Anthony Mullins, national coordinator for GCI’s Generations Ministries, announced that GenMin has published its teaching curriculum to be used in its 2016 camps. The curriculum, written by GCI’s Intern Program national coordinator Jeff McSwain, is titled Celebrate the Grip.
This curriculum provides material that is readily adaptable in developing a sermon or discipleship series. Anthony comments:
Talk about some good preaching material! I encourage our pastors and other preachers to use the 2016 camp curriculum for sermon ideas before and after the camp in your area. Why not make the sermon theme Celebrate the Grip in your church during the month when your local camp falls? Invite the campers and those who serve on the volunteer staff to share their camp stories at your church. It’s another way to show the symbiotic relationship between church and camp.
To download the Celebrate the Grip curriculum, click here.
Since our last update on retired GCI pastor Roger Abel’s health struggles, he had to leave the rehab hospital and return to the ICU, once again battling pneumonia. He is now doing better and is scheduled to return to rehab. His family asks for continued prayer that Roger will not get pneumonia again (caused by aspirating) with the resultant disorientation and muscular atrophy.
Cards may be sent to:
Roger and Donna Abels 1827 Ransom Dr. Ft Wayne, IN 46845
Though interesting and vital, the study of history often leads to disagreement as people align with differing perspectives concerning the historical record. Depending on one’s country of origin, generation, race, religion, gender and other factors, people often emphasize some aspects of the record while diminishing (or even selectively revising) others. In some cases, they even embrace false statements that have been repeated so often they have become accepted as historical fact.
Is religion the cause of most wars?
A case in point is the often-repeated statement that “religion is the cause of most of the wars in human history.” This claim has been popularized by a wide array of well-known people, including British atheist Richard Dawkins and American actress Gwyneth Paltrow (see her quote below).
Used with permission – AZQuotes.com. Wind and Fly LTD, 2016. 29 February 2016.
The problem with this claim is that it does not align with the facts of history [1]. As illustrated in the chart below (drawing on data in The Encyclopedia of Wars) there were about 1763 wars between 8000 BC and AD 2000 and religion was the underlying cause in only about 123 (7%) of those conflicts.
Photo credit: The Christian Solution.
Did Christianity oppose science?
Another often-repeated claim is that during the Enlightenment (the period typically defined as stretching from 1685-1815), non-Christians and atheists worked to advance the role of science against the opposition of Christians. That claim is also false. Leading up to and during that period Christians were generally not anti-science and, in fact, were at the forefront of the advancement of scientific discovery.
Contrary to one of the assertions of the conflict thesis, which seeks to pit theology against science, the Enlightenment was not characterized by antagonism between Christianity and science. That flawed thesis, which arose in the mid-1800s, was debunked by historians of science in the mid-1970s (as noted in Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion, in which Ronald Numbers debunks false information including that related to the incident between Galileo and the Catholic Church). Though shown to be untrue over 40 years ago, the conflict thesis continues to be widely promulgated, even by those who ought to know better (journalists included).
The truth is that not only did Christianity not hold back scientific advancement, but many of the great discoveries of science were made by scientists who were Christians, including such men as Galileo, Isaac Newton, Rene Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell, Gregor Mendel, Asa Gray, Lord Kelvin and Michael Polanyi. Though not Christian, Einstein was a theist who believed in an intelligent, transcendent God. He once said, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”
But what about the Dark Ages?
Though bias in interpreting history can never be totally eliminated, there are times when the “fog” of bias becomes so dense that it obscures the truth entirely. But when bias is held to a minimum, reality can shine through. An example is the use of the term “Dark Ages” to identify the period between the 6th and 14th centuries. Most historians have stopped using that term because it gives the false impression that during that period (also known as the “Middle Ages”) there was pervasive ignorance accompanied by little development in knowledge, a situation exacerbated by the Church in its promulgation of unscientific, religious “superstitions.” But this narrative is simplistic and fails to account for the true history of that period, as Ronald Numbers notes in the book cited above.
Does Christianity promote misogyny?
In our day it’s fashionable to claim that Christianity is responsible for many of the world’s ills, including that of misogyny (hatred of and/or prejudice against women and girls). Aligned with that claim is the notion that the Bible is a deeply misogynistic book and famous Christians from Tertullian to C.S. Lewis had a low view of women. Though bolstered by the practice in some churches of excluding women from leadership, such claims are largely wrong (I can hear my grandfather saying that people who make them “are a few colors short of a rainbow!”).
Portrait of Arthur Schopenhauer by Jules Lunteschütz (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The fact of history is that misogyny arose not in Christianity but in paganism, particularly in the wake of the Enlightenment when supposedly “enlightened” people became so “smart” they concluded that belief in God was unnecessary. For example, Frederick Nietzsche (1844-1900) in Thus Spake Zarathustra, wrote that, “God is dead.” In the same essay he wrote, “Thou goest to women? Do not forget thy whip!” Nietzsche’s thinking was influenced by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), who in On Women wrote this:
Women are instinctively crafty, and have an ineradicable tendency to lie… As lions are furnished with claws and teeth, elephants with tusks, boars with fangs, bulls with horns and the cuttlefish with its dark, inky fluid, so Nature has provided woman for her protection and defense with the faculty of dissimulation, and all the power which Nature has given to man in the form of bodily strength and reason has been conferred on woman in this form. Hence, dissimulation is innate in woman and almost as characteristic of the very stupid as of the clever.
The claim that misogyny arose from Christianity and the Bible is akin to “the skunk calling the rose stinky.” Jesus long ago debunked false claims that men are smarter than and superior to women. He did so by dying for men and women and including both in his resurrection. Both men and women are predestined in Christ, and as the apostle Paul eloquently explains, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 NKJV).
Without erasing gender differences, Paul affirmed a mutual interdependence between men and women: “Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God” (1 Corinthians 11:11-12 NKJV). Note that Paul wrote this long before the beginning of the modern feminist movement.
Positive contributions of Christianity
Saint Sampson the Hospitable who built some of the earliest hospitals in the Roman Empire. (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
There always will be those who claim that Christianity is the cause of much of what is wrong in the world. It is true, of course, that some Christians have caused harm, and some still do, typically by living out misguided, sub-Christian beliefs. But these negative impacts have been far outweighed by the positive contributions to mankind made by Christ-followers. Christians founded most of the hospitals in the Western world, providing care for people regardless of their religious beliefs. [2] For centuries Christians have positively affected education, science, technology, music, literature and the arts. They have been strong advocates for human rights, care for the mentally ill, the eradication of slavery, promotion of marriage and the family, and equality for all under the law. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). To that I say “amen” and add that I’m proud to be a Christian—an ambassador for Christ.
Walk in truth
Though some will continue to distort history to make a point or gain an advantage, historical revisionism never changes the truth. Therefore we need to beware historical revisionism and walk in truth—following and worshiping the Son of God who came to impact the world in a powerful and positive way. As his ambassadors, we are invited to participate with Jesus in living and sharing the gospel, and in so doing making a positive impact in the world. Though Jesus is always bringing about change in the world, he never does so by revising the truth. He doesn’t need to because the truth is always good news! Jesus, who is the truth, always establishes truth. Let us follow his lead.
This update is from Tim Maguire, GCI’s mission developer in the southern part of Africa. He requests prayer concerning significant problems being encountered by the people of the African nation of Mozambique where we have many members.
Political instability
There is great disagreement between the ruling and opposition political parties, which is creating human and material damages on the roads. We ask for your prayers so that these two parties can cease their striving and bring peace and stability to the people.
Drought and famine
The people of Mozambique are plagued with the problem of drought that has led to famine. Their crops are drying up for lack of rain since the middle of December. The crops, including maize (the main source for food there) are wilting. This has created despair in the country with food prices rising and people asking, “Where will we find money to buy food? How can we live without food?”
Our GCI members in Mozambique are being affected by this natural calamity, suffering from hunger and not knowing when it will end.
We will be sending $25,000 to Mozambique this week from the GCI Disaster Relief Fund (described below) to provide food for our members there during this drought.
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GCI Disaster Relief Fund
If your congregation has a heart to help members impacted by major disasters like the one in Mozambique, probably the best way to do so is to donate to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund helps provide members in disaster areas with emergency needs such as food, water, medicine, clothing, temporary housing, home and/or church hall repairs, temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency needs. Monies received into the Fund that are not immediately needed will remain in the Fund to be allocated in future disasters. In previous years, money from this Fund has been used to help members recover from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, storms and flooding in Bangladesh, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, typhoons in the Philippines and an earthquake in Haiti.
If your congregation would like to donate to the Fund, your treasurer can set up a one time or monthly donation through the GCI Online system (http://online.gci.org) by logging in and selecting Church Giving under the Treasurer tab.
If your congregation prefers to send a check, make it out to Grace Communion International, indicating on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. Send the donation to:
GCI Disaster Relief Fund Grace Communion International P.O Box 5005 Glendora, California 91740
We are saddened to learn of the recent death of Chris Linke, long-time elder in the Thunder Bay (Canada) congregation who had recently moved to Kitscoty, Alberta. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Emma.
The Ramos family is grieving the death of Maria Rivera, mother of GCI pastor Raul Ramos. She died peacefully in her sleep after battling liver cancer. As noted by Sylvia Ramos (Raul’s wife): “No more suffering, no more pain, no more confusion. Maria is now with her beloved Lord.”
Though there is sadness in the home because of Maria’s death, there is also joy. Sylvia learned recently that she will not need radiation or chemotherapy as a follow-up to her recent surgery for endometrial cancer. The doctor determined that the cancer had not penetrated her uterine wall.
Cards may be sent to:
Raul and Sylvia Ramos 1637 Bisbee Place Lancaster, CA 93535-4370
We are saddened to learn of the recent death of Wayne Wyman, long-time elder in GCI’s congregation in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada).
According to GCI-Canada national director Gary Moore, Wayne (along with his wife Doris) was a stable and constructive influence in the congregation, including during the years it went through major doctrinal transformation.
In his letter this week, Dr. Tkach concludes a three-part series on the topic of God’s grace (for the other two letters in the series, click here and here).
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Perhaps you’ve heard it said that grace “is not unlimited” or that it “has its requirements.” Some even accuse those who emphasize God’s love and forgiveness as promoting what they disparagingly refer to as “cheap grace.” On one occasion my good friend, GCI Pastor Tim Brassell was accused of preaching “cheap grace.” I love his reply: “No, it’s not cheap grace I’m preaching. It’s far better than that—it’s free!”
It was theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book The Cost of Discipleship, who popularized the term cheap grace. He used it in making the point that God’s grace, which is unearned, is experienced as a person embraces and then lives out the new life that is theirs in Christ. Apart from that life of discipleship, what a person experiences will be less than God’s fullness—it will be an experience of “cheap grace.”
The lordship salvation controversy
Unfortunately, Bonhoeffer’s teachings concerning grace (including his use of the term cheap grace), along with his teaching concerning salvation and discipleship, have often been misunderstood and misapplied. A case in point is the decades-old debate known as the lordship salvation controversy. A leading voice in that debate, a well-known five-point Calvinist, often asserts that those who claim that a personal profession of faith in Christ is all that is required to be saved are guilty of advocating “cheap grace.” He then argues that to be saved, one must make a profession of faith (accepting Jesus as Savior) and produce a certain level of good works (obey Jesus as Lord).
Though both sides in this debate make valid points, I think both make errors that would be avoided if they would start their discussions not with the human response to God, but with the response of Jesus to God. By starting there they would see Jesus for who he truly is—both Lord and Savior. They would proceed by understanding that, as a gift of grace, we are being led by the Spirit to share more and more in Jesus’ own response to the Father on our behalf.
From this Christ-centered, Trinitarian vantage point they would view good works not as what earns salvation (or as something that is superfluous), but as what we are created to do in our union with Christ (Ephesians 2:10). They would also view salvation as being entirely unearned, resulting not from works (including our personal profession of faith) but from the works and faith of Jesus on our behalf (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:20 KJV). They would then conclude that there is nothing they can do to save themselves or to add to (or to maintain) their salvation. As noted by the great preacher Charles Spurgeon, “If we have to put one stitch into the garment of our salvation, we shall ruin the whole thing.”
Grace is Jesus’ work for us in all its aspects
As we’ve noted in this series on grace, we ought to have much more faith in Jesus’ works (his faithfulness) than in our own. It does not devalue the gospel to teach and believe that our salvation is not the result of our works, but is accomplished entirely by God through his grace. As noted by Karl Barth, “No one can be saved in virtue of what he can do. Everyone can be saved in virtue of what God can do.”
The Bible teaches that anyone who believes in Jesus “has eternal life” (John 3:16, 36; 5:24) and “will be saved” (Romans 10:9). And there are verses that admonish us to follow Jesus, living out our new life in him. Any approach to God and his grace that separates Jesus as Savior and Jesus as Lord is wrong-headed. Jesus is one whole, undivided reality who is both Savior and Lord. As Savior, he is Lord. As Lord, he is Savior. Attempting to dissect that reality into two separate categories is not helpful nor is it productive. Doing so creates a two-class Christianity that opens the way for people to exert their judgment upon who is and isn’t a believer in Jesus. It also tends to separate our being from our doing.
A bifurcating of Jesus and his salvation is grounded in a transactional view of salvation that separates justification from sanctification. But salvation, which is entirely of grace in all its parts, isabout a relationship with God that leads to life transformation. The grace of God that saves us accomplishes our justification and our sanctification in that Jesus himself, by the Spirit, is both our righteousness and our sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30).
The Giver of salvation is, himself, the Gift. United to Jesus, by the Spirit, we share in all that is his. The New Testament sums it up by calling us a “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). There is nothing cheap about this grace because there is nothing cheap about Jesus and the life we share with him. Indeed, that relationship results in repentance, in leaving the old person behind, and in walking in newness of life. God, in love, desires the perfection of his beloved and has provided for that in Jesus. Anything less would not be loving. As Calvin used to say, “Our whole salvation is complete in Christ.”
A misunderstanding of grace and works
When the focus is on the exact nature of our response and understanding, and on the production of good works, some will mistakenly believe that an ongoing contribution of good works is necessary to maintain our salvation. The fear is that a focus on the grace of God through faith alone will result in the granting of license to sin (a topic I addressed last week). The silliness of that idea is that grace does not ignore the consequences of sin. Also, such wrong-headed thinking separates grace from the very being of Jesus, as if grace is a commodity for transaction that can be doled out in bits and pieces, separated from Christ. In effect, the focus on good works ends up promoting disbelief that Jesus did everything required to save us. It wrongly affirms that Jesus only began the work of our salvation and now it is up to us to behave in a certain way in order to maintain it.
Christians who fully embrace God’s freely-given grace do not believe it gives them license to sin—just the opposite. Paul was accused of preaching too much grace so that “sin may abound.” But that accusation did not cause him to change his message. Instead, he charged his accusers with distorting his message and went on to clarify that grace is not about making exceptions to rules. Rather, faith in God and his grace works itself out in love (Galatians 5:6 ESV). Paul said that the aim of his ministry was to bring about the “obedience that comes from faith” (Romans 1:5 ESV; Romans 16:26 ESV).
Salvation is by grace: Christ’s work from start to finish
We have a certifiable debt of gratitude to God, who sent his Son in the power of the Spirit to save us, not condemn us. We understand that no amount of good works can make us righteous or holy, because if it did, there would be no need of a savior. Whether one’s emphasis is on the obedience of faith or the faith of obedience, we must never undervalue our need for Jesus as our Savior. He has judged and condemned all sin and has forgiven us for eternity—a gift we receive as we believe and trust in him.
It is Jesus’ own faith and works—his faithfulness—that saves us from start to finish. He imputes to us his righteousness (our justification) and by the Holy Spirit he shares with us his holy life (our sanctification). We receive both gifts of grace in the same way: by trusting in Jesus. What Christ has done for us, the Holy Spirit works out within us. We are directed to believe that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6). If anyone does not participate in what Jesus is doing in them, then their profession of faith is empty. Instead of receiving God’s grace, they are resisting it by presuming upon it. Certainly we want to avoid that mistake, but let’s also avoid embracing the false idea that our works somehow maintain our salvation.
Eternally grateful for the fullness of God’s grace, Joseph Tkach
With recent developments in biblical studies and science, pastors and others are often wanting to address the topic of integrating modern science and Scripture. Is it even possible? This is a large topic, but the video below, produced by BioLogos, provides a helpful narrative structure to guide the discussion.
The presenter on the video is Leonard J. Vander Zee a leader in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) of North America. He is editor in chief for Faith Alive Christian Resources. He previously pastored churches in Indiana, Michigan, Iowa and New York. He is the author of “In Life and In Death: A Pastoral Guide for Funerals” (CRC Publications, 1992) and “More Than Words: Prayer as a Way of Life, a Leader’s Guide” (CRC Publications, 1995). His articles have appeared in The Banner, Reformed Worship, Perspectives and Christianity Today.
There are many articles on the GCI website that address the topic of the Bible and science. See for example the article at http://www.gci.org/science/choose. The subject is also addressed on The Surprising God blog in these posts:
GCI-Canada National Director Gary Moore reports that GCI congregations in Canada have recently been helping about 60 refugees from a variety of areas settle in Canada. Many, if not most, are attending GCI congregations. Another 60 are waiting for assistance, which we will provide as we are able.
Nova Musafiri, an elder in the GCI congregation in Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada, who is originally from our GCI refugee church in Kenya, has been instrumental in helping to facilitate this ministry to refugees. According to Gary, “It is wonderful to be able to help these people in such a personal and practical way.”