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A Solder Worth Honoring
May-June 2024 Newsletter

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

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

My Opening Prayer at the May 2 Awards Breakfast Seal Beach [CA] Police Department

“Our God in Heaven, we begin by asking your very special comfort and encouragement for the families of the four officers killed in Charlotte. Guide the law enforcement departments and their leaders through this very difficult time.

“We express our concern over the lawlessness on campuses which not only damages property but also damages our ability to have genuine freedom of speech and to discuss our differences with civility. Again, guide the law enforcement agencies and their leaders that are called on to uphold the law and enforce the peace in these difficult circumstances.

“Keep your workers safe and lead us, in the words of the Prophet Amos, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God. In his name we pray. Amen.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who
maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3
A Line-of-Duty Death
Strikes Close to Home

Deputy Tobin Bolter, 27, served the people of Ada County Idaho. With Boise as the county seat, Ada County is by far the state’s largest county.

On April 20 at 9:00 p.m. Deputy Bolter made a traffic stop in Boise. According to Officer Down Memorial Page:

He had just exited his patrol car and was approaching the vehicle he stopped when the driver opened fire on him before fleeing. A witness to the shooting called 911 and performed CPR on Deputy Bolter before medics arrived and transported him to a local hospital.

The subject was located … a short time later. He was shot and killed by Boise police officers after opening fire on them as they attempted to take him into custody. It was later determined that the man was wanted.

Deputy Bolter succumbed to his wounds at about 10:00 am the following morning.

While he had seven years’ experience in law enforcement, Deputy Bolter had served the Ada County Sheriff’s Department for only four months. The Bolter Family said in a statement, “Tobin’s life has been a reflection of God’s grace. He was a selfless man of conviction, giving God the glory in all circumstances.”

Deputy Bolter is survived by Abbey, his beloved wife for almost six years. Abbey’s parents were part of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach when she was a child and before they moved. I was privileged to be their pastor.

We mourn this senseless killing and uphold this devastated family with our prayers and support as we also uphold the Ada County Sheriff’s Department.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 5)

Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he [the patriarch David] foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
– Peter’s Sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:30-32 ESV)

[I believe]
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.

5A – Here we see how New Testament preachers and writers viewed the Old Testament as reaching its fulfillment in Jesus.

Jesus walked with two men on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 21:13-27) and explained how the scriptures found their fulfillment in him – “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Jesus had lots to say during a seven-mile walk!

In Peter’s sermon on Pentecost he reflected on the words of Psalm 16:10. There King David confidently says, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol [Hell], or let your holy one see corruption” (verses 9-10).

Any normal reading of these verses would conclude David is speaking of his own confidence in God’s care. And that’s correct. The New Testament, however, again and again sees a “fulfillment” (a “fill-FULL-ment”— a “Meaning” above the meaning) of these words in Jesus. Likewise, Hosea 11:1 clearly refers to Israel’s exodus from Egypt: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” Yet Matthew (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) sees a “fill-FULL-ment” in this historical statement—he sees a prophecy of the child Jesus leaving Egypt (Matthew 2:15).

5B – “Hell” has various meanings, and this makes the creed’s words a bit baffling.

“Hades” (“Hell”; Hebrew: “sheol”) can simply mean the grave, which it probably meant in Psalm 16:10 (Acts 2:29 – “His tomb is with us to this day”).

But “Hades” also may refer to the realm of departed spirits (Luke 16:23).

So, does the creed refer to Jesus’ days in the tomb, or to a descent by Jesus into the netherworld of departed spirits? I can see arguments either way.

5C – If Jesus did, in his death, descend to the realm of the dead, what did he “do” there?

Now Jesus’ “descent into Hell” gets even murkier! Read these verses:

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which [spirit] he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. (1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV. See also 1 Peter 4:6)

Does this mean Jesus preached the gospel to departed souls in Hades, thereby giving the listeners a “second chance”? Or did he proclaim salvation to the righteous dead and then lead their souls to heaven? Or was a message of judgment proclaimed against the unrighteous dead?

Note that 1 Peter 3:18-20 only speaks of those who disobeyed God in the days of Noah. Perhaps Peter is saying that “the spirit of Jesus” was preaching judgment in the days of Noah to people who are now dead. This is reasonable and thus it doesn’t say that Jesus preached in Hell to all who have died.

The meaning of Jesus’ descent into Hell is problematic. To simply view this descent as referring to his burial fits the meaning of Psalm 16:10 in both its original reference to David and in its fulfillment in Jesus’s burial. And it avoids the speculations around a descent to a realm of spirits. So I prefer this view.

What did Jesus “do” when he descended into Hell? He remained in the tomb.

5D – So perhaps we can understand how some Bible scholars have suggested we leave this phrase out of the creed entirely!

Theologian Wayne Grudem favors omitting the phrase. For a few years I would leave this statement out when I lead my congregation in saying this creed. I thought that a creed should be clear on the basics of our faith and that this phrase was too opaque.

Many early versions of The Apostles’ Creed omit the phrase, as does the later Nicene Creed. In reality there is no “loss of truth” in omitting it.

In more recent years I’ve included the phrase. But if we’re going to include it, we had better teach from time to time about what it means. Death could not hold him!

There in the ground, His body lay. Light of the world, by darkness, slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave, He rose again.

– “In Christ Alone” by Keith & Kristyn Getty

5E – “The Third Day”

We may be puzzled at this if we believe Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose Sunday morning. After all, didn’t Jesus himself say, “just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40)?

This isn’t the only “calendar” problem for Passion Week! It may just be that “three days/nights” is a pattern of speaking that refers to an experience that covers all or parts of three days.

5F – The resurrection of Jesus is part of the Gospel—Don’t omit it!

“If the Resurrection is removed from the messages of the early Church, then that message loses its center and its soul. The claim on which all other claims were based is invalidated, and there is little left.”

– William Barclay, The Apostles’ Creed

I’ve taken many evangelism classes over the years and have learned the “points” we are to share when we witness (like “The Four Spiritual Laws”). How many of these include the resurrection of Jesus? Just about none.

But if we read the Book of Acts we will see how “soul winning” includes the word of the resurrection all over the place. We confess it for salvation: “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

The Apostle Paul declares that the resurrection of Jesus is part of the gospel that saves us (1 Corinthians 15:2-4): “Christ died for our sins…he was buried…he was raised the third day.” Believe it; proclaim it; live it!

5G – Only an actual bodily resurrection will pass the Test of Truth!

Liberals within the Christian religion may choose to believe that Jesus lives on in the hearts of his followers or in the power of his moral teachings or in the abiding value of the life he lived. That’s all true, but that’s not the meaning of “he rose again from the dead.”

The Gospel proclaims a bodily resurrection. When Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19) he was speaking of “the temple of his body” (2:21). After his resurrection he appeared to his disciples in his real but transformed resurrection body (Luke 24:36-43):

Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

Thus, Jesus proclaimed, invited investigation, and demonstrated that he was alive in the body (proclamation and apologetics are friends). This has enormous implications for Christian truth and ethics. I will explain this further when I comment on the creed’s “the resurrection of the body.”

5H – The meaning and value of Jesus’ resurrection.

It is often taught that Jesus’ resurrection was God’s “stamp of acceptance,” so to speak, on the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. Yes, but there is more.

• At Jesus’ resurrection he was declared to be the Son of God with power (Romans 1:4). He was displayed as God’s obedient Son at his baptism. Now Jesus is displayed as God’s Son with power. See the vision of the exalted Lord in Revelation 1:12-16 and read Philippians 2:6-11.
• The resurrection of Jesus gives us assurance that, as we possess the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus, we will attain resurrection ourselves at the appointed time. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).
• In 1 Corinthians 15: 12-18 the Apostle Paul considers the reverse: “What if Jesus did NOT rise from the dead?” Then (1) the apostolic message is hollow, (2) our faith is hollow as well, (3) the apostles have misrepresented God (a most severe sin), because they testified that God indeed did raise his son from the dead, (4) our faith is futile and we remain unforgiven, “in our sins,” (5) those who believed the message and have died are without hope, (6) believers are to be pitied.
• We are justified (pronounced righteous by God) through Jesus’ resurrection. We often think of the Cross as achieving our justification, and this is true. But the resurrection completes this work of Christ in our behalf. Jesus was “delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
• Jesus’ resurrection empowers us to live godly Christian lives. Our baptism teaches us that “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4; see 6:1-14).
• Finally, Jesus’ resurrection is the foretaste (firstfruits) of our own, which will complete our salvation. “Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

How Government Desecrated Two Meaningful Days

1. Do we remember the Resurrection of Jesus or do we celebrate “Transgender Day of Visibility”?

Christians in the Western World overwhelmingly celebrate Easter Sunday as the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Good governments ought to respect this and not trample on it either intentionally or thoughtlessly. For example, the huge Long Beach Gran Prix is held on an April weekend every year. Easter, of course, is a “floating Sunday” on the calendar. Still, out of respect for this day and those who honor it, the big race is never scheduled to conflict with it.

But such considerateness didn’t register with the White House:

I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, …do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.

The proclamation says further:

On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives.

Now, it might be claimed that government and religion don’t mix well. So the government has no duty to safeguard a day dedicated to religious observance. But the president’s proclamation does just that (mixes government and religion) with regard to “Transgender Day of Visibility.” He declares that this day honors our commitment to have a nation “where all people are created equal and treated equally.” Just where does that idea ultimately come from? Nothing less than from the biblical idea that God is our Creator and gave us value by making us in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). And God’s creative work did more: “Male and female he made them” – a distinction to be honored and upheld, not confused or erased.

“Mr. President, what in the world were you thinking when you took Easter Sunday and named it the ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’?”

2. Do we remember April 30 as a sad day, when South Vietnam fell to Communist North Vietnam, or do we celebrate “Jane Fonda Day”?

On April 30, 1975 the armies of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong captured the city of Saigon, bringing an end to the Vietnam War. The large Vietnamese American community (over 500,000 in California) regards that day as Black April.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently designated April 30 each year as “Jane Fonda Day.” A member of the California legislature who is of Vietnamese heritage had this to say (Assemblyman Tri Ta, The Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2024):

By honoring Fonda on Black April, the supervisors disregarded the Vietnamese American community, America’s Vietnam veterans and countless others, aggravating wounds that have yet to heal. To have this solemn day overshadowed by the celebration of an individual who openly sympathized with the regime responsible for so much suffering is an insult to the memory of those who perished and those who continue to live with the scars of war. This decision demonstrates a lack of empathy for the Vietnamese diaspora and highlights a need for greater cultural awareness.

In responding to the wave of protests, the Board of Supervisors has moved the commemorative date to April 8. The questions remain, “Why should this be a Board of Supervisors matter? Should not the Board attend to the serious matters facing the county and resolve them, rather than lifting up a polarizing figure from the past like Jane Fonda?”

“Supervisors, what in the world were you thinking when you took Black April and named it ‘Jane Fonda Day’?”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

A Soldier
Worth Honoring
on Memorial Day

Veteran (Vietnam),
Pastor, Spiritual Leader, Friend

Randy Weekley

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”2043″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]I knew Randy as a loyal American and a veteran of the Vietnam War. Even more, I knew him as a Christian pastor and spiritual leader. I would see him every year that he served on our denomination’s leadership team, which would meet each January at my church in Seal Beach CA.

During those visits we’d always take time to talk. I learned about his physical sufferings, which seemed to be worsening. Sadly, I learned of the terrible villonodual synovotos * that severely affected his ankles. “How did this come about?” I asked. He was clear and firm: “Agent Orange!”

Agent Orange was a potent defoliant used by the U.S. in the Vietnam War to denude the jungles and thus expose the enemy’s movements. Unfortunately, it also affected many American servicemen and it took our government way too long to own up to the consequences.

While in Vietnam, U.S and Free World Military Assistance Forces soldiers were told not to worry about Agent Orange and were persuaded the chemical was harmless. After returning home, Vietnam veterans from all countries that served began to suspect their ill health or the instances of their wives having miscarriages or children born with birth defects might be related to Agent Orange and the other toxic herbicides to which they had been exposed in Vietnam.

There are various types of cancer associated with Agent Orange, including chronic B-cell leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, respiratory cancer, lung cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas. (Wikipedia)

I saw Randy’s ability to get around become more difficult each year. In 2015 his left leg was amputated below the knee. He said of this experience, “I have had the privilege of meeting many brave vets who are amputees. My relationship with the God of the universe helps me daily to get through. I am asking God to open a door of ministry into their lives.”

Randy (74) passed away and went to be with his Lord on October 19, 2023. Active in ministry up to the time of his passing, he gave his last sermon on August 13, appropriately titled “Absolute Necessity of Trials.”

Randy told me one very sad experience. Those who remember the Vietnam War era will recall the division in our country over the war. Sometimes it spilled over into protests. But it never should have turned against the troops.

On one occasion when he returned to the United States: A police officer spit on the ground in front of him. That should never be. The police officer should have been fired.

A “thank you” to all who have served our country through military service. And a big “thank you” to Randy, for serving God and the country he loved, for being a fine pastor and friend, for paying such a big price.

* https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/what-is-pvns-pigmented-villonodular-synovitis[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

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

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

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

© 2024 Donald P. Shoemaker

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