In the words of the late, great John McLaughlin,
“Issue One!”
I saw this posted on social media, and it raised in my mind at least two questions. First, if a pastor so strongly dislikes the public pressure of under shepherding Christ’s flock, is he seeking approval from the proper audience (i.e. an audience of One… God)? Second, why are so many pastors so very fond of complaining about how hard it is to have their particular job, as if all work isn’t challenging as a result of the Fall of Man?
Here’s the post:
Perhaps the worst thing about being a pastor is no matter who you are, or how Christ-like you try to be, the fact is: you’re too “liberal” for some people, too “conservative” for others; too into “justice ministry” or not “woke” enough; too “Calvinist” or too “Arminian”; too intellectual or too emotional; too into “law” or too into “grace”; too reliant on sports or movie analogies, or not creative enough to effectively use them in your preaching; too “transparent” with your life or not “authentic” enough;… What Happens to the Pastor When People Leave the Church
My additional thought about this:
What’s additionally perplexing is how many people chose to comment on the post, and in each instance commiserated with the complainer. Rather than trying to navigate the constantly shifting landscape of what passes for radical-liberal/radical-conservative, too-Calvinist/too-Arminian, overly-emotional/overly-intellectual – how about committing to being biblical and staying true to the solid rock of God’s Word?
“Issue Two!”
Another concerning item posted on social media stated:
The Holy Bible says that a woman can be sold to her rapist after he violates her.
The Quran says that a woman must be always sexually submissive to men.
The Satanic Bible says to not make sexual advances unless they are reciprocated.
I responded to the acquaintance who made the post by writing:
Hello, my friend. I’m glad that social media has allowed us to reconnect after so many years. Anyway, I’m guessing that the item above about the Bible is referring to Deuteronomy 22:28-29. You might find this link interesting: Bad Translations and the Punishment for Rape
My additional thought about this:
The meanings of words matter. I cannot be sure how fairly portrayed the Quran is or isn’t in the quote above. However, it’s clear that the Word of God was misrepresented in a horrific way, and those of us who follow Christ must be prepared to give a defense when the truth is under attack by deceivers.
“Issue Three!”
A third unfortunate post that caught my eye read:
Tackle the subject of women in ministry, and you are bound to touch the proverbial ‘third rail.’ But here goes, prompted by a fascinating panel discussion last Thursday night, here at Princeton Theological Seminary (you’ve got to read the blog to learn more). In spite of the offense (to some) – I am quite excited about this week’s posting, and was inspired, frankly, to write it. So read on – if you dare! And, as always, let me know your thoughts and views – even counter-views!
Seeing the invitation to chime in, even with a counterview, I replied:
When I’ve talked about this issue with other people the focus has had little to do with leadership styles, or even leadership gifting. Instead, the discussion ends up centering on how one should understand 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.
To this, the blog poster responded:
Helpful Troy. Let me sleuth around a bit – and then make a reply. I am certainly intrigued by this topic! A vital one, since women are among us in large numbers, and very much created by God for His purpose and glory. More later.
My additional thought about this:
Needless to say, he never followed up with the promised reply. His commitment to write “more later” fell by the wayside. One wonders if perhaps he actually did “sleuth around” and learned that he had no leg upon which to stand.
POSTSCRIPT
The blog above was first published on the original version of this website. Since then the site has been completely reformatted and upgraded. With this change, the blogs needed to be re-uploaded to correct corruptions that occurred with the transition in 2023. While doing this, some additional information was added at the conclusion of many of the older blogs in a “postscript” section that might not have appeared in the first draft that was published on the first website. Think of this new content as “bonus material”.
Tidbit
Who knew there were so many third party websites posting Faith Debate episodes? I have no idea how this happens. Does anyone else? Anyway, here’s yet one more way to find past episodes of the show (which airs on News Radio 930 WFMD each Sunday at 9am).
Autism
If you desire to have increased empathy for any family impacted by having a profoundly autistic person in it, then this article by a very gifted writer is a MUST read.
Our society has long understood (at least vaguely) the difficulties for families dealing with cancer. And most people now have a sense of the sad struggle brought about by Alzheimer’s. But for families worn down by the decades-long daily stress of handling a severely autistic individual, it is often a misunderstood lonely existence of feeling isolated and ignored.
Coping is hard, as this young author so effectively communicates. My heart is encouraged by this young woman’s transparency and by her love for the brother that will need her for many more decades to come. The Forgotten End of Autism
Abortion
A friend mentioned a video he had seen and remarked:
Want to see how morally bankrupt and silly the pro-murder (pro abortion) position is? You should watch this doozey. Even a wacko can’t seem to stomach the pabulum that comes out of the mouth of the “professor”. If the abolitionist (not pro-life) position has to go head to head against this position, it’s a slam dunk in favor of the abolitionist. However, we do seem to have the ability to rationalize away what we all know is an immoral position.
The video link has now been taken down, but I saw it before this happened. I tend to agree with my friend’s observation, and said to him:
This is merely an awkward attempt at “outcome based morality” (or utilitarianism). So, of course, the professor rejects moral codes that are rooted in commands, taboos, customs, traditions, orders, etc. (Especially those given by a supernatural being). The result, as can be seen in the video, is that she cannot know what is right or wrong (until maybe, possibly, long after the fact). This actually fits within the ever growing post-modern mindset, with increasing numbers of people wondering if anyone can know ANYTHING AT ALL with certainty – much less absolute moral truth!
This sort of moral compass is inadequate. For example, is it okay to be unfaithful to one’s spouse if they never find out? Is it okay to steal from someone if they never notice the item is missing? Is it morally wrong to snuff out the life of a hospital patient who is in a coma? And what happens if someone decides that humans don’t really fully become people until age 50; what’s her answer then? Actually, this view might become more obviously grotesque to the professor if put in different terms. So, please pardon this extreme example: If, morally speaking, what matters is “conscious experiences”, then is it morally wrong for a group of men to rape an unconscious woman at a party if she does not consciously experience it?
Jay Cutler and Tim Tebow
Someone still stuck on the Kaepernick controversy a few years ago wrote:
Just trying to figure out why Jay Cutler still has a job, and a starting job at that, but Colin doesn’t. If people want to say it’s not because he kneeled, but that it’s because he sucks, then explain Jay Cutler. We all know Kap is not playing because he kneeled.
I took time to explain:
Jay Cutler, like Colin Kaepernick, did not have a job until last week because no team in need of a starting QB wanted him. Then the Miami Dolphins suddenly needed a starting QB. The head coach knows Jay, likes Jay, and has a system that works well for Jay. It’s pretty simple why Jay was hired. Why not Colin? Well, the head coach hasn’t worked with him before. Colin doesn’t know the system Adam Gase uses. After Colin’s remarks about Fidel Castro, Miami (with a heavy Cuban population) is probably the last place in the league that fans would warmly welcome him. And the kneeling thing would mean lots of media attention causing a distraction for the team (kind of what like happened to Tim Tebow for awhile). It’s an unfortunate situation for Mr. Kaepernick, but I think it’s possible he’ll eventually end up with a team somewhere and get a second chance to re-establish his career. It could happen this year with an injury situation popping up, or he’ll sign a “prove it” deal with someone next year.
This led to a gadfly jumping in to say:
Tebow got 2 or 3 job opportunities. So the media distraction point is 100% irrelevant. If he was such a distraction, how come he kept getting job opportunities? And he also last threw a football like 4 years ago. He is playing a totally different sport now. The fact that his name is mentioned in 2017/2018 for QB is an insult to er’body.
I perhaps should have let it drop, but I strongly dislike things that are not true. So, I replied:
As a matter of factual correctness, Tim Tebow was released for the final time by an NFL team in September of 2015. So, it’s been less than two years since he “last threw a football”. Tebow played three years (’10, ’11, ’12), then got cut in ’13 by the Patriots. He sat out in ’14 (like Kaepernick might have to in ’17) and then Tebow was given another shot with the Eagles in ’15 before being cut during final cut downs. Bringing his name up in this context is certainly not insulting to anyone. What’s insulting to everyone is spelling “everybody” as “er’body”- lol. Plus, he was intriguing as an athlete and leader. He wasn’t very accurate, and yet had a good TD to INT ratio. He didn’t light it up with regards to fantasy football points, but he’s big, strong, and competitive. (This helped him rush for over 1,000 yards during his career -including playoffs- while averaging about 5 years per carry). He was never going to be a classic prototype QB, but if his mere presence on the roster didn’t stir up so much media attention, he might have lasted a bit longer in the league. Who knows?
Many blessings to you,
Pastor Troy Skinner
