Our Nation’s Capitol

My seventh grade class had the opportunity to take a trip to Washington, D.C. However, my parents were not financially able to pay my way. So I remained behind and listened to the experiences of my returning fellow-classmates. Little did I know that my son would one day serve on our congressman’s staff in the city that had eluded me in my youth. Eric’s guided tour remains a treasured memory. In yet another mercy from God, fifty-three years after that seventh grade trip I have spent a schedule-packed week in our nation’s capitol. Beth and I were part of a group of forty-six who were led by Dr. Milton Wheeler, history professor at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I know it is not polite to flaunt a vacation while others have had to remain behind (I remember the feeling), but the experience was too rich in history and lessons learned to let it slip away into the dust-bin of been-there-done-that. The itinerary of the week is incidental to observations made within the context of a Christian worldview.

Freedom has been won and lost. The freedoms one used to enjoy as a tourist in Washington, D.C. have been altered by September 11, 2001. The capitol, all federal buildings, and museums require screening. Bomb sniffing canines, guards, police, and barricades have changed the ambiance of the city, symbolic of human freedom. Security is necessarily tight. Being asked to drink a swallow from my water bottle served some kind of precautionary measure and helped me to stay hydrated after standing in lines. These are small inconveniences when one considers the many freedoms that remain. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier, always an impressive sight, the ever-inspiring Iwo Jima monument, and the monuments to World War II, the Korean War, and the Viet Nam War stirred deep emotions. So many lives in this great nation of ours have been given to protect our freedom. This will always be necessary while living in a fallen world. The sacrifices made by our men and women in the armed services should never go without appropriate honor.

The United States of America is the product of God’s gracious providential hand in history. It is amazing how many strategic events occurred to make possible the birth of our nation. The puritan heritage, brilliant minds shaped by a Christian worldview, and freedom-loving patriots forged the philosophy and documents which created a country unique in world history. George Washington’s integrity, courage and leadership ability, Thomas Jefferson’s genius with words (in three days by himself wrote the Declaration of Independence), and the collective sense of God’s sovereignty over human affairs all played a vital role in constructing a government steeped in liberty and justice for all.

The law of God is etched in stone. No building in Washington, D.C. rivals the Supreme Court for the magnitude of its symbolic power. We are a nation that lives under the Constitution and law, not the tyranny of despots. “Equal justice under law” is emblazoned over the doors of this majestic building. It also does not go without notice that Moses, holding the tablets of the Decalogue, is etched in stone above the heads of the nine Supreme Court justices. It is ironic that displays of the Ten Commandments are banned from public buildings across the nation. The exception is the one that houses the highest court in the land, committed to guard our constitutional liberties. Government does not give us our rights. It is our Creator who conveys our rights. Woe to the nation that forgets this truth.

Nameless, faceless, and without a monument are many who have helped to build our great nation. Thousands of school children spilled out of chartered buses to visit our nation’s monuments and museums to learn the story of who we are as a people. These young people are red, yellow, black, and white. It is the great, great, great grandchildren of slaves that evoke some special thoughts. It was upon the backs of their ancestors that our liberties were established. There is an extraordinary irony in this. While Thomas Jefferson was penning the words “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” his slaves were plowing his fields, hauling his water, cutting his fire wood, cooking his meals, and emptying his chamber pots. This was true throughout the thirteen colonies as slaves from Africa labored day-in and day-out making it possible for free patriots to do what had to be done for us to become the Unites States of America. The obvious inconsistencies and injustice of slavery, thankfully, eventually crumbled under the weight of the truths which formed our infant nation.

Time and truth often turn the vilified and unpopular into benefactors for the human race. The words of Mark Anthony in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” come to mind, “the evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” The memorial to Abraham Lincoln is a splendid monument in Washington, D.C. He is seated regally in a massive marble chair. If he were standing he would be twenty-eight feet tall. The words above his head read, “In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” But in his own day he went through periods of great unpopularity and was frequently savaged by the Washington press. John Wilkes Booth was convinced that by assassinating Lincoln he would be seen as a hero in the South. As we sat in Ford’s Theatre watching the play “Shenandoah” (a story set in the time of the Civil War) where Lincoln was shot, it was haunting to look up and see that empty Presidential box appearing exactly as it did on the night of April 14, 1865. We ought not to be too impressed with opinion polls and editorials in the major newspapers. They may be only reflecting the collective ignorance of those with a certain political agenda. History has not allowed the truth to be interred with Abraham Lincoln’s bones.

There is a well disguised mugger waiting in the museum of natural history. We were greeted by Tyrannosaurus Rex as we entered one of my favorite museums. There are many of these in Washington, D.C. and one could spend weeks, if not months, going through them all in a thorough way. Children were being guided by their parents through the exhibitions of prehistoric life. In one of these the earth’s sun was given the credit as creating the spark that brought a life-form out of the primordial soup of an ancient sea. We condescendingly view ancient man as worshiping the sun and think that we are beyond such primitive ideas. The worldview of naturalism (evolution) is the template that explains our origins. The Creator is nowhere to be found, except in the founding documents of our nation. The attribution of intelligence to “it” (chance) making the necessary adjustments for the purposes of survival is incredulous, but is believed by many. The Christian worldview is under assault not only in the museums but in the culture at large. The best defense is a Christ-centered, God-exalting personal witness to authentic Christianity.

Strong Christians can become bound by the fetters of the evils of their culture. Lexington, Virginia is rich in Civil War history. Washington and Lee University, the Virginia Military Institute, the home of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and the burial sites of Jackson and Robert E. Lee are all located within a shot distance of one another. Having viewed the video, “Warriors of Honor” about “the faith and legacies of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson,” we were primed to see the memorials to these two stalwarts of the War Between the States. Both Lee and Jackson were professing Christians whose discourse, writings, and leadership gave witness to their robust Christian world and life view. The Lee Chapel on the campus of Washington and Lee University remains as a testimony to General Lee’s desire for the next generation of leaders to know God and hear His Word. Jackson was an active member of the Presbyterian Church in Lexington. He taught a Sunday School class and gave generously to God’s work. Lee and Jackson are viewed with suspicion by many moderns, not only because of their allegiance to “lost cause,” but also because they owned slaves. The ownership of slaves by Christians of course is not unique to Southern Generals. Jonathan Edwards, pastor and theologian, also owned slaves. How do we reconcile this cultural injustice with biblical Christianity? Some historical and theological perspective is necessary. Slavery was an institutional evil, just as abortion is today. This serves as a warning to us. We can easily accept the evils that surround us as being normal and maybe even necessary. Discernment and moral courage must characterize Christian believers in any age. Self-examination is a required step in keeping us vigilant when facing the danger of being conformed to this world.

A gaze into the hideous face of evil is an encounter with the sinful heart of man. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum sits only a short distance from the Washington Monument. The architecture of the Holocaust Museum is designed to reflect that of a prison facility. Its stated mission “is to advance and disseminate knowledge about this unprecedented tragedy (the Holocaust); to preserve the memory of those who suffered; and to encourage its visitors to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust as well as their own responsibilities as citizens of a democracy.” As we entered the museum a young girl passed us leaving with tears running down her cheeks. It was a solemn and funeral-like walk through the three floors of the exhibition. Upon entering one is given an identification card with the words of Elie Wiesel on the front, “For the dead and the living we must bear witness.” Inside the card are a picture and the story of a real person who lived during the Holocaust. The account of the merciless slaughter of six million Jews in Nazi Germany moves from the rise of Nazi power to the stories of the survivors of the death camps. Sadly, in one of the mini-films regarding the development of anti-Semitism in Europe was a quote from Martin Luther. He said things about the Jews he should never have said and now they come back to haunt the heirs of the Reformation. It is the distortion of the teaching of the Bible that sows the seeds of anti-Semitism. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, both Jew and Gentile. Israel’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the only hope for a sin-darkened world.

A brief excursion through a small part of American history can be exhilarating and enlightening. The next generation needs a tour guide through the halls of history. That tour guide must be accurately informed and wise in the Word of God (How good it was to have Dr. Wheeler assist us in this endeavor). In this way the purpose of history can be realized in the words of Paul, “Now these things happened to them as an example and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11). This is to be the legacy of human history. Our nation’s capital tells us stories that we need to hear.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

"The Heart of Worship"

This photo was recently e-mailed to me and provided me with a good chuckle on an afternoon when I was quite drowsy. The humor of the sign communicates an important message: Don’t over-emphasize the lesser need while making light of the most important one. Yes, the sign may have sharp edges and one could get cut by sliding his or her hand along the edge. But compared to the possibility of driving one’s car into a lake, a lacerated hand seems rather insignificant. The slight hazard is elevated to the neglect of the “real” danger.

The humorous message of this sign is a good illustration of much of the discussion regarding worship music in the church today. The so-called worship wars continue to pop up on new fronts. Debates rage and churches divide over song choices, music styles, instrumentation, volume, leadership, liturgy, and technology. The lines are often quickly drawn between false dichotomies: Stale hymns or silly choruses; Boring traditional or charismatic contemporary; Dry and wooden liturgy or sloppy sentimentalism. There are as many different views of worship music as there are people in the church. Everyone has their preferences and are glad to voice their opinions and “constructive criticisms” when it comes to music.

I certainly do not want to imply that discussion about song lyrics, instruments, and music styles is unimportant or unnecessary. There needs to be “caution” taken lest we get cut by the “sharp edge” of worldliness on one side or by ritualism on the other. We must be very intentional in what we do as corporate worshippers so that we are not being drug along by the culture or stuck in the rut of tradition. So “sharp edges” are real dangers that need to be warned against and avoided.

However, there are more weighty matters with regard to our worship of God—I am speaking particularly of our corporate worship in song, as this is the main battlefield of the worship wars. There are caution signs in Scripture that alert us to serious dangers: “THE BRIDGE IS OUT AHEAD!” One such sign is found in the context of Jesus’ interaction with the immoral woman of Samaria. One of the many twists and turns in their dialogue leads to a question about worship: Were God’s people supposed to worship Him at Shechem or in Jerusalem? Jesus saw no reason to discuss locations since both places would soon be obsolete and would play no role in the lives of those who genuinely worship God. Rather, He turned the conversation to what was most important about worship. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).

What is the crux of worship? That it is done in “spirit and truth.” “Spirit” does not refer to the Holy Spirit, but to the human spirit. We are to worship God inwardly with a proper heart attitude. William Barclay wrote on this point, “The true, the genuine worship is when man, through his spirit, attains to friendship and intimacy with God. True and genuine worship is not to come to a certain place; it is not to go through a certain ritual or liturgy; it is not even to bring certain gifts. True worship is when the spirit, the immortal and invisible part of man, speaks to and meets with God, who is immortal and invisible.”

Our spiritual worship is to be wed with truth. To worship in truth means a number of things: (1) We must approach God truthfully. We come before Him wholeheartedly and with sincerity; (2) We must worship Him on the basis of revealed truth. “Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). The Bible is our worship manual; (3) We must approach God through Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). God’s way for us to approach Him is in Christ.

The Samaritan woman quickly wanted to focus on the “sharp edges” of worship. She asked, “On what mountain are we supposed to worship on?” Jesus quickly steered their dialogue from the peripheral to the central: “Worship in spirit and truth.” We also need constant correction regarding our focus in worship. Volume, instruments, and song choices matter, but they are not the ultimate tests of genuine worship. When we gather each Lord’s Day to corporately praise the Lord, resolve to be a truth-rich and affectionate worshipper. Work hard to engage mentally and emotionally into all aspects of worship—songs of celebration, prayers of confession, or offerings of gratefulness. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”

Justin Culbertson
Berachah Bible Church

The Power of the Tongue

According to Einstein’s special Theory of Relativity, an extremely small amount of mass will change into a large amount of energy. If all the atoms in one pound of matter were completely changed into energy, it would release as much power as would the explosion of 10 million short tons of TNT. That is power. But there is a power of another kind that can unleash stupendous consequences. It is that little piece of flesh within the mouth we know as the tongue. This relatively small member of the body has far-reaching power. It can start wars, break up marriages, and induce pain that lasts for a life time. But the tongue is also like a bucket that can bring up the sweet, thirst-slaking waters of godly counsel, relationship-building, and praise to God. Scriptural warnings are therefore abundant. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21). “The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Prov. 13:3). “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire” (Jas. 3:5). God has given numerous road signs regarding the use of the tongue for the Christian on his journey through life.

The tongue is not to be used for lying and deception. Satan is the father of lies and is fond of those who participate with him in obscuring the truth (Gen. 3:1; Jn. 8:44). How easily we can slip into a falsehood and then go on our way without a twinge of conscience. There are various ways in which we lie. We can deliberately tell an untruth, exaggerate the truth (“you never do anything right”), create a false impression, misrepresent what someone else has said or done, or make promises that we don’t keep. Our heart’s cry to God should be to make us truth-tellers.

The tongue is not to be used as a substitute for action and or as an instrument of blameshifting (Gen. 3:12, 13; Prov. 14:23). Beware of that feeling that comes when you feel good about yourself because you have merely talked about a problem and have done nothing to solve the problem. Parents, take the time to explain to your four-year-old the ugliness of blaming others for things we are responsible for.

The tongue is not to be used for slander and gossip (Ex. 20:16; Prov. 10:18). Passing along an untruth about another person is an arrow aimed at the heart. Gossip can be so delicious. We can communicate rumors and careless talk and smack our lips when we have finished, thinking that we have rendered some great service to our circle of friends. The tongue can be a deadly weapon. Reputations, confidences, and relationships can be rendered a fatal blow by words that destroy rather than build-up.

The tongue can be used to judge and criticize (Matt. 7:1-5). Have we been willing to find fault with someone else while at the same time refusing to judge our own faults? Do I attempt to change others but am not willing to change myself? Jesus hammers that type of judging that is indifferent to the condition of one’s own sins. He doesn’t forbid all judging. There is a time and place for determining who are spiritual dogs and pigs, but not under the cover of hypocrisy. Ridicule is a first cousin to sinful, destructive judging. Our society is awash in disrespect, insults, contempt, and mockery. Much of our entertainment is at the expense of other people, using the tongue to make fun of people we don’t like. There are many other vices of the tongue, but these are enough to keep us aware of our own potential for verbal homicide.

Let us pull the shade and let the light of the power of the tongue for life flood in. By “life” is meant that whole range of social, personal, moral, and spiritual vitality that comes from God. We are to be fully alive (life as God intended it to be) on the road that we take through life (physical life). We are to praise God with our tongue (Psa. 40:9-10; Jas. 5:13). God-given joy ought to be overflowing in our conversation with others and in our congregational gatherings. When we put our feet on the floor at the beginning of each new day, it ought to be our resolve to tell of the goodness of God before others. Let the tongue be used for prayer (Jas. 5:13; Col. 4:2). Talk with God before we start talking to others. Adoration of God, confession of sin, thanksgiving for God’s blessings, and supplication for our needs and those of others should dance upon our lips with fervency and frequency. Our tongues should be instruments to express the life-giving power of the gospel (1 Pet. 3:15). “O Lord, give me the opportunity to tell someone how Christ is their only hope.”

One of our prayers should be the plea for greater honesty in our speech (Eph. 4:25). We are to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God. We need grace so that our tongues will be used with restraint (Prov. 17:27). This would mean tutoring ourselves in thinking carefully and wisely before we speak. Ask God to make your words calm and faith-building (Prov. 15:1), and disciplined in the keeping of confidences. A life-giving tongue is one that encourages others (Prov. 12:25). Forgiving others, offering wise counsel, and letting kindness flow from our lips is a jug of honey that will sweeten many a life. “Lord, may the power of my tongue be used to exalt your name and garnish the lives of others with the sweet savor of your precious truth.”

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church