[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]

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

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

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]

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?

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]