County Clerk in KY and Same-sex Marriage Licenses

Posted on September 3, 2015 by admin

What I’m writing today (Sept. 2) reflects one day of pondering and the situation as I understand it. More pondering or more facts could revise my thoughts.

I’m heavily influenced by Thomas Jefferson’s statement, “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.”

Government at all levels should strive to accommodate conscience rights as much as possible while still furthering its legitimate purposes. For example, providing for the national defense is of the highest constitutional order, but conscientious objectors are exempt from service even though that means others many have to serve and put their lives at risk in the stead of the CO’s. Arguing from the greater to the lesser, this same protection should apply to much more ordinary matters.

“Reasonable accommodation” of religious beliefs in workplace situations is a well-established principle. It is not an absolute, but it is strong.

Only extremists would argue that government should always compel, or that conscience must always prevail. But I’ll push the meter as much as can justly be done in the direction of freedom of conscience, no matter what the issue.

I don’t know the Kentucky situation well. Is this one county clerk the only one in the region who can say yes or no? Are there alternatives, or are the applicants just trying to have a crusade against this one person? Areas like LA, by contrast, would have many other clerks available, I’m sure. This is from the Washington Post (Monday, Aug. 31):

“In her defense, her lawyers described Davis in a court filing as ‘a professing Apostolic Christian who attends church worship service multiple times per week, attends weekly Bible study, and leads a weekly Bible study with women at a local jail.’ It says she fasted and prayed for weeks before deciding that she would not issue marriage licenses to gay couples.

“Her lawyers say there are more than 130 locations around the state where same-sex couples can get licenses, including seven counties neighboring Rowan. They also argue that other steps could be taken to accommodate Davis’s religious beliefs.

“For example, a clerk from a neighboring county could be deputized to issue licenses in Rowan County. The state could remove all references to a clerk’s name on marriage licenses. Or lawmakers could overhaul the way Kentucky licenses marriages.”

In this case, the particular clerk has been able to serve her task without conscience issues until same-sex marriage became a protected right. So this is a new feature to her role, and I can understand her angst and conflicted conscience. Imagine a doctor or nurse in the ob-gyn specialty who is dedicated to saving nascent human life and who believes abortion is murder but then is pressured by a hospital to participate in abortion. Mostly their consciences are protected, but there have been many challenges. Even clergy, now conscience-protected, have reason for concern. According to a Barna poll in July, “There is a substantial minority among Americans under 40 (26%) who believe the law should compel religious institutions and clergy members to perform same-sex weddings.”

When same-sex marriage was legalized in California in 2008, the Long Beach Press-Telegram editorialized with this assurance: “Conservative religionists have nothing to fear. Their religious practices and their personal definition of marriage are intact.” The ink wasn’t even dry on that editorial when Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo demanded that the county registrar not allow employees who are uncomfortable with gay marriages to excuse themselves from officiating at such ceremonies.

The Kentucky clerk has two primary options—resign or fight on. Both have weighty implications for her and her family. I’ve counseled many an individual over workplace conflicts involving conscience. Each has to be individually considered. What is being ordered or forbidden? Is this a core issue or a peripheral one? What are the options and recourses, both legal and non-legal? Is the issue bigger than one individual, to where staying on is needed to fight a larger cause? Are there alternatives that might achieve a “win/win” (an important question and an appropriate quest in a diverse society—the Washington Post quote above suggests there are)? Usually I’d recommend resignation, but by no means always. If this clerk stands fast, she must bear the consequences, though I expect she would receive a lot of support.

Now, here’s a situation that is comparable, I think, but more troubling because of the high government position involved. The California Attorney General takes an oath of office that says (emphases mine):

“I, ___________________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.”

Kamala Harris took that oath but then refused to “defend…the Constitution of the State of California” as reported:

SAN FRANCISCO (March 26, 2013) — Attorney General Kamala D. Harris issued the following statement on today’s Proposition 8 arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court:

“I declined to defend Proposition 8 because it violates the Constitution. The Supreme Court has described marriage as a fundamental right 14 times since 1888. The time has come for this right to be afforded to every citizen.”

Now, she may be right about what the court says about marriage and the Constitution—five justices seem to agree. But her job isn’t to make that judgment but to defend a provision of the California Constitution in court. It is a simple syllogism:

Major Premise: The A/G must defend the CA Constitution
Minor Premise: Proposition 8 is part of the CA Constitution
Conclusion: Therefore the A/G must defend Proposition 8

She was reaching for her conclusion before there was one. In citing Supreme Court decisions, she should have looked back to 1878 (Reynolds), when the court ruled against the Mormons and said bigamy was not a right. Following her refusal to defend the state constitution, the court found that the proponents of Prop. 8 lacked standing before the court.

I can be neutral on both cases, but still believe that both the Attorney General and the County Clerk in KY are arguing conscience above law.

From a biblical standpoint, the argued position is that the laws of the state must be honored and obeyed but in a time of conflict the Law of God supersedes the law of the state (Acts 4:19). This principle is exemplified often in the Bible, such as when an order forbidding certain prayers was made during the Persian rule and Daniel, a government official, violated it (Daniel 6:6-10). As a Christian, my confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” is not subject to compartmentalization and cannot be confined to some sacred space surrounded by stained glass windows.

If I had to advise at this moment, I’m not sure what I would say though I might lean toward advising resignation. Frankly, I predict she will continue to lose any legal action she takes. However, if she and her counsel see the presence of larger issues, I’d allow that she should remain and take the consequences. I’m disappointed that efforts at accommodation are not going forward because it appears that other options do exist, and accommodation is consistent with a free society. Sadly and with regret, I find that in matters like this, many activists are practicing a “take no prisoners” modus operandi.

Donald Shoemaker

September 2, 2015

King Ahab and Naboth–A Bad King, A Bold Preacher, and a Prime Piece of Property

Posted on August 28, 2015 by admin

“A Bad King,
A Bold Preacher and
A Prime Piece of Property”

By Donald Shoemaker

[NOTE: This biblical story that I tell has relevance anytime evil attempts to trample good, oppression suppresses helpless victims, or the power of the government is used to force people of religious conviction to violate their consciences. I think of it when questionable instances of “eminent domain” occur. The story is from the Old Testament—1 Kings 21.]

Please listen to my August 23, 2015 sermon on this topic:
http://www.gracesealbeach.org/media.php?pageID=28

Once upon a time, far away in the little kingdom of “Israel,” there lived a wicked king named Ahab. His wife was Queen Jezebel. She was even more wicked than he was!

One day the wicked king looked out his palace window and saw a piece of property that belonged to a simple, good working-class man named Naboth. Ahab thought to himself, “I’d like to have that property! I’d make better use of it than Naboth ever would.” Since Ahab was the king, anything he took for himself would be for “public use” * of course.

So one day he asked Naboth if he would sell the property. “I’ll even pay you the full market price,” the king said. But Naboth said no. Why should he give up this land, which was his family land for generations?

Ahab was very, very sad—so sad that he pouted. When the wicked queen saw him pouting she really let loose with her tongue at him, so meddlesome and henpecking she. “Is this how the king of Israel acts? Cheer up! I’ll get you that land!”

So she brought some false charges against Naboth. Naboth was found guilty and put to death. Then the wicked queen told the king that Naboth was dead. Ahab was very happy. He took Naboth’s property by eminent domain and made it his own.

Ahab and Jezebel thought this was the end of the matter and they would enjoy their new property and live happily ever after. But God saw what had happened and he was really angry. He sent a preacher named Elijah to confront the wicked king and queen.

Now, Ahab didn’t really want to listen to this preacher. “Religion and government are separate things!” he believed. He didn’t think this preacher should try to influence what the government does at all.

Elijah didn’t care what the king thought! He wouldn’t keep quiet because he knew God wanted him to speak. So he told the king he was a very bad man—a murderer and a thief. He had no right to take this simple man’s property. Elijah said that God would bring death on him because of his wicked deeds—and on the wicked queen too. He even said that what the king did put a stain of sin on the whole land.

Everything the preacher said came true! Ahab died in battle and Jezebel was put to death by her own servants. She died right where Naboth died!

The little kingdom of “Israel” was a better kingdom once the wicked king and queen were gone. But the world has still not learned its lesson.

* “Public use” – According to the 5th Amendment in the Bill of Rights, any property taken by the government through what we call eminent domain is for “public use.” A very unfortunate U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2005 allowed that “public use” could include forcing land away from one private owner and passing it to another private owner, who would then (hopefully) develop it, creating jobs, bring in more tax money, etc. The case was Kelo v. City of New London. Critics said the decision obliterated the distinction between “public use” and “private use.” In this case the results were horrible and utterly unproductive.

July 2015 Newsletter

Posted on July 1, 2015 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

July-August 2015 Newsletter from

Donald Shoemaker

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

Two Great Commemorations

• The Magna Carta (800th Anniversary)

• The Declaration of Independence

“The same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”
– President John F. Kennedy
(Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961)

“This June and July we recall two of history’s greatest documents. As July 4 approaches, we recall our own Declaration of Independence. It was rooted in
The concept of a Creator, Lawgiver, Protector and Judge.

Lesser known, of course, is the Magna Carta of 1215. An attempt to bring a modicum of peace between King John and the country’s barons, it was ignored by both sides and nullified by Pope Innocent III. Much of it is obsolete in terms of the issues we either celebrate or struggle for today. Nonetheless, it prevailed as one of the earliest ancestors to our Constitution and has legendary status in
the march to acknowledge human liberties.

Of worthy note is the religious liberty upheld in the document’s first point:

FIRST, THAT WE HAVE GRANTED TO GOD, and by this present charter have confirmed for us and our heirs in perpetuity, that the English Church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished, and its liberties unimpaired.

The American experiment will take it one important step further: there will be no national church established in the United States.

The Magna Carta reflects more the second “prong” of religious liberty found in the First Amendment of our Bill of Rights: the “free exercise” of religion must not be prohibited. There is no chance that a national or even a state church will emerge in America. It is possible, however, for a secular ideology—a counterpart to religious doctrine—to so dominate society that religious freedom (free exercise) is impaired. The bigger the state gets, the greater the risk it will crowd out religious convictions and assume for itself the role of quasi–‐deity, with its own doctrines and commandments.

This would be a secular version of the forbidden “establishment of religion”. I fear this trend far more than domination by any one religious faith. There are other statements in the Magna Carta of enduring value. I note this one (#39), which finds expression in our Bill of Rights:

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in
any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.

We should not live under the illusion that America is “God’s Country” or a Christian nation. But we would be naïve and ahistorical to ignore the role of religion, especially the Christian faith, in shaping who we are and ought to be as a nation.

For that formative role I give thanks as Independence Day approaches and every time I heartily sing,

America, America, God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-‐control, thy liberty in law.

Don’s Upcoming Ministries

July 21-26 – Attend the Annual Conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches in NYC

– Present a seminar: Hi-‐Speed Social Change: How to Understand and Respond to What’s Happening to our Values
– As Associate Endorsing Agent for Military Chaplains, participate in honoring our denomination’s endorsed military chaplains
– As Chairman of the Social Concerns Committee, present resolutions on contemporary social issues to the delegates of the Conference

August 16 – Speak in Sunday morning worship services (8:00, 9:30, 11:00) at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach

Message of the Month—Should We Forgive?

Do we forgive the man who massacred nine people at a Bible class in Charleston, SC? We hear calls to forgive. But is forgiveness the gift to offer him? Is it the Christian thing to do?

No, not at all. Christians are called to forgive others as God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). God’s forgiveness is conditional and ours should be too. At a minimum it requires repentance by the wrongdoer—a condition of heart we have not seen or are likely to see in this perpetrator.

Individuals may forgive, but in this case the primary individuals who were violated are not here to forgive. The state is called to dispense justice, not forgiveness. Justice calls for permanent removal of this man from society, should he be found guilty, through one effective penalty or another.

We can comfort and support the grieving in their distress. We can help them overcome bitterness of heart and rage and malice, but this is not to be confused with forgiveness. We can pray and work for peace in our country. We can renew our commitment to the causes of justice. We can pray for the murderer’s repentance and for hearts willing to forgive. But no, now is not the time to forgive.

Unconditional forgiveness cheapens the enormity of the wrong and misunderstands both love and grace.

NOTES: Published in the Long Beach CA Press-Telegram June 28, 2015. You may still listen to my sermon on the forgiveness petition of “The Lord’s Prayer”, delivered at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach on March 22. Go to this link and access 3/22/15:
http://www.gracesealbeach.org/media.php?pageID=28

Church on the Move—Loving Its (far off) Neighbor

When an out-of-season tornado smashed through Nappanee, Indiana in 2007, Grace Community Church of nearby Goshen cancelled Sunday services and transported members by the hundreds to do cleanup work. Members could be seen wearing blue “Grace In Action” shirts as they served in Nappanee.

What to do for an encore? The church has responded to many crises. But how about a trip to Iraq?

Pastor Jim Brown was burdened by the terrorism and suffering there and pondered a Bible verse, 1 John 3:17, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”

Not exactly known for being stationary, Jim’s response to that verse was most unique. The church raised $70,000 for the trip and for supplies—16 trunks of food, water and medical supplies. A team of eight men from the church was off to Iraq.

One of many encounters came in the city of Erbil where they surprisingly met 100 of the town’s leaders and, through a translator, explained their mission and prayed for them. “In the middle of ISIS-‐ridden Iraq, we told these leaders about the hope of Jesus Christ.”

The team would leave many lasting impacts. Just before departing, they responded to the huge refugee problem by renting apartments for 12 families, with plans to do more.

I told Jim, “That is salt and light—‘social concerns’ in a big way, and Beatitude living too—‘Blessed are the merciful…blessed are the peacemakers.’ Thanks for putting vision into action. And setting the bar high for others.”

Jim replied, “We just couldn’t sit there and do nothing. The good news is that we have 41 apartments with over 300 precious people rescued and now connected to a church in Erbil!”

The work continues: “Our church rallied around the cause and gave almost 1/4 of a million dollars… We now have the group of refugees connected to a local church and growing in their faith and new converts.”

NOTES: The “salt and light” metaphors and the “Beatitude” come from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” in the Gospel of Matthew (5:1-‐16). They describe the impact Jesus desires his followers to have in the world. Information on the trip to Iraq was gleaned from the Spring, 2015 alumni publication by Grace College and Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana (my alma mater).

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on Same-Sex Marriage—Two Initial Responses

1. Christians who disagree with the court’s decision must commit themselves anew to modeling what they believe the Biblical teaching on marriage is. This is not just simply defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. It is a life-long commitment that is deep and nurturing and supportive. It is a union that weathers the difficulties and celebrates the achievements. It is a union consummated in sexual union (the “marriage sacrament”) from which God providentially brings offspring who need the nurturing, protective presence of a father and a mother. It is a union that witnesses positively to our faith in the teachings of Jesus and his apostles on marriage.

2. We must passionately and actively uphold the longstanding, though eroding, American commitment to religious liberty. This is not just freedom for “houses of worship” and for clergy. It is for people, whatever their deep religious conviction, to live the tenets of their faith in their public lives without fear of government backlash or penalty or ridicule.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

June 2015 Newsletter

Posted on June 1, 2015 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

June 2014 Newsletter from Donald Shoemaker

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

Killing bald eagles is excused by the federal government if the poor birds happen to collide with a wind turbine that’s generating electric. But you better watch out if you are a Native American using eagle feathers in a tribal ritual! Robert Soto of the Lipan Apache Tribe found that out the hard way. Read more to see how he stood up for his religious and cultural liberty—and won!

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

My good friend Robert Soto is a pastor in my denomination and a member of the Lipan Tribe of Apache Indians. Here’s what happened…

On March 11, 2006, undercover federal agents interrupted a pow-‐wow and confiscated 50 eagle feathers from Robert Soto, pastor of the Grace Brethren Church in McAllen, Texas, and member of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas -‐-‐ a group only acknowledged by the State of Texas. Ever since, Soto, who faced severe fines and imprisonment for supposed illegal possession of the eagle feathers, has been involved in a nine-‐year legal battle to get back the tribe’s feathers.

Soto says “When it comes to American Indians, it is the government who determines who can or cannot worship God as a Native, as they also determine who is or is not an American Indian. Now they come into our family gathering that we have been having since 1970, and threaten to arrest me…”

Soto continues, “After I was released from any criminal charges, God led me to two Native lawyers in Texas who had never tried an eagle feather case but were willing to try. They stuck with me for eight and a half years until we won the case…”

On March 9, 2015, the feathers were finally returned under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). *

Pastor Soto said, “My faith in God is what has given me the strength to fight for the last nine years and win.” He intends to continue fighting to change laws and uphold Native American rights.

[ * This information is excerpted from GraceConnect eNews where it first appeared and is used with permission. See my May, 2015 Newsletter to learn about RFRA.]

Message of the Month for Father’s Day— America’s Great Need: Responsible Fathers

“If I’m giving a commencement at Morehouse * …I will have a conversation with young black men about taking responsibility as fathers…and I make no apologies for that.

The reason is that because I am a black man who grew up without a father, and I know the cost that I paid for that. And I also know I have the capacity to break that cycle, and as a consequence I think my daughters are better off.”

– President Barack Obama

The President spoke as a panelist at the Catholic-‐Evangelical Summit on Overcoming Poverty held at Georgetown University on May 12. ( * Morehouse College is a private, all-‐male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta.)

One day over 15 years ago I was driving through downtown Long Beach, California on my way to a meeting of clergy. “Whap! Whap!”—five times something hit the top of my car. It was from a large bird (Godzilla lives?).

I looked at my messy car and thought how I wouldn’t want anyone at my meeting to see it. I turned away from the ocean and onto a residential street and immediately found myself in a minority neighborhood. A group of teens were in the street having (would you guess it?) a car wash!

I pulled up and stopped. They were raising money, they said, for the funeral of a cousin. While they washed my car I went onto a nearby porch where a little boy brought out a chair for me. Filthy rap music was playing from a stereo. Then one of the teens—a girl—brought her new baby out to show me. Soon the car was clean; I gave a donation and left. Not much later I was back in Seal Beach with its $600,000+ homes around my church **.

Many times I have prayed for that baby—now a teen. Many times I have wished I had taken him in my arms right then and had a prayer for him while his mother and others stood around. I didn’t do that, to my lasting regret. Is he OK? How is he maturing? Is he learning wisdom and knowledge? Are there good male role models in his life? Is he going the right way or the wrong way? I don’t know.

I do know that failed fatherhood is growing in America and is rampant in many minority communities. It is the greatest reason, without ignoring others, for young men and young women growing up dysfunctionally—unable to cope in society and unable to handle life’s challenges positively or set goals for themselves. Without positive fatherly role models, boys are more likely to grow up with guns and girls grow up with babies.

Scripture gives us many lessons on positive fatherhood and motherhood. Just read the Book of Proverbs and see the life lessons fathers and mothers teach to the young by word and example. How to earn and spend money; how not to be lazy; how to relate to the opposite sex; how to speak wholesome words; how to handle social pressures and respond to negative situations in ways that are civil rather than harmful.

Through good fathers, we learn what God is like:

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)

I’m thankful that I grew up with a good dad and I want God to use me to share a good word and example with boys and girls who could benefit.

I’m convinced that no level of spending or social programming, ever so well intentioned, can compensate adequately for failed fatherhood.

I commend our President for serving on a panel (which is not typically a “presidential thing” to do) and opening his heart and voice on this critical topic (which is not a “politically correct” thing to do, either!).

[ ** I was then serving as Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, California, which is one block from the Pacific Ocean. I now serve as Pastor Emeritus of the church. And property prices are now much higher!]

Bible Insight – Key Texts on the Death Penalty

“You shall not murder.” – Exodus 20:13

“You are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand,
foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for
bruise.” – Exodus 21:25

Does the death penalty violate the commandment against murder? The Law of Moses didn’t think so. Exodus chapters 21, 22 and 23 unfold some of the Ten Commandments so we might know how they apply in various situations (case law)—very interesting reading.

For examples:

The basic requirement is: “Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death” (21:12).
The death penalty doesn’t apply to unintentional killing (21:13).
But the death penalty does apply to deliberate, scheming killing (21:13),
such as the murders by Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The “eye for an eye” statement is often viewed as barbaric and uncivilized. Not so! First, it limited the punishment so it was proportionate to the harm done. Even today, punishments may be disproportionate to the wrongs done. On the street, a perceived insult can mean death. Just read the news of the shootout in Waco, Texas last month between rival motorcycle gangs.

Second, the context says, “as the judges decide” (verse 22). The punishments are not meted out by personal vengeance but by a judiciary. There must be a just sentence based on a fair review of the facts (see Numbers 35:12).

Third, a victim might decide that it makes more sense to be paid a fair price for his wound rather than have his assailant wounded in the same way. So a settlement might be reached. This is done all the time today.

But a price could not be paid to compensate for murder. “Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die” (Numbers 35:31).

These words don’t settle “the death penalty” issue. But they should give pause to those who say it can’t be reasonably supported from the Bible.

Tasteless in More Ways than One

Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh,
Let my people go. –
Negro spiritual (mid 1800’s)

It was Passover season, 2015, when I saw this giant piece of matzo bread on display at our local Albertsons supermarket. The text (Exodus 7:16) is the Word of the Lord through Moses to Egypt’s ruler. It is time to end the slavery and oppression of the Israelites and let them leave the land as God directs.

The same phrase had special meaning during America’s time of emancipation of slaves. Matzo bread is a feature of the Jewish Passover meal and of many Christian Communion Services.

It took a few extra moments for me to see what was really for sale. It’s a toilet seat cover! It would be hard to think of many worse ways to trivialize such an important, eloquent, powerful biblical thought on human emancipation. The words are written in “phony Hebrew” script and on a toilet seat cover they have, shall we say, a different connotation.

I wrote to Albertsons but received no response.

Michael Josephson shares a word on cheating…

“Pressure is no excuse for cheating, but it’s a frequent cause. Those who play the stretch-‐goal game are accountable for the predictable side effects of relentlessly pursuing numbers, especially if they don’t place even greater emphasis on honesty and integrity.”
– Michael Josephson (www.whatwillmatter.com)

Don’s Upcoming Ministries

July 21-‐26 – Attend the Annual Conference near NYC of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches

– Present a seminar: Hi-‐Speed Social change: How to Understand and Respond to What’s Happening to our Values
– As Associate Endorsing Agent for Military Chaplains, participate in honoring our denomination’s endorsed military chaplains
– Present resolutions on contemporary social issues to the delegates of the Conference

August 16 – Speak in Sunday morning worship services (8:00, 9:30, 11:00) at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach

“Lord, I Need Your Help to Forgive!”

You may listen to my sermon on the forgiveness petition of “The Lord’s Prayer”, delivered at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach on March 22, at:

http://www.gracesealbeach.org/media.php?pageID=28

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Renewing Worship

Posted on May 3, 2015 by admin

Needed: A Renewed Paradigm for Worship

By Donald P. Shoemaker
Pastor Emeritus
Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, California

I’ve been an enthusiastic worshipper since I was a toddler (my mother told me I sang really loud). I began planning and leading worship when I was 17. The church’s worship and music ministry was one of my key areas of responsibility during my 28 years as a senior pastor.

Here I want to set forth guidance to move worship ministries away from some tendencies I’ve observed in recent years. I try to be creative on several points but make no claim to originality. In fact, I hope most ideas are quite old and enduring.

A Truly Worshipping Congregation

Give worship back to the congregation. Stop the platform-centered professionalism. Get the congregation singing, not just standing—engaged and not mere passive onlookers. Lower the volume, if necessary, so that people can joyfully hear themselves sing. Make the congregation active participants in worship “with heart and soul and voices” (“Now Thank We All Our God” by Martin Rinkart, 1636). Worship can be high quality without being so orchestrated.

In Touch with Our Christian Heritage

Renew worship connection with our rich Christian heritage even as we also sing good current compositions. Put the people in touch with the saints of the past—their struggles, suffering, spirituality, successes and songs. The Holy Spirit didn’t first arrive with “Jesus Music” in the 1960’s!

The Word of God in Worship

Integrate the Word of the Lord into worship more thoroughly. People need to hear the Scriptures read. If we Evangelical Protestants consider ourselves “People of the Word”, why is there more reading of Scripture in a Roman Catholic Mass than in the typical Evangelical service?

Sometimes “Less” is “More” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2; Habakkuk 2:20)

Musical instrumentation in all its variety is marvelous in worship. But don’t forget places for silence, softness, and quality a cappella singing. Spoken words are not always necessary and, when they are, few are better than many.

The Word Proclaimed and The Word Explained (Example: Acts 2:14-42)

We must see the distinction between Proclamation of the Word to non-believers and Instruction in the Word to believers—both necessary and complementary. As you plan the worship experience, remember that its primary purpose is to instruct and build up of believers in faith and life. While non-Christians should be invited and, when present, not made to feel like awkward strangers, the worship hour should be distinguished from other occasions that have as their primary purpose drawing non-believers to hear the Word of Salvation and confess Jesus as Lord.

Giving in Worship

Don’t forget the giving opportunity within the worship service. Other avenues for giving (payroll deductions, on-line giving, etc.) have a growing place, but must not supersede a time to give as an act of worship in the service.

Technology in Worship—Dine with a Long Spoon

Technology in many forms will continue to grow as a feature of worship. But it must always be the servant of worship, never its lord. People should leave worship thinking, “I’ve met God today!” Not, “Wow!” Ask these questions when using technology: “Does this feature really enhance worship? Does it point us straight to Jesus? Or does it detract and distract from him?”

Expository Sermons as a Work of Art

The Message should unfold and apply the meaning of Scripture to the people so they can see what was there all along. While the expository pastor has training and tools available that the rest of us don’t have, sermons should not create an unhealthy dependence on the speaker to know what God is saying.

Sermons should usually be under 30 minutes—it takes more work to create a tight sermon than an extended one, but it will be a better sermon. Organize the sermon as if it were a work of artistry, and then maybe it will become one!

Humor Has a Place—Keep it There! (Ask those “tech” questions again!)

Lightheartedness and laughter have their place in worship, when done with care and purpose. But the service must never get frivolous and must always lift us above ourselves to God. Humor is one thing, trying to be funny another.

A Real, Live Pastor

John 3:16 doesn’t say, “God so loved the world that he beamed down his son”! Instead, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14 NIV).

The pastor who speaks should be there in flesh and blood, not electronically delivered like a hologram. Pastors, we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We are not indispensible celebrities! The people need true interaction with the pastor during and after the sermon, not an impersonal non-encounter with someone who isn’t there.

And no fleeing out the side door for privacy right after the benediction! I preached three sermons on Sunday mornings for fifteen years, and I know a pastor can guard his energy without avoiding personal time with the people.

Worship Aesthetics

Worship settings don’t need to be extravagant, but they shouldn’t be bland and utilitarian either. The place of worship is sacred space, removed from the “common settings” of the rest of the week. It’s not another “Home Depot”! Worship is a vestibule to the Celestial. In “The Gathering”, we are a holy temple of God, a dwelling place for God’s Spirit.

The visible word should tastefully and purposefully surround worshippers in the worship location through artistic display and symbols, and (yes) even in the windows.

The Eucharist in Worship

The Communion (the Eucharist) should be a regular feature of renewed worship—even weekly. Communion isn’t “fast food”. Enough time must be given to ponder the Cross, God’s grace and our need for repentance. Pastors should declare the good news of forgiveness in the Communion.

Shepherding the Flock in Worship

Pastors should actively lead their people into worship, within worship, and out of worship. This means a pastoral role for the Call to Worship, the Pastoral Prayer, and the Benediction. The people should be led in petitionary and intercessory prayer. Also, consider providing appropriate prayer and anointing of the sick with oil by the pastors or elders of the church.

These renewal points come from my general knowledge—change isn’t needed everywhere. The points are a work in progress, so input is invited.

(Don has been in Christian ministry for over 46 years, 38 in pastoral work and eight as a theology professor at Biola University. After 28 years, he retired as senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Seal Beach, California in 2012 and now serves the church as pastor emeritus. He can be reached at: shoemaker@gracesealbeach.org.)

May 2015 Newsletter

Posted on May 1, 2015 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

May 2015 Newsletter from Donald Shoemaker

What Happened in Indiana? Religious freedom laws needed — and more civility too!

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

We’ve all heard the acrimony over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed in Indiana in March along with the “fix it” legislation that followed, which supposedly “clarified” the new law.

The whole situation created a legal and social climate totally unnecessary.
And the protection of religious liberty is arguably worse than before.

I wrote a Guest Commentary in the Long Beach Press-Telegram that was published on April 5. Please read it in this Newsletter.

Bible Insight – God’s Providential Care

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” – Jesus (Matthew 10:28-31 English Standard Version)

My wife and I have lovely front and back yards (mostly thanks to her hard work!). Roses and orchids and fountains and oranges and seasonal flowers—and many hummingbirds.

It is most pleasant to sit and watch the hummingbirds come and drink from the feeders or service the flowers. Sparrows and mockingbirds and bees and butterflies abound too. As we watch them, we think of God’s watchful care for them—and for us.

Recently I went into the backyard and picked up the remains of a little hummingbird. When birds die, they “fall to the ground” as Jesus described.Jesus’ point is: God cares for even these little creatures of his. Nothing happens without his providential attention.

Here Jesus uses what we call in logic “an argument from the lesser to the greater.” If God cares for the little birds (which he does), how much more doesn’t he care for each one of us—each of us made in God’s image and so much more valuable than a tiny bird, for as Jesus said we “are of more value than many sparrows.”(Some might charge Jesus with being a “speciest” here!)

God’s watchful care for us begins even before we are born (Psalm 139:13-16).

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written,
every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

And when we face persecution for our faith, we should trust our heavenly father, who cares for us, and not fear our accusers and persecutors. That’s the key lesson from Jesus’ words. (He teaches the same lesson from the thought that God numbers our hairs—again, God is interested in the little things of our lives. With me, this is quicker counting than it used to be.)

At the end of our lives, God is still there to care (Psalm 23:4):

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me…

“God, I thank you for reminding me of important lessons—the value of little lives and the great value of people—each time I watch your little creation!”

(Hummingbird and butterfly pictures are from our yard.)

“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

“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

Religious freedom laws needed — and more civility too: Guest commentary

By Donald P. Shoemaker

PUBLISHED APRIL 5, 2015, LONG BEACH PRESS-TELEGRAM

NOTE: I am adding more information and opinion in bracketed italics throughout this article. The original commentary by itself is available at my Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com/blog/?p=512

Great political unity, left and right, religious and secular, led to passage of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in 1993. President Clinton signed it into law after it passed Congress with only three no votes.

[The three “no” votes were in the Senate: Robert Byrd (D-WV), Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Harlan Mathews (D-TN).]

The law simply said that the government could not substantially burden one’s free exercise of religion even if the burden was caused by a rule of general applicability, unless the government could show the rule furthered a compelling state interest and did so in the least restrictive way.

[The “compelling state interest” test sets a high threshold—in this case it is“a governmental interest of the highest magnitude that cannot otherwise be achieved without burdening the exercise of religion.” It was applied in earlier U.S. Supreme Court decisions involvingan employee’s right to observe the “Sabbath” (Sherbert v. Verner) and the right of Amish parents to decide their children’s education (Wisconsin v. Yoder).]

Why was RFRA needed? Because of the widely criticized U.S. Supreme Court decision Smith v. Oregon in 1990. The court ruled that the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion didn’t extend to neutral laws of general applicability that happened to affect religious practices, only to laws directly targeting religious practices.

[One attorney specializing in religious liberty cases told me at the time that this decision rendered the “free exercise” clause in the First Amendment “dead language.” Justice Scalia wrote the majority opinion. He called the higher compelling state interest test a “luxury” we cannot afford and acknowledged this would put at a disadvantage those religious practices not widely practiced. I consider his decision to be very “statist”.

Justice O’Connor wrote a concurring opinion, but said that the reasoning in the majority decision was faulty. She added that laws of general application were more likely to burden religious belief than laws actually targeting religion.

Justice Blackmun gave, in my opinion, a stirring and compelling dissent: He argued that the “compelling state interest” and “least restrictive means” tests were “over the years painstakingly…developed…to test the constitutionality of a state statue that burdens the free exercise of religion.” “Until today, I thought this was a settled and inviolate principle of this Court’s First Amendment jurisprudence.”]

[It is interesting that just three years later, in 1993, a city ordinance that directly targeted a religious practice came before the Court. The Courtunanimously struck down an ordinance banning ritualistic animal sacrifices by the Santeria religion (Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah).]

The RFRA was passed to counter this decision. But in 1997 the Supreme Court overturned RFRA’s application to state and local statutes. In response, 20 states with more to come have passed their own versions of RFRA to support religious liberty at state and local levels.

[These state laws largely drew their wording from the original federal RFRA. Indiana’s law went beyond the federal law in a couple of ways, such as including a company, corporation, religious institution and other entities in the definition of a “person.” Legal articles differ on whether these were substantial expansions. But they certainly became part of the objections from businesses and the heated protests against Indiana’s law!]

[The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, passed in 2000, was another response to the overturning of RFRA. It gave property dedicated to religious purposes certain protections against local zoning restrictions. It also sets forth a broad understanding of what “religious exercise” is: “any exercise of religion, whether or not compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief.”

Based on this religious land use law, an LGBT-affirming church in Bellflower, CA won a $1,750,000 settlement with the city on April 13, 2015. This ended the city’s insistence that the church provide a large number of parking spots while the city exempted a mortuary and a fire museum from the same parking regulation.]

What has happened to take us from the unity of 1993 to the acrimony of today? Why the intense opposition to Indiana’s new law? I offer two opinions and three proposals toward civility (but no longer unity).

First, I have watched erosion of support for religious liberty along with a growing lack of understanding of how important religious beliefs are to their adherents. Religion isn’t just an add-on that can be easily shelved. It is a sense of the Ultimate that goes to the core of one’s identity and conduct. Consciences formed by religious faith should not be burdened by the state (to require what faith forbids, or to forbid what faith requires), except in rare circumstances.

[Note the quote from Thomas Jefferson above. By “rare circumstances” I mean issues where the government can satisfy the “compelling state interest” test.

Negative secular reaction to the Supreme Court’s “Hobby Lobby” decision in 2014 is a prime example of eroding support for religious liberty. This decision was based on RFRA, not on First Amendment rights. Hobby Lobby is wholly owned by a deeply religious family who claimed the contraception mandate in Obamacare would obligate them to violate their core religious beliefs.

Additionally, we often hear government leaders speak of “freedom of worship” rather than the more expansive concept of “freedom of religion,” which certainly must include the right to live out your faith in the public arena. Exemptions to government edicts are talked about for “houses of worship” and clergy but not for other religious entities like church owned/operated schools, hospitals, and social agencies. Nor are religious laypeople given the exemptions that clergy have. Are they less “religious”?]

Second, LGBT issues were not on the table when the original RFRA was passed. The interfacing of these issues with many traditional religious beliefs has not been gentle, to say the least. Both sides are wary of the other. And those with religious convictions contrary to same-sex marriage are now moved to prevent violation of their own consciences.

[This is not to say that there were no LGBT issues at that time. Remember the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy? But I doubt there was any reference to LGBT issues when the original RFRA was passed.]

Now I have three proposals for navigating these troubled waters with civility. The first is a call for clarity. Have critics and proponents of Indiana’s RFRA taken the time to read it? To read dispassionate analyses? The acrimony of recent days has been long on harsh polemic and short on clarity.

The second is a call for conversation. Are we talking to the other side and learning what each side’s concerns and understandings are? Or are we convinced we already know all the facts and what motivates the other side? An anti-gay sign, “God is your enemy,” and a sign held up in Indiana saying, “God and Muhammad are not real — your hate is,” are conversation stoppers, not promoters of civil discourse.

[Who can speak likehe or she is an expert on the motives in the hearts of others? Arguments that are “ad hominem”—labeling the person rather than addressing the issue—should be challenged as such whenever they are used.]

I’m an evangelical Christian with deep concerns over freedom of conscience issues. I can articulate these. I can also listen to perceptions others have about religious domination and laws they see as promoting discrimination.

A call for candor is third. However religious freedom laws address discrimination, the fact is these laws provide a defense that says, “Not so fast! The free exercise of my faith is being burdened and you have hurdles you must achieve before it can be limited.” Proponents should acknowledge this.

Critics should not charge that RFRA is a blank check for wide discrimination by those who merely use religion as a veneer. Nor should they ignore the burdening of the free exercise of religion taking place, probably to a degree the nation’s founders never intended.

The need for restoration of religious freedom shouldn’t exist, but it does. Robust religious liberty is our heritage. It must flourish alongside disagreement, neither suppressing nor being suppressed by the other.

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

Don’s Recent &Upcoming Ministries

“Lord, I Need Your Help to Forgive!”

You may listen to my sermon on the forgiveness petition of “The Lord’s Prayer”, delivered at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach on March 22, at:

http://www.gracesealbeach.org/media.php?pageID=28

April 15 – Lead a discussion on clergy-congregant relationships at the Long Beach Religious Leaders Association

April 28 (6:30 p.m.) and May 1(9:30 a.m.) – Speak at women’s Bible study groups at Grace Community Church on Matthew 28:16-20 (the “Great Commission” Jesus gave)

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B-Minor

Magnificent 75-voice chorale, splendid chamber orchestra, superb soloists—such was the treat when the Long Beach Chorale and Chamber Orchestra presented Bach’s majestic, Christ-honoring work on April 18-19.

Thanks to these fine singers and musicians for the excellence. As for Bach himself, I say as he would say,

“Soli Deo gloria—to God be the glory.”

A very blessed and joyous springtime to all.

And a prayer of thanks for our mothers on May 10!

“A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

– Proverbs 31:30

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

April 2015 Newsletter

Posted on April 14, 2015 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

March 2015 Newsletter from Donald Shoemaker

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

Easter’s Message – Suffering and Hope

“[Jesus] humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place…” – Philippians 2:8-9

Easter gives a message of great hope. But the season also speaks of humility, sacrifice and death. The glory awaits us in the future; the sacrifice is now.
We must not forget this order. We don’t get a pass on faithfulness today.

Christian martyr and true German patriot Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew this lesson. In The Cost of DiscipleshipBonhoeffer wrote: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Bible Insight – “Forgive us our sins”

“Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” – Matthew 6:12, 14 & 15 (English Standard Version)

This remarkable prayer request in The Lord’s Prayer asks God to liberate us from one of the greatest human burdens—“How can I be forgiven for all the wrongs I have done?” These wrongs are summed up in the confession of The Book of Common Prayer, “We have not loved [God] with our whole heart;we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.”

The request to be forgiven is not a free “get out of jail” pass. It places an obligation on the person praying. We are asking God to forgive us up to the level of our willingness to forgive others. It would be hypocritical of us to ask God to do more for us than we are willing to extend to others. So the prayer obligates us to forgive even as it beseeches God to grant us forgiveness. (Read a powerful story Jesus told on this point in Matthew 18:23-35.)

American Evangelical Christianity widely teaches that forgiveness should be unconditional. * “As soon as someone wrongs you, immediately forgive that person in your heart.” The point is, forgiveness is something you do for yourself (a therapeutic act so you will feel better), rather than something you do for others (a relational act so reconciliation may occur). Look at these slogans, which are posted as Bible thoughts on forgiveness for goodness sake:

The slogans and their “therapeutic forgiveness” have an important point to make. Why let someone’s wrong against you tear you up inside and fill you with bitterness? Why give this person a double victory?

Scripture addresses this:

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” – Ephesians 4:31

This indeed must be done, for these negatives can ruin us. But to deal with them is different from forgiving others. Forgiving others is done so relational “shalom” might occur—interpersonal healing, restoration and peace.

Forgiveness is discussed in the next verse (Ephesians 4:32):

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

God forgives us “in Christ”. In this dynamic God’s forgiveness is very conditional—dependent on the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world, and dependent on our embracing of God’s offer of forgiveness.

“The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’I tell you, this man went down to his house justified.” – Jesus (Luke 18:13-14)

Here’s what Jesus said about conditionalforgiveness of others:

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” – Luke 17:3-4

God’s conditional forgiveness is taught later in the New Testament (1 John 1:9):
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”

What reasonable steps of contrition should we expect to see before forgiveness can be granted and a wholesome situation of “shalom” restored? I suggest at least these four signs if someone is serious about being forgiven:

1. Remorse – “I am truly sorry.”

2. Repentance – “From the heart I confess to you that I did wrong.”

3. Restitution– “I am willing to do what I must to make things right.” (This point should be kept flexible—it is as much an accountability lesson for the offender as it is a payment to the person wronged.)

4. Resolve–“By God’s strength, I will not do this again.” (Fact is, we may. That’s what requires the “seven times a day” forgiveness Jesus taught. But the resolve needs to be sincerely made.)

* A “forgiveness” quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (top page): “”Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance.”

Good News from Grace

www.gracesealbeach.org

It was my privilege to speak at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach on March 22, with the sermon “Lord, I Need Your Help to Forgive!”

You may listen to this sermon at:

http://www.gracesealbeach.org/media.php?pageID=28

Good Friday Communion Services at Grace Community Church: Noon (in cooperation with 1st United Methodist Church) and 7:00 p.m.

Easter Morning Services: 8:00, 9:30 (2 services) and 11:00 (2 services)

Reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ death and celebrate his resurrection at gatherings where these are truly believed and made central in people’s lives.

“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)

Threat to Religious Freedom in San Francisco

Good for Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco! He actually believes that a Catholic school should teach and practice what that religion believes.

Many parochial schools have wandered from this and allowed the goal of giving a good educationreplace the goal of inculcating the teachings and values of the sponsoring church. The parents don’t mind a crucifix on the wall so long as faith and values aren’t stressed. A pastor or bishop who tries to turn the school back to its proper mission is in for headaches and opposition—in this case from the teachers’ union and politicians.

Archbishop Cordileone wants teachers who will stand for those teachings, not apologize for them, and do so with compassion.“We don’t want kids mouthing what we tell them to say. We want them to believe it. But to believe it they need living, breathing examples of people that are fulfilled living this, and they exist!”

That a religious school should be free in America to teach the faith and values it embraces should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it isn’t.

Politicians, in disregard of the separation of church and state, have come out against the archbishop:
• The 11-person Board of Supervisors of San Francisco has unanimously approved a resolution opposing the archbishop’s policy.
• Eight California lawmakers have written a letter of opposition.

What an intrusion into religious conviction and expression! Turn the tables and imagine this—what if nineteen bishops high-pressured San Francisco’s government one way or the other on some non-religious issue? Listen and you will hear loud howling on how the “wall of separation” is being violated! *

In a written reply, the archbishop challenges the legislators, asking them:
“Would you hire a campaign manager who advocates policies contrary to those that you stand for, and who shows disrespect toward you and the Democratic Party in general?”

Joan Desmond asks in the National Catholic Register, “What is the primary mission of a Catholic high school?” All churches, Protestant or Catholic, need to ask this question about their educational institutions. If they have wandered ‘off mission’ they must be called back and held accountable.**

And the government’s job is to support their freedom to do so, not erode it.

* Actually the First Amendment prohibits the government from interfering with the free exercise of religion. It safeguards the right of the citizens (including citizens who act collectively such as througha church) to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

* *If the church did allow its schools to slip “off mission” and “off message”, this is a warning to all religious schools. Much easier to keep strong in message and values than to let these things get diluted over the years and then try to restore them. Still, restore them they must (they needn’t choose between good values and good education). Otherwise, close the schools, save your money, and let the public system or secular private schools do the task of education.

From Michael Josephson –

“Whether it’s sports, business or politics, whenever we divorce issues of competence from issues of character, we create a class of amoral professionals who think they’re exempt from common standards of honor and decency. This discredits and demeans the moral standing of everyone involved.

What Will Matter: Coaching for Character (March 25, 2015) whatwillmatter.com

Our Prayer for Good Friday (Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Friends and Colleagues,

Here are some items I hope you will find of interest in my April Newsletter:

Easter’s Message – Suffering and Hope. Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood that being a follower of Jesus means suffering is often our lot in life now. Hope is fully realized in the life to come. That’s a lesson from Good Friday and Easter.

Bible Insight – “Forgive us our Sins.” This request in The Lord’s Prayer seems so simple. But the condition attached to it makes it a serious challenge. Does the Bible, after all, teach conditional or unconditional forgiveness? If conditional, what are these conditions?

Religious Liberty Vigilance – Threat to Religious Freedom in San Francisco. As the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco works to restore the centrality of church beliefs and values in Catholic parochial schools, he is being severely opposed—by politicians! Why would they interfere in church matters this way?

You may listen to my March 22 sermon on the “Forgiveness” petition in The Lord’s Prayer by following this link: http://www.gracesealbeach.org/media.php?pageID=28

I pray for a meaningful Good Friday and Easter for you, and every best wish for a joyous spring season.

Don

PS – Feel free to forward this Newsletter to others. More free signups welcome! And if, for any reason, you no longer wish to receive it, simply reply with the word “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the Subject line and I will quickly honor your request.
www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

The Ten Commandments–A Brief Helpful Introduction

Posted on April 9, 2015 by admin

“The Ten Commandments”
(See Exodus 20:2-17)

ABC news correspondent Ted Coppell once said, “What Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai were not the Ten Suggestions, they are Commandments. Are, not were. The sheer brilliance of the Ten Commandments is that they codify, in a handful of words, acceptable human behavior. Not just for then or now but for all time.”

The Ten Commandments are presented to us in Scripture this way:

1. They were given by God.

“And God spoke all these words…” (Exodus 20:1)

Like it or not, if you strip the presence of the “God who speaks” from the ethical values of the Ten Commandments, they lose moral power. Ethics without God is just one man’s (or philosophy’s) opinion against another’s.

2. They were given by God to his chosen people.

“Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel’” (Exodus 19:3)

While the whole human race benefits by obeying these commands, and while a society benefits when these commands are inculcated into its culture (respect for life, respect for parents, respect for property, etc.), as a “set of commands” they are an inseparable feature of God’s covenant relationship to his people. Thus, a secular society misses the point if it tries to post The Ten Commandments in public classrooms or on monuments as a moral code.

3. They were given by God to his chosen people whom he had saved by his grace.

“You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4).

The people were to obey these commands not so they gain salvation, but because they have already experienced salvation (deliverance from slavery). The Ten Commandments, properly understood, cannot be pitted against the forgiving grace of God and life under the grace of God.

4. They were “covenant expectations”.

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession…a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6; see 1 Peter 2:9).

Israelites were to obey the commandments not as a condition for entering a special relationship with God, but to continue in the blessings and benefits of that relationship. Departing from the commandments means hardship, loss, pain and bondage—no matter how good things once were when the commands were held high.

5. They are further explained in “case law” – how they should apply in specific situations. (See especially Exodus 21-23)

“A thief must certainly make restitution” (Exodus 22:3). Imagine how this principle would impact the cause of justice if it were widely applied!

“If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed. But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed” (Exodus 22:2). Not all killing is murder—people may justifiably defend lives and property. But you cannot kill a thief in just any situation.

“Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. However, if he does not do it intentionally…he is to flee to a place I will designate. But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death” (Exodus 21:12-14). This shows many principles: (1) when a society executes a murderer, that act of killing is not itself an act of murder; (2) if a killing is unintentional, the person who caused the death is not treated as a murderer; (3) premeditated murder is the primary prohibition in the commandment “You shall not kill”.

Telling the truth? “Do not spread false reports… When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit” (Exodus 23:1-2). “Do not bear false witness” is obeyed through nurturing a strong passion for truth.

Respecting property rights? Obedience to the “do not steal” commandment has its positive side: you must do what you can to restore property that the owner has lost—even if you don’t particularly like the guy (“your enemy”)! See Exodus 23:4.

6. Human nature tries to justify breaking the commandments through moral chicanery, tricks, traditions, qualifications and justifications.

“God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’… But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Jesus’ teaching on observing Law over tradition in Matthew 15:4-6).
7. In Bible times, prophets and teachers of the Law (supremely Jesus) applied The Ten Commandments to new situations and called for them to be kept sincerely and correctly from the heart. Every generation of those who claim to know God has to apply them to new situations without departing from their original intent.

The Ten Commandments must be applied afresh even as people find new and creative ways to break them. In fact, in our rapidly changing world, they need to be renewed each decade, to see if we are keeping them as God intended.

By all means, learn and live The Ten Commandments!

Threat to Religious Freedom in San Francisco

Posted on April 9, 2015 by admin

Threat to Religious Freedom in San Francisco

Good for Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco! He actually believes that a Catholic school should teach and practice what that religion believes.

Many parochial schools have wandered from this and allowed the goal of giving a good education replace the goal of inculcating the teachings and values of the sponsoring church. The parents don’t mind a crucifix on the wall so long as faith and values aren’t stressed. A pastor or bishop who tries to turn the school back to its proper mission is in for headaches and opposition—in this case from the teachers’ union and politicians.

Archbishop Cordileone wants teachers who will stand for those teachings, not apologize for them, and do so with compassion. “We don’t want kids mouthing what we tell them to say. We want them to believe it. But to believe it they need living, breathing examples of people that are fulfilled living this, and they exist!”

That a religious school should be free in America to teach the faith and values it embraces should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it isn’t.

And the government’s job is to support their freedom to do so, not erode it.

* Actually the First Amendment prohibits the government from interfering with the free exercise of religion. It safeguards the right of the citizens (including citizens who act collectively such as through a church) to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

* * If the church did allow its schools to slip “off mission” and “off message”, this is a warning to all religious schools. Much easier to keep strong in message and values than to let these things get diluted over the years and then try to restore them. Still, restore them they must (they needn’t choose between good values and good education). Otherwise, close the schools, save your money, and let the public system or secular private schools do the task of education.

“Forgive us our trespasses” and conditional forgiveness

Posted on April 9, 2015 by admin

“Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” – Matthew 6:12, 14 & 15 (English Standard Version)

Scripture addresses this:

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” – Ephesians 4:31

Forgiveness is discussed in the next verse (Ephesians 4:32):

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

“The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified.” – Jesus (Luke 18:13-14)

Here’s what Jesus said about conditional forgiveness of others:

God’s conditional forgiveness is taught later in the New Testament (1 John 1:9):
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”

1. Remorse – “I am truly sorry.”

2. Repentance – “From the heart I confess to you that I did wrong.”

3. Restitution – “I am willing to do what I must to make things right.” (This point should be kept flexible—it is as much an accountability lesson for the offender as it is a payment to the person wronged.)

4. Resolve – “By God’s strength, I will not do this again.” (Fact is, we may. That’s what requires the “seven times a day” forgiveness Jesus taught. But the resolve needs to be sincerely made.)

* A “forgiveness” quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “”Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance.”