New Site

Hey everyone!

I don't know if anyone checks this site, but I have moved!  In fact, part of the reason I haven't posted in a while is because I was trying to learn and perfect my site on WordPress.   Check it out! 

timothyrandolph.com

Truthtelling

As I’ve said before, I have been teaching on Christian ethics Wednesday nights.  One of the more interesting discussions we had was on truthtelling.  Should a Christian always tell the truth?   Should a Christian always be truthful?  Is it black and white?

One thing that I wanted to make sure everyone understood was that truthtelling is more than just voicing something factual.  As Christians, it is our job to discern the truth, even through deception.

For example, what is the truth that consumerism tries to sell us?  If you just buy this product, you will find happiness. You are not whole without this item.  As a Christian, we know that wholeness is only found through Christ.  Living in a consumerist society makes it easy to buy into current trends and become deceived.   Part of truthtelling, as a Christian, is being honest with our culture and ourselves in order to discern the truth.

A few Wednesday night’s ago we used this as a truthtelling scenario:

You live in Germany in the early 1940’s and you are a German.  You are close with your Jewish neighbors and you are keeping them hidden in your home.  Nazi soldiers come to your door and ask you if you are housing any Jews.  What is the right thing to do?  Is it a lie if you tell them you aren’t harboring anyone?

Before you answer this, think about truth on a bigger scale.  Saying that you do not have any Jews in your home when you do is in fact a false statement, but is it a lie?  Isn’t the lie actually that Jews are of no value and are expendable?  Isn’t it the truth that Jews, like all people, have value because they are created by God?  So, if you tell the Nazi soldiers that there are no Jews hiding in your home, which side of truth are you on?

Similarly, if someone who is intent on killing you and your family asks you if your family is home and you tell him no, (when if fact they are hiding upstairs) are you lying?  Maybe lying in any form is wrong…maybe even sinful.  But in these situations, aren’t you forced to choose between two evils…lying being the lesser of the two?

I know these scenarios are hypothetical in nature (though lying about harboring Jews actually happened) yet they force us to consider the bigger picture.  In a time of such extreme injustice and imbalance of power one may be forced to do extreme things for the sake of balance.

In Bonhoeffer's biography, Eric Metaxas enlightens us on Dietrich’s opinion of truthtelling.  Remember, Bonhoeffer was martyred under the orders of Adolf Hitler.  His ethics and theology were placed under extreme pressure.  Bonhoeffer claimed that telling the truth is dependent upon the relationship we have to the person with whom we are speaking.  He explains that parents do not tell their children everything, nor should they.  Children need to be protected from certain issues because they might be frightened or aren’t capable of handling the information.  Bonhoeffer asks, “In what way is a person entitled to demand truthful speech from others?”  He uses an example of a child being asked by her teacher in front of the whole class if her father is an alcoholic. 

Dietrich says,

A teacher asks a child in front of the class whether it is true that his father often comes home drunk.  It is true, but the child denies it.  The teacher’s question has placed him in a situation for which he is not yet prepared.  He feels only that what is taking place is an unjustified interference in the order of the family and that he must oppose it.  What goes on in the family is not for the ears of the class in school.  The family has its own secret and must preserve it.  The teacher has failed to respect the reality of this institution.  The child ought now to find a way of answering which would comply with the rule of the family and the rule of the school.  But he is not yet able to do this.  He lacks experience, knowledge, and the ability to express himself in the right way.  As a simple no to the teacher’s questions the child’s answer is certainly untrue; yet at the same time it nevertheless gives expression to the truth that the family is an institution sui generis and that the teacher had no right to interfere in it.  The child’s answer can indeed be called a lie; yet this lie contains more truth, that is to say, it is more in accordance with reality than would have been the case if the child had betrayed his father’s weakness in front of the class.  According to the measure of his knowledge, the child acted correctly.  The blame for the lie falls back entirely upon the teacher (Ethics, 367-68)

Similarly, the covenant between parents and children demand one type of truth, while a covenant between friends requires another.  Bonhoeffer viewed his relationship with the state (Nazis) as non-covenantal.  He felt that he did not owe them the truth, nor were they in a position to demand it.  

What do you think?

The Goal of Christianity

 Tomorrow I am preaching.  I plan to begin my lesson with this video.

In another video Todd Hunter (the preacher shown in this video) says,

For most of my life we’ve asked this question, ‘If you died tonight, do you know where you’d go?”  But I think this is a way more interesting question, “What if you knew you were going to live tomorrow?  What if you knew you were going to live next week and next year and decades longer?  What would you do with your life?”

I totally agree with this.  For so long our focus has been on heaven and after we die.  But Christianity has so much to say about life here on earth.

This year the theme for Winterfest is 12.  The idea behind the theme is the 12 spiritual disciplines taken from Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.  Discipline has so much to say about the importance of life here on earth.  We want to live for today.  So we pray and fast and study because we believe the present time is important.  I thought it would be fitting to use 12 as my sermon title and use Romans 12 as my text.  Our goal is to be a living sacrifice.  The goal of a christian is transformation not escape.

Check back in a couple of days and I should have my sermon available at cvcfamily.com/sermons.

God's Will

Yesterday, we worked on the house, getting it ready for the market.  As many of  you know, my family and I are moving to Abilene so that I can finish my schooling full-time.  I will be entering the Master of Divinity program at Abilene's Graduate School of Theology. 

For the past few years Sara and I have been thinking, praying and dreaming about what would be next.  Would we stay in Columbus working for The Chattahoochee Valley Church?  Would we go on to graduate school?  Would I take a position at another congregation preaching?  Will I teach?

As far as pastoring/teaching, I respect the job enough to know that the responsibility is something that I don't want to take lightly.  I believe that I need more time for maturing and preparation.  Seminary seems like a logical next step.  I am already taking courses at Harding School of Theology in Memphis and I love it.  Since leaving academia in 2007, I realized just how much I enjoy the academic setting and how much I love learning and studying scripture.  I was taking 1 class a semester and hoping to gradually finish my degree.  I felt blessed that I was working for a church that I love, and they were paying for my education.

Then the recession hit.  Our congregation, like many others, had to tighten the belt quite a bit, and naturally, continuing education was a luxury that was cut back significantly.  I was the one to offer my continuing education as a budget cut.  I knew that many things had to happen after 2008, and I wanted to do what was best for my congregation.  But after three years of little financial support and having to pay my own way, I went from 3 classes to one class a year.

My desire to continue my education never waned so we began to pray.  At this point I was still thinking of how I can continue part-time and work as a minister.  Was it time to ask my congregation again for an addition to the budget?  Should I take another position that had the budget to afford my schooling (I never felt great about this)?  Could I go full-time?  If I went full-time, how would I support my family?  The full-time option seemed bleak.  So we prayed for God to make school, in some capacity, available to us.

Last September we took a trip to Wichita to visit Sara's family.  One afternoon Sara, Lewis and I met Sara's father for lunch at Chipotle.  While we were there, we ran into old friends of Sara's family.  As Sara and her father were catching up with their friends, Lewis and I found a table and got settled.  Sara came to me and told me that Richard wanted to talk to me.  Richard was a youth minister for many years and heard that I was working on my degree at a snails pace.  He then informed me that he had a sizable scholarship endowment through Abilene Christian, and if I wanted to go back to school full-time, he would take care of that.

Stunned, I walked back to the table to eat lunch.  After telling Sara what had happened, she felt strongly that God had spoken to us.  It seemed so clear.  Could it be coincidence that while we were in Wichita, we ran into Richard (who, by the way, don't even live in Wichita and was just in town to visit someone in the hospital), who happened to be in charge of a sizable scholarship endowment?  Later, Richard told me that he had felt guilty that he had been in charge of the endowment for 28 years (my age) and hadn't used up the money.

After prayer, it seemed clear that God had opened a door.  Is it the right one to take?  It might be easy for me to say that because of everything that happened at Chipotle, it is a sign from God that He wants me to move to Abilene, but here's the deal.  I wanted to go back to school.  I often thought about it and talked about it with others.  I have passionately looked for opportunities to go.  Don't misunderstand me.  I feel that God was at work in this.  I believe he is giving me this opportunity.

Let me give you another story.  My wife was all set to move to Italy to be a missionary for two years before she and I began dating.  She raised quite a bit of money for her mission.  As her trip drew nearer, her thoughts of leaving me for two years became more difficult.  Our relationship was serious enough that we contemplated and planned an engagement before she was to leave.  Near the end of the fall semester (she was to leave that January), Sara was so torn on what she was to do.  She felt strongly about her mission.  She had studied, prepared and felt that God had led her to this decision.  Then I came along and threw a wrench in the works!  How was she supposed to know what God's will was for her?

Jesus prayed for God's will to be done on "earth as in heaven," and Sara and I were serious about doing what was right, and most importantly, what God wanted.  There seemed to be two doors in front of us – Sara moving to Italy or staying state side and getting married.  After prayer and counsel, Sara decided to stay and we were married that next May. 

If you have two doors in front of you which do you choose?  What is your rational?  For us we came to the conclusion that the Lord's will was that we serve him and put him first regardless which door we choose to walk through.  Because I believe God gives us the freedom of choice (a whole other topic for discussion), we felt like he was saying, "Here are your options – choose one and glorify me."

So as I reflect again on a major family decision to move to Abilene, I think upon the two doors.   I don't know if I have the answer for this question.  Honestly, I am interested to hear what you think?  Does God have a specific path he wills us to take?  When you are praying for direction, how do you know when he answers, or if he answers?

Tithing As A Way To Receive...More Money

Every morning Sara likes to watch the Today Show on NBC.  Sometimes the TV stays on during the morning as we are moving around or playing with Lewis.  On Tuesdays (my day off) when the TV is left on NBC, I sometimes watch parts of The 700 Club.  I know. I know.  It is embarrassing.  It is like a train wreck; you can’t look away. 

The other day The 700 Club was having their annual telethon to raise money for CBN.  The whole show was devoted to asking viewers to pledge to give a monthly tithe.  The way they achieved this goal was to show short videos about how tithing to CBN helped them out of their struggle.  Usually, the stories resulted in financial blessing.  

 Here is one of the video’s they showed.

Two of the biblical texts used during the show were Luke 6:38 and Matthew 6:31-33.  These verses were used to show that God promises that if we give (money), God will give (money) back to us.

Luke 6:38 says,

 Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

 

 Matt. 6:31-33 says,

 So don't worry. Don't say, “What will we eat?” Or, “What will we drink?” Or, “What will we wear?”  People who are ungodly run after all of those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them.  But put God's kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all of those things will also be given to you.

A simple reading of these texts in their proper context reveals just how out of context these verses were used.  In Luke 6 Jesus is preaching his Sermon on the Mount.  At this point in the text, he is telling his followers to love their enemies and not judge others.  A better understanding of this verse is not greater financial blessing, but rather a greater blessing of grace and mercy heaped upon us.  Matthew 6 also is in the Sermon on the Mount text and Jesus is discussing worry.  Money is something that we sometimes do worry about.  It is certainly included within the “do no worry” realm in which this passage is trying to correct.  Yet, is Jesus saying that if we stop worrying about money and do what he wants us to do, (like tithe to CBN) that he will give us more money?  What is Jesus saying?  I think he is telling us that we will be given what we need.  We may need peace and relief from anxiety.

I know God works, and can work through the 700 Club.   But, is this good theology?  Personally, I cringe when I watch stuff like this.  What is the video telling us?  If you are struggling or need help, just give money (to CBN) and God will bless you financially.  I am sure this can happen.  I am sure it does happen.  What about those who have continued to suffer after giving?

Buddy Jones (our preaching minister) preached a sermon a few years ago titled God’s Math.   He told us a story about how he and his wife decided to test God financially.   When they were younger they tithed a large amount of money, about a months wages, and waited to see how God would bless them.  Eventually they ran out of money and didn’t have any food.  One evening a gift basket was left on their doorstep with a recipe and the food to make tuna casserole. 


Where was the multiplying? They gave 500 dollars…all they had!  Where was the 50,000 dollars!

Where was the blessing?  Well, they didn’t starve.  They learned the true application of Matthew 6:31-33.  God provided them with enough food to last them until their next paycheck.  They learned contentment and dependence on God.  Sometimes, when we test God, he tests us.  Maybe that is the truest blessing one can receive.  Yes, we give so that we can receive blessing from God.  But we must trust that God knows what will truly bless us. 

The Christian's Call To Nonviolence

Today, many blogs and websites are discussing the great work of Martin Luther King Jr.  One of my favorite bloggers discussed the nonviolent resistance of the Civil Rights movement.  As posted to the left, the books I have been reading heavily discuss nonviolent and political action.  Bonhoeffer and King were both big proponents of nonviolence.

A few days ago I shared a video that was used for the first class of our ethics series.  One of the books I have been using as my curriculum base is The Moral Vision Of The New Testament by Richard B. Hays (I highly recommend this book!).  As part of our ethics series we discussed the topic of nonviolence, peacemaking and war.  Today, I thought it fitting to post about this issue.  I particularly want to share our class’s conclusions and Hays’s vision of nonviolent ethics in the New Testament.

For our class this past Wednesday I asked,  “Is a Christian called to be nonviolent? Are there any circumstances when we need to be violent?”

As usual, I was impressed with the maturity of our group and the conversation went better than expected.  On an individual level our group felt compelled, even when it doesn’t come naturally, to resist acting out violently.  For Jesus tells us in Matthew 5: 39, “Do not resist the one who is evil…”  However, on a collective level (when there is a third party involved) they were more inclined to act out violently for the sake of others.

Here is one of the scenarios used in class.  Let’s say that you have a concealed weapon (don’t really know why, but just go with it) and a crazed maniac comes into the class and you know that he is going to kill everyone.  In that moment you have a decision to make; act nonviolently and everyone dies or shoot.  What would you do?

After great discussion we turned to the scripture to read various texts* that deal with some of the issues raised. Obviously there isn’t enough room here to discuss everything but I’d like to highlight a few passages.  I want to specifically use portions of Hays’s book to guide the remainder of the post.

Hays uses Jesus’ words from the sermon on the mount as the key text to support Christian nonviolence.  He references the beatitudes as a picture of the reality of God’s kingdom.  Jesus often uses this “upside down” reality to discuss how things are in the kingdom of God.  He uses verbiage like, “ you have heard it said…but I say to you”, which immediately tells us that realities that might make since to us in this world are counter to the realities of God’s kingdom.  Hays points out that Jesus calls us to live out this counter kingdom in our community by being “salt” and “light” and a “city on the hill”(Matt. 5:13-16).

Turning the other cheek is hard.  As stated earlier, it might seem counter intuitive.  The fight or flight response is a theory about the body’s response to perceived threat or danger.  When we feel threatened, we either remove ourself from the situation or fight back.  It is a survival response within all of us.  I am a fighter.  If I feel threatened I want to fight back.  Yet, I have to tell myself (and I often do) that in God’s kingdom I should resist evil.  Though it isn’t intuitive, it is necessary.

Most of us realize this is a reality we need to embrace (though it may be hard).  But what if there is more than one person involved?  What about war?  Is the rest of the Bible unified on this issue?

Many have asked about Soldiers.  What about Luke?  Twice in Luke (once with John the Baptist and once with Jesus) soldiers appear as characters.  Neither John nor Jesus suggest that they abandon their post.  John tells the soldiers to “not extort money… and be content with your wages.”  Jesus is impressed with the centurion’s faith saying, “…not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

What are we to do with these texts?  Many believe that this means that the NT endorses military service. Hays says,

This evidence, taken cumulatively, suggests that the New Testament writers did not see participation in the army as sinful a priori, nor was the question of military service a question being debated in their communities.  The role of these soldiers in the new Testament narratives, however, must be seen in proper context: precisely as Roman soldiers, they serve to dramatize the power of the Word of God to reach even the unlikeliest people.  They are set beside tax collectors (Luke 3:12-13) as examples of how John’s preaching reached even the most unsavory characters…  Even the righteous centurion whose servant is healed by Jesus serves as a foil, a surprising exception whose faith stands in paradoxical contrast to Israel’s lack of faith (Matt. 8:10-13).  The narrative and theological force of this story is analogous to that of the saying, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Matt. 21:31); just as that saying does not necessarily commend extortionate tax-farming and prostitution as continuing practices, so these stories about centurions cannot be read as endorsements of military careers for Christians.  To be fair, however, there is nothing within the New Testament itself that explicitly excludes or forbids such careers.

Powerful.  Is the New Testament unified on this issue?  Do you agree with this?  What are your thoughts? 

*Here are the specific scriptures we referenced in class.   

NT – Matthew 5:38-48; Matthew 26:52-54; Mark 11:15-19;

OT – Deuteronomy 19:15-21; Deuteronomy 20:10-15

PAUL – Romans 12:14-21; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

SOLDIERS – Luke 3:14-15; Luke 7:1-10 

(Am I missing any that would have been good for discussion?  I am sure that I am.)

Liberal or Conservative? Yes.

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr.!  Tomorrow most of us will have the day off as we celebrate MLK day.  However, Martin was born today in 1929.  I know this well because he and I share the same birthday.

As a boy I grew up fascinated by him because I shared the same day with someone famous.  One of the first books I remember getting (picture shown above) was a small children’s book about his life and movement.  He is a fascinating man with an unbelievable story.  He is a modern picture of what nonviolent resistance looks like.  One of the misconceptions of pacifism is that it is a sign of weakness. True pacifism isn’t backing down or shying away.  When you look at Martin Luther king Jr. you know that.  King’s unbelievable strength and discipline to not fight back defined his mission.

One of the books that I am currently reading is The Autobiography Of Martin Luther King Jr. I really resonate with some of King’s experiences in seminary.  He grew up in a conservative fundamentalist family as I did.  Dr. King shares some of his experiences at Crozer Seminary:

“I engaged in the exciting reading of various theological theories.  Having been raised in a rather strict fundamentalist tradition, I was occasionally shocked when my intellectual journey carried me through new and sometimes complex doctrinal lands, but the pilgrimage was always stimulating… When I came to Crozer, I could accept the liberal interpretation of Christianity with relative ease.  Liberalism provided me with an intellectual satisfaction that I had never found in fundamentalism.”

King continues,

“My former leaning may root back to certain experience that I had in the South, with its vicious race problem, that made it very difficult for me to believe in the essential goodness of man.  The more I observed the tragedies of history and man’s shameful inclination to choose the low road, the more I came to see the depths and strength of sin.  Liberalism’s superficial optimism concerning human nature caused it to overlook the fact that reason is darkened by sin.”

King’s background shaped his theology.  When he left the South for a time he was able to see the goodness of men and the hope of integration.

I often find “liberal” thoughts refreshing when I am around others who are legalistic, traditional and stifling.  At least, many of my views are considered liberal in their eyes.  On the flip side, I often revert back to more basic, conservative thoughts when I am around those who question morality, the Bible or God.  What I am trying to say is, it all depends on the political and cultural climate that I am in.  Do you find this to be true of you?

What Would You Do?

As most of you know, I am a youth minister in Columbus, Georgia.  For our Wednesday night classes we have been going though a Christian ethics series.  I begin every class with “How should a Christian respond to…” and then I allow our teens to have an open forum of discussion.  My goal isn’t to control or steer the conversation but to allow opinions and views to come to the surface.  After some mature, and civil discussion, (our teens have really impressed me) we look at applicable scripture.  We have discussed murder & nonviolence, abortion, divorce & remarriage, and homosexuality.

We began our ethics series with this video:

 What would you do?  Surprisingly, most of my teens said that they would not turn the wheel.  They argued that if you choose to turn the car you willfully enter the situation that you once had no control over.  What do you think?

Obviously this hypothetical scenario is unrealistic, but it makes for some fun, lighthearted conversation.  I intended it as so, because the later topics (e.g. divorce, abortion) hit a little closer to home and become a bit personal.

Tebow

I really am not the type of person to jump on the bandwagon.  I am usually bothered by it.  I am definitely not a person that jumps on the Christian bandwagon.  Generally, to a fault, I will do the opposite in spite of the Christian majority.  I am not saying this is right or a good thing.  This is just my typical response.  Maybe it has to do with me bucking my conservative upbringing or what I see as a lack of theological thought in American Christianity today.

Lately; however, I have found myself rooting for Tebow.  Honestly, it has nothing to do with him being a Christian.  It has more to do with him as a player.  From the beginning of his career as a pro football player everyone has expected him to fail.  He isn’t a great quarterback, I will admit that, but he is a good football player.  As unorthodox as he is, he finds a way to get it done and leaves his naysayers speechless.   For this reason I have found myself enjoying seeing the Broncos win.

One of my favorite authors and bloggers, John Mark Hicks recently posted his thoughts on the Christian-Tebow mania!  In his post he brings up a great point. He says, “God gifts many people with success who do not have a Christian bone in their body.”  Tim Tebow is successful because he is an amazing athlete (and Denver has a pretty good defense) not because God favors him.  I watched him crush opponents in college and lead Florida to two national championships.  I might be wrong but I don’t recall anyone bringing up God as the reason for his success in college.  Can I say for sure that his success isn’t due to God?  No.  Honestly, I believe God has a hand in everything, I just don’t know what or how.

When I was a kid I used to idolize famous Christians.  I would look at them as great Christian examples and models for our country.  Then something would happen, a story would come out, and they were dethroned from the pedestal I had them on.  At a young age I remember being bothered by famous people giving God a “shout out” from the award podium or a local business using their “Christian-ness” to sell product.  In Georgia, political commercials often show politicians sitting in pews showing off their faith to win votes.

Jesus was bothered more by the pretentiousness of the Pharisees and the religious teachers than anyone else.  When Jesus was preaching his Sermon on the Mount he told the people,

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6)

There is a great temptation to be seen as righteous.  Jesus knew this so he went off to lonely places to pray.  He tells us to pray in secret.  I think that we can discern that Jesus isn’t limiting “showing off your righteousness” to just prayer.  A famous person is “seen” (more than the average person) by people.  Therefore, the temptation to use righteousness for gain is on a greater scale.  Honestly, when I see this happen I think to myself, “you have received your reward.”  If the politician uses God to get his vote, the vote is his reward.  If the band/singer uses God to sell records, record sales are their reward.

Tebow is in the limelight right now.  I am not even sure if he has crossed the “righteousness to be seen” line; honestly, he only knows that.  However, Christian’s aren’t making it easy for him by equating his success with his righteousness.  So, my problem with jumping on the Christian-Tebow bandwagon has more to do with how others outside of Christendom see it.  Is his outspokenness helping bring people to Christ or is it turning people off?  (I realize this last sentence I wrote could be a whole other blog post and probably deserves more attention.)  I personally have no problem viewing Tim Tebow as a Christian brother in Christ, but no more so than I view a fellow member of my congregation a brother in Christ.

I am done making famous Christians idols, praising them for their accomplishments or their Christian outspokenness.  Maybe I am calloused and a bit cynical.  I believe part of my reservation is the  realization of my own sinfulness and humanity.  When I place a famous Christian on a pedestal, any sin or fault that they commit ruins my perspective of them.  They become sinful and dirty…in need of God just like me.  On second thought, maybe that is exactly what needs to happen.