Common Sense Theology

Day 3 – our presuppositions

Let us then, my friends, beware lest our opinions come between us and our God, between us and our neighbor, between us and our better selves. Let us be jealous that the human shall not obscure the divine. –GEORGE MACDONALD

These, then, are our assumptions as we begin this leg of our journey:

1. God exists.

2. God created the universe, including us.

3. God is omnipotent, active, volitional, sovereign, omniscient, moral, righteous, holy, revelatory, relational, transcendent, gracious, just, loving, purposeful, omnipresent, relevant, experiential, and transforming.

These are the conclusions we reached during the first and second legs of our journey. Now, on the third, we will use them as the springboard to our study of human nature. As we self-reflect, we will assume that God exists and that His nature is as summarized above.

By starting with these assumptions, we may at times find ourselves in direct opposition to what many textbooks of psychology, sociology, and anthropology tell us. The reason is simple: all too often these textbooks are written from the naturalistic point of view. The existence of God is assumed false throughout the writing process, and man's belief in Him is attributed to a combination of ignorance, instincts, and illness. These books—more accurately, the authors of these books—self-reflect through the lens of naturalism. They may not say it directly or even indirectly, but do not be misled. Many of them do not believe in God. Their analysis of human nature is based on this creed: the atheist is right and the theist wrong.¹

I cannot go in that direction, for I have a firm and abiding belief in the existence of God. I believe that reality includes both the natural and the supernatural, and this will color every page hereafter. Unlike the atheistic textbooks, I will acknowledge my bias openly and unashamedly. I respect the scholarship of the naturalists and will embrace the points on which we agree. But when their view of human nature contradicts my belief in God, I will head in another direction. I will tightly embrace the three statements at the start of today's reading, for I do believe in God and in such a God.

That I will use a supernatural lens in the pages to follow should come as no surprise. I have written two books explaining the reasons why.

SELF-REFLECT

With each of the statements below, answer one of the following:

a. I believe this.

b. I don’t believe this.

c. I’m not sure about this.

1. God exists.
2. God created the universe.
3. God created me.
4. God is omnipotent.
5. God is active.
6. God is volitional.
7. God is sovereign.
8. God is omniscient.
9. God is moral.
10. God is righteous.
11. God is holy.
12. God is revelatory.
13. God is relational.
14. God is transcendent.
15. God is gracious.
16. God is just.
17. God is loving.
18. God is purposeful.
19. God is omnipresent.
20. God is relevant.
21. God is experiential.
22. God is transforming.

(For more information, read Dear God, You Sure Don’t Act Like You’re Alive, the second book in this series.)

¹Richard Featherstonefrom the University of Northern Iowa and Katie L. Sorrell from the University of Wisconsin published online in 2007 a comparison of sociology textbooks. The following is an excerpt from the abstract:

This article provides a content analysis of 31 introductory sociology textbooks published between 2003 and 2006… Our analysis reveals that 20 (65%) of the 31 textbooks in our study present only secularization theory, while seven (23%) of the textbooks cover both secularization theory and religious economies theory. We assess the ramifications of such a lopsided arrangement and conclude by encouraging a more open dialogue on this issue.

Anthropology textbooks also have an atheistic bias, the extent of which is summarized by Ohio science professor Jerry Bergman:

Probably one of the most serious and common areas of censorship of support for the intelligent design world view and theism in general is from textbooks. The writer’s review of over 200 textbooks found that virtually all of them assume a priori that God does not exist, rarely even adopting the agnostic position.

In Theistic Psychology (an online publication), Leon James, Professor of Psychology at the University of Hawaii, admits that “an atheistic science and an atheistic psychology literature has developed… The effort has been very intense to eradicate the concepts of God and the afterlife from science.”

Daily Quotation

George MacDonald in Michael Phillips, ed., Your Life in Christ (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2005), 213.

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PICK YOUR TOPIC: click the date in the BLOG ARCHIVE above to read any of these 50 posts

Abraham - March 15
agnosticism - Mar 14
Barnabas - Mar 13
compassion - Mar 12
David - Mar 11
faith and science - Mar 10
faith and tension - Mar 9
Genesis: the main point - Mar 8
God as Three in One - Mar 7
God is One - Mar 6
God's existence: 5 Reasons to Believe - Mar 5
God's holiness - Mar 4
God's incarnation - Mar 3
God's justice - Mar 2
God's love - Mar 1
God's nature and the Bible - Feb 28
God's omnipotence - Feb 27
God's omniscience - Feb 26
God's sovereignty (Parts 1-2) - Feb 26 and 25
God's transforming power - Feb 24
God's will - Feb 23
Jacob - Feb 22
Jeremiah - Feb 21
Job (Parts 1-3) - Feb 20
John, Simon, and Judas - Feb 19
life after death (Parts 1-2) - Feb 18
Luke and Demas - Feb 17
many maps, one treasure - Feb 16
miracles - Feb 16
moral relativism - Feb 14
Moses - Feb 13
parable of the disobedient brothers - Feb 13
parable of the four organizations - Feb 11
parable of the helpful atheist - Feb 10
parable of the pick-up basketball game - Feb 9
parable of the sculptors - Feb 8
parable of the ten hikers - Feb 7
parable of the website visitor - Feb 6
past, present, and future people - Feb 5
prayer - Feb 4
Ruth - Feb 3
sin and choice - Feb 2
sin and God's love - Feb 1
sin and the ER - Feb 1
sin's reality - Jan 30
sin's remedy - Jan 29
sin's separation - Jan 28
soul and body - Jan 28
suffering: a called meeting - Jan 26
suffering's positive side - Jan 25
women at the tomb - Jan 25

5 REASONS: Why I Still Believe in God

Have you ever wondered if the atheist could be right? If so, you are not alone. Standing behind you at the supermarket, teeing off ahead of you in your weekly foursome, and (as stange as it seems) singing along with you at your local church are people just like you. Too embarrassed to ask questions, they do not know where to turn for answers. Randy Stewart, with refreshing candor, reveals in these pages his personal history of doubt; then he traces his steps back to faith. Along the way he uses his medical and religious background to present some old concepts in fresh and understandable light. Written with the non-theologian in mind, this book should be helpful to anyone asking questions or anyone needing to give answers.

DEAR GOD, YOU SURE DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'RE ALIVE

If God is "I AM", then Who Am I?

BEFORE THE TRUMPET SOUNDS: When Jesus Came to the Tennessee River Valley

The Word Made Fresh: 1000 Bible Questions

The Bible is worth knowing but is not well known. This book is the author's attempt to acknowledge the former and remedy the latter. Studying this overview of the Bible and answering the questions should help reverse the unfortunate trend today toward Biblical illiteracy. Those already familiar with God's Word may also benefit from this well-organized, balanced, and creative review. The author, Dr. Randall Stewart, acknowledges the areas of debate in present-day scholarship but does not attempt to take sides, urging his readers to do further study and form their own opinions. With no conservative or liberal agenda, this introduction to the Bible should be useful to a wide spectrum of people - young and old, believer and non-believer, novice and teacher, laity and clergy.

THIS WEEK'S COMMON SENSE

9/23/2013 - 9/29/2013

TWO UNLIKELY PARTNERS

Jesus' disciples included a tax collector (Matthew) who worked for the Roman government and a zealot (Simon) who hated anything Rome. He took these two diverse individuals and united them through his love, message, and mission. So should we today in church, despite our differences, join hands as we follow Jesus.

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COMMON SENSE from previous weeks...

WHERE ATHEISTS AND CHRISTIANS DIFFER ABOUT JESU

Even atheists, if they are intellectually honest, must admit the following:

(1)
that a man named Jesus lived in first century Palestine

(2)
that he acheived fame in the region as a healer and religious teacher

(3)
that he was crucified on a Roman cross

(4)
that his followers proclaimed after his death that he had risen from the grave

(5)
that a new religion arose and spread throughout the Roman empire, proclaimimg him Messiah and Lord.

The key historical fact is #4. Regarding the resurrection, atheists believe that the followers of Jesus were mistaken, were misunderstood, or were malicious liars. We Christians, however, believe that the atheists are the ones who are mistaken. We believe that the most sensible explanation for the five historical facts above is a resurrected Savior and Lord.

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COMMON SENSE from previous weeks...

EXCLAIMING THE GLORY OF GOD

Early typewriters did not have an "exclamation point" key. To create this punctuation mark, you first had to type a period then backspace and type an apostrophe over it. Keyboards today have an "exclamation point" key. This is one of the reasons exclamation points are so commonly seen today, perhaps overused (e.g. BFF!!!! Wow!! Ouch!!!!).

Our world always seems to be in exclaiming mode, with one notable exception: Sunday worship. Why is it that we act in church as if we are typing the rhythms of our souls on old typewriters? Isn't beholding the glory of God in face of Jesus Christ something worth exclaiming?

The King James Version of the Bible, published long before typewriters or keyboards, has 1492 exclamation points. Apparently the Biblical writers and the English translators were excited about God's message. What an example to us today!!

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DIGGING DEEPER IN BIBLE STUDY YIELDS WONDERFUL TREASURES!

The best way to study a particular Bible book or passage is to read it as if you were a part of the original audience. This requires some preparation, but it is well worth the effort. To do so, you have to learn the reason the book or passage was written and to become acquainted with the mindset of both the author and the recipient(s). But if you do such hard (and enjoyable) work, you will imagine yourself as one of those recipients and will understand the book or passage better. For sure, you can glean truths from the Bible without such preparatory study, just as a native of Japan can glean truths from Gettysburg without studying beforehand. But just as that Japanese cannot experience the true depth of Gettysburg without first becoming acquainted with the American Civil War, you cannot experience the depth of a Bible book or passage without first understanding its roots. If you learn when, why, and to whom scripture was originally written, rich treasures await you.

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ELIMINATING PRAYER

Atheists may succeed in banishing public prayer. Yes, our government may one day arrest men and women caught bending and bowing the knee. But never will anyone succeed in eliminating prayer. Prayer is more private than public, more inward than outward, a bending of the heart more than the knee. Atheists and governments may succeed in removing public prayer but never private prayer, including those private prayers offered in public. If we pray in such a way that no one else knows except God, we will approach God's throne and at the same time be unapproachable to those who seek to eliminate prayer.

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A BIG DEAL

If there is no God, people can go on living as they do now, for morality is no big deal. But if God does exist, it matters greatly what they do. A Creator God in the universe changes everything, just like royalty entering a room changes everything. A citizen of God's Kingdom should act differently because he or she is always in the presence of the King. Morality is a big deal, simply because He is a such big deal.

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GENESIS ONE AND SCIENCE

The story of Creation in the first chapter of Genesis is not a scientific treatise. Instead, it is a theological proclamation. Its main purpose is not to show how the universe was formed but to relate who formed it. That theme is summed up in verse one: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

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SOME TIME MANAGEMENT ADVICE

Consistency and persistence are characteristics of Christians who accomplish much in life. They continue to work on important projects even when other things stand in their way. They realize that daily diligence, even for short periods of time, will in the long run yield huge dividends.

Consider this time management fact: if you spend just fifteen minutes daily on a task for one year, you will put over ninety hours into the project.

So...

Plan big but work small.

Be consistent and persistent.

It's a recipe for success.

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GOD OWNS YOU.

CHRIST ORDERS YOU.

2 Facts you should never forget:

(1) You are God's possession.

(2) You are Christ's servant.

3 detours you take when you do forget:

(1) doubt about God

(2) distance from God

(3) despair apart from God

2 prayers that will end that despair:

(1) "God, I am yours!" (fact #1)

(2) "Jesus, use me!" (fact #2)

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COMPASSION DEFINED

The Greek word for compassion is splanchnizomai, found twelve times in the New Testament. It is derived from the Greek word for bowels or intestines. Compassion, then, is not superficial emotion nor sentimental attachment. It is love at the gut level. Similarly, the Hebrew word that is often translated compassion is rachamim, found 131 times in the Old Testament. It comes from the root word rechem, meaning womb or uterus. In this context, compassion is similar to a mother's feeling for a child in her womb.

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TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

The man who jumps into the water of his own accord and the gentleman who does so after much coaxing from family and friends are equally wet and have their own selves to blame. Our society must rid itself of the notion that someone else is responsible for our bad choices.

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GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY SIMPLIFIED

The simplest way I have found to understand the sovereignty of God is to remember this phrase: “It’s His choice!” God’s sovereignty, reduced to its simplest expression, involves just that—His freedom to make the choices He deems appropriate, whether or not we happen to like them or understand them. It is not in any sense a loss of ultimate power but, quite the opposite, is power ultimately expressed. It is God being God and acting as God, regardless. So when the subject of God’s sovereignty comes up, my advice is to remember the phrase: “It’s His choice!” This should eliminate over half the confusion and argument about the subject.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AFTERLIFE

Life after death is no small matter. If you doubt its importance, ask one hundred people on death's doorstep whether they wish to continue as an individual or be absorbed into nature. It would be the rare person who would choose the latter. Then ask one hundred mothers and fathers whose children have died before them if it matters whether or not they will someday interact with their son or daughter in a personal way. I cannot fathom one parent who would not immediately and joyously embrace the prospect of such a reunion.--------------------

When we come to theology, knowledge can take us only so far, never to the point of certainty. Our subject is God, and our knowledge of Him is incomplete. Yet we are forced to act on the knowledge that we have. This educated leap in the dark is what defines true belief. It is action taken in the midst of uncertainty. This is why the Bible says, “We live by faith, not by sight.”
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OUR OPINIONS AND GOD'S NATURE

I sometimes imagine a time in the future when we all will stand in the presence of God and know, more than ever before, that He is and who He is. If it turns out He is different than we had imagined, it will be a matter of small consequence. We will know then what we should know now: God determines His existence and nature; we do not determine them ourselves. On that day, God will be very real and His nature, however aligned with our preconceptions, will be nonnegotiable. He will be to us what He was to Moses years ago: “I AM THAT I AM.” Our only choice will be to retreat in denial and fear (Moses’ initial response) or to bow in acceptance and awe (his ultimate response).

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THE DIVINE PARADOX

For us to know God, God must relate to us. In this sense, God is personal and immanent. Yet there are aspects of Him that will always elude us. So, in another sense, God is Wholly Other and transcendent. He is both near to us and far from us. We surely know Him; yet, just as sure, we know Him not. He comes to us from “beyond,” but still He remains beyond us.

As to the purpose of this divine revelation, listen well (for the
paradox continues). God initiates this relationship with us so that we might relate to His initiative. He seeks us first, that we might seek Him at last. If we seek Him, as scripture says, with “heart and mind and soul and strength," we will find Him. When we find Him, we will lose ourselves in Him. And, in that loss, we will gain everything.

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JESUS AND THE STICK MAN

Imagine a stick man, existing completely in a two dimensional world. His whole reality is height and width; he has no idea that depth exists. As you gaze at the piece of paper on which he is drawn, he does not know that you are there. You can place you nose a quarter of an inch from him, and he still would not be aware of you, for you are in a dimension (depth) that he cannot perceive. Even if you pressed your nose against the paper so that he could sense you, he would see only a large dot or circle, a far cry from what your nose is really like. Because he lives in two dimensions, he cannot fathom any other dimensions or, at best, can fathom them incompletely.

Atheists claim that we humans live totally in a physical or natural world. They assume, because they cannot sense a spiritual world, that it does not exist. But does this mean that a spiritual dimension cannot exist? Could God be a quarter inch from them and they not know it?

Other people, unlike the atheists, claim to have sensed God's existence. But they are still physical beings living in a physical universe. Isn't what they are seeing just a vague glimpse of who God really is?

But what if God, the spiritual, took on physical form? Wouldn't we humans then be able to understand Him, relate to Him, and reverence Him as never before? Behold, the beauty of the incarnation! God became flesh so that we could know Him better. (Wouldn't a stick figure understand you a lot more it you became a stick figure yourself?)

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