Do we mute God? We'd never do that on purpose, but do we sometimes do it with the choices we make in life? Well, to understand this better let's look at the word immutable. God is immutable meaning he never changes.
Hebrews 13:8 says: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
God never changes his mind. He gives no private revelation contradicting his written word, the Bible. He won't direct you to do something that is clearly against what is said in the Bible. Yet often those making decisions wait for a private revelation from God, a particular circumstance, or a feeling that tells them what to do. They don't consider that Satan can open doors and orchestrate circumstances. We must check every decision out against what the Bible says in its clear commands, principles, precepts and patterns.
Here is another way that we mute God. We do it by adopting a problem solving method called "biblical" pragmatism. We find what the Bible has to say with regard to an issue and then we decide what will work in our culture. We decide whether or not what the Bible says is practical in our world. As if God gave us "temporary" truth. As if God were to write the Bible again he would have changed his mind for our generation. We are fools when we go down that road, be it in our words, in our thoughts, or in our actions.
God is immutable. We must apply his never changing wisdom to our every changing lives.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Another "Dewey" Thought for Christians
My previous post about Dewey's influence on public school being a place of training up children primarily to excel at social life is borne out in a June 2005 Barna survey report. According to that report, and I quote, "Christians say they do best at relationships, worst in Bible knowledge." Remember Dewey's quote? "I believe, therefore, that the true centre of correlation of the school subjects is not science, nor literature, nor history, nor geography, but the child's own social activities."
How can we expect Christian children to learn about who God is, what He has done, and what He calls us to, when 85% of Christians send their children out into Dewey's educational system to learn how to be social creatures as defined by society's ethics rather than God's? Is it any wonder that the church has reached the point where Christians have learned how to best get along with the unbelievers, how to fit into their system of beliefs, are essentially illiterate when it comes to Bible knowledge and deficient of Christian character?
Am I too harsh? Why are Christian divorce rates and family breakups equal or higher than that of the unbelievers? God clearly says that when we are disobedient to his commands and teachings we will be judged and placed under a curse. Looks to me like many Christian families are under that curse.
We must submit to God's clear teaching on the topic of raising up a godly generation by faithfully training them up according to God's methodology and his teaching, NOT man's.
How can we expect Christian children to learn about who God is, what He has done, and what He calls us to, when 85% of Christians send their children out into Dewey's educational system to learn how to be social creatures as defined by society's ethics rather than God's? Is it any wonder that the church has reached the point where Christians have learned how to best get along with the unbelievers, how to fit into their system of beliefs, are essentially illiterate when it comes to Bible knowledge and deficient of Christian character?
Am I too harsh? Why are Christian divorce rates and family breakups equal or higher than that of the unbelievers? God clearly says that when we are disobedient to his commands and teachings we will be judged and placed under a curse. Looks to me like many Christian families are under that curse.
We must submit to God's clear teaching on the topic of raising up a godly generation by faithfully training them up according to God's methodology and his teaching, NOT man's.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
John Dewey on Education
Some think of John Dewey as one of the fathers of our educational system in America. He certainly was one of the more influential men in defining what our public school system would be. He seemed most concerned that children first and foremost become socialized in a manner to be defined by society and its needs. I recently read an article that he wrote in 1897 in the School Journal. Here are some quotes from that article:
"The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the influences which shall affect the child ...."
"I believe, therefore, that the true centre of correlation of the school subjects is not science, nor literature, nor history, nor geography, but the child's own social activities."
"I believe once more that history is of educative value in so far as it presents phases of social life and growth. It must be controlled by reference to social life."
"I believe that education is a regulation of the process of coming to share in the social consciousness ...."
[Speaking of education] "It is socialistic because it recognizes that this right character is not to be formed by merely individual precept, example, or exhortation, but rather by the influence of a certain form of institutional or community life upon the individual, and that the social organism through the school, as its organ, may determine ethical results."
"I believe that every teacher should realize the dignity of his calling; that he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of proper social order and the securing of the right social growth."
Interesting isn't it? The highest goal is the socialization of the children in a way to be defined by society. Very humanistic, wouldn't you say? What does the Bible say about education of children? Is it to be done by the parents under God? Is it to teach who God is, what God has done, and what God calls us to? Is it to call our children to salvation of their souls and to train them up with biblical character? Is it for God's purposes or for man's?
I find it interesting that when parents are obedient to God and train up their children, there is one question everyone always asks them. "But how will your children learn to socialize?" I wonder where they learned that question from. I asked some young parents what they hoped for their children as they were growing up. The parents said "that our children will be properly socialized and learn how to get along with everyone else."
You know, there is no command in the Bible for Christians that says "You shall socialize your children." What do people really mean when they ask that question about socialization anyway? That their children can get along with others who are different from them? One might respond "so putting your 12 year old in a room full of 12 year olds 7 hours a day 5 days a week is going to accomplish that?" Children that spend their time learning in the context of a family learn to deal with adults, older children and younger ones, along with all the people they run into day after day, not being cooped up in a room with only their peers.
God has a plan. Its a perfect plan. He communicated it to us in his word, the Bible. Will we explore it, learn it and apply it to our lives??
"The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the influences which shall affect the child ...."
"I believe, therefore, that the true centre of correlation of the school subjects is not science, nor literature, nor history, nor geography, but the child's own social activities."
"I believe once more that history is of educative value in so far as it presents phases of social life and growth. It must be controlled by reference to social life."
"I believe that education is a regulation of the process of coming to share in the social consciousness ...."
[Speaking of education] "It is socialistic because it recognizes that this right character is not to be formed by merely individual precept, example, or exhortation, but rather by the influence of a certain form of institutional or community life upon the individual, and that the social organism through the school, as its organ, may determine ethical results."
"I believe that every teacher should realize the dignity of his calling; that he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of proper social order and the securing of the right social growth."
Interesting isn't it? The highest goal is the socialization of the children in a way to be defined by society. Very humanistic, wouldn't you say? What does the Bible say about education of children? Is it to be done by the parents under God? Is it to teach who God is, what God has done, and what God calls us to? Is it to call our children to salvation of their souls and to train them up with biblical character? Is it for God's purposes or for man's?
I find it interesting that when parents are obedient to God and train up their children, there is one question everyone always asks them. "But how will your children learn to socialize?" I wonder where they learned that question from. I asked some young parents what they hoped for their children as they were growing up. The parents said "that our children will be properly socialized and learn how to get along with everyone else."
You know, there is no command in the Bible for Christians that says "You shall socialize your children." What do people really mean when they ask that question about socialization anyway? That their children can get along with others who are different from them? One might respond "so putting your 12 year old in a room full of 12 year olds 7 hours a day 5 days a week is going to accomplish that?" Children that spend their time learning in the context of a family learn to deal with adults, older children and younger ones, along with all the people they run into day after day, not being cooped up in a room with only their peers.
God has a plan. Its a perfect plan. He communicated it to us in his word, the Bible. Will we explore it, learn it and apply it to our lives??
Lovin Any Old Way
In Matthew 22:39 NIV Jesus says "Love your neighbor as yourself." It is often cited as Jesus calls it the second greatest commandment. It is taught as the standard for how we relate to one another. My question is this: What does that mean? What does it mean to love our neighbor as ourself?
We accept this quite readily when it is said but I'm afraid that most of us don't have a good understanding of what Jesus meant. Too often, because we have been influenced by the world, by humanism, we apply our own humanistic thinking to it. We understand it to say that we are to love others as we would want to be loved.
Let's see where that goes. Take this young man who goes to college. He moves into his co-ed dorm room right next to three outstandingly attractive young women. He thinks back to his Sunday school training and thinks "hmm, I'm supposed to love them as I'd like to be loved." As you might guess his mind quickly turns to what he'd like from them and so he proceeds to make inroads with each of them. Do you suppose this is what Jesus meant?
Of course not. God is so gracious to us, he knows our weaknesses and shortcomings and has made provision for us. He tells us how we are to love him and how we are to love others. He tells us through his commands, teachings, testimonies, principles, patterns and precepts throughout the Bible. We learn how we are to be loved and how we are to love one another. When we bring that understanding to his teaching "love your neighbor as yourself" we capture what he really called us to. Not a selfish love, but a sacrificial love.
Always be careful when interpreting what the Bible teaches to understand it in context. Its too easy for us to twist it to what we want it to say because we have been influenced by our humanistic culture and because of our sinful nature. Commit this day to learn and apply God's word to every area of your life.
We accept this quite readily when it is said but I'm afraid that most of us don't have a good understanding of what Jesus meant. Too often, because we have been influenced by the world, by humanism, we apply our own humanistic thinking to it. We understand it to say that we are to love others as we would want to be loved.
Let's see where that goes. Take this young man who goes to college. He moves into his co-ed dorm room right next to three outstandingly attractive young women. He thinks back to his Sunday school training and thinks "hmm, I'm supposed to love them as I'd like to be loved." As you might guess his mind quickly turns to what he'd like from them and so he proceeds to make inroads with each of them. Do you suppose this is what Jesus meant?
Of course not. God is so gracious to us, he knows our weaknesses and shortcomings and has made provision for us. He tells us how we are to love him and how we are to love others. He tells us through his commands, teachings, testimonies, principles, patterns and precepts throughout the Bible. We learn how we are to be loved and how we are to love one another. When we bring that understanding to his teaching "love your neighbor as yourself" we capture what he really called us to. Not a selfish love, but a sacrificial love.
Always be careful when interpreting what the Bible teaches to understand it in context. Its too easy for us to twist it to what we want it to say because we have been influenced by our humanistic culture and because of our sinful nature. Commit this day to learn and apply God's word to every area of your life.
A Chance to Talk Back!
Left on vacation and then didn't get back to my blog. But while I was gone I began to think how interesting it would be to modify this blog site to allow reader comments. Perhaps we can get some good discussion going.
So please feel free to post some of your thoughts or questions.
So please feel free to post some of your thoughts or questions.
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