I’m Having Too Much Fun, Please Persecute Me!
July 29, 2005
Posted by Dan Edelen in : Uncategorized Feedback : 8 comments
I see so many unusual trends in the blogs I read. Certain memes travel around the Christian blogosphere in a never-ending game of tag. One of the ones I have observed from the very beginning is the tendency for some of the hardline Evangelical and Fundamentalist blogs to loathe anything that smacks of being fun because “the underground Church in [fill in a country here] is being persecuted.”
This is not a post to poke fun at fussbudget Christians who can’t remember the last time they had a good belly laugh. Nor is this an attempt to diffuse the awful trial of persecuted brethren around the globe. But no matter how I try, I can’t understand the wish of some fellow Christians in America to hammer anything that smacks of frivolity or simple human enjoyment of life. I especially don’t understand their unspoken desire to be persecuted in return as if persecution garners “salvation points” that will counter all those “I laughed one time” strikes against them.
This is what the Bible says:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.
—Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 ESV
For us American Christians, our time of persecution will certainly come some day. And while it is true that too many of us have made an idol out of entertainment, this is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. Tomorrow may indeed bring mourning, but today is good. Let us cherish those days while we have them.
{Two side notes:
There is a tendency in some circles of Christianity to overspiritualize our daily lives. God gave us senses and many gifts to enjoy those senses with. I do not merely possess a spirit; I am also body and soul. There is a harmony in those three, for God has knit them together for our pleasure and His. We dishonor Him if we do not enjoy life to the fullest. I see too many pinch-faced Christian ascetics who seem to hate the very air they breath. These folks couldn’t have fun if you gave them a lifetime pass to Disneyworld.
There is a tendency in some other Christian circles to contextualize sspiritual experiences merely by what we can sense and feel through our bodies, or what we express through our souls. Obviously, this other side of the coin does not represent the whole coin, either. Yet, many of the younger Christians today seem to be trapped in sensory faith or intellectual rigor. The spiritual world cannot be appreciated for what it is alone.}
I believe that we do err on the side of fun, though. Frivolity can be overblown to the detriment of our souls. A simple reading of Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins should tell us the value of being sober and ready:
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
—Matthew 25:1-13 ESV
I can appreciate an argument that Christians in this country are entertainment-aholics, but the solution to this is not asceticism. There is a time to soberly prepare and a time to rest and enjoy life. The truly spiritual man can do both. He understands that today he may be laughing with friends and next week be forced to give account of his love for Christ before the authorities, his fate sealed.
I’m profoundly thankful that I’ve not known stiff persecution in my life. I’m also thankful that I’ve been able to laugh and enjoy life. One day my lot may not be so fortunate and the knock comes on the door in the middle of the night. For this I must be prepared. But I’m not praying for persecution to come—only that I might be ready.
True wisdom comes in discerning the times. To laugh at the funeral of a young adult cut down in the prime of life is foolish. To cry at a silly joke is just as foolish. May God help us if we can’t distinguish the one from another.
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Everyone Wants a Piece of Tozer
July 28, 2005
Posted by Dan Edelen in : Notable Christians, Oddities Feedback : 9 comments
Aiden Wilson Tozer is perhaps my favorite Christian author. Every book of his that I have read has stunned me, driven me to tears, left me broken, raised me up again, and filled me with joy. I believe he was a prophet, too; you read his books written in the 1950s and they are still speaking directly to the state of the American Church today.
But the one thing that I have never failed to understand is how so many Christians who would profoundly disagree with Tozer in many regards still hold him up as the gold standard of 20th and 21st century Evangelicalism.
Tozer was a mystic and endorsed Christian mystics - It’s baffling that so many Christian leaders who will pummel anyone who espouses Christian mysticism today give Tozer a complete pass as if he never once quoted Meister Ekhart, St. John of the Cross, or The Cloud of Unknowing.
Tozer was completely anti-cessationist - Just this last week I included a Tozer quote saying as much. Tozer saw that the Church of 70AD and the church of 2005 AD are to be the same Church in power, giftings, and so on. Yet cessationists quote Tozer as if there was no issue with his opposition to their position.
Tozer was not a proponent of Calvinism - I can’t remember him even mentioning that word in anything he’s written, yet Calvinists seem to love him, nonetheless. Just in the last few days both Steve Camp and Al Mohler held Tozer up as the example of doctrinally righteous Christianity. Curious.
Tozer damned “easy believism” and Christianity as “entertainment” - Yet the bookstores of seeker-sensitive megachurches stock his books and their pastors even quote him.
Frankly, it startles me that Tozer that is universally acclaimed by Evangelicals, yet most of them reject large swaths of his preaching and teaching. Given that so many other preachers and teachers are routinely castigated in the blogosphere for even straying slightly from what is approved, why does Tozer, a man who preached a Christianity so unlike what so many others approve of today, get let off the heretic hook?
If you’ve never read Tozer, I say, Stock up! Start with The Knowledge of the Holy. There’s more truth in one of his books than any hundred teachings out there on the Web. Having said that, you can find Tozer’s teachings and sayings all over the Web—just Google “AW Tozer”. I would encourage you to do so.
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Three for Thursday, July 28
Posted by Dan Edelen in : Blogging Feedback : 5 comments
With so many blogs dedicated to tearing down this belief system or boiling the wayward in oil, it’s nice to know there are a few respites from the battle. So today I’m featuring three kinder, gentler blogs that are balms for the soul:
Bob at Mr. Standfast has stood fast on the purpose for his blog: seeking to edify the saints. Always ready with a good word or with a link to one, Bob has carved out a fine niche for his excellent blog. Considering that he works in library sciences, would he have any other kind of blog than one that says, “Shhh, be still and know that He is God”?
Jared, the wereblogger, goes the contemplative route with Shizuka Blog. Great things to ponder. Also very quiet (the meaning of “Shizuka.”)
John over at SCOTWISE takes the highland road. His blend of encouragement through Scripture and outstanding quotes is a far cry from the gnashing of teeth you get elsewhere. The title of the blog may shout, but there are still waters here.
Have a blessed day.
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On Consigning Enemies of Christ to Hell
July 25, 2005
Posted by Dan Edelen in : Best of Cerulean Sanctum, Church Issues, Dying to Self, Godly Character, Grace, Heresy, Humility, Judgmentalism, Love, Maturity Feedback : 15 comments
It's one of those blast furnace kind of days here today, 95 degrees with 95% humidity. To the amusement of little boys everywhere, the sun is so hot right now that ants burst into flame on the sidewalk without need for a magnifying glass. As I type, my son is sipping hot peppermint tea—of all things—somehow oblivious to the heat pump outside laboring to rid our house of thermal build-up. 
The dryer is working with the weather to scorch our clothes dry, and just to add insult to injury, I need to take a flamethrower to some weeds outside tonight.
Why not talk about hell, then?
The Christian blogosphere talks about hell far more than you'll hear from any pulpit. I've read just about every take on hell you can imagine in just the last few weeks. But every one of those theological treatises has ignored one kind of hell, the hell that most people experience: hell on earth.
It doesn't take much for us Christians to castigate anyone we deem to be unworthy sinners. You don't have to look very far to find such horrid heathens. The Christian blogosphere is brimming over with posts that name names and point fingers. The names of the enemies change, but the general collection of them remains the same. You're likely to find homosexuals, evolutionists, atheists, and the ACLU in that category. Karl Rove seems to occupy that spot for Sojourners types, while the hardcore conservatives still get mileage out of Bill Clinton. And then there's whatever preacher or teacher we love to hate. Benny Hinn, Rick Warren, Joyce Meyer, Ken Copeland—maybe even your own pastor will show up on that list, who knows. The important thing here is that hell needs to be invoked whenever we think about them.
More and more I believe that we truly want to see some people burn in hell. It used to be the Hitlers, Pol Pots, and Stalins of the world, but increasingly it's the people we disagree with—you know, The Enemies of Christ. And from the dialog I see occurring on an increasing number of Christian Web sites, I believe that there are a few too many Christians who would get no more glee than to have a front row seat in Abraham's bosom so they can stare out over the chasm that separates heaven from hell and lob a few jeers at the prisoners of hell. Because we all know that nothing hurts worse than to be in hell and have to suffer the receiving end of cat-calls from The People Who Got It Right.
But waiting for the eventual demise of the Enemies of Christ is not enough for some of the most vocal critics out there. They'd love nothing more than to see people in hell right now, here on earth. Such an idea almost warms the cockles of their hearts (that is if stone can have cockles.)
Now it would seem a hard thing to make hell on earth for people, but I now know how it comes about easily.
You see, most people on earth are already in hell because they have no prayer covering. Most of those destined for fire have never once had anyone pray for them. At no time has a Christian stood up in public or stolen away to his or her prayer closet to pray for these souls just waiting for damnation. Not once. More often than not there hasn't been a real Christian within ten feet of those Enemies at any time in all their years on earth. No one to pick them up when they fall. No one to hear their hurts. No one to take their confession. At least no one who we would consider Spirit-filled.
It is a far easier thing to call someone an Enemy of Christ than it is to pray for them. It takes no effort on our part to just keep doing what we already do when confronted with people with whom we disagree. How simple it is to label someone "godless" or "heretical" or "deceived" than it is to get down on our knees and say to God Our Father, "And so I once was. May your truth be made known to them through me, Lord Jesus, by any means possible."
Because you see, someone may have been praying for you long before you surrendered up your Enemy of Christ label and became a Child of God. Someone loved you and me enough to have labored in prayer over our souls for years and yet we can't spare those we consider Enemies of Christ one second of our day to cover them in prayer for what may be the first time in their lives. No, it's easier to blog about their sin, to throw up our hands in disgust, and to leap to our feet in protest than it is to fold those hands and bow those knees.
So this is what I ask of anyone who comes to Cerulean Sanctum. Before you blog about this Enemy of Christ or that heretic, spend one month in prayer for them. Pray every single day. Pray that God would put Spirit-filled Christians into their lives who will speak life and truth into them, sharing the Gospel not only in words but also deeds. If you are close enough to actually be that supportive person, then consider taking the job because obviously no one else has. If after the end of that month of prayer (and service) your righteous indignation still burns hot, then do as you are lead of the Spirit.
Some people are already in hell, folks. Not having a prayer covering is the very definition of being in hell on earth. Not having the fellowship of committed Christians willing to draw up alongside you and help you through your hell on earth only makes it worse. Perhaps we need to remember how fortunate we are to have had that covering and that presence of devout believers in our own lives. And perhaps we need to stand in the gap for all we perceive to be Enemies of Christ before we get online and bitch and moan about them.
Tags: Best of Cerulean Sanctum, Church Issues, Dying to Self, Enemies, Godly Character, Grace, Hell, Heresy, Humility, Judgmentalism, Love, Maturity
Attack of the Wereblogger!
Posted by Dan Edelen in : Blogging, Writing Feedback : 8 comments
In the end, I blame it all on Jared Wilson of The Thinkings, Mysterium Tremendum, and Shizuka Blog fame (see, he even has three blogs—all the proof we need for what follows.)
You see, just last week I informed everyone here that I was cutting back on blogging because I had to get my novel finished in time for the American Christian Fiction Writers' convention in Nashville in about seven weeks. Plus, plus, plus, plus…well, you all read the post, right? So instead of doing that, I'm fussing with the Green Movement, lobbing a few favorite quotes at you readers (because I was forced to by another professional writer who is even now wringing his hands and muttering, "Excellent"), torching Harry Potter, blabbing about the Top 50 Churches in America, and ranting about necrotic kittens.
I have this theory. Follow me and see if it makes sense.
Jared is a fellow blogging stay-at-home novelist dad. While I freelance and he doesn't, we share other "separated at birth" characteristics, even if he is thirteen (a number that makes triskaidekaphobes cower and provides a hint at the evil to come) years younger than I am. I know for a fact he likes The 77s. Rare, but good taste nonetheless. I could go on….
After witnessing Jared's complete inability to stop blogging after he promised that he was going to cut back for the sake of his novel-in-progress—he must've posted seventeen hundred times on The Thinklings alone—
I began to suspect that he suffers from a heretofore unknown form of lycanthropy.
Jared Wilson is, I believe, a wereblogger.
With nine million blogs out there it was inevitable that something gruesome like this would arise from all that Blogger, WordPress, and Movable Type muck. (Honestly, what good can come from a company named Six Apart?) And no, this doesn't have anything to do with the moon, just the syzygy of blogging Christian stay-at-home-dads who are working on the great American novel. There seems to be a lot of us lately, almost worthy of a demographic study, certainly. But how many of us simply can't stop blogging? How many of us have to put our howls out on the Web for everyone to see lest our blood seethe and boil in our very veins? I ask you! How far will this madness go?
Jared released a JPEG of his novel markup the other day. He was also curiously absent from his three blogs long enough to cause me unease. Just where was he lurking? Now that he appears to be working on his book again, why is it that I have a massive case of writer's block? Why is the blank Word doc page mocking me? What will be the fate of my novel now that I am stricken with the cranial gloom that every novelist fears? Despite my creative affliction on this my cherished novel, why, like the living dead, do I still blog?
And what are these bite marks on my legs?
{Jared, you fiend! Bill found you out and you disposed of him before he could squeal. First Blo—face it, he's only alive in your dreams— and now this! The horror!}
{Hey, it doesn't get the novel finished but at least I'm having a bit o' fun writing, right?}
Tags: Blogging, Writing
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