Cletus Hull

Is Your Desire God's Dream? by Ken Barnes

9/30/2022

I met Ken Barnes through a school friend Michell Trish and her digital magazine Pure Joy Journal - Home which relates many stories of God’s grace and goodness in life~~~Clete

For this child I prayed,
and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.
(1 Samuel 1:27 ESV)

Hannah, the mother of Samuel, the Prophet of God, never gave up a desire for a child. Is your desire part of God’s plan for your life?

When my wife and I were first married, we wanted to have children. We prayed for six years with no answer. One day, without being prompted, an Elder in our church asked my wife if she wanted to have children. She replied she did. The Elders prayed over her, and she was pregnant within one to two months. When our daughter arrived, we sent out a birth announcement with 1 Samuel 1:27 inscribed. God had heard our prayers.

Hannah has a situation like ours, but much more complicated. Hannah was barren, but Elkanah, her husband, had another wife, Peninnah, who wasn’t, who often taunted Hannah (1 Samuel 1:6-7). Her husband was somewhat clueless about her feelings and egotistical (1 Samuel 1:8). She also had a spiritual leader, Eli, far from the ideal, judged her falsely (1 Samuel 9-14). Hannah may have had every reason to believe that God had forsaken her.

What was Hannah’s response to the circumstances? First, she wept. That’s right, she cried. As Christians, we often try to live in a spiritualized fantasy land and believe we should not experience grief or sorrow. Yet, Hannah did something critical with her weeping; she prayed. With her sadness, she never forgot that God was still good. In many cases, when we weep, we stop praying. If we stop praying, our weeping will never cease.

Hannah continued to pray, but it was also how she prayed. He told the Lord that if he gave her a son, it would be the Lord’s, not hers. 1 Samuel 2:21 tells us that “she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.” whatever you hold onto, you lose; what you give to the Lord, you keep. You can never out give God.

Hannah’s desire was part of God’s plan for Samuel to become the great Prophet of all Israel. Samuel means “God has heard,” which he most certainly did for Hannah’s prayers. Don’t be surprised if your desire is God’s dream for you.

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Christ our greatest Need by Ken Barnes

8/3/2022

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But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33 NKJV).

If I am honest, I must admit that sometimes I want what I don't need, and what I need I do not want. Such is the state of human nature. We can identify with the Apostle Paul when he said, "O wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:24 NKJV)

This tendency can lead us away from seeking His kingdom first, even when the things we pursue are legitimate or good.

Most of us are needy people. We want to have our needs met, and there is nothing innately wrong with this. But it does not start with us but Him (Christ). In congregations today, many are clamoring for the pastor to meet their needs. Alistair Begg, the Pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, has said that "preachers are besieged today to begin their sermons with man and his need rather than God and His glory." It is not so much that one is good and the other bad. It is the order of importance we place on these that can lead us astray.

Begg further commented, "preaching today has become more concerned with wholeness, not holiness. We have, in many ways, developed a self-centered theology.

The critical point is where we start in our discussion about God's glory and man's wholeness. If we begin with man's needs, we allow our circumstances or the culture to determine our theology and our corresponding preaching rather than the Bible.

Those of us who preach, teach, or write are not called first and foremost to meet people's wishes but to give, as much as possible, a clear exposition of the full counsel of God, the Bible. And the critical element that enables us to focus on God and not man is our motivation for doing what we do.

Remember, Jesus was never motivated totally by need but by the will of the Father. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). When the crowds were waiting for a great revival meeting, Jesus was off to a new location. When the multitudes were clamoring for his presence, he slipped to a quiet place to commune with His Father.

Was he insensitive to the requests of His seekers? No! He understood that only if he kept his focus on what Jesus saw His Father doing would He ultimately meet the cries of His followers. But not in the manner or timeframe anticipated by the people and not by placating needs that were only wants in disguise

How could Jesus pull this off? He could do it because He was not dependent on the applause of people. Many years ago, James S. Stewart, the Scottish Presbyterian minister, said, "The disease of contemporary preaching is its search for popularity."

Jesus taught His disciples to seek to serve instead of being served and look past their desires to see a needy world. Yes, God does want to meet our legitimate needs but, in His time, and way.

A.W. Tozer put it in perspective when he said, "Faith looks out instead of in---and the whole of life falls into line." If we seek God first and His Kingdom needs, He will meet all our earthly needs but not vice versa.

Ken Barnes is the author of “Broken Vessels” published in February 2021 and “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”, published by YWAM Publishing in 2011.

Ken’s Website-- https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- contact@kenbarnes.us

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Out of the Coalfields of Western PA by Ken Barnes

7/19/2022

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Through my 35 years of pastoral ministry with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in western PA I have met several of the people named in Ken’s blog. I also served as a campus minister at California University of PA from 1989-1996. People like Clarence Johnson and John Haniford from the First Christian Church in Brownsville PA helped me in the ministry. I am sharing Ken’s blog as a story of the faithfulness of the Lord throughout our lives~~~Clete

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7 NIV)

I grew up in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and attended the First Christian Church in this small coal-mining town. I am writing this piece out of gratefulness to the people of this church for my spiritual roots. I will mention some people who most people reading this will not remember, but I remember them because they were an early part of my Christian education.

I was born in western Tennessee in 1946 and moved to Brownsville as a baby. Though my mom did not attend the church much, she made sure I was in Sunday School in the church on Second Street. I had all the perfect attendance pins down one lapel and the other of my little suitcoat. Kids wore suits to Sunday School in those days.

My junior high school Sunday school teacher was a man named Clarence Johnson, a Fuller Brush salesman. He was a fire and brimstone type of guy. One time he spoke at a Sunday morning service, and I thought for sure that he would scorch the paint off the walls. We should have had more people like him in those days.

In my high school days, my Sunday school teacher was Sarah McCloy, my elementary school teacher and Principal at Prospect Street Elementary School, where I attended. She was an old-school, teacher—she didn’t teach to live; she lived to teach. She was a strict disciplinarian—if you didn’t fear God when you went into her office, at least you would have the fear of man (or woman) when you came out. Mrs. McCloy believed that if you spared the rod, you spoiled the child. Mrs. McCloy never spared too many rods.

Several students and I got caught throwing snowballs on the school playground on a snowy day. She lined us to take us in to discipline us; momentarily, she turned away, and I snuck out of the line. I never got caught and never made it right with her at church. Maybe, this admission will have to do.

The two pastors I remember most were John Haniford and Dr. Wayne Tolson. Rev. Haniford was my Pastor during my high school years and Dr. Tolson during my college years and afterward. Dr. Tolson was an outstanding preacher. Another prominent person in my spiritual life was an Elder, Melvin Dearth. Melvin saw something in me that I was not ready to see.

Mr. Dearth was the Elder in charge of picking the speaker for Laymen’s Sunday. One year Melvin asked me to speak, and he saw that I could put some syllables into words and words into paragraphs in a talk to the Church. From that Sunday, Melvin was intent on getting me to go to Bible College and Seminary, of which I had two interests, little and none. At first, I liked the recognition I got for being in the pulpit on those Sundays, but things started to change toward the end of my high school years and during college. I realized a huge gap between what I was saying in the pulpit and how I lived. I knew when the Lyman’s Sunday was coming up, and I avoided Melvin like the plague. If he came in the front door of the Church, I would go out the back. If he sat on the right side of the Church, I sat on the left. Eventually, he would corner me, and I would grudgingly agree to speak. One year I said "no!" I decided that if I was not going to walk the walk, then I was not going to talk the talk. There was a lot of right and wrong in that decision.

In understanding my story, you must consider the church culture of the day. In the 1950s and 60s, my friends from all strata of life went to church on Sunday, yet it did not affect how we acted the rest of the week. I looked pretty good on Sunday morning and was adept and hiding some glaring weaknesses that would arise during the week. It was a dual lifestyle. I was not appreciably different from any of my non-Christian friends. One of my friends had on his magazine table his denominational magazine covering his Playboy Magazine. I thought it was funny. Songwriter Barry McGuire summed up the hypocrisy of the day in his song The Eve of Destruction. He wrote, “you hate your next-door neighbor but don’t forget to say grace.”

Life went on, and I graduated from California State College, now PennWest California, and got a teaching job in Belle Vernon, PA. I married a gal from the Methodist Church down the street from my Church, Sharon Gilmore. I guess I won the theological argument as she started attending my church and joined the church later. Life on the surface was going pretty well for me, but there was unrest in my soul. I dabbled in psychological answers, some pretty weird, but nothing seemed to satisfy. When I prayed, I would often see a half-moon, but never knew why.

One Sunday, I talked with Doug Tunney, we had grown up together in our church. He was attending Cal State and part of a Christian group on campus. They were planning a campus-wide meeting and had invited a speaker from Switzerland, and he asked me to come. I thought that he must have something to say if he had come from Europe. So, I decided to go.

The speaker for that meeting was Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth With A Mission, which I would later join. I don’t remember much of what Loren said that night, but he spoke some words I will never forget. In the end, he said, “God does not want half of you or three-quarters of you, He wants of you.” Intuitively I started to understand what the half-moon meant. God wanted all of me. I was living a life of one foot in the church and one foot in the world, and it didn’t work. I felt this urge to go forward when Loren gave the invitation, but there was a problem. At the bottom of the bleacher where I was, sat an Elder from my church. It was Earl Tunney, Doug’s father. I thought that if I went forward, he would think I had been a hypocrite, who I was; I did not want Earl to know it. Pride is always the great hindrance to salvation. I took a deep breath, and as I walked past Earl, I looked in the other direction. I told the Lord that night that he wasn’t getting much, but what I had, He could have all of it.

I went home that night and told my wife what had happened, and she looked at me like I was a little weird. I knew something had happened. Several months later, my wife went forward at an evangelistic meeting at the Baptist Church, and she became strange also. Was I a Christian before that night at Hamer Hall? The honest answer to that question is, I do not know? At about twelve or thirteen, I had made a profession of faith at my church. Maybe I just had fire insurance; I don’t know. I know that from that night at my college gymnasium, I would never again be the same. When you get honest with God, He gets honest with you.

I started to attend the Bible study on campus, and I noticed they had something I did not have, a relationship with Christ, not just religion. I will be eternally grateful to Doug Tunney, who, through a simple invitation and the nurture that Bible study gave me, changed my life’s whole trajectory. Incidentally, Doug is the leader of Youth With A Mission in Philadelphia, PA.

I started to get involved with my church with a newfound zeal. Although, some who previously had wanted me to speak in church were not so sure anymore. They may have thought that I had caught some kind of fever. Not so with Melvin Dearth; I think he was happy I was finally using my gifts and calling. He possibly was tempted to tell me; I told you so.

I went on to serve God as best I could. I spent seventeen years as a missionary with YWAM, recruiting and training young adults for short-term missionary trips. I traveled in South America to Paraguay, Chile, and Argentina with missionary teams. I have worked in Spain and Ukraine in Europe. I have published two books about my missionary experience, and I am working on a third, a devotional. I have been a leader and base director and am now on the Board of Directors for Youth With A Mission in Richmond, VA. I have done a few things for God, but my greatest claim to fame is that I am a child of God. You can’t have a title better than a child of the King.

In closing, I have two regrets. First, I regret that it took me so long to thank the people who helped me along on my spiritual journey—some of whom can no longer read this. Thank you to the pastors and Sunday school teachers at the First Christian Church who taught me the Word of God and where I first heard the name of Jesus. Thank you, Melvin Dearth, for what you saw in me and Doug Tunney for being an example to me. Others have followed in other churches and YWAM, but that is for another time.

Second, I regret that it took me twenty-five to thirty years to let go of my life and put it in the hands of God. Living on the fence between God and the world is neither fun nor productive for you nor God. The Book of Revelation tells us that God hates lukewarm Christians. Young people reading this in any church, go big or go home. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” (Ecc 12:1 NIV). Don’t miss so many productive years as I did—God has always used young people for His glory. As the South African missionary C.T. Studd once said, “only one life t'will some be passed, only what is done for Christ will last.”

Ken Barnes is the author of “Broken Vessels” published in February 2021 and “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”, published by YWAM Publishing in 2011.

Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- contact@kenbarnes.us

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Ukraine's Cause for Just War

3/9/2022

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For two weeks in March 1991, I visited Russia with Penn State University students. We traveled to three cities…St. Petersburg, Moscow, and the ancient capital of Novogrod. I found the people of Russia both friendly and intelligent. This period of history was the era when Mikhail Gorbachev promoted the novel idea of perestroika (openness). The ancient Russian empire opened itself to the freedoms that the democratic world embraced, and the people enjoyed the fruits of independence.

Now, we are in 2022, with Vladimir Putin attacking a free and sovereign nation. Ukraine benefited from the perestroika reformation, and I find my thoughts in sympathy with the Ukrainian people. War is a last resort and must be resisted at all costs. However, this conflict feels different. Ukraine did not openly provoke Russia with war. Putin took it upon himself to carve a destructive path across Ukraine, targeting civilians and besieging their land. As my mind muses over this conflict while watching the horrific news reports on television, I believe if any country is justified in fighting an invasion, it would be Ukraine.

St. Augustine of Hippo, a great political and biblical thinker is remembered for his thoughts on just war (jus ad bellum). Though he did not originally coin the term just war, he certainly wrote about the topic. He recognized in his classic work, The City of God, the depravity and sinfulness that humans can inflict upon each other. Additionally, he acknowledged both an earthly city (tampered by sin) and a heavenly city (created for God’s purposes). He accepted the concept from Romans 13 that we must obey the authorities placed by God on earth and that government was meant to keep society from destroying itself. In short, his primary thought on the topic of just war concerned controlling sin and that the established order wielded the sword. Even modern theologians such as Paul Ramsey and Reinhold Niebuhr (Christ over culture) argued for jus ad bellum—the right to enter war.

With Putin blocking social media in his country and civilians in Ukraine unjustly attacked, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s cry to defend his country remains appropriate. On March 5, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine at the Poland border for a press conference. The two officials crossed the line from Poland into Ukraine and Kuleba proclaimed, “Ukraine will win this because this is the peoples’ war for their land, and we defend the right cause.” As the Ukrainian’s fight to protect their land, families, and country, Ukraine’s just war is unfortunate, but a necessary means for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are praying for a peaceful resolution.

May all Christians in both the East and West, follow the words of
St. John Chrysostom, thoughts on Ephesians 4:26-27...

"We are commanded to have only one enemy, the devil. With him never be reconciled! But with a brother, never be at enmity in thy heart."

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I learned in youth ministry... God is Still in Control!

6/15/2018

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I want to tell you about a youth ministry story in which I learned about the faithfulness of God. Over thirty years ago, two other churches, Fairhill Manor and Taylorstown Christian Churches joined our church, First Christian Church, Marianna in planning an overnight trip to Cedar Point Park in Ohio. We met at the Fairhill Manor parking lot in Washington, PA. About fifty (youth and adults) were driving on this four hour trip to the amusement park. We had ten cars to keep together. As we began driving north on Interstate 79 in Pennsylvania, and as you know, some folks drive faster than others (you know like, 70 mph and others 55 mph!) Eventually, we all became separated from each other. By the time we arrived at the Ohio state line toll booth, some of the faster cars drove on without us. I didn’t even know where Cedar Point was. We were just following the cars and now we are lost! I searched for several hours. We couldn’t find anyone. No one had cell phones. The only means of communication we had was a CB (that was like having the internet today). Still, we couldn’t find the people who knew how to drive to the amusement park. Eventually, I stopped at a church to call back to Washington, PA to find someone who may know their whereabouts. I couldn’t get in touch with anyone. No one answered at the church. The three kids who were in my car, went into the church sanctuary to look around and pray. As I gathered everyone to leave, we drove out of the church parking lot. This church had one of those big marquees by the road. I can’t remember the name of the church but it had a well-known phrase on the sign. The phrase said,

“GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!”

The young man, who was sitting in the back seat of my car said, “Hey, pastor, do you see that sign?” I was frustrated at the time and really didn’t want to read it. He chirped out,

“We'll he better be, because you’re sure not!” They laughed!!

We finally did find everyone but it was a moment I will never forget. I am glad a young person could teach me about the faithfulness of God. It’s a thought that has helped me for 30 years, ever since I’ve been in the church ministry.

God better be, because I'm sure not!

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The Healing Power of Symbols as a Christian Chaplain in a Psychiatric Hospital

5/15/2018

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For thirty-three years I have served as a chaplain at two Pennsylvania state psychiatric hospitals. I recall the first moment that I arrived on the hospital campus, just one day after my ordination in the Christian ministry in 1989, and since that time, it has been a joy to serve in this specialized vocation. The unique challenges and benefits of this work have created many rewarding moments. I would like to discuss one area of ministry that has grown in my chaplaincy. The power of symbols pertains specifically to the importance of the study of theology in the church and the academy.

THE POWER OF SYMBOLS

I discovered that we may call symbols—sacraments, ordinances, or a point of contact. Your faith tradition may have a different name; nevertheless, spiritual symbols are a concrete means to reach and touch the Transcendent God.

For many years I have been a member of The Pennsylvania Society of Chaplains. This group provides various continuing education seminars. At one meeting, a professor from a reformed Christian perspective addressed the need for God to be God and for us chaplains to not execute God's plan. He reminded us, "We don't heal, God heals. We do not need to make things happen, God makes them happen."

Then, he suggested this thought, which I wrote down:

"If you want to make every hospital visit a success, you need to bring these five symbols with you into the room—healing oil, holy communion, the Bible, laying on of hands and prayer. Ask the patient if they would receive these symbols of God's presence and watch the Lord work."

I was advised that by utilizing these five scriptural symbols, people would sense that they had received ministry; therefore, I would not need to worry about my inelegant comments. The power that these symbols represent would accomplish what was needed. Reading an open Bible, anointing with oil or grasping one's hand in prayer surpasses anything I could achieve with my initiative. "We cannot do it. Let God bear the load of ministry!" the professor would reiterate. Ministry is about the God who acts in human beings. For many in our profession, it takes deep courage to say, "I can't do this myself." The symbols unveil concrete expressions of the Lord that people touch and hold with their faith. These Bible-honored symbols are points of contact connecting us with God.

I recall one chaplain's spiritual support group that he modestly named, The Psalms. His sole intention was to recite the lament psalms with whoever attended. The group never lacked an audience. In fact, patients could not wait to arrive. Additionally, they read aloud certain passages of the Bible that affected our spiritual lives—such as Psalm 23, the Lord's Prayer, etc. When we announced over the loud speaker that a service with Holy Communion was being offered, more people came to these occasions than the regular worship services. Numerous patients desired to be anointed with oil as well. Certainly, we have experienced this divine power whether we consciously know it or not. Symbols of faith employ the five senses to associate with spiritual convictions and draw us closer to the original faith that touched our soul. That is the power of symbols!

The power of forgiveness, prayer, and symbols operate tremendously in the hard places of ministry. Because of their divine origin, I believe they demonstrate and release God's healing power. As a chaplain or a lay minister in the Christian faith, we minister the life of Christ, who brought wholeness to a fragmented world. This area of ministry—symbols—represents that God is the ultimate Healer, while we humbly share as the conduits of God's wholeness in humanity. Without a doubt, chaplaincy is a front row seat and a privileged place where we watch God work as we stand back and give him the glory!

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HONEST DOUBTS CAN TURN INTO FAITH LEARN TO LOVE THE QUESTIONS!

5/23/2017

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“Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart,
and try to love the questions themselves.”
Rainer Maria Rilke (poet)

Questions? Whys? Why does this happen to me? We do not always know the answers to our ‘whys.” Many sages and philosophers throughout history have found their greatest source of strength in…the questions.

In the Scriptures, after the Resurrection of Jesus, we read about Thomas, who unfortunately has been nicknamed--Doubting Thomas. The Bible says, in John 20:24-25:

Thomas one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So, the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Thomas missed the first meeting with Jesus and the disciples, so he needed evidence for believing that Jesus rose from the dead. In other words, just like us, he had questions. Like many of the characters in the Bible, he was a portrait of us all!

Some folks believe that questioning is a lack of faith, but that is not so. Unknowingly, some who tell others to ‘not doubt or question’ probably acquired their strongest beliefs and values through their questions. Questioning is a life-long process and it’s only through the questions that we will discover satisfaction in life.

Although the concept of questioning appears frustrating at times, the process teaches us that these very thoughts may be the source of motivation to find the answers.

Returning to the Scriptures, Jesus appeared to Thomas when he was with the disciples again. The Lord gave him evidence for his faith when he said, “Put your finger here Thomas; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28, NIV).

Church tradition tells us that Thomas eventually traveled to India to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, there is a famed church in India named after Thomas, which many believe the disciple came to share God’s love for all people.

That doesn’t sound like a doubter to me, but a real believer. This all came by way of honest doubts, which God can turn into real faith!

Therefore, learn to love the questions!

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Holy Communion at Trinity Church

8/9/2016

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For us at Trinity, Holy Communion is a precious moment. For many, it remains the high point of the cross in worship. We are one of the few Protestant churches that serve communion every week. I know our sacramental friends call it the Eucharist which comes from a Greek work that means "thanksgiving," thus, the Great Thanksgiving. It is a vertical relationship with us and the Lord. A horizontal connection with brothers and sisters in Jesus. Place both vertical and horizontal together and you have the cross. Our praise to God for His sacrifice upon the cross.

In our denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we call it the Holy Communion--communing with one another and with the Lord. On many occasions I had shared with folks at Trinity that I only have one sermon, and it is about a cross (I Cor. 1:18).

I believe the Holy Communion has through faith, great power for our soul and body. It is indicated in I Corinthians 11 that some of the Corinthians were taking the cup and the bread unworthily. They were just eating/drinking and missing what it was all about. Their sicknesses were not being healed. Some died before their time. They were not grasping the meaning of His Body and their relationship with one another. There was division in the church. Fussing and quarreling among the church members. It was as if they were cut off from the forgiveness and healing the Lord could give in Holy Communion.

So we receive Holy Communion believing in the Lord's presence to heal and forgive. We love to take the Holy Communion. We love to take it often for many reasons, not the least of which it is a sacrament, a point of contact, to release our faith to God and love the brethren--to heal and forgive. Communion is the Lord's Table--He set the table. His grace! We do not need a list of items to check off to receive His grace. He welcomes all who desire to come to know Him deeply and share in His life.

That's what I believe the Holy Communion means to us at Trinity. We can experience healing and forgiveness every time we share. It is the cross and the Blood of Jesus cleansing us from all sin (I John 1:9). That is the meaning and reality of the words,

"This is my Body and Blood I give to you"

In Christ alone,

Pastor Cletus

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In Search of Certainty

4/20/2016

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IN SEARCH OF CERTAINTY

Humans have always had a curiosity to discover the unknown. For this reason, the rise of the enlightenment offered the historical-critical method of interpreting scripture. The age of reason promoted by Kant and Descartes crept into the hermeneutics of biblical study. Descartes promoted that “doubt, not faith, was to be the path to knowledge…every claim to truth was to go through critical analysis.”[1] This belief led to an obsession with nihilism and questioned whether certainty could be discovered. Regrettably, with the rise of liberal theology, the search for the historical Jesus created a divide between the authentic Jesus and the Jesus of faith.

            A prime example of enlightenment and the historical-critical practice was the advancement of Rudolph Bultmann’s writings. He detailed in his book Kerygma and Myth that “the New Testament is essentially mythical in character.”[2] Because the enlightenment did not accept the supernatural breakthrough of God, Bultmann “demythologized” the Bible. Larry Helyer wrote, “the intent of demythologizing is to recover the kerygma’s existential message.”[3] Thus, Bultmann proposed that basic Christian doctrines such as the virgin birth, miracles and resurrection were part of the pre-scientific worldview. At best, such ideas were fanciful to the contemporary mind. Bultmann continued,

            Now that the focus and laws of nature have been discovered, we can no longer believe in spirits, whether good or evil. The miracles of the New Testament have ceased to be miraculous.[4] He found it difficult to obtain a satisfactory solution to our postmodern theological questions. As a child of the historical-critical school, he challenged the authority of the Bible as the Word of God in the existential world. Helyer commented, “one unintended consequence of the Bultmannian agenda was the ‘death of God’ fad during the 1960s made popular by such figures as Bishop A.T. Robinson, Paul Altizer and Paul Van Buren.”[5] His publications influenced many contemporary theologians to not accept Christianity as a historical faith.

            Liberal scholars contend that Paul was “an innovator in his Christology.”[6] However, evangelical scholarship has confronted these deadly opinions. Commentators in the vein of Anthony Thieselton have clearly examined the unity of the scriptures. In The Living Paul, Thieselton noticed numerous similarities with Jesus the man and Paul’s teachings on the key topics of grace, love, and women.[7] The growth of evangelical scholarship has revealed the faulty presuppositions of enlightenment thinking. Helyer asserted that not only did “an evangelical approach presuppose the inspiration and authority of Scripture,”[8] but also it was an indispensable premise for Christian belief.

            Evangelical biblical theology approached scripture as a consistent unity in its diversity. The Bible communicated God’s purpose in history and life through people. The unity of scripture was discerned in one Person, Jesus Christ who stood at the center of God’s redemptive history. Helyer disputed the “contention that Paul never actually affirmed that the exalted Lord Jesus personally preexisted and had an active role in creation is simply unconvincing.”[9] Others believed that Paul created a divine Christ from the simple man who taught high ideals. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth when Jesus explicitly proclaimed that he and his Father were one. For “in Paul’s mind Christ was equated with the wisdom of God and the Word of God.”[10] Thus, “biblical theology is the culmination of an intensive, systematic study of the Christian canon, Holy Scripture. It summarizes the message of the Bible and articulates it leading themes and ideas in a coherent, organized manner.”[11] The suspicion inherent with the historical-critical method must be critiqued by the overarching theme of God’s kingdom authority in scripture.

            As a pastor-scholar, I recognize that sermons and doctrine stand under the authority and influence of scripture. Biblical theology “is the lifeblood of the church. There is unquestionably a correlation between the pastor’s grasp of biblical theology and the spiritual vitality of the parishioners.”[12] My passion remains to vibrantly guide the church and academy to embrace a historical faith that changes lives for Christ. Indeed, a thinking faith led by the Spirit can produce sanctified people. John Webster affirms that “Christian theology of holiness is an exercise of holy reason.”[13] There is no greater joy for a pastor than to mentor a congregation in this vital direction of faith. I remain, therefore, a pastor-scholar in search of the certainty found in Holy Scripture and Jesus, the Messiah.


                [1], Lesslie. Newbigin. Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt & Certainty in Christian Discipleship. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 21.

                [2]Rudolph Bultmann. ed. H. W. Bartsch, trans. R. H. Fuller, Kerygma and Myth: A Theological Debate. (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), 1.

                [3]Larry R. Helyer. The Witness of Jesus, Paul and John: An Exploration in Biblical Theology. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 64.

                [4]Bultmann. 5.

                [5]Helyer. 67.

                [6]James D. G. Dunn. (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to St. Paul. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 197.

                [7]Anthony C. Thiselton. The Living Paul. An Introduction to the Apostle’s Life and Thought. (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009), 4-9.

                [8]Helyer. 79.

                [9]Helyer. 303.

                [10]Thiselton. 48.

                [11]Helyer. 19.

                [12]Helyer. 43.

                [13]John Webster. Holiness. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), 10.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bultmann, Rudolph. Kerygma and Myth: A Theological Debate, ed. H. W. Bartsch, trans. R. H. Fuller, New York: Harper & Row, 1961.

Dunn, James D. G. (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to St. Paul. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Helyer, Larry R. The Witness of Jesus, Paul and John: An Exploration in Biblical Theology. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.

Newbigin, Lesslie. Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt & Certainty in Christian Discipleship. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Thiselton, Anthony C. The Living Paul. An Introduction to the Apostle’s Life and Thought. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009.

Webster, John. Holiness. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.

2 Comments

Evangelism by playing Football

2/25/2016

3 Comments

Evangelism for me, requires reaching into the other person’s world. The apostle Paul penned,

“When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23, NLT).

My initial efforts in the ministry began with the youth. I was a pastor of a small church. My resources limited my dreams. How could I do what bigger churches accomplished? So, I started the youth ministry in Marianna PA from scratch-with no resources.

One day, I peered out the parsonage window and watched a group of young teenage boy playing football. I noticed that there was one fellow who bullied the others. He would push them over when they weren’t aware he was behind them. I walked outside to watch and they asked if I wanted to be involved. I thought, “No, I’m not going get beat up by a bunch of teenagers,” but then, I thought better. I know that I needed involvement in their life if they would ever consider anything I would say or do. They placed me on one of the teams. The other side kicked off. Low and behold, the pigskin rolled right to me. I picked up the ball and started running. Out of the blue, the only kid running full force at me was the bully. We collided into each other and he fell over while I stumbled into the make-shift end zone. Embarrassed, he got up and left. Almost immediately, all these boys became a part of the youth ministry at the church.

Through the years, the youth ministry developed in many ways. I was involved in church camp, music ministry, bible studies, retreats, and mission trips. It changed my life! I loved it! Although I had no idea what I was doing, I knew God could use the youth at the Marianna church. I believed I could connect with them and be their pastor. My experiences in youth ministry taught me to be dependent on God to reach, touch, and bless the lives of the young people I’ve met. Here is the principle I learned from that experience that I apply in all my ministry:

If I want people to be interested in what I say as a preacher,
I need to be involved and interested in what they say and do, FIRST!

Again, evangelism commences with my sincere concern and engagement with others lives, no matter, their issues or backgrounds. John 3:16,17 (The Message) says,

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

The GOOD NEWS of Jesus spreads first by embracing the lives of others. This is truly, what I believe the Incarnation of Jesus was all about. God with us!

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