The Tolerable Christian: 'Friendship With the World'

Adulterers and^[b] adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 

James 4:4

And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail,^[c] they may receive you into an everlasting home.

 Luke 16:9

 Many Christians today read the passage above, from James, understanding that, quite literally, one cannot be friends with any who do not believe as we do ( AKA, 'the world' ); however, read in context with Jesus' statement from the Gospel according to Luke, it seems that we SHOULD make friends with 'the world', even unrighteous ones! What are we to make of this seeming contradiction? Can we or should we be friends with those who war against the Gospel of Peace? Of course not, but if we simply tolerate them, are we acquiescing to their violence, or simply living at peace ( loving ) our neighbor?

Both James & Jesus made the above statements in a slightly different context, both culturally & historically from our present situation. 'The world' of their day was that, yes, of the enemies of the Gospel, but we must understand first of all that both Jesus & his brother were referring to the apostate Jews, 'the world' ( system ) of their day. Second, both were speaking to those who labored under that first ( AKA, the Old ) covenant. As Christians under the New Covenant, while we should not tolerate evil, neither should we turn our backs on those who do not have a right relationship with their Creator!

The Gospel, as we have noted previously, is not about Heaven & Hell, but rather about life in this world! The Good News is that our Heavenly Father brought Peace on Earth & Goodwill to All Men. He did this that men might live in peace & perpetuate His Kingdom all over the world. We have borne witness to this Gospel of Peace in the midst of Turmoil, as Christians have peaceably resisted those enemies of the Gospel, but we have also borne witness to those who claim the Name of Christ & yet have done the exact opposite: they seem to have adopted the way of those enemies of the Gospel & rather than transforming their world through this Gospel of Peace, have conformed to it by making enemies of those who should be friends!

G.K. Chesterton once said that, 'tolerance is the virtue of the man without conviction'. It has been said that if one doesn't believe something, they'll fall for anything. Christians, to a large extent, have misunderstood the Nature & Character of our Heavenly Father! Because they have these errant convictions about Him, they have tolerated many things which they shouldn't & have refused to tolerate many things which they should have embraced. Too many Christians have embraced the notion that the Gospel IS about going to Heaven when you die & avoiding Hell; they seem to have forgotten that this IS our Father's world & that we ARE here, not to tolerate evil, but to transform our culture into one of Peace. 

Both Jesus & His brother lived in a peculiar time; they were facing an enemy who was surely & finally being brought to his knees! That enemy was Death & now with the death of Death, the Gospel of Peace, not tolerance of evil, is transforming the culture as we speak. It may seem that we live in such a time as Jesus did & in some sense, we may bear witness to that fact, but with one glaring difference, the Presence of our Heavenly Father now dwells in our midst; we do not labor under the Law of that first ( Old ) covenant, but rather in the Grace of the New!

The question of whether we can tolerate those who do not believe as we do is not a simple one! We should not tolerate evil or wickedness, but neither should we turn our backs on a world that so desperately needs us! Christians should embrace, not the ways of the world, by tolerating the evils thereof, but the world itself, by realizing that it is our Father's Creation & transforming it through the Gospel of Peace!

Charles Haddon Shank

In My Father's House Are Many Rooms

You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with;^[e] but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give,

 but [ it is for those ] for whom it is prepared by My Father.

Matthew 20:23

 Jesus told his disciples ( John 14:3 ), 'And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, [ there ] you may be also'. This statement seems to be pretty clearly saying that Jesus was going to be returning to those selfsame disciples one day & taking them back with Him ( to 'Heaven' ). It is pretty clear, from a very literalistic reading of these words, that Jesus had gone back to 'Heaven' & that one day, we would live there with Him ( forever ). One important truth that we must understand though is that these words were spoken a long time okay by a Hebrew, to a mixed Hebrew & Greek ( Syrian? ) audience; when we try to understand these words outside of that context, the context of the Ancient Near East, with their unique style of literature, we do ourselves & Scripture a disservice!

Another area in which we often err is when we 'proof-text'; this is when we tend to rip verses out of their context, especially surrounding ( textual )! Jesus clearly said, 'I go and prepare a place for you', but at the end of His statement, He said, 'that where I am, [ there ] you may be also'. At this point, the question should be asked, 'where IS He?' The obvious Scriptural answer, of course, is 'Heaven'; the Hebrew Scriptures, what is most often called the Old Testament ( especially the Psalms ) are full of statements attesting to this fact; 'Heaven' is where the Creator God dwells & so it follows from a cursory reading of the earlier part of John 14 that we will too!

However, when we read this passage in the context of verse 23 ( 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him' ), as well as the last statement of I Thessalonians 4:17, where the apostle Paul promises those first-century disciples, 'And thus we shall always be with the Lord', we should understand that it's not as simple as Him preparing a place' FOR us, but more to the effect of preparing US as that 'place! The latter reference is most often understood, from our Western view-point, as stating that Jesus will return one fine day ( soon ) & wisk us away to our mansion in 'Heaven', but it has been made fairly clear, with further textual investigation that this passage is not referring to what we know as 'the Rapture', although I'm sure it WAS pretty 'rapturous' to those in the first century who witnessed the events in view!

Okay, so the Creator God has made His Home with those who keep His Word; that's easily explainable just by the Glorious Fact of the indwelling Holy Spirit, right? Well yes, that IS what Jesus meant by those Words, but they hold so much more & deeper meaning! Jesus said 'We will come to him and make Our home with him'. If we can take Him at His Word, does this not mean that HE ( personally? ) has also made HIS Home with us, along with the Father Himself ( the Creator ); does not the entirety of what we know as the Godhead now dwell with ( in ) us? If THEY have made THEIR Home with us, does the Creator God still dwell in 'Heaven', like the Psalms say? Are we merely His 'summer' home?

Ancient Near Eastern literature ( of which the Scriptures are but one example ) is quite different from our Western mindset; it is full of hyperbole & idioms which we are only beginning to understand! When the apostle said, in I Thessalonians 4;16 that 'the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout', because these Words of Promise were to His first-century disciples, we should understand that He was simply talking about the Roman armies descending on Jerusalem. We should also keep in mind passages from the Hebrew Scriptures that speak of the Creator God coming down from 'heaven' to visit His judgment & justice on the nations. Remember too, when Jesus infuriated the high priest when He simply stated, 'Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven' ( Matthew 26:64 ) Only the Creator God Himself rode 'the clouds of heaven'. 

In conclusion & most importantly, we must understand that, as the New Temple of the Creator God, that 'dwelling' which He promised to inhabit in John 14:23, we ( corporately ) ARE the House that Jesus spoke of earlier in John 14. In fact, to go into more detail, the 'house' that Jesus spoke of ( His Father's ) is the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21! Again, this is us, the ( corporate ) Body of Christ; as we saw earlier, it was the Church that He was preparing AS a Dwelling-place For Himself, His New Temple. Now, we ( individually ) are 'the temple of the Holy Spirit', but as Jesus said, 'in My Father’s house are many mansions;^[a]'. Speaking of the New Jerusalem, WE ( individually ) are the 'rooms' or 'places' to which He referred!

Charles Haddon Shank

 

Beatiful Dystopia

Imagine, if you will, a society without the encumbrances of memories ( good & bad ), without the inherent messiness of things like emotions & ( GASP! ) free-will! You may say I'm a dreamer, but obviously, I'm not the only one. There is a growing plethora of movies out there, based, however loosely, on this utopian dream.Could such a society exist? On the surface, one might almost accept the propagandized notion, that without these unnecessary evils, we wouldn't have wars & other conflicts of this nature. However, as these movies are painstakingly pointing out, with the bad go the good as well, with the messy go the necessary & so on & so forth!

Emotions, as we've witnessed, can go both ways; they can induce us to do good or evil, they can rule us or we can rule them! There is always a choice involved & as these utopian dreamers point out so wee ( it would seem ), more often than not, when humans are faced with two choice, we make the wrong one & walk through the door that brings pain, suffering & conflict, all because of those nasty emotions! Though this may often be the case, emotions themselves are not a bad thing; they were programmed into us by the Giver of All Life & not everything that seems to be bad or evil is so!

Communities, like kingdoms, are a messy business! Yes, for the same reason, both of these constructs can be a frightening prospect, mainly because it involves bring together a bunch of humans with differing characters, emotions & physical make-up. Uniformity, we can probably all agree, tends to lessen the cause for conflict, but it also lessens the possibility of individual achievement: if everyone was the same, or at least acted the same, there would be no need for the corporate faction, for people to live together in community, because everyone could do everything; every man & woman COULD be an island because they wouldn't need anyone to do anything for them!

To live together in community is a sometimes frightening, but blessed proposal! Just like Marriage, it brings together individuals who have free-will; though there may be a basic agreement on the fundamentals of life, when it comes down to the nitty gritty, those nasty minor disagreements ( the color of the carpet, etc. ) threaten to bring the whole house crumbling down! However, any certain group, when deciding to live together in community is faced with the choice of whether to let their differences divide them or define them! It is our differences that make us unique & how we choose to celebrate our differences determines how we will live. If we choose to employ our differences, we will become an integral part of the community, but if we stifle those differences, then we will have no opportunity to shine!

Our feelings too often determine our actions; although it is not necessarily wrong to follow our heart, the heart IS the seat of emotions & when we let those emotions rule us, we often end up with unnecessary pain, pain which, if we had used our common sense, our head, instead of following our heart, could have been avoided. Our Heavenly Father, the Creator of All, has set certain boundaries ( like any good father ), rules which, if followed, bring certain blessings, but if disdained, or thrown aside, bring nothing but pain, suffering & almost certain disaster! Disobedience to the Laws of Nature & Nature's God, while offering a momentary relief & ( dare I say it? ) satisfaction, will end in divorce & dissatisfaction!

There IS a society that brings together & celebrates individual uniqueness; this society is one that lives together in conformity to the Laws of Nature & Nature's God! The utopian dream proposed by such movies as 'The Giver' more often than not end up being a dystopian nightmare for the very reasons that we see outlined above. Instead of celebrating our differences & using them for the mutual advantage of the community, the uniformity that is seen as necessary for a 'perfect' society ends up bringing, whether through dissatisfaction or design, the ultimate end of that 'perfect' society!

The Society of Righteousness is ruled by a Law which says, 'this is right & that is wrong'! If each individual within any given society is a law unto themselves, in other words, decides for themselves what is right & what is wrong, that society cannot last, but will eventually devour itself from the inside out. However, a Society which is founded upon certain absolutes & celebrates the differences of its members & fosters conformity without uniformity, THAT Society will last because its members will be happy in their uniqueness while unselfishly serving the good of the community, not through force, but through their own free-will!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Deeper Meaning ( of Love )

'What's Love Got To Do With It?'

Valentine's Day is two days away: some people are looking forward to it, some are not! The history of this lover's holiday is quite interesting to say the least & I encourage you to look it up ( google it ), but our focus today is the love behind it all; is it REALLY Love, or is it just a passing fancy, a lustful feeling? Much of what passes for love in this day & age is based on feelings, which, as we have noted, can change like the weather! This is not to say, however, that a love which IS based primarily on feelings cannot be a lasting one, but this, I believe, would be the exception, not the rule.

Many words seem to have lost their true meaning, or intent in this modern age of technology & convenience. Among others, 'love' is one of those words! As originally conceived, Love was simply an action, a conscious decision, a self-imposed duty, if you will, to follow a certain set of rules, or Law, concerning another, or any number of people. In today's vernacular, which probably most everybody can say mea culpa to, including this blogger, 'I love you' can mean anything from 'I have warm feelings for you' to 'I want to make babies with you ( or at least go through the motions )'!

When words lose their meaning, that meaning is, for all intents & purposes lost! This is not to say that the original meaning & intent no longer apply, for it is a universal & absolute truth, only that it is hidden to those who have chosen to accept the false conception. Love, therefore, is not based upon warm or lustful feelings, but upon a conscious decision to do what is right with concern to another or others. 'Romantic love', as we know it too familiarly today, while not necessarily based on feelings, is most often thus & is concerned largely with the physical aspects of the intimacy, the 'ins & outs', 'ups & downs', so to speak, of this over-sexualized society!

Sex, or the act of sexual intercourse, is not in itself wrong, shameful, or inherently sinful, but when it is wrongly applied, or explored in a wrong or unnatural context, it becomes corrupted & a root of all kinds of evil! Many of those who are familiar with the latter scenario can attest to the fact that this wrong context, or abuse of the sex act can lead to all sorts of nasty repercussions & cause all sorts of interesting dilemmas. The act of sexual intercourse is very natural; we were made for it! As we've explored previously, a certain part of the male anatomy melds quite nicely & interacts quite pleasingly ( if I may say so myself ) with a certain part of the female anatomy, and while certain dogma & stigma has made & continues to make this act shameful, there is nothing to be ashamed about, IN THE RIGHT CONTEXT!

The Context, of course, is Love! Not the fuzzy, warm feeling that we get when we see, think of, or are around a certain person, although that IS often involved, but the Love from Above, that which comes from a Knowledge of the Creator & the understanding that Love does not originate with our feelings but rather in our mind, our 'heart', if you will. Feelings are most certainly involved, but first & foremost, it is a choice we all must make; will we do what is right, or will we allow our feelings to dictate our course of action? Too often, I believe, people choose the latter & erroneously call it 'love', not understanding the deeper meaning of the word!

The intimacy of the act of sexual intercourse, though not necessarily involved in the deeper meaning of love, certainly brings a sort of stability to the table! A 'love' based on that act is no love at all, but the act of sexual intercourse between a male & female, in the right context, is nothing but Love. This is a Love that will last, not because the 'sex is good', but because the intimacy is there; a connection deeper than anything like mere biology has occurred & that, my friends is Love!

When we celebrate Love this Valentine's Day, while everybody else is wondering who they're going to wine & dine or just planning to woo into bed after the festivities, let's remember that it's not about the biological attraction ( although chemistry has a lot to do with it); it's about that intimate connection we make with another soul, whether or not the physical act of sexual intercourse is involved! Feelings come & go, but Love, True Love, is forever; when we focus on what is right & not just what feels right ( at the moment, or for the moment ), then we will begin to experience for ourselves the Deeper Meaning of Love, for we have found A Love That Stands the Test of Time!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Reins of Power

In this day & age, especially as Election Season has almost hit us 'full-tilt' ( sound strangely like 'bull-shit' ), political prowess is being flaunted in all its inglorious aspects! We currently have a president who claims to be Christian, yet has ties with the Muslim Brotherhood & has traveled around the world basically apologizing for America's greatness. Whether you agree or not that America has done many things around the world that warrant this kind of behavior, it is abundantly clear that politics rule the day!

As we have noted previously, politics is basically 'the decision of the people'; the people decide, through majority vote ( although this is very questionable, at the least ), who they want to 'lead' the country, so, like it or not, whoever the 'powers that be' are that run this great nation, 'they' decide who will govern & that 'choice' governs basically at will; no longer must the Executive Branch go through the Judicial Branch anymore, if the president wants to do something, all he or she needs to do is sign an Executive Order & there you have it!

'Power corrupts & absolute power corrupts absolutely'! Lately, within the past 50 years or so anyway, this coinage has seen more use than a pair of old gym socks. Politicians, for the most part, have become so power-hungry that they will do almost anything within their power to win an election. The corruption we have seen from their use or abuse of power has borne manifold witness to the veracity of the statement in question & although only One truly wields Absolute Power, as far as mere human beings can wield power over others, there is the inherent potential to corrupt the one who holds it!

The question, ever since the Birth of Nations, has never been whether one should bear rule over another, but how to best exercise that power! While it has been widely accepted for many years that human beings need a governor, or ruler, the tendency for most human beings, which we have all borne witness to, is to give up their responsibility if someone else is willing to take it, in many areas anyway; we are, most of us, naturally lazy & if the government is willing to do something which we are not, we will often roll over & let them take the responsibility for our inaction. Usually this means a loss of freedom as well & oddly enough, it's not till people begin to realize that along with their responsibility goes their freedom, that they begin to take responsibility for their actions, but by then, it's often too late!

'With freedom comes responsibility'; never has that statement been more true than today! If one wants to be truly free, one must take the responsibility for his or her own actions & if we are willing to let the federal government, that corporate entity known as the U.S.Inc., absolve us of our responsibilities, then we shouldn't complain when our freedoms begin to fall into their far-reaching hands as well. Self-governance seems to be almost a foreign concept to some people anymore; no longer do they do what's right simply because it's right; they do what they do, right or wrong, either because it is or isn't the law! Now, I realize that this might be the exception, but as a general rule, it seems that most people have given their power over ( gladly ) to an entity that changes its face every 4-8 years.

Although, for the past 50-100 years, these United States of America have been A Nation of Sheeple, as more & more wake up & smell the coffee burning, we are witnessing a growth in the number of those ( too late, in some cases ) who ARE waking up & realizing the mistakes of the past. Although too many are going about it the wrong way, these are doing the best they know how to rectify the situation & are beginning to practice a sort of self government!

The Reins of Power, as the Founding Fathers knew, rest squarely in the hands of the people! Politics is truly 'of the people, for the people, by the people', but the powers that were granted to the federal government, our representatives, have corrupted them to the point that many or most politicians see themselves, not as servants but as rulers! From the beginning, this was not so; representatives were chosen from among the people, by the people & for the best interests of the people. Today, Politics has become so corrupt that, not only do they no longer truly represent us as they're supposed to, it's nothing more than the old 'bait & switch', a very dangerous stage show!

'How can we retrieve these reins', you might ask, 'how can we take back the freedoms that have been wrested from our cold, dead ( lifeless ) fingers?' In some cases, it may be too late for anything but blood-shed ( drastic ) to retrieve what's ours by right, but the simplest way at our disposal is to live as free men & women. When we begin to take responsibility for our own actions & live rightly just because it IS right, not because some law says we have to, we will again begin to experience the freedom that only comes with responsibility; we will have once again taken up The Reins of Power!

Can you imagine if all the people around us saw our freedom ( with responsibility ) & decided they want it too? Why, it might become a movement & folks, that's what it is, the Self Governing Kingdom of Heaven Movement & to join it, all you have to do is sing it the next time it comes around on the guitar....................

Charles Haddon Shank

The Greatest Good; Live & Let Live

When faced with violence, it is difficult, in the least, to remember that 'violence is NOT the answer'! Though it may seem that violence is the best answer to violence, we know from experience that violence usually begets more violence; the history of violence in this nation alone, not to mention Europe, the Middle East & the rest of the known world bears manifold witness to this deplorable fact. Nation retaliates against nation, group against group & so on & so forth; 'where it will stop, no one knows'. Then there's the preemptive strike, a pre-retaliation of sorts; 'lets bomb them first, because we're pretty sure they plan to bomb us'...........................

There can be no doubt that evil is an everyday occurrence; the violence that goes almost unchecked in many parts of the world IS most definitely deplorable, but it is an Ancient Evil! The History of Violence around the world has its beginnings from the very genesis of the nations. Those who founded the particular nations did so, for the most part, on the blood, sweat & tears of those involved. Those who bled & died were often the victims of some type of some type of genocide, particularly on the Dark Continent lately, but in Europe as well & even here in the good ole U.S. of A.!

Violence seems unavoidable; if our own life, liberty or property ( or that of loved ones ) is threatened it is natural to immediately react with more violence. Not only is it a natural reaction, it often seems like the only sane & logical course of action! When faced with such a situation though, there are a number of facts we need to consider; are we doing right in meeting violence with violence? Though violence is not the answer, neither is it necessarily a bad thing. In some cases, violence must be employed in order to get the job done & while it is NOT true that 'a little violence never hurt anyone', it IS true that some people need to be hurt ( a little ) for their own good. A case in point here would be if someone were headed straight for a cliff & someone else tackled him, maybe breaking an arm or leg, but saving him from almost certain death at the bottom of the precipice!

Although violence is not the answer, sometimes it's a good thing, not in a reactive sense, but in an active sense! For the greater good, sometimes it's necessary to violate the rules, right? Sounds almost like 'two wrongs make a right', huh? Well, no, that's not right; it's never right to do wrong in order to do right! In order to make the necessary changes in one's life, though, one must suffer violence. Not ALL violence, then, is wrong or bad. Though it usually hurts for the moment, especially to the one undergoing the change, the violence suffered, whether it's a broken arm or a bloody nose, will usually have the desired effect. This is not always the case, however, some people never learn, it seems, but for the most part, when a person realizes the pain they might have suffered, he or she takes the lesson & makes the necessary adjustments!

Facing evil is a frightening proposition! If we face it with, not merely the greater, but the greatest good in mind, it doesn't seem so insurmountable & reacting with more violence seems less & less of an option. As we have all borne witness to, 'violence begets more violence'; it's a vicious circle! Once someone employs violence ( in a wrong way ), it's hard to stop it unless & until someone comes along who is willing to live & let live, someone who has taken note of where it will lead if they respond with more violence!

'Live & let live'; now there's a concept! Imagine what the world would look like now if more people employed this mantra! I can only imagine how difficult it would be, in the face of a Hitler or a Pol Pot, to 'turn the other cheek', so to speak, but if we had elected ( I say 'we' in a corporate sense, as the Apostle Paul used 'I' in Romans 5-7 ) to do things differently in the beginning, how much better would this world be to live in? Would people still suffer violence? To be sure; there will always be the Hitlers & the Pol Pots, but even then, when faced with the correct actions, they might turn out to be not so bad after all!

Charles Haddon Shank

Time on Our Hands

What if we could travel, not only back but forward in time & fix our mistakes both past & future? Time Travel has always, for the past number of years especially, held an almost immoral fascination for some people ( it's a growing number ). When you really think about it, which fairly recent movies like 'Looper' & 'Interstellar' have made us do ( even more ), how awesome would it be to be able to go back in time & fix the mistakes of the past? On the other hand, what if we could travel into the future & change our present, which would be a natural deduction; if we could travel back in time, why not forward, right?

Time Travel, while having much attraction at first glance ( who doesn't wanna fix their mistakes? ), also has some side-effects that aren't so pretty; what if we were able to travel anytime we wanted to, past or future & change our circumstances in either time, earlier or later: wouldn't there be a danger of losing the good ( memories ) too? We might travel back in time to change one aspect of our future & like 'Back to the Future' showed us, we could end up changing our whole future, including what we DIDN'T want to change!

The best way to ensure that we have a good future, obviously, is to do our damnedest to live well in the present! Sure, there'll be hiccups along the way; there'll be opportunities lost along the way, bad decisions that we regret & thing that occur that, looking back on them, we're pretty sure if they hadn't happened, things would have turned out differently, but we must also factor in the good things that come about because of certain 'bad' things. A 'for instance' scenario might be where, if we hadn't been hospitalized from a bad car wreck, we may never have met the love of our life who 'nursed' us back to health!

Living the good life in the present is no guarantee that your future will be all roses, but it certainly helps! What we do in the present DOES have an effect on our future, THAT is guaranteed; though there IS such a thing as forgiveness ( thank our Father ), the way you treat a certain person in the present WILL affect that person for their immediate future. The way we treat our bodies in the present will have much the same detrimental effect for our immediate future. Both scenarios are somewhat reversible, although some 'scars' may remain!

One aspect of the movie 'Loopers' that almost brought me to tears was that the mother of a particular child pleads with the one who would kill her child to selfishly secure his own future ( the killer's ) to spare his life so that she might raise him to be good; a second chance, so to speak. Isn't that what it's all about; don't we ALL want a second chance? Well, the Creator God IS the God of second chances; He has ordered the universe ( or multiverse ) in such a way that when we screw up, there is always the free choice given us to 'do better next time'!

This again is no guarantee that our second chance, even our third or fourth. will have the desired effect; we may just be that stubborn & ignorant! However, we DO have that choice before us, as to how we will act or react, whether to learn from our mistakes & do better, or if we will continue to make the same mistakes over & over, guaranteeing that our future will if anything be sadder than our present. Our future, in the greatest sense, is NOW & it's in OUR hands; what will happen is never guaranteed, although it is more open to the Eyes of Him who sees all, but what our future looks like WILL in many ways be determined by what we do NOW!


Charles Haddon Shank

Redeeming Culture

Since 1972, these United States have been an almost silent witness to around 55 million murders! Most recently in the news are homosexual marriage licenses. For the past 40-50 years, society ( culture ) in this great nation have taken a decidedly down-hill turn. This is barely to mention even the wars & rumors of war that the U.S. Inc. has embroiled its subjects in!

Society in these United States & Western Culture in general has become so corrupt that I'm sure our Founding Fathers are rolling over in their metaphorical graves ( 'You've fallen a long way, baby!' )! 'If only we could restore the Constitution', you hear some people say. Well, we had/have the Constitution & look where we are in spite/because of it! One of our most famous Founding Fathers, John Adams, said, 'Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other'; sounds something like the apostle Paul when he wrote 'we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully' ( I Timothy 1:8 ).

It's really no wonder that the majority of Christians out there are looking for the soon return of Jesus; one, they hope for Him to rescue us from the corruption that surrounds us & threatens to overwhelm us & two, they believe, to varying degrees, that He will literally burn up/destroy all sin & wickedness, turning this earth/world into a veritable utopia! It's almost difficult to blame them for holding on to this hope & it's impossible to deny that the situation calls for something that drastic. As believers in a Fulfilled Eschatology, we here at Covenant Community Church know that Jesus returned, as He promised, 'in the clouds' of judgment in the first century, with the destruction of Jerusalem & the Temple, thus bringing an end to the apostate Jews reign of terror & ushering in the Parousia, or lasting Presence of the Almighty Creator God!

Since then, the Parousia has been realized & is realized every day, what hope do we have? If Jesus has already come, then why is the culture in such a mess, why is society around us so corrupt? Is there any hope left if Jesus has already made His Presence known?!

'Covenant Community Church; a Redemptive Society'! That's the first thing you will see when you visit our website, Truth In Living. Many Christians seem to have forgotten or have failed to realize why we are here on this earth; we are not here to decide among ourselves who will be making the up-ward trip to Heaven & who will descend to a burning Hell ( in fact, the traditional Heaven & Hell barely even register in the equation- Heaven is the Blessed Presence of God & Hell, well, Hell was the grave in the days of Israel under that first covenant, or 'Israel in Exile' ) The Creator God brought His People, much like Israel of old, into Covenant with Him in order that they might be a nation of priests to all those ( the culture/society ) around them in order that we might transform them into the People of the Presence, rather than we conforming to the corrupt culture around us!

Jesus promised that 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him' ( John 14:23 ): we have the Power! We have the Strength that we need & more, so why does the culture around us look & act the way it does? We can really only blame ourselves! If more than a handful of Christians had stood their ground back in 1972, over 55 million babies might be 'over the hill' right now! If those same Christians & more had done more than protest & martyr themselves for those poor helpless unborn, the abortion industry may have faded from view long ago! Abortion is just one fateful aspect of the Corruption we witness on a daily basis in society at large; I leave you, the reader, to discern the rest!

What then are we to do? The task seems all but insurmountable! Well, many have tried the way of politics; we can simply pass more legislation, legislation that would make it illegal to murder the unborn, legislation that would put the brakes on the porn industry, etc., etc. That solution no doubt has some merit; it has worked in the past, enjoying various degrees of success, but as John Adams foresaw, that only goes so far, it only works well for 'a moral and religious people'!

The Solution then, is to redeem society! 'How do we do that?' you might ask; well, first of all, we transform ( to the best of our several abilities ) the society/culture around us, rather than conforming to it, becoming in the process as corrupt as they. Secondly & maybe most importantly, we should be a 'culture within a culture'; we should be, as so many Christians are fond of saying, 'in the world but not of the world'. This is our home, don't get me wrong, this is our Father's world, but we have been saved from the corruption that plagues those around us who do not know the Creator God! In order to form a more perfect society ( culture ), We, the People of the Creator God & Kings & Priests ourselves, MUST, to the best of our ability, live at peace with ALL men & women, bringing them to the knowledge ( not just acquaintance ) of our God & Father!

In years past, Christianity has witnessed, to varying degrees of success, the conversion of whole cultures through the means of preaching & even at the point of a sword ( or spear ); we cannot deny that the Kingdom of Heaven has experienced expansion through these means! Even today, here in America, we may bear witness to the power of these influences & the effect they still present; however, the fact remains that society or the culture in general has been corrupted. There remains one sure way to cure these evils & that is 'Truth In Living'!

Charles Haddon Shank

No Exit Here; the Reasoning behind the Doctrine of Total Depravity

I. Our first parents, begin seduced by the subtlety and temptations of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.

II. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.

III. They being the root of mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by original generation.

IV. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.

V. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.

VI. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal. 

Whether you agree with this section of the Westminster Confession of Faith or not ( or any of it for that matter ), if you're a Bible-believing Christian, you must admit that Adam & Eve DID sin ( grievously ) & unwittingly unleashed a 'world' of trouble on their descendants! That this corruption persists to this day, even in the nature of the regenerated, is the question we must ask ourselves; if this 'fallen' nature persists in those who have been regenerated, then did Christ come in vain?! Are we not, as the apostle Paul wrote, 'a new creation' ( II Corinthians 5:17 )? The argument that the WCF outlines ( in bold above ) seems rather obvious in many cases, but is it really that simple; can or should we blame our failures on something over which we have no control: have we no responsibility to bear in the matter?

The doctrine of total depravity, along with being one of the five pillars of Calvinism, is one of the hallmarks of the orthodox Christian faith. Without the necessity of blaming our failures on some storied 'fallen nature', the redemption that Jesus brought seems almost unnecessary. If we did not inherit this corruption from the first Adam, then where is the need for rescue from the depravity of this world? On the other hand, though, if the Anointed One, the last Adam, did not save His people from their sins, then what veracity can we glean from statements such as that above? Since Jesus DID save His people from corruption, then what were the fashioners of the WCF thinking when they penned those words?!

The doctrine in question here is based upon the false notion that somehow man was able to irrevocably mar the Creator God's natural good Creation; to even suggest that is to put mere humanity ( not to mention this 'Satan' ) on par  with the Creator; this may not be! To suggest that mankind is fated to live with this corrupted nature until they die or Jesus comes back, whichever comes first, is to say that the Messiah of Israel failed in His original mission & must return in the selfsame Body to rule & reign on the earth. This of course, will be AFTER He burns up this present world in all its wickedness!

While this doctrine DOES seem to be supported by manifold proof-texts from Scripture, Jeremiah 17:9 for instance, when read in their proper & original context, we can see that they're not speaking of those who have entered the New Covenant, but of those that labored under that first covenant, Israel according to the flesh! Because the Messiah rescued His people from their distresses under that first covenant & ushered in the New, we no longer suffer from that corruption. Sure, through the weakness of the flesh, we still fail to keep His instructions at all times, but we have been given Strength in the Spirit & in that Spirit we live & breath & have our being; we are not depraved or corrupt, we are a New Creation & that means no more corruption ( or else Jesus failed )!

'If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.' This passage ( I Corinthians 15:19 ) is probably one of the orthodox Christian's most quoted ones. The idea behind this is what is known as 'the Hope of Heaven', that someday Jesus will return & rescue His people ( AGAIN? ) from the mess they have made & transport them to a place where there will be no more tears, suffering or dying; this doctrine leaves us with basically no responsibility & renders us powerless, even with the Strength of the Spirit! We are NOT powerless; we are indwelt by the Divine & whether one wants to dicker about the separation of Church & State, Body & Soul or not, we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit!

The escapist notion that we must leave this humanity behind in order to enter God's good graces ( 'Heaven' ) must be wholly discarded! We ARE a New Creation & thus no longer corrupted by the weakness of the flesh. No doubt our Heavenly Father, as we are, is saddened by our failures, but it is not our failures that determine our New Standing; it is rather the Spirit within that has given us the Strength, though we do not always use it, to persevere in do what is right, just & good.

The Sign was given, the Exodus occurred & the People of the Creator God WERE rescued from their corruption, from the depravity of the first Adam! Through this True Exodus, of which that first from Egypt was significant, Jesus led His People out of darkness & into the Light of His Presence, forever.  Forevermore, may we be known, not as Totally Depraved, but as the People of the Presence, for that Sign occurred in the first century A.D. & we are no longer on the 'highway to hell'!

Charles Haddon Shank

Organism or Organization?

Organization is a good thing, right? Ordinarily speaking, anyway, being organized is something we all, to one extent or another, strive for in our own lives! In fact, this might be one of the most popular New Year's resolutions, to be more organized, to make things run more smoothly & more efficiently. Not a bad idea, when you think about it; learning to live more frugally & with more structure just makes sense, especially if you're living on a 'shoe-string' budget!

When it comes to bringing together individual organisms & trying to form them into one organization, we run into a bit of a problem; each individual ( person? ) has his or her own interests, likes & dislikes, as well as character & disposition! One 'problem', you might say then, with the modern-day 'church' is that certain individuals have tried to take what was already organized ( brought together ) & form it into their own image, in their own likeness, even though they claim that it's in the likeness of the Creator & His Son, who was Jesus the Christ. We have been formed in the Image of the Creator God & while there are multi-varied opinions about exactly what that means, one thing is sure, what we see in many institutional churches today is most definitely NOT the Image of our Creator; it' a fully-functioning, incorporated ( usually ) business, with all the necessary accoutrements, like W-2s, Payroll, employees & such!


It IS good business to have a good corporate structure, but is this what we're to be about? Is this what Jesus did? Oh, sure, He had a Purpose for everything He did & I'm sure He did everything in a very efficient & orderly fashion ( He was the God-Man, after all! ), but He never told His disciples that they should form individual congregations according to the various doctrinal stances of different people, nor that these congregations should incorporate themselves, conforming to the culture around them, rather than transforming the culture to bear the Image of the Creator God! Rather than simply BEING the Organism that the Creator God has formed us into, we have tried to organize certain individuals into the corporate entities that we know as 'churches'!

Without launching into a lengthy treatise on how individual congregations have capitalized on their pet doctrines, we may suffice it to say that denomiNATIONALISM ( along with certain other 'isms' ) is certainly one of the greatest plagues that has affected the Organism known as the Body of Christ! This is not to say that we, mere human beings CAN effect any change in the Body of Christ ( that's like saying we can change the weather or make the leopard lose his spots ), but we sure have made a mess of things by trying to organize what was already a living, breathing Organism!

Organizations are not inherently a bad thing;it all depends on the reason they were formed & the purpose they serve; some organizations, Mafioso, for example, that are formed with bad intent, are not good things. On the other hand, organizations that were formed for the purpose of protecting a certain thing or people are usually a good thing. The Ku Klux Klan ( KKK ) was originally formed to protect Southern widows & serve the interests of those who had lost their lives or livelihoods in the War between the States. However, good intentions pave the 'highway to hell' they say, & it wasn't long before the KKK became simply another terrorist organization, formed in its own image & serving its own ends! Other corporate entities originally formed with good intent might come to mind here, like the good ole U.S. of A.





'Our God is a God of order', any good Christian will tell you; that's true, just look out at the stars, study the make-up of the universe, the human anatomy, even Nature itself, and it cannot be denied; though seemingly chaotic at times, there is a definite Order to things & what is is most definitely the product ( Creation ) of an Intelligent Designer! The Material Creation has been organized into an intricate symphony for the ages, orchestrated from many living organisms! It is when we who have already been formed into One Living & Breathing Organism try to further organize ourselves into something we were never meant to be that we run into problems!

As the Body of Christ, we ARE One Living & Breathing Organism; we cannot incorporate failed elements & expect to retain the aspects of that which we were formed to be! Our business is to be about our Father's business & that doesn't involve W-2s or employees; it involves Sons & like Jesus said, 'the sons don't pay any taxes'!

Charles Haddon Shank

Stoic Christianity

Is it possible to wade through this life without being affected by the situations that we find ourselves in, or at least surrounded by every day? Many people, Christians especially, seem to think that it is & not only that, but to truly BE a Christian, some would almost say that it is a necessity to live above it all, without letting oneself be touched by all the trouble & turmoil that we witness on a daily basis. If only we could live above it all & let the chips fall where they may ( so to speak ), THEN we could truly be happy & content, THEN we could truly live the Life of a Good Christian, without all the sadness & suffering that plagues the world around us!

According to Dictionary.com, Stoicism is based on the philosophy 'that people should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity', in other words, that one should be able to live in peace, not being affected by all that is wrong with the world! In Christ, most Christians believe, this can be done, but is this really the way that Jesus lived? Are we really supposed to go through life with emotional blinders on, not having empathy for the suffering, though maybe well-deserved, that surrounds us?

The Stoics, as a good friend has pointed out recently, espoused many good virtues; in fact, the apostle Paul taught as necessary many of the same virtues ( Philippians 4:8 )! The difference, my friend tells us, is that Paul knew the Way to keep those virtues intact: he found that the only way to BE virtuous rather than just claiming them is through the Spirit Within. Without a redeeming knowledge of the Messiah of Israel, those philosophers, then & now, have found it impossible to practice the very virtues they espouse. In today's day & age, we find this to be true in many Christians as well; though they tend to blame it on their sin nature, many Christians have been found guilty of flouting these virtues in their own lives!

Much of the blame for this can be placed at the feet of a very faulty & weak eschatology, but the larger part must rest with something related to this  ( eschatology ), the fact that many Christians seem to have forgotten that THEY are the Church, not just on Sundays, or whenever they meet for a special purpose! 'Sunday Christians' have become a by-word to many these days, because a large part of Christendom seems to believe that we can leave Church, that we only go there for worship on Sunday ( or whenever we go ) & then the rest of the week is ours to do with as we will! To be fair, this is not always the case, but even though not all Christians have adopted this sort of life-style, some who worship the Creator in their Life are prone to view Sunday worship as a necessity to the Christian Life!

This is not an argument that we should NOT attend Sunday services, nor is it an argument that we should let our passions or emotions rule us! It is good to gather with other Christians for the purpose of fellowship & corporate worship; this strengthens our resolve & helps us to build each other up in the Faith of Christ! It is NOT good, however, to believe that, in order to be a Good Christian, one must deaden his or her sensibilities to the joy & grief, grief mostly, that we are faced with on a daily basis, something that many so-called Christians seem to think is a necessity!

The utopian dream that most Christians seem to see painted in the Scriptures ( Isaiah 65, etc. ) is based on the false eschatology that was referred to earlier! Most Christians seem to think that, in order for this dream to come true, Jesus, the selfsame One that rose from the grave ( death ), must come down from someplace in the sky called 'Heaven' & restore order to that of Eden, where there is no more pain or suffering or dying, where all things will have been made new!

All things have been made new! These same Christians espouse these virtues & seem to live them, at least on Sundays, or when they're in 'church', but once they leave those hallowed walls, all bets are off! Again, not ALL Christians live this way, but many seem to have adopted the policies of the Stoics in hoping for the day when we will no longer be affected by suffering, pain & the weakness of the flesh!

May we realize the glorious truth that all things having been made new means that we as the Body of Christ, while we DO, in a sense, live above it all, are not without passions or emotions! Rather than letting these passions or emotions rule our lives, all the while blaming it on our fallen flesh, we should instead, use these passions & emotions empathetically to help others rise above it all, to do our best to use the pain, suffering & grief in our own lives so that we can better help others to do the same!

To this End,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Effects & Affectations of Life

In this life, there is much that causes stress, but it doesn't have to! It's much easier said than done, but when something happens to us that we don't particularly like, we always have a choice as to whether we'll let it get us down, or let it become the wind beneath our wings & just soar with it. Whatever occurs to us is going to affect us & sometimes it seems we don't have a choice as to how it does, but we do have a choice as to how we are going to face those effects. Will we bow under the load, or will we bravely face the storm, even riding it out to our destination, using it to the best effect?

Sometimes, we become stolid, in our own minds thinking that we can handle whatever life throws at us. We like to think, especially depending on the Strength of our Heavenly Father, that we can forge ahead without being affected by all the meanness, sadness & brokenness around us, but we weren't built that way! We were made with emotions & being made that way, it is not wrong to listen to our emotions. Now, some people are ruled by their emotions; they're not a toy & they are a fragile thing: we must take great care how & when we choose to let our emotions flow & affect our actions!

Of late, it has become abundantly clear to this blogger just how much of an emotional creature he is & that this is not necessarily a bad thing! Now, again, we must be very careful with our emotions & not let them overrule our common-sense, but neither should we stifle them to the point that we become apathetic ( uncaring ). Letting emotions rule our life ( actions ) is not wise, although it seems that more & more people are doing this very thing; that's probably one reason why we have so many failed marriages! One could even make an arguable case for this being the deciding factor in the cancer we call abortion. In fact, one might say that emotions, including the love of money, is the root of all kinds of evil!

No, just because I said that emotions are the root of all kinds of evil doesn't mean that I believe that emotions are evil, or wrong, though some are! Not all emotions are wrong; some are completely good & wholesome. For instance, the emotion that one might feel toward a member of the opposite sex or even the same sex, while not necessarily wrong in a certain situation, in the wrong context would be very wrong indeed, a great evil! On the other hand, an emotion like empathy, which helps us to be considerate of the feelings of others, is normally a good thing. It helps us to get through life, although at times it seems more of a burden!

Emotions are a funny thing; they can lead us into great evil or they can help us make up our minds to do good! They are a fragile thing & we must be careful how we let them affect us. Emotions are akin to feelings; they change like the weather. The choice is always before us; will we let our emotions decide our course of action, will we allow our feelings to rule us & determine what affect we will have on those around us, or will we, without denying or feelings or emotions, let wisdom chart our course? Despite our emotions, we can act according to what we know is right, rather than acting according to our feelings!

It is tempting, when emotions like empathy gain a foothold in our inmost being, to stifle those feelings & ignore them, trying to pretend we're stronger than that! Sometimes this almost works, to whatever extent & for however long, but sooner or later, those emotions will reach the boiling point & bubbling to the surface, will cause such a storm as we may find it hard to weather! It is best to let our emotions affect our actions to the point that we act rightly, but when our emotions or feelings make us want to do what is wrong, then we should reign in those feelings & remind ourselves that we are to rule over our emotions, not the other way around!

Life is full of ups & downs! When we are on an emotional high, it's very easy to forget ourselves & let them carry us away to somewhere we might later regret, but with a certain wisdom, we may choose to dissect our feelings to the point that we can clearly see where such a path would take us. Emotions are not a bad thing, though; sometimes, we just have to bypass what we know as 'common-sense' & just go with our feelings; they're not always wrong!

Charles Haddon Shank

Implications & Applications: The Lesson of David & Jonathan

Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David,

 and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

I Samuel 18:1 

We live in a society ( culture ) that has been over-sexualized & over-sensualized for so long that we have accepted many things that, 100 years ago would have not only been disdained but abhorred & castigated. We live in a society where a female's most glaring attributes have become the most widely-accepted 'selling point' for everything from burgers to cars to clothes, but a women who breastfeeds her hungry child in public is castigated for it, even if she covers herself. We live in a society where the murder of children ( in the womb ) is perfectly legal & is accepted almost without compunction by many young mothers.

In reading the 'love language' in I Samuel 18 ( as above ), certain individuals have concocted an almost lurid picture of homosexual 'love'! David & Jonathan most certainly DID love each, they even made a covenant together, for God's sake! In our culture, these two friends & companions would very likely have been branded homosexuals by society, but why, when two men or two women love each other, do we always sexualize the situation? Can't two men, regardless of whether they are married or not, show their appreciation for each other, their commitment to each other, without being branded a homosexual? The same goes for women; can't we just enjoy each others company without bringing sex ( more correctly, 'sexual intercourse' ) into the equation?

Much of the reason behind the way we view these unique body parts in this society, or culture, in particular, is BECAUSE they're unique! Most males are Intelligently Designed with a certain piece of anatomy that are not present on most females. Females, on the other hand, not only have a corresponding piece of anatomy that reacts rather delightfully with man's, they also have two other unique features that serve a dual or even triple purpose. Not only are they sexual 'triggers' ( for most women ), but they are natural feeders for young children. Add to that most men seem to have an almost unnerving attraction to them & there you have it; BREASTS RULE!!!!!!!

The Media, including the Internet, has done much damage to relationships & society in general by sexualizing & sensualizing the differences between the sexes, most notably, unfortunately, the human female breast, that squishy lump of fat that sits tantalizingly on most women's chests ( to whatever extent ) & also serves as a handy dandy milk dispenser for the 'nectar of the gods'. It is hard, admittedly, to admire the beauty of the Good Creation without giving due homage to arguably the most beautiful, the biological human body, whether male or female! Now, one of the results of this over-stimulation is that certain criteria must be met for any certain body to be considered beautiful, although I must admit, this is becoming less & less the case; many people, mostly women, but men as well, are manning the trenches & battling this notion!

The Story of David & Jonathan is well-known & loved, particularly in the Christian Community, but really, for an almost universal example of what true friendship looks like. The Love of David & Jonathan had nothing to do with 'sex'; as we read above, 'the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David' & 'Jonathan loved him as his own soul'. Their Love was True, they didn't depend on their feelings to determine their friendship, rather, as we read later, 'Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul'. Although, in the course of events, we find that the Love of Jonathan & David was very advantageous to David, not only did it not give Jonathan any material advantage, it wasd rather disadvantageous for him!

What lesson ( or lessons ), then, can we take from the Story of David & Jonathan? Well, maybe the readiest is that theirs was the truest kind of friendship, the truest kind of love, a pure love! David & Jonathan did not love each other because of what they thought they could get from the other, they loved each other & made a covenant together, mostly for David's protection ( at least, that's how it seemed to work out ) & because their 'souls' were had been intertwined ( knit together ). You might say that David & Jonathan enjoyed a marriage of sorts, although Scripture gives us no hint that any kind of sexual intercourse was involved. Another lesson that we can take from this Story is that relationship need not be sexual to based in love; we should not be ashamed or afraid of our love for any friend, whether of the opposite or same sex!

The damage has been done, however; it's well-nigh impossible to interact with a certain member of the opposite sex without having to fight these feelings, thanks in large part to the over-stimulization by various media outlets! This is not to say that it's impossible though; there IS such a thing as 'self-control'. We have been programmed to think of the advantages we can gain from exploiting these God-given ( Glorious ) attributes; we can be deprogrammed to remember that this ( sex ) IS part of the Good Creation, but it is not our primary purpose. We must, with the help of the Spirit within us, reprogram ourselves to that Original Purpose, that of relationship, even same-sex, where the act of sexual intercourse has nothing to do with it, but a Pure Love without restraint, a Love Without Boundaries!

Charles Haddon Shank

'Come, Follow Me!'

'What Would Jesus Do': though not so much of a huge thing anymore, as early as the late 80s & as late as the early 2,000s, 'WWJD' was quite the statement, anywhere from bumper stickers to t-shirts to key fobs, this meant you were a Christian, following Jesus, doing what He did. Maybe this is one reason why it's not so fashionable anymore, but what DID Jesus do: what DOES it mean to follow Jesus in this day & age?!

Many people seem to think that going to a special buildings on Sundays ( or Saturdays ), singing ( with gusto ) a few Psalms, hymns & spiritual songs, then listening to a preacher spew his thoughts & opinions for anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes is enough to guarantee an easy entrance to the 'Pearly Gates'! On the other hand, there are those who will have nothing to do with any organized 'church', yet go out of their way to feed the hungry, clothe the naked & help widows & orphans in their hour of need. We should ask ourselves 'which of these two groups is actually following in the footsteps of Jesus?'!

When Jesus first gave these instructions ( 'Come, follow Me!' ) to His disciples, He actually meant for them to leave what they were doing & follow Him, at least, that's what they understood & that's exactly what they did! Eschatologically speaking, at least while Jesus walked the earth with the Twelve, He actually meant for them to drop what they were doing & do what He did. In the context of Israel in the first century A.D, this meant learning a new way ( which was not really 'new', but 'renewed' ) of doing things, as well as literally following ( walking after ) their Messiah ( Jesus )!

To follow Jesus meant for them to leave their old way of life, even if it meant leaving father, mother, brother, sister, wife or children to do so. This was their long-awaited Messiah & to listen to Him made everything else pale in comparison; it was almost as if nothing else mattered! Those that Jesus chose to be His apostles, or the Original Twelve, were staunch Jews; most of them believed in the Law & the Temple for their salvation. Jesus showed them a better way, that He WAS the Law & the Temple, He was the One hat the Law had tutored them to & what the Temple had signified, Heaven ( the Dwelling of the Creator-God ) on Earth!

Since the Eschaton was fulfilled & the Creator-God DOES now dwell with ( in ) His People once more, Jesus no longer physically walks the earth, as He did in the first century, though one might argue that He does indeed, in the form of His People, His Body, the Church! Even so, to follow Jesus today means much the same; it means to forsake your sins, to do things according to His Word & Way & depending on how you lived previously, to forsake your old way of life & begin anew to do what He did. If your previous life included living selfishly, to satisfy the lusts of your body, then to follow Him would mean to start living for the advancement ( expansion ) of His Kingdom & no longer for your own selfish ends!

Some of the things that Jesus did would probably land Him in 'hot water' with some Christians today, but one thing Jesus did NOT do was start a new religion! He never instructed His disciples to meet once a week ( maybe twice ) in a specialized building for a special service of worship. Now, this is NOT to say that there is anything inherently wrong in doing so; even Jesus, as a good Jew, seemed to follow the tradition of going into the synagogue every Sabbath Day, to open the Word ( Himself ) to His brethren. No, Jesus showed the Congregation of Israel that both the Law & the Temple, which they revered as sacrosanct, pointed directly to Him as the Fulfillment of both!

To follow Jesus means, not to do exactly & only what He did! To follow Jesus means to do greater things, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked & yes, to help widows & orphans in need, but it also means to heal the hurt, to lift the broken-hearted. There is so much pain & suffering in this world ( not so different, you might say, from His 'world' ) that is needless! 'Jesus healed the sick & raised the dead', you say; doctors do the same today & plain miracles do happen where nothing but a supernatural explanation will suffice, but our Heavenly Father still works in & through His People, including those we would not normally call 'His People'!

'What Would Jesus Do?' Well, we can be pretty sure that He would NOT do much of what passes for Christianity Today! We can also be assured that He would be doing much that would fall under the banner of 'pagan' or 'non-Christian'! Would Jesus, for instance, do the 'church' thing? If Jesus walked the earth today, the selfsame Jesus, the first-century Jesus, there is no doubt that He would be turning tables & kicking some ass in His Righteous Indignation! However, since the Temple is no longer a specialized building, but a Special People ( as it always was ); He would probably do more ass-kicking than table-turning, don't you think?!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Realization of Temple

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

I Corinthians 6:19 

What does the apostle mean here; if we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, then why do most Christians act as if one must attend a special meeting on a certain day or days of the week, partake of the 'elements' & ascribe to certain man-made creeds, in order to worship the Creator in Spirit & in Truth? Might it have something to do with the fact that most Christians still believe that though we already have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, as a Guarantee, we have not yet been Married to Christ? If indeed, as I & certain others believe, we HAVE been Married to the Son ( of God ), wouldn't that make more sense & coincide better with what the apostle Paul has to say about us being the Body of Christ ( I Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 4:12, etc. )?!

If we are simply 'the temple of the Holy Spirit' but not yet the Temple of the Son of God, or the Creator of Heaven & Earth, then doesn't that mean there is still Separation in the so-called 'God-head'? Oh, sure, we've all heard, as far back as Sunday School, that the Creator-God is omnipresent, He is everywhere at once! As crazy as this may sound, there DOES almost seem to be support for this doctrine in Scripture. Not to go too far into speculation though, the argument could conceivably be made that though the Holy Spirit dwells within our 'hearts', He is also in 'Heaven';  as well, one might say that even though Jesus is currently in 'Heaven', He is also in our 'hearts'! The same goes, then, with our Heavenly Father; He sits on His Throne in 'Heaven', ruling over ALL, but He is everywhere at the same time ( Psalm 139:8 ? )!

I have said before that 'Jesus was the ( God ) Man for the Eschaton'; the import of that statement is, of course, that since the Eschaton came & went, that He is no longer the God-Man! Now before you crucify me for even allowing myself to make such a consideration, please consider hearing me out. As believers in Fulfilled Eschatology ( AKA-Covenant Eschatology ), we do not believe that Jesus still dwells in 'Heaven' in the selfsame Body in which He rose, though many Christians do. Since, according to Scripture, we, the Church are the Body of Christ & 'the temple of the Holy Spirit ', it only makes sense to understand that, metaphorically speaking, but true nonetheless, we have taken the place of the Son at His Father's right hand!

The name 'Israel', as we have noted previously, put simply means 'prince, or ruler with God; literally, it means 'struggles with God, given as such to Jacob after his tussling match with the Angel of the Lord ( Genesis 32 ). If indeed we are rulers with the Creator-God, as this would imply, along with Jesus' words to His disciples, 'Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel' ( Matthew 19:28 ) doesn't it make sense to understand that since this Eschaton has been fulfilled, IN Jesus the Messiah & this 'regeneration' HAS occurred, that we are NOW where He is, ruling with Him & thus by metaphorical extension, One with ( Married to ) Him?

The Trinity, in most Christian circles, is one of those doctrines you just don't mess with! It's abundantly clear from Scripture & from Nature itself that the Nature of the Creator-God is three-fold, right? Yes, we can easily see in Nature itself, whether plants or stars, that the Law of Relation is based upon the very Nature of the Creator Himself, but does this, on its own necessarily imply what we have come to know & love as the doctrine of the Trinity?! Yes, the Scriptures, which are a Record of the Eschaton, show clearly, in the Greek Scriptures anyway, a separation with the 'God-head' wherein the Father sent of His Essence to become Man, in order that He might dwell among us & then left His Spirit with the Early Church to comfort them in tribulation till He should return on the clouds ( Psalm 68:4, et al ) to rain judgment on His enemies! Since the End of the Eschaton & the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to His disciples in John 13:23, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with Him', can we seriously aver that we still await His return & the Realization of Temple?!

When we understand the writings of Paul & the sayings of Jesus in the context in which they were given, then we should clearly see that we ARE the Temple, not just of what is traditionally called 'the Third Person of the Trinity', but of 'the fullness of the Godhead' ( Colossians 2:9 )! The Marriage has taken place, we celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb every day; there IS no more waiting; He came to us & made His home ( dwelling ) with us & NOW we sit at His Right Hand, ruling with Him in His Kingdom: what MORE could we ask?!

Charles Haddon Shank

Implications & Applications; the Marriage of Heaven & Earth

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!  

For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, 

And they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner  

And the donkey its master’s crib; [ but ] Israel does not know, My people do not consider.

Isaiah 1:2 & 3 

One might consider, in light of Covenant Theology, including the hyperbolic language of Covenant Eschatology & Covenant Protology ( AKA, Covenant Creation ) that the heavens & earth spoken of here & elsewhere in Scripture refer, not to the material creation ( the sky & the land, to be precise ), but to the priests of the Temple ( Tabernacle ) & what we refer to in today's jargon as the 'laity'! I realize that though this kind of statement is defensible from a more careful reading of Scripture, not many Christians in today's theological landscape would agree or dare to make such a stand. Though it is not clear to many Christians that the Creation Account in Genesis 1 & 2 refers to the Creation of Covenant, rather than of the material elements, it is becoming more & more clear to others that such is the case!

Much of the problem, especially with Western ( American ) Christians, is that we have attempted to ( anachronistically almost, as we do in other parts of Scripture ) take Ancient Near Eastern literature & translate into both our Western literature & culture! The result has been anything from a simple misunderstanding of Jesus' teachings ( serious enough ) to outright war, base on a faulty eschatology, among other things. With the understanding that Covenant Theology gives, the understanding that the creation in view in the earliest parts of Scripture was the beginning of the Creator's plan to invest Himself in His Creation, we may begin to view these Scriptures in a different light!

The main complaint against Covenant Protology, against the notion that the Creation Account is NOT a referent to the material creation, is that IF indeed it is not, then the material creation was NOT made by the Creator-God we read about in Scripture, 'Yahweh' by Name! This is NOT the case by any means, though I must admit that some who are of a certain persuasion have reached such conclusions. Covenant Creation, rather than weakening the case of our Creator-God's good Creation, strengthens this position by showing that the Creator of all things has shown Himself to be a Relational God & entered His Creation by making a marrriage with it!

By holding to the position that I outlined earlier, saying that we ( here in America, especially ) have attempted to translate Ancient Near Eastern literature using our Western mindset, I am NOT saying that we have misinterpreted everything based on this faux pas! By no means have we done such a thing; there is much universal truth to be gleaned from the pages of Scripture, in particular, the teachings of Jesus, but we have come to understand that much of what we thought was so is not so, through further study of both Original Language & Audience Relevance. We may, without compunction or reservation, wholeheartedly aver that our Creator-God, our Heavenly Father DID form, from nothing, all that we see & all that we don't see!

If then, one considers that the terms 'heaven' & 'earth' referred to the spiritual leadership of Israel & the 'common' man ( or woman ), what import does that have in today's theological landscape; what application can or should be made considering the implications? Some have already, based on a Fulfilled Eschatology, made the application of the cessation of the priest versus laity distinction; this may not be wrong in & of itself, though some may have taken this to extremes, with a haphazard & careless approach to Christian ( Kingdom ) Living!

The Marriage of Heaven & Earth, as we have noted in previous posts, means that the Creator of all has invested Himself, as our Heavenly Father, into ( the midst of ) His good Creation! This is not to say that all are in blessed relation to our Heavenly Father since this Marriage has taken place, but that He now dwells in the midst of His good Creation, in His New Temple, where His People, those who enjoy the blessings of His Covenant, are His Priests. 'The Priesthood of the Believer' though maybe a bit stale & ambiguous by now, is a true statement nonetheless. Since the Marriage HAS taken place, the traditional distinction between priest & laity no longer exists; every man is a priest to his own household & within the household of faith!

May we continue to make this traditional distinction & appoint elders in every city, as the apostles did in the Early Church? As there is need & the need is fairly apparent, elders should be appointed as leaders in the Community, not as superior to the 'laity', but as more mature men & women, teaching the younger generation the blessedness of the Christian ( Kingdom ) Life. This is no different than what the apostle Paul taught, although we must consider his circumstances in his other writings. In consideration of these matters, we may always find clear instruction in the written Revelation of the Word of God, but we should also consider these Truths within ourselves, that which is written on our 'hearts'!


Charles Haddon Shank

Chasing Happiness

'If I could just ( fill in the blank ), I know I'd be supremely happy!'

Now, if you're honest with yourself, really & truly honest, you'll admit ( to yourself ) that you've at least thought this once in your life. That is, before reality came crashing down, spoiling all your hopes & dreams, or so you thought at the time! I must admit & this is my caviat, that not EVERYONE reading this will have had this happen to them or even felt the way I just described, but too often this is the case. Why IS this the case? Why do many or most people seem to think that 'the grass is greener......', that their happiness is in someone else's hands, so to speak?

When you see an advertisement for the latest, sleekest model ( car, bike, etc. ), whether on a billboard or on television ( or hear about it on the radio ), in what direction does your mind jump first? I know that when I see pictures of an exotic location, I picture myself with an equally exotic & stunning beauty of the opposite sex hanging onto my arm, enjoying the moment with me! I tend to think, 'Ah, how happy I would be if only.............' But that's just me, right? I'm a special case; no one else ever thinks like that, right!?

Some people have become world-travelers, 'chasin' down a dream', ever searching for that elusive dream we call 'happyness' but never really finding it! Why does 'the grass' always seem 'greener'? Is there something about the world that makes us feel like that donkey with a carrot suspended in front of his nose, tantalizingly close, but always dangling just out of reach? Much of the reason that we tend to search for this Gift outside ourselves is that we have been taught that it is ( outside ourselves )!

Media outlets, especially the retail ones, are well-known ( infamous ) for pushing this subliminal message across, making people think that if only they could get their hands on the latest technology or live with the latest comfort, etc, they would finally achieve such a level of happiness as they had never known before! And we buy it! Why? Don't we realize that if we aren't happy with what we have & where we are, we'll never be happy, though we do live in an exotic location with an equally exotic beauty hanging on our arm & on our every word!

Most recently on Facebook ( 'cuz that's kinda where I live ), there have been a lot of statements to the effect that happiness comes from the inside, that if you can't be happy yourself, no one can ever make you happy! Many people, I believe, would agree with that ( if 'likes' on FB says anything ); if we cannot find happiness within ourselves when we're on the downside, how can we expect to BE happy on the upside? Does our happiness indeed depend on our environment? Should it? Can we just BE happy, no matter what life throws at us, or are we forever fated to ride this roller-coaster of feelings where we're down in the dumps one day, the next higher than a kite, only to return to the doldrums the next?!

For those whose search for happiness lies in the pursuit of the next 'great' thing, whether it be a house, a car.................a wife/husband ( in some cases, just a 'lover' ), happiness may never truly come; oh, sure, for a time, they might 'feel' happy & content, but as soon as that 'thing' disappears, that husband/wife leaves & that boyfriend/girlfriend/'love' hits the road ( Jack ), all hope for this elusive dream seems to go up in smoke, as well! Why do you suppose that is? Why are we so ingrained with the notion that we must seek fulfillment outside ourselves?

When you think about it, it's not only the media & retailers that are pushing this subliminal agenda; it's all escapist thinking! 'If only we can get out of this frying pan & over that fence......................hey, look at the brightness over there! I bet I'll be happy over there!' Sound familiar? Many of us have found ourselves in a similar situation & decided to pursue that tantalizing goal, only to find ourselves in the same situation or worse.

Personally, I have found that wherever I go, there I am; I can't seem to get away from me, myself & I! No matter how far I go, no matter what I do, I will always be me & if I'm not happy with where I am now, I'll never be happy with anywhere I go! Oh, sure, like I said before & we've all 'been there done that', for a time, it may seem we've found 'happyness', but once the source of that 'happyness' disappears, so does our 'happyness', in many cases, leaving us in worse shape than we were before!

'So', you may ask, 'how does one go about finding this true happiness that you say resides within?' 'Be happy' just sounds too simple; easier said than done! Well, yes, it IS easier said than done; I can tell you from personal experience that when the waters are closing in on you & the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to look pretty damn good, that it's hard to be happy! Yes, it is difficult & seems well-nigh impossible, sometimes to BE happy, but it's NOT impossible; when we look to the Source of all things for our happiness, when we learn to be content with what we HAVE been blessed with ( no matter how it looks ); THAT is happiness! Basing happiness on how others treat us, or on the things we possess is not true happiness; things will always change, but One thing will never change; YOU will always be YOU, if you can't be happy with THAT, you'll never be truly happy!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Degradation of Marriage

You've heard it said that America is no longer a Christian nation! However misquoted this statement is, there's a lot of truth in it! Though you might object that a good 70-80% ( at least ) of Americans claim to be Christians; since the beginnings of the sexual revolution in the 40s & 50s, leading up to the 'free-love 60s & beyond, Americans have witnessed & countenanced much that, 50-100 years ago would have quickly gone the way of the 8-track tape! Abortion, one of the worst ( maybe THE worst ) by-products of this disease, which, in essence was legalized in 1972 is but one of the abominations that a truly Christian nation would not have allowed to flourish!

Though much of the media buzz & general 'hub-bub' has died down, the recent legislation granting license for homosexual couples to 'marry' has been under much scrutiny of late. Many or most Christians have condemned this legislation as abominable, not realizing that it is only the permission to 'marry', not the actual redefining of marriage, which is impossible. Marriage, in the Beginning, was defined by the Creator as union between one man & one women for the purpose of procreation ( physical & spiritual ); it CANNOT be redefined!

Another thing that many or most Christians fail to realize is that the federal government of these United States of America ( AKA, U.S.A. Inc. ) has unlawfully taken it upon themselves to regulate marriage, which cannot be regulated except by its Creator )! By doing so, by passing legislation that couples wishing to marry must first apply for & receive a license from whichever state they wish to reside in, this Corporation opened the gateway to grant any manner of couples ( no matter how unnatural ) to 'marry' under license from the State! As early as the mid-19th century, permission had to be granted by license in the United States to be considered legally married. Although this varies throughout the U.S., most states require some sort of license in order to reap the benefits of this legal contract!

Much of the problem lies in the fact that the term 'marriage' has come to mean ( to the uninitiated ) merely a legal contract, an agreement entered into by two individuals & the State! As originally instituted by the Creator, marriage is covenantal in nature. It involves two individuals agreeing together to live together as One ( in purpose ), to enlarge their borders & ultimately, those of the Kingdom of their Heavenly Father. Today, 'marriage' is viewed as more of a social contract, entered into by consensual partners for the mutual advantage of all parties involved!

Marriage by Covenant alone has seen a resurgence in the past decade or so, showing that not ALL Christians have missed the importance of this distinction! The Marriage Covenant, which is the only way to be truly married, over against the mere social contract, bears the fruit of life, not merely for the benefit of the individuals involved, but for that of the Corporate Body, for the Kingdom! The social contract that has been called 'marriage' is simply a selfish consideratio made by individual to come together for mutual advantage; one that mutual advantage disappears, so does the 'marriage' dissolve!

'Quick, save the holy State marriage license from the limp-wristed infidels!' In most Christian circles, as well as outside, it is an accepted fact that one must receive license from the State in order to lawfully wed. In fact, some Christian ministers, for whatever reason, will refuse to perform a 'marriage unless this infamy is foisted upon the often unwitting participants! Because the Church leads the culture, we now have the State ( Federal Government ) taking the next logical step & granting permission for homosexuals to 'marry'. For many centuries, much of what goes on in this nation today would have not only been condemned but harshly penalized, but for the aforementioned reasons has not only been accepted but has flourished, becoming the established 'norm'!

As the influence of the Church over the Culture around It has waned, It has rather become the other way around; churches have become more institutionalized, more business-like than the organic Body that She is! Marriage is but one of the areas in which the Church has failed to rightly influence the Culture! Don't get me wrong, She HAS influenced the Culture, but by accepting the idolatry of the State marriage license, She has shown the Culture around her that is good, right & just to worship false gods, those which have no Authority except as granted by the Creator!

Many Christians have begun to realize the inherent evil of the State marriage license, but as many yet fail to see what the logical conclusion of the matter must be! If the State ( alone ) can & must grant license to marry, then it can grant permission to anyone to be wed to....anything ( any number of absurd & abominable conclusions could be reached here)! How may we, as the Church begin again to rightly influence the Culture around us? Not by bowing to the idol of the State marriage license as We have done for the past 100+ years, but only by recognizing & upholding the 'betterness' of Covenant Marriage in our own lives & living it before the 'world' around us!

Charles Haddon Shank