Borrowed Light

Proverbs 24:10-12 and Remaining #NeverTrump & #NeverHillary

October 26, 2016Mike Leake

I have a practice of reading through one chapter of Proverbs every day. Whatever day of the month it is, I read that chapter. So on Monday I read this:

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? (Proverbs 24:10-12)

It’s hard not to think about politics during this time of year. And it’s especially difficult to tune out all the noise when our two main choices are Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. I have been—and likely will continue to be—#NeverTrump and #NeverHillary. I’ve outlined my reasons before and don’t care to restate those arguments. And honestly today I’m not even attempting to be overly persuasive or tell you how I think you should vote. All I’m really doing today is giving a defense of my continued #NeverTrump position even in light of Proverbs 24:10-12.

It is clear from the words of Hilary Clinton that she will pursue even late-term abortions. At least politically speaking, the pro-life movement will take a major blow with her in office and appointing Supreme Court judges who will legislate from the bench. I would even go so far as to say that it is not only the unborn that will be “stumbling to the slaughter” but also principles of religious liberty.

As I read that verse it gave me a bit of pause. Are those who are calling me a chicken correct in their assessment? Am I burying my head in the sand and allowing evil to triumph? Am I fainting in the day of adversity and taking a self-righteous stance that will effectively surrender our freedoms?

These questions give me pause. They are weighty. I do not want to quickly dismiss them and remain entrenched in a political position (#NeverTrump or #NeverHillary). There is one big reason why I will not vote for Hillary Clinton. Even if all the other things which disqualify her were not present, I’d still not vote for her. I say this because I will never vote for a candidate that is not pro-life. But being pro-life does not guarantee my vote for you either. And so there are at least three reasons why I will not be voting for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton on November 8th.

First, I am not convinced that Trump doesn’t fall under the same admonition as Hillary does in Proverbs 24:10-12. That statement is not just speaking about the unborn. It is speaking of any form of injustice. The predatory comments of Trump cannot be ignored. We must stand up for victimized women in the same way that we stand up for the unborn.

Secondly, I do not believe the rescue of Proverbs 24:10-12 is meant to be political or merely casting a vote. I’m not saying that we should not follow the Wilberforce’s of our day in their passion to see abortion legally overturned. But at the same time our battle is against an ideology. Change the hearts and minds of people and eventually the politics will follow. I obey Proverbs 24:10-12 by using the gifts God has given me to write and help change thinking. I obey Proverbs 24:10-12 by working with adoption agencies and pro-life groups. At the end of the day I’m convinced casting a vote for Trump will do little for the pro-life movement—in fact, I fear it will do more harm than good.

Thirdly, I say I believe a vote for Trump will do more harm than good for the pro-life movement because Trump is not consistently pro-life. I cannot connect myself with Trump because I don’t want to spend time on nuance. What I mean is that in sharing the gospel with those who have been minimized by Trump I do not want to be distracted by a lengthy discussion of why I voted for Trump. He is not consistently pro-life. He is immoral. He undercuts so many of the foundations of a pro-life arguments.

In sum, I don’t believe that voting for Trump would be consistent with rescuing those who are stumbling to slaughter. If I did, I’d vote. But I don’t, so I won’t.

This is where I am at. And this is not me burying my head in the sand. It is not a position born of self-righteousness—at least I do not believe it is. It is a position which completely trusts in the provision of Jesus Christ. It is a position which believes that we should always do what is right, no matter the consequences. I believe it is a position very similar to those precious men of God who stood before the mighty King and said, “Our God can deliver us, but even if he doesn’t, we will not bow a knee.”

I’m not fainting. I know what a second President Clinton will likely mean. And I’m just saying I won’t surrender my principles or waver on a consistently pro-life position. In my opinion, and others would disagree, to support Trump is to take a step back in the pro-life movement. And I just won’t do it. That’s my reasoning. Feel free to disagree, but please understand that my position is not cowardly or wavering on pro-life issues.

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Photo source: here

Today in Blogworld 10.26.16

October 26, 2016Mike Leake

Parents, Let Your ‘No’ Be ‘No’

I’m a work in progress on this one, but I’ve found that last paragraph to be helpful.

I Was Pregnant, And Then I Wasn’t

The pain of miscarriage is real, let us not minimize it.

The Gospel v. 100 Years of Planned Parenthood

Russell Moore, doing what he does best.

Why Does the Holy Spirit Keep “Falling Down”?

I really appreciate this reflection on a common theme among many contemporary worship songs.

Here is how Piper prepares sermons:

You Ask Me How I Know He Lives…

October 25, 2016Mike Leake 2 Comments

He lives because the Bible says that he does.

You are likely familiar with the old hymn “He Lives” that is often sang during Easter time. The story behind this hymn is that a pastor, Alfred Ackley, was moved by his experience of sharing the gospel with a young Jewish boy and his consternation at a liberal preacher saying the resurrection doesn’t matter. He penned the hymn out of frustration and wanted folks to know that his personal experience bore testimony to the risen Lord.

There is so much to this that I want to affirm. We need to have a living and active faith and relationship with the living Lord. There is a very real sense in which our evidence for the gospel is subjective. Our testimonies are personal. There are times in my own life when my faith is wavering where I look back upon the Lord’s faithfulness to me. In those moments my faith is strengthened.

But there is also something terribly missing in Ackley’s presentation. I understand why one might not say, “I believe in the resurrection because the Bible says it is true”. To say such a thing would likely charge us with circular reasoning. Folks in our day are more apt to unquestioningly believe a personal experience over a bold statement of objective truth. But if we cater to this mindset we forfeit so much. We end up dropping anchor in the choppy waters alongside the Oprah’s and Osteen’s over our world. It’s ultimately a shaky foundation.

If you don’t have the song in your head, go read through the lyrics of He Lives. Now, let me ask a question. Could one who is a deranged maniac, obeying the voices in his head telling him to murder an entire family, speak of a similar experience? How does he know they are real? Well, he knows they are real because he hears them. They reside in his heart. They walk with him. They talk with him.

Do you see how shaky that foundation is?

Again, that’s not to say there isn’t a very real value to our subjective experiences. But they are not decisive. They are valuable only when anchored to the objective truth of the gospel.

Look through your Bible and see how the apostle Paul engaged with those who had never heard the gospel. Consider Acts 17 at Mars Hill. Paul doesn’t talk about his feelings or his experiences—he speaks of objective and verifiable truth. And he just proclaims it. He doesn’t appeal to his own experience and say, “Guys, trust me, I’ve felt this Unknown God in my heart”.

Michael Patton is correct when he claims that Christianity is the world’s most falsifiable religion. But I think that scares us. For some reason we get a bit scared to put Christianity under the microscope. And so out of our fear we drift into the shaky waters of a subjective faith. And in doing so, we are subtly betraying our lack of confidence in the power of God’s Word.

Sure they might accuse me of circular reasoning. Sure the infidel might mock our gospel. But I’ll just dig in further and keep lovingly and graciously proclaiming the truth of Scripture. Long ago I became convinced, alongside Spurgeon, that “if they do not love to hear [the Bible], there is all the more reason why [the Bible] should be preached to them. The gospel has the singular faculty of creating a taste for itself.”

You ask me how I know he lives…

Because the Bible says so. And, though it’s not popular to say so in our day in age, that’s enough for me.