Clay Feet and Tumbling Strawmen

One of the greatest motifs of the Bible is the constant refrain that even the "good guys" mess up. From the outset this lesson becomes clear with Adam, our first father, bringing sin into the world by disobeying the ONE command given to him by his Creator. Then just a few chapters later we see the next "father of the world", Noah, get drunk in his tent and have to have two of his sons care for him in his inebriated state. Then there's Abraham, the first of the patriarchs and the "father of faith", who seems to turn coward every time he meets any man of power. And on and on we could go through Moses and Aaron, Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, Samson (seriously, have you read about this guy??? NO WAY he would survive 21st century scrutiny. I bet he would be blasted for being friends with Joe Rogan or perhaps just listening to his podcast!), David (man after God's own heart, you say?), Solomon, Jonah (spoiler alert, he's kinda racist), and even into the New Testament with the Apostles Peter and Paul all of these men have serious flaws and foibles that lead anyone reading with an open mind wondering how these guys could ever be considered "Heroes" of the faith.  However, if you read with eyes and ears opened by the Spirit, you'll be able to understand why God is prone to use men with clay feet (and by "clay feet" I mean "obvious imperfections") to accomplish His glorious purposes because it highlights who the real hero of the Bible truly is.
Throughout the Bible there is only one person who is presented as, and is clearly known, to be perfect, and that is the God-Man Jesus Christ. From his birth to John announcing the beginning of his public ministry to his death and resurrection and the teaching of the Apostles about all of these things, it is made clear that the one true HERO of the Bible is Jesus Christ. Hebrews makes it very clear when the writer says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15, ESV) Jesus is "the spotless lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." Jesus is the one who endures every temptation known to man,"lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life", so that he could be the sin bearer for those whom the Father had given him. That means when Christ went to the cross and suffered the Father's wrath he was doing it to redeem the sins of all his brothers and sisters for all time. Christ died for Samson's sins, Jonah's sins, and my sins. He also died for the sins of Southern slave holders, Confederate soldiers, western expansionist that persecuted American Indians, Jim Crow proponents, and any other sins many today deem unforgivable.
I don't understand why God allowed some of the most famous men of faith in the Bible to be polygamist, scandalous, murderous, and racist in their words and actions. But I do know that's exactly why Christ came and died, because all of us are sinners in need of Christ's redeeming work to save us from the wrath of God. All of us have sins that we are unaware of because of cultural acceptance, lack of maturity, or spiritual blindness. It doesn't make those sins less grievous or offensive to a Holy God, but it does display why our sins must be judged by a Holy God because we are so comfortable in our own sin that we don't even realize how sinful we are in thought, word, and deed on a daily basis.
This is why I will never be a fan of tearing down statues, especially by mob rule, of men that by all accounts were men no different than some of the men the Bible praises. And yes, I mean praises, read Hebrews 11, commonly known as the "Hall of Faith" chapter, and whose names do you read? Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, and David. Would I like it better if all of these men were perfectly moral with no obvious flaws or shortcomings? Most definitely! Do I cheer or promote their sins? NOT AT ALL! But do I understand that ultimately they are only men with clay feet not honored for their perfections, but highlighted because despite their imperfections they had faith in the one who would take away their sins and justify them before the Father? YES! Now, I know that not all of the statues being torn down and left to the trash-bin of history are men of faith. As a matter of fact very few of them may have been men of faith, perhaps that could be an explanation for their sins. However, they all serve to remind us that our own American history wasn't established by innocent men, but by those willing to take a stand in their own generations for things they were convicted needed to be defended. Were some of them wrong in their convictions? YES, and shouldn't that be worth remembering? The only thing we can be certain of is the truth that is contained in God's Word, and tearing down the statues of those we deem unworthy is only an exercise in tearing down straw-men arguments of our opponents because we are too insecure about our own beliefs to explain the truth and nuance of those who have gone own before us.
So let's take a lesson from Scripture, instead of tearing down statues and monuments, let's learn. Let's ask the hard questions about life and being. Let's not forget that even good and decent men could be wrong about issues we believe to be so clear now. Let's be humbled because there may come a generation after us that recognizes more clearly the sins that we committed as a people. And let us all be thankful that even those sins we commit in ignorance are put away through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and despite our blindness, God is full of grace and mercy and will not withhold his forgiveness from all who are in Christ and have submitted to Him.

Ten Years Later...

Well... it's been 10 years since I posted a blog on this site. In that time my wife and I have added four more children, moved a few times, settled in Laurel, MS, survived Covid, and are a month away from celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary. And of course it would take the absolute craziness of 2020 to finally get me to find my way back to this old place and make some random comments about the seeming insanity that we see all around today.
The family and I have been enjoying the quarantine life since I tested positive for Covid-19 on June 6th. It's been over two weeks since we started our time in quarantine, and we are waiting another week before really getting out to make sure that we've given plenty of time for everyone to have gone through their full two weeks since their first symptoms. By "really getting out" I mean allowing everyone to be out in public and not just sit in a vehicle while getting gas or picking up groceries in the pick up lane. In the mean time I have enjoyed getting some reading done, spending time with the family, and getting hooked home renovations shows.
Also, I've been watching how secularism has revealed all of its downfalls over the last several weeks, and even though it's been fulfilling watching secularism prove its inability to order a society with its ever changing morals and lack of belief in absolute truth, it's sad to see people giving over to chaos and uncertainty because their worldview has proven to be built on sinking sand. For example, I was reading on Twitter about how upset people were about all of the things they WERE NOT taught in public school, or at least not given the full story about. I laughed audibly at the things being mentioned, not because they were inconsequential and didn't deserve to be included in the curriculum of public schools, but because public schools have been leftist institutions basically since their inception. John Dewey, the founding father of public education in America, was a leftist and most (I'm being generous because "all" seems a bit presumptive) public schools have been overseen by liberals ever since. Therefore, those wringing their hands over what wasn't or hasn't been taught have only their friendly leftist-secularist leaders to blame. And of course all of this begs the question, "Why wouldn't our secularist educators want us to know all about their failed policies throughout American history?" But, I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that one...
This isn't to simplify the complicated issues around us and just point the finger at the left and say "it's all your fault!" No, Christians do in fact have some responsibility to own up to and most of that is connected to not being more forthright in their preaching and teaching of the whole counsel of God, and, instead, being intimidated by the ever-changing demands of secular culture. Soft-pedaling the Gospel, avoiding biblical ethics, adding to Scripture the opinions of men, churches seeing one another as competitors instead of co-laborers are just a few examples of ways Christians have failed the culture they have been planted in and haven't helped their fellow man to understand their Creator's expectations for them and why He has every right to make those demands on His creation.
I think I am going to use this post as a jumping off point to start a series of posts diagnosing the problems around us today and offer some real solutions at how to begin remedying those problems. I'm not a fan of pointing out problems without offering some sort of solution, so my aim will be to do that as detailed as possible. You may not agree, but I would hope to at least start a conversation or two that may result in seeing fruitful results for Christians, like me, who are seeking to persevere in this life, while anxiously waiting for the hope of the world to come.