Articles - God

   I am giving thought to the content of a song I first heard on Christmas Eve more than 40 years ago. The year was either 1982 or 1983. The impact of the words and their implications are evident whether it was the former or the latter year.

   In 1955, my father and mother opened what eventually became a successful florist business. Following Dad’s death in 1977, mother continued the ownership and operation of the business until her retirement in 2004. She passed away in 2019. Both of my parents are greatly missed. However, though Christian hope is undeserved, “but by the grace of God” (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:10), it is “as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19-20).

   When Alexander Campbell received the news of the death of Walter Scott, his “much beloved and esteemed” friend, he wrote a memorial tribute to Scott. Early in his literary tribute, Campbell stated, “Next to my father, he was my most cordial and indefatigable fellow laborer.” The piece was published in the May 1861 issue of The Millennial Harbinger for which Campbell served as Editor (1830-1864).

   God has established on Earth three ongoing institutions for the physical, moral, and spiritual well being of humanity. These institutions are 1) marriage and family founded in the heterosexual monogamous relationship, 2) civil government, and 3) the New Testament church. Furthermore, God has provided in the Sacred Scriptures, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, the revelation of content which includes divine principles that guide relationships within each of the above institutions (cf. Psalm 19:1-14; 2 Peter 1:2-21; 3:14-16; et al.). Correct thinking results in respect for these institutions and leads to honoring God’s revealed principles that guide and strengthen the institutions (cf. Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-12; Ephesians 5:21-6:4; Mark 12:17; Romans 13:1-7; Proverbs 14:34; 29:1; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Matthew 16:13-18; 1 Timothy 3:14-15, et al.).

Consider the remarkable words of Jesus Christ spoken to the disciples of the Pharisees who were sent with some Herodians to entangle (Matthew 22:15, NKJ) Jesus in His talk; i.e., “to catch [Him] in a trap, to acquire information about an error or fault, with the purpose of causing harm, to catch [Him] off guard, to catch [Him] in a mistake” (Rogers and Rogers 49-50). Luke wrote, “. . . [T]hey watched Him and sent spies [“their disciples with the Herodians,” cf. Matthew 22:16] who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. It was the last week of Jesus’ life on Earth before He was crucified on Friday. Luke summarizes what was happening: “And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything, for all the people were very attentive to hear Him” [“were hanging on His words,” ESV] (Luke 19:48, NKJ).

      Mortally wounded, a soldier was lying on the battlefield. Realizing the end was near, a chaplain bent over the wounded young man and said, “My boy, you are slipping away. Shall I pray for you?” The soldier replied, “Yes, pray this prayer—‘I thank’—and, as those words were spoken, pain gripped the soldier, and he withered in agony. Moments later, as the pain began to subside, the soldier resumed speaking and said, “I thank thee God for my Mother and Dad.”

A while back, President George W. Bush released his book of memoirs titled, Decision Points. Each chapter of the book concerns some point of major decision in his life or presidency. Borrowing from his terminology, I suggest that “Decision Point” sums up the basic message of a passage from the Old Testament prophet Joel which says, “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14). The statement is located in the context of an announcement of the judgment of God in time, and at the end of time. I believe Aebi to be correct in his conclusion that this “is [1] primarily descriptive of Pentecost, in which the gospel by which people are judged began to be preached; then [2] it is descriptive of the any judgments of God throughout the Christian era, and [3] finally descriptive of the day of judgment at the end of the world” (75).

In his 1948 essay titled “On Living in an Atomic Age,” C. S. Lewis wrote, “If Nature is all that exists—in other words, if there is no God and no life of some quite different sort somewhere outside Nature—then all will end in the same way. . . . [But] Nature is not the only thing that exists. . . . And that explains why we do not feel at home here. A fish feels at home in the water. If we ‘belonged here’ we should feel at home here” (Present Concerns, 93, 99). Lewis called this “the tyranny . . . of time” (Reflections, 201), by which he meant that “we are so little reconciled to time that we are even astonished at it! ‘How he’s grown!’ we exclaim, ‘How time flies!’ . . . It is as strange as if a fish were repeatedly surprised at the wetness of water. And that would be strange indeed; unless of course the fish were destined to become, one day, a land animal” (201).

It has been twenty years since the residents of the mid and upper Ohio Valley have seen major flooding like that experienced thus far in 2024. As the banks of the Ohio River overflowed from heavy rainfall, in conjunction with the river’s flooding tributaries, it has been a humbling sight to behold.

   Sheldon Vanauken’s book,  A Severe Mercy, has been described as “a real-life love story full of wonder and hope.” It is this, but it is much more. I recall my first reading the story when it was published in an inexpensive paperback reprint edition. It is a true story of faith mixed with sorrow, which includes Vanauken turning to the British author and apologist, C. S. Lewis, for guidance. Vanauken was grappling with tough questions that came from his wife Jean falling prey to a mysterious illness that resulted in her death.

   The book includes 18 previously unpublished letters written by C. S. Lewis

   For some, the above words may be a reminder of a popular 1960s song—“What the World Needs Now is Love.” Though I well remember the song, the above title was triggered, not by a song, but a philosophical debate on ethics that occurred in the Fall of 1980 on the campus of what was then North Texas State University, Denton, TX. The participants in the discussion were Thomas B. Warren (1920-2000) and Joe E. Barnhart who died earlier this year (Feb. 5, 2023). In the debate, Dr. Warren affirmed Christian Theism (the ethical system advanced in the New Testament) is superior to the system of utilitarian ethics (the system advanced by the British philosopher Jeremy Bentham, 1748-1832), and by Dr. Barnhart who, in the aforementioned debate, affirmed it as being superior to Christian Theism.

I am reflecting on autumn. The corn is turning brown in the fields. The pumpkins have turned bright orange. The leaves on the trees are changing into their autumn dress. In an 1856 four volume set, Sacred Philosophy of the Seasons, rich in apologetics, Henry Duncan showed the value of natural theology through his marvelous study—more than 1500 pages—of how the four seasons are “a beautiful and striking exhibition of the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator” (Winter iii). Although it is dated more than 150 years ago, Duncan’s work is unique.

   The Russian novelist and essayist Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) had a plan that entailed the completion of a literary cycle titled, The Life of a Great Sinner. The plan was to involve a goal of addressing the existence of God, which he once called “the problem that has consciously and unconsciously tormented me all my life” (Great Books of the Western World, vol. 52, vi). The literary cycle was not finished, but what the great writer did complete, just prior to his death, was a masterpiece recognized by many literary scholars as one of the major achievements in world literature titled The Brothers Karamazov. First published as a serial (1879-80), it was then published in a full edition in 1880.

   There is a story of a twelve-year-old boy who wrote the Library of Congress requesting two books. He wanted one book on space travel, and another on sane living. The boy concluded his letter by saying, “If you can’t send both books, send the one on space travel ‘cause I’m more interested in that.”

   Most of us would agree that it seems normal for a twelve-year-old boy to be “more interested” in space travel than in a topic like “sane living.” However, surely we should also recognize it to be the case that when many U. S. mental health groups are describing what they call

   In the introduction to a 2014 speech delivered on “Civic Education,” the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said:

Washington is my favorite of the Founders—the one I would most have liked to meet. Not just because he was the indispensable man—the man without whom the American Revolution would not have succeeded. But also because he is a puzzlement. He was not a great intellect; indeed, he was quite sensitive about his lack of formal education. (He was not even, to tell the truth, that skilled a military tactician as The New York campaign demonstrated.) And he was surrounded by great intellects, who produced great writings—Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson, to name the most prominent. Washington himself wrote not much of note, beyond his famous First Thanksgiving Proclamation and his Farewell Address. . . .  Yet all those well-published, intellectual geniuses looked up to, deferred to, stood in awe of George Washington. What was there about the man that produced that result?

   It must have been character. Washington was a man of honor, of constancy, or steady determination. A man who could be believed, trusted, counted on. (64-65)

As a puppy, he was given the name “Bud.” At age seven, when he came to live with us, I called him “Buddy”—my Buddy. He was a handsome pure-bred yellow Labrador Retriever; an American Lab, which tends to be taller than an English Lab. Buddy was large, gracing nearly thirty inches according to how they measure the height of these animals. He weighed 105 pounds. He was not overweight. His name fit him well—“Mr. Bud”—beautiful, gentle, obedient, happy, lovable, affectionate, and loyal. Oh, how loyal he was!

George Cansdale (1909-1993) was a prominent British zoologist and Superintendent of the London Zoo. He traveled widely and spoke extensively concerning his field of expertise. All the while he maintained an allegiance to the biblical worldview. His presentations on the animal world captured the attention of children and adults. He authored a book titled All the Animals of the Bible (Zondervan 1970). In the book’s Foreword, written by the late John Stott, the author is described as one who was “a keen Bible student all his life.” Cansdale’s book is fascinating and informative. In a chapter about bears, wolves, foxes, dogs, et al., Cansdale says, “Without doubt the dog is man’s oldest animal companion. . . . [The dog] assumed the role of honoured assistant and intimate companion of people all over the world” (121, 123).

C. S. Lewis once opined that “autumn is really the best of the seasons” (Letters 308). While we have no desire to quibble for, or against, this opinion, we certainly do concur with the following lines we read many years ago under the title, “The Foliage of Autumn”:

As a boy, I grew up hearing and watching the late Batsell Barrett Baxter on Herald of Truth radio and television broadcasts. Even to a kid still in elementary school, Baxter was an engaging speaker. His seemingly flawless conversational speaking style, easily understood message, and obvious care and concern for the listener, served to make him a popular speaker in the 20th century.

   The first and only time I heard Baxter preach, other than by radio or television, was in 1971. After completing undergraduate study at Harding College in 1970, providence afforded me the opportunity to return to the Harding campus the following year for the annual Bible Lectureship. The lectureship theme was “Faith in Conflict,” and

Everett Ferguson, Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University, rendered a great service when he authored his brief volume Thinking~Living~Dying published in 2011 by the Warren Center. It is a publication rich in content that concerns how early Christian apologists (2nd-3rd centuries) speak to the 21st century. Describing the earliest apologists, Ferguson says they “not only won the intellectual contest with [unbelievers] but also excelled [unbelievers] in conduct. The Christian life is a powerful argument for the truth of Christianity. . . .”

Where and when this article is being written, one might say, “The weather outside is frightful!” The temperature is zero with a beautiful white landscape of 8-10 inches of snow on the ground. I think of Elihu’s words:

God . . . does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow He says, “Fall on the Earth” . . . He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom He made may know it. Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens. From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. . . . Hear this, O Job: stop and consider the wondrous works of God. (Job 37:5-10, 14)