Borrowed Light

Theology OR Unity?

November 13, 2013Mike Leake

Dearest P,

I fear that our little church is about to split asunder. For every 10 people there seems to be twenty opinions. Most of our fights are senseless. And a good majority of them are caused by agitators. They continue insisting on their own way of doing things. They take certain doctrines—often not even rising to the status of tertiary doctrine—and make them a litmus test for faithfulness.

What should I do? Should I enter into this controversy? Everybody is asking my opinion. Every group wants me on their side. I know which side I’m on. If I enter into this controversy I believe that I can be of great use to the Lord. Perhaps we can stop the terrible schism among us. Do you have any advice for how to win this argument, let truth reign, and get on with more important matters?

With Love,

T.

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Dearest T,

Here is my advice in a nutshell:

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

With Love,

P

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Dearest P,

Wait, what?!?! Don’t enter into the controversy? Just keep plodding along preaching? We are about to split as a church. I don’t think “patiently enduring evil” is going to help. After all doesn’t truth matter? You seem to hint that theology doesn’t matter as much as unity, patience, and gentleness. This isn’t the time for gentleness. Doesn’t theology matter?

Confused,

T

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My Dearest T,

You are correct that theology matters. It matters a great deal. This is why I am encouraging you to patiently plod along in “rightly handling the word of truth”. In fact it is because theology matters so much that I have counseled you as I have. I am so passionate about the truth of the gospel that I wouldn’t have it dragged through the mud by the spiritual immaturity of the one proclaiming the truth. Entering into foolish quarrels and controversies is the way of the hot-headed and insecure. It only breeds more quarrels. The way of our blessed Christ is a path with gentleness and meekness. Consider my ways with the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 10:1). I erred—if indeed I erred—so much on the side of patience and gentleness that they accused me of being a weakling.

If you really care about truth and theology—as I believe you do—you will adorn such doctrines with your life. That is my counsel. Theology is so important that it ought not stand alone. Give it your life as well as your lips. That’ll transform your church.

With love and patience,

P

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Today in Blogworld 11.13.13

November 13, 2013Mike Leake

16 People On Things They Couldn’t Believe About America Until They Moved

This is interesting. I always like views of ourselves from those on the outside.

Forget the 50 States, U.S. Is Really 11 Nations, Say Author

This is just begging to be explored. This has missional implications as well.

5 Churchy Phrases That Are Scaring Off Millennials

I appreciate David Murray’s take on this.

Is Your Skin Thick or Dead?

It’s a good question to ask.

This is a great story from E:60. A letter to a daughter with Down Syndrome, from the dad that wanted to abort her:

When Motherhood is Not Enough

November 12, 2013Sarah Van Beveren 1 Comment

The question always makes me cringe, but even I was surprised by the deprecation in my voice. As the insurance agent makes her way to the dining room table, sometime after commenting on her long day and our home decor, she asks me what it is that I do. It shouldn’t, but the question catches me off guard. I stammer, give a little laugh, wave my hand in the air nonchalantly, and blurt out ‘nothing.’ After a few awkward seconds I add that I stay home with the kids, and wonder why I thought these two answers were the same.
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Typical of her age, my six year old daughter likes to dream about what she might be when she grows up. The occupation is always changing and she’s covered a lot of territory. From ballerina to zookeeper, to princess and now artist. I ask her if she’s considered being a mommy and her answer is always the same. She’d like to be a mom, but not just a mom. Her answer is a punch in the gut, but maybe it shouldn’t surprise me.
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Judging by the abundance of literature that exists to encourage mothers in the work they do, I am not the only one prone to doubt. It’s not uncommon for homemaking to be reduced to the sum of its menial tasks, and it can be difficult to see the big picture in the mist of such repetitive demands. The concept of giving up income and career for a job with little recognition or praise is foreign at best.

I don’t write much about mothering. I often feel that since so much of my time and energy is spent in this role, I want to reserve my words to explore other areas of my life. And while this is true in some sense, more often than not the driving force is pride.

I am a thinker. I love to read and learn and research. And somewhere over the years I placed a high importance on the accumulation of knowledge and education, and began correlating these with my own personal worth. My passions lean towards writing, teaching, and the study of God’s Word, and I find myself grieving my lack of education in these areas and the resources I don’t have time to obtain. And on those days when the girls have taken turns crying for what feels like hours on end, there isn’t a clear inch of counter space for the dirty dishes, and the clothes I’m wearing can double as pajamas, I tell myself that I should be doing better than this. That I am better than this. I want to learn about biblical languages and the craft of writing, not about homeschooling groups and Dora the Explorer.

Pride.

Certainly it is God himself who has given me these passions and for the personality I possess. These pursuits are good and he delights in them. But when I create a hierarchy of work and place staying at home on the bottom rung, I am denying that what he has called me to is good. I begin to have thoughts of discontentment about where he has placed me with these gifts and where the boundary lines have fallen for me (Psalm 16:6).

Tim Keller says that, “our work can be a calling only if it is reimagined as a mission of service to something beyond merely our own interests.” I love my children, and the choice to be home with them is my own. And while I don’t regret it, that doesn’t negate the struggle. Christ requires that we die to ourselves and lose our lives to follow him. This is a battle.

God is our portion. Wherever he has placed us, that is the work he has called us to. The value in our work lies in this calling.