Who wouldn’t love a sweet, innocent little baby born in a barn, cradled in a food trough for animals, worshiped by angels, sought by wise men and targeted for death by despot?

So all of us Christians really want to emphasize this part of our Lord’s Story to charm and beguile those who haven’t heard it all into wanting to hear more.

The problem is, there comes a point where He grows up and he’s no longer just sweet and charming.

He scares his folks to the edge of panic by staying behind in Jerusalem while they’ve gone on toward home after the Feast. And asks them simply, “Shouldn’t I be about my Father’s business?”

He abandons Joseph’s business to pursue a career as an itinerant preacher.

He seeks out his weird, wacked-out cousin in the wild and seems to join his baptismal cult, fasts forty days, has an encounter with the devil, and starts preaching with John the gospel of “Repent! God’s kingdom is almost here!” with a few “… you brood of vipers!” thrown in for good measure.

This is not your typical, nice Jewish boy.

Oh, sure, He’ll impress the winesteward at a poorly-catered wedding, heal some people, feed a lot of people, and preach that people ought to love and respect each other because God loves all of them. But He’ll also thrash a few demons from time to time, fraternize with tax collectors and centurions, and generally antagonize the entire religious establishment, whether Pharisee or Sadducee. Not to mention putting one of the tax collectors in his entourage, along with a potential insurrectionist, a hot-tempered fisherman or two and a few other ne’er-do-wells (including a suspected thief).

Yet He does all these things – by the implication He encourages – because He wants people to accept that He is the Son of God?

What is His deal?

Why couldn’t He just settle for being a peculiar prophet with wise teachings about relationships between people and God; pick up a few seminary students, or pluck the best synagogues, or even schmooze a few Levites? Maybe even a priest?

It’s like there’s no compromise with Him. It’s either His way, or the highway – the broad, broad highway that leads to destruction, in His words.

And it’s not like He’s talking flowery beds of ease for His followers, either. He expects for them to suffer, and especially after He’s murdered. Yes, that’s right. He starts talking about being arrested and tried and crucified.

Then it happens.

He puts up no fight, responds to no accusation, retorts to no insult, curses at no torment, reviles no lash, evaporates no nail hammered into His hands and feet, calls down no angelic army to obliterate His captors, breathes no supernatural breath to hold asphyxiation forever at bay.

He dies while lifted up on that cross.

And draws all men unto Him. Not just a few shepherds. Not just some oriental astrologers. Not even just a dozen or so close friends. All men. We have to pause at the foot of that cross and gawk upward, and wonder …

… Who is this Jesus?

What happened to that marvelous Christmas Christ? The King given gold instead of a crown of thorns? The One gifted with myrrh who ends up buried with it? The Child who received frankincense, but became the Man whose innocence was sacrificed as a sweet-smelling savor to God?

Then we discover the tidings of comfort and joy don’t come until three days later … the swaddling cloths are found folded neatly in His empty tomb. It can’t hold Him.

Now it can’t hold us.

That’s what we Christians love about Christmas. It doesn’t end at Easter. It goes on and on and on, as long as life shall last, and then on and on and on.

It’s not just a sweet Story for gullible children; it’s not even a Story for every rational adult.

It’s for those who are willing to suspend incredulity, to truly and deeply believe its irrationality and passion, and who will live that belief from cradle to grave … and then some.

What did the church of century one define as false teaching and false teachers?

Paul

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. ~ 1 Timothy 1:3-11

I draw from those verses that false doctrines would include myths, endless genealogies which promote controversies – and teaching the law, which Paul in many other writings describes as supplanted by grace through faith. He continues in the same letter:

If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. ~ 1 Timothy 6:3-5

The primary interest of the false teacher here seems to be instigating quarrels about words, and making a buck by teaching.

This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you. ~ Galatians 2:4-5

And here the heresy seems to be teaching circumcision as a corequisite for salvation.

Peter

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. … This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! ~ 2 Peter 2:1-14

The false teachings Peter describes include made-up stories, destructive heresies – including denying the lord – and teaching by example that greed and adultery and carousing are perfectly all right.

John

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. ~ John 4:1-4

The false teachings John describes are those which deny the incarnation or will not acknowledge Jesus.

Is there a pattern?

Aren’t these false teachings insisting on something besides the simple gospel of Christ as being just as important and necessary for saving the lost? Or even more important? Whether law, myths, made-up stories, or gnostic notions that the flesh cannot be affected by spiritual perfection – hence, that one can live carnally in the flesh yet still be spiritual; that Jesus could not have actually inhabited a fleshly body because it would have somehow corrupted Him – all of these are teachings which (instead of supplementing) actually deny the gospel. The gospel – the fact of Christ’s blood given, causing belief and penitence and change and transformation by rebirth – isn’t good enough. It isn’t powerful enough. It must be enhanced.

Now I ask you, are there any teachings today that approach that level of insistence on something else that is required for the salvation of a soul seeking God?

Something in one’s heart that must be believed?
Something in one’s life that must be achieved?
Something once done that cannot be forgiven?
Some sum in one’s purse that must be full-given?
Some man-made-up line that must not be crossed?
Some “holy” tradition that must not be lost?
Some interpretation that cannot be wrong?
Some kind of singing or some kind of song?
Something that excludes a gender or race?
Something that simply is false on its face?

God does not make sense to me.

But, given His existence, everything else makes sense. If He does not exist, nothing makes sense.

So I believe.

The cross does not make sense to me.

But through it, everything else does.

So I believe.

Selflessness and sacrifice of one’s own will to the benefit of others are logical absurdities to me.

Yet, without them, the world becomes a bitter, hateful, cruel, heartless place that eventually no one can survive.

So I believe.

Accepting something on faith that is undefinable, unverifiable, inscrutable, intangible, and inexpressible – well, that’s just doofy on its face.

Still, love itself is undefinable, unverifiable, inscrutable, intangible and inexpressible … and it absolutely must be accepted on faith. Without it, all else rusts and tarnishes and withers and dies and rots. Forever. The end.

So I believe.

I believe in a God who seems self-contradictory; who is love and is also hatred … joy and also anger … mercy and also vengeance … justice and also sovereign enough to have mercy on whom He wills and to harden whom He wills.

I believe in a God who could have drawn all mankind close to Him in any way He chose, yet He chose to do so by letting His own Son be brutally murdered by mankind.

I believe in a God who doesn’t owe us anything yet gives us everything, who made everything and wants us to be grateful to Him for it, yet never left His inimitable autograph on the incredible work of art that is creation – not even a “Slartibartfast” carved into a remote fjord rock cliff or inside a glacier somewhere. (You readers of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will know what I’m talking about.)

I believe in a God who wants mankind to accept Him on faith … on the tiniest fragments of hard evidence that would not hold up in a court of law in any land under His heaven.

I believe in a God who answers our great yawping “WHY?” with a shrug and, “Because I said so.”

I’m not sure I really like that answer.

But I haven’t found a better one.

So I believe.

Because if I don’t, not all of the evidence, not all of the logic, not all of the world’s science and fact and proof and conjecture and theory and philosophy will make sense out of the questions that comprise every day of every life of everyone on this planet.

God, squelch my unbelief.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms (except Psalms 33, 47, 68, 43, 45, 49, 57, 71, 81, 92, 98, 98, 108, 137, 144, 147, 149 which all permit some now-unauthorized musical instrument, and especially 150 which mentions almost all of them), hymns (except the song of Miriam in Exodus 15 because it was accompanied by tambourines and dancing; but Moses’ song is okay), and spiritual songs (except, of course, ones which include clapping like Psalm 47 because that is no longer either fitting nor in order according to I Corinthians 14:40) with gratitude in your hearts to God. ~ Colossians 3:16

I do not (and therefore God does not) permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent (in all assemblies of worship in all places and for all time; except to sing, which is required; or to teach other women only, which is commanded; or to teach children including boys who have not yet become men, which is logical; and men are not authorized to confer the authority to teach upon a woman, only to deny it, except in the case of Aquila and Priscilla who taught together but it was in their home and they taught one person so it was therefore personal work). ~ 1 Timothy 2:12

… women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak (see second annotation in quote directly above – even if it is in a church which doesn’t have a problem with people rudely interrupting the speaker with questions about matters with which they are not familiar) , but must be in submission, as the Law says (because we are still under the Law, but it’s the new Law, the perfect Law of Christ where male dominance is the rule for all time). If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church (forever, in any place, in any circumstance, except as noted above). Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command (forever, in any place, in any circumstance, except as noted above). If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored. Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues (but not forever, in any place, except as noted above because speaking in tongues is no longer authorized). But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way (and permitting a woman to speak in a worship assembly, even one at a time with the permission of all present, would inherently cause an un-fitting and disorderly circumstance). ~ 1 Corinthians 14:34-39

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (and has since been conveyed to scripture and thence to every logical, rational-thinking person who will perfectly interpret every detail of it as pattern and law).” ~ Matthew 28:18

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (and legislating the logical, rational-thinking interpretation of it), so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~ 1 Timothy 2:16-17

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book (and/or all of the other books in the soon-to-be-canonized in a couple hundred years Bible): If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book (and/or all of the other books in the soon-to-be-canonized in a couple hundred years Bible). And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy (and/or all of the other books of prophecy in the soon-to-be-canonized in a couple hundred years Bible), God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book (and/or all of the other books in the soon-to-be-canonized in a couple hundred years Bible).

Look, you’ll get no argument from me that this last one is a wise instruction for any and all of God’s word. Let’s just be clear to make the distinction that it’s a principle that’s found in the closing verses of the Revelation to John in an instruction that is specific to that “book of prophecy” – rather than declaring that it commands and includes what it originally did not.

But let’s face it: a lot of the scriptures that we Christians use to prove our points have unspoken additions like these; annotations that one must presume are there in order for them to “prove” those points. Maybe there isn’t anything wrong with saying, “I know that’s not what it says, but I believe that’s what it means.” That’s more honest than saying, “That’s what it says; that’s what it means.”

Still, those additions are simply un-scriptural. They ain’t there.

I’ve got mine. You’ve got yours. Some of them probably overlap.

We can argue about whether they’re necessary inferences until the Lord returns, and still never impress anyone with the love of Christ which can save their souls; it will still never feed hungry mouths or heal broken bodies that generosity and medical science could aid; it will still never cause even an infinitesimal moment of relief in the blight of sin upon mankind.

Is that what God authorized?

Is that what pleases Him?

You know, some of our great old hymns just don’t connect with the children of this century. Or the past century. The “thee’s” and “thou’s” and “shalt’s” and especially the “shalt not’s” just aren’t easy to identify with for the new generation.

But even more off-putting than the outdated language are those insistent themes of dedication, self-sacrifice, and so forth.

So I’ve thought about updating some of those grand classic hymns – if not with more contemporary language – at least with a more realistic outlook. You know, titles like:

• Living By Fate
• Take My Life and Let it Alone
• I Need Thee Every Week
• It is Well With My Bankroll
• Joyful, Joyful We Ignore Thee
• Lord, I Want to Like You More
• O Master, Let Me Balk With Thee
• ‘Tis The Blessed Minute of Prayer
• We’ll Wait ‘Til Jesus Comes
• Let Jesus Bear The Cross Alone

and

• Come Let Us Worship and Sit Down

I just think we’d all be more comfortable with some hymns like these.

I woke up with this phrase in my head this morning.

I Googled it this evening and found only one use of the phrase on the ‘Net, on a Baptist discussion board among the other five answers to the question “What does ‘ecumenical’ mean?” That answer was: “It seems the Ecumenical movement does in fact seek to merge all under one banner of agreement. But this is often done at the cost of watering down the true Gospel so that it is “acceptable” to all…I think of it as Reader’s Digest Christianity…” – from a poster signed “Keith M.”

But before I Googled it, the phrase rattled around in the head of this Keith all day, who came to a similar conclusion, pretty much unrelated to ecumenicism.

I realized that during a large portion of my life, I was satisfied with Reader’s Digest Christianity. Someone else had already read and studied all the hard stuff for me and boiled it down to a length and language that I could quickly and easily absorb without spending too much time or too many brain cells on it. I missed the nuances of the original work, but I didn’t know or care.

I went to church. I listened. I absorbed. I read a verse or two along with someone reciting it.

And that was all.

And I thought it was enough.

I didn’t try to dive more deeply into the Word. I didn’t try to comprehend the fulness of Christ. I didn’t try to draw closer to God through His Son.

I sat. I swallowed the pre-chewed, pre-digested pablum that some mothering birdly teacher or preacher had prepared for me and all the other flightless hatchlings in the nest with me.

it’s not a bad way to begin your new life after being freshly born again. But we’re talking twenty- thirty-sometimes-more years into my spiritual life, and I was still finding myself at times just squatting in the nest.

It sorta calls to mind how the writer to the Hebrews upbraided their immaturity:

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

And what “this” is that the writer had much to say about was how Christ prayed and was heard because of His reverent submission; how He learned obedience through suffering.

I still have a lot to learn about that “this.”

I won’t learn it by just hearing the Reader’s Digest version; by sitting in the pew; by waiting passively for mothering birdly teacher or preacher to drop it into my craw.

It’s time to fly.

Wait for it!

Wait for it!

It’s a little more – okay, a lot more – about prayer. For one’s self. For others. For what God wants.

I’ve got a good start on it, but I need some time to do it right, and I don’t have a lot of time right now. I need to finish re-naming and posting new pictures to my church’s online database, post a couple or three New Wineskins articles, and I’ve got a full weekend of getting my son to an out-of-town chess tournament and back, plus two back-to-back reception events for friends Saturday night.

So, visit some other blogs and speculate about what I might turn up in my post.

Since I’m still doing the research, I have no idea myself.

Sometime during the next 24-48 hours it looks like my little counter will tick off my 50,000th unique visitor.

That’s kind of a misnomer. It really means that the same handful of people have logged in to the internet 50,000 times and have visited my site in the last 22 months. And while each of them is unique, there aren’t 50,000 of them.

I’m not much into stats and origins of visitors, numbers of lurkers, etc. – so I don’t have a fancy package to tell me all those things.

I’m just glad to have been ticking off people since 2005.

I don’t really have in mind any kind of prize or celebration.

Does that tick you off?

I think it is both intellectually and spiritually dishonest to level the charge against anyone who disagrees with your interpretation of scripture, “Then you must not believe that doctrine is important.”

“Doctrine” means “teachings, beliefs.” Doctrine is vital. Scripture could not be clearer on the matter. What we may disagree upon is whether your interpretation of scripture – or mine or anyone else’s – is doctrine, or not.

I find these items to be doctrinal:

• “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
• “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
• “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16
• Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.” – John 2:22
• Jesus came from God incarnationally: “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” – 2 John 1:7
• “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” – John 1:21
• “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” – Galatians 5:6
• “As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.” – Romans 14:14

These are in no particular order; nor are they intended to be comprehensive. There are, for instance, a good number of imperatives Jesus shared, most of which are applicable to His followers today. But I believe the items cited above represent foundational principles of the apostles’ doctrine – and the points of departure for the heresies of the first few centuries of Christendom.

You will not find most of those items in current debate among followers of Christ today, except perhaps the last one – which is terribly inconvenient to the mindset which preaches that everything is an issue; everything one can do is either intrinsically right or wrong; pleasing or displeasing to God; commendable by heaven or condemnable to hell.

There are simply some things we can do – choices we make and actions we take – about which God says nothing.

They are matters of conscience.

We get into trouble when we elevate matters of conscience to something else; try to superimpose scripture upon them and make them look like God’s law. That’s what Jesus took the Pharisees and teachers of the law to task for, over and over again. Matters of conscience are opinions, not doctrine.

So you can believe what you want to about a good number of items which simply are not doctrinal. And the context of the Romans passage above indicates that it is wrong for you to judge your sibling in Christ regarding an item of conscience as surely as it is wrong for that sibling to flaunt his or her freedom from conscience in the matter in order to make you violate yours.

We can disagree about matters of conscience – even teach what we disagree about – but there are limits.

One limit is calling them “doctrine.”

There are matters about which we are to be “of one mind.” There are others which are not.

Honestly, I think that if God had taught that we must worship while standing on one foot, Satan would find a way to split us into right-footers and left-footers, leaners and non-leaners, hoppers and non-hoppers, plus those who would disfellowship all the people who have had to have their feet amputated.

And a few who would cut off one foot to prove how “right” they are.

In a few short words, matters of conscience are never to become a game of “I’m right; you’re wrong.”

That’s doctrine, as I see it, folks. And it is important.

So I close with the most dangerous challenge of all: Think for yourself. Study scripture for yourself. Don’t accept what I say – what anyone says – as automatically right or wrong. Go to the Source. Prove all things. Hold fast what’s good.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

No, I don’t know what’s happened to his blog … or to him!

His Grace Awakening site is still live.

As is the old Abductive Columns archive blog on Blogspot.

I’ve e-mailed him. I’m hoping he’ll let me know.

Because there are very few free-thinkers who can challenge and irritate and annoy and needle me like Fred does.

And I need that.