Solomon tells us that “a happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing” (Proverbs 17:22, AMP). God undoubtedly has a sense of humor; we need only look at some of the animals He created (it’s hard not to smile at the sight of a hippo, a monkey, or a puppy). Or think of some of the married couples you know: don’t you think God was smiling at the wedding as He looked ahead to the interaction of the wildly different personalities that will be living together?archive for June 2006
realistic issues <> moral issues?
A story from PBS’s Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly discusses issues of abstinence in Uganda’s highly successful AIDS prevention campaign. Edward Baligonzaki, a pastor in Kampala, says, “We are talking about young people who are having a body, who have feelings. We are bound to lose the war the moment we turn physical health and realistic issues into moral issues.” But Stephen Langa, Executive Director of Family Life Network, contends that “realistic issues” and “moral issues” are inseparable: “This word here, morality, is a word that is not politically correct. The minute you say the word morality on HIV, they say ‘Aha! You’re judgmental.’ Now, you see, morality is what separates us from dogs and cows.”
Let’s be clear: “physical health” here means “sexuality.” While some “physical health” issues might be separate from morality (do I wear a padded insole to help my feet?), sexuality is not. According to Scripture, sexual behavior is implicitly moral because it involves not just bodies and feelings but the spiritual beings inside those bodies; as Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message, “There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin.” Anything I do that impacts another person has a moral component. I would respectfully suggest to Pastor Baligonzaki that he lost the war the moment he tried to separate morals from the discussion.
when I think of God…
Poetry is challenging for the majority of my students, both because of unfamiliarity and because of poor teaching in the past. Most of my students have apprehensions and misconceptions about poetry, and so I will often introduce it by writing on the board “When I think of poetry…” and asking them to complete the statement by writing for a few minutes. When students read their responses, I hear things like “it’s hard to understand” and “it doesn’t make sense.” There is the student who loves poetry and has been looking forward to discussing it all semester, but there’s generally only one in a class of thirty-five.
I suspect that if I ask my students to complete the statement “When I think of God…” I would get pretty similar responses. Ditto, my neighbors and coworkers and even fellow Christians. There are a lot of apprehensions and misconceptions about God…
Grandpa Switzer
My parents were in town this week on their way to and from seeing their new great-grandsons, the twins. Thursday night, we were talking about my mother’s parents, and particularly her father, Leo B. Switzer. I loved Grandpa Switzer — -he was the quintessential grandfather: kind, funny, affectionate. I remember sitting on his lap; he would squeeze my leg just behind the knee to make me laugh. I also remember how he smelled, though for the life of me I can’t find words to describe it. I don’t think it was cologne or aftershave, and it wasn’t unpleasant; it was just Grandpa. I always remember him smiling….
risk everything
In today’s reading from By Faith Alone, Martin Luther writes about the mistaken idea that we must somehow be worthy to pray, taking the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee as his text. Luther says that if we trust in our own worthiness, we’ll never be able to pray. Instead, “We become worthy to pray when we risk everything on God’s faithfulness alone.” I love Luther’s choice of words: risk everything. It occurs to me that this is why legalism becomes such an attractive approach to Christianity….
a passion for sin
Two nights ago, as I waited for my water to boil, I read the Celestial Seasonings Peppermint Tea box (the boxes always have a variety of quotes, and this one was new). On the back was a list from Life’s Little Instruction Book, Vol II. The first instruction pricked my heart: “Pay as much attention to the things that are working positively in your life as you do to those that are giving you trouble.” I realized that for the past week or so (probably much longer), I’ve been focused solely on problems, faults, and sins. Last night my friend Jeff shed some light on this. He pointed out that what set the Pharisees apart was their detailed analysis of sin….
don’t do anything once that you’re not willing to do a thousand times
My niece Emily and her husband Keith recently had twins, and I was thinking about what advice I would share with them about parenting. Number 1 is “always talk about God” (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Number 2 is definitely, “Don’t do anything once that you’re not willing to do a thousand times.” Let me explain….
say among the nations
I was reading Psalm 96, a wonderful call to praise God, and was struck by this phrase: “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’” This psalm is full of imperatives: sing, declare, ascribe, worship — -and then say. This psalm is about the majesty of God, praising Him for His glory and strength. In contrast to “all the gods of the nations” who are idols, the LORD, Jehovah, “made the heavens” (v. 5). Nations here usually refers to Gentiles, and some translations render the word heathens.
It got me wondering: of all the things that could be said to the heathen (that is, the lost), why The LORD reigns? We might be tempted to modernize this as “God rules!” — -as in “our team rules; you’re a bunch of losers!” — -but I don’t think that’s the intent here. Look at all of verse 10:…
Reflections on a Christ-centered, grace-filled life. Writer and teacher Dan Butcher's blog takes an eclectic approach to faith.
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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