Youth Pastors, Biblical? Leaders are like wine...

Youth ministry is "an age-specific religious ministry and is the way in which a faith group, or other religious organization, engages with the young people who attend its place of worship, or live in its community" according to a wiki definition (not the most reliable of sources, but will do for now). My concern is not with the youth being educated (of course they should!) but with the area of study for bringing up young men and woman to become "leaders" and even "pastors" to the youth of the congregation. This again, is not a concern with bringing up younger men and women to be eventual leaders or teaching the youth on separate occasions, but with allowing twenty-somethings to become the supreme role models for the youth of the church by creating a separate pastoral office to the youth.

The first concern is the presupposition that today, the children are separate from the people of God. The majority of the churches that are looking for youth pastors tend to have some sort of baptistic background. The history of Baptist theology assumes that children are not yet apart of the people of God until they make a public profession of faith. They are outside of the covenant and promises. The view of baptism is not necessitative of replacing circumcision as the marker of the covenant, but individual acceptance of Christ as your personal saviour. I am not denying that there are churches that have covenantal theology in Baptist circles, but in Baptist covenantalism, the denial of infant baptism is related to the Regulative Principle, which presents a legitimate argument that baptism of infants is never strictly commanded or forbidden (this presents a problem to those who hold to the regulative principle). That is not my battle to fight due to my lack of sympathy to that principle. Applying the term youth pastor hints that the general pastor of a church either does not have the time for the youth, or that they are separate from the people of God and require different instruction. "The parents do this, and the kids do that." This promotes rebellion and a dichotomy that is unnecessary between the youth and elders. The youth group turns into a babysitters club, where kids play games, parents are relieved, and the youth receive platitudes that are hardly applicable to real life situations. All of these situations are the result of the wrong presuppositions when coming to the education of the youth.

This individualistic approach shapes the whole paradigm of the church. Rather than baptism being the marker of the covenant which a congregation awaits the confirmation of that baptism and God's saving work, it has transformed into a dispensational view of God's covenant (I am making a list of assumptions on topics some would understand and apologize to readers who may need more elaboration, but do not stop reading, it becomes applicable!). Surely, something major has occurred, but God's character has not. The youth are separated from the adults in order to present topics in different ways, apart from the wisdom of the elders (not office, but age group) of the congregation. It appears that not only does the theology play a role, but the infatuation of our culture with youth has infected the church. Rather than generational descent being the mark of a fruitful church, the amount of youth in the congregation appeals to people. An overabundance of churches now look to the youth for some sort of cultural wisdom. Our youth are no longer learning from the wise men with crowns of wisdom, but from a more experienced youth.

The major point in which I am leading to is that the "older youth" of the church are NOT equipped to lead and teach the younger youth at all times. Twenty somethings are being given the keys to administer the word without major life experience, wisdom that comes with age, and the experience required to lead young sheep in the sanctification process. How could four years of light theology and sociology introduction classes with small amounts of field experience possibly produce a key leader in the church? The next generation is not to be brought up by the same generation. The wisdom comes from the elders, and those appointed to positions from Biblical sources such as the pastoral letters. This is not discipleship, but a separation of those who need so badly to be told that they are part of the people of God, and that they must live in the obedience to faith in Christ Jesus. Unmarried and newly graduated college students do not have the tools necessary to lead youth in the paths of wisdom. Youth groups have become a marketing tool for the culture and cop-out for pastors and elders from teaching younger generations the truth of Christ. To assume the youth are separate is ignoring a generational theme throughout the Bible narrative. The image of the youth at the Passover feast asking questions to the elders at the time comes to mind. ("Why is this day more important than others," etc.)

We must catechize the youth, but this is not the duty of a random twenty something who has no prior relationship to a congregation and is hired because of a scholastic degree. This is the duty of the parents and the elders of the church, to bring them up in wisdom, teaching, and instruction of the Lord. They are to be well respected and experienced in life. It is not as cut and clean as it may seem. There is not some age that suddenly someone becomes wise, but our present day situation presents clearly the disease of following youthful tendencies. The future leaders need to be discipled in a church for much more time before they reach the point of a primary educator. They need to know the sheep. Adults want to look like the kids, smell like the kids, and act like the kids. We would rather throw our society's elder generations in retirement homes because they can no longer "produce". Their wisdom is much of what we need, but they are ignored. They do not appeal to the corrupt eyes of the fake reality the television presents and promotes. The youthful look is what the youth think is best! Our culture hates the old, our youth are being taught to disrespect elders, and life is over when you reach thirty. This produces a culture where we think we need younger people to lead because it is appealing. Just look at the advertisements for churches all over. We are embracing the culture and letting the church be shaped by it. We say we are not of the world, yet we look exactly like it. Our obsession with youth and its characteristics contribute to many of the overall presuppositions of the American church. There is a reason the youth pastoral office is not mentioned in God's Word, because the correct presupposition is that the youth are not equipped with the ability to lead the people of God. If the youth are in a constant battle inside to find out whether or not they are "saved" and "cool", which is asking the wrong questions, it makes sense to stick in someone old enough to drive yet young enough to dress hip to tell them that over and over "yes". This is so they do not just see "old people" who "don't get me, dude" or talking about "adult stuff". Most of what youth pastors can offer is advice out of speculation and regurgitation, not experience. Wisdom is not derived from speculation or what can be told in a text book. Wisdom is in the leaders of the church, and the leaders of the church are like wine...they become better with time. It is like comparing a rare aged french wine to arbor mist. The experience is more valuable and suitable. What is poured out is a beautiful scent, taste, and color. I would love to quote scripture here in regards to wisdom, but it would be unnecessary to post all of Proverbs here. Let the elders lead the youth to wisdom, not the other way around.

The Inseparability of Politics and Religion: Dealing with Social Justice in light of the true Gospel

Every day, it becomes more apparent that the Gospel being proclaimed is no "Good News", at all. Studying early church history reveals a certain character amongst the fathers of the faith. Why were Christians being thrown to the lions and slaughtered for their convictions? Is it because these early Christians disagreed with the polytheist pagan religions of the time? Not necessarily. As we read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, along with the Acts of the Apostles, we come to understand that the Gospel was NOT about the individual. It was so much greater. Early Christians were viewed as just another Jewish sect, but the problem arose when they refused to acknowledge Caesar as Lord. In the Roman empire, as long as Caesar was acknowledged as Lord over all, there was "religious freedom" of sorts apart from this acknowledgment. In comes the major problem. This Gospel, which was an announcement that a new King has ascended to the throne, was a direct challenge to Caesar himself. Caesar was considered divine, and a God-like figure with infallibility. He was it, and there was no man named Christ in which he derived his power from. For Christ to be King and Lord over all, Caesar would be required to submit to Christ's authority. Megalomania was not to be challenged. Christ being declared King and Lord over all things is just as much of a political statement as it is a religious one. Christianity is a religion of the public and private sphere, not just the private, as we have wickedly and moronically accepted today. Lesslie Newbigin's work, Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture, is a brilliant critique of the Western Culture's interpretation of the Gospel. We in the West, have seceded the Gospel to the private sector. We have taken a message that is to encapsulate and redeem all of life and culture, and cut it down to mere propositions. When we Christians in the West, accepted this secularized religious agenda (yes, secularization is humanism, which is a religion, no matter what the TV tells you), we were forced to shove the Bible into the private sphere and interpret it only in that light. Accepting Christ into our little hearts and saying Christ is Lord is no challenge to the public sphere if it is done privately and does not "offend" others. As long as we acknowledge our Caesar (the State and Federal Government), we can go and practice all the Christianity we want in private! We have done exactly was Caesar wants. We have relegated and lost the battle in the public sphere. As a summary of what Newbigin writes, our rejections of Christianity in the public sphere has given us back over to pagan ideologies in the name of science, individual freedom, and other Enlightenment doctrine. We now find the West in the exact same place in which the Gospel found it. The greatest problem now is that the Gospel has already been heard and done away with. The culture's presuppositions have already rejected Christ. We live in a land where Caesar rules. We expect the government to take care of all our problems (poverty, healthcare, hunger, etc), while we make the hypocritical claim that Christ is Lord and Messiah, while only choosing to make that an individual statement. This removes us from obedience. The Gospel is now built off the back of the individual. It is insane. Christ did not come so each and every one of you can go to this platonic state of heaven when you die. He came to redeem the world from sin, which has encapsulated all things. The Creation is on its way back to the Garden, to being completely restored, which will be completed when Christ returns. For now, we as Christians are to proclaim boldly that Christ is LORD. He is King over all of Creation. It is from Him that our governments and leaders derive their power, and if they do not acknowledge that in the way they live, in obedience to His commands, what they do is already in vain. I do not care how "Christian" they may seem, it is NOT Christian if credit is not given in submission to Jesus. The government is not the answer, Christ is. It's appalling that Christians are buying into this moronic secular agenda of big government ideals. How is it, in such a short time, has this sense of understanding the Gospel been lost? It is because Christians have actually been convinced that politics and religion can be separated. I challenge all Christians to rethink this through, especially those who look to the government to fix issues that CANNOT be fixed by man. International Justice can only be understood in the light of Christ. Justice in Western Culture has been defined by our industrialized consumerism. We are tricked into week-long rice eating devotions in an attempt to feel guilty while we self-atone, right before we go back to our comfortable air-conditioned homes and feel bad (as if this somehow justifies, not in a soteriological sense, us). There is a reason the Gospel has moved on to Africa and Asia and places of "poverty", as we define it. It is because they find their richness in the Gospel, that there is a King whom we are subject to, and all things happen due to the way He wills it. It is NOT in the riches and materialism of the West, which will gather dust and moths. These people are not concerned with esoteric and scholastic theological issues such as "imputation" and "justification". They are concerned with their lives, and are being slaughtered for making statements of Lordship that is just as political as "religious." Let the Bible define justice, not big government humanism, which Christians so gullibly fall into. The only justice is found in Christ and the news that He is the ultimate judge and administer of true justice. Once Christians stop buying into this nonsense of guilt-tripping, and take the Gospel seriously in its context, an understanding of all spheres of life will become more and more clear. This does not mean it will become easier; it may become more and more unclear! Not everything is so neat and clean-cut. It will be apparent that we cannot boil it down to propositions and a "system". If anything in life is not interpreted through Christ, it is an irrelevant diagnosis. Christ defines all things. As the creator of the world, God and His standards is the only basis and presupposition to define everything. Let Jesus, who is King and Lord, define all things. Stop buying into Caesar as the answer to all problems. The Gospel is not about you, it is about Christ and God's redemption of the world and His people from sin. Stop worrying if you're "saved", as modern theology would place it in it's individual going to heaven definition. Get over yourself, it does not matter what God does with you personally in the end. What matters is the Kingdom and that God does everything to accomplish and triumph. We are placed here to advance this Kingdom, not let the world waste away. Persevere in obedience, in constant desire to please God in all that you do. Yes, we can please God in Christ. God will sort us out in the end. Running away from obedience and God's standards is sin. Not liking being told what to do by the Bible and God's Law is pure ignorance and selfishness. That is not grace. Grace is so much more. That we can even be given a way to live as God would want us is grace. And when we stumble, we humbly repent, and overcome those sins. In the end, we know that it is only by God's grace that we get anywhere! That's not an issue! There is a reason the Law was given after Israel was "saved" (not going to heaven, but brought into covenant as God's people). We are a separate people, so let's live like it, according to the Word of God. Get over your self-absorbing theological scholasticism America. Live, breathe, and eat the Word. Ascent to propositions means absolutely nothing. Living out what you believe is true faith. Faith and Obedience are inseparable, just as religion and politics. Jesus as King requires more than confessing His name at an altar call while the rock band plays music we can emote to. It requires all of life to be devoted to Him, including government. Caesar is not Lord. The State and American government is not Lord, and they can not fix problems that only Christ will restore completely. He is Lord, the President is not. He is Lord, the Congress is not. He is Lord....Jesus is Lord. Amen.

The Protestant Elite and Modern Day Mental Pharisaism

We are currently witnessing in the world of Protestant Christendom some massive head biting. Brothers and Sisters in Christ are consistently charging other Brothers with heresy. Many of these issues deal with secondary doctrinal beliefs or lack of esoteric understanding when it comes to doctrines such as "double imputation of Christ's righteousness"(some even argue a triple imputation!). These types of disputes and disagreements have their place and time for dialogue, but have been improperly used. The elitism of many theologians has created a gnostic form of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In order to be "saved," people now must assent to a certain number of propositions that require in-depth extreme mental exercises, in which the average struggling woman off of the streets who has been beaten by her husband and needs Jesus, does not have years of time to study "systematic" ways of salvation. Nor does she give two craps about the doctrines of election and the invisible church. She just wants a body of people to LOVE her the way Christ taught us. The Gospel cannot be boiled down to a system and equation of salvation. I REPEAT, THE GOSPEL CANNOT BE BOILED DOWN TO A SYSTEM AND EQUATION OF SALVATION. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not "faith = salvation + works" or "faith = works" or any other random assortment of these. Modern intellectual agendas have perverted Christ and God's whole purpose of bringing salvation to the world. The degradation of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is modern day Pharisaism. This theological "elite" hold their years of seminary and/or book knowledge over brothers heads as if they are more righteous. "But this is not the proper faith, this is workkkksss righteousness!" they say. This mental assent in itself becomes a WORK. WORKS are inescapable. We are to follow the commandments of God. We have not been released from this obligation. Being saved into God's people, we are required to live and act accordingly. This boiling down of the Gospel in modern thought of how to get "saved" and acceptance of indiviualistic self-loathing is ripping apart the community of God and the living out of the covenant people the way it was meant to be by God. The Gospel is much greater than saving the individual. It is the proclamation to the world that there is new King on the throne to which all of the creation has been placed under. His rule and His commandments are perfect. All rulers and leaders derive their power from Him (Roman 13:1). His commandments are to be followed. The lives of those who accept His Kingship as Israel's Messiah are to be in full service to Him in all areas of life. May we meditate on His Word day and night. God is restoring His creation and setting it back to rights as we yearn to get back to the garden! This is apparent amongst those who are living out His Word, and this, my brothers and sisters, is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved into responsibility, so that we stand out from the world as a Kingdom that is not of this world. We, who are in Christ, are now apart of the people of God through faith in Christ. That is what brings us into the people of God, not freedom from responsibility and obsession with mental propositions! Christ is King, Alleluia! Thank God for His Law, for we have a standard as a people to mark us out as separate from the world, a light to the nations, and a city on the hill (Matthew 5:14). All other peoples will then look to us, not as bickering esoteric gnostics biting each others head off, but a people whom God is with. No wonder the world looks at us as fools. The church whines amongst itself with so called "proper systems" that mean nothing to those who are seeking an answer to the suffering of their sin daily. While we sit in argument of these systematics, the world is embracing humanism and the love of hate. To the modern Pharisees in the people of God, get off your stinking pedestal of knowledge and do something for the Kingdom that is relevant to 2009 and not to 15th and 16th century Reformational Europe. Now how do we put this into action? I plan to elaborate this further soon. May all of the Gospel's enemies perish, and let the righteous shine like the sun.

The Disease of the Christian Youth in America...

In the Bible, God's people are taught to think "generationally". By this, I am speaking of passing the faith to the next generation of children in a way that they can preserve and hold true to its orthodoxy. The true people of God, followers of Christ, need to live as if Christ is coming tomorrow, but prepare as if he is not coming for thousands of years. We see this as a major underlying theme throughout the Bible. God promised Abraham, "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore" (Genesis 22:17). God's promise to Abraham began and was affirmed in Christ, and even today as we continue to see the Kingdom being added to by number from people of all nations. It is no longer just one small nation on the map. Christ became supreme over all. He is King over all of Creation. The salvation has come to all nations. When I use the word salvation, I use it as the Bible teaches, which is the bringing of those once given over to the death of the flesh into God's people to live accordingly to his Law and having full faith in his promise to redeem his people and bring restoration to the creation acknowledging that Christ is Lord and all goodness comes from Him. I am not referring to Americanity's individualistic "going to an platonic heaven when we die" nonsense.

The problem with the Youthful generation today is that the overwhelming majority of them in the church have accepted the Bible in through the lens of modern egalitarian culture. They read it and are even taught that all they must do is "believe" in Jesus and claim He fits in their little hearts so that they can go to some Greek notion of "heaven." This is not what the Bible teaches, and I dare say this is an abomination and a taking of the Lord's name in vain. The leaking of so-called "tolerance" and phony humanistic notions and definitions of love into the Western church have crippled much of the body of Christ. The generation of these youthful believers look like the world. They do not distinguish themselves separately in the way that they live. Can we blame them? The older generation has not done much to pass the faith on in its truly organic form either. Many of them are as much of a product of Americanity as the youth. Either they have turned all things into themselves so that the world and their own "personal salvation" revolve around them, or they have created the Bible into an engineered systematic and scientific step-by-step esoteric method of salvation that the average person off of the street who needs Christ would need four years of so-called Reformed Seminary to figure out. I suggest, along with others, that Jesus has been understood through the lens of the individual in modern America, rather than in the context of the First Testament (Old Testament) Jewish Messiah. The Messiah means the "anointed one." He is what Israel was waiting for. He is whom all the Prophets spoke of, and the whole ancient Israelite religion pointed to. There is a reason there are 39 books before the new 27. No one has any business being in the New Testament without understanding the narrative that comes before it. When you open to Matthew, the first page of the Second Testament, he states, "A record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham." This is clearly stating, "if you do not know who these people are, what this Messiah word means, and why, stop, and turn back to Genesis, and understand what I am going to speak on!" Matthew and the whole Second Testament will then be understood in its proper context and covenantal life. This is by no means easy, and takes a whole lifetime to study, but soaking yourself in and eating the Word of God every day is necessary. To quote a pastor of mine, "The fact that there is even something called a New Testament Christian is a disgrace and Crime to Jesus Christ." There is no such thing as a New Testament Christian. A true Christian is a true Jew. The Christian religion is Jewish, PERIOD. The church has been soaked up in it's individualism for way too long. This individualism has produced the unbiblical principles of dispensationalism and pre-millennial eschatology. Christ has been taken out of context for too long and placed in each individual's own interpretation of a context. This has flooded our youth into a Lawless Christianity that is no Christianity at all. So many of the young are simply emoting to the Jesus of their own heart, buying into the consumer mentality, and believing they are entitled to heaven because they say they believe as if God needs us. God does not need us, we need Him! If our youth truly want to love Jesus, they must live a certain way. The Law of God is not a curse, but a blessing. When we are saved, we forget what we are saved into. It is the people of God. We are saved not to be released from responsibility, but saved into responsibility. God defines how we live, not us. What separated the Jews from the rest of the world was not the substance of their moral character, but the numerous external markings and ceremonial laws (which Jesus has now fulfilled). THE SUBSTANCE OF MORALITY DOES NOT CHANGE FROM OLD TO NEW. A Lawless church is no church at all. Thank God for the book of James in its defining that true faith is a working faith. We are still required to follow God's Law, but we are no longer marked by the external, but by the Spirit of God, so that people all nations have the ability to come into the people of God. By the Spirit, we are true Jews, in the New Israel, who is Christ. It is time for the youth to hear in such a corrupt generation, that they must fear God and obey his Law. This is not evil, but true love. What a love it is, that our Father in Heaven has given us instruction on how to live in a depraved world as we await the return of Christ. May the Glory and Honor be His forever and ever, and we DO his will accordingly. We are a people set apart, not to blend in. We are to live together in community, not apart or just on Sundays. If someone in the community has cancer, everyone has cancer. If someone in the community is in need, everyone is in need. We are a body. A church that is not covenantally minded is not a church at all. Oh, how we long to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." The Law of God is good. This is exactly what our generation needs to hear. So turn off the stupid and passive TV, pick up your Bible, and read..."In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth..."

How do you love Jesus?

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21)

Thanks to Pastor Steve Schlissel, Messiah's congregation in Brooklyn NY, and Christ's Dominion

covenant community in Summerville, PA for being living examples to my friends and I on what it

truly means to be a people of God.

Dress for the Royal Court!

The finest of clothing has always been the "status-quo" when entering into a royal presence. In today's case, society tells us to get dressed up for many functions, such as meetings, interviews, and fancy dinners. If the President of the United States, or any of his beloved bureaucrats would invite you to dine at the White House for the inauguration ball and celebration of a political victory, you surely would find the best clothing that you could afford for the event. This event, is one of a lifetime! You would proceed to the White House, adorned with fine jewelry and linen. The thought of dressing in ripped jeans, adidas shoes, and a hip tee-shirt would not cross your mind. This dinner is too important, and you do not want to be looked upon as unprofessional or with shame. As you would enter the White House, you would be greeted and taken to the table, where there sits the President, our modern day "King". As you share in this meal, everyone is dressed in their finest. The celebration is jubilant. People are joyous and dancing. The environment soaks in the praise, laughter, tears of joy, and a comfort for the time being. All is well, so it seems. The party is dedicated to the man who will now lead, and the best and brightest are there, in their best and brightest...

This is an image and picture I bring up because of a recent conviction placed upon me. The generation of young peoples, even some of our elders (not the ecclesiastical office), have become extremely lazy and opposed to dressing in their finest for the worship service of our King, Jesus Christ. We have chosen to make the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our homeboy. This I dare say, is a joke and blasphemous. Anyone that refers to the Messiah as their "homeboy" seriously should reconsider who exactly Jesus Christ is. He is not our partner in crime or our buddy we go to hang out with and watch a sporting event. He is not someone we call up when we need a ride home from a party, high five, and act like everything is cool. He is the KING. God has established Christ over all creation."Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). He is worthy of all praise. He, again, is not your homeboy. As the King, and His political victory, establishing himself over Caesar, we celebrate. Each time we approach the table to share in the Lord's Supper, He is present, dining with us. We share in His death and proclaim His glorious Resurrection. This is a marker of the covenant, distinguishing us from the rest of the world. Each time we attend the service, we are approaching the throne of King of the Universe, our Messiah, giving Him the praise and Worship that he deserves. He deserves our best. We are to rejoice and meditate on what He has done for His people. This is an inauguration ball, where we celebrate God's most righteous act of placing His only Son, Jesus, on the throne. He does not need our worship, but so gracefully accepts it. Christ has brought members of all nations together, who believe in Him, into one people. This one people is the true Israel. As the true Israel, we must give Christ our life in all its spheres. On the Lord's Day, remember where exactly you and your family are going. Remember what you are doing, and who you are approaching. It is the Messiah's throne room, so dress accordingly...

A perspective on the Church a la Roman's life

I was born and raised Byzantine Catholic, a tradition with vast amounts of history. I loved the church simply for nostalgia of being a young lad serving as an acolyte on the altar. The smells and bells were my growing experience in the church. Being Catholic (under the Pope), we as a family were able to attend Roman Catholic churches. The repetition without explanation was frustrating. It was a Sunday of going through the motions. That's what every Pittsburgh Catholic does. Church, live however you want, confess your sins to a priest, and start the cycle over! It was as if we found a way to beat the system. We have tricked God because with confession, we could sin and get away with it! This wore on my soul. It did not make any sense. I hated waking up to go through the motions. I would attend Saturday or Sunday night so that it would "count". This let me be able to drink Saturday night or stay up late and not have to wake up Sunday morning. I could not wait to get out of the house, simply so I could be as far away from Catholicism as possible. The guilt-ridden theology of fear was shoved down my throat through the church. Maybe Catholicism helped me to understand the concept of Total Depravity, because I absolutely felt it. The problem: there was no freedom or hope. Only sorrow and tears. Nothing would go right. This world was hell, and we must suffer to escape it. That was all I understood. This is why I had to go through the motions.

Eventually, I had found the Reformed faith. If you read my previous blogs, you understand how I came to it. God called me back. That guilt from my youth still lingered, rightfully so, for I was a sinner that needed a hope. Diving into a Calvinist perspective along with the Reformed Presbyterian faith, I began learning extensive theology. The hope was offered in Christ. He was presented to me as the true Saviour of the world. Through faith in Him, I am saved! This is where the problems began to start again. Do not get me wrong, I absolutely believe Christ is the ultimate sacrifice presented by God, Himself, to cover the sins of His people, but what does this mean for me and my generation? As I continued on my journey of faith, I discovered the church's obsession with soteriology (regarding the doctrines of salvation). It is by faith alone that we are individually saved, which means we are going to heaven! Just say you believe and grab onto faith, and you have your ticket booked to heaven. What is faith though? What is salvation? The church is absolutely obsessed with saving people, but so many in the modern church have no clue what the word "save" actually means. Save from what? The problem is that the church has failed to tell people what they are saved into. Salvation cannot be boiled down to a systematic arithmetic problem of "faith = salvation + works," or "faith = love for Jesus in your heart." This is a dumbing down of the Bible and a distortion of the true faith.

I have come to the point where I am fed of with the bickering amongst Christians. The majority of it seems to be based off of soteriology. Who has the proper way to get saved? These are the wrong questions to ask! No wonder why the church looks like the world. People are told they are saved, then go on living like the "Pittsburgh Catholics" I was speaking of. They are one in the same. They each stand on one side of the pendulum pointing fingers, saying, "We, The Church of (Insert Denomination here), preach the Bible and tell you how to get saved!" It is extremely rare to find a church who tells the people what is now required of them. There is no dichotomy between faith and works. They are one in the same. There is no way around the Book of James. God placed it there for a reason, and it is all the more relevant today than ever. You cannot grab faith like an Aristotelian proposition out of the air with your mind. It requires you to DO works! OH NO! He didn't just say works are pleasing to God and apart of being saved?! Yes, I did, because faith and works are inseparable. Man can be relatively righteous. We can please God. Just because we have the Bible and our systematics doesn't mean we have done what God requires of us. The Pharisees had the law, but did not act upon it. In the same way, we are treating Jesus, the true Law and Torah, the same way in the modern church.

I love the Reformed faith, for it helped to transform my mind. Being in the Presbyterian circle for a while, I have become fed up with the constant bickering. I love my brothers of this faith, and do not question their faith! They helped me to be where I am, and learning the faith while rediscovering my love for liturgy, has led me to the Reformed Anglican Church. The church consists of Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, etc. The sermon on "What must I do to be saved" is not preached every week. That is not the chief concern of the Reformed Anglican church. The hope and freedom is alive in Christ. A working faith is preached. The uniting of Christians from many perspectives at the Lord's table every week is a beautiful sight to see. The story of the Liturgy, with an amazing reverence for God through symbolism, as a community, speaks assurance to each member of the congregation. The Word is taught and applied. College Hill is about to receive a new Reformed Anglican Fellowship! I have to go now. More to come on this soon. And to quote James, "Show me your faith without works, and I will show you mine by what I do."

Liberal Arts-ism

One final left before I begin my summer journey of Home Depot Gardening and enjoyable Christian Humanities class. I have just barely finished my neo-Junior year. Are the standards of a well-rounded education based on principles we should abide in? Our society has come to the point of accepting liberal arts as the foundation to a career, no matter what path we decide to take. I myself, have not developed an opinion that is set it stone, but am a little frustrated after going through a required sciences course that involved some deep chemistry, physics, and biology. As a Secondary Education Major with a focus on the Social Sciences and Government, taking this class was a thorn in my side. The general education classes that are required in colleges shape students into the mold the state requires. In order to become a teacher of the Social Sciences, I'm required to be as well-rounded as possible, which includes taking classes that have absolutely nothing to do with my major. Are these kinds of classes not reserved already in schools prior to Post-Secondary Ed? From a Christian perspective, I love the idea of classical schooling for children in adolescent years, but when becoming an adult, I find it more informal and helpful to focus on vocation and to become a so-called "expert." I am wrestling with this particular situation in my mind, and am not very sympathetic with Liberal Arts-ism. Can someone help me out?