Theistic Evolution - Is It An Unwise Christian Compromise?

Theistic evolution – as opposed to the Godless, atheistic variety – is an attempt to harmonize the Bible and evolutionary theory. It is a philosophy which says there is a God and He is the Creator – but He uses evolution as His tool or method. Theistic evolutionists think the Bible tells us WHO created, and evolution tells us HOW.

History does not record the name of the person who, when faced with the choice between atheistic evolution and divine creation, first asked: “Why does it have to be one or the other; why can’t it be both?” Since then men have tried to wed the Bible doctrine of divine Creation to the godless theory of evolution in an unholy alliance called “theistic evolution”. But the marriage is doomed to fail because too many irreconcilable differences exist between the two.

The two concepts are actually mutually exclusive, as we will see, and the attempt to reconcile Scripture with atheistic science is acceptable neither to Bible believers nor to mainline evolutionists. This unwise compromise offers no real safety and no satisfying answers as a middle ground, just as agnosticism offers no safe harbor to those adrift between belief and atheism. Unfortunately, such “harmonizing” efforts usually end with the wholesale acceptance of evolution and the relegation of the Genesis story to the realm of myth.

The great tragedy is that the Christian church, in large measure, has surrendered to the theory of evolution! Theistic evolution is accepted today by much of Christianity. The idea seems to be that the belief and teaching of evolution is permitted in the church provided that man’s moral and spiritual character is still recognized as a divine creation.

Some may find this alternate theory appealing because the average person hates to argue and take sides. And the theistic evolutionist, with a foot in both camps, does not have to argue with anyone. He can just smile and agree with both sides. But has he read the “fine print” so he is aware how much such harmony costs? Will he compromise the truth to avoid discussion?

Theistic evolution is a contradiction in terms, like “wise fool”. It has no scientific distinction and is vulnerable to all the objections (such as gaps in the fossil record, etc.) attaching to evolution in general.

But since theistic evolution attempts to bring God into the picture as an evolutionary agent, let’s focus on the theological implications of this theory, answering such questions as: Is it smart for a true Christian to open the door to evolutionary theory? We will find that just as scientific evidence won’t support the atheistic version of evolution, scriptural evidence won’t support the theistic version. The closer we look at this theory, the more clearly we see that it is a misguided misunderstanding of the character of God – the wise and loving Creator that the Bible reveals.

While proclaiming their belief in God, theistic evolutionists ignore or even attach His Word – the only objective standard by which we may know the truth He has revealed.

In His glorious sermon on the mount, Jesus taught that “the meek” - not the aggressive – “shall inherit the earth” (Mat. 5:5). A follower of Christ struck on one cheek by an aggressor will “turn to him the other also” (Mat. 5:39). But evolutionary doctrine is diametrically opposed to such noble teaching. An attempt at harmony with evolution’s idea of the “survival of the fittest” in “the struggle for existence” is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. There is a basic contradiction between Jesus’ golden rule to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and evolution’s survival-of-the-fittest idea that “might makes right”.

Have you considered that the Bible states that after Adam was created, there was found in all the animal kingdom no “help meet for him [that is, no companion or helper suited to his needs].”? This shows that Adam was not related to the animals and had nothing in common with them. That is why God specially formed Eve to be Adam’s wife.

Let us now consider the fall of man. The theme of the Bible is the fall of man into sin and his need of a Savior. But theistic evolution is totally unacceptable to all who believe in the fall of man because it does away with our need of Jesus Christ as Savior. The only “fall” allowed in evolution is a fall upward, for underlying evolutionary thought is the basic idea of progress. And if the assumption of progress is correct – if man began from lower forms of life and is on the upgrade, constantly climbing – he is not a FALLEN creature in need of a Savior but a DEVELOPING organism on the read to perfection. Instead of being condemned for his “fall” from grace, man should be congratulated on the progress he has made! Evolutionary theory and Bible truths postulate completely opposite trends.

Evolution sees man as a glorified beast, a creature who never fell but has always climbed higher and higher. Such an origin makes the death of Christ of no effect in man’s behalf. But Christ gave His life to save a fallen man, not a noble beast!

In conclusion, many who haven’t studied the subject feel they can believe in evolution and still believe all of the Bible except a small part at the beginning of Genesis. But God’s great act of creation is a subject not limited to one part of the Bible. Jesus said, “If you don’t believe his [Moses’] writings, how shall you believe My words?” (John 5:47). And Moses wrote Genesis.

A theistic evolutionist must actually fight a double battle – not only against the facts of science which are increasingly nullifying the theory of evolution – but also against texts of Scripture which reveal how God created the world.

Theistic evolution implies a very impersonal God – that God created a process which He allows to run its course mainly undisturbed. But God is not an absentee landlord as some suggest. In fact, the Bible states that it is His purpose to LIVE RIGHT WITHIN EACH OF HIS HUMAN CREATIONS IN A LIVING UNION OF SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY.

If we are willing to admit into our thinking the existence of a Creator God, why should we want to limit His power and explain away the plain statements of His Word?

As intelligent Christians, we must NEITHER ignore science NOR try to explain away Genesis and other parts of the Bible. Theistic evolution is a compromise theory forever opposed to the truths of the Bible.

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New Creation? Or New Age?

The popular message prevalent in our day is that everyone has god within, and we must learn to “connect” with this god.

The idea of the human race being spirit-indwelt and spirit-operated is not exclusively a biblical idea. It is a belief that is widespread in today’s world. The difference in the world view of that idea and the biblical view is that the world says that everyone contains god at their center and all one has to do to be complete is to recognize that fact.

The Bible says something very different. Yes, the Bible says we all have a spirit part within that is to be our master and operator, but – and it is a huge “but” (a “but” that divides the entire human race, those both living and dead, into two entirely different kingdoms) – there are two different possible indwelling spirit natures and everyone is operated by one or the other of the two. The unconverted are operated by the spirit nature of error, or Satan’s nature (1 John 4:6), and they are members of Satan’s kingdom, the kingdom of darkness. The converted (born-again) have a spirit nature indwelt by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, and they are members of His kingdom, the kingdom of light.

It is important that we make it very clear that the message stated “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27) is not true for the unconverted who have not accepted Him. We are all spirit people and every person is operated by an indwelling spirit nature.

But to tell people they are spirit operated and not make a clear distinction between the two spirit natures is very dangerous. To unconverted people, this statement puts them in danger of thinking that the god within them is the one true God. This lie gives them a false sense of security and thus they remain in their lost state of sin. The vital knowledge is that our operating nature changes when we accept Christ as our Savior and we become born-again – the spirit nature of error (from Satan) exits at our new birth and Christ enters, filling us with His spirit life.

I had an experience listening to my car radio that illustrates what I am saying here. The interviewer got into a conversation with someone which caught my attention. The gentleman he talked to spoke of being God-indwelt, and I echoed my agreement. The conversation continued along spirit lines in near perfect agreement with what I believed about myself. The gentleman said that by following the guidance of his God-led spirit within, he would live the kind of life that had a purpose. Right on, I thought! That’s what people need to hear!

Then the interviewer asked him the great dividing question: “Do you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord?” His answer threw me for a loop. “No,” he said. “Jesus Christ was never meant to be my lord!”

Whoa! I thought. They were on a track I didn’t know they were on. This man was a full-fledged “New Ager”. Much New Age thought sounds very similar to what I believe about the workings of salvation. But what puts us in two entirely different camps is that the New Agers don’t believe in Jesus Christ, the Cross, and the atonement. They believe that Christ, if He existed at all, was merely a good teacher.

As I listened further, I saw that we were not dealing with an idiot. He was an ex-professional who had done well in the world, had been reared a Roman Catholic but as an adult had embraced some rather strange beliefs. Before the conversation about Jesus Christ ended, he said he believed that Jesus Christ came from another planet. He went on to say that on the planet Jesus came from, they had learned how to live in harmony and love, and Jesus came to this planet to teach us to live that same way. This teaching that Christ brought from His planet was so strange and extreme that He was crucified for what He taught.

I wanted to reach across the airwaves and say, “Well, some things about Jesus that are different from any other “teacher” are, number one, He raised people from the dead, and number two, He Himself was resurrected.” Almost on cue with my thoughts, he said that Jesus raising Lazarus was a mistake because in doing so He almost drained the mother ship of all its energy. And even though he agreed that Jesus died, he said that Jesus revived Himself and was living on a mountain somewhere in the Himalayas. He continued that he had talked to people who lived on this mountain in the Himalayas, too, who had talked to Jesus Christ.

What a shocking conversation. The idea that an intelligent, educated person in the twenty-first century could take the Savior and His atonement and turn Him into a space-age, New Age alien character made me angry and sad at the same time.

The message the world must come to understand is NOT that we all have “God” inside us and by connecting with this spirit nature within us, we will automatically become “good people”. The most convincing way to lead people astray is by a half-truth! The truth of the Bible is that humans are composed of spirit, soul and body (1 Thes. 5;23). I like to say that I AM a spirit, I HAVE a soul, and I LIVE in a body. We are constructed by God to be directed by our spirit. Our soul is our mind’s intellect, emotions and will. The soul is the decision maker for the actions of the body after the soul received whatever input it desires.

What the New Agers fail to recognize is that this “god spirit” they are attempting to communicate with is the spirit nature of Satan with which every person is humanly born. It is the spirit of self-centeredness which leads to sin. “You are of your father the devil and the lusts of your father you do” (John 8:44).

The purpose of life on this earth is to discover this sinfulness, to recognize that we can’t work out a relationship with the true God on our own, that we need a Savior. And then we discover that one has been provided for us in the Person of Jesus Christ. As we believe on Him, the sin spirit nature that we entered this earth with goes out by His death. The Spirit nature of God joins to our human spirit and Christ comes to live within us by a awesome, wonderful miracle of exchange of natures – Satan nature out, God nature in!

The New Ager’s half-truth of contacting and following the direction of our spirit inside only applies when that spirit nature is TRUE GOD-NATURE. Without understanding the truth of Jesus Christ and the importance, in fact the necessity, of belief in His life, death and resurrection, any direction inward by a New Ager is just a form of self-centeredness, self-importance, and self-delusion.

The choice will become clear:
Is it to be New Age spirit direction within?
Or is it truly a New Creation rebirth in union with Jesus Christ?

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Righteousness - What is it? Who has it?

“Righteousness” is an old English word used in the King James Bible. Some look at the word and think that it just means: the quality of being right. But let’s look at the word’s original root in both the Hebrew and the Greek.

The Hebrew word is tsadaq – “to be MADE just in a moral sense.”
The Greek word is dikaios – “to be MADE innocent, holy.”
(From Strong’s Concordance)

The key words there are “to be made”. You have to be made righteous. You cannot make yourself righteous. Self-righteousness is an impossibility – although we certainly attempt it many times.

Also there is just no making ourselves “innocent and holy”. There is no power within the human soul for having innocence and holiness. These are qualities that only God can have.

The world uses terms such as “integrity” of character. When you hear the word integrity, what do you think of? Do you think of honesty? sincerity? completeness? soundness? whole and undivided? Probably all of these can be used to help define integrity. But integrity is NOT righteousness. I think of integrity as: BEING EXTERNALLY WHAT I ClAIM TO BE INTERNALLY! And I do claim to have righteousness internally – not my own, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ living in me. That is, integrity involves living a life that is free from hypocrisy, a life where one walks what they talk! When we lack integrity, we hurt not only ourselves in our daily actions, but also the name of Christianity.

But you say, “Sure, I TRY to have integrity, but I make mistakes – I’m only human!” How many times have you heard humans say, “I’m only human!”? Let me state that NO ONE who has ever lived is “only human”!

Every human being is a combination of spirit, soul and body. The soul and body are the HUMAN part. But the human spirit comes from another realm – the spirit world. A Christian who has believed in and accepted Christ as Savior and Lord has Christ living right within his human spirit. An unbeliever unknowingly allows Satan’s nature to control his human spirit – “You are of your father, the devil, and his works you will do” (John 8:44). So no matter how you cut it, we are not just human.

Integrity for a Christian is nothing more than just living up to what you really are, how the Father sees you – having the righteousness of Christ within you. The Father sees you as just, as innocent, as holy – as RIGHTEOUS – no matter what you do. A Christian cannot make himself righteous, AND he cannot make himself unrighteous in the eyes of the Father. Because when the Father looks at us, He sees Christ in us doing a work.

What is the work of Christ? Twofold – one past and one present. In the past He shed His blood to pay our debt before a righteous God. By His sacrifice He ransomed us from the penalty of sin. And Christ’s righteousness was given to us by faith. It is through Christ and Christ alone that lost humanity has found hope. It is by Christ’s righteousness that a Christian stands justified and righteous before his Creator. Yes, Jesus came and fulfilled a glorious work of reconciliation and power. But that’s not the end of the story!

We read in Hebrews 7:25, “He [Christ] is able also to save them completely that come to God by Him, seeing that He forever lives to make intercession for them.” And in 1 John 2:1 we read, “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Yes, the work of Christ still goes on beyond the cross.

Accepting Christ’s righteousness by faith on a continuous basis (not just initially) is an area where many Christians have lacked integrity. Many while acknowledging the righteousness of Christ for their initial justification go on to try to establish their own righteousness before God. It’s almost as if we say, “Thanks Jesus for cleaning me up and erasing my past, but I think I can make it from here. See ya later if I need you again.” This happens when well-meaning Christians believe that they maintain their righteousness by obedience to the law, specifically the 10 Commandments, and cease to rest in the righteousness of Christ. When Christians fall into this trap they effectively cease to acknowledge and accept the ON-GOING work of Christ. They gladly acknowledge the “clean-up job” when initially saved but then go on to reject Christ’s continuous work within them of presenting us before God as righteous.

Falling into the trap of self-righteousness is easy for us. Deep within each of us is a conflict between the humanity of man (soul and body) and the spirituality of man (human spirit). The human part desires to exalt himself above his fellows through works. Just as it was gratifying for the Pharisees to compare themselves with others based on the law and consequently become prideful and arrogant, so it is with us.

The 10 Commandments become a focal point in this conflict. Many look to the 10 as a source of comfort and pride in trying to please God. But can the 10 live up to the billing? What does the Word say?

“By the deeds of the law, no one shall be justified in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested…even the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Romans 3:20-22, 28).

Let’s for the sake of argument consider the possibility, for a moment, that we do maintain our righteousness by obedience to the law. If we do so we will discover that first, obedience is a hard task master; second, we are popping in and out of salvation all the time; and third, there is no rest in Christ.

Obedience is a hard task master. To maintain our righteousness by obedience would require that we obey perfectly. “For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of ALL!” (James 2:10). Try as we might, 99.999999999% obedience to the law doesn’t cut it before God. God’s holy character demands 100%. And we’re not talking 100% obedience to the letter of the law, we’re talking 100% also to the spirit of the law which is total love of God and total love of neighbor. Wow!

So if we DO maintain our righteousness by obedience to the law, what would happen if we sin? We would become UNRIGHTEOUS before an all-righteous God – lost, condemned to death! Yes, obedience is a hard task master.

Of course, we could always repent and get saved again couldn’t we? So when we sin, we would repent. Sin, repent. Sin, repent. Sin, repent. Lost, saved. Lost, saved. Lost, saved. The Bible talks about a book called the Lamb’s Book of Life. Everyone who is saved is written in it. Under the above scenario our name would be erased, written in; erased, written in; erased, written in – some of us would really keep the Recorder Angel busy!

The end result of trying to establish our righteousness by obedience is bondage. Bondage to the law, bondage to sin, and bondage to failure. There is no REST in the righteousness of Christ when we seek to establish our own.

But if we Christians abiding in Christ don’t maintain our righteousness before God by obedience, then why should we obey? If this is true, couldn’t we say, “Let’s all go out and sin that grace may abound!”?

Paul answered the question in Romans 6:1 with a resounding, “God forbid!” Paul knew these type of questions would naturally spring forth and would need to be dealt with.

But in reference to salvation, it’s like asking, “Why do fish swim? Why do birds fly?” They swim and they fly because that’s what they’re made to do. You see, if you have received salvation you have been made to have the integrity on the outside which corresponds to the righteousness of Christ on the inside. A faith with works. A living faith. A saving faith just ultimately produces good works.

So why do we obey? For many reasons, but let me give you four.

First, we obey because we love Him, we don’t want to hurt the one who first loved us. Perhaps this reason has been overused and abused but nonetheless it’s still true.

Second, we obey because we made a commitment to Christ not only as Savior but LORD. We counted the cost and surrendered our will to His and said, “Lord, I give up all to embrace you.”

Third, we obey because we are brand new creatures, a new human species. We are born again. We are newly made true children of God. We go from the pig who loves to wallow in the mud to the Christ-person who loves to take a shower every day. We’ve been transformed to a different Person in our human spirit and are being transformed daily in our soul by the Spirit of God!

Fourth and finally, we obey because the Holy Spirit of God works within us for our perfection. The Holy Spirit is on a daily mission to develop a greater and greater awareness in our soul of Christ and HIS righteousness in us and for us. Some Christians will be transformed in their souls before their death more than others. But it is like the parable which Jesus used to illustrate salvation. The workers who labor all day (whose soul transformation is slower) receive the same wage (salvation) as those workers who work only an hour (whose soul transformation is quicker and more complete). (Matthew 20:1-16).

Are you trusting Christ within with integrity? Do you understand and accept the work of the Holy Spirit in you life? Are you resting in Christ’s righteousness? This is the total package of accepting Jesus as Lord!

If we do, we will find peace for our souls and vigor for our daily walk – IN CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.

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Hitting Rock Bottom

The pastor of a church decided to go to an AA meeting. Not because he was an addict, but because he’d heard stories of lives restored through the 12-step walk out of addiction. His visit was born out of curiosity and a desire to create the same healing atmosphere within his own congregation.

He arrived at the meeting alone and unsure of what to expect. When he walked in, no one ignored him, but no one asked him awkward questions either. Instead, everyone offered either a hearty handshake or a knock-you-over pat on the back as they introduced themselves.

Someone was receiving a 9-month well-done chip that night, and when they stood at the podium and announced their sobriety, the audience lit up with cheers and deafening applause.

But then a middle-aged lady drug herself to the podium – head hung, eyes downcast. She said, “Today I should be celebrating 60 days sober. But, damn it, I drank last night.”

The pastor cringed. What would happen? For as much applause as was awarded victory, how much shame would accompany failure? But there was no time to sit and question, for before the last syllable was out of her mouth the applause rang forth again, this time even more rowdy, full of whistles, cheers and celebration.

The pastor was so overcome he had to leave. He cried in his car for a long time before he could drive home. The question ringing in his head: How could he get that in HIS church? How could he create a place where confessions of brokenness and humanity could be welcomed with as much accolade and fanfare as victory and success? That’s what church SHOULD be!

So why is it that “church” is more often a place where we don nice clothes and happy faces, squish the dark places of our soul into the crevices and hope that no one who knows the “real” us will corner us with any “real” questions? Jesus said the sick need a hospital, but we’ve often created a social club with membership requirements. It is hard for us to fathom that we can be desperately broken and entirely lovable all at the same time.

Maybe that’s the secret of AA. Everyone there has found rock bottom and they admit it, yet they have also found a place where they are loved “in spite of” and they accept it.

Not so for many Christians. Somehow, somewhere, many of us bought into the belief that we are only lovable when we are “good”. And when we slip into being “not so good”, we are not lovable. We live our lives the best we can, and beat ourselves (and others) up when failure inevitably occurs. Unfortunately this quest for moral superiority can pose a bigger problem to our spiritual vitality than hitting rock bottom. It is not the prostitutes and tax-collectors who find it most difficult to repent; it is the devout who feel they have no need to repent…Jesus did not die at the hands of muggers, rapists or thugs. He fell into the well-scrubbed hands of deeply religious people, society’s most respected members.

Does that shake you up a little bit? It made me swallow hard to acknowledge that there is, in fact, a little Pharisee living in my mind. Although I am disgusted by their judgmental presence throughout the Gospels, I often live like they do, dismissing the wounded and worshipping the upright. I let my aversion to sin blind me to the faces of God’s beloved.

Jesus’ followers were sinners. Many had “a past”. Yet He called them brothers. They knew what rock bottom looked like, and they found Jesus there. Maybe it’s silly, but I want to hit rock bottom too! (Gently, of course!)

I no longer want to find myself standing above those who are in dark weakness, waving useless platitudes while avoiding my own personal dark weaknesses. I want to become more like the One who embraces the prodigal with the same arms He offers the obedient son. He loves them the same. Those in AA understand it already.

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Christian Zionism - Anxious For Armageddon?

Many fundamentalist Christians are convinced that a series of political and military events must take place before the Second Coming of Christ. Could the speculative biblical interpretations they believe eventually become a self-fulfilling prophecy? What are the reasons why some North American Christians support policies that may lead to a Middle Eastern holocaust?

Why does the United States have such a close relationship with Israel? Why does the Christian Right appear so influential in shaping U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East?

These questions remain inexplicable without factoring in what is probably the most controversial, influential and destructive movement within Christendom today – namely “Christian Zionism”.

While its start can be dated precisely to the 1830s and the eccentric theology of John Nelson Darby, it was the publication of Charles Scofield’s Scofield Reference Bible in 1909 which brought his novel ideas about a failing Church, revived Israel and imminent end of the world to the wider Christian public.

Darby believed that a series of “dispensations” began with Creation and will end in an exclusive Jewish kingdom on earth ruled over by a returned Christ. And Christian Zionism is based on a particular way of reading the Bible in which all Scripture, and especially the prophetic, must always be interpreted literally. Therefore they believe that all Israel will be literally saved; that the boundaries of the land will be from Egypt to Iraq; and that Jesus Christ will return to a theocratic Jewish kingdom centered on Jerusalem.

Today Christian Zionism continues to dominate American Christian fundamentalism. Advocates include Jerry Falwell, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart and Billy Graham. They regard the founding of the State of Israel as evidence of divine intervention, that the Jews remain God’s chosen people for the future kingdom and that the war of Armageddon is just around the corner.

Crucial to their reading of biblical prophecy is the conviction that the period of tribulation is imminent along with the secret rapture of the Church and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount. These events will signal the return of the Lord to restore the Kingdom to Israel centered on Jerusalem. These events are also seen as the trigger for the start of the war of Armageddon in which large numbers of Jews will suffer and die.

This is why these Christian leaders are so zealous to ensure that U.S. foreign policy continues to be dictated by the interests of Israel without regard for the consequences in terms of Islamic reaction. The belief that biblical prophecy dictates the futility of peace treaties between Israel and her neighbors and that God will continue to bless America as long as America cares for the Jews is not only naïve but deeply destructive to U.S. interest in the world.

Many Christian Zionists are convinced that a nuclear Armageddon is an inevitable event within the divine scheme of things, and many have committed themselves to a course for Israel that, by their own admission, will lead directly to a holocaust indescribably more savage and widespread than any vision of carnage that could have generated in Adolf Hitler’s criminal mind.

Thankfully, Christian Zionism is increasingly being perceived as a deviant interpretation which is subservient to the political agenda of the U. S. and the State of Israel. In August 2006, for example, the leaders of the historic churches in Jerusalem issued the Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism. It included the following:

Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The Christian Zionist program provides a world view where the Gospel is reduced to an ideology of empire, colonialism, and militarism. In its extreme form, it places an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ’s love and justice today…We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ. Rather than condemn the world to the doom of Armageddon we call upon everyone to liberate themselves from ideologies of militarism and occupation. Instead, let them pursue the healing of the nations.

Christian Zionism only thrives on a reading of the Bible where Old Testament promises made to the ancient Jewish people are applied to the contemporary State of Israel. To do so it is necessary to ignore, marginalize or bypass the way that the New Testament reinterprets, annuls and fulfills those promises in and through Jesus Christ and His followers.

This is nowhere more evident than in Galatians 4 where we are taught that the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are fulfilled only through those who follow Christ, for they alone are designated the true children of Abraham and Sarah. This injunction should be applied today toward those who elevate Israel to a position of such importance.

This is no excuse for arrogance of anti-Semitism, which we all should abhor. With sensitivity and compassion we are mandated to share our faith in Jesus, praying that our Jewish friends find their Messiah and complete their faith. However, any suggestion that the Jewish people continue to have a special status before God, a separate and continuing covenant or exclusive rights to the lands of the Middle East, is incorrect.

Christian Zionism provides a theological justification for racism the ethnic cleansing of war, rather than a theology of justice, peace and reconciliation which lie at the heart of the New Covenant. It is an exclusive theology that focuses on the Jews in the land rather than an inclusive theology that centers on Jesus Christ NOW – the Savior of the world NOW.

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The Assignment

Pastor Atkinson tapped his black dress shoes and smoothed his perfect hair. This was turning into no quick trip into Save-a-Bunch to pick up a few groceries. The checker’s tag read, “Please pardon me. I’m a temporary employee on my first assignment.” But Pastor Atkinson nearly ground his teeth with frustration. He had several meetings, and because of her incompetence he waited here instead of doing the Lord’s work. Yes, it takes a lot of administration to keep a big church going.

He passed the time by thinking about all the progress he’d made in fifteen years. He’d grown the church from fifty to five-hundred with thrilling sermons and campaigns. The church could now afford to buy the latest equipment and hire staffers. He had a modern building to evidence the Lord’s blessing.

Waiting so long in a grocery store line mocked his position as a successful minister. He should have sent his secretary.

The oblivious checker’s pimply face was beyond plain. Her narrowly-set eyes stared dully through stringy bangs. He pasty, flabby hands dragged products lethargically across the scanner.

Behind the pastor waited the venerable Dr. Clark. He headed an old, mid-sized church on the other side of town. Dr. Clark loathed greeting Pastor Atkinson because his own church’s attendance hinged upon the success of Pastor Atkinson’s attractive outreach.

Dr. Clark believed heartily in old-fashioned worship. Forget silly choruses on computerized overhead displays, contemporaneous music and children’s church – it was all nonsense. His church needed no modern gimmicks. God wanted modest apparel, modest worship and modest living. Dr. Clark also became aware of the checker’s fumbling. I need to get back to my office to study for this week’s sermon. Why doesn’t her new-fangled computer work better for her?

Her brightly painted nails and gaudy rings irked him as well. Is she some kind of hussy? Doesn’t she know what she’s advertising?

That’s exactly what his daughter, Linda, had done. Only when she told her parents that she was pregnant did they realize the depth to which she had sunk. Well at least I made it clear that no daughter of mine would bring shame upon our church and our faith!

The last time he had seen Linda was twenty years ago. He had sent her out West to live with a distant cousin under the premise that Linda was a young widow. He had hoped that she would settle down somewhere away from his congregation, who believed Linda was attending a Christian boarding school.

Waiting several places behind the pastors, Patrick McClellan shifted nervously. Seeing the pastors together struck him as an unwanted coincidence. Patrick’s mind drifted back to ten years ago when he and his wife were having trouble. He was a new believer then, and newly married to Agnes.

She was an Amazonian with the personality to match. She had battered his body and, even more painful, belittled him constantly, regardless of how well he treated her. A few times, she had even tried to kill him.

When he approached Pastor Atkinson, the minister actually laughed and said, “You’re kidding, right? Your wife beats you up? You let a woman hit you?”

“She…she won’t stop hurting me,” Patrick said sadly. “What should I do?”

Pastor Atkinson leaned over his desk and replied, “Young man, if you lead as Christ leads the church, your wife will happily follow.” Then he turned back to his paperwork, dismissing Patrick’s problem as petty.

Rumors flew quickly within the church. Agnes denied the accusations and blamed Patrick. Half the church believed Agnes and half believed Patrick. It was ugly.

After months of tension, Patrick left their home and church. The hurt gnawed at Patrick’s soul. The divorce happened.

Patrick tried Dr. Clark’s church but the members shunned Patrick for appearing with long hair and without a suit. Once they learned of his divorce, their suspicions were confirmed. He didn’t fit in and never would. So Patrick moved on.

While waiting at Save-a-Bunch, Patrick stared at his loafers, hoping neither pastor would notice him.

The checker attempted to ring up Pastor Atkinson’s items three times before getting it right. He huffed audibly.

“Thank you for shopping at Save-a-Bunch, where we try to save you time and money. Come again,” the checker said in a monotone as she handed him the receipt.

“I have lots of important meetings today and I can’t afford a delay. Your errors have set me off schedule,” Pastor Atkinson retorted with disdain.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience, sir,” she said in the same mechanical voice.

Patrick noticed her fumbling, but also that she wore a wedding band along with her cheap, flashy jewelry. Her unkempt hair and faded clothing showed neglect. A bruise on her right temple told him much more.

Dr. Clark said only a clipped “Thank you” as he left. He lifted his chin, thinking of how he had treated the lazy, sleazy-looking girl better than Pastor Atkinson had.

Then Patrick added a candy bar to his items. After receiving his change, he placed the candy on her register. “God still loves you,” he said quietly, “and He understands.” The girl looked up shyly. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”

Then Patrick walked out of Save-a-Bunch knowing from his own experience how the checker felt.

The checker turned her light off and slipped out to the break room. She folded her apron. She stood erect with her hands wide open at her sides, gazing upward in anticipation. The change began at her face, which glowed as it transformed into a strong, beautiful one without bruises or flaws of any kind. Her faded blouse and jeans melted into a luminescent robe. In less than a second, she sailed clean through the ceiling, through the roof, through the skies and past the stars, back home. The assignment was complete.

[Read Jesus’ parable about the “Good Samaritan” in Luke 10:29-37.]

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