Farmed-Out Faith

I was recently talking to a friend who is walking through some deep waters in his marriage and family. As we were unpacking some of the issues he is facing and I was recommending some resources for him, we became mutually aware of a disturbing reality.

He has been a believer for many years and has been a part of "gospel-preaching" churches—some that even add the word "full" to their gospel. He has heard multiple sermons on tithing, on the importance of bringing your family to church, getting involved in "ministry", supporting the vision of the pastor. But he has never been exposed to any substantive, biblical teaching on the role of the father as a shepherd and pastor to his own family.

As the lights went on, my friend became angry, as he realized that many of the things he had been taught in church had not been for the purpose of empowering him to fulfill the primary role God had given him. Instead, he was being systematically programmed to orient his life and his family's life to support and to become dependent on a religious institution and to subcontract his God-given responsibility to professional clergy.

Two types of people will one day be held accountable for this travesty: first, the pastors who encouraged it for the sake of increasing their egos and ensuring the security of their careers; and second, the lazy and cowardly fathers and husbands who farmed out their responsibilities.

Don't Censor Ezekiel

In some books of the Bible, euphemisms are used to describe sex. Take, for instance, Song of Solomon's talk of gardens, pomegranates and deer. However, as I've been reading Ezekiel, I've discovered that this wild and wooly prophet takes the opposite tack, describing in sexual terms things that aren't even remotely sexual. Consider the prophet's anger at Israel's penchant to seek political and military alliances with its pagan neighbors rather than trusting in God (see Ezekiel 23).

Here's the challenge: Moving past the question of why the Holy Spirit would inspire such graphic word pictures as Ezekiel 23:20-21, how can passages that are so historically particular be applied to my life? My strategy is to move from the universal to the personal by asking a few questions of the text:

Why were the Jews' political alliances so serious an offense to God that he describes them in these terms?

How does this text point toward Israel's need for a Deliverer who will transcend their political and national interests and transform their hearts?

How does this text reflect on the tendency of the people of God to put trust in political and military machinations to achieve earthly influence?

How does this text confront my own sinful habit of seeking security in temporal strategies—whether it's IRAs, insurance policies or business plans?

Go ahead, let the text confront you. Don't censor Ezekiel!

A Prayer for Friday the 13th

Since the posts this week have been dedicated to evil and whatnot, and since it's Friday the 13th, [I'm not superstitious, so the title is merely a crass attempt to generate traffic.] I ask you this: What are you praying for your kids? I am tempted to pray that God keeps them safe, protected from all evil. In fact, Matthew 6:13, part of the Lord's Prayer, seems to encourage me in this.

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Or does it? Actually, I think it could be better translated, "Deliver us from the Evil One." (I'm not sure why my beloved NASB dropped the ball on this one, and the Non-Inspired Version got it right.) If my reading is correct, it reflects Jesus' own prayer for us in John 17:15, which uses the same Greek phrase. (The NASB gets it right this time, go figure.):

"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one."

So, I pray that Satan will keep his hands of my kids—just like Jesus prayed for us. But I also pray that, as they grow up "in the world", God will empower them to confront evil on a personal and global scale.

Never Trust a Witch

This pre-Halloween article about the dangers of celebrating the holiday somehow evaded my notice until Monday. Here are a few key takeaways, if you don't read the article:

• Most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches.

• Halloween is a counterfeit holy day that is dedicated to celebrating the demonic trinity.

• During Halloween, time-released curses are loosed.

The author's information about Halloween has apparently been gleaned from her pre-conversion experience and her more recent interaction with witches, warlocks and and other occult practitioners. My question is this: Can you trust a witch?

For example, what if a witch (former or otherwise) says, "Our coven gathers at Walgreens the week before Halloween and cast spells on the bins of candy"? This may be true, but is it true also that the candy is then cursed? If you believe this, aren't you buying into the false worldview of the witch—a non-biblical deception that suggests inanimate objects can possess spiritual power, both evil and good?

Or if a warlock professes that he believes in the demonic trinity, does that mean that such a "trinity" exists? Furthermore, are "time-released" curses something we should really be worried about? Remember, just because occult practitioners believe these things are real does not make them real.

This is not to say that there are not supernatural realities that engage the real world—I've seen them manifest themselves. However, our theology of the supernatural should come from scripture alone, not those who are in bondage to the occult.

Note: Lest you think I am unfairly criticizing the author of this article, I have met and interviewed her for articles, and I've never met someone more simultaneously sincere and reckless in her misuse of scripture. If you're interested, read my article from 2004 titled "Deliverance Malpractice," in which I interview her.

3 Myths About the Devil

Yesterday's sermon on spiritual warfare got me thinking about some of the myths about the devil that I've heard over the years.

The devil can hear you. I've often heard people recount conversations they've had with the devil—and I'm usually a bit suspicious of these claims. Although Satan is a powerful fallen angel, he is not omniscient or omnipresent. As a created being, he is limited by time and space just like you and I are. Satan may dispatch agents to observe your actions and words and report back to him, but attempting to speak to him, command him, personally debate with him, etc. is a fruitless enterprise.

Satan wants you miserable. From Satan's perspective, unhappy, troubled, impoverished people have this unsavory habit of seeking God for solace. The devil's priority is simultaneously your temporary comfort and your eternal torment. Consider this instruction from C.S. Lewis's demon, Screwtape, to his protege: "Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is 'finding his place in it,' while really it is finding its place in him. His increasing reputation, his widening circle of acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, build up in him a sense of really being at home on Earth, which is just what we want."

You have authority over Satan. While it is enjoyable to imagine us smashing the devil, it is not something that is in our capacity or authority. Scripture provides no precedent for direct battle with Satan beyond resisting him by submitting to God (James 4:7). Jesus rebuked the disciples for gloating about their success in expelling demons (Luke 10:20). Paul notes that Satan will be crushed under our feet—but that it is God who will do the crushing (Romans 16:20).

Are there other myths about the devil that you've encountered?