 2012

“If this is to be a government of laws and not of men then those men entrusted with enforcing the laws must be held to account for the natural consequences of their own actions. Not only is it morally right that I plead to this charge but I fervently hope that this case will serve to prevent similar abuses in the future.”
So said soon-to-be prisoner 23227, aka Charles W. Colson, at Alabama’s Maxwell Correctional Facility in 1974. Special counsel to the president and hatchet man for the Nixon administration, he loved to hear Mr. Nixon say, “Chuck can get it done.” Time Magazine reported in 1974 that “Of all the assorted characters in the sordid Watergate cast, Charles Colson was widely viewed in Washington as the wiliest, the slickest operator.”

Between his departure from the White House and his guilty plea for obstruction of justice, Mr. Colson experienced a dramatic conversion to Christianity. Sparked by his friend, Raytheon President Tom Phillips, and C.S. Lewis’ book “Mere Christianity,” Colson turned the page in his collapsing life on August 12, 1973 as he sat in his car that night and, by his own account, cried like a baby.

Colson emerged from prison determined to speak out for prison reform and oppose the incarceration of nonviolent offenders who instead should re-enter society productively and pay restitution for their wrong. He established Prison Fellowship, now a worldwide ministry to prisoners.

Each Christmas season, Prison Fellowship’s “Project Angel Tree” provides gifts to children of prisoners. He ministered in prisons every Easter Sunday for the 34 years before his sudden illness this Easter season that led to his death on Saturday. Colson would lead this ministry for almost 40 years and spin off other projects such as, in 2009, The Colson Center for researching and promoting a Christian worldview.

Colson was often identified with the religious right and has been described as its last prominent spokesman. True, he did embrace many of the religious right’s agenda items, but he also stood apart in significant ways.

One was his refusal to embrace the call to elect “godly Christian leaders.”
He knew the proclivity to both good and evil in politics. Sometimes we must vote for the lesser of two evils.

He warned, “We made a big mistake in the ’80s by politicizing the Gospel. We ought to be engaged in politics, we ought to be good citizens, we ought to care about justice. But we have to be careful not to get into partisan alignment.”

In 2011 he declared that the war in Afghanistan had long ceased to be a “just war” by the classical definitions. He reasoned that “nation-building” failed the “just cause” test and the conflict did not have the reasonable likelihood of success.

On illegal immigration, he upheld the rule of law against both those in the country illegally and those who employed them. But he also laid down the challenge: “Christians must work to see that the immigration debate generates light instead of heat. We must insist that the illegal-immigration issue be addressed without treating millions of Americans, many of whom have died protecting our country, as a kind of fifth column. That is the very least we can do if we are obedient to God’s command to welcome strangers.”

Colson possessed a brilliant legal mind and spoke accordingly. Evangelical Christianity benefited greatly from this outsider who challenged our patterns. His perceptive, nuanced weighing of the issues should make us all more reflective. He mentored a generation of Christian leaders and workers and, in the opinion of this writer, was their best contemporary model for thoughtfulness and good deeds.

Donald P. Shoemaker is pastor emeritus of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach.

Charles Colson’s Final Speech
March 30, 2012 – Charles Colson fell ill during his speech at the Wilberforce Weekend Conference hosted by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview.
I happen to be one of those who believes that societies are changed by movements at the grassroots . . . So it comes right back to us. Look in the mirror, that’s where the problem is. And if we can, through the church, renew the church to really bring a healthy cultural influence, then there’s some hope that we can be changed.
This is a moment when the time is right for a movement of God’s people under the power of the Holy Spirit to begin to impact the culture we live in. Desperately needed . . .

Worship: Who and What and When and Why and How
– 3rd Essay on Worship for 2022

“Let My People Go!”
The Word of the Lord through Moses to the ruler of Egypt

God wanted his enslaved children released, and this phrase has been a powerful challenge against human oppression everywhere, anytime. Good!

But the phrase is fundamentally a “Call to Worship” (literally, a call to be released for worship). It was not an emancipation call, but would lead to that.

This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” (Exodus 9:13 NIV)
“Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.” (Exodus 5:1)

So, who is worshipped and who are the worshippers? Worship is foremost an encounter between God and his spiritual children—those who have willingly come to give honor to God and receive his gracious blessings. Not everyone worships or even cares to. And certainly not everything should be worshipped (unlike pantheism). The God who created all things, who is the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose Son we know as our Lord and Savior—this God we worship. And we worship him exclusively (Luke 4:8; see Commandments I, II, III in “Bible Insight” below).

“Worship” is the response of adoration that men and women make to God their Creator and Redeemer, whether through ceremony and song, through Word and teaching, through nature, or through human life—work and play, activity and rest, creativity and character.

Worship can be a formal activity (scheduled, planned, gathered) as well as a constant personal activity (anytime, unscripted, alone or with others).
Even “small acts” should be worship: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So we sing:

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Up to this point I’ve covered the “Who” (God and his spiritual children) and “What” of worship and touched on “When.” Here’s more about “When.”

True, we worship God throughout his creation.

When I look down from rocky mountain grandeur,
And see the brook and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, my savior God, to Thee,
“How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”

As a hiker, I love to sing those words. I even tried it once with a group of men as we arrived at the top of a 10,834’ peak. (Lesson learned: high-altitude singing by panting men not recommended!)

But there also must be a special time and place for worship—the gathering of believers. Scripture is so emphatic on this: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25).

Call it “church” or call it something else if that word isn’t trendy enough for you. The early Christians regularly met for worship (likely on the Sabbath or, for Gentile believers, more and more on Sundays—Acts 20:7).

From Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians we learn that the verb “come together” (sunerchomai) was practically a technical term for worship gatherings. During those times, the Christians would sing, pray, eat, observe Communion, use their spiritual gifts to serve one another, hear Scripture read and explained, and more (1 Corinthians 11:17-34; 12-14; also Acts 2:41-44; 4:31; 20:7-8).

Paul is often correcting abuses in 1 Corinthians 11-14, so our task is to construct positive worship principles from both his exhortations and his criticisms. One key principle: we are to approach worship not for what we can gain but for what we can give. “All…must be done for the strengthening of the church” (1 Corinthians 14:26). Gathered worship is not for self-edification but for the upbuilding of all. The question is not, “Did it serve my needs?” Rather, “Did I serve the needs of others?”
Why do we worship? Because God is great and God is good. Hence, God is worthy of our worship (Psalm 107:1; 148:13).

Worship the Lord with gladness;
Come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his.
Give thanks to him and praise his name,
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. (from Psalm 100)

Worship is a key avenue for expressing love for God with all our hearts. Worship is also a key step in our becoming more like God in our love for others. Loving God and loving others are the “Two Great Commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40) and worship will enhance our obedience to both.

Finally, a word on the “How” of worship. Much of my Christian upbringing and training put a great emphasis on the intellectual side of worship. The Sermon was the central feature of worship—all else seemed secondary. But such worship is unbalanced. We are more than our minds. At least two other features of our reality should be engaged in worship: (1) our bodies and (2) our emotions. Without all three, our worship is truncated.

Our bodies are to honor the Lord always (1 Cor. 6:19), especially in worship. So in bodily worship we sing with our lips and vocal chords, clap our hands, lift our hands, use our fingers to give money—even dance to the Lord (if you know how!). We play instruments (if you can!) skillfully with a loud noise.

All of this involves our bodies and draws on our emotions. Worship shouldn’t be rich in mind but poor in body. Nor with our emotions on and the mind off. All my career I have prayed and worked for balance, and often I have found it.

Thus, all my gladsome way along, I sing aloud Thy praises,
That men may hear the grateful song my voice unwearied raises,
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart. Both soul and body bear your part.
To God all praise and glory! – Johann Schutz (1675)

Next month: “The Psalms—The First Christian Hymnbook”
Please continue with me in this pilgrimage!
“A republic, if you can keep it.” – Ben Franklin (1787)

“Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried.”
– Winston Churchill (1947)

“Au-TOC-ra-cy” – A form of government in which a country is ruled by a person or group with total power.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

What If I Dreamed about Creating an Autocracy?

I’d concentrate power in the Executive Branch.
• Govern by executive orders every way I can.
• Take advantage of real or imagined “Emergencies” to expand my authority. Gov. Newsom (CA), who has used emergency power for two years to issue over 500 edicts and no-bid contracts, would be my model.
• Eliminate term limits for myself if I can get it passed.
• Have the military advance executive goals, not just defend the country.

I’d minimize the authority of the Legislative Branch.
• Reduce authentic legislative debate—push legislation through.
• Have it yield as much authority as possible to the Executive Branch.

I’d end the Judicial Branch’s independence and make it subservient.
• Pack the court until a majority supports the Executive Branch.
• Subject its decision to approval or rejection by the Executive Branch.

I’d dilute the protections of the First Amendment that allow contrary voices to raise moral, practical, legal and political objections to my rule.
• Freedom of the Press and of Speech (especially in academia) must be curtailed. Prohibitions on “Hate Speech” must be expanded.
• Freedom to Assemble peacefully in opposition to autocracy must stop.
• Use Covid as a reason to restrict Freedom of Assembly and of Religion.
• Very important: Freedom of Religion must be minimized to little more than the right to believe what you want, but not act on it.

If I achieved these, I could rule as an autocrat. Benevolently, of course![/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Bible Insight – A Lenten Prayer for Forgiveness

“We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” – Ephesians 1:7

Good Friday is especially a day for reflecting on how we have “fallen short” of obedience to God (Romans 3:23). Here I reflect on the meaning of The Ten Commandments and offer a prayer for us to receive God’s forgiveness.

I. God, you command us to have no other gods before you. But instead we put what you have made or given us first in our lives. We put pleasures or possessions or people, or our quest for happiness, security and meaning ahead of knowing and loving and walking with you.

II. You command us not to make any graven images. We may not have made actual idols, but sometimes we are covetous and seek fulfillment in things around us rather than in you.

III. You command us not to take your name in vain. Yet we claim your authority for our own goals and pursuits. We do not protect the honor of your name in how we live, what we say, and how we treat others.

IV. You command us to remember your gift of a day of rest. Yet we refuse to follow your example of rest from our labors. We put our pursuits ahead of rest in you. We fail to be consistent in laying aside our everyday activities each week to worship you in fellowship with the church family.

V. You command us to honor our fathers and mothers. Yet we fail to love and serve and care for them or obey them as we should. We who are parents fail to live honorable lives before our children so they might more easily obey your word with joy.

VI. You command us not to murder. We may not actually kill, but we commit sins against human dignity. Our own homes can manifest domestic violence. We fail to protect the most vulnerable of our fellow human beings. And we let hatred, racism, mistreatment of others and unrighteous anger rule our hearts and characterize our conduct.

VII. You command us not to commit adultery. Yet we break the covenant of marriage or fail to nourish it as we should. We excuse sexual immoralities and lust. We fail to uphold marriage as Scripture taught it, and the family as the bedrock of society that it is.

VIII. You command us not to steal what belongs to others. Yet we consider ourselves entitled to these things and we justify theft in many forms—actually taking what isn’t ours, failing to repay debt, theft of time for which we are paid, cheating on our taxes and more. And we fail to be generous to the needy and to the ministries you call your church to fulfill.

IX. You command us to be truthful. Yet we bear false witness through slander, gossip, unfair criticism or even perjury. We use our tongues or social media to destroy others rather than build them up. We fail to share words of honesty, comfort, love and wisdom.

X. You command us not to covet. Yet we cast a wrongful eye on what belongs to another, whether that person’s spouse or property or skills or status. Inwardly we despise their success and fail to show contentment with what you have graciously given us.

Righteous and loving God, forgive us our sins as we humbly repent.
Create in us a new heart so we will readily and fully acknowledge and lament our sins, and thus gratefully receive forgiveness and restoration from you, the God of all mercy. Renew a right spirit within us, so we may faithfully love you and our neighbor.

We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, our redeemer, our intercessor, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One Eternal God, Amen.

“This is my body, given for you.
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
– Jesus (Matthew 26:26-28)

Once Again I Have Lost a Dear Friend
I first met “Father Leo” on a pro-life picket line at a local medical center around 1973. Back then Protestants were extremely rare at such events, which were predominantly Catholic. He and I seemed to “click” in many ways.

Soon afterward he invited me to speak at St. Joseph Church near my own pastorate. I went reluctantly, but the hymns “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (Martin Luther) and “Amazing Grace” lifted my spirit before my message.

Over almost 50 years we had innumerable contacts and he deeply touched my life. He passed away on March 1st at age 89, in the 50th year of his ministry.

Give with Confidence for Ukrainian Relief:

Samaritans Purse
www.samaritanspurse.org

Slavic Gospel Association
www.sga.org

Encompass World Partners
www.encompassworldpartners.org

World Vision
www.worldvision.org

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for over 55 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

February-March 2022 Newsletter

Posted on January 31, 2022 by admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”949″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”“A Piece of My Mind”” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:50px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”February-March 2022 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Worship and Justice

“I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord. – Jeremiah 9:24

“Administer justice every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed.”
– Jeremiah 21:12

“Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.
Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”
– Amos 5:15, 24

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
– The Lord’s Prayer

Worship and Justice – 2nd Topic on Worship for 2022

Justice [mishpat] arises from God’s character and is taught through revelation. It is both vertical before God and horizontal toward others (Micah 6:8).
It embraces generosity, fair and equal treatment for all, honesty, defense of the weak and marginalized, value of sexuality, marriage and family, protection of human life and property, care for animals, and more. God expects human authorities to uphold the causes of justice (Daniel 4:27; 1 Peter 2:13,14).
(Reference: “Justice,” Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, vol. 4, pp. 837-46.)

We are called to be God’s prophets, speaking for the truth and right,
Standing firm for godly justice, bring evil things to light.
Let us seek the courage needed, our high calling to fulfill,
That the world may know the blessing of the doing of God’s will.
– Thomas Jackson (1971); #710 in The Worshiping Church

Justice songs? If the Bible makes justice one of its key themes, which it does, then why is there such scarceness of singing about justice in our churches? There are several reasons. I will list some and resist discussing them.

• A “Dispensationalism” (with a sharp distinction between Israel and the Church) that neglects many themes found in the Old Testament.
• A modern failure to sing the Bible’s songs. In the infant church of the first century there was no modern worship wizardry but there was already a hymnbook: The Book of Psalms.
• A fear that we might be trying to achieve “The Kingdom of God” in this world today, rather than awaiting its realization when Jesus returns.
• A decision to “just preach Jesus” and avoid stepping on toes or committing the activist errors of religious leftists or of “Christian America” zealots on the right (it is important to avoid these errors).

Many Christians of the past could avoid errors and excesses and still be a force for justice in their time. John Newton (1725-1807), slave trader turned convert to Christ and staunch abolitionist, could labor to outlaw England’s slave trade and also in 1779 compose…

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.

There’s another big reason for the paucity of justice songs—
the contemporary praise songs that have come to dominate so much evangelical singing steer clear of justice themes.

Michael J. Rhodes * has examined the lyrics of the 25 most popular worship songs and discovered these sad facts about “the top 25”:
• Only one passing mention of the word “justice.”
• Zero references to the poor or to poverty.
• Complete failure to mention the widow, refugee, and oppressed.
• Not a single question is posed to God about the cries of the oppressed, nor is there any pleading for God to act.

Rhodes stresses the powerful justice appeal in the hymnody of the Psalms:
“Psalms is obsessed with the Lord’s liberating justice for the oppressed. And because the book offers us prayers and songs, it doesn’t just tell us how to think about justice—it offers us scripts to practice shouting and singing about it.”

Rhodes calls us to return to what I call “The First Christian Hymnbook” – the Psalms. There God’s people are given lyrics to sing about justice. He says “justice” is at the top of the list in the Psalms as a reason to praise God (Psalm 99 shouts for joy to the “Mighty King, lover of justice” who has “established equity” and enacted “justice and righteousness in Jacob”). “Psalm 146 declares that the Lord deserves praise because he is the one ‘who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.’”

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. – Psalm 146:8-9 NIV

What can we do once we’ve repented of this spiritual shortsightedness?
First and most important, we must commit ourselves afresh to seeking justice and get involved in some avenue(s) of doing biblical justice. We can restore justice hymnody from the past and present. And Christian songwriters can give us new praise choruses on justice themes. We must not swing the pendulum to an imbalance in the opposite direction, but we can make justice songs a strong part of our regular repertoire.

* Michael J. Rhodes, “Why Don’t We Sing Justice Songs in Worship?” Christianity Today on line, September 30, 2021. His “top 25 songs” are taken from the top 100 worship song list by Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI).

Song suggestions on the theme of Justice:

Immortal, Invisible
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes.
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might.
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above.
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
– Walter Chalmers Smith, (1876)

Your Kingdom Come
As we work and watch and wait,
Father God, Your Kingdom come!
Cleanse, renew, and recreate—
Father God, Your Kingdom come!
Bless our world with love’s increase!
Father God, Your Kingdom come!
First your justice, then your peace.
Father God, Your Kingdom come!
(Words: Ken Bible; Tune: Easter Hymn)

God of Grace and God of Glory
We Are Called to Be God’s People
Lord, You Hear the Cry (Lord, Have Mercy)
God of This City
God of Justice, Love and Mercy
Micah 6:8
Beauty for Brokenness
Everlasting God

Next Worship Topic: “Worship: Who and What and When and Why and How“
Please join me in this pilgrimage![/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Bible Insight – Worship without Justice

Question: What’s worse than not singing songs about justice?
Answer: Singing songs about justice and then not “doing justice” in our broken world.

The people of Judea and Jerusalem had all the trappings of worship. They presented sacrifices to God and observed Holy Days. They offered many demonstrable prayers to God with hands uplifted. We might see a church like this as a model church, a worship experience to be replicated.

But God would have none of that. God’s message through Isaiah is one of the harshest to be found in Scripture. “Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. I cannot bear your evil assemblies. I hate your festivals and feasts. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you” (see Isaiah 1:10-15).

What are the people to do to have the True Worship of God restored? Attend another 3-day workshop on how to make worship more dynamic?

No! “Wash and make yourselves clean. Stop doing wrong, learn to do right. Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow” (see Isaiah 1:16-20).

The same pattern of worthless worship and remedy is found in Micah 6:6-8. “Shall I bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings and thousands of rams? What if I even offer my firstborn to God?”

No! The Lord has shown you what is right and what God requires of you—
“Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”

Is God pleased because we do “spiritual stuff”—set aside a day to bow our heads and humble ourselves? Or maybe set aside a day for fasting?

No! God tells us what true fasting is: “To loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke and set the oppressed free.” The true fast is to “share your food with the hungry, provide the poor wanderer with shelter, clothe the naked, and satisfy the needs of the oppressed” (read Isaiah 58).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Biblical Principles Prophets Are Good for Business…

Applying Biblical Principles of Honesty to Work Situations
“Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died…
Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.” – from Exodus 1:6, 8

The new king of Egypt didn’t know, didn’t care, and certainly didn’t intend to concern himself with the memory of Joseph—all Joseph did for the salvation of Egypt and all the benefits an appreciative king at that time bestowed on Joseph and his family. Covenants of good things were replaced by bondage.

It’s as if the new royal administration could just sweep away the covenants made by previous administrations—agreements that were of long duration by their very nature, and therefore binding over time.

In my November 2021 Newsletter I spoke about “Dishonest Christian School Teachers” who signed contracts and later broke them to go to more lucrative positions at secular schools. This is employee dishonesty which, while it might be legal, is certainly not ethical.

Now it’s time to put the shoe on the other foot. Employers are also bound by honesty. Minimalist legal compliance won’t cut it ethically. And the word of one authorized to speak for the corporation at one time is binding on the corporation later, even as it has morphed.

Quoting words on the importance of truthfulness (November 2021):

Psalm 15 asks the question “Who shall dwell on God’s holy hill?”
Answer: “[The one who] swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

God honors the person who keeps his word even when the outcome is not as desirable as it would be if he were to break his word.

“Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin.” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)

I knew a person who worked by annual contracts with an organization that had made long-term promises to him. But later a rep of this organization said, since the contracts were annual then each new contract cancelled out any understandings from former contracts including long-range promises. How convenient! Maybe legal, maybe not. But ethical? Not at all!

I knew a pastor who was dismissed by his congregation, which then ignored its own constitution that specified a three-month termination period. If this church wanted the pastor to make an immediate departure, it still owed that pastor three months of compensation. Another church promised a part-time pastor a full-time one-year position. But later it said, “We never got that in writing.” So?

Written documents promote clarity on specifics, but the absence of a written document doesn’t change the fundamental point that people and organizations are to keep their word, spoken or written—especially religious people and orgs that supposedly realize they “answer to a higher power.” *

The Wall Street Journal reported on December 27, 2021 that a manager employed by a major company was given an early retirement package which, as an incentive, included a death benefit of at least $63,000. I hope he hurried to the pearly gates, because the company’s new policy said (in effect) that if he didn’t die by the end of 2021 the benefit would be no more than $15,000.

Such unilateral changes in employment agreements are probably more frequent than I’d ever expect. They may be legal or not. Arbitration and litigation can decide. Christians are instructed to avoid certain litigation
(1 Corinthians 6:1-8). But to the extent the Bible forbids litigation, it is not with the intent of protecting dishonesty and removing any recourse. Christian organizations shouldn’t hide behind 1 Corinthians 6, but some do (“You’re a Christian, so you must not sue us because we are a Christian ministry!”).

“Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No’ no, or you will be condemned.”
That scripture quotation is literally “right on the money.” It concludes a passage that focuses on the failure of employers to treat their employees justly by paying them the wages they were owed (read James 5:1-12).

These first-century employees may not have had much legal recourse or been able to file a grievance with their union, but they did have a God in Heaven to whom they could cry out. “The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty” (James 5:4). So these employer-thieves had better prepare for Judgment Day or even quicker temporal judgment. They might escape the “lower courts” but won’t escape the Court of Heaven.

Yes means yes,
whether written or verbal,
whether today or ten years ago,
whether your private word or your business word,
whether you are in a position to bully your way
out of promises or not.

Honesty and trust are bulwarks of a stable society. Dishonesty by workers or corporations weakens the fabric of society. A strong society needs citizens and companies that are models of integrity and good to their word.

Even when it hurts (Psalm 15:4).

* There are laws that require a written contract in certain cases (such as purchase of real estate). This doesn’t affect the moral necessity for honesty in both written agreements and non-written understandings.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Back the Badge
“Blessed are those who
maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

“COVID” Hits Law Enforcement Hard

I remember walking into an apartment with officers years ago while doing a “ride-along” as a chaplain. It was a “pack-rat” apartment—dirty and littered. Next day I had flea bites on my ankles.

This is one small example of the risky, unhealthy situations that law enforcement officers often face as they do their jobs. Now there is COVID.

According to the latest statistics on the “Officer Down Memorial Page,” COVID accounted for 2/3 of the total Line of Duty Deaths (LODD) in 2021 (325 of 484). Gunfire was a very distant second (61) and vehicle crashes third (22).

The LODD due to COVID was a 28% increase over 2020, when 254 deaths were due to COVID out of 385 LODD. Texas led the way in 2021 with 91 COVID deaths. Border enforcement and corrections are two services especially impacted by COVID deaths. [See www.odmp.org]

I concur with Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva that government should not punish law enforcement personnel who refuse vaccinations:

My objection to the vaccine mandate for my department is not ideological; it’s practical. I need deputies on the streets. Sitting at home on Zoom like our critics is not an option. My unvaccinated deputies and I might not agree about the vaccines, but I have no other option than to stand by them and protest this move to fire today the heroes who risked their lives yesterday. The next time a pandemic hits, and no vaccine is available, I know they would stand with me, working to keep the public safe. [Washington Post, November 12, 2021]

That said, and without disregarding religious convictions, concern about governmental overreach, and other arguments for exemptions, I strongly encourage law enforcement personnel to be fully vaccinated, as I have said in other writing for church members and the public in general.

“AH-mi-cron” Virus? Or “OH-mi-cron” Virus?

Omicron Virus

The World Health Organization names the Covid variants after the letters of the Greek alphabet —
(A) Alpha, (B) Beta, (Γ) Gamma, (Δ) Delta and so on. Now the surprise “Omicron” virus has popped up, eleven letters after Delta. Spokespersons and the public pronounce it either with a short or a long “O”.

Four observations:

First, the letter “Xi” (Ξ) is right before “Omicron” and it was skipped. Wonder why. Would the world ever speak of the “Xi variant” since the President of the People’s Republic of China is Xi Jenping??? I don’t think so!

Second, there are two “O’s” in the Greek alphabet: “O-Omicron” and “Ω-Omega,” the last letter of the Greek alphabet.

Third, how are they pronounced? I hear both words pronounced the same—with a long “ō” or a short “ô” as in “soft.” This would be “AW-micron” and “Aw-MĀ-ga.” But I have heard “Omega” pronounced with a long “O” ever since I took beginning Greek. I’ll stick with that and with a short “O” for Omicron.

Fourth, theologically, the first and last letters are descriptive of the Eternal God (note the great claim, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty’” – Revelation 1:8).

Notice the dramatic monotheistic declaration (Isaiah 44:6 ESV): “Thus says the LORD [‘Yahweh’ = ‘Jehovah’], the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts [‘Yahweh Sabaoth’]: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.’”

Quite remarkably, then, the first and last letters are also claimed by Jesus (“I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” – Revelation 22:13). He makes the claim to being eternal three ways—how can we miss it? The first and third phrases are also asserted by Jesus in Revelation 21:6 – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”

Go all the way to the beginning—Jesus and God (the Father) are there (John 1:1). Go all the way to the end—you will find Jesus and God (the Father). Either Jesus is eternal with God the Father (affirming his deity) or he is deluded or a blasphemer or the writer is deceptive. I see no other options.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Religious Liberty Vigilance –
The Waning of Religious Affiliation in America
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” – United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights (Article 18)

As I state on the first page of every newsletter, one of my missions is “Defending Religious Freedom for All.” “All” includes the right of a person to confess NO religious faith without recrimination.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”1742″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]The Pew Research Center’s recent thorough examination of religion in America finds that THREE OUT OF TEN U.S. ADULTS ARE WITHOUT ANY RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION.

[Source: Pew Research Center, www.pewforum.org]

That’s almost twice the 16% figure in 2007![/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”1743″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/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]These “NONES” may be atheist, agnostic, or simply have no affiliation. They may have replaced formal religion with some sort of philosophy of living.

Those who identify as Protestant have dropped from 52% to 40% in 14 years. The drop is about equal between Protestants considering themselves “Evangelical” (30% down to 24%) and those who don’t (22% down to 16%). Those who identify as Catholic have dropped from 24% to 21%.

What are we to make of this and what should be our responses?

First, I wouldn’t get into much of a twist over it, at least just yet. Less formal religious affiliation does not in itself speak to decline in America. Religious affiliation has gone up and down throughout our history. I do pray for another spiritual awakening in America like what was experienced in the 18th and 19th centuries and even the “Jesus Movement” of the 1960’s and 70’s.

Second, spiritual renewal and reformation are badly needed in America. Spiritual renewal is the process whereby Christian communities reexamine their methods and procedures to see if they are effective and culturally relevant. Reformation leads us to examine if we are articulating the orthodox Christian Faith and doing it in ways that are easily grasped and meaningful.

Third, organized religion must prepare for an assault against religious liberty by those who either don’t embrace it or don’t understand it. “Freedom of Religion” includes “Freedom of Worship” but is much broader than just that. It includes the right to further a church’s mission and ministries in the world without retaliation against its religious practices (such as hiring standards). Many who think themselves secular and of non-religious ideology don’t like this and may, for example, try to pull the tax exemption of churches or otherwise “cancel” those that do not give in to the secular thinking du jour. “Freedom of Religion” is the right to have a robust, all-encompassing faith, to live out that faith, and to try to persuade others to embrace that faith.

Eric Buehrer of Gateways to Better Education is surely correct to note that it’s not really encouraging that “82% of Americans say freedom of religion is important to a healthy American society” when 50% of Americans don’t really know what religious freedom is and may even be hostile to some of its implications.

Fourth, values have to come from somewhere. If religion isn’t their source, then something else will act like religion and bring forth values. Secular social “isms” (like leftism, nationalism, environmentalism, unionism, feminism, even patriotism) may at times be forms of quasi-religion in how they state their dogmas, work to impose their agenda, or judge others who disagree with them and won’t conform to their vision.

I’ll put it this way. Almost everybody has a religion in the form of that ultimate commitment that brings forth a person’s values and priorities—what you are willing to fight for; what hills you are willing to die on. For most people, this “operational faith” is the same as their “institutional (stated) faith.” For others, not. People can be “institutional Christians” but govern their lives and their social/political efforts by some other set of commitments that flow from a different “operational faith.” It happens in politics a lot.

It’s important that this reality be admitted and addressed. Otherwise, you’ll have someone advocating laws and social policies based on so-called “non-religious values” while trying to ban religion-based proposals and social/political efforts from the public square.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1643648297865{background-color: #ffcccc !important;border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Science and God
Listen to “Science and God,” a series of 5-minute videos from Prager University, Dennis Prager’s site for learning. I’ve listened, and they are very good.

Here are the topics:
Are Religion and Science in Conflict?
How Did the Universe Begin?
Aliens, the Multiverse, or God?
What is Intelligent Design?
What’s Wrong with Atheism?

Check these and many other helpful topics at: www.PragerU.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

Don has been a member of the clergy in the Long Beach, California area since 1970. He now serves 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+). 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 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. He and his wife Mary have been married for 55 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Category Archives: Newsletters

January 2023 Newsletter

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December 2022 Newsletter

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November 2022 Newsletter

October 2022 Newsletter

1. I RECOMMEND these points of guidance:

2. From a LEGAL STANDPOINT, here are the “Do’s and Don’ts”:

3. Topics to Proclaim:

September 2022 Newsletter

July-August 2022 Newsletter

Grace Brethren Eschatology:
Where Should Our Fellowship Go?

June 2022 Newsletter

May 2022 Newsletter

April 2022 Newsletter

Donald P. Shoemaker:
Watergate’s Charles Colson transformed lives and ideas

February-March 2022 Newsletter

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

1. I RECOMMEND these points of guidance:

2. From a LEGAL STANDPOINT, here are the “Do’s and Don’ts”:

3. Topics to Proclaim:

Grace Brethren Eschatology: Where Should Our Fellowship Go?

Donald P. Shoemaker: Watergate’s Charles Colson transformed lives and ideas

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

Grace Brethren Eschatology:
Where Should Our Fellowship Go?

Donald P. Shoemaker:
Watergate’s Charles Colson transformed lives and ideas

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net