[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 2018 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%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

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”687″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Bible Insight for
Good Friday & Easter—
“How is God
‘The Savior of all’?”

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Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929 – April 4, 1968)

Billy Graham
(1918 – February 21, 2018)

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Bible Insight – How is God “The Savior of all”?

Easter Season is a good time to ponder an interesting scripture.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” – 1 Timothy 4:9-10 ESV

The Christian tradition I know puts great emphasis on how God saves all who believe in Jesus. It’s as clear as the best-known verse of the Bible (John 3:16):
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This salvation is procured through Jesus’ death on the cross (the Good Friday message) and proclaimed and validated through his resurrection (the Easter message).

But the Apostle Paul writes that there is more to God’s saving work than that, as important as it is. In some sense, God is savior of all.

Let’s call this sense “The Savior—Basic Version.” John 3:16, then, gives us “The Savior—Enhanced Version.”

In what sense does God save everyone? At the start, we reject universal salvation from sin (eternal life for all) as being as thoroughly unbiblical as it is appealing to our emotions. It just isn’t “there” as numerous Bible verses indicate (Daniel 12:2-3; John 5:28-29; Romans 6:23 among many others).

My New Testament professor in seminary, Dr. Homer A. Kent, Jr., gave an explanation to 1 Timothy 4:9-10 in his book The Pastoral Epistles that still sounds reasonable to me.

“As applied to unbelievers [God’s salvation] includes preservation and deliverance from various evils and the bestowal of many blessings during this life. To believers, however, this salvation does not end with earthly life but goes on for all eternity.”

Similarly, the reformer John Calvin said this “salvation for all” refers to God’s kindness and goodness to everyone. We call this the working of “common grace” whereby God cares for all people with numerous blessings from creation and providence, and from the social institutions God establishes. *

In my article on “common grace” I identify several blessings from God to all:
• Creation—its abundance, variation and beauty
• The value and dignity of human life by virtue of its special creation
• A basic sense of right and wrong instilled in all of us
• Human intelligence, creativity, artistry, achievements, enjoyments
• The family
• Human government (be it ever so open to frailty and wrong) that promotes justice, punishes evil, encourages good, and secures peace
• Restraint of evil, lest the world become even more intolerable and ungovernable than it already seems.

With these thoughts in mind, I encourage every church to teach and every Christian to practice both evangelism (sharing the message of forgiveness through Jesus) and social activism (supporting all in secular life that is for the common good). Through us, then, God mediates the ministry of salvation to all people, and especially to those who believe.

* John Calvin’s Commentary on 1 Timothy. See my article on “Common Grace” in my November 2015 Newsletter: http://donaldshoemakerministries.com/blog/614/

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. and Billy Graham

It’s hard for me to imagine evangelical Christianity without Billy Graham. And April 4 marks 50 years since Martin Luther King was assassinated. If we remember this event, we remember where we were when we heard it (like the death of John F. Kennedy or “9/11”).

Billy Graham’s ministry blossomed from a prayer meeting held in the Rainbow Room of the Westminster Hotel in Winona Lake, Indiana on July 13, 1949. While a student in seminary, I was a hotel clerk working next to the Rainbow Room when I learned of the King assassination.

Both men affected the country and world for the better in their unique ways. King was the activist preacher who took to the streets and elsewhere, breaking unjust laws when necessary to further the just cause. Graham was the preacher calling for a change of heart, but he put his faith to work by insisting on (even enforcing) desegregation of his early evangelistic meetings.
I think both roles are necessary. I also think God calls some to work within the “system” (such as how the Bible’s Nehemiah and Daniel served in secular government) and minister within it as they can. And God calls others to stand outside the “system” and prophesy against it when necessary (as Elijah, John the Baptist and Jesus did).

One of Martin Luther King’s contributions was to articulate when civil disobedience may be justified. It is permissible to resist an “unjust” law—a law that does not accord with the moral law of God.

Billy Graham was a pastor to presidents among his many roles. Early on, he ministered to politicians while staying aloof from politics. Quite a feat, and he confessed some failures along the way.

For example, a young Billy Graham, naïve about politics and protocol, once met with President Truman at the White House. Then he went outside and “spilled the beans” about the meeting to reporters. Worse, he took their bait and knelt on the White House lawn to pray for the president. (Hard to imagine, isn’t it? The news media baiting people so they can get a story!)

Billy Graham deeply regretted this incident, as he recalled it in his autobiography Just As I Am. Unfortunately it hurt his witness to Truman, who regarded him as a counterfeit and persona non grata at the White House. Many years later the two were able to laugh together about it.

I saw Billy Graham four times in my life (1961 at a Youth For Christ gathering in Chicago, 1969 at a Youth for Christ national gathering in Winona Lake, and at the Crystal Cathedral and Anaheim Crusade in 1985). I saw Martin Luther King once at a Baptist church in my hometown of Mansfield, Ohio.

I cherish the memory and work of both—the world is much better off because of them.

Recommended: Just as I Am by Billy Graham; The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King; Christianity Today “Billy Graham Issue” – read this issue at: www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/billy-graham[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“Our Thoughts and Prayers are with you.” So?

This expression has been harshly criticized as utterly inadequate in light of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. What should we say about it?

It can be phony and insincere—a platitude we use to move past a situation and then forget about it.

It can be well intentioned but then we fail to follow through on our promise. We fail to pray for those in need as we promised we would. Let’s confess how often we’ve promised to pray for someone and then failed to do so.

It can be a limitation we wrongly impose on our response to evil and tragedy. We think once we have “thought and prayed” we’ve done our job. While some critics of this phrase do so because they don’t believe in prayer or doubt the sincerity of those who say this, we must recognized that some victims don’t believe we really intend to do anything other than “think and pray.” In this, they make a strong point.

One of my favorite Bible verses: hearing the threats against his people as the walls of Jerusalem were being rebuilt, Nehemiah, governor of the region at the appointment of the Persian king, told what actions he was taking.

“We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat” (Nehemiah 4:9 in context). The people prayed; the people took action.

Prayer, if genuine, will always include commitment to do what one can and should do to lift a burden or prevent more harm or injustice. *

Faith without works is dead. “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ [‘I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.’] but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16).

So let’s weigh our intentions and follow through with our promises. Let’s supplement prayer with action as needed. And let’s temper our criticism of others when they speak this phrase with sincerity.

* The neighbor of the church in Sutherland, Texas put “thoughts and prayers” to action when he took his AR-15 rifle and engaged the shooter/murderer outside the church.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Civility, please. Please!

My wife and I were on a plane from L.A. to Washington, D.C. last November.
I couldn’t see the computer screen belonging to the passenger right in front of me. But my wife could see it and so could most passengers around us.

The screen said boldly, “F * * * T R U M P”, no letters left to the imagination!

This is one manifestation of a growing trend toward incivility in our country. Little consideration of those around you. Little proper regard for those in authority, whether you agree with them or not, or for adversaries.

Civility is our ability to look past differences and listen to the viewpoints of others. Civil people can disagree without disrespect. Without this, the dialogue needed for successful democratic government is impossible.

I believe civility is the natural outcome of belief that we are made in the likeness of God. We must not bless God and then curse people, for they bear his likeness (James 3:9-10). OK, we are all broken humans and sometimes we have to squint a bit to see dignity in others. And we may not see it well in the mirror either. But that dignity remains, regardless our shortcomings.

Government is a gift from God and rulers are to be honored in spite of their imperfections. We are to pray for them, so their rule will be just and peace inducing (1 Peter 2:13-17; 1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Government leaders should make this respect easier to offer and not harder. From the President on down, there should be no place for ad hominem comments that diminish others, including degrading tweets.

Without knowing of the foul message on this passenger’s computer screen,
I helped her get her bag down when we reached D.C. Knowing what I know now, what should I have done? Well, the same thing. “Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you… Do to others as you would have them do to you” – Jesus (Luke 6:27-31).

See my full statement on Civility at: http://donaldshoemakerministries.com/blog/essential-civility/[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

A Scripture on the Power and Practicality of Jesus’ Resurrection

We were buried therefore with [Jesus] by baptism into death,
in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his,
we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We know that our old self was crucified with him
in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing,
so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Now if we have died with Christ,
we believe that we will also live with him.
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead,
will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
For the death he died he died to sin, once for all,
but the life he lives he lives to God.
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin
and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,
to make you obey its passions.
Do not present your members to sin
as instruments for unrighteousness,
but present yourselves to God
as those who have been brought from death to life,
and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

– Romans 6:4-13 (New International Version)

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Don’s Upcoming Ministries

May 13 (Mother’s Day) – Speak in morning worship services (8:00, 9:30, 11:00) at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach on the Book of Ruth, chapter 2.

May 15 & 18 – Teach on The Epistle to Philemon at Women Bible Study, Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (6:30 pm on Tuesday, May 15 and 9:30 am on Friday, May 18).

“We do not want a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world.”

– G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
English writer, philosopher, orator,
lay theologian and more

My Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net</>

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[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 2018 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%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

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”687″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Roe v. Wade January 22, 1973

45 Years later the Abortion Debate Still Rages

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“Deliver us from evil”

Should the Words of “The Lord’s Prayer” Be Changed?

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Roe v. Wade at 45 – Abortion Debate Still Rages

By Donald P. Shoemaker

Reprinted from the Long Beach, CA Press-Telegram, January 22, 1998.

A personal note in 2018:
I believe that the observations I made in 1998 are as relevant today as when they were written. The writing below has slight edits and bold italics are added. Since this op-ed was written 20 years ago, my aunt and uncle have both passed away.

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 is not aware 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 [January 22, 1973].

“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. *

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.

* One medical ethicist would designate infants (up to age two) “proximate persons.”
** However, Roe v. Wade did explicitly reject a right to “abortion on demand.”
*** Washington v. Glucksberg (1997) and Vacco v. Quill (1997)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Bible Insight – “Lead Us Not into Temptation”

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”
– Matthew 6:13 (King James Version)

Pope Francis created quite a stir when he recently said that the words [in Italian] “non ci indurre in tentazione” (“Lead us not into temptation”) in the English version are not correct, because, he said, God does not actively lead us into temptation. (Andrea Gagliarducci, National Catholic Register, 12/12/17)

Now, this is not to be regarded as infallible papal teaching anymore than Donald Trump’s tweets should be added to the Constitution. On a scale of
1-10, #1 being “shooting from the hip” and #10 being “speaking ex cathedra [from the Chair of Saint Peter]”, this may have been a 3 or a 4. I don’t know.

At any rate, this development gives us a chance to look at this marvelous prayer request, given by Jesus for his followers to recite frequently.

1. The translation “lead us not into temptation” ain’t broke and don’t need fixin’!

This prayer request comes from Matthew 6:13 (Luke 11:4 is identical)–
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν (kai mē eisenenkes hēmas eis peirasmon). Literally: “and do not lead us into temptation (testing).”

Any “translation” that does not reflect this basic thought is not a translation. It is commentary, opinion. If the change is called a “translation”, it is wrong.

2. That God would actively tempt a follower of his into moral failure is abhorrent and unbiblical.

“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” (James 1:13-14 New International Version).

We simply may not “pass the buck to God”, making him at fault for our failures rather than ourselves. Remember Adam’s words to God? “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” – Genesis 3:12 (italics mine, but they might as well have been Adam’s).

“The Pope’s intent seems to be to emphasize that God does not directly ‘tempt’ us, but instead, the permissive will of God allows people to be tempted because of their sinfulness” (Gagliarducci, NCR). I would agree.

3. Nonetheless, God’s agency in temptation cannot be reduced to mere passive permissiveness.

If you “permit” your toddler to run into the street when you know the danger and could prevent it, I would find it hard to absolve you or let you hide behind a distinction between active and passive voices.

Matthew 4:1 is rather strong in describing the Holy Spirit’s agency when Jesus faced temptation. “Then Jesus was led [anēchthē, passive verb with the Spirit as the active agent] by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Mark 1:12 is even stronger: “the Spirit sent him out [ekballei—“cast him out, drove him”] into the wilderness.” The same Spirit that descended on Jesus at baptism now drives him forth to encounter temptation.

So we have (1) God’s Spirit (2) strongly pushing Jesus into the wilderness
(3) for the purpose of being tempted by the Devil. But the Devil, not the Spirit of God, is the “tempter.”

While temptations we face are of the same kind Jesus faced, the strength of the tempting pressure against him was unimaginable—more, I think, than we would ever face. This is significant, because some Christians talk of the temptation of Jesus as if the Devil were throwing darts that bounced harmlessly off Jesus as if he were Superman. *

Also very significant: Jesus resisted temptation by using the same resource available to you and me when we are tempted—the properly-applied Word of Scripture (see Matthew 4:1-11). Hence, we are told to take “the shield of faith” and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” when we face struggles against evil (Ephesians 6:16-17 in context).

4. God’s purpose in permitting temptation is to strengthen, refine, and season us, not to debilitate, corrupt and defeat us.

I once bought some bolts and quickly found out why they were so cheap. The bolt twisted and broke under the power of my wrench. That’s why we must buy hardened tools and bolts. They will not fail when they need to be strong. So it is with the purpose and outcome of our “testings.”

Jesus permitted Peter to fall victim to his own spiritual hyper-self-confidence. He, like the other disciples, was sure he would not abandon his Lord when the going got tough.

But he did fail and fall. He abandoned Jesus. Even worse, he denied he knew Jesus in the Hour of Challenge (or Hour of Confession).

Jesus warned him of this but also reassured him with one of his greatest teaching moments: ““Simon [Peter], Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31). Here is a warning, a prayer, a promise and a reassurance on how God would use this failure in a positive way.

God knows our breaking point, and he will faithfully keep us from reaching that breaking point, if we will simply follow his directives and provisions
(1 Corinthians 10:13).

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
– “How Firm a Foundation” (anonymous, Rippon’s Selection of Hymns, 1787)

* One of my seminary professors once compared the temptation of Jesus to putting a tiny pea out on a bridge. It “tested” the bridge in an infinitesimal way—but it was still a test! This is baloney and gives us a Superman Jesus who is not really “tested in all points like we are” and not really able to sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15).

Without denying the divinity of Jesus, Christians must equally confess his full, multi-dimensional humanity. Jesus and Satan weren’t just sitting there role-playing.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

February 19: The Presidents Day Un-Celebration — Honoring Not Just the Great, But All U.S. Presidents

By Michael Josephson

If you’re not going to school or work today [February 19], it’s because it’s a national holiday. The country used to celebrate the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln separately, but in 1971 Richard Nixon and Congress, in order to create a perpetual three-day weekend, merged the two holidays into a brand new one called Presidents Day, to honor all U.S. presidents.

The end result is that we equate the lives and leadership of two of the greatest men in our history with those of a diverse parade of men ranging from extraordinary to mediocre, and noble to dishonorable. What’s more, we reduce this and other days set aside to honor crucial people and historical events to no more than a day off. I doubt whether you’ll be reading many articles or seeing TV specials reminding you of the magnificent character and contributions of Washington or Lincoln.

I fear that the failure of our government, our schools and our media to emphatically remind us about our roots in a way that nurtures both pride and gratitude fosters an unhealthy, self-absorbed entitlement mentality. Sure, we’ll gladly take the day off for Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and shoot off fireworks on July 4th. But we’re too busy or blasé to pause to reconnect with our heritage and experience real appreciation for our heroes and their sacrifices.

Despite the initial surge of patriotism following September 11, I fear Americans are an increasingly ungrateful people, unwilling to appreciate what we have and why we have it. And we wonder why our kids don’t appreciate what they have and what we do for them.

If we keep treating our most important values as meaningless relics, that’s exactly what they’ll become.

Used by permission: The Josephson Institute of Ethics. Bold italics added.
I highly recommend the work of the Institute. www.josephsoninstitute.org[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Religious Liberty Vigilance –

“To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical.”
– Thomas Jefferson (Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom—adopted January 16, 1786)

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The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786)

For over 20 years, U.S. presidents have designated January 16 as “Religious Freedom Day” to recognize the adoption of this historic document (see addendum). It was the foundation for the idea of religious freedom found in the First Amendment to the Constitution. It begins…

“Whereas, Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, who being Lord, both of body and mind yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do, that the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavouring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time…”

The opening of this wordy, yet most valuable, one-sentence document gives us points to ponder:
• Is not a religious foundation (namely, the reality of an Almighty God) acknowledged in this document?
• Is there not a divine purpose for humanity found in the creative action of God, who, as Lord of body and mind, could have coerced the bodies and minds of people but chose not to? Does this not support liberal democracies and denounce tyrannies?
• Is it not possible for impious civil legislators to impose fallible secular ideologies upon people today, even as fallible religious ideologies have been imposed in the past and even today?
• Does not secular ideology continue to impose unacceptable burdens on people of faith, just as dominant religions have done in the past?

Food for thought. The entire document can be found at:
https://www.au.org/files/pdf_documents/virginia-statute-for.pdf[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Don’s Recent Sermons

Listen to Don’s sermons delivered at Grace Community Church. Go to: http://gracesealbeach.org/resources/sermons
Then go to the appropriate date.

NEW! January 21, 2018 – “Prayer in the Hour of Crisis” (Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew 26:36-46)

October 29, 2017 – “Reformation Reminder—The Freedom of the Christian”

July 30, 2017 – “Leaders Training Leaders” (The ministry of Priscilla and Aquila with Apollos, Acts 18:24-28)

My Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net</>

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Addendum

Presidential Proclamation
Religious Freedom Day
January 16, 2018

Faith is embedded in the history, spirit, and soul of our Nation. On Religious Freedom Day, we celebrate the many faiths that make up our country, and we commemorate the 232nd anniversary of the passing of a State law that has shaped and secured our cherished legacy of religious liberty.

Our forefathers, seeking refuge from religious persecution, believed in the eternal truth that freedom is not a gift from the government, but a sacred right from Almighty God. On the coattails of the American Revolution, on January 16, 1786, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. This seminal bill, penned by Thomas Jefferson, states that, “all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.” Five years later, these principles served as the inspiration for the First Amendment, which affirms our right to choose and exercise faith without government coercion or reprisal.

Today, Americans from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds remain steadfast in a commitment to the inherent values of faith, honesty, integrity, and patriotism. Our Constitution and laws guarantee Americans the right not just to believe as they see fit, but to freely exercise their religion. Unfortunately, not all have recognized the importance of religious freedom, whether by threatening tax consequences for particular forms of religious speech, or forcing people to comply with laws that violate their core religious beliefs without sufficient justification. These incursions, little by little, can destroy the fundamental freedom underlying our democracy. Therefore, soon after taking office, I addressed these issues in an Executive Order that helps ensure Americans are able to follow their consciences without undue Government interference and the Department of Justice has issued guidance to Federal agencies regarding their compliance with laws that protect religious freedom. No American – whether a nun, nurse, baker, or business owner – should be forced to choose between the tenets of faith or adherence to the law.

The United States is also the paramount champion for religious freedom around the world, because we do not believe that conscience rights are only for Americans. We will continue to condemn and combat extremism, terrorism, and violence against people of faith, including genocide waged by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. We will be undeterred in our commitment to monitor religious persecution and implement policies that promote religious freedom. Through these efforts, we strive for the day when people of all faiths can follow their hearts and worship according to their consciences.

The free exercise of religion is a source of personal and national stability, and its preservation is essential to protecting human dignity. Religious diversity strengthens our communities and promotes tolerance, respect, understanding, and equality. Faith breathes life and hope into our world. We must diligently guard, preserve, and cherish this unalienable right.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2018, as Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to commemorate this day with events and activities that remind us of our shared heritage of religious liberty and teach us to secure this blessing both at home and abroad.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second.

DONALD J. TRUMP

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[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 2018 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%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

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”687″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

The Meaning of “Epiphany Sunday”

“Epiphany Sunday” is observed on January 7. It remembers the arrival of the “Magi” in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12).

For many Christians it also recalls the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Bible Insight – “Epiphany Sunday”

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
– Matthew 3:13-17 New International Version

Sometimes we may say, “I had an epiphany!” We mean we had a moment when a great thought came to mind (like when Mike Lindell woke up with his “My Pillow” idea!). The greatest “Epiphany” of all is when God was revealed to the world in Jesus. This uniquely (but not exclusively) was at Jesus’ baptism.

What does the baptism of Jesus say to us? (With each point say, “I should too!”)

1. Jesus chose to identify himself with sinners.

He needed no “baptism unto repentance” that others there were receiving for he was the sinless one. Yet his life was characterized by identification with sinners rather than with self-styled righteous people.

Jesus so befriended sinners that he scandalized the “separated spiritual ones.” They were amazed he would eat in company with “sinners” (Mark 2:15-17). “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’” (Matthew 11:19).

2. Jesus came to live in obedience to the will of God.

This reason is problematic. The Law of Moses was the source for people to learn the will of God and “live righteously.” But there is no commandment for baptism in the Law of Moses. So what did Jesus mean when he said he was entering the waters of baptism “to fulfill all righteousness”?

The answer may be for us to see Jesus’ baptism as the launching of his Messianic ministry. In baptism, Jesus “stepped up to the plate” in obedience to his Father’s will and formally began his ministry. Our obedience comes from following Jesus from baptism into a life of service and sacrifice as God wills.

3. Jesus received the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

This is seen in the descent upon Jesus of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

Following his baptism Jesus faced one of his greatest spiritual crises—temptation by the Devil. Does this caution us, lest we think of baptism as more of an exhilarating experience rather than a doorway into all the challenges of following Jesus?

The Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness to undergo this temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). Among its many lessons: the Spirit of God will strengthen us through spiritual challenges, but he will not lead us to where our faith is broken. Our prayer is, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

Jesus’ victory over temptation is especially important for us. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

4. Jesus received honor from his Heavenly Father.

The “voice from heaven” declared him to be his beloved, special son—his “only begotten” son in the sense of Jesus’ unique relationship to his Father, from whom he came into our world. The Father’s voice also expressed his pleasure in his son’s obedience.

Christian baptism is a joyous event. But we must never forget it is also our commitment to take up our crosses and follow Jesus through obedience and suffering—whatever his will for us will require.

Now is the hour of the cross. In God’s timing the hour of glory and vindication will surely come. Now is not the hour when we seek honor from mankind. It is our time to do what we must to secure honor from God in Heaven through walking in obedience following the example of his son.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Message for the New Year –

“Back to the Three ‘R’s’”

The New Year evokes three key words: Reformation, Renewal, Revival.

Reformation – Have we examined our belief system as to how biblical it really is? “Statements of Faith” need periodic revision—they are not inspired scripture. How well do we communicate our beliefs?

My denomination, now known as the “Charis [Grace] Fellowship” *,
adopted a new 4-level statement of “who we are” in 2017. At the “CORE” is the simple confession “Jesus is Lord!” Outstanding!

This is followed by points identifying us with the larger Evangelical community (lest we think too exclusively about ourselves). Then, it lists points that specifically mark the Charis Fellowship. Finally, statements that address our convictions about our nation’s social issues will be developed.

This is Reformation at work! Ecclesia semper reformanda—the church always reforming.

* Legal name of the Charis Fellowship is “The Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches”

Renewal – Is “how we’re doing things” really the best and most effective? When is the last time we’ve reviewed our church’s documents and policies? Have we become ingrown? How renewed are our worship services?

My own church, Grace Community Church in Seal Beach, California, made FACILITY RENEWAL a key accomplishment in 2017.

Now we know (or should know) that church facilities are not the core and essence of a church. You don’t even need to own a facility to be a church. But if we have a church edifice (or just borrow a community hall on Sundays) how it looks speaks volumes to our community about who we are. One church in my denomination had a big letter missing from its church name that faced a busy street—“Hello? Is anyone awake inside there?”[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Grace Community Church before Facility Renewal

two buildings from the 40’s and 70’s):

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Grace Community Church after Facility Renewal (2017):

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I have lost track of how many people from the community have spoken positively of our “new look”, which is a great asset to Seal Beach and speaks well of our church and its mission.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Revival – Are our hearts aflame for God and zealous for his will?

This one you can’t program! But we can pray for revival and align our lives accordingly (obedience and worship). Revival ultimately is both an effort of the people and a sovereign visitation of God. I’ve seen a couple of remarkable revivals in my lifetime. Do it again, Lord! With me or without me, but do it again![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Religious Liberty Vigilance – Jefferson’s Wall

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.” – Thomas Jefferson’s letter to
the Danbury Baptists (1802)

Two comments in recent news show why Jefferson’s words still need to shine. Rather than emulating the two gentlemen below, how about letting political figures stick with politics and letting ministers of the Word of God stick with the Word of God (not that there is no “intersect” between the two—the Word of God addresses the state, and the state must safeguard religious liberty).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

From “Moral Theologian” Gov. Jerry Brown –

“I don’t think President Trump has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God, which leads one to more humility.”

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From “Religious Liberty Expert”
Steve Bannon –

“And by the way, Mitt [Romney], while we’re on the subject of Vietnam, and honor and integrity, you avoided service, brother, right? …you hid behind your religion. You went to France to be a missionary * while guys were dying in rice paddies in Vietnam. Do not talk to me about honor and integrity!” [ * Response: It was Romney’s religious right to do what he did! Italics mine.][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Recommended Reading
Well Worth Your Time

(Some productive reading I did in 2017)

The Life I Chose—The Streets Lied to Me

by Ameer Baraka (self-published, 2015)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Not for the faint of heart. Baraka grew up in the “projects” (as he often calls them) and in this book he withholds no language that he would have used there. Three thoughts from his “journey” stand out: (1) how important good fathers are (in other words, how bad it is to grow up in the “projects” without fathers);
(2) how important good education is (he got his education while in prison and learned to use words he had never used before—words like “moreover” and “therefore”, which require sequential thinking); (3) the difference it made when he turned his life over to God. I enjoyed communicating with him.

Martin Luther by Eric Metaxas (Viking, 2017)

Protestants—The Faith That Made the Modern World by Alec Ryrie
(Viking, 2017)

Excellent! Protestantism during the Reformation, in the modern age, and globally.

Bearing False Witness—Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History
by Rodney Stark (Templeton Press, 2016)

Strangers in a Strange Land—Living the Catholic Faith in a Post-Christian World by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput (Holt, 2017)

Everything he says is applicable to Protestant Evangelical Christians.

Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Michael Horton (Zondervan, 2017)

Sometimes tedious, always needed and profitable Reformed teaching.

The American Miracle—Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic
by Michael Medved (Crown Forum, 2016)

The End and the Beginning, Pope John Paul II—The Victory of Freedom,
the Last Years, the Legacy by George Weigel (Image Books, 2010)

Karol Wojtyla, who would become John Paul II, was appointed Archbishop of Krakow in 1963. The communist government could veto any nominee, and Zenon Kliszko of the Polish Communist Party vetoed every name until Wojtyla’s name came up. Kliszko thought Wojtyla was a man who could be manipulated!

These years under communism saw constant communist efforts to infiltrate the church and interrupt its influence any way it could. The Polish secret police kept careful files on clerics like Wojtyla. They bugged his apartment and spied on his friends.

One incident was when a Polish secret service member planted some false information in Wojtyla’s residence. Upon driving off, this person was stopped by Polish police for drunk driving. In his drunken state he spilled his recent deed to the police, who promptly tipped off Catholic leaders to the false information.

In 1978 Wojtyla was elected pope. “The election of John Paul II, the more astute communist leaders recognized, posed a mortal threat to the post-Yalta European order and perhaps even to the Soviet Union itself.”

Roman Catholic Theology & Practice—An Evangelical Assessment
by Gregg R. Allison (Crossway, 2014)

Allison knows well what he speaks about—a Baptist theologian who once served with Campus Crusade for Christ at the U. of Notre Dame.

7 Women and the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas
(Thomas Nelson, 2015)

Among them: Joan of Arc, Corrie ten Boom, Rosa Parks and Mother Teresa.

Countdown to Pearl Harbor—The Twelve Days to the Attack
by Steve Twomey (Simon & Schuster, 2016)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Don’s Recent Sermons

Listen to Don’s sermons delivered at Grace Community Church. Go to: www.gracesealbeach.org/sunday/sermons
Then go to the appropriate date.

October 29 – “Reformation Reminder—The Freedom of the Christian”

July 30 – “Leaders Training Leaders” (The ministry of Priscilla and Aquila with Apollos, Acts 18:24-28)

June 4 – “The Day of Pentecost—Come Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-42)

“Lessons from the Reformation” commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation (1517-2017):

#1 (June) – “What is God’s will when God doesn’t give us his will?”
#2 (July-August) – “The Freedom of the Christian” (Luther’s teaching)
#3 (October) – “Sola Scriptura” (the Bible alone is the final authority in all matters of faith and doctrine)
#4 (November)– “Martin Luther Posts the ’95 Theses’”
#5 (also November) – “Reformation Thanksgiving” (Martin Rinkart’s “Now Thank We All Our God”)
#6 (December) – “The Singing Reformation” (Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and Isaac Watts brought congregational singing to life)

All can be read at: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com/blog/newsletters

One or two additional “Lessons” may appear soon.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

My Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net</>

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[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 2017 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%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

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”687″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The Protestant Reformation at 500″ font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”1517 – 2017″ font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:20px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”Lessons from the Reformation #6″ font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:20px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1044″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

The Singing Reformation!

“Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.”

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The Singing Reformation!” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30|text_align:left|color:%232629ef”][vc_column_text]Church historian Kenneth Scott Latourette said whenever there was a true revival among God’s people, inevitably there was also a new hymnody—the revived church praised the Lord with music expressing its own genre. In each revival, believers sang to God with the music they sang in their normal lives.

The 16th Century Reformation was a great example of this. MARTIN LUTHER himself was a big fan of robust congregational singing. Luther biographer Eric Metaxas exuberantly says Luther brought “a glorious revival of music and congregational singing in the life of the church, one that would peal and resound around the globe for centuries.” (Martin Luther, Viking, 2017) *

For five centuries, Luther’s magisterial hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” has been sung by Christian congregations. In fact, I once heard it sung in a Roman Catholic Church.

Many of our great Christmas Carols are products of the Reformation—not the initial Reformation of the 1500’s, but later. God be praised, radical reformers who wanted to ban worship experiences that can’t be found in the Bible didn’t win out (Andreas von Karlstadt said, “Relegate organs, trumpets, and flutes to the theater. The lascivious notes of the organ awaken thoughts of the world” –Metaxas, p. 270). The more moderate Reformers like Luther mostly won this debate. So we can heartily sing the great Carols each Christmas season—and be allowed to have a Christmas season in which to sing them!

CHARLES WESLEY (1707-1788) and his brother John (1703-1791) were instrumental in establishing the Methodist Reformation, if I may call it that. With a call to conversion, heart-felt faith and personal holiness, this movement spread throughout England and America in the 18th Century and after.

Charles was an incredibly gifted hymnwriter. Various numbers are given, but Charles’ songs certainly number over 6000. Many of these were evangelistic choruses that would fulfill their purpose and not enter into the Christian community’s reservoir of songs, but many others are sung still today.
Each Christmas Season I look forward to singing “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” It was one of Wesley’s best, published in 1739, and in my opinion is the greatest Christmas Carol we have. Notice its wondrous confession of Jesus:

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King.
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise;
join the triumph of the skies;
Universal Nature say
“CHRIST the LORD is born to Day!”

Christ by highest heav’n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold Him come,
offspring of the virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail the incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with men t’appear,
Jesus, our Immanuel here.

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
born that man no more may die, **
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.

Hark, the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

[NOTE: I’ve given Wesley’s original lyrics, which sometimes are not the way we sing this carol today. But Wesley began with “HARK how all the Welkin rings”, which George Whitefield in 1758 wisely changed to the words we still sing. “Welkin” was an antiquated word for the Heavens.][/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]“Give us something better, young man!” said a church official to a young ISAAC WATTS (1664-1748). Psalm singing was the order of the day, and Watts was a poetic genius who became frustrated with the low qualities of many “Praise Choruses” of his day that were based on the Psalms. He broke with this legalistic drudgery and created some great English hymnody, earning the title “The Father of English Hymnody”.

His great Christmas Carol, “Joy to the World”, however, was within the Psalmody tradition. It took the theme of Psalm 98 (“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth; burst into jubilant song with music.”) and applied it to Jesus:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness
and wonders of His love,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders, wonders of His love.

* Martin Luther broke with the liturgical tradition where music was sung by a skilled few and watched by many. He saw the importance of a singing congregation. Much of today’s “contemporary worship” is not progressive. Instead, it represents a regression to pre-Reformation days for it once again has the congregation observing while music is performed by a skilled few. Much of “Contemporary worship” badly needs a Reformation Revival!

** When you sing Christmas Carols in church this season, pay close attention to the lyrics you are given and don’t just sing from memory. Many carols have “new and improved” gender-neutral lyrics (or have corrupted the text, depending on your bias). Sadly, the great Christmas Carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” does not make it intact into some newer hymnals at all![/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Bible Insight –
At Christmas We Mourn
the Senseless Death of Children
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1st Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas

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When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”

– Matthew 2:16-18 (NIV)

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Matthew’s Gospel saw a special fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy in the murderous rampage of King Herod as he abused his God-bestowed authority.
It’s likely that up to two years had passed since the birth of Jesus (Mary and Joseph and Jesus by now are living in a home in Bethlehem). Taking no chances, Herod killed all the male children two and under. By the intervention of God (a dream to Joseph), Jesus was saved when the family fled to Egypt.

We are reminded from this Christmas story that the heart of God and the hearts of good people mourn the deaths of innocent children. Eight children and teens were among the 26 dead in the senseless slaughter at 1st Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas on November 5. No, make that nine children—one unborn child was murdered.

The homes of innocent Bethlehemites with little children were “soft targets”. I thought of this when I thought of church gatherings now—also “soft targets”.
I read this recently about the early days of the Pilgrims in America:

“The Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered parents to arrange for arms training for all their children aged 10 or above, both boys and girls. Conscientious objectors were exempt. Arms carrying was often mandatory for travel outside of towns and for attendance at large public events, particularly church services. Then, as now, unarmed church services were favorite targets for attack, because there would be lots of people gathered in a small space. “

– David Kopel, “The American Indian foundation of American gun culture,”
The Volokh Conspiracy, November 21, 2017 [emphasis mine]

Thankfully, in the providence of God, a neighbor of the Texas church who was experienced with firearms went forth with his own AR-15 rifle and engaged the shooter, who was wounded and fled in his SUV. The neighbor, Stephen Willeford, got into a pickup truck driven by another Good Samaritan, and the two chased the killer for several miles before he took his own life.

We cannot answer most of the “Why’s?” I ask, “Why couldn’t Mr. Willeford have learned more quickly about the shooting and saved more lives?” I don’t know. I do know this man “loved his neighbor as himself” (Matthew 22:39).

What we can say is that God sets standards of justice and hears the cry of the victims (Psalm 10:14). And all will stand before him on Judgment Day.

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was right when he wrote in “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”:

God is not dead nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, goodwill to men.

[NOTE: I do not want to diminish in any way the horrible, evil terrorist attack on the Sufi mosque in the Sinai on Nov. 24, which killed 305+, including 27 children. These people were all made in the Image of God. Their lives were all precious in his sight. They did not deserve to die.][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Observe the Advent Wreath this Christmas Season” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30|text_align:left|color:%23f73c27″][vc_column_text]The Advent Wreath points to the birth of Jesus. It has five candles—four red (or three purple and one pink) around a white candle in the center. One candle is lit each Advent Sunday before Christmas. Then Christmas Eve the fifth and center candle. Scripture reading, prayer and singing can fill the home each time.

Here are my suggestions to make the idea work:

On the first Sunday of Advent (December 3 this year), the first red or purple candle is lit. This candle is the “Prophecy Candle” or “HOPE candle,” in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:6-7

Christmas Carol: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

On the second Sunday of Advent (December 10), the second red or purple candle is lit. This candle is the LOVE candle, representing the tenderness of Mary and Joseph at the manger where Jesus was born:

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-7

Christmas Carol: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

On the third Sunday of Advent (December 17) the third red or the pink candle is lit. This candle speaks of JOY and celebrates the joy of the shepherds.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-12

Christmas Carol: “Joy to the World”

The last red or purple candle represents PEACE and is lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent (December 24).

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:13-18

Christmas Carol: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

Finally, on Christmas Eve the WHITE center candle is lit. Or perhaps you may wish to light it on Christmas Day this year, since Christmas Eve falls on the fourth Sunday of Advent. This candle is called the “Christ Candle” and represents the sinless, pure life of Christ that has come into the world.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:7-12
Christmas Carol: “O Come, Let Us Adore Him”

May this special observance of the birth of Jesus fill you with HOPE and LOVE and JOY and PEACE as you ponder the Christ Child, whom we worship.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”567″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”Don’s Recent Sermons” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%230316bc”][vc_column_text]Listen to Don’s sermons delivered at Grace Community Church. Go to: gracesealbeach.org/sunday/sermons
Then go to the appropriate date.

October 29 – “Reformation Reminder—The Freedom of the Christian”

July 30 – “Leaders Training Leaders” (The ministry of Priscilla and Aquila with Apollos, Acts 18:24-28)

June 4 – “The Day of Pentecost—Come Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-42)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”A Joyous Christmas to All!
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My Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net</>

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[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=”November 2017 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%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

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”687″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”October 31, 2017 – 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1029″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]In full support of the Church, the Pope and Archbishop Albrecht, an Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” against the sale of Indulgences and other abuses on the door of the Wittenberg church on October 31, 1517.

Little did he realize how great a fire a little candle would ignite![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The Protestant Reformation at 500″ font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30|text_align:center|color:%23111111″][vc_custom_heading text=”1517 – 2017″ font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20|text_align:center|color:%23141414″][vc_custom_heading text=”Lessons from the Reformation #4″ font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20|text_align:center|color:%23161616″][vc_custom_heading text=”Martin Luther Posts the “95 Theses”” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:20|text_align:center|color:%23161616″][vc_column_text]

Well, before you make this dramatic event second only to Moses descending the Mount with the tablets of God’s Law in hand, please know that some legends have grown in the tellin’ of the story!

The theses themselves may not have been posted on October 31, and not by Luther using a hammer. What was posted may have been placed there by the church custodian, using glue.

But the truth of the story shines through any traditions or legends.

Johannes Tetzel would rival any hairsprayed “Health and Wealth” televangelist of our day. His brazen sale of Indulgences, promising a soul’s remission from purgatory, are captured in the sales pitch, “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” It’s hard to imagine a religious huckster today coming up with anything more clever than that.

Martin Luther was appalled by Tetzel’s teaching and tactics. Luther’s theses, written in Latin, were a call to theologians for a discussion of Indulgences and other abuses rather than a message to the public. Luther wanted to generate serious theological debate, not ignite a religious revolt.

The Theses also went to Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz, whose honor Luther sought to protect—Luther not knowing at the time that the archbishop was “on the take” for half of the money raised from the sales. The other half went to Rome for construction of the majestic St. Peter’s Basilica.

But soon Luther’s words spread. The Reformation might not have happened without that recent invention, the printing press. The Ninety-five Theses or Disputation on the Power of Indulgences were mass-produced, translated in to German, then into English. The genie was out of the bottle!

“Sola Scriptura” opens us up to God’s written communication. In it we find truth and life and hope and direction. In it we encounter Jesus.

Here are some of the key theses, in my opinion:

1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Matthew 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
5. The pope neither desires nor is able to remit any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of the canons.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God; or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in these cases were disregarded, the guilt would certainly remain unforgiven.
21. Thus those indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences.
27. They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.
28. It is certain that when money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but when the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.
32. Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.
37. Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.
43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than he who buys indulgences.
45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God’s wrath.
46. Christians are to be taught that, unless they have more than they need, they must reserve enough for their family needs and by no means squander it on indulgences.
50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the indulgence preachers, he would rather that the basilica of St. Peter were burned to ashes than built up with the skin, flesh, and bones of his sheep.
94. Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, death and hell.
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace (Acts 14:22).

You may read the 95 Theses at: http://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html

Recommended reading: Martin Luther by Eric Metaxas (Viking, 2017)[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Protestant Reformation at 500″ font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30|text_align:center”][vc_custom_heading text=”1517 – 2017″ font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20|text_align:center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Lessons from the Reformation #5″ font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]

Reformation Thanksgiving A Song During Suffering

“Now Thank We All Our God” – Martin Rinkart (1586-1649)

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Martin Rinkart was a Lutheran clergyman and hymn writer. He served in the city of Eilenburg during the terrible Thirty Years’ War (1618-48) and the plague of 1637. The Thirty Years’ war was destructive and deadly throughout Central Europe. It resulted in eight million casualties.

The war started as a conflict between Protestant and Catholic states in the Holy Roman Empire when the new emperor, Ferdinand II, attempted to impose religious uniformity (Roman Catholicism) throughout the empire, including in the Protestant states. The war morphed into a conflict having less to do with religion and more to do with rivalry over who would be the dominant power in Europe.

(It’s hard for Americans to grasp the church-state connectedness that would generate religious wars. When my wife and I were in Europe in 2014 we were amazed by the knight armor displayed in sanctuaries. Europe for centuries had this connectedness. Bear in mind that Ottoman armies conquered Constantinople in 1453 AD and were besieging the city of Vienna in 1529, while the Reformation was getting under way. These sieges were, in one real sense, conflicts between Muslims and Christians.)

Rinkart wrote his magisterial thanksgiving hymn “Now Thank We All Our God” around 1636 during the heat of war. He eventually was the only clergyman alive and remaining in Eilenburg to minister to people in their suffering and hunger, sometimes performing multiple funerals in a single day.
“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” asked the biblical patriarch Job in the midst of his many afflictions (Job 2:10). I think the faith of Job and of Martin Rinkart to be greater than my own when I read the latter’s encouraging call to Thanksgiving prayer:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

Words by Martin Rinkart (c.1636)
Melody by Johann Cruger (1647)
Harmony by Felix Mendelsohn (1840)
Translation into English by Catherine Winkworth (1856)

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A Psalm for Thanksgiving Season

(Psalm 106:1-5 English Standard Version)

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or declare all his praise?

Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times!

Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you save them,

that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory with your inheritance.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Bible Insight – Is it ever OK to steal?” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:22|text_align:left|color:%233342e0″][vc_custom_heading text=”(Or, are there times when it’s right to put what belongs to
“the owner” into the service of “The Owner”?)” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:left|color:%233342e0″][vc_column_text]

If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain. – Deuteronomy 23:24-25

During the terrible massacre in Las Vegas this heroic story emerged:

A U.S. Marine vet helped rescue more than a dozen people during the Las Vegas shooting attack Sunday with quick thinking he credited to his military training.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Taylor Winston, 29, stole a utility pickup truck [emphasis mine] he found on the concert grounds and transported several injured people to the hospital before ambulances could arrive on the scene. The vet said they ran for cover and hopped a fence to get to safety. Once he landed on the other side, he said he reportedly saw a bunch of white trucks.

“I tested my luck to see if any of them had keys in it, first one we tried opening had keys sitting right there,” he said. “I started looking for people to take to the hospital. There was just too many and it was overwhelming how much blood was everywhere.”

Winston and his friend reportedly made two trips to Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center, squeezing “probably 20 to 30” victims in the backseat and in the bed of the truck. The vet reportedly returned the truck, parking it a few blocks away from the venue.

And a local truck dealer gave this marine veteran a new Ford 150!

Good! This to me is a clear example of justly putting what belongs to “the owner” into the service of “The Owner.” Our right to enjoy what is ours and not have it stolen from us is clear in the Bible. Equally clear and more fundamental is the truth that God is the ultimate owner of all.

“All the earth is mine” God says (Exodus 19:5).
“For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.”
– Psalm 50:10-12

The blessings of creation are “ours” in a secondary sense. What we “own” is by divine assignment. And what is “ours” must not to be unjustly taken.
“You shall not steal” (Exodus 19:15) is one of the Ten Commandments.

But what we possess is always subject to God’s moral will and providence. The produce of the orchards and fields belong to the owner, but not to the extent that the hungry cannot pick some fruit or the poor cannot glean the grain left behind by the threshers (Deuteronomy 23:24-25; Leviticus 23:22).

It is a good thing to put God’s resources to work in saving human lives or mitigating hunger. On ordinary days we save life and feed others by ordinary means. But in critical situations caring for people in great distress by any reasonable and available means is the just thing to do. Am I correct in this?

“Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” – Jesus (Matthew 12:11-12)

So I salute the marine veteran who did what he needed to do that terrible evening in Las Vegas. From an ethics standpoint, he did not steal. He returned the truck to where he found it, but took the keys and forgot his hat. The owner, Phelps Amelsberg, posted, “I am not mad. Would do the same thing… Like my keys back please. I don’t even care that the back seats [are] ruined. Will buy you dinner and give you your cowboy hat back.”

While I’m glad Mr. Winston received a free truck, I wish a generous auto dealer in Vegas had restored Mr. Amelsberg’s truck for free. The work of cleaning and repairing must have been extensive.

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Religious Liberty Vigilance

“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.” – 1st Amendment

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1509469357289{background-color: #26efe2 !important;}”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Victory for Religious Freedom
Governor Jerry Brown VETOES Assembly Bill 569
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This bill would have marked a great governmental intrusion into the free exercise of religion by preventing churches and religious organizations from requiring moral codes on their employees according to the dictates of their faith.

In his veto message to the State Assembly, Governor Brown said, “Assembly Bill 569 would add to the labor code a prohibition against any employer from taking action against an employee because of that employee’s reproductive decisions.

“The California Fair Employment and Housing Act has long banned such adverse actions, except for religious institutions. I believe these types of claims should remain within the jurisdiction of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.” [emphasis mine]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1509470417231{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_custom_heading text=”Federal Guidelines Protecting Religious Liberty” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:30|text_align:center|color:%23000000″][vc_column_text]On October 6, the federal Office of the Attorney General issued twenty guidelines interpreting religious liberty protections found in federal law. Critics blast them as outrageous and discriminatory. I think they are reasonable, necessary and (most important) constitutional.

Religious liberty is a foundational principle of enduring importance in America, enshrined in our Constitution and other sources of federal law. As James Madison explained in his Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, the free exercise of religion “is in its nature an unalienable right” because the duty owed to one’s Creator “is precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society.”

Religious liberty is not merely a right to personal religious beliefs or even to worship in a sacred place. It also encompasses religious observance and practice. Except in the narrowest circumstances, no one should be forced to choose between living out his or her faith and complying with the law. Therefore, to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law, religious observance and practice should be reasonably accommodated in all government activity, including employment, contracting, and programming.

The following twenty principles should guide administrative agencies and executive departments:

1. The freedom of religion is a fundamental right of paramount importance, expressly protected by federal law.
2. The free exercise of religion includes the right to act or abstain from action in accordance with one’s religious beliefs.
3. The freedom of religion extends to persons and organizations.
4. Americans do not give up their freedom of religion by participating in the marketplace, partaking of the public square, or interacting with government.
5. Government may not restrict acts or abstentions because of the beliefs they display.
6. Government may not target religious individuals or entities for special disabilities based on their religion.
7. Government may not target religious individuals or entities through discriminatory enforcement of neutral, generally applicable laws.
8. Government may not officially favor or disfavor particular religious groups.
9. Government may not interfere with the autonomy of a religious organization.
10. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 prohibits the federal government from substantially burdening any aspect of religious observance or practice, unless imposition of that burden on a particular religious adherent satisfies strict scrutiny.
11. RFRA’s protection extends not just to individuals, but also to organizations, associations, and at least some for-profit corporations.
12. RFRA does not permit the federal government to second-guess the reasonableness of a religious belief.
13. A governmental action substantially burdens an exercise of religion under RFRA if it bans an aspect of an adherent’s religious observance or practice, compels an act inconsistent with that observance or practice, or substantially pressures the adherent to modify such observance or practice.
14. The strict scrutiny standard applicable to RFRA is exceptionally demanding.
15. RFRA applies even where a religious adherent seeks an exemption from a legal obligation requiring the adherent to confer benefits on third parties.
16. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits covered employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of their religion.
17. Title VIl’s protection extends to discrimination on the basis of religious observance or practice as well as belief, unless the employer cannot reasonably accommodate such observance or practice without undue hardship on the business.
18. The Clinton Guidelines on Religious Exercise and Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace provide useful examples for private employers of reasonable accommodations for religious observance and practice in the workplace.
19. Religious employers are entitled to employ only persons whose beliefs and conduct are consistent with the employers’ religious precepts.
20. As a general matter, the federal government may not condition receipt of a federal grant or contract on the effective relinquishment of a religious organization’s hiring exemptions or attributes of its religious character.

Read the Document at: https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1001891/download[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1509469694364{background-color: #ddb3b3 !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

“There must be some limit to the coercive power of government.”

– Part of Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto message on AB 725, which would have banned smoking in state parks and on state beaches, with a fine of $250.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”567″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”Don’s Upcoming Ministries” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%230316bc”][vc_column_text]November 1-4 – attend meetings of the Chaplain Committee of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches in Washington DC and tour the Pentagon

November 11 (11:00 a.m.) – Participate in Seal Beach’s Veterans Day observance co-sponsored by Grace Community Church and the Lions Club. Meeting at Eisenhower Park by the pier.

November 14 & 17 – Teach on “Be Filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:15-21) at Women Bible Study, Grace Community Church of Seal Beach[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

My Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net</>

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[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_column_text]

October 2017 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=”687″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

October 12, 2011 – Massacre in Seal Beach—the worst mass killing in the history of Orange County, CA

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September 22, 2017 – The mass murderer sentenced to life without parole
National Moral Renewal?
Be Careful! Trim Expectations.

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“Ambition for national moral renewal strikes a chord in many modern democracies, where it is easy to change politicians but much harder to change the political culture.

The problems are obvious. Hypocrisy is easily mistaken for piety; piety is a poor substitute for competence; and power corrupts.”

– Protestants by Alec Ryrie

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The Protestant Reformation at 500″ font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:center|color:%23111111″][vc_custom_heading text=”1517 – 2017″ font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20|text_align:center|color:%23141414″][vc_custom_heading text=”Lessons from the Reformation #3″ font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20|text_align:center|color:%23161616″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]

“Sola Scriptura”

“Sola Scriptura” – The Bible alone is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and doctrine.

“Sola Scriptura” was and is a bedrock principle of the Protestant Reformation.*

Luther and Protestants after him reject (officially, that is) any authority parallel to the Bible, whether it be the teaching authority of the church, the voice of a religious leader, the tradition of the church, or something else.

I say “officially” because we’ve never been as good as we think we are in carrying out the implications of “Sola Scriptura” in practice. We Protestants have our creeds and statements of faith. We sometimes displace Scripture and make these statements the final authority. We have our “codes of conduct” by which we judge the spiritual adequacy of others—codes drawn not from Scripture but from our religious subcultures. We have our “little popes,” accountable to no one, who pontificate over their own religious fiefdoms. We have self-anointed prophets who say, “Thus saith the Lord.”

With these errors we operate unchecked by the rich historical theology that should give us lessons of the past. And we violate “Sola Scriptura.”

To the other extreme, “Sola Scriptura” doesn’t mean we use nothing but the Bible! Consider this word about regard for tradition in Lutheran theology:

Sola Scriptura in Lutheran form is not against tradition per se. While some brands of Christianity might insist that if it’s not in the Bible then it’s not Christian, Lutheran theology understands that a tradition is allowable when (a) it is not contradicted by scripture, (b) it serves a purpose that is scriptural, and (c) it is not enforced as a pre-condition for Christian unity. – Hans Wiersma, “A Brief Introduction to sola scriptura.”

Cultural and historical studies, the community of the saints, and yes, the tradition of the church are to be considered.

“Sola Scriptura” also points to how we interpret the Bible. We let the Bible interpret itself as best we can. One scripture sheds light on another. Scriptures dwelling on a theme are weighed more heavily than isolated references. The New Testament interprets the Old—the coming of Jesus gives us eyeglasses for understanding the Old Testament.

The “literal” meaning of the scriptural text is to be preferred over hidden, esoteric meanings. And by “literal” I mean the meaning that the author intended when he wrote, as best we can discern it. Not some form of “wooden literalism” we impose on the biblical text. “Literal meaning” is how it would be understood in its own time and setting, not how it strikes us today. “Literal” also looks to the literary genre of a text—the Book of Revelation is not to be read like the Book of Acts, nor poetry as we read narrative.

Finally, “Sola Scriptura” embraces the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who inspired the sacred text now opens it to our hearts. But this does not mean that the average person using common means cannot understand the Bible. The Bible isn’t hidden to average folk and its inner meaning then revealed to super saints. Its “literal” meaning is available to all.

What role, then, does the Spirit play? The Holy Spirit convinces us of the sacred truth of the Text, that the words we read are indeed the Word of God speaking to us. In similar fashion, people can know about Jesus through natural understanding. But they cannot genuinely confess him as Lord except by the illumination of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).

“Sola Scriptura” opens us up to God’s written communication. In it we find truth and life and hope and direction. In it we encounter Jesus.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Holy words long preserved,
For our walk in this world.
They resound with God’s own heart Oh let the ancient words impart.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Ancient words ever true,
Changing me, and changing you. We have come with open hearts Oh let the ancient words impart.
– Ronnie Freeman, Jr. & Tony Wood
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]* “Sola Scriptura” is the “formal principle” that shaped the Reformation. “Justification” is the “material principle,” the concept at the heart of the Reformation.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Religious Liberty Vigilance

“No provision in our constitution ought to be dearer to man, than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprizes of the civil authority.” – Thomas Jefferson

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_custom_heading text=”Now before the Governor: “The California Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act“ (Assembly Bill 569)” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left|color:%23f74b38″][vc_column_text]AB-569 is a major intrusion into the right of churches and other religious organizations to govern their affairs by the dictates of their faith rather than by the secular aspirations of the state. It has passed both houses of the state legislature and now sits on the desk of Governor Jerry Brown, awaiting his signature or veto.

The governor has until mid-October to make a decision. Citizens can express their opinion to the governor in a number of ways:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Governor Jerry Brown
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: (916) 445-2841[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Fax: (916) 558-3160

Email via Contact page of
Governor’s Website:
www.govapps.gov.ca.gov[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For my published commentary on AB-569, please access and read: www.presstelegram.com/opinion/20170819/california-lawmakers-are-meddling-in-religion-guest-commentary[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

“They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard night and day to meet this threat.” – Nehemiah 4:8-9 (New International Version)

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Closing a Chapter on a Mass Murder

“The gates of hell flew open and you emerged as the face of evil in this community.”
– Judge Thomas Goethals to Scott Dekraai

October 12, 2011 – Early in the afternoon Scott Dekraai entered a hair salon in Seal Beach, California and killed eight people including his ex-wife, with whom he was having a bitter custody dispute.

The case languished for almost six years, hindered by charges of prosecutorial misconduct. Be that as it may, Dekraai pled guilty in 2014 and was sentence on September 22 of this year to eight consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the worst mass murder in Orange County history.

This chapter of the families’ agony is over. But as I told a NBC reporter in 2012, the word “closure” will never be appropriate. There are milestones, but no closures.

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 has been involved in this matter for over five years, I will never be the same.

But the milestones are real and for them we give thanks. The one-year anniversary observance in Seal Beach, the reopening of the salon, the dedication of a memorial plaque in honor of the victims, the gathering of many family members at the memorial on October 12, 2016 marking five years, and now the end of the trial—all true milestones.

“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 many others.

God, heal us all![/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Bible Insight When the Family Pet Dies” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:30|text_align:left|color:%232644ef”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

We had to have our German shepherd Kyzer put to sleep today (September 27). It has not been a happy day. Encouragement came to Mary and me from the Book of Proverbs (12:10), if I may paraphrase: “Good people are concerned about the well-being of their animals.”

When I was a child and experienced the death of a pet, this tough experience helped prepare me, in ever so small a way, for the much more significant death of a loved one. Neither loss will ever be easy—life itself isn’t easy.

The Bible’s “Book of Ecclesiastes” is one of my favorites. In bold words it faces the realities of what inevitably happens as we live “under the sun,” that is, looking at realities through a naturalist perspective. It is brutal sometimes. But glimpses of hope and help emerge.

I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? (Ecclesiastes 3:18-21)

So what does this fascinating work of literature say here? Our natural eyes and mind can’t discern any difference between the death of an animal and the death of a man. Ecclesiastes doesn’t fall for the Platonic dualism that has so influenced the thinking of Christians. Animals and people die (give up the breath of life) alike; they go to the grave alike. No difference.

Despairing? Yes, by itself. But Ecclesiastes continues by encouraging every man and woman to enjoy their work and the fruit of their labors nonetheless.

So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? (3:22)

Far from leading us to hopeless despair, we are encouraged to see life as full of opportunities to embrace and blessings to enjoy—all from the hand of God. Read more…

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. (5:18-19)

And now my favorite! Pastors, how about using these verses for a benediction at the end of the church services some Sunday:

Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.

Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol [the grave], to which you are going. (9:7-10)

Ecclesiastes isn’t the whole biblical story on what the future holds. The New Testament especially sheds light on themes like resurrection, Judgment Day, and future existence with or without the presence and blessing of God.

But even Ecclesiastes, with its generally naturalistic look at things, ends with a bold reminder of how to rightly order our lives:

The end of the matter; all has been heard.
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (12:13-14)

As my writing here was wrapping up, my son (who along with our daughter has been so encouraging to us throughout our loss) called to say that a good friend of our family had just become the father of a baby girl.

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 2:21)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”567″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”Don’s Upcoming Ministries” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%230316bc”][vc_column_text]October 29 (Reformation Sunday) – Speak on “Reformation Reminder: The Freedom of the Christian” at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (8:00, 9:30, & 11:00 a.m.)

November 14 & 17 – Teach on “Be Filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:15-21) at Women Bible Study, Grace
Community Church of Seal Beach
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My Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net</>

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Addendum: A Statement on Civility

As Public Civility Deteriorates Further, Ponder This and Promote It Again…

Genuine civility moves past simple politeness or pragmatic concerns and sees those with whom we disagree as full equals before God. It does not allow the end to justify the means.

Civility enables us to hold the respectful dialogues without which democratic decision-making is impossible. Civil people approach their government institutions with awe and gratitude.

Civility is the negative duty not to do harm and the affirmative duty to do good.

Civility cares for one’s own identity, needs and beliefs without degrading others in the process. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one’s preconceptions, and asking others to do the same.

Civility is the hard work of stopping to listen even with those with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce disagreements.

A Call for Civility

First, we call on our political leaders at all levels, from the White House to Congress to elected and appointed officials at all federal, state and local levels, to commit themselves to the practice of civility in what they say to others and how they treat others. We look with alarm at the deterioration of communication, especially good face-to-face communication, in today’s political climate.

Second, we call on political leaders and citizens to be honest and respectful in their political rhetoric, and to duly honor others in spite of political differences and flaws. We urge communication that truthfully focuses on issues and avoids harmful ad hominem characterizations of people.

Third, we condemn all acts of incivility, including outright violence and destruction, and denying others their constitutional right to free speech and freedom of association and assembly.

© 2017 Donald P. Shoemaker

Read before the Long Beach, California City Council on August 22, 2017 Read before the Seal Beach, California City Council on September 11, 2017

Sources for certain definitions of Civility: Civility by Stephen L. Carter (Harper Perennial, 1998), Institute for Civility in Government (instituteforcivility.org)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[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_column_text]

September 2017 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=”687″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”999″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Why does California’s radically secular legislature meddle in the affairs of religion?

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Has it not heard of
the separation of church and state?

(read more…and what can you do)

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Religious Liberty Vigilance

“No provision in our constitution ought to be dearer to man, than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority.” – Thomas Jefferson

Assembly Bill 569 – Today’s Threat to Religious Liberty

Assembly Bill 569, the “California Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act” introduced by Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), is this year’s muddle of meddlesomeness.

While appearing to be a law that applies neutrally to all employers, its real targets are churches and other religious institutions—those that balk at the secular orthodoxy of “reproductive rights” for which contraception and abortion are holy sacraments.

The real target is quite clear from the examples cited in Assemblywoman Fletcher’s arguments for needing the bill. ALL the examples that supposedly identify the “problem” involve religious institutions.

What would AB 569 require? Employers (including churches and religious organizations) must not take any adverse employment action based on an employee’s “reproductive health care decisions” such as contraception or abortion. Religious organizations could not require a code of conduct on reproductive health decisions. Their employee handbooks must spell out what an employee’s “rights and remedies” are with regard to these decisions.

This bill would thus create the state-mandated hypocrisy of a pro-life religious organization opposing abortion in its message and mission on the one hand and enabling abortion in its employment policies on the other hand.

I am a Christian evangelical pastor with almost 50 years experience in religious organizations. Many of these require assent to certain behavior codes that reflect core beliefs because they see the behavior codes as essential to their mission. A church’s convictions on moral values may require that these values govern not just the conduct of clergy but that of all employees and volunteers as well.

For example, someone seeking help from a church may initially contact a church secretary or even encounter the custodian first of all. I would expect this employee to provide basic spiritual guidance and prayer, whether or not a member of the clergy gives assistance later.

A church that embraces pro-life values or takes positions on other controversial issues will likely convey its convictions through literature, conversations, telephone policies and other ways. In other words, a strong pro-life atmosphere will pervade everyday church life. It takes no imagination to see a church accused of creating a hostile work environment in this circumstance, with all the legal trouble that can bring. And for this we will have AB 569 to thank. Employee rights lawyers are already licking their chops.

Evangelical Christians are conscientious supporters of the rule of law. But we increasingly see that those who make the laws do not cherish and safeguard religious liberty as they should. The free exercise of religion must include the right of organized religion to live out its convictions as well as believe in them. The state should stay neutral toward religious free exercise, except in the most compelling cases.

What, then, is a proper response should AB 569 become law? Churches could require that all their employees be members of the employing church and thereby subject to moral standards that bind all members. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously supported the right of churches to apply their religious tenets in hiring decisions (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v. Amos, 1987).

But this policy would not protect religious organizations that are not church-affiliated. And churches would need to practice fair and even-handed discipline of all members, employed or not, which they should be doing anyhow.

More directly and bluntly, religious organizations should refuse to comply with the unacceptable dictates of AB 569. They should still insist on codes of conduct as they deem appropriate. They should refuse to spell out rights and remedies in their employment policies if they would violate core religious values.

Such civil disobedience—selective refusal to obey an unrighteous law in a context of overall respect for law—has solid secular and biblical support. The Bible affirms resistance against state edicts on worship and prayer, among other examples (Daniel 3:16-18, 6:6-10).

Refusal based on religious conviction would eventually lead to court challenges against AB 569. I am confident that the control of religion this bill envisions would not survive.

But nightmares like this can be avoided if California’s legislature would back off from burdening free exercise of religion in the first place and be much less meddlesome in the future.

Published as a Guest Commentary (August 20, 2017)

Long Beach, California Press-Telegram

Californians, please read this bill at:

www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB569

The bill is now before the state Senate.

Contact your state senator and, if and when necessary, the governor.

Outside of California? Watch for similar legislation in your own state.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Dr. Wayne S. Flory (1927-2017)

Wayne passed away unexpectedly on July 8. He was a very faithful member of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach. He had been a military chaplain, pastor, theology professor (Biola University) and much more.

He was an outstanding husband and father. To me, he was a pastor to pastors and a dear friend.

It was a special honor for me to officiate at the graveside service and at a well-attended memorial service on August 13.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Beatitudes for Educators

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As the new school year gets under way, my church devoted time in worship services on a Sunday in August to honor and pray for educators.

The words spoken reminded me of something I wrote years ago. I took the “Beatitudes” taught by Jesus (Matthew 5:3-10) and applied them to educators. Please read:

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“Blessed are the poor in spirit”

So, blessed are you…when your frustration level is so high and your human resources so low that you realize you must turn to God for renewed strength.

“Blessed are those who mourn”

So, blessed are you…when your heart is broken over how cruel people can be to other people and over how little children can become innocent victims of violence, even to the shedding of blood. Blessed are you when you grieve over the children who come to school with the deck already stacked against them because their house is not a home and they have no real role models or incentives for being good.

“Blessed are the gentle”

So, blessed are you…when you turn the other cheek, walk the second mile and continue to work with patience in a situation, even when it seems just about impossible.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”

So, blessed are you…when your frustration over the lack of learned values, moral standards and discipline make you want to chuck it all, but you stay committed to your education task as a calling from God and you don’t forget the importance of your own moral nourishment.

“Blessed are the merciful”

So, blessed are you…when you reach out your hand to a child desperately needing love and care and concern and assistance, who may not find it from anyone other than you.

“Blessed are the pure in heart”

So, blessed are you…when you maintain your moral standards in the face of temptations to cut ethical corners and when others see you take your stand on principle, no matter the cost to you.

“Blessed are the peacemakers”

So, blessed are you…when you intervene in the cause of peace, even at personal risk, and help children who don’t like each other to learn at least how to live civilly with each other and to practice the “Golden Rule.”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness”

So, blessed are you…if you are ever belittled or have to put your reputation or career on the line and pay a price for following the best values.

In all this God is well pleased with all you do and, in the end, that’s what really counts.

* * *

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1004″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
(Proverbs 1:8-9)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Bible Insight— Apollos, Model Christian Scholar (Acts 18:24-28)

We meet three outstanding Christian leaders in the above scripture reading. Priscilla and Aquila were a wife-husband ministry team from Rome, located now in Ephesus. They mentored Apollos. Apollos himself was, well, let’s look at his outstanding ministry qualities…

Ministry Quality #1 – He was a SKILLED COMMUNICATOR

Acts 18:24 – “Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man…”

Notice: he was Jewish and he was from Alexandria. A large Jewish population was there at that time. The great Jewish philosopher Philo was a contemporary of Apollos. The Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek there in 200 BC.

Alexandria was a great center of learning. Apollos had breathed this intellectual atmosphere. He was an “eloquent” man—literally, a “man of words.”

He could speak well and speak persuasively. This was a natural ability of his, honed by the intellectual environment of Alexandria. God uses our natural abilities as well as the spiritual gifts he gives us. Don’t bury your natural abilities—learning, speaking, leading, art and music, etc. Dedicate them to God and nurture them.

Ministry Quality #2 – He knew his BIBLE and could “HANDLE” it well.

Acts 18:24-25 – “…competent in the Scriptures; instructed in the ways of the Lord.”

We would say, “He knew his Bible.” But more than its details, he knew its message. He heard the voice of God in the Scriptures and learned the will of God there.
The Bible is great for academic study. But we have missed its message if we are not illumined by the Holy Spirit to hear God speak to us from these sacred pages and learn his will for our lives.

Holy words long preserved,
For our walk in this world.?
They resound with God’s own heart
?
Oh let the ancient words impart.

Ministry Quality #3 – He was ZEALOUS for the Lord.

Acts 18:25 – “…being fervent in spirit.”

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” – Romans 12:11

Zeal is a spiritual fire. In the wrong hands, at the wrong time, it can wreak havoc, like the fires that burn in the West every year. But put zeal in the heart of someone who knows her Bible and how to handle it, and you have a powerful Instrument of God.

Zeal must always be combined with knowledge and wisdom.

Ministry Quality #4 – He shared his faith the BEST he knew how.

Acts 18:25 – “he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.”

Put it this way: he taught truth about Jesus as he knew it, but not all the truth that could be known about Jesus. He only knew what John the Baptist taught.

John the Baptist preached, “The Messiah is coming! So be ready!
Receive a baptism of repentance and do good works.”

This was what Apollos knew about Jesus. We might say he knew “Jesus 1.0”.
He needed to upgrade his theological system because Jesus, the one he anticipated, has come and completed his earthly mission.
Perhaps you haven’t been a Christian for long. You have a lot of learning ahead of you. But do this: “Share your faith the best you know how.”
Perhaps you’ve been a Christian for a long time. You still have much to learn!
Do this: “Share your faith the best you know how.”

Ministry Quality #5 – He was TEACHABLE—open to CORRECTION and new KNOWLEDGE.

Acts 18:26 – “He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

Private discussion is almost always better than public confrontation. But private discussion can bear fruit IF, and only IF, the listener is willing to listen. And Apollos, in spite of his great intellect and knowledge, was open to correction.

If he had displayed a “know it all” attitude, he would have never made progress. Sadly, sometimes theologians think they have nothing to learn from non-theologians, certainly not from a pastoral team like Priscilla and Aquila.

Let’s look for opportunities to be mentors, like Priscilla and Aquila were. Let’s strive to be effective with the gifts God has given us, as Apollos was. And keep an open mind to learn more. Faith and knowledge are friends.

Listen to Don’s sermon on Acts 18:23-28 – “Leaders Training Leaders”
http://gracesealbeach.org/sunday/sermons (July 30 sermon)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”567″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”Don’s Upcoming Ministries” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%230316bc”][vc_column_text]September 13 – Speak at an evening Bible Study of Grace Community Church on “The Five Points of Calvinism.”

October 29 (Reformation Sunday) – Speak on “The Freedom of the Christian” at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (8:00, 9:30, 11:00 services).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

A Different World

End of August 2001—Change of Command at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station

“Yours truly” (younger!) is sharing a moment honoring outgoing Commanding Officer Capt. Paul Bruno (far left) prior to offering the Benediction as the navy band played “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.”

Captain Bruno and his family had been very active at Grace Community Church and also in their service to the Seal Beach community.

In less than two weeks, “9/11” would strike the country. The base would be highly secured—there would have been no public ceremony. On that day Captain Bruno’s family was at a hotel watching the smoke rise over the Pentagon, where he was preparing for his next assignment.

America’s “Vacation from History” (since the end of the Cold War) was over.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Evil and Tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017

A Position Statement by The Social Concerns Committee of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches

(August 21, 2017)

The God-given dignity of persons and how it was violated

We affirm the essential equality and dignity of all human beings. All are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). God has made us morally responsible—ultimately to his commands and judgment, intermediately to the just laws and courts of human government (Acts 17:31 and Romans 13:1-7).

This inherent equality is not affected by race or nationality (Acts 17:24-26). Therefore, racism is repugnant to God and an insult to our humanity. Racism includes any words or attitude or conduct that supports racial superiority or inferiority or uses race as criterion for either inclusion or exclusion.

With these basics before us, and with humble confession of our own failures, we must pass moral judgment on the recent tragic, evil events in Charlottesville, Virginia. We must condemn the racism that was verbally advocated and violently demonstrated. We must condemn the lawlessness that occurred in all its forms.

We must pray for the reconciling power of the Gospel, demonstrated and advocated by all who embrace it, to have a powerful impact on the Charlottesville participants and on all of our country. We must also pray for law enforcement at all levels as it fulfills its difficult responsibilities.

– Social Concerns Committee of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches
Donald Shoemaker, Chair

Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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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=”687″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”July 4, 1776—Independence!” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%23dd0000″][vc_column_text]

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” – Declaration of Independence

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“Give me your tired, your poor, ?
Your huddled masses,
yearning to breathe free, ?
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, ? Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me, ?
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”960″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”– Inscription on the Statue of Liberty” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:15px|text_align:center|color:%2359d600″][vc_custom_heading text=”Political Leftists can be more
Separatist and Self-righteous than the most Strident Religious Fundamentalists
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Seattle’s City Council is synonymous with leftism. But some are “lefter” than others. When council member Tim Burgess talked of reforming the juvenile justice system, he said “even some of our Republican friends” were on board.
Burgess was interrupted by socialist councilmember Kshama Sawant. She rebuked his “Republican friends” comment and boasted she had no Republican friends—that the leftist cause had no place for this.
The American political system cannot survive under such extremism (Sawant doesn’t want it to survive). Isolation breeds dogmatic judgmentalism. Opponents aren’t just wrong—they are “bad.” Our system requires a respectful measure of collegiality and civility. All sides in politics must see this.

POSTSCRIPT: Striving for civility is all the more necessary, given the violence against our elected national representatives on June 14.

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“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” – 1st Amendment

Why can’t California’s ultra-secular, radical legislature leave religion alone?!!! Assembly Bill 569 has been approved by a wide margin in the Assembly and is now in the state’s Senate.
This bill would require religious organizations to provide information to their employees on abortion services (“reproductive health care”). Religious organizations could not exercise discipline except for ministers.
My information here is necessarily brief. Californians, please read this bill at:
www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB569
Contact your state senator and, if and when necessary, the governor.
Outside of California? Watch for similar legislation in your own state.

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Religious Liberty Vigilance – 2

“…no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”

– Article VI of the U.S. Constitution

But the U.S. Constitution did not get in the way of senators who oppose a Christian nominee for political appointment because of his beliefs!

“I understand that Christianity is the majority religion. But there are other people who have different religions in this country and around the world. In your judgment, do you think that people who are not Christians are going to be condemned?” * – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Those words were addressed to Russell Vought, President Donald Trump’s pick for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. Sanders repeatedly challenged Vought’s beliefs and (therefore) his qualification to serve in public office.

It didn’t matter that Vought responded, “As a Christian, I believe that all individuals are made in the image of God and are worthy of dignity and respect, regardless of their religious beliefs,” and “I believe that as a Christian, that’s how I should treat all individuals…” Actually, these words convey a higher view of human dignity (such dignity being imbedded in the nature and work of God) than the secularist Sanders’ philosophical system could yield. But that didn’t matter to Sanders, who said, “This nominee is really not someone who is what this country is supposed to be about. I will vote no.”

Michael Gerson poignantly notes the danger in this thinking. “A pluralism too weak to protect Christian believers is too weak to protect Muslim believers, and vice versa. And both have the right to think they are right.”

Defenders of religious liberty should side with Vought. What counts is not what he believes about salvation in the hereafter, but how he treats people and would do his job in the here and now.

Thomas Jefferson realized this: “But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg” (“Notes on Virginia”, 1782). Jefferson believed one’s doctrines are beyond the judgment of government (at least they should be, but Sen. Sanders shows they are not!): “…religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, …he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, …the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions.”

In fact, Jefferson believed that the First Amendment’s “wall of separation” (to use his metaphor) between church and state guaranteed freedom to believe as one wills (see: “Letter to Danbury Baptist Association”, January 1, 1802).

Rather than debating a nominee’s doctrines, Mr. Sanders and other legislators** should defend nominees’ constitutional rights and not make religion a test for political office, regardless of how odious their beliefs appear to be in the eyes of critics.

Nothing is gained in politics or in civil discourse by either airbrushing religious differences or excluding one another from public service over them.

* “Salvation only through Jesus Christ” is a core belief of Evangelical Christianity. Secular inclusivism regards this as heresy and insists on generic notions of religion that make no judgments (or bad judgments) on many social issues or on ultimate issues like salvation.

** Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) chimed in: “I’m a Christian, but part of being a Christian, in my view, is recognizing that there are lots of ways that people can pursue their God…” This senator should do legislation and not pretend to be a theologian.

NOTE: In an Addendum at the end of this newsletter I reproduce an edited version of my blog on what Christianity and Islam teach about Jesus.

Religious Liberty Victory – The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 7-2 that Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri should not be denied public funds available to other non-profits to install a rubberized playground made of recycled tires. This is a good decision. Governments should not prefer religion over non-religion. Nor should it (as in what led to this case) prefer non-religion over religion. The assistance to this church’s school passes all the “non-establishment of religion” litmus tests of Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971).

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The Protestant Reformation at 500

1517 – 2017
Lessons from the Reformation #2

The Freedom of the Christian

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“A Christian is the most free lord of all,
and subject to none.
A Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to all.”
– Martin Luther, On Christian Freedom (1520)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”926″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In his typical dialectical fashion, Luther set forth the thoroughly biblical idea of Christian liberty. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13 New International Version). Free, yet a servant.

How did the Reformers set forth their concept of Christian Freedom? I will focus mostly on how the Swiss reformer John Calvin answers this.

The mainstream reformers taught that the moral law of God is still relevant, even what is in the Law of Moses. It is found elsewhere in the Bible too.

First use of God’s Law: the moral law convicts us of our sin by showing us God’s righteous standards. This should lead us to seek God’s forgiveness
(* Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 7, Sections 6-9).

Second use: the civil function of serving as a standard and a deterrent to protect society from those who would do it injustice (Institutes, 2.7.10-11).

Calvin saw a third use of the Law for those released from the Law’s condemning power**: “Here is the best instrument for them to learn more thoroughly each day the nature of the Lord’s will” (2.7.12).

How does Christian Freedom fit into these notions of the role of God’s Law?
First, through God’s grace and forgiveness we free ourselves of all attempts at saving ourselves through our own efforts of law-keeping (3.19.2).

Second, free now of the guilt and judgment of God’s law, our consciences are now able to observe God’s moral standards. As a guide to believers, the Law teaches us and urges us to do what is right. It articulates the standards that underlie the two great Love Commands (love God, love your neighbor). We are filled with joy and hope as we find the Law both directing us and motivating us to obey (3.19.4-5).

Calvin’s third aspect of Christian Freedom takes us to what we call “indifferent things”—things neither good or bad in themselves; things which God has put under our power, which we are to use with moderation so there is a difference between liberty and licentiousness. [See my June newsletter on this point.]

This teaching is more important than people commonly think, because once legalism (which forbids our use of “indifferent things”) ensnares our consciences we enter “a long and inextricable maze, not easy to get out of” (3.19.7). This quote is followed by one of my favorite sections of Calvin, where he takes us down this “long and inextricable maze” to point out the spiritual bondage legalism brings upon our consciences “to the point of considering it wrong to step upon a straw” across our path. ***

Calvin’s teaching here is badly needed by rule-bound Christians today.

* The Institutes was Calvin’s life-long project to set forth his understanding of what the Christian Faith teaches. His first edition was written when he was only 26!
** This “third use of the law” was primary for Calvin (2.7.12; 3.19.2). Luther never explicitly set it forth—his thinking was too dialectical for that. Some with anti-commandment bias deny he held the law had any role to play in Christian lives. I find this impossible to accept given his teachings, for example, on the Ten Commandments. Luther’s theological successor Philip Melanchthon embraced the “third use of the law”, thus aligning himself with Calvin.
*** This “freedom of conscience” should not always be acted upon. We must not offend those of weak conscience. And sometimes the political order prevents us from exercising the freedom our consciences assure us that we have (think of Prohibition on this one, or legal limits on when and where we may pray in public). External limits to our use of Christian Freedom, though, must never be confused with binding our consciences. Calvin saw bondage of conscience coming from church traditions and customs, from legalistic people, from interpreting the Bible legalistically, and from our own “uncontrolled imagination” that imposes “moral burdens that have no relationship to the Word of God”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Bible Insight—Right Steps for a New Christian

Some of the most helpful steps new Christians can take to begin and grow in their faith are located in the Story of Pentecost (Book of Acts, chapter 2). For us who have been Christians for, well, a long time (in my case, since June, 1954!), it doesn’t hurt to assess how well we are walking also.

The First Step – Christian Baptism

“Those who accepted his message were baptized…” (Acts 2:41 NIV).

Picture to right:

Yours truly emerges from the Pacific Ocean after baptizing his granddaughter, Tyler.

The message they accepted was about Jesus—his life ministry, death, resurrection and exaltation to heaven. The Apostle Peter then told the inquiring crowd how to respond rightly to the message: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (verse 38).

So baptism presumes genuine repentance (“Once I thought little about God, Jesus, how my life was going, and what sin is; now I’ve changed my mind and heart and from this day forth, under God, I will change my life’s direction.”).

The proper context for declaring this repentance and confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is in the water of baptism. If we’ve made the declaration and confession without baptism, we should get baptized as quickly as is practical. *

Baptism, therefore, is the first step. Have you taken it? Pastors and churches, are you teaching and encouraging it? Remember: in what we call “The Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19) Jesus said, “Make disciples…baptizing them…” We’ve tended to separate baptism from discipleship, but we can’t. Not if we want to do discipleship “The Jesus Way”!

Steps two, three, four and five—four spiritual habits to nourish

“They devoted themselves to [I like the King James reading: “They continued steadfastly in”] the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

Unlike baptism, these steps are walked over and over and over. In the Greek text there are six definite articles (“the”) in this list of spiritual habits. Clearly, the writer has specific, regular duties in mind. For example, not just any kind of prayer (like praying privately at home, important as that is), but “THE PRAYERS” (plural—specific prayers when part of “the church gathered”).

Step 2 – learn “the teaching of the apostles”

We need to learn the teachings of the apostles, especially when we’re together under the ministry of pastors and teachers (now that the apostles Jesus chose are gone). This means we need to learn the New Testament.

Many congregations don’t teach “the apostles’ teaching” much anymore. We’ve found imitations: the “prosperity gospel,” pop psychology, political gospels, secular ideals, and other dilutions or even anti-gospels.

One great way a church can continue in the apostles’ doctrine is to recite “The Apostles Creed” frequently. Now the apostles didn’t write it, but it is an ancient, beautiful, simple summary of the basics of the apostles’ teaching.

Step 3 – Experience “the fellowship” with others in the church family

This refers to experiences of “fellowship” (koinonia) where we take time to really experience what it means to love one another as Jesus loved us. It may be financial assistance or other help, meals together, encouragement or correction, spending time and prayer with others to help in their unique struggles, weeping with those who weep, rejoicing with those who rejoice, ministering our spiritual gifts to one another, and more.

“Fellowship” really underscores our togetherness within the church family. You can study doctrine on your own, but you can’t fellowship on your own!

Step 4 – Observe “the breaking of the bread”

I like the experience of breaking bread—a tangible sign of spiritual unity with Jesus and one another. Here a specific event of breaking bread is in mind. While it can’t be proven beyond a doubt, this likely refers “the breaking of the bread” in the Communion Service (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-27). Communion was typically celebrated during a fellowship meal—good idea.

Regular, even weekly, participation in Communion (a renewing and nourishing sign of the sacrificial death of Jesus and what it accomplishes for us and in us by faith) is a key part of a good, healthy spiritual walk.

Step 5 – Engage in “the prayers” of the church

These are prayers we pray together, whether listening to others pray (and affirming the prayer with the “Amen”) or praying them in unison, like when we pray “The Lord’s Prayer.” “Prayers” may include worship and song.

At the very least we must pray together for:

• The blessing of God on our church, its leader, and our gatherings

• The spread of the gospel

• The needs of the members

• Our community and nation, our government and its leaders at all levels

• The persecuted church around the world

Have you repented of your sins? Have you submitted yourself to Christian baptism? Are you continuing faithfully in the apostles’ doctrine, the fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers?

Let Acts 2:41-42 help you in your Christian walk. And share the word!

* In the New Testament and Early Church water baptism was the common context for confessing Jesus. Modern evangelicals have tolerated a gap between confession and baptism and thus we’ve created confusion in our understanding of baptism. The tradition of “walking forward in church to confess Christ” has preempted “walking into the water to confess Christ” – a substitute sacrament! We wouldn’t argue so much over whether baptism washes away sins if we kept confession and baptism together (see Acts 22:16).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”567″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”Don’s Upcoming Ministries” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%230316bc”][vc_column_text]July 25-27 – Attend the annual conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, meeting in Fremont, Ohio. Present resolutions to the delegates as Chair of the Social Concerns Committee. Participate with the military chaplains as Associate Military Endorsing Agent.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]July 30 – Speak at Sunday Morning Worship Services at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (8:00, 9:30, 11:00 services). Message on the ministries of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos (Book of Acts, chapter 18): “Leaders Training Leaders.”

September 6 – Speak at an evening Bible Study of Grace Community Church on “The Five Points of Calvinism.”

Listen to Don’s sermon on Pentecost Sunday (June 4)
“Come, Holy Spirit—The Day of Pentecost” (Acts 2:1-42)

http://gracesealbeach.org/sunday/sermons
(Under “Sermons” go to “Come, Holy Spirit”, sermon for June 4)
Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

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Addendum:

What Christianity and Islam Teach about Jesus

(Excerpt from my blog: “What Do Christianity and Islam Teach about Jesus?”)

Jesus Christ and his life and death as highlighted by Good Friday and Easter are critical parts of the faith Christians confess.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into Hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead.
– The Apostles Creed (early Christian confession)

…It is important for Muslims and Christians to understand each other because we must learn to inhabit this finite world together in shalom-salaam and because many of us live together in America. Christians must relate to Muslims as those who share the likeness of God through our common humanity (Genesis 1:27; Acts 17:28-29) and, if we share a common American citizenship, as those who possess with us the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the free exercise of religion (without having an established religion).

Now, what can we say about Christianity and Islam?

These two common grounds are shared by the two faiths and also by Judaism:
• Monotheism – the belief there is only one true God.
• Abrahamic Roots – Judaism, Christianity and Islam trace their origin to the biblical Abraham (Genesis 12+).

But Christianity must be distinguished from Islam on several critical points, especially those that relate to what orthodox Christianity teaches about Jesus. I will limit my comments to this subject, with the caveat that what one teaches about Jesus influences what one teaches about God. When I use the word “Christianity” I am referring to the Christian faith as it embraces the teachings of the New Testament and the confessions of the ecumenical creeds, not to everything that might wear the title.

Both religions teach that Jesus was born to Mary who was yet a virgin. And Jesus performed many miracles, as the Christian Gospels state. Interestingly, the Qur’an (19:27-33) goes further by actually having Jesus speak from the cradle somewhat in defense of his mother (this may be seen as a prolepsis).

Both religions believe Jesus was a prophet. Islam sees Jesus as a prophet in a long tradition of prophetic voices culminating in Mohammed. Christianity sees Jesus himself as the culmination of the prophetic office—the Second Moses, God’s Final Word…

While Christianity sees Jesus as a prophet (and while the ethical teachings of Jesus can be a great starting point for discussions with non-Christians), Christians confess Jesus to be more than a prophet. He is, according to the Bible’s best-known verse (John 3:16), God’s “only begotten son.”

Islam cannot accept this. Its belief in God’s absolute uniqueness abhors any notion of God having a son. This is a core understanding of Islam.

Say, “He is Allah, the One;
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begets not, and neither is He begotten;
And there is nothing that can be compared to Him.” – Qur’an 112:1-4

Furthermore, according to Islam, Jesus is not “from the beginning” for he lived a finite, short life 2000 years ago. Nor should he be worshipped.

Christianity’s understanding is that Jesus, as the unique Son of God, specially revealed God to us as none other could do (John 1:1, 2, 14, 18 ESV):

In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

No one has ever seen God; the only God*, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. [* Some Greek texts read: “only begotten son”.]

Christianity teaches that Jesus died on the cross, and his death was “for our sins.” Christians debate exactly how this “works” – the doctrine of Jesus’ atoning death that removes our sins raises many points of discussion. But the fundamental confession “Christ died for our sins” is biblical, critical and non-negotiable—a sine qua non of The Faith.

Islam rejects the crucifixion of Jesus and, with it, any thought that his death was redemptive. I have read this Muslim explanation: while it appeared to many that Jesus died on the cross, in reality Jesus was miraculously protected by God and the crucifixion was the death of another…

(See the entire essay under “blogs and newsletters” at: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]