Genesis Knoxville

Archive for February, 2009

Reading the Bible

Feb 26

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By Timothy D. Holder

There was a TV show on in the early 1990s that starred an older man who was a kung fu master. His son on the show had studied kung fu for awhile, but the son grew up and became a cop and neglected his martial arts studies. On one episode the cop needed to enter a kung fu tournament to nab the bad guy. He went to his father, the kung fu master, for help. The cop needed to learn a move that was so good he would be able to advance in the tournament long enough to catch the bad guy. The father reluctantly showed him the move, the cop mastered it, the bad guy was caught, and I had to wait a week for another exciting adventure.

I’ve been thinking of that episode recently for two reasons. One, I like kung fu a lot. Two, it reminds me of a lot of people in their spiritual lives. When it comes to kung fu, people don’t become masters by learning a few awesome moves. A student learns some very basic moves. Those moves are practiced and mastered and then other, more complex movements are taught. Through time and discipline (more so than talent), one might become a master. Spiritually speaking, many people are like the cop in the TV show. They want an encounter with God, but they don’t want to put a lot of work in on the front end of that encounter.

If we want to grow in our faith, if we want to feel a closer relationship with God, then we need to focus on some of the basic disciplines of our faith. Those basic disciplines include prayer and reading the Bible.

Think about being in love with somebody. Imagine if you loved that person but felt like there were a lot of things you did not know about that special someone. Then imagine if you found out he/she had written a bunch of stuff that would give you a lot of insight into your beloved’s character, personality, and interests. Wouldn’t you want to read that? God has done this for us. If you want a close relationship with Him, read the message that He has communicated to you from across time.

Maybe I don’t need to sell you on the concept of Bible reading so much as the application of the process. In other words, maybe you think reading the Bible is a good idea, you just aren’t getting it done. If so, tune in next week. I won’t give you any more kung fu stories or catch any bad guys, but I’ll share a bunch of ideas on different methods for studying the Bible.

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Faith of the Founders, Part Two

Feb 19

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By Timothy D. Holder

While I am comfortable arguing that George Washington was a Christian (as I did in the last blog), it seems pretty obvious that Benjamin Franklin was not. Traditionally, school children are taught that Franklin was a Deist, a man who believed that some kind of God created the universe but He no longer intervened in the affairs of men. Therefore, someone like Franklin did not believe in miracles like the Resurrection of Jesus.

As it turns out, Franklin liked the Christian faith better than one might realize, but he also had some beliefs that were stranger than those of a typical Deist. According to Steven Waldman, author of Founding Faith, Franklin actually labeled himself a Deist on at least one occasion, but Franklin liked some Christian sects (or denominations) and preachers because he thought they had a good impact on the morals of Americans. In other words, he thought Christianity was a nice thing for other people to practice.

Despite his Deist inclinations, Franklin came to believe by late in life (or at least he claimed to believe late in life) that, as he put it, “God governs in the affairs of men.” This was an idea that he expressed in several of his letters. How does Franklin reconcile such sentiments with his professed Deism? Franklin decided that the Creator God didn’t need our prayers or devotion, yet humans had a need “to pay Divine regards to SOMETHING” (Waldman, p. 19). Franklin concluded that their must be lesser gods ruling the star systems of the universe. So the supernatural being who answers our prayers is actually just the god of our solar system, not the universe.

Franklin didn’t really want organized religion for himself, so he essentially invented his own faith based on nothing more substantial than his logic and imagination. Perhaps surprisingly (it was surprising to me anyway), this was not a totally uncommon thing back then. Maybe it was the result of some of the stale denominations of the day. Usually a colony had one state-sponsored religious sect (like the Puritans in Massachusetts). This monopoly on religion oftentimes bred leaders who were more interested in maintaining control than meeting the needs of hungry souls and questioning minds. Frustrated by rigid and unresponsive religion, the people started believing what they wanted to believe

In conclusion: Franklin’s religious beliefs were, well, strange.  But he thought Christianity’s influence on society was a good thing.

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Faith of the Founders

Feb 13

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By Timothy D. Holder

People like to talk (okay, argue) about the role of Christianity in the birth of our nation, and as an offshoot of this debate they sometimes talk about the religious beliefs of the individual founding fathers. I read a few books on this topic (one called The Faiths of the Founding Fathers by David Holmes and one by Steven Waldman entitled Founding Faith), and I’m going to share some things I learned about George Washington.

Holmes believed that Washington was a Deist, but I disagree. Deists held a broad range of sometimes contradictory beliefs (which could also be said of every other religion. There are basic tenets of a given religious faith, but there are always those who claim the faith without agreeing with those tenets). Generally, though, Deists believe that some kind of God created the universe (this was pre-Charles Darwin) then God left the universe alone. There are no miracles and no salvation through Christ in the Deist worldview.

Holmes’ assertions don’t match his conclusions. He describes Washington as being quite serious about his faith. While in the army, Washington led worship services when a chaplain wasn’t available, and he required his men to attend unless their duties kept them away. Holmes also wrote that according to his sources, Washington was a “reverent participant” in church services. One example of the seriousness with which Washington worshipped was that he stood up during prayers, even when those around him didn’t.

Some might argue that maybe Washington only went to church to enhance his political standing, but church attendance was relatively low during this era (traveling to church was sometimes difficult for country folk).  My point is that if Washington did go much or at all, many people wouldn’t have worried too much about it.

Washington’s granddaughter, Nelly Custis, wrote this about him, “I should have thought it the greatest heresy to doubt his firm belief in Christianity.” And James Madison believed that Washington accepted the precepts of his Episcopal Church without question.

According to author Steven Waldman, “Washington…believed that they could only win [the American Revolution] if God was on their side” (pg. 68). Given the lack of political unity, military discipline, and financial resources of the Americans, such a point of view helps explain why Washington was willing to try and fight the British anyway.

Certainly not all of the Founding Fathers were evangelical Christians (and I’ll write about one who wasn’t next week), but to dismiss Washington as a Deist is to sell him short. The evidence indicates he believed that God intervened in the affairs of men, Washington was a man of prayer, and he followed his church’s teachings about Jesus.

Loneliness

Feb 5

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By Timothy D. Holder

For those of you who went off to college, life can get kind of weird afterwards. Actually, life can get weird on lots of occasions, but the time after college seems particularly so. It is at this point in their lives that a lot of people get lonely and make bad decisions.

In high school most young people are surrounded by folks with whom they have a lot in common. Even if you felt like you were totally different from your peers, there were some obvious connections. You were from the same generation, living in the same general area, and having the same classes with the same teachers. Bonding was easier there than it will be later in life. For conversation topics you just needed to start talking about the things I’ve listed. College is a little different insofar as an increasing number of older folks become students and people come from different areas to go to a given school. But, again, you have some commonalities that make bonding easier. It isn’t just happenstance that so many people say you make your best friends in high school and college. This isn’t always the case, but it is true often enough that people comment on it.

But then you got out of school and you took a job somewhere. Your co-workers have been there for awhile, they aren’t generally the same age as you, and they had a full life before you came along. It’s easy to feel lonely.

Maybe you moved when you got out of school, and that just makes the loneliness worse. You tried going to church, and the people were friendly, but you discovered that there’s a difference between people who are friendly and people who are friends.

Maybe you’ve gotten in a relationship with someone that you know isn’t really good for you, but you’re so tired of being alone that you’ve risked it, and you’re hoping for the best.

Let me urge you to try again to connect with people who will be your friends when they get to know you. Come visit GENESIS a few times. Come to church on Sunday morning or Sunday night a few times. Visit a Sunday school class a few times. Going to church for the purpose of making friends is not the best reason for going, but it is an important one. God created in us a need for relationships. You aren’t weird because you’re feeling lonely; you’re just going through a weird time.

There is a void in all of our lives that only God can fill. And there is a void in all our lives that He wants us to fill for each other. Maybe we’ll come knocking on your door some day, but don’t wait for that. Come and see us.