The Problem of Pro-Life (pt. 3 - The Solution)

After yesterday's post we were left with the conclusion that provocative pro-life propaganda  promotes much anger but little change. But does making people mad and producing few results mean that something is wrong? The Bible speaks of many men whose preaching never produced many results – Isaiah, Jeremiah, and even Christ Himself. Paul speaks in many places about offending

people by preaching the truth (Galatians 4:16). It is not ethically wrong to offend people with the truth. The issue with the pro-life movement is that people are not being offended by the truth, but by the style of presentation. From a Biblical ethical standpoint, it should be the mandate of pro-lifers to conduct themselves in such a manner that the truth of their preaching is the only offence of their ministry. When non-believers look at pro-life Christians they should see Christ, and His love for the unborn – not hypocritical, unloving slogans.

I. The Hypocrisy of pro-lifers

Why is pro-life propaganda received with such anger and disgust? Primarily because pro-lifers are not known for practicing what they preach, and this is noticed by unbelievers. The church must be consistent on all levels of its doctrine. Sister Joan Chittister, a nun, once said,

“I do not believe that just because you're opposed to abortion that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking. If all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed, and why would I think that you don't? Because you don't want any tax money to go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth.”¹

It is true that many Christians are simply seeking the birth of the baby and not its health and care. A popular pro-life slogan is 'adoption, not abortion,' yet many Christians who preach this message have never adopted. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). The Canadian equivalent of an orphan is a foster child or child in need of adoption. If believers are not adopting, fostering, or supporting those that do, it is hypocritical for them to be proclaiming to women that adoption is a viable option. The average pregnant mother actually feels as though adoption is worse than abortion because they have fears of many things such as child abuse.² Pro-lifers must first prove to the world that adoption is the best option for both the mother and child. And this must be done in practice, not in speech. Preaching 'adoption not abortion' is of little value when it comes from the mouth of those who have done nothing to make sure adoption a worthwhile option.

II. Love and truth – the mandates of the New Testament

Pro-lifers speak about the importance of 'shocking visuals' ³ and their ads are often described as 'offensive' and 'upsetting.'⁴ However, the Bible never speaks about shocking people into a right way of living. The Bible talks about “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Shocking pro-life ads are often not preaching the truth in love, but simply throwing grisly facts about unborn children, rather than addressing the woman with a difficult decision to make.⁵ The New Testament model of spreading 'good news' – whether the good news of the gospel or the good news of the value of life – is to speak the truth in love. John Piper once wrote, “instruction is not the goal, love is. Instruction is the means. It is subordinate. Truth serves love...Love aims at truth...There is an unloving way to speak the truth. That kind of truth-speaking we should repudiate. But there is a way to speak the truth in love, and that we should seek.”⁶ The goal of Christian pro-lifer is not to shock people or to fruitlessly throw facts in their face. It is not enough to merely educate people on pro-life values. The goal of the Christian is to speak the truth – that abortion is wrong – in love.

III. Love

It must be first of all within the heart of a pro-lifer to love those they are ministering to. It is not right to merely hate abortion, but one must also love those whose minds they desire to change. “If I have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). It has often been the mindset of pro-lifers that if they can prove that the fetus is a baby, the public's natural conclusion will be that killing babies is wrong. However, one of the national leaders in research, an organization that has worked for companies such as General Motors and Coca-Cola, has conducted studies that disagree. The study suggests that unplanned motherhood represents a threat so great, it is almost perceived as a death of self. Most young women's identity is so wrapped around getting a degree or having a good job that they feel a baby would end their life. An average pregnant mother does not, therefore, look at abortion as 'endure an embarrassing pregnancy' versus 'getting an abortion.' Rather they view it at as the 'death of the baby' versus 'the death of me.'⁷ Loving these women, therefore, does not begin with preaching to them about the death of fetuses. It begins with teaching that their is more to life than having a degree and getting a job. Loving a pregnant mother means showing them how they can live life with a child. Randy Alcorn feels one of the most important roles a pro-lifer can play is to open their home to a pregnant mother, or for foster care and adoption.⁸ It is imperative that we love the mothers we are ministering to more than the truth we are preaching. Pro-lifers must understand who their audience is, how they think, what is most beneficial to them, and communicate the pro-life cause with a love that speaks to people where they are at. “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). It is the moral imperative of the church to love those to whom they preach.

IV. Offense By Truth Alone

Loving people is not the end of ministry, nor does loving people mean hesitating to preach a message that people don't want to hear. Piper writes, “[Love] is not always a soft way to speak, or Jesus would have to be accused of a lack of love in dealing with some folks in the Gospels. But it does ask about what is the most helpful thing to say when everything is considered.”⁹ Love does not mean holding back the truth, but rejoices when truth is given (1 Corinthians 13:6). The Biblical mandate is to present truth. In the pro-life case, it is the Biblical mandate to stand up for the oppressed and those without a voice. “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9). The truth about abortion must be made known among the public. However, it is the truth, and not the style of presentation that must be what offends people.

Paul understood this. “Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek” (Acts 16:3). Paul has made it clear throughout his other epistles that he is very opposed to circumcision. But for the sake of Timothy's reputation among the Greeks, he had him circumcised. Paul is already in danger of being thrown out of synagogues. If he is going to be thrown out, he wants to be thrown out because of the gospel, and not because of an easily resolved issue. Circumcision will not be what offends people about Timothy – the cross will be. This is Paul's approach to presenting truth, and this should be the approach of the pro-lifers as well.

If people are turned away from pro-life material by the picture on the front of the pamphlet or the style of presentation, they will never hear the truth. They are like Jews offended by Timothy's Greek father before they even hear his message. We can not be ashamed of the truth, even though we know truth will cause people to stumble (1 Corinthians 1:23). However, it must be the truth, and not our presentation of the truth that offends people. When Paul and Timothy came to the Jews, all that angered them was the gospel, and this must be how the pro-life position is.

V. Is it the Church's Job to Preach Pro-Life?

Many Christians do not want to mention abortion, for fear it will distract them from the Great Commission.¹⁰ Christians are meant to be going and making disciples – is the pro-life cause part of the Great Commission or a distraction from it? First of all it must be understood that looking after the marginalized is not the chief mission of the church – the chief mission of the church is to go into the world and make disciples by declaring the gospel. As was previously mentioned, it is Biblically commanded to “defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 38:9). We can not either undersell or oversell the Biblical importance of looking after the marginalized. A church must not ignore the pro-life issue, but neither must it have social justice as its only focus. One example often looked to is William Carey. “Carey went to India to win people to Christ and to disciple them, not just by sharing the gospel, but by living it – which included intervening to save lives and labouring to change public opinion and evil laws.”¹¹ Carey fought to end the burning of widows in India, and the church of Canada ought to be working towards the end of the injustices within its own proximity. That being said, if the pro-life efforts of a church is calling its members to will require fifty hours in a day and more money than one man can earn, they are calling their members to more than the Bible does.¹² Does the pro-life cause distract from the Great Commission? No, it is a part of it. But only a part – not an all consuming task. Great men of God in the past have always been concerned about the welfare of those that are not able to protect themselves.

“John Wesley actively opposed slavery. Charles Finney had a major role in the illegal Underground Railroad, saving the lives of many slaves, while being criticized by fellow Christians because of his civil disobedience. D.L. Moody opened homes for underprivileged girls, rescuing them from exploitation. Charles Spurgeon built homes to care for elderly women and to rescue orphans from the streets of London. Amy Carmichael intervened for the sexually exploited girls of India, rescuing them from temple prostitution. She built homes, a school and a hospital.”¹³

Yet for each of these people, no one would argue that their main goal was the gospel, and their chief role was as a disciple-maker. This is to be the position of the church. The church's chief aim is to spread the gospel. Speaking for aborted babies, loving pregnant women and seeking healing for those who have gone through with abortions should all fall into line with this chief aim. The great commission will be fulfilled as people are loved.

1Ellsworth (2012), on-line document.

2Swope (1998), on-line document.

3O'Connor, on-line document.

4Hounsel (2013), on-line document.

5Swope (1998), on-line document.

6Piper (2000), on-line document.

7Swope (1998), on-line document.

8Alcorn (2004), p. 116.

9Piper (2000), on-line document.

10Alcorn (2004), p. 108.

11Alcorn (2004), p. 110.

12DeYoung/Gilbert (2011), p. 192.

13Alcorn (2004), p. 110 - 111.

The Problem of Pro-Life (pt. 2 - Does It Work?)

 Violent, graphic images are considered the norm of pro-life material. Very little is said in news articles or on social media sites about any other form of pro-life literature. It seems that the graphic images leave the most lasting impression on the public. But are they ethically right? Is this the loving and Biblical way to promote the pro-life agenda? Many would argue that it does not matter that these images offend, as long as they save lives. Randy Alcorn writes,

“Animal rights advocates argue that in order to make their case they must show terrible photographs, such as baby seals being clubbed to death. If there's a place to look at such pictures, isn't there a place to look at pictures of abortions? And if abortion isn't killing babies...then why are these images so disturbing? Was the solution to the Holocaust to ban the disgusting pictures? Or was the solution to end the killing? Is the solution to abortion getting rid of pictures of dead babies? Or is it getting rid of what's making the babies dead?”¹

This statement expresses the feelings of most who would distribute similar violent pro-life material. If this is the fact of abortion, why not distribute it? As one author writes, “To many pro-choice advocates, the imagery is revolting propaganda...While images of violent fetal death work magnificently for pro-lifers as political polemic, the pictures are not polemical in themselves: they are biological facts.”² Their argument is built on the assumption that presenting pictures of biological facts will change the minds or open the eyes of people who would otherwise get an abortion.

If, in fact graphic posters brought an end, or even a significant change to the number of abortions in the area they were distributed, then one would be forced to conclude that this is is an effective way to promote the pro-life agenda. But if, in fact, it is found that shocking and offensive pro-life ads do not alter the number of abortions performed in an area, then one must conclude that they are needlessly angering individuals.

II. Does propaganda work?

How effective is propaganda? Will eye-catching pro-life ads actually serve to change the mind of the public? Propaganda posters played a huge role in World War II, affecting people's emotions and how they viewed the war. Posters in the countries of both the axis and the allies made war look glamourous, and hard work necessary.³ Pictures were used, because pictures are known to be more effective than words. People might forget a newspaper article they read, but most will remember a picture.⁴ The catholic church spends millions each year on printed material with a pro-life message, because they believe it is a way of assuring that the pro-life position is not buried in the middle of a newspaper.⁵

But research suggests that graphic pro-life posters, unlike WWII propaganda, are not being effective. This is primarily because American women of child-bearing age do not typically view the abortion issue within the same moral framework as pro-life activists.

“Our message is not being well-received by this audience because we have made the error of assuming that women, especially those facing the trauma of an unplanned pregnancy, will respond to principles we see as self-evident within our own moral framework, and we have presented our arguments accordingly. This is a miscalculation that has fatally handicapped the pro-life cause.”⁶

Gallup polls indicate that since 1994, the public's opinion on abortion has hardly changed at all, despite the increase in pro-life advertising.⁷ Pro-life protesters are operating on the assumption that people prone to get abortions will see and feel what they see and feel when they look at a certain picture. Randy Alcorn feels that all that is needed to defeat the pro-choice argument is a picture of what inside the womb – even an ultrasound will do. “All arguments vaporize in the face of the unborn child.”⁸ Yet even he acknowledges that “denial remains surprisingly strong,” and writes of how many refuse to believe they are looking at real photographs.⁹ As was noted in my last post, many news articles from across the country report shock and outrage from families receiving pro-life material. It is clear that the most prominent ways of communicating the pro-life cause have angered and not converted the public, because they appeal to the moral framework of the wrong people. In conclusion, pro-life propaganda at first seems like an effective way to spread the word, but in practice proves to be almost entirely fruitless.

Therefore, most pro-life material is unethical. It is fruitless, and only serves to anger those it reaches. It does not love the pregnant mother who it speaks to or protect the child in her womb, but gives a needlessly foul reputation to all pro-lifers. Much like the preacher on the corner of a street with a 'repent or go to hell' sign, pro-life material blinds the eyes of the masses in an attempt to catch the eye of one or two in a million. It is unethical for pro-lifers to attempt to shock an incredibly small percentage of women out of an abortion when they could have used their time and effort to show a true love to a larger percentage of the masses.

1Alcorn (2004), p. 47.

2Wolf (1995), on-line document.

3Hoyt (2008), on-line document.

4Helfland (2012), on-line document.

5O'Connor, on-line document.

6Swope (1998), on-line document.

7Saad (2002), on-line document.

8Alcorn (2004), p. 42.

9Alcorn (2004), p. 43.

The Problem of Pro-Life (The Perception)

There is almost no topic in North America that stirs up more controversy than abortion. The pro-life movement has gathered supporters and enemies both in the church and outside of the church. Gallup polls indicate %55 of Americans hold a very strong opinion, one way or the other, on the issue.¹ It is the responsibility of the church to preach truth and to be a voice for the oppressed. Many pro-life organizations have distributed and displayed graphic and offensive propaganda in an attempt to raise awareness on the issue. This pro-life promotion has received angry and negative responses from the public.

Over the next few days, I will be releasing a series of posts examining the ethical way to promote the pro-life movement. This series is written on the assumption that abortion is ethically wrong and contrary to God's Will – it will not address the abortion debate. We will examine why there is such anger towards pro-lifers, whether scare tactics and shocking pictures are the ethical way to promote a cause, how the church can ethically promote the pro-life cause, and if this is a distraction from the Great Commission.

To Start Off -  How the Pro-Life movement is being perceived

A sampling of Pro-Choice propoganda

A quick search of social media sites reveals the hatred and anger felt towards those pushing pro-life beliefs. A simple search of terms such as 'abortion' or 'pro-life' on popular social media sites reveals a host of pictures, slogans and advertisements filled with hateful backlash being directed towards pro-³ Many others are directed right at pastors and churches, portraying them as ignorant, uneducated and obnoxious. For example, a picture of Noah's ark has the caption “God killed every pregnant woman and baby on earth. Abortion is bad though.”⁴ In fact, it would seem that pro-choice backlash against pro-lifers is aimed predominantly at Christians. Many include quotes from pastors or Bible verses. One cartoon sports a man who can not find a verse in the Bible against killing babies, but has another man quoting “their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with children shall be ripped up” (Hosea 13:16).⁵ One does not have to search far to discover that there is much hatred and anger against those who promote the pro-life case. Most of this hatred is directed specifically at politicians and Christians.

Responses to anti-abortion protests range
cynical to offensive. He is a sample of the
tamer backlash directed at the church.

lifers. Responses to anti-abortion protests range from cynical to downright offensive. Many contain language that reveals the deep hatred felt towards pro-lifers. In fact, very few comments directed at pro-lifers contain language that is entirely 'tasteful.' A large number of people express hatred towards the government, particularly the Republican Party, and its attempts to be involved in the debate. Many social media users have posted cynical or parodied quotes such as, “Don't use birth control. Don't have an abortion. But if you have a baby you can't afford, don't expect any help from us, you sl**. XOXO, - The GOP.”

The pro-life campaign has upset even some who are against abortion. In September 2013, CBC ran a news article about a woman in Hamilton, Ontario, who was left fuming after a citywide distribution of anti-abortion pamphlets. Pamphlets were delivered to her door containing pictures of mutilated fetuses, and these graphic images were only a part of the citywide campaign. Banners hung on highways, and trucks drove around sporting similar images. The article reads:

“'A child shouldn’t have to see pictures like that,' Cabral told CBC Hamilton. 'If I want to discuss that with my daughter I will – when it’s time.' Cabral says that she thinks many of the group’s methods – like demonstrating outside Hamilton schools – are just wrong.

'And I don’t believe in abortion,' she said. 'But I don’t think that has anything to do with it.

I know that a gun kills people, but you don’t have to fire a bullet at me for me to know that.'”⁶

And this woman isn't the only one – news articles from all over the country detail the shock and outrage of people receiving pro-life propaganda at their doorstep.⁷ Many people are offended by the pro-life campaigns, and specifically the graphic images they spread. The comments on these online news article reveal the a response from the public filled with the same hatred and anger towards pro-lifers that the social media websites revealed.⁸ People everywhere are outraged by the public display of pro-life propaganda. Whether in anger against intolerance, or anger against receiving pictures of dead babies at their door, many people, both pro-choice and pro-life feel that pro-life propaganda is wrong. This casts a dark light on the pro-life cause.

1Alcorn (2004), p. 16. Why Pro-Life? Caring for the Unborn and Their Mothers.USA, EPM Publishing, 2004.

2Randy Prine (2013), Tweet.

3The Daily Edge (2013), Tweet.

4Mrs. V. (2013), Tweet.

5Fuzzy Atheist (2013), Tweet.

6Carter (2013), on-line document. Anti-Abortion campaign has Hamilton mother fuming. September 27, 2013. Available from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/anti-abortion-campaign- has-hamilton-mother-fuming-1.1870622 (accessed November 18, 2013).

7Woodward (2013), on-line document. “CTV British Columbia.” Anti-abortion postcard campaign over the edge? November 16, 2013. Available from: http://bc.ctvnews.ca/anti-abortion-postcard-campaign-over-the-edge- 1.1546766 (accessed November 19, 2013).

8Carter (2013), on-line document. (see 6)

Why we Should Talk More About the Wrath of God

The distinct linguistics of a carefully worded gospel presentation hit my ears and leave comforting thoughts of love, acceptance and hope for a better life. 'Jesus loves you and died for sins,' rings the ever familiar call as the crowd is warmly invited to put their faith in the Saviour.

The greatest demonstration of the love of God - as
He willfully crushes His Son (Isaiah 53:10)

It strikes me that the gospel we so often present is based more on familiarities than on the Bible. We recite the words of men before us, making John 3:16 the most important verse in the book and love its central theme. I think that is we present the gospel how the Bible presents it, we would spend less time talking about things we are comfortable and familiar with. In Scripture the the promise of being able to “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16) is built upon the threat of “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)

It really isn't all the impressive to be loved, because, though at times you may feel differently, you experience all kinds of love from friends, colleagues and family members. To say that 'God loves you,' for most people puts Him on par with their mother. As humans we love easily, so apart from the particularly downtrodden, speaking of the love of God presents nothing particularly extraordinary. If we want our hearers to understand the extraordinary love and grace of God, they must first understand God's wrath against human depravity.

The reason God's love is extraordinary is because “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one" (Romans 3:11-12). Because of our extraordinary sin, and the fact that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18), it is most extraordinary that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

The cross has to be viewed against this backdrop of depravity and judgement. If there is any good thing in you, the gospel isn't really all of grace – some part of you is worth saving! If you want the gospel of love to be understood, you must present the gospel of wrath. God's love and grace can only be seen against the backdrop of who we are and what we actually deserve.

The hellfire preacher of the street corner neglects the goodness of news we present. Wrath without grace is not good news. It is not an accurate representation of the message of the Bible any more than a flowery grace-filled gospel with an uncrushed Jesus is.

When you call men to repentance, you can't leave them in fear of judgement or they've missed the cross. 

When you call men to, remember that you can't understand love until you've understood God's wrath against sinners.

Present the gospel as the Bible does – with this two pronged pincer of judgement and promise. So in the future, rather than tickling ears with a flowery reading of John 3:16, unleash the whole message of the whole passage. The Bible never needed our help, our cliches or our poise. Read as it is – the message of God's love for those He will judge!

Thoughts from Camp - Day 19 - Joseph

"Seek God until He breaks your heart, and then preach from the bottom of your broken heart." This 

is what I often say to those I mentor. So with seven weeks of speaking, writing devotions and heading up ministry at a summer camp, I anticipate being challenged, stretched and broken as the weeks roll on. Each day I will post some lessons to be learned from the devotions and messages we have studied as a camp.

Where is Jesus in the Old Testament? What relevance do these stories have? These are the questions I hope to be addressing and answering this week on the blog. Today we tackle Joseph and his not-so-secret Jesus-like qualities!

Joseph is born loved by his father, who demonstrates this buying him an ornamented coat. His brothers see this, and are jealous of him. Loved by his fathers and hated by his brothers, Joseph has a dream about being greater than his brothers. They hate him all the more.

Why are details about this man's life relevant? Because one day a man named Jesus would come, sent by His loving Father. He too would be hated by His brothers. He would be despised and rejected by the Israelites - all 12 tribes - each descended from the brothers of Joseph.

Joseph goes to join his brothers in a field, and when they see him coming, they agree to kill him. Reuben, being a merciful brother stands up for him. They grab him and throw him into a pit. Judah sees some passing Ishmaelites sells him to them. The brothers then take his coat, cover it in animal blood and lie to their father, saying he is dead. Their father, believing them, mourns the death of his son.

Joseph, for all intents and purposes is dead. His brothers have all decided to kill him. He is as good as dead, and thrown down into the ground. In his father's eyes, he really is dead. Joseph's symbolic death is foreshadow to the actual death of Jesus. Both men are taken and thrown down into the ground. Both will rise up out again.

Joseph is sold to a man named Potiphar and does a great job as a servant. Potiphar's wife sees Joseph one day and asks him to sleep with her. Joseph refuses, fleeing the house, but she lies about him and has him thrown into prison.

Joseph is a pure man. He overcomes temptation. This is an obvious Christ-parallel since almost no other Old Testament character is portrayed with so few flaws. But this pure, innocent man is wrongly condemned, and through deception is sentenced to something he didn't deserve. 2000 years later, another man would do the same.

In the prison, Joseph interprets two dreams for two men who work in Pharaoh's household. He sees the future for both of them - for one, deliverance from prison. For the other - death.

Jesus too, was a prophet. He didn't interpret dreams, but he certainly knew the future. And not just the death of others, but frequently spoke of His own coming death.

Pharaoh had a dream while Joseph was still in prison, and Joseph's former cellmate recommends him to Pharaoh. Joseph is pulled from prison and asked to interpret Pharaoh's dream. His response is, “I can not do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

In many ways, this is the heart of Jesus' message. 'You can't do it, but God will give....' We can't bring salvation on our own, but God gives freely.

Joseph interprets the dream and predicts a famine. Pharaoh, seeing Joseph is wise, places him in charge of managing his household. Before long, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy grain, and after sending them back for Benjamin, reveals himself to them.

Interesting, isn't it? The men who condemned and 'killed' him are now coming to him for salvation. Joseph provides physical salvation from starvation and Jesus provides spiritual salvation. Jesus died for the very men who crucified Him, and Joseph provides for the very men who sold him to Egypt.

Jacob his father comes to Egypt and begins to live there. Joseph continues to sell grain to Egypt until he has all of Egypt's money. So then he asks for livestock, and trades grain until he owns all of Egypt's livestock. Then land is the price for grain, and he becomes the owner of all of Egypt's land.

Some day, Christ will return and the Father will hand over all things to Him, making Him the all in all. What Joseph became on a national scale, Jesus will some day be on a global scale.

And then the story of Joseph ends off with this classic quote, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good"

See Jesus? He's here. The Bible only has one story. The book of Genesis, inspired by God, tells the life story of our Saviour through the analogy of a historical figure.

Thoughts from Camp - Day 17 - Peter's Vision

"Seek God until He breaks your heart, and then preach from the bottom of your broken heart." This 

is what I often say to those I mentor. So with seven weeks of speaking, writing devotions and heading up ministry at a summer camp, I anticipate being challenged, stretched and broken as the weeks roll on. Each day I will post some lessons to be learned from the devotions and messages we have studied as a camp.

So we talked about Peter's vision today, and how Jesus fulfilled the law, and that the gospel went out to the nations. Heavy theological stuff for ten year olds. But guess what? They have brains, and they know how to use them, and they comprehended and could articulate the purpose of the Old Testament and the superiority of Jesus' covenant.

But that's not what I'm learning today, so that's not what I'll write. Here's what I'm thinking for today - why do we think discussion time is a useful teaching method? Here's the thing - we are all born without a knowledge of God. We don't gain a knowledge of God naturally, it has to be taught (or better yet, absorbed from Scripture reading). And then we sit down a roomful of teenagers and ask them what they think about God. Or better yet, we throw out Biblical questions - 'why do you think Jesus had to be man?' And these young teens who will some day be young men and women start throwing out their opinions from the limited Bible knowledge they have. Useful? Only to draw out the little knowledge that has already been placed in their heads.

Why not teach? Why not show? A person with both knowledge and passion is an unstoppable force in the church. An opinionated person just fits in with the rest. So why develop these? We need Bible study and proper teaching. Not question time so we can hear opinions. This is a topic I will be fleshing out more extensively over the next few weeks, and I'm sure you can look forward to a more comprehensive blog post about it in the fall.

Thoughts from Camp - Day 16 - Beatitudes

"Seek God until He breaks your heart, and then preach from the bottom of your broken heart." This 

is what I often say to those I mentor. So with seven weeks of speaking, writing devotions and heading up ministry at a summer camp, I anticipate being challenged, stretched and broken as the weeks roll on. Each day I will post some lessons to be learned from the devotions and messages we have studied as a camp.

There is no hierarchy in the Christian faith. We often think of pastors and preachers as slightly above us normal folk on the Christian scale, and a man like Spurgeon far above them. There are different roles in the church, and different treasures can be stored up, but as far as being a Christian goes, you either are, or you are not.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives the beatitudes - the characteristics of a Christian. This is what every Christian looks like. These are the things that make us different than everyone else.

Poor in Spirit - That is, that we recognize our own spiritual condition. A poor person goes to a store and can not buy what they want. Why? They do not posess the money they are asked for. What God demands and what we have are not the same thing, and the Christian knows this, and lives with this reality. We are poor in Spirit - Spiritually bankrupt, and coming to God knowing there is nothing in our hands.

Mourning - This is mourning over sin, so if we all stopped reading this at funerals, that'd be great. We not only are aware of our Spiritual condition, but we are broken over it. We are upset over what we are. We feel remorse for our own depravity.

Meek - Again, this our condition, our mindset, towards God. Every Christian is meek. That is, they are humble enough to admit their poverty, and humble enough to mourn. Jesus told us that the healthy do not need doctors, but only the sick. If you believe yourself to be righteous, Jesus can not help you, for He came exclusively for sinners. So by this condition, all Christians are meek, for they have approached Him in much need. If you call yourself a Christian but do not believe in the poorness of your spirit, do not mourn for sin and are not meek, I challenge to see if you could ever have flung yourself upon the mercies of the Savior whose blood was shed for us.

Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness - Again, this is the mark of every Christian. As sons of Adam we are born spiritually dead - that is, dead in relation to God. We are born with no desire, no hunger, and no true knowledge regarding God. So when Christ makes us alive with Him, our hunger for Him is for the first time ignited. The Christian is alive in relation to God, and desires Him more. I asked a wise mentor once what it meant to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and he told me that it means fighting hard for the time spent doing things that satisfy your soul. That is, being diligent to exchange time spent doing things of temporary value for time spent in prayer and Bible study. Hours a day praying means losing hours a day doing something else.

Merciful - We now switch from conditions of the heart to actions. Christians give to others the mercy they received from god. Why? God has changed our hearts.

Pure in heart - not that the Christian is perfect in purity, but we strive for it. The goal of purity is what unites Christians together in fellowship, and what sets us apart from every other person in the world.

Peacemakers - Peace makers make peace. Its a really simple definition. This is what the Christian is.

Persecuted for righteousness sake - The prophets and apostles were all killed for their faith, and humanity has not become less depraved since then. Depraved men still hate God as they always have. If Jesus preached like most preachers today, they never would have crucified Him. The truth-proclaiming believer will only ever face opposition and disagreement. Such is the lot of the believer.

These are the marks of a Christian. Not a super Christian, just a Christian. This is what every true Believer looks like - these are our characteristics. True belief and desire to follow the Lord will result in life change, and this is what that life change will look like.

Thoughts from Camp - Day 15 - Zerubbabel

"Seek God until He breaks your heart, and then preach from the bottom of your broken heart." This 

is what I often say to those I mentor. So with seven weeks of speaking, writing devotions and heading up ministry at a summer camp, I anticipate being challenged, stretched and broken as the weeks roll on. Each day I will post some lessons to be learned from the devotions and messages we have studied as a camp.

Dragged into exile. It had been foretold by Jeremiah, Isaiah and others. Israel had been sinful and wicked - they didn't care about the temple sacrifices. They oppressed the widow and the orphan. God promised to humble them and restore unto them a knowledge of Him. So after some time chilling outside of the Promised Land, the day came for the remnant to return

A decree went throughout the land - King Cyrus of Persia said that anyone who wanted to rebuild Jerusalem could go. So who else would head up but one of those unknown, unrecognizable but dreadfully important Bible characters. Zerubbabel was his name, and the first thing he did when he arrived was to rebuildd the altar. Why? Because God is holy, and sacrifice needed to be made for sin. That was a priority. Shortly after, they re-poured the foundation of the temple. The old men who remembered the old one wept. The young men shouted with joy, until no one could distinguish between the cheering and the crying.

A few bitter men write a letter to the king complaining about the Jews and the work halts for a bit. But isn't too long until they pick up where they left off and carry on. God's work carries on. Although it stopped for a bit God is sovereign (and good) and the work continued. The temple is eventually finished, funded by king Darius, and the stolen temple articles are returned from Babylon.

What do we learn from all of this? That God's prophesied plan in Isaiah and Jeremiah to humble His people worked. The men who had misused the temple had been invaded and the remnant that survived was now, after years, returning to try a second time at what they had blown the first time. Could they be stopped by a grouchy neigbour? Of course not. God is sovereign – his work will be done.

Ezra shows up shortly after, he comes to teach people the law. He reinstates the Levitical priesthood so that the physical building Zerubbabel built has something going on inside. Shorlty after, he finds out everyone is being immoral in their marriages (interracial mingling - a Torah no-no). He tears his garments. He prays. And here's something cool - when he prays, he counts himself in with all the sinners. He, an innocent man, confesses the sin of a country he's a part of. A true leader with integrity counts themselves with those under them. Then, Ezra confronts the people about their sin, and they admit they have a problem. They do their investigating to figure out who is married to a person of what nationality. Then they deal with sin. Marriages are broken (not ideal, but better than the sin they were in). Families are flipped upside down. The nation had been dragged into exile for immorality, and this time they were literally willing to have their worlds turned upside down to avoid having sinful hearts before God. God is holy – we need to deal with sin.

Nehemiah, who gets his own book of the Bible but never his own Sunday School teaching slot, leads the third group of exiles back. He helps to rebuild the wall and put nation back on feet. And once they are a real nation living behind a wall, he works to stop the oppression of the poor and makes sure everyone is fed, and living in a real house. If you read the prophets, a lot of why Israel was judged is because they mistreated the widow and the orphan. And here, Godly Nehemiah knows what's up. God is loving – He cares for the oppressed.

Thoughts from Camp - Day 14 - Jonah

"Seek God until He breaks your heart, and then preach from the bottom of your broken heart." This 

is what I often say to those I mentor. So with seven weeks of speaking, writing devotions and heading up ministry at a summer camp, I anticipate being challenged, stretched and broken as the weeks roll on. Each day I will post some lessons to be learned from the devotions and messages we have studied as a camp.

I stared down at my Bible and blinked again. Nope. That was it. Four verses. Half the story of Jonah, as it had been told to me, was contained within the first four measly verses. Now, to be fair, Jonah isn't a very big book. But I still feel like I have spent more time in my life than necessary hearing that flimsy narrative retold. But here's the part that gets me is that the rest of the book is hardly touched. I don't think I've ever heard someone tell me any of the details in chapter 2.

So when I told the story today, I told the whole story. The whole book. Not just the narrative parts. And more than that, I encouraged them to go back to their cabins and read it for themselves in case I missed something. But here's what I'm wondering and learning today - why do we reduce the Bible down to historical narrative. The Bible contains much history, true, but as a book, the Bible tells only one story. If the details you are highlighting to your Sunday School class aren't helping to grow them in their understanding of the redemption narrative, why are you teaching them? Leave cute children stories for Kindergarten - let the church be for the sanctification  of the saints.

Read your Bibles, teachers. Don't repeat the words of teachers before you who haven't read their Bibles. Because we are so often missing so many fantastic, Messianic, gospel-centred messages. The story of Jonah only matters because it is a shadow of another prophet who would one day descend to a grave for three days and emerge preaching repentance. So maybe spend less time worrying about the excitement of a ship caught in a storm and spend more time noting the fact that Jonah's disobedience and desire to condemn the world is a perfect antitype of his repentance-preaching counterpart, who loved the Gentiles Jonah didn't want to go to.

Thoughts from Camp - Day 13 - Elijah Fire

"Seek God until He breaks your heart, and then preach from the bottom of your broken heart." This 

is what I often say to those I mentor. So with seven weeks of speaking, writing devotions and heading up ministry at a summer camp, I anticipate being challenged, stretched and broken as the weeks roll on. Each day I will post some lessons to be learned from the devotions and messages we have studied as a camp.

Elijah prayed that God would turn back the hearts of Israel. That they would recognize that He was the true God. Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal to a competition - whichever God sent fire was the true victor. Why? Because the Israelites were wavering between opinions. They knew of God, had a Tabernacle and remembered what He did in the days of Joshua. But they also had a wicked king and seemed to prefer worshiping Baal. So Elijah really just wanted them to pick a side.

And here's the climax we all missed hearing about in Sunday School - after fire falls on his sacrifice, he gathers all the prophets of Baal together, and kills them all. Personally hacks them to pieces. Some people would suggest, 'what you believe is right for you, what I believe is right for me.' I'm not sure Elijah was sold on this concept.

And there's a reason for this. A reason why he had to kill them. When Adam broke the law of God, He deserved death. When anyone breaks the law of God, they still deserve death. This hasn't changed since Adam. The prophets had not only denied God, they had turned all of Israel against God. So Elijah, commissioned by God, was giving them what they deserved - giving them justice. Now we don't get to decided who gets to live and who gets to die, that's God's job, but in this case God had given Elijah permission to take some of God's authority.

There's a message in all of this. And that is simply this - as Elijah said, 'If the Lord is God, follow Him.' And if He is not, follow Baal. That is God's call to us. If God is God, follow Him. If He's not, don't waste your time. God's not interested in half-hearted service. He's not interested in people who come to church on Sunday but don't care about Him the rest of the week. He's not interested in people who ask Him into their heart but whose lives aren't changed.

What God is looking for is people who's lives are totally and utterly committed to Him. People who spend their lives in service to Him. Who spend their entire lives seeking to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind. This is the kind of service He demands. He's not interested in people who waver between opinions like Israel did.

If God is God, follow Him. If Baal is God, follow Him.

Kevin Deane

Camp Mini-Yo-We

Muskoka, ON

Thoughts from Camp - Day 11 - The Holy Spirit

"Seek God until He breaks your heart, and then preach from the bottom of your broken heart." This 

is what I often say to those I mentor. So with seven weeks of speaking, writing devotions and heading up ministry at a summer camp, I anticipate being challenged, stretched and broken as the weeks roll on. Each day I will post some lessons to be learned from the devotions and messages we have studied as a camp.

Peter's knees were no doubt knocking when he stammered out that he did not know Jesus. He denied his master three times in one night, and no one could have guessed that this coward would go on to become one of the figureheads of the early church. But it wasn't long after Jesus' ascension that Peter was hanging out in the upper room getting ready to celebrate Passover.


“When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).


Peter cracked open his Bible, and he started preaching. And people listened. That day thousands were save, and the church only expanded from there. Peter – cowardly, denying Peter – was now a bold preacher, and where he went, people listened. When he preached, people came under conviction. Why? What changed in Peter? The Holy Spirit had come.


The Spirit is the third part of the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit are each individual persons, but are only One God. No analogy, no logic, no human intellect has ever been able to comprehend this concept. But there is no division, no dissension and no separation between the three parts of the Godhead.
Peter and the other apostles were bold for the gospel. The Spirit had given them the courage they needed to take the gospel to ancient Rome. By every bit of human logic and reasoning, Christianity was foolish to join. Jesus, our leader was known to have been publicly rejected and killed. Who would want to follow a man who couldn't save Himself? By 54 AD, Nero, the emperor of Rome, was martyring Christians in droves. He would dress them in furs to have dogs tear them apart, or crucify them, or cover them in tar and then burn them to light up his dinner parties. By human logic, no one in their right mind would walk the streets of Rome, look up at the torched body of a crucified man and say 'I want to be what he was.' No rational person could witness the bloody death of Christians, and say 'I want to become one of them.'

But the Holy Spirit was at work, calling men unto God. Yet for every Christian that was torn apart by lions in the Colosseum it was as though ten men would stand up and say 'I want to be one of them!' Eventually, even Peter would be one of those martrys. The man who denied Jesus would end up professing His name until he hung upside down on his cross.

Christians were like seed – one would fall to the ground and die, and a whole crop would rise from that ground. Christianity exploded across the Roman empire, and over the course of only a few decades, thousands were converted. Why? Why would any logical, rational, sane human being want to join that number? Why would anyone even consider becoming a believer? Proclaiming faith in Christ, was, at times, like willingly joining death row. What rational human being would give up their life for such a cause? Why couldn't Christianity be stopped? Because the Holy Spirit had come. Jesus had promised the apostles power, and their words had such power that men were persuaded to believe.

The work of the Spirit hasn't changed. He still gives men the courage needed to profess Jesus' name in difficult places. And more than that, He points out sin to the believer and non-believer. Because we are depraved, we are not able to see the sin in our own lives without His help. The Spirit must come and bring conviction before there will ever be an understanding of sin.


To give a more recent example of the Spirit's work, let's look at the year 1741 (which might not be so recent). Jonathan Edwards stood in Enfield, Connecticut and preached a sermon titled 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.' He was not a great public speaker – by the light of a candle he held his notes a few inches from his face, and read in monotone. People literally fell out of their chairs with conviction. He was interrupted several times by people crying out 'What must I do to be saved?' Stories are told of men clinging to the pillars of the church, fearing that they would fall straight into hell as the Holy Spirit penetrated their hearts and revealed their sin to them. What happened in that church spread like wildfire down the Eastern seaboard in what became known as 'The Great Awakening.' People came to Christ in droves. Why? The Holy Spirit was at work.


The Spirit that grabbed hearts in Connecticut can fill your heart too. He gives courage, and convicts of sin. When the Spirit fills your heart, your very life is a testimony that pricks the consciences of others and convicts people of their sin. Your words have power. The same power that persuaded Romans to join death row for the sake of Christ. Jesus had said. When a Spirit-filled Christian loves, it is with the very love of God, for the Spirit is God, and the Spirit loves through us. And when the Spirit-filled Christian speaks, it as though God were speaking through a man. And whatever the Spirit-filled Christian does, it is done in a way that those around him will see his love, his light, and his testimony.


We must seek the work of the Spirit in our own lives. Perhaps if we sought the Spirit the way we were supposed to, we would experience the kind of ministry Jesus described and not the kind of ministry we so often see.


Kevin Deane
Camp Mini-Yo-We
Muskoka, Ontario

Thoughts from Camp - Day 10 - By Grace, through Faith

"Seek God until He breaks your heart, and then preach from the bottom of your broken heart." This 

is what I often say to those I mentor. So with seven weeks of speaking, writing devotions and heading up ministry at a summer camp, I anticipate being challenged, stretched and broken as the weeks roll on. Each day I will post some lessons to be learned from the devotions and messages we have studied as a camp.

Today we will be studying the first 9 verses of Ephesians 2. The passage will begin with a description of man's depravity, but it will shift suddenly to highlight God's grace.

“And you were dead”

This ultimately, sums up our position before God. What was God's threat to Adam if he ate the fruit? He would surely die. And although Adam did not die physically, his relationship with God became as dead as it possibly could be. Adam was dead spiritually, and so his children for all remaining generations would be. How much can dead men move? Can thy speak? Can they come when they are called? Dead men can do nothing, and so we are born spiritually. Unable to talk to God, or to come to Him. We are dead.

“in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,”

We are rule-breakers, is all he means. Adam broke a law, and we've been doing the same thing ever since.

“ following the course of this world,”

Humanity – all of humanity – was born as a descendant of Adam. So all of humanity is naturally inclined to disobey and disregard God. Not that people are as wicked as they could be, but even when they try to be good they still disregard God as Adam did. People may naturally believe in a deity, but the god they describe tends to be very much like them only a little bigger and a little more loving. People naturally believe in a god created in their image, not that they were created in the image of God. This is how the whole world is, and so to follow the course of the world, is to simply have the same level of regard to wards God as is common to man.

“ following the prince of the power of the air,”

This speaks of Satan. Again, humanity's distance from God is emphasized.

“the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”

The sons of disobedience are us. Somebody taught you to say 'please' and 'thank you.' Someone taught you to obey. But no one taught you how to lie. Or how to disobey. This comes naturally to us, for we are 'sons of disobedience.'

“among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,”

And here we are in our sinful state, trapped – enslaved. A slave may not work day in and day out, but works only when his master calls. And yet he is a slave 24/7 though he may not be working 24/7. So it is with sin. We are slaves 24/7, although our passions may only beckon to us from time to time. And when they beckon, we come crawling, desperate for the sinful desire our passionate flesh demands.

“and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

And what else would we deserve? We certainly don't deserve God's love or kindness. Our fallen, sinful, disobedient state has left us deserving nothing less than the wrath of God.

“But God,”

And in this prase lies all our hope. For we, being dead, can do nothing but wait for His judgement. 'But' tells us there is hope, 'God' shows us that it does not lie in ourselves.

“being rich in mercy,”

That is, He is willing to hold back what we deserve – to hold back the death, judgement and wrath we have earned.

“because of the great love with which he loved us,”

For it was God that loved us, before we could ever love Him. While we were still sinners, God showed love towards us, before we would ever have a desire to love Him back.

“even when we were dead in our trespasses,”

Again, our hopeless state.

“made us alive together with Christ”

That is, now revived those dead bodies. Dead men – who can neither speak nor come when called, are now awakened. Sinful men, who were once dead in their relationship with God have now been enabled to respond to Him.

“by grace you have been saved”

The salvation he offers is free of charge and absolutely undeserved. God's overwhelming goodness allows Him to extend to us this offer which should rightfully not be ours.

“and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

The sin of mankind was laid on Christ, and He died the punishment that that sin deserved. But more than that, the perfection of Christ was put on man. So a transaction was made – He took our sin, and we took on His perfection. So the Father views us as perfect in Christ and He punished Christ for our wrongdoing. So in this verse, we celebrate the riches we now inherit. For we will enter heaven clothed in the perfection of Jesus, and enjoy a spot in the heavenly places only Jesus should be allowed to enter.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.”

What is faith? To trust is the undeserved gift of God to undo the sin that Adam brought in the world. The Christian is the one that believes in the finished work of what Jesus did on the cross.

“And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

So what is left for you to do? Absolutely nothing at all. No prayer, no church, no good work will make you any more perfect than Jesus can make you. Simply trust in Him. And when you trust Him, and He changes your heart – prayer, church and good deeds will flow out of you.

The free gift of God to undo man's depraved condition. What a marvellous message!