Bible Thumping at its best…my old pastor tells it like it is
Exchurchmouse’s thought *I need a beer*
This pastor yelled at me over the phone in 2005 because I wanted to move on to a church that was not in the same denomination! He accused members of that denomination of “sprinkling babies and saying it makes them Christian!” (So not true!)
The Pastor’s Page
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Dick was known for going strictly by the facts, and his friends regarded him as cold and heartless. His wife Jane was a person who was all emotions and everyone regarded her to be very unstable.
Neither extreme is intended by God. Biblical Christianity is the perfect blend of facts and feelings. Jesus who told us to love God with all the “heart” also instructed us to love God with all the “mind” (Matthew 22:37). Christianity involves both the head and the heart—facts and feelings.
The facts are all in the Bible. Christianity is a religion of the Book.
The Bible is not only filled with facts, historical and geographical, but also with facts doctrinal and moral. There are no shortcuts.
A person must find out what these facts are and make them part of his thinking. This takes time, discipline and study. That does not sound exciting to some people, but the factual foundation of Scripture must always undergird the superstructure of a well-built Christian life.
Feelings change, but facts are always the same. Feelings are subjective, but facts are objective. Feelings spring up from within ourselves, but facts are given by God from heaven. The hitch is that the Bible study is hard work. There is no magic way to acquire the facts.
Because Bible study is demanding, many believers attempt to shortcut by settling for a “feelings only” kind of Christianity. It never works! The philosophy of a feeling is existentialism and it is not Christian.
The religion of feeling is Pentecostalism, most widely expressed in the charismatic movement, and it is not Biblical. Rather than being solidly built on the entire factual content of Scripture it majors largely on feelings. The bumper sticker “If It Feels Good, It Is Good” seems to be the rule applied by many people to discern spiritual matters rather than using the Word of God.
No debate! The “feelings plan” is easier, but no movement can long endure without an adequate foundation, and no individual can have a solid Christian life without an adequate Biblical foundation.
Being entertained by Christian television programs is never a substitute for real Bible study. Endlessly hearing testimonies may be spiritually exciting, but we cannot build our lives on the experiences of others when they should be built on the facts of God’s Word.
There is no dispute! We have 2,000 years of Christian history behind us and there never has been a strong, stable, spiritual Christian who did not faithfully feed on the facts of Holy Scripture. The person who cannot discern between emotionalism and spirituality is indeed a babe in Christ.
*Church name* is steadfastly committed to historic Biblical Christianity and therefore has always fostered a balance between the head and the heart and realized that facts must precede proper feelings.
Emotion? Yes! Morning worship services with moving awesome moments in the presence of our holy God call for spiritual feelings so exalted that some folk are left behind! Evening services with singing that soars to the very gates of heaven. Wednesday Prayer Meetings with searching intimate moments of approach to God’s throne and the thrill of answered prayer.
Preaching that does not insult the intellect but also lays hold of the heart. All of these are familiar to people attending *Church Name* but this is not all. There is a solid program of Bible study that is a challenge to every believer and offers the opportunity to grow to real maturity in Christ. The feelings must be founded on facts or it is all fantasy.
Folk may be drawn to *Church Name* because its name is widely known, because of a personal invitation, or they are attracted by the music or preaching. But individuals who are looking only for a frothy surface type of religious experience soon move on elsewhere when they discover that *Church Name* is a no-nonsense kind of church which refuses to build on emotionalism.
The Word of God must be the foundation of our faith. The facts of Scripture must be carefully studied and applied to our lives and all the good feelings we have about the Lord must not come from some fantasy world but be based solidly on the factual content of the Word.
As we enter this fall season, we have before us a flood of opportunities to really grow in the Lord. Every serious Christian will be interested in the Bible Institute classes and will determine not only to attend but to study and to pass and receive the certificates until he is graduated from the Institute.
The Sunday Morning adult classes at 9:45 afford an opportunity for study and true Christian growth.
The unparalleled morning and evening services will attract people who are deeply interested in hearing the truth of God, and experiencing great moments in God’s presence because their lives are firmly based on the factual foundation of Scripture. Yes, there can be the same Scriptural blend of facts and feelings.
How can I possibly be happy as a single?!
I am sharing my story to prepare for the possible onslaught of responses from brothers and sisters in Christ about my philosophy on being happily single.
Before I became a believer, I was involved in a series of very short-term relationships. They had their high points and low points, but I never became very emotionally attached to them.
After I became a Christian, I still got involved in short-term relationships with people who could possibly be classified as very, very lukewarm believers.
Throughout my life, I never thought I was attractive or successful enough to attract the right kind of person. When I became a Christian and got more immersed into church culture – I also blamed myself for not being “Christian” enough. I carried these ideas with me well into last year. The breaking point was related to the experience I had with Frank Lloyd, a man from my church.
The changes in my cognition are due in part to God’s grace and my decision to leave the social and spiritual environment I had been involved with. Leaving Frank Lloyd and company behind has provided me a sense of peace and space to be my authentic self.
Well, it’s time to take care of some business. I organize an online group and a few people have requested to join. Someone’s (yours truly) going to be in the doghouse for her procrastination. (whimpering)
Dangling Carrots and the Crushing natures of crushes
As a reaction to Savvy Single Christian’s most recent post, I am going to share a little bit about my experience.
Last year, I felt a strong attraction to a person who went to my church. I’ll call him Frank Lloyd Wright because he is an architect. We hung out in groups and one on one, but we definitely didn’t date. Needless to say, I felt attached to him – but to this day, I am not exactly sure how he felt about me at the time.
We never sat down and discussed where things were going (or not) and in the end, I had a broken heart and he finally told the truth about how he was interested in a platonic relationship, nothing more, nothing less.
Take away points:
- Crushes are idolatrous – regardless of the outcome. They are idolatrous because they take up space in the mind’s hard drive. Crushes are not like removable storage – it takes a lot of deprogramming to get idealized perceptions of a person out of your mind.
- Relationship building goes two ways. If someone shows enough evidence that his intentions are proportionate to my intentions in how we will build a relationship, then that is the only way I will envision a relationship. In other words, there has to be concrete and measurable evidence that interest is mutual on my part and the other party’s part.
- The cake must be made and baked before you put on the icing. The cute perks of a relationship such as serious cuddling, making a meal for someone, and visiting someone at work come when there is a relationship that has been in existence for a reasonable period of time. Its existence has to be proven based on time spent together and communication level, etc.
- Why buy the cow if the milk is free? Giving away the “goodies” of physical and emotional intimacy can be equated with giving pearls away to swine that will trample all over them.
Fortunately, Frank Lloyd Wright and I never, ever got physical. We NEVER even entertained the option. But allowing myself to indulge in picturing a figment of a relationship landed me into depression, which could have put an end to my academic career.
Post Frank
- I went through the spring semester of 2007 in a haze. Somehow, I managed to complete my required assignments and maintain good standing. In June, I passed my comprehensive exams. In August, I struggled with the decision to leave or remain at my home church at the time – especially since Frank started dating someone else. My feelings for Frank had dwindled significantly, but I had a difficult time feeling as if I was “reliving the rejection experience”. Plus, the feelings I had about the anemic fellowship with my peer group in the church (on-going problem which was of course, “all Emily’s problem” – not theirs) finally came to a head.
I made the difficult decision to leave the church in August and found another church family. Because I had given myself permission to leave, I have made a remarkable recovery.
School
- I like being on campus now. I like going to my classes.
- I haven’t missed a single reading assignment. (But I’m not crazy enough to read everything in super fine detail)
- I have received As and Bs on my assignments.
- My participation in discussion has gone up about 40%
- I smile a lot more on campus.
Fitness & Health
- I exercise regularly
- I stopped smoking
- My drinking has become a lot more moderate.
In sum, I look, feel, sound, and function like a completely different human being. Frank did not cause me to have feelings and fantasies. True, he played a role in leading me on, but I chose to grab onto the dangling carrots with a wild abandon. I have forgiven Frank and I have forgiven myself for my lack of discernment.
The dysfunction I operated in is not only a result of what happened with Frank. As we all know, dysfunction is built over time and it is hard to level everything and to rebuild.
*Editor’s note – I like and respect Frank Lloyd. My posts about him are not “bash and trash”.
“Do I have to be skinny to find a husband?”
I accidentally stumbled upon this question on the singles website from Focus on the Family. For those who don’t know, Focus on the Family is an evangelical Christian organization that promotes conservative family values. If you want more information, refer to the link I provided.
I didn’t read the response, but I think that one needs to do a few things:
1) Define skinny. “Skinny” is a relative concept that has different connotations and biases.
2) Define WHO you want to have as a husband. What kind of characteristics do you want him to have?
3) What led you to ask the question?
Honk Honk
I am going to Goose Island Brewpub in the famous Wrigleyville neighborhood on Saturday night. I coordinate a Christian social club for people in their 20s and 30s. I don’t advertise it because I want to see who is interested and then with the people who become active participants, I believe that we can construct the tone and the mission for our group. There are no gimmicks, denominational affiliations or hoops of politics to jump through. The social events are not there to entice people into a false sense of community. I started this meetup because it can be kind of boring for me when I go to the same church and see the same people. I tend to burnout if my only source of fellowship is through an institutional church. And to be quite honest – I am still trying to get to know people at Grace and I am not in any hurry to get initiated into a subgroup within Grace. I feel as if I can be myself in this social group because the politics and other baggage that comes with institutional churches are not present.
Anywhoo, back to Saturday’s venue – I am not a big fan of Goose Island, but the beer is pretty good and so is the food. Goose Island was a runner up to UnCommon Ground because of Goose Island’s location. It is so hard to miss Goose Island Brewpub because it is spitting distance from Wrigley Field.
I like church and I believe in the mission God has for my church. Politics exist in any sort of institution and I have accepted that. I am surrounded by all sorts of stimuli from academia, Gold Coast, family, Sparky (family dog), God, traffic, etc. After I deal with the stimuli, at the end of the day, I want to allow myself refreshing fellowship experiences. Personally, I need to experience fellowship from different angles so I can decompress.
I felt anxious throughout most of today. I think it had a lot to do with waiting in a smelly subway station for a sluggish Blue line train on my way to class and then waiting in the cold air for a smelly subway train on my way back to class. After I returned back to my neck of the concrete (ha!), I went to Grossinger Toyota to pick up my car. My car has become a regular “patient” at Grossinger.
I have a take home examination due on Tuesday. I started working on it a little on Monday and then today. Somehow, I feel better psychologically when I work at something a little at a time. I like to complete a rough draft and then edit it so I don’t feel rushed.
I don’t know how I made it through the last two years. I forgot due dates and often fell behind on a lot of the reading. I definitely attribute my improvement to changing my social environment. I never realized how much of a social and emotional drain I was in until I looked back and thought about how miserable I was. At that time, I felt as if I had to have a drink (or two, three, four…) to feel socially alive and I felt as if I were crazy for being miserable.
Well, I guess the moral of the story is that you can still be a Christian and maintain boundaries.
Puritan Prayer
Grace Active O God, may Thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to Thee. I Lord Jesus, great high priest, Thou hast opened a new and living way by which a fallen creature can approach Thee with acceptance.
Help me to contemplate the dignity of Thy Person, the perfectness of Thy sacrifice, the effectiveness of Thy intercession.
O what blessedness accompanies devotion, when under all the trials that weary me, the cares that corrode me, the fears that disturb me, the infirmities that oppress me, I can come to Thee in my need and feel peace beyond understanding!
The grace that restores is necessary to preserve, lead, guard, supply, help me. And here Thy saints encourage my hope; they were once poor and are now rich, bound and are now free, tried and now are victorious.
Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in Thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells. To Thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all Thy fullness.
May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened, that I may honour Thee by my entire dependency and the greatness of my expectation.
Do Thou be with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity, the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the changes of life, and the last great change of all. May I find thy grace sufficient for all my needs.
True Fellowship
I visited a church in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. The church is called Wicker Park Grace. I am not sure if they classify themselves as a church, but for the sake of fellowship community nomenclature, I will call it a church.
Very, very hospitable atmosphere. We had a period of silence during worship and we ate dinner afterwards and got to know each other better. I think that silence is such an undervalued form of worship in our culture. I need to think hard about how I define worship and culture and fellowship.
I am so glad I went out and made it. I will return again (if I don’t have other plans on Sunday night) in addition to going to my morning church.
There is a story behind the name “Exchurchmouse”, which will come again at a later time. But for now, I will just leave.
