September 2006

It was a perfect storm of self-destruction when Secretary of State Alexander Haig stood in front of the White House press and claimed, "I'm in control here." Haig actually had reason for making the claim in the aftermath of the Reagan assassination attempt, but all most Americans later remembered were tight lips and a martial gleam in the eyes.

Authority insisted on is usually authority lost. This is especially true in the anarchic world of the internet filled with rebellious adolescents who, like Barney Fife with a bullet in his gun, grow by ten inches and a hundred pounds every time they log onto Blogger.

Is there extrinsic authority on the internet--authority derived from position outside the internet, not from Technorati ranking or number of daily visitors?

Note: Here is a comment appearing beneath Marriage, student debt, and motherhood.... My sister in Christ, Jessica, asks a question that is burning in all our churches and I'd like to ask our readers to respond to it here in the comments section of this post. What advice do you have for sisters desiring marriage who are wondering what steps are proper for them to take as women?

You'll see I've put down some preliminary thoughts, but I'm hopeful others will also respond. One rule, though: No one who despises God's command that wives submit to their husbands may respond. This is an in-God's-house conversation that must have as a foundation submission to God's commands to husbands and wives. Thanks.

Tim- I have a question for you... I have many godly single women friends, all of whom would like to be married but are without even a single prospect among them. What is the appropriate role of a single woman, particularly one who is desiring a husband? More specifically, how forward is she allowed to be? I mean, we all say wait for the Lord, His timing is perfect, occupy yourseld with other things, etc. ...and I think most of the time, that all may be fine advice. But I seem to recall a certain woman named Ruth who DID kind of take things into her own hands. Is there a place for women being that forward? Even with a man with whom you've never actually discussed marriage or dated? What are your thoughts on this?

As an example, one of my friends is 35, has been on the mission field for 11+ years, and has a burdened heart for a husband and is waiting ... but should she be doing more?

(Signed) Jessica

This is typical of a number of issues where we should be somewhat hesitant to say what ought to be done because some may conclude the suggestions are law, and thus have their consciences bound where God has given freedom.

Granted, God has not given freedom concerning the relationship between the sexes in matters of authority and purity. But how we work His decrees of father-rule and heterosexual, monogamous, life-long, covenantal marriage out in our lives must involve a large component of personality and culture. What is seen to be a matter of purity in Africa may not be purity here, for instance. Similarly, what might be considered improper female initiative for one woman in one church may well not be improper with another sister in another church.

Let me give an example. In our church, we had a godly older mother-in-Israel who was universally respected. Although there is some debate about this, my wife and I remember her instructing a young woman to go up and sit next to a young man during evening worship. She told the young woman something like this: "You can't take the initiative, but you can go up and help him to notice you."

Two Lord's Days this month, Church of the Good Shepherd's sermon text was Galatians 6:6:

The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.

Biblical churches forget this command today, but it remains a critical aspect of the life of God's Household. The members of God's flock are commanded to "share all good things" with their shepherd. In our churches, though, it's not normal for the sheep to be focused on their duties toward their shepherds. Rather, their focus is on the duties of the shepherd to care for his sheep. And in some ways, this is natural. The health of the flock is integrally and uniquely tied to the work of the shepherd. So it's important the pastor fulfill his obligations to his flock. If he doesn't, the flock will inevitably suffer.

Our Lord taught us that, when thieves and robbers attack the flock, the good shepherd gives His life to protect the sheep, but the bad shepherd flees. So clearly, the sheep need protection and God has called shepherds to protect them. The work of the shepherd is crucial for the welfare of the flock. You can't read the Bible without seeing how vulnerable sheep are to bad shepherds, the men our Lord calls "hirelings." But good shepherds feed and protect their sheep.

So what are the pastor's duties as he shepherds his congregation?

He is to pray for them, to study, preach, teach, visit, counsel, lead the other staff, plan and lead elders (session) meetings, marry, bury, baptize (or dedicate) the children, do the premarital counseling (and of course the marriage counseling, also), be the leader of any discussions and implementations of church discipline, make occasional appearances in the community--both personally and on the newspaper's op-ed page, be out and about doing evangelism, raise perfect children, have a happy wife who oversees all aspects of the church's women's ministry, keep track of the money and make sure people give enough (to God) so the elders aren't too pressured, write for the church newsletter, lead a men's Bible study, go on (or lead) short term missions trips, host the missionaries when they're home, make pastoral calls at the hospital and nursing homes, assure that there's a dynamic youth program, fulfill his responsibilities to denominational entities, run comparative analyses of the programs and ministries of the church he serves and other successful churches in the community so that his flock won't leave for greener pastures; teach his members to use their gifts; find a place of service for each member that fits the gift he's been given by the Holy Spirit; make sure the lights are out and the church locked up after everyone's gone; and so on.

Sheep do have high expectations of their shepherd. Thousands of books have been written, tens of thousands of seminars held, on these and other duties of the shepherd toward his sheep. Many of these books and seminars are important and worth studying diligently. But in all this talk about the duties of the pastor, what of the duties of the congregation?

Responding to the post directly below, Africa Bible Commentary; a preliminary review..., a brother writes asking for recommendations of good commentaries "written by African-Americans or Africans."

The question isn't easy, partly because of the definition of "African." Do you define "African" as someone who is black, who was born on the sub-Saharan part of the continent, and who continues to live there? Or is it someone who is black and was born on the sub-Saharan part of the continent, but it doesn't matter where he lives now? Or does skin color trump all, and someone who is black qualifies as an African no matter where he was born or presently lives?

At first it appears the editors view skin color as absolute since one contributor is listed with his country designated "African-American." But then, in the text of this preview document, John Stott claims these modern Bible interpreters are a "resurgence in the continent that gave us such interpreters as Augustine and Athanasius." Under this view, the continent trumps all.

So then, what do we do with those born and raised in Africa--even sub-Saharan Africa--who aren't black? Say, for instance, a white South African--is he African or is he a man without a continent?

A shipping supply station was set up by the Dutch on the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 and Dutch settlements grew from it over the next two centuries. If a man is a descendant of those Dutch settlers, is he African or European? And what if his great great grandfather married a Christian black African? Are their descendants African?

Now about this time some readers are thinking this is a rather delicate subject that no true gentleman would raise. I must demur.

If race relations are ever to be healed...

I spent the morning reading 1 Kings 17-20 while listening to Mendelssohn's Elijah oratorio on my MP3 player. If you've never devoted an hour or two to such a devotional, by all means get a recording of the Elijah and do it. Along with the Elijah, Bach's St. Matthew's Passion (with English words, get Leonard Bernstein's New York Philoharmonic edition) and the Messiah make great accompaniment for devotions. Also, Kings College Choir's Psalms of David (David Hurford, director--CORRECTION, Sir David Willcocks, director) is fantastic for reading the Psalms by--or just listening to in meditation.

I was struck this time through by Mendelssohn giving the prophets of Baal the most dramatic point in the oratorio musically. It's all sturm and drang when they start chanting, "Baal we cry to thee, Baal we cry to thee..."

By contrast the call of Elijah is sweetness and light. I suspect Mendelssohn was influenced by Elijah meeting God not in the wind, earthquake or fire, but in the low whisper of chapter 19. Perhaps. But I would have preferred the man of God to have the greater crescendo.

One false note intrudes: in the libretto, Elijah cries at the outset of part 16, "Thou, whose ministers are flaming fires: let them now descend!" This is the climactic moment, and at this point drama intrudes for one line in the libretto. It's a powerful line, but it's also quite false. Scripture reveals no imperative from Elijah towards God. It's all supplication: "Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back."

Man does not command God. Man implores, intercedes, makes supplication. But when man commands, God is no longer held up as holy before the people. The sin of Moses at Meribah was to command, to use the imperative toward the rock--and implicitly toward God.

But with that caveat, Mendelssohn and the reading of 1 Kings 18-19 go together wonderfully.