Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

For years, I’ve read after John Rosemond.  Many try to dismiss him as “old school”, but in truth, he’s one of the best parenting advisors on the scene today.  I highly recommend his books and for years, his weekly parenting article was in our local paper, The Charlotte Observer.  (I quit subscribing years ago as their editorial board is one of the most liberal ever and it just constantly ticked me off with their lack of balance.  I don’t mind reading liberals, I’d just like there to be something of a pretense of hearing both sides from a newspaper.  You get none of that from The Observer.)

Today, I saw an article written on John that I wanted to share with my Whirled Views readers in hopes that you might be introduced to him if you haven’t heard of him and because the article itself has some important, true and thought-provoking content. 

Do yourself a favor and read this article and then go get some of his work.  You’ll be glad you did.

HERE’s the article.

One of my favorite bloggers, Tim Challies has written a great blog article on the subject of “Entitlement” as it relates to our current generation.  You’ll find yourself nodding in agreement with many things he says or uncovers and if you are like me, you’ll also have your breath knocked out of you a bit as you realize the depth and scope of this misguided belief.  As Challies notes….there is one thing and one thing only to which every person is entitled.  Hell.  Sinners in need of redemption we all are.  Take a minute and read his article HERE.  (There’s also a podcast attached if you have the time to listen to it.)

It’s just hit the news that Arlin Horton has announced to the college staff and student body that he and his wife, Beka, founders of Pensacola Christian College, Pensacola Christian Academy, A Beka Books and multiple susidiaries, will be retiring in May.  Troy Shoemaker has been named the new president. 

HERE’S the link to the website news release.

My dear friend, Charles Wood (catch his blog, “The Woodchuck’s Den” in my sidebar of recommended blogs) wrote a thought-provoking and emotional article recently that I thought I’d share with my readers.  I hope it changes the way we view people in our own churches.

—————-
Recently, an email from my Brother, Bud, put me in a “nostalgia” mode.  I am old enough now that I think I can get away with some story telling (Jesus did it all the time), and his email took me back to my childhood.  What immediately follows is the result of my thinking about some of the good times of my early life, but it has pertinence to our day and special relevance to the subject of compassion about which I wrote yesterday.
We grew up in First Baptist of Hackensack, N. J.  The church has been known in modern times as the place where Dr. Joseph M. Stowell Sr. was pastor for many years, and he came when I was a young teen.  His predecessor, Dr. Harry C. Leach, was pastor for about thirty years (if my memory serves me correctly) and did a marvelous job as the Hackensack church was one of the largest in the area long before anyone thought of a bus ministry.  Pastor Leach was the one who first stirred the idea of ministry in my heart (and Dr. Stowell helped to fan that spark into flame).  Pastor Leach was a good and a godly man.  For years, if I closed my eyes and thought of God, I saw his face.

The Leaches had started out as missionaries to Burma (again, I hope my memory is correct) but came back to the States because of health issues in the family.  They had four children: Edward. Ava, Virginia and Marion.  I don’t have any recollection of Edward other than that he died quite young.  Ava and Ginny married pastors who ended up in the Southern Baptist Convention, but Marion stayed single.  She was competent and efficient and became what we would call an Administrative Assistant to her father.

What Bud told me that I didn’t know was that Marion wrote a book, Crowded Pews; Lonely People.  I don’t know at what point in her life she wrote it, but I have no doubt is was somewhat born of her experiences of being a single woman in the context of a local church where most of the women were married.  Commenting on the book, Bud said, “One of the loneliest places in the world is in the pew at church. I have been there many times and know too much about that

subject.”  Tragically, I think this is an all-too-familiar experience for many people.

What a contrast between that overly familiar experience and what Loraine found as a widow.  She was a youthful fifty-six when O. J. died, and she had just moved back to Michigan after living in California for thirteen years.  She decided to attend a church she had not attended before, and I think she somewhat dreaded being in church alone.  But she wasn’t alone, as one individual and several other people determined that she would not be.  Elly Gale and her great husband, Rod, decided to “adopt” her and make sure she had friends.  A “small group” encircled her with love (and even came to South Bend after we were married to be sure that she was in a good place and being treated right).  Elly allowed her to talk with Rod when she needed advice or a man’s viewpoint and never showed even a trace of jealousy, and he was incredibly helpful to Loraine with solid advice and godly wisdom. 

    
Nice story, huh?  But how does it apply?  In several ways:

First, there are lonely, hurting people right around you in your own church.  Second, single women should be objects of love and care, not the butt of snide ”old maid” jokes.  Third, the Bible makes a special case for the special care of widows, Fourth, why not make a point of discovering someone in your church who is lonely and “adopting” them into your life and family?  (Ladies, if you can’t allow your husband to be a Biblical friend to a widow, you’ve got a problem).  Finally, don’t assume that because someone seems to be doing, or says, he or she is ok, that they are being truthful. I’ve learned over the years how to cover a lot of pain and internal struggle (after all the pastor just has to “keep a stiff upper lip”).  I assume there are many others who have done the same.  Maybe we ought to simply offer a word of encouragement instead of asking people how they are doing.

Dr. Charles Wood

I’ve been a long-time reader of “World Magazine” and am good friends with it’s co-publisher, Warren Smith, who is a respected journalist and author.  They are offering an incredible opportunity to get a FREE 3-month subscription to the magazine right now.  The incredible thing is that usually, you have to give them your credit card number, social security number, IQ of your first four children, your weight and your cholesterol count to get the free issues and then they “automatically” bill you to death if you don’t cancel with them on time (and sometimes if you do.)  There’s none of that in this deal.  Just sign up with your address and you are good to go.  (BTW, the code is “VIDEO” on the front page to get the deal.)

If you want a quality news magazine with a Biblical worldview, this magazine is for YOU.  I bet you’ll want to subscribe after your free 6 issues!

HERE’S the Link.

After a bit of a break from my annual tradition, I’ve decided to resurrect my sometimes cited, frequently debated and occasionally requested list of Top Religion stories from my neck of the Christian world.  As always, I offer my disclaimers first.  This list is 100% subjective.  This is just how I see things.  I limit myself to ten primary stories (though I will list some honorable mentions as well), and I don’t put them in a particular order of significance as in greatest to lesser.  I want you to add your own in the comment section – feel free to disagree, expand, add or challenge.  That’s 99% of the fun.  So without further fanfare…here’s the list for 2011.

1.      1. Arab Spring

Even if you aren’t a Van Impe/Camping/Left-Behind groupie, you’ve got to believe that something significant is going on in the Middle East with the collapse of multiple governments which were at least in an uneasy truce with the West (US/Europe) and generally with Israel.  Egypt, Libya, Syria and other places are still in the midst of huge changes and where it will all fall out is anybody’s guess.  But it doesn’t require ownership of a crystal ball to see that most of these countries are going to be dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other anti-Israel/anti-American/anti-Christian political forces which is going to change the status quo we have known for a generation.  Of lesser eschatological concern, but greater immediate attention, is the impact on the tiny “Christian” minorities in countries like Egypt which are already seeing a marked rise in persecution and violence.  In addition, we have no idea how far this regional revolution will grow.  Should Saudi Arabia come under anti-American governance, one can only imagine the amount of mischief that could come from a hostile government using the billions of dollars of American armaments they now possess and the ability to strangle us with their oil output.  And I didn’t even begin to deal with Pakistan and Turkey and the tenuous condition of our alliances with them.  Anyway you cut it…this is BIG in historical, spiritual and eschatological perspectives.

2.      2. Tim Tebow and “Tebowing”

Rarely has there been such a polarizing public figure who has caught the attention and dominated the national dialogue as Tim Tebow.  The discussions surrounding him make the debates over Ron Paul, Justin Bieber and Charlie Sheen seem downright civil.  And while football is the “excuse”, make no mistake – this is a cultural/faith wars battle posing as a debate over an athlete’s skill set.  Every year in every sport there is conversation over whether the hot new player has what it takes to be in the Big Leagues, but this is a whole different level of fandom and venom spewing.  There are very few fence sitters.  On one side, people who thought the NFL stood for “Nearly Finished Looking” are now sporting Broncos Jerseys with “Jesus” written on the back.  Others have now found a convenient way to cloak their unbridled hatred for all things Christian by framing their vitriol with Tebow’s awkward throwing style and oh, yeah…he’s a religious kook too.  The cool thing is that Tim has, thus far, been able to live above the fray, showing amazing grace and maturity for a kid his age and in such glare and unless you are totally blinded by anti-Christian bias he is the kind of guy you’d want your daughter to bring home for Thanksgiving dinner.  His prayer posture has now become a national version of “planking” and “owling” only with a deeper message.  Whether you love or loathe the Broncos, Christians should pray for this young man’s character and spiritual strength.  He’s going to need it.

3.      3. Fundamentalist Schools and Accreditation

Several years ago, I printed a series of articles (no longer available) on my blog which pointed out problems in the Christian colleges located in the most conservative neck of the “evangelical” world (largely Fundamentalist schools).  It was quite controversial at the time and the number of “hits” I got on my blog for weeks originating in places like Greenville, SC and Pensacola, FL and other home ports for these schools was both surprising and revealing.  While I’m not taking any level of credit and I don’t claim to be a prophet or the son of a prophet, it is worth noting that many of the things I predicted and challenged have started coming to pass.  One of the most significant is the decision to start seeking some form of accreditation by these schools.  Bob Jones University shocked their constituency and those who knew of their philosophy of anti-accreditation several years ago by applying for accreditation with the Christian accreditation association, Transnational Association of Colleges and Schools (TRACS).  This was not the equivalent of regional accreditation, but was a significant position change nonetheless.  Interestingly, not long ago, another great bastion of accreditation resistance, Pensacola Christian College announced that they too were seeking TRACS Accreditation.  Now, within the last few months, in what can only be described as a shift of seismic proportions, BJU has announced that they will see full accreditation with SACS – a secular regional accrediting body and one of the most influential ones in the country.  This has the potential to change the entire “non-accreditation” game among colleges of their sort.  On a side note, because I work as a consultant to colleges and schools on occasion and have relationships with multiple accrediting agencies, I have “inside” knowledge that there are multiple other, less visible, but significant colleges who are also now considering accreditation for the first time.  Whether or not this was done because of a more astute prospective student or declining enrollment or simply a rethinking of their opposition rationale, it will certainly remove an excuse that many have used for not applying for enrollment at these schools and will move the institutional credibility (once attained) in a positive direction.

4.      4. Scandals Come Home to Roost

Virtually every branch of Christianity has had major sexual scandals over the last quarter century – from Catholics to extreme Fundamentalist.  This year, however, many past sexual scandals in fundamentalist circles came home to roost in a major way and virtually no branch of fundamentalism went unscathed.  The most significant one was the Trinity Baptist/Chuck Phelps/Tina Anderson Case from Concord, New Hampshire and which ended up impacting Bob Jones University, Northland International University, Maranatha Baptist Bible College and multiple churches and prominent pastors and college officials in the process.  You had to have been living under a rock not to come across info on this on the internet this year (not to mention 20/20 and CNN) and if you haven’t heard about it, just google “Tina Anderson” and grab a cup of coffee – you’re going to be there for a while.  But that case was just the tip of the iceberg.  There’s the case of a preferred mission agency of the GARB, the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) which was hit by a decades old sexual abuse cover-up involving a missionary doctor and multiple young girls which is still being debated and investigated.  The Hephzibah Home for Girls in Indiana has been charged with abuse of their charges by the media and former residents.  Fairhaven Baptist Church and Fairhaven Baptist College in Indiana were the subject of a CNN investigation regarding gross abusive and harsh behavior toward young people (though there are no substantive sexual charges at this time).  Berean Baptist Church/College in Jacksonville, Florida made the headlines when leadership was accused of a cover-up involving the pastor’s son who videotaped young college women changing their clothes and they are also in the middle of a financial scandal that involves the loss of their ministry campus and charges of an excessive lifestyle by the pastor and his family.  Two Independent Baptist Pastors committed suicide in the Southwest upon being confronted about sexual abuse including a rape.  A graduate of Hyles-Anderson College was just the latest in a string of pastor’s from that school to have faced scandal and charges and was sentenced to prison for molesting several young men in his church and school.  Another, non-sexual scandal, involved the President of Tennessee Temple University and the Pastor of the sponsoring church resigning due to charges of plagiarism in a book written years before.  Bottom line – this year a lot of corruption came to light and it can be dismissed by saying “it happens everywhere” with a shrug of the shoulders or it can be examined and addressed with integrity.  Whether or not it will be addressed or ignored has yet to be determined and due to the nature and value of “independence” in this arm of Christianity and which has lead to a significant lack of accountability, it is hard to envision how a legitimate examination and corrective action could even be taken.

5.      5. The Rise of Internet Driven Activism

This is related to Number 4, but is separate as this has the potential to indefinitely and in various forms become a significant “game changer” in how grievances are addressed and scandals are dealt with for the foreseeable future.  Several years ago, anonymous bloggers in churches like the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville and Belleview Baptist Church of Memphis, TN rocked their congregations with accusations, charges and commentary.  Today, anonymity is no longer necessarily the modus operandi of these activists.  The lead character in this new “Fundamentalist Spring” of activism and scandal revelation is Jocelyn Zichterman who has combined personal wounds and frustration (and some would say, bitterness) with the “system” within her former branch of fundamentalism and the power of social networking and the internet to create a whole new force that has lead to earth-shaking revelations, scandals, media scrutiny and even policy changes in institutions touched by her formidable will.  The daughter of a somewhat prominent Independent Baptist family from the BJU/NU neck of the woods, she has made it her mission to expose and investigate what she perceives to be fundamentalist corruption and cultic behavior largely using alleged sexual abuse in her own home as her impetus and the response of many fundamentalists to her exposure of it.  Her fundamentalist resume is quite impressive and it has now become the platform on which she is waging a war against perceived flaws, failures and scandals of epic proportions utilizing Facebook, blogs and a media-savy willingness to generate headlines, interviews and investigations to speak up for some who were ignored or otherwise silenced.  She was largely responsible for putting the Tina Anderson/Chuck Phelps case on the national radar and now the rapist in question is in prison.  Most recently, she brought about the end of Bob Jones University’s ill-conceived reappointment of Chuck Phelps to one of their prominent Boards through amazingly successful on-line protests, petitions and other tactics serving as the catalyst with other dissatisfied or wounded individuals or groups.  While the University will deny that it had an impact on them, very few are going to believe that claim.  The ABWE scandal mentioned above largely gained traction as the result of a blog where many shared their stories of abuse and cover-up.  In 2011, a blog by disgruntled Sovereign Grace senior leader and pastor, Brent Detwiler was largely responsible for the Sovereign Grace head, C. J. Mahaney, taking a leave of absence/sabbatical to deal with spiritual issues in light of some of the charges and which continues to unfold with other resignations within SGM and disciplinary actions taken against Detwiler.  Bottom line – this story is significant because the Internet connects anyone on the planet who has a story to tell or a charge to make with others who had similar experiences or who might be inclined to take up their cause.  Many of these scandals are legitimate and poorly handled.  On occasion, some appear to be exploiting the anonymity of the web and the ability to cast an experience from their singular perspective in order to garner sympathy or to attack others.  Few would say that this is the best way to handle such matters.  Others would claim that is the option of last result and their final venue for seeing things made right.  However you feel about the tactic…no one can deny that it is a new and powerful force and those who have skeletons in their closets should be shaking in their boots.

6.      6. No “Religious Right” Candidate for President

This year’s Presidential Sweepstakes is all but destined to offer a choice between two major candidates who will not receive the endorsement or enthusiasm of most in the religious right.  Many of whom will endorse the candidate (and let’s be honest…it’s going to be the Republican nominee) will do so out of a sense of political expediency, not a sense that this is “their guy”.  Those who had a chance to earn the support of this formidable block of voters – Pawlenty, Palin, Perry, Bachman, Santorum, Huckabee – either didn’t even enter or never caught fire.  Thus, Republican values voters are largely dispersed among candidates for whom many will admit to “holding their nose” when voting for them.  Mitt the Moderate Mormon, Gingrich – the serial adulterer and Ron Paul – a guy whose followers make North Korean political party leaders look disloyal in comparison are all a far cry from the savior that Christian conservatives would like to see run against the man they perceive to be the greatest enemy to the national values our country has ever known (which might be an overstatement, but their perception nonetheless), Barak Obama.  It will be interesting to see if any of the last election’s evangelical “rock star” young leaders come out supporting Obama again much as they did in 2008 when the Dems captured 40% of the evangelical vote.  Sadly, there are few on the entire political scene down the road that might give any more hope to them except for one exception – FL Senator Marco Rubio – who has a Reaganesque vision, verbiage and values, but who just isn’t seasoned enough quite yet for the Oval Office.  (At least he, unlike our current occupier in chief, is aware of that.)  If I were a betting man, I’d say that Obama will win re-election by a hair this fall.  More tragic than another four years of his leadership is the reality that he will then change the face of the Supreme Court and Federal Courts for the next generation – a consequence from which we will likely ever recover.

7.      7. Bell’s Hell

Not a lot needs to be written on this topic, but Emergent Church hipster, Rob Bell, shook up Christianity with his re-warmed version of a form of possible annihilationism and set off a storm of controversy and counter-tomes and sermon series and so on – the likes which haven’t been seen since Y2K. Bottom line – Rob Bell is a heretic and his church is better off now that he has resigned to pursue other “opportunities”.  But there is no denying that he was a big story this year. (Note: since writing this originally, I have been told that the new pastor may be more theologically liberal than Bell — and that’s saying something.)

8.      8. Harold Camping Strikes Again (and Again)

Like a cat dropped off your deck will always land on his feet, radio evangelist Harold Camping has shown a decades-long knack for setting dates for the return of Christ only to have them pass without nary a whistle, let alone a trumpet blast, and still have followers willing to listen for and heed his next prediction.  But his setting of the date of May 21^st had a new level of support among his adherents as people quit their jobs, sold their homes, bought RV’s and painted them with doomsday messages and took to the Interstates warning of the coming Apocalypse months in advance.  When the date passed and nothing happened – he offered an “ooops” moment and reset it AGAIN.  It too, was false.  In OT days, false prophets were executed.  Harold should be glad he’s in the 21^st Century.  Of course, the media made a big deal with smarmy smirkiness throughout, subjecting  even more citizens to his nonsensical predictions and by proxy suggesting that most Christians who believe in a rapture were Camping Crazy themselves.

9.      9. Mainstreaming Mormonism

Mitt Romney’s candidacy and likely future win of the Republican nomination has brought some interesting scrutiny to the cult of Mormonism (and using the term “cult” is apparently a VERY politically-incorrect thing to type – according to some evangelicals, many of whom teach at Fuller Seminary).  With their “Holy Underwear”, Native American Jews, abstinence from coffee, coke and tea (caffeinated at least), secret baptisms of the dead, history of polygamy, mandatory tithing, golden discs, BYU’s good Basketball team and all – who wouldn’t want a little closer look at the faith system of a potential “most powerful man on earth”?  What is interesting is that few orthodox Christians seem willing to hold the line that Mormonism is not a legitimate Christian sect with much dogmatism, and those who do – like the President of the Southern Baptist Convention – well, they should apparently be considered the crazy ones – not those who believe they are eventually going to get their own planet to run.  Go figure.  The sad fact is that Mormons, with all of their nicely-funded commercials, slick advertising and POWERFUL politicians and celebrities (Romney, Harry Reed, Orin Hatch, the Osmonds – for a few examples), are now gradually being accepted as mainstream and not even as extreme as say….those nasty “Baptists” or “Bible-Thumpers”.  Compromise is the Life-Blood of Politics, but it is the Death-Knell of Sound Theology.

10   10. Homosexual Activism Gains the Upper Hand

Let’s face it – the GLBT forces had a good year and their radical agenda shows no signs of abatement.  With even moderate conservatives rushing to prove their tolerance, they intimidate politicians and businesses into embracing pro-gay-lifestyle positions time after time after time.  Now serving openly in the military and looking for ways to recall the Defense of Marriage Act passed by a previous congress, gaining the right to adopt children, punishing private (and public) enterprises who don’t just discriminate against them…but who don’t PREFER them in many cases, using judges to over-turn citizen initiatives approved by a majority to give them the right to marry, demanding and receiving preferred funding, constantly portrayed in a positive light by both the media and the entertainment industry — this tiny minority of Americans (probably less than 5% of the population) have unprecedented political clout in the history of the nation.  (Don’t believe that?  Ask this question.  “Who is more likely to win confirmation to the Supreme Court if nominated – a conservative, pro-life evangelical or a liberal homosexual.”  I believe I’ve made my point.)  Why is this a major story for 2011 – the repeal of DADT was the high water mark in a very successful year for homosexuals and they are just a few court decisions away and a few hate-crime laws removed from being able to sue pastors, authors, bloggers, churches, private employers, etc… for ever giving voice to the consideration that their lifestyle is sinful and that they are not a legitimate “minority’.  Religious freedom and 1^st Amendment not withstanding – their agenda will take precedence and Christians need to think through those future scenarios as fines are considered, tax exemptions are lost and censorship is imposed.  I do not believe such a scenario is a wild-eyed prophecy – it’s a coming reality.

Honorable Mentions: Considered, but not chosen.

• The Southern Baptists Consider a Name Change Removing “Southern” at Least
• Small Christian Colleges in Peril as Tough Economic Times and Declining Enrollments take their Tolls
• Disgraced LBTS Dean Ergun Caner takes Provost Position at Arlington Baptist College
• C. J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries Rocked by Accusations
• 400^th Anniversary of the King James Version
• Churches No Longer Allowed to Meet in Public Schools in New York

 So, those are my thoughts — what are yours?  Feel free to disagree, debate or offer your own list below!  Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Burrell’s

Josh (14), Katie (15), Justin and Megan (Burrell) Mook, Julie, Dan and Nathan
Photo taken on July 23rd, 2011 at Lake Lure, North Carolina

This entry was written by my friend, Dr. Wesley Scott, who is a colleague on the Liberty University faculty and the Educational Services Director for the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.  He is a critical thinker and when I read these on his Facebook wall, I asked his permission to share them with my Whirled Views Audience.

Seven Christmas Misconceptions

Common Christmas Misconception #1 - Jesus was not born on December 25, 1 AD. After years of study on this topic in reference to the appearance of an astronomical anomaly and the Roman rulers at the time of His birth, it is more likely that He was born somewhere between 3-5 BC and likely in the spring. December 25th is a traditional date first indicated by a Roman historian and orator in the 3rd century. While he and the Roman Catholic Church may have been incorrect in their date and year (Gregorian calendar) and since we cannot really pin down a specific date, we can still celebrate the incarnation of Christ on this date without any hesitation.

Common Christmas Misconception #2 - Joseph and Mary were not married when Jesus was born - well not quite. Joseph and Mary were “betrothed” or engaged to be married when he was told by the angel of Mary’s pregnancy. They had likely signed the “ketubbah” which was a Jewish contract of engagement - much more legally binding that our modern engagement. As instructed by the angel, he took Mary as his wife but did not consummate the marriage until after Jesus was born. So, in the public eye they were married, but technically since they had not consummated the marriage, they were not officially married - yet. Jesus was born into a questionable and some might say dysfunctional situation. Thus, He can relate to any type of difficult situation in which we find ourselves today - His life started out that way!

Common Christmas Misconception #3 - The manger was not a stable in which the birth of Jesus took place. When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, since there was no room at any guest chamber (inn), they went to the place where the livestock were kept to lodge - which in that day was generally a small grotto or cave. The “manger” is actually the livestock feeding trough into which Jesus was laid after being wrapped in strips of cloth. (These were the two specific signs to the shepherds as to who the Messiah child was.) Whether your manger scene is a stable or cave really doesn’t matter. The point is that the King of Kings was born to a poor, Nazarene couple in a cave among the animals. Social pariahs, the poor, homeless, needy, lower class, tired, sick, and even animals would all play key roles in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Common Christmas Misconception #4 - The angels who appeared to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth did not sing. As wonderful and glorious as an angelic choir might sound, the Bible tells us the angel appeared with a heavenly host of other angels to the shepherds and they were “saying, Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” In fact there is no place in Scripture where it is clear that the angels “sing” at all (although there are a few questionable references). Regardless, I think it is key that the first declaration of Jesus’ birth was made to shepherds - among the lowest class of citizens in that day. Not to mention that Jesus would identify with both the shepherds and the sheep as our Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So go ahead - sing out “Gloria, in excelsis Deo” - I’m sure God won’t mind at all.

Common Christmas Misconception #5 - The shepherds did not follow the star to the place where Jesus was born. They were instructed by the angel to look for the Christ child “in the city of David” - which is Bethlehem. Two other signs to His location were that He would be 1) wrapped in swaddling clothes and 2) lying in a manger. We’ve already dealt with the manger (see Sunday), but what are swaddling clothes? Well, they are strips of cloth that were used to clean up the afterbirth. Clean strips were used to wrap the baby Jesus after His birth - sort of like a mummy. Was that odd? Yep - that’s why it was a sign to the shepherds. Thirty-three years later this child would be wrapped in strips of cloth again - for His burial. The swaddling clothes were a picture of the whole purpose of this child’s life - He was born to die for the sin of all mankind. God’s Christmas gift to you was His Son - will you receive Him?

Common Christmas Misconception #6 - “Three Kings” did not visit Jesus to worship Him. The men who visited Jesus were not kings. Our English Bibles call them “wise men” or “Magi” - however literally translated from the Greek “magoi,” the word means sorcerers or magicians. The Magi were likely from Persia where they had been elevated to a priestly status. They were likely students of many histories and religions, including the Old Testament prophesies regarding the Messiah, and as a result of their astronomical knowledge, they came to worship the King of the Jews as they saw His star. We really don’t know exactly how many came, but this was primarily a political gesture and they brought three types of gifts (this is where the idea of “three kings” comes from) for the new King. Did they really know who they were visiting? We don’t know. Many people know “of” Jesus and some may even worship Him as a religious figure or respect Him as a great humanitarian, but the real question is, do you “know” Him, personally, as your Lord and Savior?

Common Christmas Misconception #7 - The Magi were not present at the manger scene. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they apparently told Herod the star had appeared around 2 years prior. Herod tells them to go find the “young child” - with secret intentions that he might kill this threat to his throne and they were directed to Bethlehem (about 6 miles away). Interestingly the star they had seen earlier reappeared and stood over the “house” where the “young child” was. Joseph and Mary apparently took up residence in Bethlehem after His birth and it is clear in the Greek that He was no longer a baby but a small child. From the reaction of Herod in killing all male children in Bethlehem less than 2 years of age and the Magi time recollection; He was likely around 2 years old when they worshipped Him. Don’t toss out your manger scene! Whether you place the Magi at, near, or far away from the manger doesn’t really matter. Celebrate that God used these men to show us that Jesus was sent to save all men from all nations. His final words on earth would echo this same sentiment 33 years later. Jesus - God’s gift to the whole world!

It seems that every once in a while, I feel compelled to write a blog article that ticks off many of my “own kind”.  (By “own kind” I mean generally conservative, Bible-believing Christ followers.)  This is one of those posts.  So here I go….

I’m really quite weary of the annual hullaballoo about how the evil atheists/secularists/liberals/Democrats/communist pinkos are trying to remove “Christ from Christmas”.  Quite frankly, it has been going on all my life as far as I can tell.  (As exhibit one, I would use the long-debated use of “X-Mas” in place of “Christmas” which actually has quite a logical and historical explanation which one can find HERE, but which, I’m regularly told means nothing because today’s “X-Mas” users really are still trying to take “Christ” out of “CHRISTmas”.  But I digress…)  The skirmish became a “war” when FOX News talking, er, shouting head, John Gibson wrote a book entitled “The War on Christmas“ which became a seasonal best seller.  In it, he used alleged and real incidents of attempts by whackjobs, nut cases and actual enemies of the Gospel who are trying to remove the religious significance from the “holyday”.

But sometimes, in my always humble opinion, we just make ourselves look like fools.  At least I hope it is that and not something more ethically distasteful like trying to exploit a non-controversy for the purpose of fundraising.  Speaking of that, here’s the one that lit my fuse today.

Citizenlink.com sent out the hot story of how the U.S. Government is forbidding our elected officials from saying “Merry Christmas“.  You can find the link to the story HERE.  If you haven’t been seeing it on the conservative news networks and right-wing blogosphere, basically their contention is that a memo written and distributed this month which reminds members of the U.S. House of Representatives that the law prohibits the use of their free mail (at least free to them, it’s actually paid for by our tax dollars) privileges, also known as “franking“ to wish people “Merry Christmas” (or Happy Hannukah or Happy New Year or Blessed Kwanza or whatever).  This is sold as yet another overt attempt to prove that Christianity is under attack from the dark forces of the radical left and we must stand and defend our holiday or Christianity is doomed.

OK, OK…just so you know that I’ve not turned pagan and am secretly part of a conspiracy to turn Christmas back to a Winter Solstice event, let me say it here and now:  “Jesus is the Reason for the Season!“  (Yep, I said it.  Burrell Cliche’-Fest is alive and well. Now may I never say that tired, old phrase again.  Seriously.)

But FRANKLY (pun intended), the fact that the U.S. House of Representatives has a policy against wishing constituents “Merry Christmas” is NOT an attack on Baby Jesus.  You have to read the whole policy.  In a nutshell, it is to prevent (additional) frivilous use of this “perk” enjoyed by the many millionaires who stroll our halls of Congress from sending out even MORE junk mail everytime there is a holiday of any kind — be it Christmas or birthdays or weddings or retirement or Eid or deaths or divorces or any other cause for celebration.  All such franked mail is included — not just Christmas.  Can you imagine how many millions of dollars and millions of tons of junk mail could be sent out every stinking holiday if they had this privilege?  While we amass debt at breath-taking rates every single second, this is just one small area in which the government has shown a bit of restraint.  If our beloved congress people want to congratulate their constituents and wish them “Happy Everything“, they are not forbidden to do so.  Just don’t do it on the taxpayers dime!  Use that big ol’ fat campaign chest you’re sitting on (and which they can keep personally when they retire.)  I could not care less if Sue Myrick (R-NC) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC) wish me a Merry Christmas.  It’s not like they personally sign them and include their family newsletter or anything.

What really irritates me about this (and actually, there are SEVERAL things that irritate me), is that it is cynical ploy to get Believers all worked up and fuming and making declarations about the godless Democrats and so on and anyone who has a room temperature IQ and will take 10-minutes of reading time will see that this is completely bogus.  It makes us look like fools to those who DO take the time to find out what is really going on.  We can’t scream about wanting a more fiscally-responsible government and they pitch a fit when they spend tons of cash on sending us meaningless greeting cards.  It’s absurd.  The 1st Amendment is alive and well and this is not some evil conspiracy to silence people of faith.  Far too few people actually read beyond the headline and thus draw (the desired) opinion that this is a religious liberty issue.  It’s simply dishonest to make this policy about the 1st Amendment.

Here’s the real deal… we’ve already destroyed much, if not most, of the religious signficance of Christmas.  Seriously, celebrating the birth of the Christ child is a side-bar at best in a month filled with gross materialism and consumerism, gluttony,indebtedness, insane busyness and for many too much booze.  Sure, the 3x per year church attenders get their fix of religiousity at the annual Christmas Eve Communion Service in which millions of people participate in a sacred church ordinance unworthily.  Sure, many of us set a nativity set on top of the TV or the bar.  Yep, we drop a buck in the red kettle or send a shoebox to an Ethiopian child.  But when it comes right down to it, I don’t think Jesus feels honored by the way we celebrate the alleged (and probably inaccurate) date of His birth.  He probably feels sad.

Whether or not there is a “War on Christmas” we know that there is a spiritual warfare that happens every day of the year.  It began in heaven, took root in Eden and will not be settled until the end of this age.  Everyday the genuine believer should face spiritual opposition if they are seeking to live Biblically and authentically.  Scripture tells us that the Gospel will be a constant offense to the non-believer.  It has the stench of damnation for those who the condemned.  It is a Sword and not a dove to those who reject the Bible, repentance, Jesus and grace.  That’s the real “war” we face.

We don’t need additional evidence that this country is headed to hell in a handbasket.  It is evident all around us.  So let’s quit making a big deal out of non-issues and make the Christmas season a celebration of the Gospel by sharing it with someone, not shouting at them.