Seeking American Revival? On Primary Election Day, some needful, timely reminders.

At the recent taxpayer-funded “Rededicate 250” event, citizens expressed a sincere desire for national revival and the rededication of America to God. Government officials prayed and spoke. The president did not attend; he was at Trump National Golf Club. He sent a prerecorded message and read the 2 Chronicles 7:14 text (“If my people will humble themselves … I will heal their land.”) Mr. Trump posted on his social media: “I hope everybody at Rededicate 250 is having a good time.”

The patriotic hymn says, “America … God shed his grace on thee.” My church history professor noted that virtuous fruits from the Great Awakening may have spared America’s 1776 Revolution from the guillotines and firing squads of the atheistic Enlightenment-inspired French and Russian Revolutions. We pray “God mend our every flaw,” but acknowledge the American republic has received many kind providences, including the privilege of all citizens to vote in free, fair elections.

“Revival” is often misunderstood, and is more than civic or cultural renewal. Ministers must “correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2). As we vote, here are some reminders, based on Jonathan Edwards’ classic explaining of genuine revivals, A Narrative of Surprising Conversions.

‣ What is Revival? It is God’s gracious intervention and remarkable work, to renew those who have become dormant, lethargic, ignorant, or cold hearted to the life and truth of God. Seasons of revival bring renewal like a spiritual springtime, by Christ’s resurrection power.

‣ How and when does Revival happen? It is entirely God’s gift and work. But, as Jonathan Edwards notes, authentic and extraordinary revival is preceded and accompanied by repentance and prayer. When God purposes to revive his people, the Holy Spirit moves them to pray, to repent of their corrupt ways, and to seek his Presence by faith. So there is both sovereign grace (to give revival) and human agency (to seek revival).

‣ Who is Revived? Herein is the greatest confusion. God does not revive nations, but God’s people. The world’s nations will benefit from God’s work of revival. See Psalm 67:7: “God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.” But God sends revival to his own people (“if my people”). In the Old Covenant, God renewed Israel. And in the New Covenant, God revives the church of Jesus Christ. But the USA is neither God’s chosen people nor a covenant nation.

We acknowledge the 17th century Puritan colonialists’ aspirations. But our 18th century Constitution allows free expressions of faith, with no state church. To claim the USA was founded as a Christian nation is untrue to historical fact. That is Christian nationalism (Southern Confederates modified the US constitution in that direction).

Americans can enjoy a government that permits individual religious liberties, with checks on state power. That was an idea derived from both 18th century Protestants and Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke. No government should wrap the cross in a flag, or confuse Plymouth rock with the Rock of Christ. Iran claims to be an Islamic theocracy. Russia seeks Eastern Orthodox endorsement of military aggressions. But the USA gives freedoms to all legal citizens, who come from various faith traditions — or with no faith.

‣ The Point: For our Republic (no theocracy) to experience civic, cultural, moral renewal, Christian citizens must repent of seeking godly goals by corrupt worldly means. We seek spiritual revival as God’s people, resident foreigners, preserving salt, who live in the light of truth. Churches need revival as local embassies of God’s kingdom, attracting fellow Americans to the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit. For our beloved America to be good and great, American Christians must not seek partisan prayer groups, but be God’s exiles, seeking the common civic good of our Babylon.

“Even angels long to look into these things.” (1 Peter 1:12) This verse has intrigued me for a lifetime. What do celestial creatures yearn to perceive and understand? What do angels lean down from heaven to ponder? What on earth attracts their attention? Angels are usually God’s messengers. But these are silent cherubim, guardians of God’s throne. They gaze with apparent wonder.

The context of 1 Peter is helpful. Old Covenant Prophets inquired about the specific details of God’s plan of salvation. Did terrestrial prophets and celestial messengers search out the same thing? When … Where … and How … would God’s plan be fulfilled?

Angelic pondering is also portrayed in some Exodus passages, that describe the construction details of a tabernacle. Where was the tent of meeting between the holy God and God’s sinful people?

He made a mercy seat of pure gold … he made two cherubim of gold … on the two ends of the mercy seat, one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim. (Exodus 37:6-8)

God gave Moses a detailed schema with the command to make everything according to the LORD’s precise pattern (Exodus 25:40). The earthly tabernacle in the wilderness was designed to be a copy or a shadow of realities in heaven (Hebrews 8:5).

Cherubim are angels who block sinful humans from direct access to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24). Mortals must not be doomed to live forever as broken, perishing, wanderers on earth. It is these flaming guardians who peer down on the ark of the covenant. “Above the ark … the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover…” (Hebrews 9:5)

So God had a plan, though not yet fully disclosed. Mortals die as wanderers on earth. But the LORD would come down to earth to dwell with broken people. The tabernacle was the tent of meeting at the center of Israel’s families and tribes. Suggestively, Judah encamped on the east, toward the dawn of a promised new Day.

But access to God’s presence continued to be restricted. Only once a year, the representative high priest entered the holiest place. Inside a chest, the ark of the covenant, was God’s moral law. On the chest’s lid [atonement cover or mercy seat] the priest sprinkled the blood of a sacrificed lamb. It was on this cover that the cherubim gazed — where a lamb’s blood covered human transgressions.

The Sovereign rules in glory above. Blood Sacrifice is made below. “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” (Isaiah 37:16)

Do winged cherubim look down on the mercy seat to shield their faces from God’s Glory? No, as the hymn says, “downward bends their wondering eye at mysteries so bright.” (1851, Matthew Bridges) One who came from above, even God’s own eternal Son, would be incarnate on earth to make final, full atonement for sinful people.

So the cherubim gaze in awe at this mystery. And also should we. With an incomprehensible love for sinners, God’s own Son was incarnate, tabernacled, pitched his tent among us, as Jesus Christ our perfect Kinsman-Redeemer. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

“Judgment against sin is preceded, accompanied, and followed by God’s mercy … The paradox of the cross demonstrates the victorious love of God for us at the same time that it shows forth his judgment upon sin … Jesus the Son of God does not just offer a sacrifice; he himself becomes the sacrifice because he offers up himself.” (Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, p. 282)

Priest and Sacrifice became one and the same in God’s incarnate, crucified Son. As we enter Holy Week, and come to Good Friday, let us pause with angels and prophets to marvel at Agnus Dei. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

I spent my adolescent years in 1960’s Mississippi. The leaders of theologically conservative churches often invoked “the spirituality of the church” as the reason they remained silent in the face of abhorrent societal sins like Jim Crow era racism.

I myself believe in the doctrine of the church’s “spirituality.” But I do not believe in silent Christians. Jesus calls churches to be local embassies of God's kingdom, citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20), entrusted by God with ministries of the Word, the Sacraments, and Prayer. So churches are not political entities with partisan agendas. There are followers of Jesus across the whole political spectrum. When churches do not wrap themselves in politics and ministers do not endorse politicians, it is not to preserve their tax-exempt status, but to stay faithful to their distinctive calling from God.

BUT … while churches are distinct from partisan parties, Jesus calls individual followers to influence and permeate society as preservative “salt” and truthful “light” (Matthew 5:13-14). If Jesus’ followers stay silent in the face of moral corruption and social decay, they become complicit. Christians, as John Stott observed, must remain “spiritually distinct, but not socially segregated.” Maintaining the church’s “spirituality” with Christian citizens’ “cultural engagement” was exemplified by the early 20th century Dutch Minister / Theologian / Prime Minister Abraham Kuyper.

Some examples of Christians who engaged in the political arena:

• William Wilberforce (1759-1833) led the fight in the British Parliament to overturn the Slave Trade. He was influenced by two evangelical Anglicans, George Whitefield and John Newton, who urged him to stay engaged in the political fight to eliminate slavery.

• American Patriot Patrick Henry (1736-99) was raised an Anglican, but was influenced by the Great Awakening and the Presbyterian evangelist Samuel Davies, one of the first non-Anglican preachers in Virginia. Henry credited Davies with inspiring his own oratory (“Give me liberty or give me death.”)

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-45) warned the German state church about the political idolatry of the Nazi dictatorship. He argued that Christians should not retreat from the world but act within it. Bonhoeffer was martyred during the Nazi collapse.

• Kuyper’s influence is evident in Ben Sasse, in recent interviews, as Sasse nears death from pancreatic cancer.

We live in a time of Influencers who seek Followers, but there are not enough servant Leaders. Influencers build a personal BRAND, but Leaders want a good REPUTATION. Influencers seek a Platform. Leaders choose a Posture. You build a BRAND for yourself. But a REPUTATION is received from others. This distinction is important if you want a good Name that will last beyond social media clicks, spaces of influence, and even beyond your own lifetime.

The gold standard for REPUTATION is found in Philippians 2:1-11. Here is the One who did not cling to high position, his essential equality with God the Father, or his high status, but served others with great personal self-sacrifice, and all for the glory of God. So, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the Name above every Name” to everlasting and universal acclaim. Jesus earned a well-deserved REPUTATION for nobility with a legacy of glory because of his humble, self-giving, costly sacrificial service.

God’s Son emptied himself of self to love others. He neither thought less of, nor more highly of himself than he truly deserved. Jesus Christ lived selflessly in the service of his Father’s glory, and the good of others.

By contrast, a BRAND name is not the same as a good REPUTATION. Recall how Mr. Trump said: “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.” An obsession to build a personal BRAND is why we get Trump Steaks, Trump Accounts, Trump Gold Cards, Trump Rx, Trump Mobile Phones, Trump Center for the Arts, Trump Institute for Peace, Trump Towers, Trump Golden Fleet, Trump Bibles, Trump Casinos, Trump Resorts, Trump Bitcoin, Trump University, Trump Sneakers, Trump Hotels, Trump Golf Resorts.

BRANDS, even gilded and profitable ones, have a short shelf life and often go bankrupt. But a good REPUTATION will endure. “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

The contrast between a BRAND and a REPUTATION is often observed in the behaviors of the “old money” aristocracy and the “new money.” Those with a secure identity can give of themselves, personally and sacrificially, to benefit the lives of others. But nouveau riche are often insecure. So they inflate themselves to project their own self-importance, and often demean the reputations of other people.

Every follower of Jesus has a God-given mandate: “Have this mindset among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:6) Those who follow and serve God in imperfect imitation of Jesus’ cruciform way of life will receive a legacy that lasts. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)

This New Year,
Are you building your BRAND?
Or choosing a good REPUTATION?

The Presbyterian Church in America's 2024 national meeting saw detailed deliberations over its Rules of Operations, who may distribute the elements of the Lord’s Supper, who may serve on church committees, and procedures for discipline. But a weightier matter was shelved.

The 52nd PCA General Assembly voted to indefinitely postpone Overture #50 from Chesapeake Presbytery: Encouragement to Discernment and Compassion regarding Immigrants — click to read. The vote was 706 yea / 476 nay. *With charity toward all the commissioners, I have learned (since I was not present) that Overture #50 was received late, and was the last to be docketed. The indefinite postponement may have been due to parliamentary fatigue.

I have taught and preached on Biblical hospitality for decades. Recently, this online resource. I developed and led the PCA's hospitality-based ministry for international students, one of only two denomination sponsored international student ministries. So I am compelled to offer a gentle, respectful, but firm and insistent reminder to fellow PCA Elders.

Churches can only indefinitely postpone the practice of Biblical hospitality (filoxenia: redemptive, family love for strangers and foreigners) until the great Day when all opportunities to welcome and receive the Lord Jesus will be gone … forever.

Lord, when did we see you? (Matthew 25:35)

We are commanded to both practice hospitality (Romans 12:13) and honor the emperor (1 Peter 2:17). We can support immigration reforms without being callous to asylum seekers, refugees, or legal immigrants. We can care for our legal guests, like international students and scholars (fully screened and granted legal F- and J- visas).

Our politics (left, right, or center) must never control or corrupt our fidelity to God’s Word (Hebrews 13:2, Genesis 18:1-15). We were all once foreigners, but we are now, by God's grace, citizens of God’s Kingdom (Philippians 3:20-21).

The postponed Overture #50 seeks to encourage Gospel obedience: “The PCA encourages its churches to speak and act toward the sojourner in ways shaped not by political rhetoric but by the gospel, remembering our own identity as once-strangers, now brought near by grace.” (Ephesians 2:13)

Jesus, God’s ultimate resident-foreigner, stands knocking on our church doors. (Revelation 3:20). We must not close our ears to his voice because we are consumed by worldly media or political ideology. We must not harden our hearts to the gospel.

Jesus came as our Kinsman-Redeemer. (John 1:11-12) We cannot claim to fully obey our Lord's "Great Commission" if Christian hospitality becomes our "Great Omission," indefinitely postponed until Jesus Christ returns in glory.

A Renewed Opportunity

The PCA's next General Assembly is in June 2026, in Louisville, KY. The host committee has announced the theme for the week: “The Welcome of God.” My prayer: that our Welcoming God will make the PCA an increasingly Welcoming People.

GOD'S EXILES BLESS BABYLON.

Civil Religion tries to enlist religion and the church to support the State’s agenda, but Public Theology urges God’s people to return to God’s Word, and then sends them into the public square to pursue the common good of all society — not just your own religious tribe. I treasure a gift from Chinese students in the USA — an object of calligraphy that may be translated, Honor God and Bless People — a good summary of the Great Commandments and Public Theology!

God expelled the people of Israel from their land because they were unfaithful, serving idols. Deported to Babylon, they were told to not be nostalgic for their failed theocracy, but repent of their idolatry, then bless the pagan empire, Babylon. Repent > Be Refined > Bless.

This is the way forward for American Christians and churches. We must first recognize the bad consequences of our trust in politicians. The path ahead is not to go back to some golden age. We must rediscover our identity as God's foreigners. To invert an old phrase, we must learn to live as a moral minority in a foreign land. Or, in John Stott's words: to be spiritually distinct, but not socially segregated. Only when Jesus’ followers and church are spiritually distinct, salt and light, can we bless our nation.

David Brooks, who converted to Christ from Judaism, has noted that the Jews in Babylon are the only case when a people retained and did not lose its cultural-religious distinctives through assimilation. Only the people who belong to God, and who live as God's foreigners, will bless the world. To learn to live as Exiles, God’s people have guidance from God's Word, the Bible. Three examples:

From the Old Testament: Jeremiah’s letter to the Jewish Exiles: Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons … give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare [Shalom, complete well being] of the city where I have sent you into exile … pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare [Shalom] you will find your welfare [Shalom]. (Jeremiah 29:4-7)

From the New Testament: the Apostle Paul to the Philippians: our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20). The cultural context: Philippi was a colony of Rome in the heart of Greek Macedonia. But, rather than exercise their rights and social status as Roman citizens, they must do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind … which is yours in Christ Jesus … (Philippians 2:3-5)

Again, from the New Testament: the Apostle Peter writes to Christians in Asia Minor, a power center of the Caesar cult: to those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia … I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh … Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1:1, 2:11-12).

Like the Jews in imperial Babylon, or the early Christians under imperial Rome, American Christians now live under an authoritarian regime. Journalist David French notes that this is typical in history, but we live in one of the few times when Christians democratically voted themselves for such a regime (the 1930’s “good Germans” also come to mind). When we confess and follow Jesus Christ under the thumb of a Caesar in a decaying empire, that is the more typical historical norm.

Now, if we live in such circumstances and serve counter-culturally (protecting unwanted lives, redeeming and not disposing of them, or welcoming foreigners to take refuge in our embassies), we may be maligned as “backward conservatives” or “woke progressives.” But, in truth, we will become glimpses of the Kingdom of God, a new world coming, filled with righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

From his distant vantage point in North Africa, Augustine witnessed the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire. The “eternal city” on earth was overrun and sacked by the Visigoths in AD 410. But Augustine also glimpsed and wrote about the true Eternal City, The City of God.

Now, as 80 years of a Pax Americana degenerates to an inevitable end, may the good news of God’s Kingdom spread rapidly through the lives of people who live as Jesus Christ's Ambassadors, and through local churches that serve their communities as Embassies of God’s Kingdom — the only Empire that cannot be shaken!

YOUR FALSE GODS WILL HARM YOU.

A series of essays on Public Theology. In contrast with Civil Religion that accommodates Religion to support the State's agenda, Public Theology starts with the Bible and God’s People to seek the welfare [Shalom] of the State, the commonwealth, and the common good. What the Bible says about Idolatry exposes partisan delusions.

King David asked, How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? (Psalm 4:2) Trust in falsehoods turns delusional. Devotion to false gods generates a force field of lies, empty promises, false hopes, and pretensions to power. Like any addiction, idols appear to offer you control but end up controlling and harming you.

You can correct falsehoods by fact-checking. But delusions are not open to change when presented with contrary evidence. Those who love delusions will defend their cults and double down, in spite of all the evidence, even if it leads to self-harm.

A dramatic Bible example is King Ahab and his court prophets. Facing an economic crisis of drought and famine, the king and people turned to baals, fertility gods. God’s true prophet Elijah was labeled a troubler of Israel. (1 Kings 18:17) Elijah exposed the impotence of false gods, and publicly shamed the prophets of false promises. But the false prophets at court shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. (1 Kings 18:28)

When your devotion to a false god becomes delusional, it leads to personal and social harm. In our time, uncritical loyalty to MAGA ideology has started to turn delusional and also socially harmful.

Swiss theologian Emil Brunner observed, For every civilization, for every period of history, it is true to say: show me what kind of gods you have, and I will tell you what kind of humanity you possess.

MAGA's distrust of federal agencies (or "the deep state") has brought massive cuts in public health, the National Institutes of Health, and the Communicable Disease Centers. Vaccine skepticism has led to a resurgence of measles. Losing scientific researchers, the ability to regulate and test new medications, and vulnerability to new pandemics are social consequences.

Cuts to the FAA have sown doubts about air traffic safety. The dismantling, not reforming, of domestic or international disaster relief agencies like FEMA or USAID, makes us less able to show compassion to our own citizens or world neighbors. USAID deployed three staff to the Myanmar earthquake zone. But China has flooded relief workers to aid earthquake victims.

If you make sweeping deportations, incarcerate a legal refugee, admit you ignored his Constitutional due process, but still claim — with no evidence — that the victim is a gang member? When asked, “Why do you claim this man is a gang member with no proof?” The MAGA answer: “Why do you defend a known gang member by asking that question?”

What if, contrary to most conservative economists, you start global trade wars, violate your own trade agreements? As the Economist notes: “Almost everything [potus] said … on history, economics and the technicalities of trade … was utterly deluded.” But cult leaders offer a “prosperity” gospel: “you'll get rich — just believe enough.”

David Kelly, the chief global strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management says, “The trouble with tariffs, to be succinct, is that they raise prices, slow economic growth, cut profits, increase unemployment, worsen inequality, diminish productivity and increase global tensions. Other than that, they're fine.”

But who cares if the stock markets tank? If families spend $1,000's more? Trust potus! He knows what he’s doing. Uncritical devotion becomes delusional, leading to personal and societal harm. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame? (Jeremiah 7:19)

FALSE GODS WILL DISFIGURE YOU.

I have long studied the topic of Idolatry. In this cultural moment, biblical insights on Idolatry apply to Public Theology, the dialogue between those inside and outside the church. Public Theology identifies common interests, to build a good and just society to benefit all citizens, not just Christians. As God’s exiles, Christ’s Ambassadors, and local churches as Kingdom Embassies, how can we pursue the common good (“commonweal”) of American society?

The Bible warns: idols distort and disfigure you. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them. (Psalm 135:18) What you revere, you will resemble. Trust in false gods turns you into something corrosive, not preservative, to society.

To worship One who is worthy is positively transforming. God’s Son came to earth, was incarnate, embodied in Jesus. We all are broken creatures, bent images of God, but Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3). Only Jesus is the perfectly righteous Hero (royal Lion King) and the only worthy Victim (God’s sacrificial Lamb).

Devotion to Jesus transforms us into Christ-likeness: beholding the glory of the Lord [we will be] transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Devotion to the only One worthy of worship ultimately leads to bodily resurrection. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:49).

But what happens if we give our hearts to a ruler or a political idol? When our idol acts cruelly or inhumanely, we ourselves become dehumanized. Those who trust in them become like them.

Idolizing rulers both disfigures people and distorts societies. When Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar made absolute claims, he became beastly. The Bible does not reveal the identity of the final anti-Christ, the beast. But when any unworthy ruler claims to be “savior of the world” (like Augustus, the “revered one”), he becomes bestial. Counterfeits to God’s Lion-Lamb justify themselves as heroes who never do wrong, but are mistreated as victims.

Idolizing rulers produces cults. The Augustus cult persecuted early Christians. When politicians demand cult loyalty, their devotees are disfigured. Society becomes paranoid, brutal, coercive, and cruel. Respectful civil discourse is replaced by anger and grievance.

When professing Christians are seduced by beastly idols, they may begin to condone or excuse anti-Christian behavior, like inhumane treatment of refugees, prisoners, the weak, unhealthy, the poor, and people of color. Xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, and racism are not the marks of a good society or a great nation.

Probably writing from Ephesus, a center of the imperial cult, the apostle John urged Jesus' followers to reflect God’s Light and Love. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you … many antichrists have come … they went out from us, but they were not of us. (1 John 2:18-19, 26)

Jesus' followers must not be corrosive, but preserving Salt, truthful Light, even blessing our imperial Babylon. Let us follow God's Lamb and not marvel at beastly counterfeits (Revelation 17:8). And, as God's children, let us keep ourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21)

FALSE GODS ARE FALSE HOPES.

I am sometimes asked, “Why do you, a retired minister, speak or write so frequently on political topics? Is not your highest calling to declare the good news of God’s kingdom in Jesus Christ?” Are you being unfaithful to the “spirituality of the church?” I ordinarily reply in some of these ways:

First, the Gospel of Christ's kingdom is political, but not partisan. When the first followers of Jesus confessed, “Christ is Lord,” they risked their lives. They would pay taxes and honor the government (render to Caesar what was Caesar's), but would not confess Caesar as lord. When Jesus testified to Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world, (John 18:36) he was crucified by self-preserving Jewish politicians who alleged Jesus was a threat to the Roman emperor.

Second, now retired from vocational ministry, I am not diluting or distracting myself from the ministry of God’s Word. As a registered Independent voter, I do not misrepresent any church or ministry as endorsing one party over the other. Neither major political party fully complies with the biblical values of Christians. There is no “Christian party," and it's increasingly difficult for a Christian to be "all-in" on every political agenda or platform.

Third, and most important, my efforts to do “public theology,” to seek the common good, remains an intensely pastoral calling in these times. I often cite the Apostle’s words: I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3) Too many churches and professing Christians now seek to achieve kingdom goals with worldly, political means. When the Bride of Christ is being seduced by politicians, can a Christian minister remain silent?

At the start of his public ministry, Jesus was tested by the devil, who showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.’ (Luke 4:5-6) The Apostle Paul reminded Christians that though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. (2 Corinthians 10:3) The elderly Apostle John ended his first letter: We are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ … the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)

The topic of American idolatry is so timely because many American Christians and churches have concluded that kingdom goals and Christian values can be, or must be, advanced through worldly means. But false gods will seduce you into harmful false hopes.

So I seek to do some “public theology,” so that Christians will be salt and light, Christ's ambassadors, and local churches will become Kingdom embassies, to pursue the common social good of our neighbors. In the following posts I will note that false gods will not only FAIL you, but also DISFIGURE you and HARM you and others.

PUBLIC THEOLOGY AND POLITICAL IDOLATRY.

I am still cutting my teeth on “Public theology,” a term traced to the University of Chicago’s Martin Marty, who died last month at age 97. Public theology contrasts with a civil religion that tries to fuse (and confuses) the interests of religion and the state.

Public theology is Christian engagement and dialogue, both inside the church and with wider society. By pursuing issues of common interest, it seeks the welfare of a society that is good and just for all citizens, to build up the common good (“commonweal”).

So public theology resonates with God’s message to his people in Babylon. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare (Jeremiah 29:7). Rather than seek a “Christian America” (religious nationalism), public theology accepts the calling of Jesus’ followers to be salt and light, God's exiles in a foreign land, a secular America (Philippians 3:20, 1 Peter 1:1, 2:11-12).

Inside the church, public theology answers the question: How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? (Psalm 137:4). The church can both worship God and serve all its neighbors as Christ's ambassadors and foreign embassies of God’s kingdom.

Public theology speaks with society. It does not just preach to or at society. It is a Christian theology that seeks to be publicly understood, as well as open to critical scrutiny and public debate.

While I am still a novice at public theology, I have studied the Bible topic of Idolatry, and have written a short course for students from around the world, most who are not Christian, about the risk of putting your trust in idols. Because all idols prove to be false hopes.

Idolatry is a helpful diagnostic for these chaotic American times. The Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky observed that all people “must bow down to something.” All your false hopes will finally disappoint, fail, or even crush you.

How can followers of Jesus seek the shalom of all our neighbors, and help build a better commonweal, a good and just society?

To follow: posts on the risks and the consequences of American Idolatry, trusting in politicians. The Bible warns, Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. (Psalm 146:3)

As the East Asian Spring Festival has commenced, we remember in prayer Wáng Yí, 王怡, a legal scholar and founding pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church. He continues in prison (arrested in 2018) for his advocating for church-state separation and for his challenging China’s state church.
Yí’s “Declaration of Faithful Disobedience” is wisdom for American Christians who want to stay faithful to Jesus, love our country and our neighbors, but without being seduced by religious nationalism, that makes a religious idol out of the secular authority.
Wáng Yí, in a time-honored tradition of Chinese intellectuals, speaks as the “conscience of his nation.”

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21)

After Constantine’s conversion (AD 312) the Roman Empire recognized the Christian church. Official persecution of Christians ended. Orthodoxy was affirmed and summarized in the Nicene Creed (AD 325). But the new imperial favor meant Christianity was politically and socially popular. Corruption grew in both high society and church-state relations.

Enter John Chrysostom (AD 347-407). Born in a well-educated family in Antioch, he became known as the “Golden-Mouth.” John's sermons and writings were Bible-based, clear, practical, and attracted large crowds.

After he became bishop of Constantinople, he was a public witness against social immorality, callous treatment of the urban poor, and the extravagant spending in the imperial capital. So John made enemies in both the church and state, including the Emperor’s wife. He was charged with treason and deported from Constantinople. Chrysostom died in exile.

There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), so it’s “back to the future.” If the state and the church do not stay free and independent, corruption grows. The church may curry the state’s favor to promote or protect its work. Or the state may seek to control the church and to regulate its prophetic witness.

Last week, a U.S. Representative from my home state said that the Washington Cathedral’s bishop should be deported. Others in Congress have called for the POTUS and the government to seize or shut down the Cathedral. Lost in the political drama and theatrics — historical ignorance and irony.

Should churches be regulated, or sermons state-controlled, if not ideologically aligned? American patriots fought for religious liberty against a state-controlled church. Nazis required the state German church to comply with party ideology. The People's Republic of China regulates religion, pursues “sinicization,” disbands house churches, and registers only state-controlled churches.

So, where are today’s Chrysostom’s? Bonhoeffer’s? Or Wáng Yí’s? All who love their countries but whose citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). The need in an imperial state: a public witness to Jesus Christ with more ”golden mouths” — and fewer religious sycophants and court jesters.

For now almost five decades, Robert M. M’Cheyne’s Bible Reading Calendar has guided my devotions. Today’s chapters were timely.

• Genesis 6: Remember that the earth is filled with corruption and violence because of willful wickedness residing in human hearts. Not only we, but God our Creator is grieved.

• Ezra 6: Remember that rebuilding the temple prospered by God’s Word proclaimed by God’s prophets. God’s decrees overrule the permissive decrees of human rulers. God’s Word fulfills God's Purposes — through human agency.

• Acts 6: Remember that all other good works can be delegated. To grow God’s people, priority must be given to Prayer and the ministry of the Word.

• Matthew 6: Remember to not be anxious about the future. Seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.

The Bible contains images of chaos creatures — like leviathan and behemoth — that corrupt, disrupt, and destroy the beauty of God’s creation. God alone can and must do what we feeble and sinful mortals can never do — subdue monstrous evil.

God’s original design was to create a sacred space on earth, a royal sanctuary, a footstool for the Creator's rule, a place to dwell with the mortals sustained by God’s gift of life. Humans would serve as God’s image-bearers, royal priests, “little L lords," to order and fill the earth with knowledge and glory, to roll back the disordered chaos, and to cultivate the earth as the Garden of the LORD, a holy temple where God would dwell with us.

But now the earth is blighted and cursed. Sinful mortals lost access to the Giver of life, Tree of life, and River of life. We are subject to death and decay. The incarnation of God's eternal Son fulfilled God’s promise that the “seed of the woman” would “crush the serpent’s head.” (Genesis 3:15). Advent celebrates God’s Son coming to take on our humanity, become the second Adam, the perfect image of God’s immortal glory. (Hebrews 1:3) He became like his brothers and sisters in every way except our sin. (Hebrews 2:17, 4:15) He came from heaven as our kinsman-redeemer, to purchase our release from all debts, to shed his own blood as God’s Lamb.

After the Father's work of creation and before the Son’s work of redemption, God planted an interim garden spot in the midst of the nations. Israel was redeemed from Egypt, and planted like a vine (Psalm 80:8). But Israel became corrupt — a desolate wasteland (Isaiah 5:1-7). That is why God’s Son is the true Vine (John 15:1-8) in whom we may abide and be fruitful. Jesus entered our world, confronted the evil serpent in the wilderness, and his signs reveal that he came to heal the creation, as “far as the curse is found.”

God’s temple was built by the son of David, Solomon. In the temple was a huge bronze basin (15 ft diameter) known as The Sea, supported by twelve bronze bulls (behemoths?). It held water for ritual washings, but it was probably also a symbol of God’s power. At creation, God had contained the sea, the symbol of chaos. In our chaotic world, God upholds the created order and overrules all the principalities and powers — the forces that threaten God's creation.

In front of the temple’s portico stood two huge pillars (25+ ft high). They were freestanding, named Jakin (establish) and Boaz (strength). The full inscriptions may have read, “the LORD establishes (jakin) your throne," and “in the LORD’s strength [boaz] the king rejoices.” God promised that the royal line of David would be established, forever, by the LORD’s own strength.

As Mary exclaimed after the angel’s Annunciation, her promised son “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David … of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 2:32-33) Everything God has promised, God will surely fulfill, by God's own power.

At Christ’s final Advent, the new creation will fulfill all of these images. New Jerusalem will be a Garden-City. The entire city will be cubic, like the Holy of Holies. (Revelation 21:15-25) The City of God will be a holy sanctuary city for the nations. The Tree of Life will grow on both sides of the River of Life to heal the cosmos (Revelation 22:1-5). Finally, “there will be no sea.” (Revelation 21:1). All sin, death, disease, and chaos monsters will be banished forever!

Angels from the realms of glory rarely appear unless God will soon set in motion extraordinary, saving events. But the story of Israel contained images of celestial creatures. Inside the Ark of the Covenant were the tablets of God’s moral Law. The atonement cover over the Law was the Mercy Seat. Blood of sacrificial lambs was sprinkled on this lid — testifying that God would provide atonement for his people’s sins. Wrought into the atonement cover were two cherubim, angels gazing down in wonder at the sacrifice God was prepared make to atone for sinners. As the Apostle Peter would later exclaim, “Even angels long to look into these things!” (1 Peter 1:12) God was prepared to send his one and only Son as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

Even before Advent on earth in “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) there was war in heaven between God and the evil one. We see cosmic and cryptic images in Revelation 12:1-6:

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant … crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down la third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Apocalyptic literature often has indecipherable images. But much in this passage is clear. Revelation Chapter 12 is central and pivotal. The red dragon represents the devil, cast down to the earth. The pregnant woman represents God’s chosen people, specifically Mary, in whose womb the Savior was conceived to be born into the world. King Herod was part of the dragon’s plot to kill the newborn Son of David who would rule the nations. It was all predicted: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and … his Anointed (Messiah).” (Psalm 2:2) John's Apocalypse skips over the historical ministry of Jesus to his ascension to God’s throne, on the heavenly Mount Zion.

The Great Christ Comet is an intriguing, well-researched, but debated book. Author Colin R. Nicholl finds an astronomical basis for this thesis: the cosmic nativity scene in John's vision is what the Magi actually observed from the East. A great comet appeared in the constellation Virgo (the virgin), with a meteor shower emanating from the constellation Scorpio (the dragon).

Did Mesopotamian astrologers connect their celestial observations to the warning of Balaam, learned from the Jewish Diaspora in Babylon? “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth … and one from Jacob shall exercise dominion.” (Numbers 24:17,19) Did a comet’s tail appear to rise out of Israel to guide the Magi to Palestine? Ancient astrology and modern science alike change and are fallible. The Magi had to consult Scripture (Micah 5:2) to find the Christ child at Bethlehem.

The Bible’s Advent images are bizarre, strange, and yet true. From the first promise of a Savior (Genesis 3:15) to Balaam’s warning, all of the images, prophecies, and promises are fulfilled by Jesus, the Seed of the woman, who crushes the head of the serpent. Advent is more than images of a crèche, a Nativity scene. Advent is God’s cosmic victory over all his and our enemies.

During Advent season, we await the second coming of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. This year, we also anticipate a transfer of the USA’s executive authority. November was noisy and chaotic. These December days seem quiet … before what?

Do we long for God's Lion-Lamb, or for a Leviathan? As we hope that God’s kingdom will come on earth as in heaven, let's consider the inherent dangers that lurk in all authoritarian governments — whether on the left or the right side of the political spectrum.

The Bible sometimes represents powerful, uncontrollable forces in the world as monstrous, primeval beasts. Behemoth and Leviathan are chaos-creatures made by God, and controllable only by God. (Job 40:15–16, 41:1, Isaiah 27:1). Behemoth is a land-monster that lurks in an invisible desert. Leviathan is a sea-monster that dwells in the abyss. This pair is so powerful that only the sovereign God can overrule and subdue them to his own purposes.

Chaos creatures disrupt and bring disorder. Nebuchadnezzar’s vainglory and hubris made him a beast (Daniel 4:28-37). The Apocalypse (final revealing) unmasks the Dragon seeking to devour the promised seed of the woman (Revelation 12:1-6). The cosmic battle is seen in King Herod’s murderous rage over a newborn king at Bethlehem. One of the Dragon's beasts (Revelation 13:11) is a counterfeit of God’s Lamb, part of an unholy trinity (666) of the Dragon and its two beastly demonic agents (Revelation 13:1ff, 11ff).

Worldly rebellion against God becomes visible in evil empires, even those supported by idolatrous worship. For example, the cult that deified Caesar “Augustus” (majestic one). A sermon by Dr. Kevin DeYoung offers a detailed explanation of how evil can pervert the state and true worship.

In history, bestial images can represent authoritarian governments. The dragon symbolized strong, centralized rule in imperial China. In Leviathan (1651), 17th-century political philosopher Thomas Hobbes advocated for authoritarian rule as necessary to maintain social order. In his later book, Behemoth (1668), he draws lessons from England’s civil war, and charged the English Long Parliament with an abuse of political power.

The Apostle Peter urged early Christians, who had no vote, to honor and to submit to Caesar (1 Peter 2:13,17) even when persecuted. And the Apostle Paul commanded Christians to submit to Rome's government and taxes (Romans 13:1-7). The Behemoths and Leviathans are chaos monsters — but they are still creatures. Romans 13 is often cited as God's approval of the powers that be (depending on your political leanings). But, any government can become a chaos-creature controllable only by God's sovereignty. As noted by 19th century British politician Lord Acton, "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

The Apostle John’s vision in Revelation unmasks the beastly brutality, cruelty, and chaotic nature of corrupt human rule. Christians are called to both endurance and wisdom (Revelation 13:10,18,17:9) whenever faced with a corrupt state supported by an idolatrous cult. Followers of the Lamb of God must continue to live and love as citizens of God’s Kingdom, only confessing Jesus Christ, and not Caesar, as their Lord.

Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)

This Advent, let us long for the second coming of our Lamb-Lion King Jesus. The second coming of any president cannot save us, even if the state is endorsed by a corrupted religious cult. God calls followers of the Lamb to flee idolatry, to never marvel at beasts, to exercise wise discernment, and to faithfully endure.

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Last month, I celebrated my 50th wedding anniversary (1974-2024). My bride and I met and were married in a Richmond, Virginia church (RPC-ES) that joined the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in 1982.

Now retired from vocational (but not from personal, volunteer) ministry, I did not attend the PCA’s 51st annual General Assembly in Richmond. But I have been reflecting on the history of Presbyterians in Virginia and on the current trends I observe in the PCA denomination.

Presbyterianism came to Virginia through the tireless efforts of Rev. Samuel Davies. Davies’ impact and legacy were immense. He received his early education from Rev. Samuel Blair, who himself trained for the ministry at Rev. Gilbert Tennent’s “Log College,” the precursor to the College of New Jersey, later Princeton.

Born in Delaware, Davies led his family into the Presbyterian church. At 23 years old, he was sent to Virginia as an evangelist. He ministered in Hanover County from 1748-59. Davies led a group of dissenters out of Virginia’s state-sponsored colonial Anglican church. They formed Hanover Presbytery, which included both Virginia and North Carolina congregations.

Davies died at age 37, but the legacies of his brief life are numerous. His powerful sermons inspired the oratory of Virginia patriot Patrick Henry. He was named the 4th President of the College of New Jersey, following the death of Jonathan Edwards. Davies was an early missionary to enslaved Africans. He was America’s first hymn writer. Davies led in the cause for religious and civil liberties. Middle Colony Presbyterians were among the most ardent supporters of the American Revolution.

Rev. Davies was a “New Side” Presbyterian. The “Old Side” and the “New Side” ministers had different ministry emphases and personal temperaments.

“New Side” ministers supported the Great Awakening and cooperated with Anglican George Whitefield and Congregational Jonathan Edwards. New Siders sought personal spiritual vitality and local church renewal. They founded educational institutions and adapted for ministry and missions. The old RPC-ES denomination with Francis Schaeffer bequeathed to the PCA New Side impulses and institutions.

By contrast, “Old Side” ministers emphasized a strict adherence to confessional standards, and a close examination of candidates for ordained ministry. They sought to maintain doctrinal distinctives and orderly church government. Old Siders stood for traditional Presbyterianism. They were not inclined to enter into inter-denominational partnerships for missions. Deep South Presbyterians were typically more “Old Side.” But they often had a “blind side” for ministries among minorities and for Christian racial reconciliation.

It has long been my conviction that these two “Sides” provided important checks and balances for each other. The “Old Side” provided doctrinal guard rails for those more outreach-minded. The “New Side” motivated the church to stay on-mission to outsiders.

The PCA is now accelerating on an Old Side trajectory, perhaps reacting to America’s changing cultural diversity. As I noted here before the PCA’s 50th anniversary, churches and ministers can become unbalanced because of temperaments and gifts.

“New Side” Presbyterians like Samuel Davies wanted to promote their faith across America, even to the cultural minorities — like the enslaved and indigenous Americans. The PCA seems increasingly concerned to preserve the faith in today’s post-Christian America with its increased social diversity and secular challenges.

My Prayer is for a restored and respectful rebalancing of the PCA’s Old Side and New Side impulses. Licensed in the old RPC-ES, I was drawn to its missional commitments. Ordained in the PCA, I now pray for its rebalanced commitments to orthodoxy and outreach. May God renew the PCA’s founding vision: Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.

“Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes — a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing — a good city to grow up in.” (Zechariah 8:4-5, The Message)

These dual perspectives: seeing the hard and present sufferings, while hearing the overtures of hope, are expressed in the American folk hymn How Can I Keep from Singing? We groan — for glory.

• He prays for the Father to be glorified in the Son who accomplishes his finished work to redeem his people.

• He prays for the Father to sanctify (set apart, make holy) his church by the continuing work of God’s Word of truth.

• He prays that his church will be sent into the world just as the Father has sent him into the world.

• He prays that the Father will be glorified as his people display spiritual unity-in-community before a watching world.

• He prays for the Father to protect his church from both worldly corruption and the evil one’s schemes.

• I may pray for purity, to stay faithful to God’s Word, but then forget God sets the church apart to be sent — not siloed.

• I may pray for missions, as Jesus was sent into the world, but be naive to the dangers of cultural conformity or deception.

• I may pray for unity, but forget God is glorified when we speak the truth-in-love based on a mutual Confession of Faith.

• Some personality types are more inclined to love the truth than to love their fellow believers.

• Others fear that some have slipped into worldly conformity, and are tempted to slander, instead of showing mutual love and respect for one another.

• Some want the church to be a refuge from the world, and forget that Christ calls the church to be a kingdom embassy, living in exile, and sent on God's mission into the world.

We need to regularly realign our prayers with Jesus, reaffirming the validity of the doctrinal, the missional, and the communal.
Like Jesus, we must ask God the Father to protect the church from both conformity to the world and spiritual deception.
Let us rebalance our “wobbly” prayers to bring them into sync with Jesus’ own perfect prayers for his church.
Lord, have mercy on Your church!

How Can I Keep from Singing?
My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation,
I hear the sweet, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation
Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul –
How can I keep from singing?
What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth.
Although the darkness round me close,
Songs in the night he giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven & earth,
How can I keep from singing?

Hope in Jesus is not only for Easter Sunday, but for everyday. So, in this season of now-and-not yet, let us embrace this tearful, yet joyful and ultimately hopeful season of Eastertide. A season of expectant longing for that great Day when all things are made new.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain.
I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.
My anguish! my anguish! I writhe in pain! O the walls of my heart!
I pour out my complaint … I tell my trouble.
My pain is ever before me.
Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?

"Is everything sad going to come untrue?” (J. R. R. Tolkien). So much sadness. “Afferent” nerves in my peripheral nervous system ask for clarity. But my brain struggles to process this pain. This is clear: mass shootings must not devolve into blame games or debates about gun rights, freedom of religion, or sexual expression.

Moral responsibilities are more than legal rights and personal freedoms. My community requires more than my expressing my individuality. Do I act consistently pro-life? Is every human sacred? Do I love America's children more than my guns?

Civil, legal, and personal rights are important, but are not sacred. I can choose to not make use of my rights to love God and love my neighbors as myself. Moral responsibility can choose the common good over expressions of my personal freedom.

The “efferent” nerves from my brain signal my muscles and limbs. Flight or fight? Fight on! Work tirelessly, not for your personal freedoms and rights, but to protect the sanctity of every human life.

Zechariah 8:5 is a vivid glimpse of God’s coming City: “The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.”

But now let us weep with those who grieve. Let us join creation’s groaning for resurrection. For no more mass shootings, self-serving politicians, festering grievances, or violent behaviors. No more tears. Warfare ended. Empty graves. An everlasting Easter morning.

Come, Lord Jesus, untangle my ganglia.
Come, Lord Jesus, heal the world.

Father, forgive us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, renew us.
Reveal your glory through our service.

1. PAST. Personally and collectively, I was (we all were) born with disordered desires that corrupt all of my (and our) acts and deeds. Original sin corrupts, disorders, and misdirects all of our desires. MY QUESTIONS: Are the disordered (heterosexual) desires in my flesh any less sinful than the (homosexual) desires in my brothers? Does faith in Christ justify us from all our sins? If we don’t put to death (or “mortify”) all misdirected desires, does that disqualify any from leadership, or only those with misdirected homosexual desires?

2. PRESENT. I must die daily to my remaining (internal) sinful desires and (the external) cultural temptations to self-define or self-indulge myself. MY QUESTIONS: Do I lean into my sanctification, daily denying myself to follow, live in, and live for Christ — to fruitfully honor, serve, and please God? Is the power of the Gospel progressively expelling all of my idolatrous desires? Am I growing, erratically but assuredly, in unselfish love for God and my neighbors?

3. FUTURE. Our sin struggles will differ from our fellow Christians, in both specifics and how we describe them — contextually, culturally, ministerially, personally, and sexually. But our shared hope is in the resurrection and glorification of the body, in union with Christ, the complete deliverance from our sinful flesh. MY QUESTIONS: Do I (we) find our ultimate identity and destiny only in God’s Story? Is God's Gospel my (and our) only hope in life and in death?

These deeply pastoral and theological issues require us to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) so that the beauty of Christ, full of grace and truth, will be reflected in our PCA church. The General Assembly adopted the Study on Human Sexuality. I find it to be a truth-in-love statement. But the affirmative answers to the related Overtures deeply disappointed me, in both content and tone. As these must now be approved by 2/3 of Presbyteries and the next General Assembly, I ask these questions:

1. WHO DO WE SERVE? Church moral statements can define what is "right" for "insiders," but can deprive others a welcoming and safe church environment there they can share their sin struggles and receive support for growth in grace.

2. TRUTH and LOVE? As noted by Rev. Sammy Rhodes: "There is a way of choosing fear over love that looks like choosing truth over compromise."

3. ARE ALL SINNERS SAVED BY GRACE? Rev. Tim Keller notes that Westminster Larger Catechism (139): "puts 'all unnatural lusts; all unclean imaginations, thoughts ... affections' in a single list all violating the 7th command. No gradations. To argue some sinful sexual desires are disqualifying for office but others are not, you can’t use the confession."

In Christ's church, everyone must be allowed to confess their sin struggles, honestly and sincerely, without fear of rejection or slander. We share in a common source of personal Identity and Growth in God's Story. We must believe the Gospel for ourselves and become Good News for others. Our identities are not in our unique broken stories, but in God's Gospel.

• China and Asia are now “the factory of the world.” China has lifted millions of citizens out of poverty and has quickly built its middle class. But China’s rising ambitions to regional geo-political dominance are a grave concern.

• Most manufacturing has moved offshore. “Flat world” trade, unregulated capitalism, and supply chain economics lower production costs to companies and prices that consumers pay at Target, Walmart, or Rooms-to-Go. Is that good? Bad? Both?

• Growing income disparity and a shrinking American middle class can be traced to global economic, manufacturing trends. American manufacturing capacity, not professional elites, made the 20th the “American century.” Can technology innovation, and highly educated legal immigrants, keep America great?

• Can America educate and train blue collar workers, like the skilled artisans who handcrafted my grandfather’s desk? The decline in the quality of public education and vocational training cast significant doubts.

• Can America rebuild its middle class? The current administration proposes large-scale economic initiatives. Compare the 1930’s, when FDR promoted large federal programs to rescue Capitalism from the Great Depression, a time when dispirited American workers were vulnerable to the hollow promises of Bolshevism.

• Hoover era Republicans criticized New Deal initiatives like Social Security, the National Industrial Recovery Act, infrastructure and public works projects like the CCC as Socialism. But it can be argued that FDR was a "go-big" pragmatist, who would try anything to promote economic recovery, which only came with World War 2. Is this déjà vu? Military conflict is a helluva way to regain post-war prosperity.

Disputes and protests over racial injustices now tear at the seams of America’s social fabric. Over the years, I have heard firsthand stories from Christian brothers and sisters of color who have personally experienced racial profiling or suffered unjust treatment.

As I listen to their stories, I grieve. But I also want to heed God’s mandate to “look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you.” (Hebrews 13:3b, the Message) As a follower of Jesus, and a member of Christ’s Body, I know “if one member suffers, all suffer together” (1 Corinthians 12:26, ESV) At least, that is how the church is supposed to operate.

Maybe white followers of Jesus should only listen to believers of color who have suffered from racial injustice. Any person from “white privilege” will fail in attempts to identify or compare with their painful stories. Do I dismiss, devalue, or disqualify their raw experiences? And should a white brother ever speak about racial injustices or about slavery?

For those in Christ, ultimate Identity is found only in Christ. For all who share in the Gospel Story (which is God’s meta-narrative), there is only one righteous Hero, one worthy Victim — Jesus Christ. Followers of Christ cannot justify their lives based on what they have personally accomplished or suffered. My (white man’s) story has no authority, power, or priority over any other believer’s story.

But if the church is a community of shared stories, Christ calls us to grow and serve each other in love. As I wrote what follows, I invited fellow Christians, each a person of color, to help me to listen to, and to interpret my own narrative. And I pray that my personal story will help fellow white believers to reflect on their own race relationships.

In the summer of 1970, I worked for a missionary chaplain, alongside African college students at University College of Cape Coast, Ghana. Our mornings were spent constructing a two classroom school to teach English as a second language to local Fante village children. Our afternoons were spent in a summer long Bible School day camp program.

We also took the village children on excursions, including to historic Elmina and Cape Coast Castles on the Gulf of Guinea. I have described the significant impact of one day at Elmina Castle in a chapter of the recently published Hear Us, Emmanuel. Here I reflect in more detail.

In 1970, African-Americans were making pilgrimages to Cape Coast and to Elmina to reconnect with their West African roots and to retrace their ancestors’ footsteps through the castle’s infamous “Door of No Return.” As we visited Elmina, Fante village children climbed happily on the castle turrets, supervised by fun-loving West African college students. All were unfazed by Elmina’s horrific history of slave-trading. On that day, I was the only white person at Elmina Castle. But there were many American tourists.

Elmina was Europe’s first settlement in West Africa. Elmina Castle is the oldest European building in the sub-Sahara, built by Portugal in 1482 to protect its gold trade from the Dutch. The castle later became a slave depot. Africans stolen from interior kingdoms were held in inhumane conditions, later led in chains through a “Door of No Return” for shipment to Brazil or other Portuguese colonies. This suffering took place below spacious officers’ quarters with airy, scenic Atlantic views and even a chapel. After the Dutch seized Elmina from Portugal in 1637, slave trading continued at Elmina until abolished by Holland in 1814.

Only 12km away, Cape Coast became British headquarters for transatlantic trafficking after Holland ceded the entire Gold Coast to Great Britain. African men, women, and children were sold and shipped to the Caribbean, North and South America. From 1664, Cape Coast Castle was a slave depot for over 150 years. In 1833, led by William Wilberforce, Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act. In 1957, Gold Coast became the first British crown colony to gain independence, as the modern nation of Ghana.

Whether Portuguese, Dutch, or British, the West African slave trade continued for almost 400 years, until the mid-19th Century. Cape Coast and Elmina Castles are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

This was only local history to the African college students at Elmina. This was not their personal story. Their ancestors had not been stolen or trafficked by Europeans to economically benefit the colonies. But Elmina was part of my story. I was raised in the Jim Crow era, and in a southern culture that was built upon, stained by, and structured upon slavery.

To African-Americans at Elmina Castle in 1970, my white presence no doubt felt like a profane transgression of their sacred ancestral ground. I cannot imagine how I appeared to fellow Americans as they retraced their family histories and pondered the horrors of Elmina. Suddenly and unexpectedly, I felt out of place. I did not feel guilt for slavery. But I did feel ashamed. That was God’s gift.

As I witnessed my fellow Americans taking in the gravity of Elmina, I realized they were processing centuries of slavery, silently grieving all that was stolen from their ancestors, who had themselves been stolen from their land. And yet, as uncomfortable as my presence felt, I knew that my momentary shame would never compare with or compensate for their accumulated experiences of racial injustice. That day, I committed myself to a lifelong journey of compassion and repentance.

It is easy for white Christians to be dismissive: “Slavery was bad, but I didn’t steal or buy slaves.” But, while not personally guilty, my southern family history is bound up with the stories of African-Americans, and with the shame and legacy of slavery.

Summer in Ghana fifty years ago began my process of reflecting on and repenting from my earlier experiences in race relationships. For a follower of Jesus Christ, the way of the cross must, should, and ought to open up new perspectives on racial justice.

In 1970, I began a journey to “look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you.” Through God’s gift of shame and through truthful, loving friendships with believers of color, my life story continues to be more deeply bound to a shared pursuit of justice and righteousness in Christ.

“When your gifts become your gods they become your devils.”

All good things in your life — your talents, treasures, family, ethnicity, and history — can be received as God’s gifts and used to serve God. But they can become your idols (false hopes) if you look to them for your identity, purpose, or significance. I must choose between a grateful heart, or heartbreaking idolatry. Am I devoted to the Giver, or destroyed by my false hopes? And false hopes can include persistent idolatries like racial supremacy or lost cause mythology.

I saw a graphic on social media (I am very rarely inspired by a meme). In a cartoon, Moses is seen destroying the “golden calf” which had become an idol, Israel’s false hope. But the Israelites were shouting, “No! Moses! You are tearing down our history!” But Moses destroyed the image and made Israel taste its bitterness. Yet Moses also recorded the story and did not destroy the history of Israel’s sinful idolatry — and it remained as a warning for all God’s people — both present and future (Exodus 32:20, 1 Corinthians 10:6).

Not everything in our history is good. We must remember — in parts of our story, we got it all wrong. As was repeated throughout Israel’s history, we can profess to trust and serve God — while we continue to sacrifice on the high places — even high places, idolatries, that so persistently cling to our hearts.

I am proud of Mississippi’s legacy in America’s cultural experience: Leontyne Price, Charley Pride, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmie Rodgers, Muddy Waters, Eudora Welty, Will Campbell, Tennessee Williams, Oprah Winfrey, William Faulkner, Jim Henson, Elvis Presley, Morgan Freeman, Sela Ward, Faith Hill, B. B. King, James Earl Jones, John Grisham, Jimmy Buffett, Walker Percy. These and others are celebrated at “The MAX” in my hometown (a shameless promotion).

All Mississippi citizens, of all colors, take part in a rich cultural tapestry. The “1894 Flag” will be remembered as history; but in museums, not lifted up on high places for her citizens’ allegiance.

Note these connected Biblical appeals: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” (Hebrews 13:2-3)

God commands HOSPITALITY to strangers and foreigners among us. And to REMEMBER our spiritual connection with those incarcerated or mistreated for their faith.

Did the PRC cover up the Wuhan emergence of COV-19? Probably. Did the PRC use authoritarian coercion and surveillance methods to contain, then claim a propaganda victory over COV-19? Apparently. Did the PRC intentionally release COV-19 on the world. Unlikely.

But if Christians “blame China,” call COVID-19 a “Chinese virus,” or show xenophobia toward Asians among us, we will validate the PRC’s propaganda. Remember how the PRC expelled Western Christians as anti-government “foreign devils” after the 1949 revolution.

Americans distinguish “church” and “state.” But China claims that the USA (the good, bad, or ugly) is a “Christian nation.” That’s why I introduce myself to Chinese students in the USA as “an ambassador of God’s kingdom, not a promoter of American culture.”

If you follow Jesus, your ultimate citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We should be model American citizens (“render to Caesar”). But we must seek first God’s kingdom, not agendas of culture, patriotism, or nationalism. If these things (even as good gifts) are more important to us than God’s kingdom, they become our idols.

The Gospel reminds us there is only One righteous Hero — One worthy Victim in all of history … Jesus. We are not heroes or victims. We cannot justify ourselves by boasting of our accomplishments or blaming China for our failings.

When you stub your toe, or hammer your finger, your whole body feels the pain. When Americans (or, God forbid, American Christians) contribute to the “blame China” narrative, Christ’s Body in the PRC may be accused of disloyalty to their nation, or being friendly with foreigners who “hate China.”

LORD, help us! Help us to pray for our nation’s international relations. Help us to welcome and pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters. Help us remember “those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

• How do I honor the health care professionals?

• Do I pray for our national, state, and local leaders — or idolize and demonize them?

• Am I generous and personable — not just transactional — with those who buy and deliver my food and supplies?

• Do I sacrifice “pastimes” — like movie streaming and social media — for opportunities to virtually connect with my brothers and sisters, to demonstrate our kinship in Christ?

• How do I reflect the loving kinship and costly self-sacrifice of Jesus, my Kinsman-Redeemer?

✜ verse 9: “I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me …”
► “What should the church and its ministers (not cultural leaders) say and do?”

✜ verse 11: “I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world.”
► Jesus’ church is not siloed from a place and ministry in our world.

✜ verse 15: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
► The church's greatest vulnerability, therefore its greatest need, is spiritual protection, not cultural isolation or disengagement.

✜ verse 17: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
► The church is spiritually distinct only if faithful to God’s Word.

✜ verse 18: “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
► The church should not turn away from a broken world. Jesus sent his church into the world — to embody God’s love and God’s truth. The church’s great co-mission reflects Jesus’ own mission.

✜ verse 21: “May they all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you … so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
► Visible church unity is what makes the good news of Jesus Christ demonstrable, plausible, and credible to the world.

Decades ago, John R. W. Stott expounded John 17:

✜ “There are two distinct human communities … spiritually distinct … not socially segregated.”
✜ “Remaining in the world [the church] should be … by the power of God, ‘kept’ a distinct people …”
✜ “If we are sent into the world, we cannot withdraw from it. If we are sent into the world, we cannot conform to it either, or we shall lose both our message and our power.”
✜ “The principle of incarnation challenges us not to cut ourselves off … nor to become assimilated … [but] to accept the pain and the peril of entering [the world] … understanding its thought forms and learning its language, while remaining ourselves distinct from it.”
✜ “This is the ‘sanctification’ for which Christ prayed … summed up in the three prepositions … the Christian is ‘IN’ the world, not ‘OF’ the world, but sent ‘INTO’ the world.”

I have convictions and concerns on human sexuality, views that are not detailed here. I prayerfully await and eagerly expect a PCA Study Committee Pastoral Statement that is gospel based, that speaks the truth-in-love, and that reflects the heart of Jesus Christ.

But John 17 offers boundary constraints on our motives, processes, and goals. Will the church reflect Jesus’ incarnation, not assimilation or isolation? The prayers of Jesus in John 17 form my heart and shape my prayers for my church family.

May the church not separate what Jesus Christ has joined together. May God sanctify us — set us apart. First, for Christ-like character, “kept” spiritually distinct. And for Christ-like mission, to be “sent” and socially engaged. God sanctifies the church for both distinction and mission — to be "in," not "of," but sent "into" our world.

• Psalm 14:3: “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good …”

• Ecclesiastes 3:16: “I saw under the sun … in the place of justice, even there was wickedness …”

• Isaiah 16:5: “… a throne will be established in steadfast love … on it will sit in faithfulness, in the tent of David, One who judges, and seeks justice, and is swift to do righteousness.”

• Isaiah 42:3: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench…”

• Isaiah 59:14: “Justice is turned back … righteousness stands far away … truth has stumbled in the public squares …”

• Micah 6:8: “He has told you … what is good … what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

• Romans 2:1: “… you have no excuse … in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.”

• Hebrews 4:13: “No creature is hidden from [God’s] sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of the One to whom we must give account.”

• They must define their identity in the image of God, not in their sexuality. Gender is closely related to how all humans reflect God. That is clear from the Hebrew parallelism in Genesis 1:27. Gender reflects our God-given dignity and identity. But gender does not define human identity. Our SSA brothers and sisters hold a view that is rejected by most LGBTQ friends.

• They must deny their SSA impulses, and either seek celibate spiritual friendships in community, or marry the opposite sex. These are hard choices and self-sacrificing lifestyles.

• They face scorn when they define their identity and dignity in Christ, not in their SSA orientation. LGBTQ friends may tell our SSA brothers and sisters in Christ that they are not “true to themselves” if they reject “gender identity” to embrace God's “image-bearer identity”.

• Criticism of the PCA host church, which provided a safe forum to openly discuss challenges that SSA Christians face. If we fail to offer such forums, we drive fellow orthodox believers, who experience SSA, out from gospel-centered churches, and into unbelieving LGBTQ communities. So I commend the St. Louis PCA congregation for their courageous hospitality.

• Criticism of Revoice motives and goals. Is Revoice making worldly accommodation? Or is Revoice imitating the incarnation? Jesus was criticized as the “friend of sinners.” Revoice says its mission is to remain faithful to the truth, while engaging a broken, sin-distorted world. Jesus prayed for our spiritual unity and our protection as we reach out in mission to the world (John 17:11-19). Jesus sanctified himself, to sanctify us in truth. The Father sent Jesus into the world. Jesus sends us into the world. We need God’s truth and protection, but not for worldly accommodation or tribal isolation.

• Criticism of Revoice speakers. There may be real concerns, but we will never agree with every author’s published writings or statements. This is no reason to discredit a conference which offered space to openly discuss and debate many hard, controversial issues.

• Criticism of views of original sin, mortification, and sanctification. This is an area that merits close self-examination and evaluation. What is Revoice’s doctrine of sin? And, are our views completely biblical?

• Do we truncate our doctrine of sin and the fall? Our sinful hearts, our inherited sin natures, are the inward source of outward sinful behaviors (Mark 7:17-23). But sin’s entry into the world is manifested throughout a fallen and distorted creation. That includes our inherited genetic traits.

• Do we condemn those physically or genetically disabled when they cannot “mortify” inherited conditions? No, we offer them mercy. Most Revoice participants acknowledge SSA to be a fallen world condition, not a “born this way” gender identity. When they do this, they are criticized by the secular LGBTQ community.

• Do we truncate our doctrine of mortification? SSA is not disconnected from original sin. All of us are extensively bent toward sexual immorality. Same-sex attraction may be differently directed, but is not different in kind. Sinful lusts also distort opposite-sex attraction. Are there occasional clinical cases of hermaphroditism (ovotesticular disorder)? Do we deny SSA genetic predispositions inherited from birth? If we do that, we may prescribe moralistic, behavioral, and “reparative” therapies to “put to death your SSA.” But those discredited approaches do great harm.

• Do we truncate our doctrine of sanctification? Growth in holiness conforms us to the image of God’s Son (Romans 8:29), but does not make us married heterosexuals. We should respect SSA brothers and sisters in Christ who choose a celibate lifestyle. Jesus was celibate. This is sanctification into Christ-likeness that few disciples are able to “receive” as a gift from God (Matthew 19:10-12).

• The Kuyperian model (for Abraham Kuyper, Dutch theologian, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1901-05): Christians serve in the public square and forge common-grace alliances that improve society’s morals, social justice, schools, universities, press, non-profits, business, industry, and the arts.

• The Benedictine model (for St. Benedict; the Benedictine order): believers form wholesome communities that become salt-and-light models to preserve culture (cf. Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization — the monastic preservation of culture at the descent into the Dark Ages).

Excerpted from a letter to Diognetus, probably late 2nd century

• The enemy is jihadist terrorism. A war on terror is not a war on nations. International leaders have an opportunity to unite against jihadist groups. World leaders can call for a broad multinational coalition against ISIS and its affiliates. World leaders sometimes claim to intervene against terror, to mask or justify their nationalistic ambitions. But calling for a broad, multilateral coalition of western, moderate Muslim, and Asian states against ISIS would expose true motives and goals.

• If the enemy is ideological, the solution is not just military. Unilateral intervention risks unintended consequences and wider war. Already, some have posted a cartoon of an armed Lady Liberty, reminiscent of a cartoon of an American eagle sharpening its talons after 9/11. Politicians boast of American military leadership. But, when necessary, US military intervention has been more effective in defending liberty than in planting free societies in feudal soil. Witness Afghanistan and Iraq. For a clearer understanding of ISIS, and its ideological and apocalyptic goals (which political and military leaders may never understand) the article What ISIS Really Wants in The Atlantic is highly recommended.

• The enemy is terrorism, not immigration. We must not demonize immigrants. No doubt, ISIS embeds jihadists into the floods of Middle Eastern refugees. Tighter border controls are a reasonable response. But most Middle Eastern refugees are fleeing religious and political persecution to protect their lives and families.

• Jesus calls us to love our enemies. Whatever politicians claim or international leaders decide, we must heed Jesus’ words, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s (Mark 12:17). We are commanded to love God and our neighbors — including foreigners. Because we were once enemies and foreigners to God’s kingdom.