Weekly Articles

This holiday season, like every one before it, has brought its share of tragic stories as well as its share of joyful ones.  The joyful stories warm our hearts and remind us why most of us look forward to Christmastime every year; some of these heartwarming stories included the nine-year-old boy who suffered an “orthopedic decapitation” (where the skull lifts off of the spine, destroying the related connective tissue), but who has almost fully recovered three months later; many stories of charitable giving and acts of kindness came out this last week from Toronto, Canada to Houston, Texas and from Atlanta, Georgia to Los Angeles California. 

But these good stories are then tempered by the sorrowful ones.  Several recent news stories bring to mind some of the craziness of the holiday season:  the annoyed man who shot and wounded the father of a noisy family in a movie theater; the recently divorced man who dressed as Santa and proceeded to massacre his ex-wife’s family and burn the house down, later killing himself; and the thirteen-year-old boy whose father and stepmother beat and tied to a tree (as punishment for disobedience), leading to his death by dehydration and heat stroke.

At any other time, this would simply be seen as a balance of “good” stories and “bad” stories; but during the Christmas season, the heartwarming stories are brought forth as part of the “good” that we expect from Christmas, and the horrifying stories seem as an intrusion of the “bad” that we expect to banish during this time.  And while I use the “holiday season” interchangeably with the “Christmas Season,” it is definitely Christmas that makes us expect the good and want to banish the bad.  Neither Hanukkah nor Ramadan have the same effect on the hearts of mankind.

It is not Santa Claus and decorated trees that gives power to this time of year.  It is the story of the birth of Jesus, over 2000 years ago, that gives power to this season.  Not because of some magical connection to a birthday (this would be the wrong time of year, of course), but rather because of what was said about the birth:

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  (Luke 2:10-14 NIV)

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.  When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”  (Luke 2:25-32 NIV)

You see, the holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus is special.  No matter how patriotic you are, Independence Day will never move you in this way; no matter how much you want to remember the past year and “ring in the new,” New Years Day is not going to break your heart and soften your spirit to give to others.  But the story of the birth of Christ does have that effect.  The magic is not because of the day of the year or any fear of coal in your stockings; the magic comes from the one “through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

Let this season serve us as a reminder for the coming year:  a light of revelation has come to earth, and has brought “glory to God in the highest” and peace on earth “to men on whom his favor rests.”  Jesus Christ has done this and more, promising that all of us can have eternal life with him, if we will do what the Magi did two millennia ago, and seek him out.

-Charles Peterson

There is a lot of contention within the Church about whether or not it is permissible for a Christian to celebrate holidays such as Christmas and Easter as religious or sacred.  From outside of the Church you can find critics that take every view from “Christians in the Church of Christ are hypocrites because they give presents and put up decorations” to “Christians in the Church of Christ are cultists because they condemn others for celebrating the birth of Christ”; and everything in between and around these positions.  From inside the Church, I have encountered every belief about this matter from believing that Jesus was born on December 25^th to believing that putting up wreaths and decorating trees amounts to pagan worship.  And yes, all of those mentioned, both outside of and inside the Church cite scripture to prove their position.

I wish to focus here on the positions within the Church, mainly because those from the outside are largely purposed to attack rather than to profess a sincere ideology.  Those within the Church have diverse enough views for discussion.

Those who believe that Jesus was born on December 25^th are certainly welcome to believe that; but what they are doing is expressing faith in a view that comes not from the Bible but from human contrivance.  The date seems to have been chosen to replace a pagan holiday with a Christian one; all indications that are given to us in the Bible lead to the conclusion that wintertime is a very poor fit for the descriptions of the events surrounding his birth.  Does this invalidate the celebrating of Christmas?  No, it simply puts into perspective the beliefs about the holiday; the nativity scene incorporating both shepherds and magi appears to be in error in terms of historical accuracy, while it correctly portrays the whole of the story symbolically.  And to be honest, isn’t Christmas a symbolic holiday at its heart?

Those who believe that participating in any manner in the Christmas holiday is direct pagan worship need to relax and read the scriptures a bit more.  While few with this view take things quite to the degree that I’ve indicated with that sentence, they do tend to push their view that since Christmas is not mentioned in the Bible it must be an unauthorized addition that God forbids.  But if that is the case, why do we accept so many other things that we have made up:  communion trays, songs not recorded in the Bible (which is almost all of them, by the way),  Wednesday night services, and a Bible that is divided up by chapters and verses (invented by Stephen Langton in the mid 13^th century A.D.).  No, it is not the lack of mention in the Bible that should be the focus of their reasoning on Christmas but rather the conformity to the basic tenets of the Christian faith as expressed in the Bible.

Now, there are relatively few in the Church that actually fall into one of these two extremes; the majority are (predictably) in the middle.  Many believe that the symbolism of  Christmas as expressed in the traditional Christmas songs such as “A Child this Day is Born,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” present a proper expression of the importance of the birth of Christ.  Many others believe that to set aside a religious day in a similar manner as was set forth for the Jews exceeds what the Apostles instituted, and is thus improper for the Church.  Paul addresses these points quite well in Romans 14 and Colossians 2.

One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike.  Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.  He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.  For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.  If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.  So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  (Romans 14:5-7 NIV)

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.  (Colossians 2:16-17 NIV)

Now, I have focused here mainly on Christmas, but the same principles can be applied to any holiday – not just Christmas and Easter.  Independence Day should be about thanking God for our freedoms and blessings as Americans.  Thanksgiving Day should be about thanking God for the bounteous goodness of his provision for our needs.  Labor Day should be about thanking God for our jobs and productivity, and the earnings he provides through them.  Paul tells us that we are free to set aside special days, and we are free not to.  But we are not free to do so only for ourselves!

So if you are not celebrating Christmas, rejoice and give thanks to God for the freedom of Christianity.  And if you are celebrating Christmas, rejoice and give thanks to God for the birth of Jesus, without which we would never have been saved through his death and resurrection.  Either way, rejoice and give thanks to God!

-Charles Peterson

The 2008 Presidential Election season brought out many disturbing religious overtones, specifically concerning the Democratic candidate Barack Obama.  The leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, said that when Barrack Obama spoke it was “the Messiah speaking.”  Jeremiah Wright, newly reinstated leader of the Trinity United Church Of Christ, recently linked Obama to messianic themes by claiming that he resembled the “Virgin Mary”.  And while this is fairly disconcerting, what really bothers me is the number of Christians who voted for the party whose goals are the elimination of Christian values from American society and the establishment of Government as the highest authority (replacing God).  So the question is:  does Religion affect us, or do we affect it?

There are a great many Christians who voted for the party that is aligned against Godly religion.  This alignment is clearly seen in issues such as abortion, prayer in schools, the public assault on Christian churches while actively promoting Islam as the “religion of peace”, and the democratic-run media’s constant slander of Christianity.  This article is not meant as political commentary, but rather it is trying to illustrate a point.  Does our religion affect our politics, or do our political views affect our religion?  This question is not in any way limited to politics.  Look at the financial problems that beset many Americans.  How many Christians find themselves mired in destructive debt and thus find themselves consumed with chasing money?  How many Christians choose to work overtime hours instead of attending church services?  How many Christians put more of their money into the coffee shop than they do into the collection plate?  Does our religion affect our finances, or do our financial decisions affect our religion?

This question can also be expressed with regards to socialization.  With whom do we spend our time, and in what relationships do we invest the most of ourselves?  Christians often see each other only two or three times a week; in fact many Christians fellowship with the Body on only a weekly basis.  How many Christians spend more time in hobbies than in Bible study and fellowship?  When we chat with coworkers, are we most eager to talk about Jesus Christ and his gospel message, or are we anxious to discuss sports news or movie critiques?  Does our religion affect our friendships, or do our friendships determine our religion?Our religion is often warped by the world; if this is so, then how do we know what our religion should be?  The answer for all of these is the Bible!

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.  If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  (James 1:22-27 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

Does our religion affect our politics, finances, and friendships or do they affect our religion?  God has shown us the answer to our question – our religion is supposed to affect all aspects of our lives.  James tells us that the Word (Bible) is our guide, and that we must control ourselves (especially our speech) and help those in need.  Paul tells us that our worship is one of being Godly in the pattern of our lives, thoughts, and deeds.  If we heed both of these passages, we will surely have a religion that positively affects us and those around us. 

-Charles Peterson

In an article titled “Many of Amsterdam’s Brothels, Marijuana Cafes to Close” (www.foxnews.com) the Associated Press revealed that the government of Amsterdam (Netherlands) is closing many of the immoral establishments for which it has achieved notoriety.  The article stated that the city government was attempting to reduce the influence of organized crime by getting rid of businesses that “generate criminality” such as brothels, pot shops, and gambling establishments.  Apparently drug-dealers have been using the legitimized businesses to conduct money-laundering operations and the prostitutes are supplied by human traffickers.  Amsterdam is reaping a harvest of crime and decadence because they sowed seeds of immorality.

I find it hard to believe that they thought that this would turn out any differently!  What did they think would happen if they encouraged prostitution, gambling, and drug usage?  Probably the same thing that organizations such as pro-legalization of prostitution group COYOTE say would happen here:  utopia.  But it never seems to happen that way.  The reason may have to do with reaping and sowing:  a farmer who sows corn expects to reap corn.  In the same way, if you sow immorality, how can you expect a harvest of anything other than a rise in the criminal element?  They are the ones who benefit the most from those sorts of businesses!

The Dutch are not alone in this:  all mankind seems to desire to change morality into whatever they want it to be.  But no one can do that, because morality is even more fundamental than gravity!  Morality is defined based on God’s character, not just on some principle of this universe (such as gravity). 

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:19-25 NIV)

As you can see, the sinful nature has a four-fold form:  lust, idolatry, selfishness, and indulgence.  I find it interesting that in Revelation 6:8 John tells us that the four riders (commonly called the Four Horsemen) are given power to “kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8 NIV).  Now, I am not interpreting the Revelation letter to be referring to this passage from Galatians; I am simply making a point about consequences.  Lust is often punished by disease (plague); selfishness is the root of many wars (sword); indulgence has a corollary punishment in famine; and idolatry leads to man acting like (and believing himself to be) a beast.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  (Galatians 6:7-8 NIV)

Sowing the seeds of the sinful nature leads to despair and destruction.  But sowing the seeds of righteousness leads to a harvest of life – the one seed of the Spirit grows into the nine fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!  These nine fruits help us to avoid the pitfalls of the sinful nature and to grow into mature children of God.

-Charles Peterson

There is a trend today that calls for each person to give “according to his ability” and to receive “according to his needs”.  Many feel that this is compassionate and fair, that this has the substance of wisdom and is surely from the Bible.  It is not, of course; it actually comes from the socialist philosophy of Karl Marx.  It is not a new idea – the Pilgrims tried this in the 1600’s at the Plymouth colony and discovered then what everyone has discovered since:  collectivism fails miserably every time it is tried.  In fact, the Pilgrims were only blessed (leading to the first Thanksgiving) when they embraced the individual responsibility and freedoms of a free market system.  Each system depends on a source of blessing:  the individual in the free market system depends on God for his blessings; the collectivists depend on the collective (the government) for their blessings.  God will never bless a collectivist system (remember the story of the Tower of Babel – God broke up the first collective human effort).

There is a coming healthcare crisis because of collectivist (governmental) policies including Medicare and Medicaid.  Doctors used to provide services based on individual need and ability to pay (including bartering services and “pro bono” work).  Now a whole industry is needed just to handle the medical billing to insurance companies and governmental agencies.  Canada’s crisis is in full bloom, as years for medically necessary procedures; their collectivist response to this problem was to outlaw private insurance options.  And they are not being blessed.Similarly our retirement system is in dire jeopardy due to collectivist (governmental) interference.  People used to save and maintain responsibility for their financial futures; now people scream for the government to protect them from loss – no matter that the loss came from unwise choices.  Millions of Baby Boomers who were taught to gamble in the stock market are faced with destitution and the governmentally provided safety net is predictably bankrupted.  Naturally, the call goes out for the government to therefore take over all retirement.  No one calls for God, but they instead run to the government for salvation.

Christians, however, must trust in God!  Many say that “God helps those who help themselves”.  Nonsense!  God helps those who cannot help themselves.

When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.  (Deuteronomy 24:19-22 NIV)

When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.  Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight!  Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!  Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.  (Isaiah 1:15-17 NIV)

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”  (Mark 12:41-44 NIV)

Too many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving as a secular holiday.  They have forgotten (or were never taught) that the first Thanksgiving was a response of man towards God, after man had already failed to do it his way.  We have so much to be thankful for!  And we can see that every time man tries to put himself in control of natural systems and relationships, things break down.  But when man turns back to God, the floodgates of God’s blessings are opened.  Let’s be mindful of his abiding presence in our lives, as we remember to turn toward God in our need, not a collective of flawed men.

-Charles Peterson