My friend Dudley Hall graciously invited me to his podcast to disucss a variety of subjects. In this episode, we tackle AI and the “The Singularity” in the light of what the Bible says about the King and His Kingdom. Have a look!
Also see this post: “Are you Ready to Be Disrupted?“
Did it matter how the Savior of the world died? Did it have to be on a cross?
After all, Jesus was accused by the religious establishment of heresy. And heretics were, in accordance with Levitical law, stoned. In fact, the words of Jesus had, on numerous ocassions, prompted the listening scribes and Pharisees to pick up stones. And the fledgling Church’s very first martyr, Stephen, was stoned by an enraged mob for speaking what they believed were heresies—even as a Sanhedrin “enforcer” from Tarsus named Saul looked on approvingly. Why wasn’t Jesus stoned?
Or why not a priestly knife?
After all, Jesus, the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” was the living fulfillment of all the types and shadows embodied by the Passover lamb. The thousands of Passover lambs being sacrificed over on the Temple mount the day Jesus was cruciified died by the knife of a Levitical priest. Had Jesus similarly been run through with a Roman sword, or stabbed with a rogue Levite’s knife, would His shed blood have been just as effective in washing away Sin?
As Father Richard John Neuhaus once admitted, our questions about the crucifixion and the cross are only “probings into mystery.” But the Bible gives us clues and insights into this—the greatest and most consequential of all mysteries.
First, the Word of God makes it clear that the shedding of the Messiah’s innocent blood was a vital aspect of His sacrifice. And the Roman process of crucifixion was an appallingly bloody affair. As the writer of Hebrews declares, “without the shedding of blood there is no remission” of sin (9:22). On the eve of His death, Jesus Himself pointed to a cup of wine and said, “… for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” (Matt. 26:28)
Yes, the role of Jesus’ shed blood cannot be over-emphasized. However, the mission of Jesus was wider and deepr than just solving the Sin-guilt problem. The New Covenant scriptures make it clear that He left Heaven’s splendor and became the Second and Final “Adam” in order to roll back the Curse that descended upon all mankind, indeed upon Creation itself, when the First Adam fell.
And here’s the thing . . .
That fall happened at a tree—the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And for reasons we may not fully understand this side of eternity, there is something significant about a death on a tree that points back to that Fall and the resultant Curse. In Deuteronomy 21:22-23 we find:
And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.
The Jews of Jesus day were very attuned to the implications of this passage. They viewed crucifixion as the worst fate that could befall any Jew. Such a person was under a curse and irredeemable. But it was the Apostle Paul who, by divine inspiration and revelation, grasped the full curse-repealing implications of death on a tree. He had those implications in mind when he penned Galatians 3:13: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”
Yes, the shedding of that blood—a blood utterly untouched by the stain of sin—was essential to bring about a redemption that could pass legal muster in the Court of Heaven. But a sacrificial death that would once-and-for-all-time roll back the curse . . . ALSO had to be a death on a tree. But that’s not all.
There had to be thorns at that tree because thorns were a God-declared outcome of of that curse’s unfolding. (Gen. 3:18) And it had to be a naked and shameful death because the very first indicator that Adam and Eve had severed their life-sustaining connection to God was their shame-filled realization of their nakedness.
There was no other possible death for that “Seed” promised to Eve. The One whose heel the serpent would bruise. The One who, in His victory over Death, would crush the head of that Serpent of old and make all things new.
Oh, yes. it had to be a cross.
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Over the last several years, in Christian circles, we’ve seen a movement to turn the term “prosperity” into a swear word.
“Prosperity Gospel” has become a label designed to shut down debate and instantly signal to “right-thinking” people that a minister, church, or ministry is “evil and worthy of contempt.”
We’ve seen something very similar happen in the last few years in the secular culture with terms like “sexist,” “racist,” “white supremecist,” and “anti-Semite.” Those words used to mean something very specific and very detestable. Which is precisely why those words have been deployed by certain groups recently as clubs with which to beat ideological opponents into silence or submission.
As I’ve said multiple times on social media over the last ten years . . . it’s a tragedy that these words are being used and abused and stretched into meaninglessness. Why? Because we need these words and terms. There are real people out there with real beliefs that these words describe. Which is why the people who use these words indiscrimiately to cow and delegitimize others do us all a great disservice by diluting their meaning. Because . . .
If a word can man anything then it really means nothing.
Something similar has been taking place recently in Christian circles where the term “prosperity gospel” is concerned. Stay with me here. It’s unfortunate that the term prosperity (which is a very biblical word) has become something that Bible teachers are reluctant to use, out of fear of being attacked.
I’ve felt it. I’ve starting subsituting words like flourishing, thriving, provision, and blessing simply to avoid being misunderstood or triggering a knee-jerk reaction in people.
Sure. Just as there are real-deal racists in the world (but a lot fewer of them than there used to be), there are preachers and teachers in the world who sometimes describe following Jesus pretty much the way some multilevel marketing opportunities are pitched. Sort of the same way Napoleon Dynamite advised Pedro to appeal to voters at their high school: “Vote for me and your wildest dreams will come true.”
Admittedly, back in the ’80s there were some media preacher characters who, unfortunately, gave the faith and the Bible’s promises of provision and protection a black eye. We all know their names. The term “televangelist” was coined and quickly became a perjorative. (Although the term strictly means someone who attempts to evangelize through television. The nerve!)
Then the Internet came along. Suddenly everyone became a political pundit–opining on the news of the day. Anyone could be a news source. And anyone with some pet doctrines and denominational axes to grind could become a self-appointed heresy hunter and anoint themselves as God’s theological beat cop–patrolling the Internet and the airwaves for violators to call out and condemn.
Along the way, one side of the long-standing Charismatic vs. Non-Charismatic (and Anti-Charismatic) divide in the Evangelical world started using their platforms to score points against the other side using “prosperity” preaching as the club. In the process, the term began to be stretched wider and wider to tar more and more of the other side.
Based on my extensive reading, here are some things that now, to some, constitute teaching a “prosperity gospel”:
As I stated above, it seems to me the terms “prosperity” and “prosperity gospel” are being used and abused and stretched by some to simply tar believers whose interpretations of the Scriptures they don’t like. That’s unfortunate.
And it’s why increasingly–when I see it weaponized in that way–I tend to discount and be skeptical about whatever follows.
As for me and my house, we know God is good and kind. We know that He loves to bless. And that He sent His only begotten Son to progressively undo all of the horrific things the curse unleashed upon humanity and the earth. And that the advance of His Kingdom invariably results in human flourishing.
And we will continue to believe it and proclaim it, no matter who it bothers.
What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways! He won’t walk in step with the wicked, nor share the sinner’s way, nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat. His passion is to remain true to the Word of “I AM,” meditating day and night on the true revelation of light. He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree planted by God’s design, deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss, bearing fruit in every season of life. He is never dry, never fainting, ever blessed, ever prosperous.
Psalms 1:1-3 (TPT)
As anyone who has undertaken a major home remodeling project will attest–the “demo” phase is messy and ugly. (This, no matter how fun Chip Gaines makes “demo” look on TV.) It’s messy and chaotic, but absolutely necessary if something better, upgraded, and improved is going arise.
I’m not exceptionally “prophetic” but I do try to keep my spiritual ears attuned to what the Spirit is saying to me. And back in July, I told the folks on my email list that I believed we—God’s people individually, His Church, and His churches—had entered a season “accelerated transition.” (By the way, if you’re not on my email list, you can remedy that be registering on the home page.)
In the handful of months since, I’ve seen that observation validated in my own life in the cases of many families, institutions, churches and ministries I know. There is a lot of “demo” going on right now. And it feels messy and ugly and chaotic and can feel like things will never look pretty and orderly ever again. But they will.
They will because God has a pen in His hand and isn’t finished writing our chapters. And Jesus, the Head of His Church is:
. . . at [God’s] right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:20-23 TPT
The “demo” phase is part of a process of creative destruction. And I believe this season of a “accelerated transition” also is bringing with it big, long, disruptive season of creative destruction—for individuals, businesses, ministries, and churches.
These disruptions and revelations are NOT “the devil.” They are NOT the enemy persecuting the Church. They are God, refining, restructuring, and rebuilding HIS Church and HIS world.
Some big entities are being “demo-ed” right now (“some,” not all). And here’s the thing. As I told a friend today, “I don’t know details in most of these cases. But I do know that the bigger and wealthier any enterprise gets the more incentives the key stakeholders have to keep the party going . . . no matter what.”
And some of these enterprises are very, very big.
And to another friend this week I texted:
“Spiritually, it is ‘pride’ and a sense ‘ownership entitlement’ that are the enemies here, not {person’s name}. God’s not having it any longer. But something wonderful is waiting on the other side of this season. Something glorious.”
This is not “judgment beginning with the house of God.” This is loving redemptive remodeling. Yes, the “demo” phase has begun. But something much better is coming. And that is God’s end game, because being redemptive lies at the very core of who He is.
My encouragement is this. Be on the side of building what God envisions. Not on the side of what has been. Pride, arrogance, entitlement are getting ripped out to the studs. The Master Architect has something much healthier in His plans.
A dear friend lost a 17-year-old son in a traffic accident a while back. At the service, my friend spoke of how, in the days following the horrific event, the way church friends and Christian coworkers instantly rallied to support him and his family in every conceivable way revealed to him the importance and power of being a part of a supportive community.
At the same time, I’ve recently watched several close friends wither and begin to struggle as circumstances caused them to become isolated from the networks of Christian friends of which they had long been a part.
Christian community is a big deal. But it’s rapidly going the way of the dinosaurs.
Prior to 2020, there were a lot of negative, unhealthy trends slowly but relentlessly unfolding in our culture. And then the Covid-19 pandemic (and our government responses to it) gave all of those trends a huge shove forward.
The most glaring example of this is the trend toward isolation and away from community, and the vital human connections community provides. I recently came across a graph in a BusinessInsider.com article that graphically (literally) illustratates what I’m talking about:
If you’ve wondered why so many young people have mental health struggles, this graph would be a good place to start looking for an answer. (And from there, I recommend a visit to the data concerning fatherlessness.)
Not only are we increasingly cut off from friends, we’re mingling with strangers less, too. People used to know their neighbors, but over the last 50 years, suburban neighborhood design–sideslip garages, minimalist front porches, backyard outdoor living spaces, etc.–carried the effect of minimizing our opportunities to interact with the people who live around us. And Amazon-DoorDash culture made it possible to never leave the house or apartment; or to rub shoulders with strangers at all.
For a fleeting season, coffee shops became superficial substitutes for having an authentic local community. You were alone with your coffee and your screen, ensconced in headphones or earbuds, but at least you around other humans. Today, many of the coffee shops are empty but the drive-thrus are full, as we prefer to stay in the isolation bubble of our cars.
Sadly, American Christians are not immune from this troubling trend. For quite a while now, I’ve been yammering at anyone who will stand still a few minutes to listen, about the decline of true “community” in our churches. With our feet and our checkbooks (remember those?) we voted for a style of “church” that gradually turned active, engaged members into passive spectators of minisitry content. Consumers rather than contributors.
The churches that delivered the “highest quality” content from the platform thrived–turning pastors and worship leaders into minor (and sometimes major) celebrities. Christian media played a huge role in this, as well. As a result, we got fewer, but bigger, churches. And the bigger they got, the easier it got for individuals to just just disappear while checking the church attendance box.
First, millions of believers were told that church membership involved two things: (1) showing up (to passively consume music and teaching); and (2) give (ideally through some sort of cold, digital, automated giving arrangement).
Then the Covid lockdowns came along and showed many Christians that, if “doing church” was mostly consuming a service and giving . . . they could do that from the sofa in their pajamas. In fact, many of the largest churches saw online viewing of their services (and online giving) soar during the lockdowns. But . . .
After the lockdowns ended, live church attendance never returned to previous levels.
I’m rooting for a comeback for community. A renaissance of relationship. And I’m saying this as a card-carrying introvert. Why? Because isolation is bad for us. Really bad. Yet the cultural and technological winds are blowing us toward ever-increasing levels of isolation. As you walk through the next few days, just take note of how many people are “alone in a crowd,” often ensconced in a tech-cocoon of earbuds and screen in front of their face.
When out wandering around in the wild, I intentionally try to see how many people I can make eye contact with so I can give them a smile. I’ve turned it into a game in my head. Sadly, my scores are not rising. But I’m trying.
I know fighting these winds will require being intentional. It will require choosing to talk to people. To be with people. A willingness to know others and to be known. And for us Jesus-followers, it will require voting with our feet for a model of church community that goes beyond passive consumption and spectating.
Fight the trend toward isolation. Fight it with all your might.