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

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

– Psalm 139:13-17 (NEV)

Message of the Month—Guns & Churches & Faith in God

They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore. – Micah 4:3b

Better not do that by yourself! You may end up dead and your country overrun by tyranny. The verse speaks of universal abandonment of weapons.

The prophecy, whether from Micah 4:3 or Isaiah 2:4, finds its realistic fulfillment in an ideal “Age to Come”. In that age there will be no need for weaponry of war, for:
It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away. – Micah 4:1-3a

There will be no need for weaponry at home either. God will protect.
They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. – Micah 4:4

We should all work for a high measure of safety and consider this way and that way to accomplish it. But we must not be naïve about those who would do us harm, personally and as nations. Leave the promise in its context!

Israel’s Governor Nehemiah got it right! He knew the sinister capabilities of his foes, and he knew how to promote public safety:

And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. – Nehemiah 4:9

And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” – Nehemiah 7:3

Which brings us to the Sunday, December 29 shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ in the Fort Worth suburb of White Settlement. Because of trained, armed church members, great loss of life was prevented (two worshippers and the assailant [red circle] were killed).

No defense can take the place of dedicated law enforcement officers who are willing to run toward danger to save lives. But officers are not ubiquitous and a wary and prepared citizenry will often be the first line of defense. *

Sheriff Bill Waybourn said it well: “Today evil walked boldly among us. But let me remind you, good people raised up and stopped it before it got worse.”

Jesus’ words to love our enemies and “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:44, 39) do not negate self-protection or armed officers. These words in The Sermon on the Mount may be referring to response to persecution.

At any rate, Jesus is not replacing the Old Testament’s Law of Moses with a new law of pacifism. Any interpretation of “The Sermon on the Mount” that puts it in conflict with the Law of Moses has somewhere missed the point.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,” Jesus said. “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
Jesus’ teaching will clarify, not nullify. His teaching lifts us above self-satisfying surface obedience to the heights of real obedience. Playing on the Latin superlative, Martin Luther said that in “The Sermon on the Mount” we have Mosissimus Moses—Moses to the “nth degree”.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott awarded the “Governor’s Medal of Courage” to Jack Wilson, who felled the shooter (within two seconds of the killer’s first shot, by my timing). Mr. Wilson wrote,

The events at West Freeway Church of Christ put me in a position that I would hope no one would have to be in, but evil exist and I had to take out an active shooter in church. I’m thankful to GOD that I have been blessed with the ability and desire to serve him in the role of head of security at the church. I am very sad in the loss of two dear friends and brothers in CHRIST, but evil does exist in this world and I and other members are not going to allow evil to succeed.

A better application of sound theology to life would be hard to find.

I pray and yearn for the arrival of the “Better Age” and I join all people of good will who work hard for incremental progress. We can agree or disagree on the means to the end, but I have no room in my mind for wishful naiveté. “Praise the Lord but keep the powder dry” is still good advice.

Finally, I urge all places of worship that display a sign “No Weapons Permitted” to take it down. A person bent on violence isn’t going to obey it. Why would you assure him that he has little to fear at your soft target?

* Michael Bloomberg disagrees with this civilian action. “It’s the job of law enforcement to have guns and to decide when to shoot.” Had this happened, officers would have found a massacre.

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

Emotions still run deep in those who were connected in some way to the events forever known as “9/11”.

Beyond the emotions, real health concerns continue.
I witnessed this once when a speaker who was deployed to the World Trade Center site had to cough frequently during her presentation many years later.

A recent report shows an increasing number of cancers as the years pass, including leukemia, in WTC first responders (JNCI Cancer Spectrum journal, reported in The Wall Street Journal).

As of November, 2019, 241 police officers have died of “9/11” related illnesses—more than three times the 71 who died in the actual collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Twelve died in 2019, including most recently:

August 29 – Cayuga County Undersheriff Stephen McLoud
September 8 – NYPD Detective Joseph Paolillo
September 19 – NYPD Officer Derrick Bishop
– these all died of cancer developed after the 9/11 recovery efforts.

Let us keep our memories focused lest we forget those who died and who are now dying as the event of 9/11 fades into the past, now 19 years later. The WTC toll of firefighters was 343 on that day and well over 500 now.

Religious Liberty Vigilance – China and the U.S.

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

Once again “Religious Freedom Day” was observed on January 16. This date marks the 234th anniversary of adoption of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson. It stopped the practice of taxing people to pay for the support of the local clergy, and it protected the civil rights of people to express their religious beliefs free from discrimination.

Jefferson saw this as one of his greatest achievements, so much so that it is listed on his tombstone along with authorship of the Declaration of American Independence and Father of the University of Virginia. Oddly enough, he did not list “President of the United States”, perhaps considering that role less significant (those were different days for how the Executive Branch was viewed, but I digress).

Here is a summary of the statute, thanks to Gateways to Better Education:

An easier-to-understand paraphrase of the Virginia Statute
God created us to be free in our thinking. He is all-powerful but He chose not to force us to obey Him. Throughout history there have been people who have tried to force others to believe a certain way about God. Often times this has led to people being forced to believe what the ruler believed even if it wasn’t really true. We don’t want that.

It also isn’t right to force people to give money to religions that they don’t believe. It is best to let people support the religion they believe is the best one. The government shouldn’t even force people to support the religion they do believe is right. Each person should be free to support his religion in the way he thinks is best.

The rights we have, as citizens, shouldn’t depend on which religion we follow. The government shouldn’t tell people that they cannot hold a public office like mayor, or governor, or President just because of their religious beliefs. If the government did that, it would only cause people to lie about their beliefs. They might say they believe this or that religion just to run for political office. Of course, it would be wrong for people to lie about their religious beliefs, but it would also be wrong for the government to tempt people to lie by saying that only people who believe a certain way can be in politics. The government’s job is to help keep a peaceful society, not to tell people what religion to follow.

Truth is a wonderful thing. Truth can defend itself if you just let it be told. People need to be free to talk about what they believe is the truth about God.

Because of all this, we, the leaders of the state of Virginia, have decided the government should not force anybody to follow a religion, nor should the government force anybody to pay money to support a religion. People should decide this for themselves. Also, the government shouldn’t hassle people because of the religion they follow. Instead, everybody should be free to follow, and talk about, their religion.

We know that we are elected by the people to make decisions for right now. We know that in the future some group of Virginia’s leaders may decide to change this law. But, if they did that, we want to say right now that would be wrong, because God created us to be free.

© 2014, Gateways to Better Education. Used by permission.

Contrast America’s “separation of church and state” from what is about to happen in China, as of February 1. Be thankful for our First Amendment and the freedoms derived from it. And pray for suppressed and persecuted Christians and for others who will experience harm from this great intrusion by the Chinese government into the affairs of religion as it tries to make the church a mouthpiece for Communist socialism.

Here is what will soon happen:
Beijing, China, Jan 6, 2020 (Catholic News Agency) – China will enforce new restrictions on religious groups, organizations, meetings, and other related events starting on Feb 1.

The country’s state-controlled media announced the new policy on Dec. 30, after Chinese authorities moved to further suppress Catholics in the Archdiocese of Fuzhou who are refusing to join the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

According to UCA News, the new “Administrative Measures for Religious Groups,” which consists of six sections and 41 articles, will control every aspect of religious activity within China, and will mandate that all religions and believers in China comply with regulations issued by the Chinese Communist Party, which must be acknowledged as the higher authority.

“Religious organizations must adhere to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, observe the constitution, laws, regulations, ordinances and policies, adhere to the principle of independence and self-government, adhere to the directives on religions in China, implementing the values of socialism,” says Article 5 of the new policies.

In Article 17 states that “religious organizations must spread the principles and policies of the Chinese Communist Party,” as well as requiring “religious personnel and religious citizens to support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, supporting the socialist system, adhering to and following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

All this was not supposed to happen! Note this critical assessment from the Catholic Crisis Magazine (January 9):
Under this pontificate [Pope Francis]… the Holy See made a deal with the communists [September 22, 2019].

…In return for the Vatican recognizing some of the “patriotic” bishops as legitimate, they declared the Pope to be head of the Church. Meanwhile, the faithful in China got nothing. As retired Hong Kong Archbishop Joseph Cardinal Zen declared the previous day, the Holy See was “giving the flock into the mouths of the wolves.”

So it has proved. Since then persecution of the Church has increased, with churches being destroyed, children prevented from attending Mass, and new regulations requiring recognized religious groups—including the now semi-official Catholic Church in China—to render complete and total submission to the Communist Party. By any objective standard, Pope Francis’s China policy has been a complete and utter failure. A martyr Church has been betrayed—we must hope—unwittingly.

How the church adjusts to a hostile government or culture is not an easy question to answer. What can be yielded to protect what dare not be yielded? Maybe we better start sharpening our answers to this question in America.

Bible Insight—Finding Truth in the Book of Revelation

Everyone yearns for a better tomorrow. We see this especially in an election period when candidates out-do one another with promises.

The Book of Revelation takes us through the turmoil and trials of life and leads us to a better tomorrow—an eternal city. Interpretations abound on how to understand this fascinating and yet bewildering book. Here are my guidelines:

1. Always keep this fundamental principle of interpretation in mind: The Book of Revelation was written to seven existing churches in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Read chapters 1-3 to see this fact. It had great significance to First Century Christians facing severe testings. Any interpretation of this book that does not see it through the eyes of these believers is suspect!

2. Try reading this book doxologically – as a Book of Worship (which it certainly is). The book has many themes and poetry that have led to rich Christian music. For examples, check out these passages: 1:4-7; 4:6-11; 5:6-14; 11:15-18; 15:3-4; 19:1-8 and “The Holy City” by Frederic Weatherly (1892).

3. The Book of Revelation has lots of symbolism and drama (like The Chronicles of Narnia) —don’t get too dogmatic over the details! The details add to the drama without each of them calling for interpretive significance.

4. The Book of Revelation depicts heaven and earth as places of conflict between good and evil. Experience tells us that’s true on earth, but are we open to the possibility of such conflict happening in the unseen realm of spirits?

5. The book’s basic message is this: The present times are tough—it may look like evil is winning. But God still rules. His plan is on schedule. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (11:15).

6. The book’s challenge is: Stay strong, resist evil, keep the faith—Judgment Day is coming, with vindication and reward for the “overcomer.”

7. Finally, the Book of Revelation extends this invitation to everyone: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come. And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (22:17). This invitation to come to Jesus still stands.

Available: My Message on the Book of Revelation

To hear my December 29, 2019 message on the Book of Revelation, go to www.gracesealbeach.org and click “Sermons” under “Resources.”
You will see my name under “Sermons by speaker.”

Unintended Humor
Excuse me if I saw just a little bit of humor in the juxtaposition of the titles of these two opinion columns in The Washington Post on Jan. 8 –

“Want an end to wars? Let women run the world.”

“Elizabeth Warren tries to pick a fight with Joe Biden.”

Pastors—Keep Your Politics Out of Your Message
A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that almost half (45%) of people who attend services at least a few times a year are “unsure” of their clergy’s partisan leanings. Over a quarter (27%) say their clergy are a mix of both parties, while 16 percent say they lean Republican and 11 percent say they lean Democrat. 72% say their pastor has “about the right amount” of discussion about politics in sermons.
– Christianity Today (on line), January 15, 2020

I don’t think a pastor’s political affiliation should be made known at any church gathering or via any church communication instrument.

Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net