'This is My Body'

Jesus uttered these immortal words as He was about to offer the ultimate sacrifice, as He had said earlier, 'Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends'. The Body that the Creator of Heaven & Earth had prepared ( Hebrews 105 ( Psalm 40:6-8 ) from the foundation of the 'kosmos' was 'fattened', just to be offered for a pleasing aroma, well-pleasing to the Lord! When Jesus spoke these words of instruction during His last Passover celebration, He was doing more, gloriously more than telling His disciples how to memorialize His Final Oblation; He was telling them in metaphor what His Body was made up of, the normal things of life, ordinary, though extraordinary people like you & me!

Communion, or more correctly, 'The Lord's Supper', like water baptism, has become one of the greatest issues to divide the Church, although really, this has been so almost from the beginning! 'How are we to baptize?' Baptists, or baptistic denominations would most likely say, almost without exception, that one must be fully submersed in order for it to be a true baptism. Along the same lines, the one being baptized must understand, more or less, what it means ( Believer's Baptism ). Although there are some Presbyterians who follow this form, most would say that sprinkling & pouring are the more Orthodox way. These same Presbyterians, for the most part, also practice paedobaptism, or the baptism of children & infants before they've reached the so-called 'Age of Accountability'.

Speaking of the Presbyterians, including most if not all Reformed & Orthodox congregations, paedocommunion is also a regular practice. As you can probably guess from the earlier explanation, this refers to the practice of including children & infants when the rite, to whatever extent, is observed. Again, it is to be noted that such is prior to the previously mentioned 'Age of Accountability'. Though most Reformed congregations, including the Presbyterian, follow the same basic order of service, there are still differences among the various congregations on how often & in what manner it should be observed.

For the most part, there is general agreement among all Christian denominations, though, that when our Lord poured the wine & divided the loaf, He was instituting a new way of observing the Passover, of which the first was only significant. Though most would probably not think of it in this manner, Jesus' Final Sacrifice on the Cross led us, His People out of the slavery of sin & death ( Egypt ), into the Promised Land of Rest in Christ ( Hebrews 4 ). The apostle Paul, as this blogger has mentioned previously, referred to this revelation in his first letter to the Church at Corinth ( I Corinthians 11:23-34 ). My conclusion was that, rather than referring to Jesus' own biology, Paul was speaking of the Body of Christ, the Church. Understanding Jesus' instructions in this manner would go a long way toward the cessation of much bickering & division in the Church!

Among the Roman Catholics & even certain Protestant denominations, the doctrines of transubstantiation & consubstantiation have taken hold because of a woodenly literal understanding of Jesus' words. It is not because we physically ingest His Body ( that would be like, cannibalism, right? ) that we partake of His Body; that is just common sense! We are part of the Body because we commune with His People, not just when we gather 4 times a year, monthly, or even weekly to follow a certain rite, no matter if we believe it to be an actual participation in the Body & Blood of our Lord, or whether it's just a memorial to be observed!

We are the Body of Christ! No matter how one looks at it, whether it's understood metaphorically or actually ( literally ), it is we who are the subjects of what has been called 'The Lord's Supper' for so long. As the Body of Christ, we have the duty, the privilege really, of communing with each other, to whatever extent, on a daily, hourly & minutely basis! To divide, as we have in the Church, over these issues is pure heresy; these are issues that unite us, they should not divide us!

Jesus used such common elements as mere bread & wine to symbolize His Body & Blood, not just because they were already extant in the Passover meal, but because they pictured perfectly the simplicity of His Gospel, the Good News that it was not a certain elite that would inherit the Kingdom prepared for them by the Father, but that Jew & Gentile alike would bear these blessings. The bread & wine of the Passover meal were significant of the blessings promised to Israel of old for obedience; they were also significant of our daily bread, the simple bare necessities of life!

As we commune with the Body of Christ then, let us always remember that it is not by following some prescribed rite that we partake of or in His Body & Blood, but through our daily walk, through our communion with each other; this is True Communion & it is not what divides us, it is what unites us!

Charles Haddon Shank

To Restore America

'We can make America great again'! How often do you hear this phrase, or at least something very like it? Among a growing portion of this nation's population, including at least one notable politician, it is becoming more & more popular to echo these words in talking about 'restoring America'. While there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to restore this country to its foundations, or even of making it great again, for the Christian especially, we should ask ourselves a couple questions; what exactly is meant by 'making America great again' & what all does it entail?

During the previous election season, one politician's campaign was largely founded on his promise  to 'Restore America'! That itself brings up a few questions, such as, 'what did he mean by 'restoring America'?' Does he mean to bring back the Christian principles this nation was founded upon, or does he simply mean to return to the constitutional principles our fore-fathers strained to establish? It is somewhat doubtful & highly questionable that he would wish to repent & return to the principles of the Christian God that make up the bedrock of the foundation of this once-great nation, but suppose he actually does intend to dwell, both on a personal & professional level, on the Constitution!

What made, or makes, America great? Delving back into our history, we might stumble upon examples of why foreign visitors to this country in it's newly-formed heyday thought about it. Alexis de Tocqueville, French author of 'Democracy in America', once wrote 'America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great' The same man, however, wrote this as well; 'It is indeed difficult to imagine how men who have entirely renounced the habit of managing their own affairs could be successful in choosing those who ought to lead them. It is impossible to believe that a liberal, energetic, and wise government can ever emerge from the ballots of a nation of servants'. Considering this statement & the obvious degradation of this nation, can or should this nation still be called 'great'?

Speaking of Foreigners, Winston Churchill reportedly once gave his thoughts on the principle of de Tocqueville's last statement ( above ); 'The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter'. The Prussian Karl Marx, revolutionary author of 'The Communist Manifesto' once said , as one who should know, 'Democracy is the road to socialism'. There are doubtless many other examples of how foreigners have noted how this so-called 'great' nation was doomed to falter & indeed had fallen from her lofty pedestal, but this may suffice for now. We are faced with the question, then; 'if, as many Americans will probably tell you, 'democracy made, or makes, this nation great', do we really want to return to those roots?' The constitutional form of government that the average American 'enjoys' is no more than tyranny in its formative stages: Plato once wrote this enlightening statement, 'Tyranny naturally arises out of democracy'. Though America was reputedly formed with a republican form of government, we have seen that even the best-laid plans quickly devolve into what we now see when destitute of the necessary constituents!

It is all well & good to urge a return to the constitutional principles upon which this nation was founded, but we must remember what one of these founders himself said; 'Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.' Another founder, James Madison, stated that 'if men were angels, no government would be necessary'. A return to Godly standards, not to constitutional principles is what will make America great again, according to our founding fathers & a host of foreigners. The Constitution of these United States was well-written, maybe & with good intent, but a document written with pen & ink can never take the place of the Finger of God! It has been said, in other words maybe, that 'you can't legislate morality'. Scripture itself shows how well this works; time & again, the Law was brought to bear, but it was not till the hearts of the People were changed that it had any effect!

So, what really DID make America great? Was it strict adherence to the Constitution? Even a foreigner noted that it was because the people of the nation ( individually ) had been endowed by their Creator with a certain goodness, a certain Righteousness! Without a repentance & national return to that Righteousness, no mortal document will offer any lasting benefit to this country! If ever this nation WAS great, it was because of an adherence to the principles we find in Scripture; but now, the question should be asked, 'should we, as Christians, seek the greatness of America?' In some sense, as established above, we should pursue the principles that made us good, not just in the eyes of other nations, but moreso the Apple of our Father's Eye, but what did Jesus say in regards to nation-building? In a rather famous passage ( Matthew 6:33 ), Jesus said 'seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you'. It is the Kingdom of Heaven we are to pursue, not making any particular politicaal party or nation!

As we ponder these questions & others engendered by them, we should pause to consider our purpose, especially as Christians. We are not hear to spread the borders of this empire, the political entity known as America, or the United States; we are here to spread the Good News of Reconciliation, that all that was lost is now found & we have inherited our Father's Kingdom. Should we be seeking to 'restore America', then, or trying to make her great, or should we be practicing the Righteousness we have been endowed with & teaching others to pursue & rest in Him?

Charles Haddon Shank

Divisive Christianity?

For the word of God is living and powerful,

 and sharper than any two-edged sword,

 piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, 

and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 

You will find no argument here that the above statement from Scripture stands just as true today as it did when it was penned in the first century. The question that might arise here is whether or not the context is the same in the 21st century! Most Christians would be quick to tell you that, while we have already entered the Rest to which the author refers, we have not yet fully entered that Rest, for obvious reasons. It is manifestly apparent that we have not yet inherited our Resurrection Bodies, as they still perish, pain & tears continue to plague us & evil persists', they might be tempted to say. John wrote, after all, that 'when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is' ( I John 3:2b )!

Heresy might better be defined as divisiveness. The divisiveness that threatened the early Church, though essence seemingly not that different than the doctrinal differences which plague the Institutional Church today, was of a different nature, so to speak!  The Judaizers that the apostle Paul, in particular, labored against tried to force the new Christians, both Jew & Gentile, to live according to the Law they had held sacred for thousands of years. Jesus, as the Christ, the Jew's Messiah, fulfilled that Law & even, as Paul later wrote 'wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross' ( Colossians 2:14 ). Having ushered in that 'age to come' ( Luke 18:31 ( Luke 20:27-38 ) Ephesians 1:21, Hebrews 6:5 ) which He had promised throughout the Scriptures, Jesus made His disciples a New Creation ( II Corinthians 5:17 ), One which is not divided!

Evil still exists, the can be no doubt, but it only persists as men & women persevere in doing wickedly! Again, there can be no doubt that there are many who continue to do evil & so there must be divisiveness, of a sort, to separate those who do righteously from those who do wickedly. However, within the Body of Christ, there is no such division! The Body of Christ, though different in nature than the Institutional Church, yet seems to be plagued by similar doctrines of demons as those that were adversarial to the Church of the 1st century. There are those among us, in the Institutional Church, who have been influenced by the ungodly culture that surrounds us, who would have us accept those things which the Word of God forbids. On the other hand & at the other end of the spectrum, so to speak, are those who, though the Law was fulfilled by the Christ, still endeavor to keep that same Law & teach others to do the same! 

The Law in question, in essence what we call the Ten Commandments, is still in force, though as Jesus elucidated in Mark 12:30 & 31, not quite quite in the same manner as under that first ( covenant ). In Fulfillment of the Law, Jesus showed Himself ( to be ) the Spirit of the Law; in a manner of speaking, the Law Incarnate! Since we are 'in' Christ, we are, in that sense, in ( fulfillment of ) the Law; no longer must we make every effort to keep those jots & tittles which were about to pass away ( Hebrews 8:13 ). Those who refuse to surrender to their wills to their Heavenly Father are thus guilty of the greatest evil & will never find that Rest, though they search for it with many tears!

Having entered our Rest, as those Christians in the 1st century did with the destruction of Jerusalem & the Temple, we no longer are divided! The Word of God functions still as that 'two-edged sword', helping us to discern between what is good, just & right & what is wrong, wicked & evil, but , as far as the Covenant is concerned, His job is done. We, on the other hand, have only begun; with the Strength of the Spirit that enables us, we must separate ourselves from those who do wickedly by refusing to participate in their wickedness, thus making a division between us & them.

The heresy that the apostle Paul battled in the 1st century was not a question of those within & those without, so to speak; it was rather a matter of divisiveness within the Body, a heresy which separated the Body of Moses from the Body of Christ, or as the apostle put it, 'The first man Adam' & 'The last Adam' ( I Corinthians 15:45 ). The divisiveness which now seems to divide the Body of Christ is not unlike this heresy of old in this sense; it proves which is truly the Body of Christ & which is merely a construct of man, full of doctrines of demons!

As we there continue in Fulfillment of the Law, let us be careful to discern that which unites us & that which seems to divide us!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Cosmic Christ ( Ascended Servants )

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[f] 

because he will save his people from their sins.

 Matthew 1:21

 We are all very familiar with John 3:16; it is without doubt, one of the most quoted Bible verses ever, eclipsing even the one about judging ( really, it's about 'condemning'-Matthew 7: )! Jesus told His disciples that 'God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life', in other words, that whoever received Jesus as the Messiah would inherit the Promise of the Ages. This Promise, though it was given throughout the Scriptures, was most famously & succinctly iterated in Yahweh's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, 'I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you'. When the Holy Spirit instructed Joseph, through a dream, that they should call the Child Jesus, He was telling those that could understand that this Promise was finally being fulfilled, that Israel would stand again to be a blessing to the nations!

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, 

and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

John 14:12

And I, when I am lifted up^[g] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

John 12:32

 Jesus, when He promised to draw all people to Himself, was not just saying, as the majority of Christians seem to gladly accept, that upon biological death, His People would join Him in a place called Heaven, nor was He simply promising, as others latch onto, that all people, universally & individually speaking, would be drawn to Him eventually, ie., 'get saved'. He had told the Twelve 'Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel' ( Matthew 19:28 ) & though this was fulfilled in the first century, with the destruction of Jerusalem & the temple, which marked the end of an era, we, His disciples of the 21st century, as well as all between & beyond, still occupy those thrones, sitting as judges, ruling with Him!

The apostle Paul told his readers that our Heavenly Father 'has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ' ( Ephesians 1:3 ); with such we have been equipped with the necessary accoutrements for ruling with Him! We are, in that sense & having been baptized, like Him ( Romans 6:4 ( Mark 10:39 ), Anointed. As Jesus was the Christ to that 'world' ( cosmos ), so we, being His Body, are the Christ to our 'world'! 

Many, I'm certain, have wondered how we will do 'greater things' than Jesus Himself; though we are not of the same Essence as the Creator of all, we have been blessed with His Spirit! It is the Spirit Within that enables us to do these 'greater things'. Jesus told & tells His disciples that 'Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all' ( Mark 9:35 ); this is how we do 'greater things', by serving others, as Jesus instructed His disciples earlier, 'the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many' ( Matthew 20:28 )!

Many likely picture Jesus on the Cross when He talked about being lifted up; this is not necessarily a wrong inference, but primarily signified His Ascension. Although it was His Oblation that removed the Veil, so to speak, between Heaven & Earth, it was His Ascension that brought us into 'the heavenly realms'. Now that the Master has ascended to where He was before, in Essence, One with the Father, the Servants are called to continue His Work on Earth, to do those 'greater things' that He promised In Essence, we are the Anointed One who was to come into 'the world' ( I Peter 1:10 ); we ARE the New Adam!

Charles Haddon Shank

Love is Enough, Right?!

The Beatles were right; all we really need is love, but then, 'what IS love? Do you really, honestly think that good ole John, Paul, George & Ringo were dreaming of a true & lasting love, an active love, rather than just a fleeting feeling expressed in sexuality, when they sang those words fifty some years ago? Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm sure they & others like them were very sincere, but I can pretty much guarantee you they did not have scriptural love in mind!

We have explored previously the old-fashioned notion that love is more, so much more than just a feeling; if more people were to figure out in their own minds that glorious fact, then the Beatle's words might be proven true! Love must be a conscious choice, an action, in order to truly be love. As I've witnessed to before, one can say 'I love you' as much as he or she wants, but if they never actually prove through their actions the force of their words, then the intended will never believe their words & they will fall on deaf ears, so to speak!

The Creator formed humanity in Love; He built us for it, if you will! Feelings are natural to us all, they are a necessary part of our make-up! Without feelings, we would never know the love we have for each other. On one hand, if one ignored the feeling that he or she should act a certain way toward another, then that other would never experience the love that the other willingly offered, but on the other hand, if the one on the receiving end did not experience the love in action that the other willingly offered, then again, that love would be lost & fall on deaf ears!

More than a feeling, Love, like the Creator Himself, is active & unchanging! Feelings, however, often change as the weather. One day, the love may flow freely, but as the days, months & years wear on, feelings may begin to wane, disappear, or even turn again & rend the one who formerly benefited from that feeling. Love, true love, is not based on feelings, it finds its roots in the Creator Himself & is an active choice, a conscious decision to treat others, especially maybe, a certain other as we would like him or her to treat us. Our actions are influenced by our feelings, no argument there, but when our actions are based on feelings, which may easily change, then the love which is engendered by those feelings, will not last!

'Actions', it is said, 'speak louder than words'; it is good to fill your loved one's ears with the words 'I love you', it is better to show by one's actions that he or she truly loves the recipient! Love, if truly more than a feeling, will work itself out through the fingertips, so to speak, making the intended experience that love. That experience may then, in turn, engender within the recipient that same feeling toward the other, moving them to act in kind!

Boston had it right as well; love IS 'More Than a Feeling'! The glorious feeling of being loved is almost beyond words & in fact, many would find it impossible to describe it. Some may claim that both the Beatles & Boston, as well as other contemporary music groups have a faulty notion of love; maybe they're right, but at least those musicians & others like them understand that Love IS a necessity & that it IS more than a feeling. How MUCH more?

That, my friend, is up to you!

Charles Haddon Shank

Explaining the Brain

Okay, so the human brain is not a computer! It, according to an article I read the other day, it does not store data ( text OR images ); memories can NOT be reduced to just 'files' stored in 'folders' for future reference. Obviously, however, our memories ARE stored SOMEWHERE for relatively easy retrieval in case of future need. So how DO we explain this remarkable organism; how DO we account for its seemingly limitless capacity for storage of both data & images?

Scientists have deduced that the human brain operates using a multitude of electrical impulses, synapses, if you will, that generate certain chemical reactions in this very intricate 'lump of flesh'! With the aid of technology, we have learned that certain stimuli set off various light-shows inside the cranial cavity of different individuals. Any given action may not spark the same reaction in any given brain. We have determined that there are certain parts of this marvelous muscle that seem to control certain actions & reactions in the exterior members of our body, but the very fact that not everyone responds in the same manner to the same stimuli should be enough to tell us that our brains are NOT computers; they are unique & finely-tuned instruments, formed for the Glory of their Creator!

If then, we cannot simply explain away this marvelous tool, given to us by the Creator, as just a computer that has been programmed by its Author to solve problems & even to exhibit an intelligence of sorts, to varying degrees, how then are we to explain it? If the human brain does not operate like a man-made machine, storing bits & bytes of information, how are we to account for the fact that we DO store up information, HAVE memories & act ( react ) differently according to certain stimuli?

The only explanation that makes sense is that the same Creator God who hung the galaxies in space, the same One that so ordered the universe that certain conditions have been so precisely met that life exists in relative ease on this planet, has used the same intelligence to design a body that holds even a greater wander, a greater marvel of engineering, if you will! The Theory of Evolution as presented by Charles Darwin & perpetrated by manifold rebellious humans since is just that, a theory & an unsound one at that. Although Science has seemingly shown that there are certain equations extant in the universe that could explain the existence of life, it all comes down to 'which came first, the chicken or the egg?'

There are some out there who deny the Existence of the Creator & accept without doubt that the marvels that we bear witness to on a daily basis are just examples of happenstance! Though there are manifold glaring ( shining ) witnesses to the fact of Intelligent Design, there ARE those who rebel so against any higher authority or power that they almost blindly & fervently accept that these wanders are here by chance, that all this order came out of chaos by its own free will. To try to explain how the universe itself came to be, much less how the human body & brain function so marvelously, by any means other than Divine Intelligence, is laughable, even sadly hilarious!

The human brain, as we have explored, to some extent previously, has been mapped, to varying degrees of success. Science & Technology have been, from some reports & again, to varying degrees of success, been able to create a sort of Artificial Intelligence, an an almost human computer, but there is one thing that man will never be able to duplicate; LOVE! Love is the glue that holds us together, the agent that binds molecule to molecule & provides the gravity that enables the planets to revolve in their respective orbits; Love is the Creative Force that set the universe in motion, yet bestowed the same intricacies on that marvelous creature known as a human being!

The electrical impulses, the chemical reactions, if you will, that scientists have observed in the human brain, may be explained by any number of stimuli, but how it stores memories & other data ( images, etc ) cannot be explained by any such means, like that of a mere computer! A computer may be programmed, to whatever extent, by a programmer, to perform certain tasks, but even a computer has its limits, it cannot do more than it was programmed for. Like a 64gb flash-drive cannot contain more than 64gb of information, so a computer is not limitless in its capacity to perform any given task; it cannot do more than it was programmed to do, or function beyond its capacity!

Human beings, unlike mere computers, are infinitely capable of love! We are also capable of great evil, something else that a simple computer, contrary to certain opinions, has no capacity for. Computers are machines, nothing more, nothing less & as such, cannot do anything beyond their programming. Human beings, on the other hand, with their fully-functioning & infinitely self-aware brain, are able to act & react without the programming required by computers. While a human being certainly responds in more or less predictable ways to certain stimuli, every individual will likely react in different ways to these, whereas a computer will always react in the same manner to the same stimulus.

As we continue to explore this fantastically marvelous tool we have been blessed with, this gift that makes biological life possible, let us never forget that it is the Gift of an Infinite Creator! The brain is infinitely more complex than any computer-driven Artificial Intelligence that man will ever be able to 'create'. Though we are creators, of a sort, like our Creator, we can do no more with the abilities we have been blessed with & the means we have been given than to be 'co-creators', or procreators, if you will, using the means provided though through the Creation to bring forth ( bear ) Life itself!

Charles Haddon Shank

A Rod of Iron

'You shall break^[a] them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.'
 ( Psalm 2:9 )

'She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
 And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.' 
( Revelation 12:5 )

As the People of God, the Body of Christ, and rulers with Him, as the 'Israel of God',  you might wonder if we are, indeed, in the right to be imposing our 'doctrines' of what is right, and what is wrong on other 'nations'. Is that not the basic meaning of David's prophecy? That, I believe, is exactly what he meant to say here, but then the question should also be asked, 'what, or who, were the 'nations' to whom David was referring?' To answer this question with any degree of accuracy, a study, long or short, would need to be made of how Scripture uses that term.

God told Abraham ( Genesis 22:18 ), 'In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice'. This should sound familiar: we saw above that Jesus would 'rule all nations with a rod of iron', but here the Scriptures are saying that these 'nations' would be blessed through the People of God; so which is it? Are we, through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, to 'rule all nations with a rod of iron', or are they to be blessed by our presence? Maybe what is most needed now is a definition, a clarification of the phrase, 'a rod of iron'. Are the 'nations' to be blessed by our use of this 'rod of iron'; is it by conforming to the Scriptural definition of right and wrong, that the nations will be transformed, or transferred, rather, into the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, where He shall reign forever and ever?

Not being a Hebrew or Greek scholar, as best I could tell, this phrase means just what it says, 'a rod of iron'. The use of metaphor is fairly common and well-known throughout Scripture ( 'fishers of men' ), and thus is the case here! This phrase, at least variations of it, are still used to to denote a firmness in rule; unyielding rulers, whether right or wrong, are said to rule with an 'iron' hand. The rule of King Jesus with 'a rod of iron' is simply His rule of all 'nations' under His dominion with the unwavering firmness of His absolute Truth. There IS one right, and one wrong, one is either right or wrong; it does not depend on his or her situation, whether something is right or wrong for them; there is one rule for defining what is right or wrong, and that is the 'rule' of the Word of God, both in and through us, His Body!

For the longest time, our nation, the nation of America, or the United States thereof, has seemingly endeavored to extend its rule through the use of this 'rod of iron'. Our nation's history, and before this, the nations from which we derived, show manifold proof of this. in the past century, give or take a decade, we have thrust, even forced, our will, our sense of right and wrong, upon 'the nations'. At first, maybe, our rule of law was based, in greater part, upon God's Royal Law, but anymore, especially in the last 50 years or so, it is not God's absolute Truth which has formed the foundation, or core, of our 'rod of iron'. Our imposition on these 'nations', the Middle East, for example, has been anything but a blessing to them; on the contrary, it has earned us their hatred and animosity! ( the terrible events of 9/11 are an example of this ).


Rome, as the fourth beast/kingdom of Daniel's prophecy, might be named, Scripturally speaking, 'the Iron Kingdom. Daniel 2:40 reads, 'Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others'. Historically, Rome was the 'rod of iron' that Yahweh used to bring the nations under His feet. Due largely to the fact that we have misunderstood the narrative structure of history, Rome's place as the 'rod of iron' in the hand of Yahweh has been transferred to these United States, and the U.S. Inc. in particular, the Military Industrial Complex.

The 'doctrines' spoken of earlier, those with which we 'rule all nations with a rod of iron' are not those of men, or ones formulated by men! These doctrines are those given, first, through Moses, then reiterated by Jesus, who was God Himself. The two new commandments which Jesus gave His disciples are an encapsulation, a fulfillment really, of the famous 'Ten Commandments' given through Moses. These instruct us, first, to love the Lord our God: secondly, He instructs us to love our neighbor as ourselves, then, to top it all off, and this is most important when the rubber meets the road, we are to do unto others as we would like them to do unto us.

The corporate entity known as the United States of America has used a form of doctrine called Foreign Policy, to spread what they call democracy throughout the world.  Time has borne witness to how well this has worked, as this democracy includes the murder of innocent women and children, along with those who are not so innocent, as well as the detrimental effect that our fighting forces have received at the hands of the Lords of War, all in the name of freedom!

Though the American Empire has often been compared with that of Rome, and indeed can almost be viewed as an extension of it, we must understand that the prophecy of Daniel has been fulfilled, not just in part, but the whole! 'In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.' ( Daniel 2:44 ) By correctly understanding the narrative of Scripture, we can tell that this Kingdom has been set up. The majority of evangelical Christians will say that, because of the wars and rumors of wars that we hear about all over the world, as well as the evil which persists in our own nation, that this Kingdom has not been set up yet, though it may have already been inaugurated!

The Promise to Abraham ( Genesis 22:18 ) was fulfilled and is being fulfilled! The nations around them, that 'world', was blessed through the Seed of Abraham. Most nations, particularly those in the Middle East, would doubtless have a bit of a struggle to say that the U.S.Inc.'s gift of 'democracy' has been a blessing to them! The Seed of Abraham continues to be a blessing to the nations, however, because it brings is what brings healing, not death, peace, and not war! Contrary to popular belief, and here is where it becomes most important to understand the narrative properties of Scripture, the 'nation' of priests that we as Christians are is not like other 'nations'; we are not bound by geography: we are spread throughout the world, in  all countries!

The People of God may, in some sense, rule the nations with 'a rod of iron', even though this
Promise was primarily referring to the Roman Empire. the 'doctrine' that we have borrowed, though, could use some work! Rather than following along with that of empire-building, which the corporate structure known as the USA is currently using, we should be Kingdom-building, employing the means by which our God and Father has made us 'healing leaves' ( Revelation 22:2 ). Rather than spreading death and destruction across the globe in the name of democracy, we should instead be seeking to spread the Good News of the present Kingdom of Heaven, not through imposing our will upon the nations, but by employing the principles that Jesus gave His disciples, that of loving our neighbor as ourselves and doing to them what we would have them do to us!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Life of Riley

The origins of the phrase in question are somewhat ambiguous, but the general consensus is that it refers to one who lives or has lived a relatively prosperous life. No matter where the phrase was birthed, it has found universal acceptance as a catchphrase for one who leads a blessed life, if not one of ease. Although it is rather dated, 'the life of Riley' is one very familiar to this writer, as to many who follow in the footsteps of Jesus who was the Messiah of Israel & are willing Vessels of His Glory!

Some may accuse me of arrogance, even of dishonesty, but I believe that when we love our neighbor as we love ourselves & treat others as we would like them to treat us, we will, more often than not, receive blessings in accordance to those we freely bestow! This is a verily Scriptural principle, one espoused & practiced by Jesus Himself. Many there are who, when faced with trials & tribulations, like to blame it on some outside force ( such as 'Satan' ), not willing to accept the responsibility for their own actions or failures.

Some Christians are their own worst enemies; they have missed the forest for the trees, so to speak! So intent are they on what they call our 'Final Reward' that they are often blinded to the importance of being human. We were not awoken simply so that we could go to some place called 'Heaven' when our biological bodies perish; we were placed on this earth to spread the Good News that the Creator has deemed to live in relationship with the Creation!

Life, when you think about it, is ALL about relationship; whether good or bad, relationship defines our very existence! You've no doubt heard the phrase, 'no man is an island'. While it is possible to live as a hermit for a time, it is impossible to live for ANY length of time without the blessings of some sort of relationship. Human beings, in order to sustain biological life, must rely on some sort of relationship, even if they have the capacity to rule their own provender. There are plenty of ready examples out there of men & women who have withdrawn from society for a time to follow their own pursuits, to make their own way, in a manner of speaking.

Try as you might, there is no way to live in this world without relying on relationship; relationship sustains all life! Just as a plants wilts & dies without the proper combination of soil, water & sunlight, so this human experience cannot persevere without relationship of some sort! One MUST have relationship with others in order to sustain life. Anyone who believes they can make it own their own, if they're honest with themselves, soon finds themselves to be dead wrong. Life was meant to be lived & it cannot be without relationship of some sort, good or bad. Even a bad relationship may sustain life for a time, but if it does not turn to good, the life sustained, like a plant, will wither & die!

There are countless people out there who seem to think that they can call themselves Christians & yet live without the Communion enjoyed by the Body of Christ! Without the necessary relationship with those of like faith, the Faith of Christ, they will soon begin to lose the vigor of those associated with the Body. By cultivating the necessary relationship with the Community of Faith, our humanity will flourish & bear fruit to the advancement of the Kingdom of our God & Father!

Life, when lived according to the basic principles given earlier, from the teachings of Jesus, is blessed beyond measure! This is not to say that if you do everything right, you will be living on easy street all the time; by no means, but when one lives by these principles, religiously, one will begin to realize the silver linings to every dark cloud. They will begin to take responsibility for their own actions or inaction & rather than blaming all their problems on someone or something else, will begin to learn from their mistakes & draw strength from trials & tribulations!

As humans, being Vessels of His Glory, willing or unwilling, we get to choose whether we will live a blessed & prosperous life, or whether we will be an adversary to ourselves & fail to grow where we are planted. To a great extent, humanly speaking, how we face our challenges ( we ALL have them ) determines whether we live 'the life of Riley', if we wither & die. I don't know about you, but no matter the challenges I face; I want to live!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Idolatry of the Age

You may have heard it said, 'preach the Gospel at all times & if necessary, use words'; truly, the best way to convey the Good News is through action: conversely of course, the best way to make a bad impression is also through action! How many televangelists do you know of, I'm generalizing here, that don't practice what they preach? Oh, I'm certain there are some that do practice what they preach, but when's the last time you heard one regaling the love of Jesus, while living in a multi-million dollar mansion & speeding past the homeless beggar in his Lexus or Bentley?

Wealth is one of the greatest status symbols of this age & Christendom is no exception! The Prosperity Gospel taught by many televangelists is mostly referring to financial wealth & the accumulation of 'things' that goes along with it! 'God wants you to prosper', they might say, standing on an expensive, elevated sound-stage, accompanied by the latest & greatest technology, in order to heighten the emotions of the lowly masses. All the while, the listening audience, whether live or from the relative comfort of their living rooms, are swept away on this boundless wave of emotion, believing that what this teacher says is gospel & that, unless they are financially prosperous, they are under a curse!

Young men & women, to whatever extent, depending largely on the area they feel 'called' to minister in, are entering the seminaries of this nation in droves! Some are there because they actually want to learn, to make a difference in mankind's search for God, but some, I fear, are there simply because the pastorate is one of the most lucrative businesses out there. This is not to say that a pastor should not be paid for ministering the Spoken Word; just that too many pastors have made a career of it, rather than actively ( ad ) ministering the Love of Christ!

It is one thing to preach; it is another to be a minister! A minister may preach, using words, but he will practice, to the best of his ability, that which he preaches; on the other hand, a preacher, though he may practice what he preaches, often does simply that, he preaches one way & lives another. This is not always the case, but often, a preacher will follow the money faster than he will his chosen calling. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that a man, whether he is a minister or a janitor, must make a living; if he cannot provide for his family on what he makes in one area, he must make corrections in order to survive. On the other hand, trusting in our Father's wise provision, he may follow his true calling, ministering & being ministered to!

In a nation where many of our young & even some older people are cutting ties with the Institutional Church as fast as some others are entering the seminaries & Bible Colleges, we should ask ourselves, 'why?' Why are as many or more as are training to become pastors or ministers leaving the church scene behind? Maybe it's because they're tired of the 'scenery! Have you ever thought about the possibility that many have noted the hypocrisy, of pastors saying one thing & doing another? If more pastors & preachers would start ministering instead of just preaching, we might see a turn-around in this disconcerting trend.We might also consider, though, that this growing trend is of our God & Father, in order to purge & reveal His True Church!

Actions are, for the most part, authoritative! Everyone makes mistakes, but when mistakes evolve into habits, then judgment must turn into justice. If, for instance, a pastor or preacher fails to practice what he preaches, the first time may be judged a failure, as we are all prone to, but if he or she continually fails to act in accordance with the Message they preach, then justice must be served; judgment should then be passed & they should be relieved of their post: he or she must be branded as the charlatan they are!

'Talk is cheap', the saying goes! Words have meaning & they are not with impact. They can put to rest the hardest misgivings & soothe the savage beast, but they can also lie & turn the slightest misunderstanding into a roaring forest fire. When right words are followed by right actions, however, fear is replaced by love! For example, if we were to witness one of those televangelists that we hear about, actually doing what he said rather than just preaching about it & raking in the dough, while fighting off allegations of scandal; we might see those who are leaving the Institutional Church in droves turn right around & foment a Revolution!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Cosmic Gospel

From the ANE ( Ancient Near Eastern ) context in which the Scriptures were written, we know that the Good News, that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel, was fulfilled through His ministry & that of His disciples! Because of this, many seem to discard the Scriptures as inapplicable, even useless in the world of today; however, much of this reasoning is based on the notion that 'fulfilled' means 'concluded' & has the connotation of 'cessation'. 'Fulfilled', put simply, means '( to be ) filled up'; on one hand, as I have postulated previously, a contract, when fulfilled, does point toward the fact of conclusion & cessation, but a covenant, marriage, for example, is continually being fulfilled!

The Greek 'kosmos', which actually speaks more of the government, or arrangement of the world, than of the world, or globe itself, the sphere, in the context of Scripture, may be seen to refer to the known 'world' of the day, the Roman Empire. The apostle Paul, for example, used this same Greek word when he wrote to the Church at Colosse ( Colossians 1:6 & 23 ) about the Gospel which, he said had been told 'also in all the world'. From the ANE standpoint, especially, the Gospel had been spread from sea to shining sea, so to speak, by the end, or before the end of the first century!

Our modern Western, American mindset tells us, when we read the Scriptures, that they were written directly TO us & so the words of Christ & the apostles are very pertinent to our day! While this is very true in some cases, for the most part, while we may take lessons & make application from these hallowed pages, we must understand that, though they were written 'for' our instruction, etc ( II Timothy 3:16 ), they were written as letters TO a peculiar people, in the first century. Yes, we ARE a peculiar people, we the Body of Christ, but in the 21st, not the 1st century!

Much of what Christ instructed His disciples in the first century is just as applicable to His disciples today, but some of His instructions, though written 'for' our understanding, were primarily meant for His disciples in the first century! For example, when Jesus condensed the 'Ten Commandments', in a manner of speaking, into two 'new' commandments ( Matthew 22:37-39 ), He meant for His disciples of ALL ages, both that present & the one to come, to love God & their neighbor. However, when He told His disciples to 'wait for the Promise of the Father' ( Acts 1:4 ), we can be fairly sure that He never envisioned His disciples from the second century & beyond, waiting in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to descend upon them!

There are many examples in Scripture, most of which have already been illuminated, where Jesus gave instructions to His disciples, some of which are directly or indirectly applicable to us, but for the most part were meant primarily, indeed only, for His disciples who were about to bear witness to the Great Transition! The Gospel, of which we read in the pages of Scripture, was that the Jewish Messiah, who had long been prophesied & awaited, was finally about to 'save His people from their sins' ( Matthew 1:21 ). Though this Good News was fulfilled in the first century, in the salvation of both Jew & Gentile, culminating in the destruction of the Great Wall of Separation, the Gospel is being fulfilled yet today, in that the separation that still exists in the minds of many is being continually torn asunder!

We live in a similar 'kosmos' today, in some ways, to the one which Jesus ministered in, but there are some pretty major differences! Though 'phariseeism' still exists on many levels & in many forms, we no longer must labor under the oppressive chains of that first covenant. We need not wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit. The end of that old 'world' has come & gone; we now live, as a New Creation, in a 'new kosmos'. It is through the application of the universal truths of Scripture that we continue to fulfill the Gospel which was entrusted to His disciples of all time!

The Cosmic Gospel of Jesus the Christ, though it came, first to the Jew, then to the Gentile, is a Universal Truth! For ALL time & ALL people, the Good News is that Reconciliation was made & the Creator now dwells with His Creation! That Jesus came as the Messiah of Israel aligns with what the Creator God told Israel of old ( Exodus 19:6 ); 'you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation'. As Israel of old was to minister the Gospel to the nations, the 'world' around them, so we, as the disciples of Christ in the 21st century, are to minister the Good News to those around us: may we ever administer this Gospel in the Strength of the Spirit in which it was given!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Miracle of Life?

According to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, a miracle is 'an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs'. Supernaturally speaking, a miracle is usually something that does not normally occur. Jesus' Resurrection on the third day, way back in 33AD was a miracle, as was John's significant rising from the grave. That the Virgin Mary conceived without knowing a man was a miracle, as was the conception of John the Baptizer & those like him ( Elijah ). Miracles are supernatural occurrences, yes, but just because they occur every day & through natural means doesn't make them any less miraculous!

You may have heard certain people speak of 'the miracle of birth'; well, now apparently, certain others, for some reason, are denying the miraculous, maybe because it IS an everyday occurrence & occurs through natural means! To my Christian brethren, I would say; 'look to the Scriptures'. How many times do we read about a woman who's womb God had shut up? ( Okay, so it's not that many! ) But when the woman had prayed to God, her womb was opened & she was able to conceive. Sure, there's a natural explanation to many of the miracles we read of in Scripture, but even though the Science of Biology has taken amazing leaps since the Days of Scripture, we can still see, as I would say to any other doubters, that the Spark of Life HAS to originate from SOMEWHERE!

The Theory of Evolution, with its insistence that we all came from a single-celled organism, climbing out of the primeval ooze & eventually sprouting limbs & walking upright, first as monkeys, but after several different stages, the human beings we witness today, is easily debunked! You may believe, as I do, in a form of evolution, but it would be more of a natural progression, an adaptation, if you will. Now, did the Creator begin with a lump of clay, as John Milton postulated ( from Scripture ) & numerous songwriters have wondered, or a single-celled organism? It's possible, although the majority of Christians would probably insist that, as Scripture seems to say, the first human beings had no belly buttons, in other words, the Creator God said the Word & POOF, there they were in all their naked glory & with the appearance of age ( 30 years )!

The majority of Christians out there would, in order to stay true to Scripture, would vehemently insist that, as our first parents were formed from the dust of the earth & then given the Breath of Life, so Adam & Eve had no parents of their own! Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things whether or not they had belly-buttons, or if they did, they were created with them?! Were they actually not technically the first humans, just our first spiritual ( covenant ) parents? It DOES seem to make more sense, with what we now know through the advances of Science, to look at it that way! While it IS possible that the Creator God simply gathered up a handful of wet dirt & breathed Life into it, but I'm pretty sure even the most simple among us, if we're honest with ourselves, know that probably ain't the way it happened!

Birth, from conception till the new child exits the womb, IS a miracle! From what we know of the whole process, which includes thousands maybe millions of sperm rushing toward the ovaries, ready to fertilize the egg or eggs that are there, the fact that only one of these actually penetrates the egg, beginning the process of the formation of a brand new human being should give us a clue. Who decides which one of those little fellas lives & which ones die? Is it really that simple? Does a man just randomly spew millions of tiny sperm inside a woman, trusting to chance that one among that ridiculous number may just happen to penetrate the sac? No, he knows from our study of Science that, at a certain time of the month, it is way more probable than at others that one of these seeds will find its mark & produce the desired result!

While one may certainly presume to speak of stages of human development, as the child grows & adapts to his or her surroundings, we may easily see from the same study of Science that human beings, though we share an amazing bit of our structure with them, did not evolve from monkeys! The question might simply be asked, 'why are there old monkeys?' Like the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, it gets pretty ridiculous rather fast! Were Adam & Eve simply made from a lump of clay as a child fashions an elephant or a giraffe from Play-dough? I'll let my readers play with that one! ( Pun intended! )

To say that the birth of a child is NOT a miracle is beyond ridiculous; if one knows ANYTHING about the intricacies of what needs to happen, down to the minutes detail & I'm talking atomic here, about conception all the way through till the birth, that one cannot honestly say that it's not a miracle! Humans, in their finite wisdom, have struggled & still struggle, for ages to find a natural explanation for everything. To a great degree, they have succeeded; there is a natural explanation for MOST everything that occurs! This is not to say, however, that just because something happens THROUGH natural means that it is not a miracle, nor is this to say that nothing supernatural ever happens anymore. I'll leave my readers to judge that for themselves, but as for me & my house, we believe in the miraculous!

Charles Haddon Shank

'My Mom Used To Be My Dad!'

Before we even begin here, I want to make crystal clear that although I AM judging, I am NOT condemning any of those who may feel the sting of this judgement! I believe that, though there ARE special cases, like hermaphroditism & such, for the most part, those affected by gender dysphoria are merely acting in rebellion, for whatever reason, against their Creator. Now, with that said, I am NOT claiming to be an authority on the subject; by no means could I be construed a biologist, but I DO know & trust that our Heavenly Father, the Creator God, designed human beings in such a way that, put simply, copulation is the normal & natural way for reproduction to occur!

Of late ( the past few decades ), phenomena that had barely made the news previously has become increasingly popular. As Paul McHugh, a contributor to The Witherspoon Institute's website wrote, 'The idea that one’s sex is a feeling, not a fact, has permeated our culture and is leaving casualties in its wake.' Foremost in our minds maybe & most famously is the case of the man formerly known as Bruce Jenner, the famous athlete from the mid-70s. Not knowing his situation at all, I do not condemn him for the choices he has made, but I will judge that he was created a man & for him to decide that he wants to identify as a woman is very simply rebellion against his Creator!

I have a theory! My theory is that 99% of those who 'identify' as the opposite sex or seek sexual intimacy with the same sex ( male or female ) are merely reacting to the treatment they have received at the hands of the opposite sex. Several of those I have discussed this proposition with are more or less in agreement with me, but others are still convinced by the 'science' that tells them that this is natural. I won't be so bold as to assert that there is NOT a natural explanation for such phenomena, but I would say that in these cases even, natural evolution has been affected by bad chemistry to the point that it is the main culprit!

By bad chemistry, I  mean anything from a generations-old history of bad diet to a like history of making other bad choices to the natural perversion ( rebellion ) of mankind ( humankind )! Certain choices that we make, whether diet or lifestyle, WILL have an effect on our body's natural chemistry. The Creator, according to Scripture & what little we know of the science of biology, made humankind male & female. Though I will be the first to admit that procreation is by no means the only reason the Creator designed us to work this way, clearly, the primary & natural means for this, among humankind anyway, is obvious!

The question might be asked at this point, 'why ARE we seeing such a surge of people with 'gender dysphoria'?' 50-100 years ago it was almost if not completely unheard of! Why are so many seeking to lose their natural identity & 'identify' as someone or something else? IS it simply because they're not satisfied with their life as the person that they were obviously created to be? In most cases probably, though I WILL freely admit there ARE those who were born & have persevered with both the X & Y chromosomes, for whatever reason. We can speculate till the cows come home as to the 'why', but, clearer to some than to others, the answer must be that the natural rebellion of the creature against the Creator ( 'Why have You made me this way?' ), of the child against the Father, is still at work in the sons & daughters of disobedience!

'Is it natural for a man to be born in the biological body of a woman?' Obviously not; for millenia, the history of humanity has proven that men & women, aside from obvious perversions, have been attracted to the opposite sex & for obvious reasons! Apparently sexual intercourse apart from this natural order can be somewhat enjoyable, but as any honest person will tell you, NOTHING takes the place of this natural order! Phenomena such as hermaphroditism are doubtless a special case & so must be treated so, but for the most part, it is evident that the male's genitalia was meant to fit snugly inside a woman's. Humans have devised many ways for people to bypass the natural order, but it has become more & more clear that it is best to follow the Created Order, that which our Heavenly Father established in the Beginning!

Judgment is a very necessary part of life; in order to continue in this existence, we must choose, or judge, whether this or that is a better choice for us, whether this will harm us & that will heal us or keep us well! People make judgements every day, from the clothing they wear to what they eat to the company they keep. The problem presents itself when we begin to condemn others for their judgements & vice-versa, when others condemn us for the choices we make. The whole 'trangender', 'transexual', even the 'LGBTQ' travesty may be just that, but everyone must judge for themselves: I have made my judgment, but we cannot condemn them for their choices; their choices condemn them & yes, THAT IS MY judgement!

Charles Haddon Shank

'Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire'

Why are there so many Syrian refugees? Whether it's because of the fighting going on over there & most just want to get out of harm's way or because they're fleeing religious persecution, many, in large part Muslim, are seeking asylum in this country, as well as others. One would doubtless read or hear many conflicting reports & opinions on why so many Syrians are seeking refuge outside their own nation & even whether or not we should offer them that succor. Aside from any danger or threat that such a proposition might present, are we not instructed to offer our strength to those who need it? Is it not our Christian duty to love our enemies & do good to those who hate us?

Islam is not so different in it's organization than Christianity! Now, before you take my head off, let me explain why I say that; although there are probably not nearly as many forms of Islam as there are denominations within American Christianity, many of these Syrian refugees ARE doubtless fleeing, not only the violence that has taken over much of their Land, but religious persecution as well & while American denominationalism hasn't ( officially ) come to bloodshed yet, those who see ISIS as persecuting Christians to a great extent should realize that they aren't the only ones to suffer from the fear & hatred that has persevered in that part of the world for well over a thousand years!

Here's where I might really be asking asking for trouble & calling down death from the sky! It's no big secret that the U.S. Government, if not directly funding terrorists in foreign countries, has at least contributed, for political reasons, to many a terrorist organization. One might even venture to claim that much if not all of our Government's activities overseas are at least based in a sort of terrorism. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying authoritatively here that ALL of the U.S. Government's overseas actions, police or otherwise, are acts of terrorism, but much of their recent 'warfare' ( drone strikes in particular ) is aimed to strike terror into the hearts of the opposition, which sometimes includes innocent men, women & children!

In so many ways, the iron fist that the U.S. Inc. wields, not only overseas, but in this country as well ( more alarmingly ) is not so different than the governments of those foreign nations with whom they deal! Many of those whom they name terrorists are simply seeking retribution for wrongs, real & perceived, that they or their loved ones have suffered at the hands of the Government of the good ole U.S. of A.. This is not to say, of course, that this is always the case, but the point is that when we, or our Federal ( Central ) Government, rather, act in like manner to those whom they perceive as wronging them, more often than not, they are perpetrating the same terrorism against which they so nobly fight!

Islam, many Christians will tell you firmly, is not a religion of peace, but then, on the other hand, there are plenty of peaceful Muslims & others who would heartily beg to differ! As to the claim that Islam is not a religion of peace, I'm sure that any real student of the Quran could clear up that conception for them, but seriously, aren't there radical & fanatical Christians in our storied past who have shed as much blood on the authority of our English Bible? Much of what we call 'terrorism' is simply retribution; many of the recent 'terror attacks' that the world has witnessed recently have somehow ( coincidentally? ) been related to events that have happened in the past. Again, this is not to say that ALL acts of terrorism are justifiable, because there is doubtless evil out there, which we MUST overcome; we must however, take into account our own ( government's ) acts of terrorism, before we judge too harshly those of other nations & religions!

The main reason you will hear from most Americans, Christian or otherwise, for wanting to keep the Syrian refugees out of our country ( or state ) is that they might be harboring terrorists among them! This is definitely a very serious proposition & certainly must be carefully considered. We must also consider the fact that if we refuse them, not only might we be sending them to their death back in their own country, we might be simply creating more 'terrorists'. By coming here, we should realize, these refugees, peaceable as they may be right now, may suffer persecution just because they ARE Muslim & may then turn to their religion, as many do & seek to right those wrongs themselves!

I will not make a judgment here as to whether or not we should accept these foreigners as our neighbors; my readers must judge for themselves; I will however remind my readers of Jesus' instructions in Luke 6:31, 'just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise'. If we wish for them to be at peace with us, we need to remain at peace with them. On the other hand, if we want them to turn terrorist and murder us in our beds, then by all means we should refuse our succor & turn a blind eye to their need. As American Christians, or rather Christians in America, we should consider well that we are, first & foremost, followers of Jesus the Christ & second only ( if that ) Americans!

What WOULD Jesus do?!

Charles Haddon Shank

'Absent From the Body, Present With the Lord'

The apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth that he longed 'to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord' ( II Corinthians 5:8 ). Previous to this though, he wrote 'while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord'. Contrasting 'absent from' with 'at home in', we should note that there might be more at stake here than mere physicality; for instance, while one may feel more or less comfortable in this biology, that one knows that this biology is, at best, temporary housing. Sooner or later, this physical body of ours, called a 'tent' ( II Corinthians 5:1 & 4 ) by the apostle, will perish & return to the dust from which it came: this is a biological fact!

'At home in', considering the context of Scripture, is quite an interesting phrase! Paul's letters, as indeed all of Scripture, were written to a People in Transition. These People were struggling with the Paradigm Shift of moving from the first, or Old Covenant to a New & Better Covenant. As they were to Jesus, Paul & the Apostles, the greatest Adversary of the People of God were the apostate Jews, those Judaizers who sought to cling to their Law & the requisite Temple & its trappings. To them, the Land & the Temple were 'home'!

Most Christians today look at these passages that are quoted & base their theology on a merely individualistic reading of them! Because Paul makes such a strong & plain statement, it is well accepted that, in order to 'be with the Lord' ( I Thessalonians 4:17 ), one must first pass from this life. But the apostle also says elsewhere that 'flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God'. From a very literalistic & individualistic reading of these words, it is abundantly clear that we cannot, after all, be present with the Lord unless we are absent from the body!

Let's pick at 'the body' for a bit; in that culture, like in this culture, the use of metaphor was common-place! When we speak of a person's 'body of work' we are metaphorically speaking of their portfolio, whether of art, music, or written work. We might also think of Paul's use of the word 'tent' to describe his own biology as rather peculiar. Although one's biology is rather temporal, like a tent, the heavy use of metaphorical language in Scripture should also put us in mind of the fact that the first 'temple', the tabernacle in the wilderness, was housed in a 'tent' ( Exodus 25 & 26 ). Was the apostle here making a reference to this tent that had once housed the Presence of God? Very likely!

The writers of what we know as the New Testament used several different Greek words which our English translators have rendered 'body' in our Bibles! Most of these are rather ambiguous when it comes to nailing them down as to whether the writers were using the term in a plain & literal way, or in a metaphorical way, in speaking of the ( corporate ) body of Israel, for instance. The 'body', therefore, that the apostle had in mind in these passages was not primarily his own or those of certain individuals, but of the 'body' which is in view throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the ( corporate ) 'body' of Israel, that which had been corrupted & was about to perish!
 

In this day & age, we may well read passages such as those above & understand that Paul's usage of these terms indicate certain individualistic truths! While we may apply much of what he wrote in this manner, we must also understand that, as the Scriptures are a Covenant Book, so we must read them in the Light of that Covenant, or from a covenantal viewpoint. Thus, when he writes of the body, we should realize that while the apostle may use individualistic language, he used it metaphorically, to describe the body of Israel. Ezekiel 37 is probably the clearest passage in Scripture that speaks to the fact that this 'body' had died & was in need of resurrection. This passage describes the Resurrection of Israel in terminology not unlike that of the Genesis of Creation!

While it is very likely the apostle did long to be free of the physical constraints of his biology, we must understand that his primary concern was not selfish! Paul was in a lot of pain, both emotionally & physically; not only did his body bear the scars of numerous beatings, several of which well-nigh took his breath away, he also bore the scars of 'children' that were wayward ( Galatians 4:19, et al ). However, Paul's primary concern was for his 'brethren', the people of Israel. In fact, he wrote of them, 'I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen^[a] according to the flesh' ( Romans 9:3 ) This is why he wrote later, to the Church at Philippi, 'I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, [ which is ] far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh [ is ] more needful for you.'  ( Philippians 1:23 & 24 ) The thing to understand here is that Paul wrote these words during the transition period; technically, while the Temple still stood & the Law was religiously observed, they still labored under that first covenant, thoiugh the Blessings of the New were about to be fully & finally revealed!

Charles Haddon Shank

Culture Shock?

A righteous [ man ] who falters before the wicked [ is like ] a murky spring and a polluted well.

Proverbs 25:26 

I doubt if there's anyone who could pinpoint exactly when & where it all began, but, as far as the good ole U.S. of A. goes, we might pin it on the birth of rock & roll in the 50s, with those crazy hip-gyrations & such, or the 'free-love' 60s, The British Invasion which came in the same era probably didn't help much either! Most Christians would happily attribute it to 'the Fall' & say glibly that the main reason our culture is in the shape it's in is because of our fallen nature. Whatever reason, true or false, that one blames the degradation of society on, one thing's for sure, with scourges like the infamous Roe V. Wade decision which opened the floodgates of legalized abortion ( child murder ), the burgeoning porn industry & endless war, along with plenty of innocent blood on our hands, it's abundantly clear that America, especially her 'Christian' majority, is under the judgment of Almighty God!

We've covered this ground before, but like Israel of old, the Church is tasked with leading the culture around Her into the blessings of the Kingdom! To some extent, through Divine Intervention, the nations were influenced in a positive way through Israel's ministry, though in the end, Israel herself suffered loss as a result of her own disobedience. Although we are not under law ( as were they ) but under Grace, Christians in America are tasked with the same ministry, that of leading the culture around them into the City of God. The Church has enjoyed & still enjoys some degree of success when it comes down to it, but in the past several decades, especially, Her failure to positively influence society is becoming more & more blatant!

Many Christian leaders, from everywhere on the spectrum ( of denominationalism ), are denouncing ( 'I'm outraged!' ) what is fast becoming the 'cultural norm'; homosexual marriage, easy divorce, the porn industry & legalized abortion. Part of the problem is that modern Christianity expects an ungodly civil government, through politics, to regulate what She herself has been called to moderate! This is not to say that the civil government should be under the control of any certain religious institution; history, with all the blood shed in the Crusades, the Inquisition, John Calvin's Geneva & such, shows us how well that works. No, it is the principles that Christ gave to His Church that should govern the Body of Christ & thus, the culture around Her!

Jesus told His disciples that, along with loving God, they were to love their neighbor as themselves & furthermore, that they should love their enemies & treat others as they themselves would like to be treated! Studies show that 'Christians' are right up there with the rest of the nation when it comes to devouring porn, murdering their children for their own selfish means & divorce among 'Christians' is almost as common-place as it is in non-Christian circles. ( To be fair, I must acknowledge that this does NOT apply to ALL Christians! ) When it comes to wars & rumors of wars; 'Christians' are pretty much on the front lines there as well, mostly because they have a false eschatology!

According to the majority of Christians, the world is going to hell in a handbasket! This mistaken view is doubtless much to blame for the institutional church's failure to bolster that positive influence which the culture around us had enjoyed up until 50 or so years ago. Because 'this world is not our home, we're just passing through', many Christians, both individually & corporately, have simply retreated into their respective bunkers. Thankfully & we must give the glory to the Creator of Heaven & Earth for this, there are those ( Christians ) who have not yielded to the demands of ungodlines & are doing their part to transform society rather than conforming to the culture around them & contributing to its degradation!

Christians, both individually & as the Body of Christ, are given the task of ruling with God! We are to lead, beginning with our families & radiating out from there, the culture into a Godly society. Rather than retreating from what most Christians view as a world that is perishing, we, as the Light of the World, are to transform that world by shining the Light of Christ into every dark corner, illuminating the evil that men do for what it is & showing them how to love!

We can continue to be outraged at the depths of degradation that the culture around us has fallen to, or we can Live in the Light & show the culture around us how to live in the blessedness of our Heavenly Father's Kingdom! As Christians, we can 'hunker in the bunker' & wait for some false messiah to rescue us, or we can buckle down & start showing the culture around us how to really party; not with drunken debauchery & sexual immorality, but with the Blessed Communion of the Saints in the Kingdom of God.

Which Christian will you be?

Charles Haddon Shank

Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Heaven's Door'?

Of late, it has really been hittin' me that 'heaven is in your heart'! No, seriously, this is not just another religious post ( ? ) about the fact that Jesus promised His followers that He & His Father ( the Holy Spirit ) would take up residence in their hearts. This is not just another feel-good post about how, if you FEEL like you're in 'Heaven', you'll BE in 'Heaven' ( relativity ). This post will explore all three options, how we ARE in 'Heaven' because we're in the Presence of our Creator, who is also our Father ( let THAT sink in ), that we're eternally blessed because of how we face life & how 'Heaven' is a state of mind ( quality versus quantity )!

First off, I realize that 'quality versus quantity' is a mathematical equation, so please don't even...................but seriously, as far as 'state of mind' goes; how often do we seem to hit a switch & the whole situation, our whole attitude, goes from 'I hate my life' to 'I fucking love my life' in less than 60 seconds? I'll admit, because this is often the way it happens with me, that our circumstances, whether it involves human beings or happenstance, usually determine our attitude towards life. Like it or not, agree or not, it most often happens this way, that our environment determines our attitude. Whether we like it or not, our God-given emotions, those bequeathed to us by our Creator, play a HUGE part in whether we FEEL like we're in 'Heaven' or 'Hell'!

Next on the chopping block; we cannot deny that when we face life with a certain attitude, the 'right' attitude, things just seem to be all 'roses', no matter what life seems to throw at us! Even if it seems that we have gotten the wrong end of the stick ( 'shaft' ), if we take it with a cheerful, care-free attitude, then 'it is what it is', right? 'Que sera, sera', what will be, will be! As much as we try to keep that attitude, SOMETHING's going to occur that will test our faith, to make us understand that it's not ALL within our own little power; we MUST understand that there IS a Power out there beyond us & thankfully, beyond our circumstances as well!

So, we're down to religion; 'why does it ALWAYS come down to RELIGION? Well, we've explored the fact that, when it comes down to it, one's religion is what that one believes! Some people's religion seems to be based on the consumption of alcohol ( 'I believe I'll have another beer' ); no, really, it's almost THAT simple: the trials of life, to some people, seem to be lessened ( or is that 'deadened' ) by the ( over ) consumption of alcohol, or other drugs ( anything can be used as a drug )! Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the consumption of alcohol ( by no means, God forbid ), but alcohol will NEVER get you into 'Heaven'! Oh, it may seem for a short while you're in 'Heaven', but after a bit it will become obvious you're simply in one of the chambers of 'Hell'!

Is it really as simple as all THAT? Can a person really BE in 'Heaven' simply because they BELIEVE they're in 'Heaven'? Well, yes; Jesus said that when a person BELIEVES in Him & ( VERY important ) follows His Word, that the Father would love him & THEY would come to him & make THEIR Home with ( In ) him: is THAT not 'Heaven'? I dare say, 'YES'; even 'hell yes'!

Now, religion cuts both ways; if your religion tells you it's right to commit murder against those who don't believe like you do, then you're doing it wrong. When a person loves their neighbor as themselves & treats everyone the same way that they themselves want to be treated, then that person has learned how to live in 'heaven'. According to the orthodox way of belief, that person is not IN 'Heaven' unless he or she acknowledges & loves the Creator, but that might be another subject for another time.........................

'Attitude is everything'! It's a known fact that how we face our circumstances determines ( most often ) the kind of life we will lead! Many of us are given certain hurdles to overcome & depending on the attitude with which we confront those adversities, we may be seen to dwell in 'Heaven' or 'Hell'. Do we live in either place because of how we feel about it, because we believe one way or the other? IS 'Heaven' ( or 'Hell' ) JUST a state of mind? Can we be in 'Hell' one minute & the next, floating on 'Cloud Nine'? Well, sorta! If we're honest with ourselves, we ALL have those moments where nothing seem to go right, NOTHING seems to work in our favor! The next minute, though & it can work just like a faucet, our attitude will change & we realize that EVERYTHING, whether we like it or not, IS working in our favor; it IS all good!

Emotions, too, are a funny thing! How we feel about ANYTHING often changes by the minute, even by the second. We are taught not to trust our feelings & while that is sometimes not a bad idea, we ARE given those emotions for a good reason. The Creator has programmed us in such a way that our bodies know instinctively how to ( correctly ) react to certain stimuli. We are taught that is wrong, this is right & often what our feelings say are right are wrong, because of our fallen nature or whatever. However, while we SHOULD NOT ( necessarily ) trust our feelings ( 'follow your heart'? ) all the time, we SHOULD trust that those faculties that were bequeathed to us by the Creator were NOT given to us for no reason; they were given to us so that we could Experience Heaven!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Heavenly Vision; Reconciling the World

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: 

we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

II Corinthians 5:20 

Before his letter to the Romans ( at least if bible chronology is correct ), the apostle Paul wrote this to the Church at Corinth, 'For if their being cast away [ is ] the reconciling of the world, what [ will ] their acceptance [ be ] but life from the dead?' ( Romans 11:15 ) The Jews of the first century A.D. were Paul's primary referent here, but many people, myself included, seem to think that we can rip this statement from its first century context & apply it to our world. Our English Bibles, in this case, use the transliterated Greek 'kosmos', which means simply 'orderly arrangement'. The question of whether or not this statement from Scripture can or even should be applied to the 'world' of the 21st century is not a simple one.

In the context of Paul's words, we can see that he is speaking of an entirely different world, the 'world' of the Jew & Gentile. Some would say that our 'world' is NOT so different, as we still have those who are 'perishing', in essence, we still have Pharisees, as well as those who are 'outside'! It IS rather hard to argue with this brand of logic, sometimes, because we DO have some ( Christians ) who would ( almost ) put the Pharisees to shame, there are those who have undoubtedly perished ( Hitler, Pol Pol, etc. ) & there are definitely those who, for all intents & purposes, remain firmly 'outside'. ( The question might well be asked though, 'outside' what?

If my readers are at all familiar with the 'city' language used by Jesus in the Gospels & perpetuated by John in the Revelation, then it should be abundantly clear that we, the People of God are the Referent here! Jesus referred to us, His disciples as 'a city that is set on a hill' ( Matthew 5:14 ) & John the Revelator saw the 'heavenly Jerusalem' or 'holy city', when She descended from 'Heaven' as the Bride of Christ. Zion was used, most famously in the Psalms to refer to the dwelling of God on Earth, or what we might know as His Temple. The City of David, or Jerusalem itself, was also refereed to as Zion.

As we get into the Greek Scriptures, or what is called the New Testament & the teachings of Jesus, we understand that the monuments we read of in the Hebrew Scriptures simply served to point to Something Greater! That Something Greater was, of course, the Very One who gave them this Good News. As the Body of Christ, we too are Members of that Something Greater. We are Citizens of that City which came down from 'Heaven' & in fact, are that City, as He ( God ) has established His praise in us ( Psalm 48:1 ). In this sense, then, there are still those 'outside'; if we, the Church, the Body & Bride of Christ, are truly the City of God, then there are those who remain outside the gates, so to speak!

The 'world' that the apostle lived in & wrote of doesn't seem, sometimes, to have been all that different from ours, but it was! Paul wrote during a time of transition, the period following the death & Resurrection of Israel's Messiah & the Destruction of Jerusalem & the Temple in AD70. This period could also be viewed as a time of cleansing wherein the mere symbols were being discarded so that the Greater Reality could shine the brighter. The 'world' that we have inherited sometimes seems dark & dingy, but the Light that we carry has shone in the darkness. Jesus said that WE are 'the light of the world' ( Matthew 5:14 ); we are here to shine forth that Light & dispel the darkness!

Jesus reconciled that 'world', the 'world' of the Greeks & Jews! Speaking of the Gentiles ( or Greeks, as some translations put it ), Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, giving them hope that though Israel was being cast away ( for the moment ), their rejection would not be total, but was in fact itself a shining symbol pointing to the Life of the Messiah. The Reconciliation accomplished by the Christ was the Redemption of the 'world' of Jew & Gentile; our mission is the redemption of this 'world', one in which we must learn to reconcile with those for whom the Christ died!

Charles Haddon Shank