Deeper Waters

I believe one of the great tragedies of our era is that we no longer know our history. A large part of this is our education system. We’re not taught enough. We’re taught dates at times and places and events, but are we really taught the reasoning behind them? It’s good to know when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the Wittenburg door. It’s better to know why he did so.

One of the great benefits is that we can learn about the heroes of the past for our virtue today. Learning about what the great heroes of the past did can remind us of the possibilities that we have today. This is fitting especially in Christian circles where we have the lives of the saints to look up to.

We can also learn about the great errors of the past. Are there some things we should know not to do now from events like the Crusades and the Inquisition? (Although I don’t think these were the nightmares they’re made out to be. I’m not condoning all that happened in them, but I suspect some historical revisionism has taken place.)

This is along the lines of not reinventing the wheel. Learn from mistakes, preferably other people’s. If we know that something didn’t work for the Christians in the past and didn’t bring about Christlikeness in people, then we should know that that is something we need to avoid.

Of course, there is also the great wisdom of the past. Reading the philosophy of Plato can bring some great insight into how one views the world, and the philosophy is rooted in history. There are historical figures that are found in the dialogues. I’m not saying they are historical, but they do have mention of figures we know from other events  in history.

We can also gain much insight into the biblical text by knowing what was going on. If you know about Josephus, you will read certain passages in the Scriptures differently. If you know what happened with the Early Church Fathers, you will interpret the Scriptures in a different way.

Our era though is one that forgets history. We’re all about what is going on now, but we have no clue about what went on in the past. I remarked about this in an earlier blog where it seems people today have even lost sight of what really happened on 9/11. We mourn what happened at Virginia Tech for a week and then life goes on.

If we aren’t changing ourselves as a nation in response to evil, then we are merely leaving the door open for it to happen again.

We need to know our roots if we are to know who we are. I remember this with talking to a lady who was speaking about the movie 300. I never saw it, but she was talking about how it ended with them losing and I said “It’s not like they can change it. It is history after all.” I got the reply of “You mean that really happened?”

Yes Virginia. 300 men really did hold off 1,000,000. It’s a shame the only way to bring about interest in history is through a movie.

We as Christians should especially know history. Christianity is a historical faith. We are claiming that within the space-time continuum, God did enter. We are claiming that Christ did live and did die on a cross and did rise from the dead. If it’s not historical fact but rather just a nice story, then there’s no reason for this blog. I have far better things I can be doing.

But if it isn’t, and it is historical truth, then that gives me hope for the future rooted on what happened in the past. Because of what happened nearly 2,000 years ago, I can have hope.

My advice today? Read history. Not just biblical history. Read any history. Learn where you came from.

Is it just me, or is the day after Christmas depressing?

You go into all the stores and it’s like they can’t wait to get rid of that Christmas music and some people are even pleased that it’s no longer being heard. Yep. Eleven months of the other stuff is fine, but don’t dare make us listen to music over and over that celebrates the time Christ came into the world.

Before Christmas, everyone is always wishing you a Merry Christmas. After that, it’s just another day. The main question that you’re asked will be if you had a Happy Holiday. I tend to think this is just being cordial. In all honesty, I think we’ve made courtesy rude today. People ask things not because they want to be nice I fear, but because it’s customary to do so. I’d rather hear a genuine thanks and please than one that is forced. I’d rather hear someone say “How are you?” who I know cares rather than someone who says it for the sake of saying it.

It also makes me wonder how much we really know about history. Unfortunately, America is often the nation where we know more about the last sixty minutes than the last sixty centuries. I’ve been shocked at how many people I meet that seem to not realize what happened on 9/11 for instance. Oh we remember that, but it’s like it doesn’t really matter. We want everything resolved now.

We’ve already moved on past time spent with our loved ones and the sharing of memories. We’ve forgotten those people that we left behind. Instead, it’s back to the races and sadly, it could be that we have left the Christ child behind as well. I’m sure many people attended church last Sunday, but will they again this Sunday, or did they do their yearly duty?

One would think if this was the most wonderful time of the year and it was meant to bring about such a change, that it would have some lasting effect. I remember driving down the road yesterday and seeing so many businesses closed for Christmas. Today, everything is back to normal again. Now I’m not against business of course, but it seems we might be in too much of a rush to get back to the same rat race. Perchance even businesses should reflect on the time?

I’m also not against enjoying gifts! I’ve certainly enjoyed some. Today, I put together the vacuum cleaner I got for instance. I also watched another episode of Monk tonight. I look forward to starting a new book that I got soon. However, have we taken the time to consider the friends and family that got us those gifts and that they looked into our souls to buy them hopefully?

One of the best gifts I got once was a crystal cross from a friend I hadn’t seen in awhile. It was a small thing and probably didn’t cost that much. Why was it such a great gift? Simple. I knew this person had looked at me and not having seen me in awhile and not sure what to get, had my faith pop into mind and decided to buy me a cross.

Have we reached the point where we have started moving so fast that we can’t even take time to celebrate that which is good? I am just as guilty! I feel often that I am running the rat race at work and the actual time I could spend enjoying my life I don’t do. Some people might wonder why I’m watching Smallville or Monk or playing Final Fantasy when there’s ministry to be done. Simple. We can’t be all work and no play. We’ll get burnout too quickly. When I work, I work hard. When I play, I play hard as well.

Today is December 26th. I wonder how much of December 25th will be in our minds when the 27th comes.

I have returned safely from Christmas. I spent much time on the road, but it was quite safe. I was conveniently surprised as for a good part of my journey, there seemed to be little traffic. At our first Christmas stop, I was actually the first guest to show up. I hid my car somewhere to surprise my parents, especially my mother, when they walked in, and indeed, she was surprised.

Our second get-together seemed a bit empty to me honestly though. We’ve usually gathered around and had each person with about ten presents or so and we’d go in order. This year though, it was as if each person bought only one gift for one person. I broke the rule naturally though, though unknowingly, by buying a gift for my grandmother, aunt, and uncle.

That is something I have never understood. It seems the older folks, and I am the youngest, get so concerned about spending so much time and staying late. That was always part of the joy to me. Now I naturally stay up late, but just being up till the midnight hour and seeing all the laughter and jokes was something special. I can’t help but wonder why that time is shortened.

Spending the night again at my parents’ place was odd. It felt out of place. I even slept in the bedroom that used to be mine until I moved out, but I can’ t say it was very sound. The mind seemed to be in a thousand places and nowhere. Most of us I think know that sense of something just seeming off-kilter even if you can’t put your finger on it.

Of course, I did enjoy seeing my family again. Don’t get me wrong. I suppose as I think about it, it’s just the realization that I have indeed changed. I am no longer the kid that stays there. I am the man that has come  home for Christmas. It is as if a rite of passage has been crossed where the place that used to be home cannot be considered. As I told my mother when she called me on my way home, “I’m half an hour away from home.” In talking about my living where I’m at now I just told her that this is where I need to be, and she understood.

There were plenty of good times. I got many things to enjoy, but there is a great joy in seeing other people open the gifts you get them and seeing their delight. It was a bit odd though as my sister and I both got my mother the same thing. (Geez! She’d mentioned it to me though and said that that was what she wanted for Christmas!)

Yet Christmas seems to leave a bittersweet feeling. Even while family is around and gifts are being opened, something in the heart cries “Is this all there is?” It’s not about the gifts. While I did bring home many good things that I really need around here, there was still an emptiness.

Now this might sound odd, but I can’t say I think about Christ more around Christmas. I see other people do so apparently, but for me as one who studies this area, this is a lifelong thing. I am spending time thinking about the wonder of the incarnation when it’s the middle of Summer. While I do embrace that Jesus is the reason for the season, I would honestly say that even for me, that sometimes might seem to get lost.

But does it really? On the way to and from my parents’ place for instance, I am listening to apologetics CDs in my car. (Alright. On the way back, I couldn’t find a place to stop until I got home so when I ran out, I listened to the music CDs. My CD player is in my trunk so it’s kind of inconvenient.) Listening, it made me think about plans for the future and carrying forth the adventure of apologetics.

How did the day end? It ended like many Christmases have ended. I find Christmas starts off with a bang for me and then it just kind of slows down. However, the evening is spent in enjoyment. Last year, it was playing Final Fantasy XII which my sister had got me. This year, it was watching an episode of Season 5 of Monk and watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

What will happen? I’ll go to sleep soon, but I’ll be at home and maybe this is my Christmas gift and the best that I could have. That would be the realization that this is my home. I have my friend here, and that is the best I could have. Take back all that I got this year. As long as I have my friend here, I would be pleased. Friendship cannot be bought at a store.

It seems I am blessed in both ways. Tonight, I will rest realizing that I’m not the same person in many ways that started the apologetics endeavor years ago. My future is bright and I am the only person that is keeping myself from embracing that idea. I pray that in my times of sorrow, I will be released soon to see the light of day. When the morning comes, I will realize that 2 + 2 does indeed equal 4.

An odd way to write about Christmas, but would you have me be anything other than honest? From my blog it is my firm hope that you had a Merry Christmas. I think I will look back on this one as a great Christmas as well.

On this day before Christmas, I’d like us to consider what really happened. I’m heading out soon to see family, so this will be brief. Let’s put ourselves in the position of someone the night before the original Christmas.

The Messiah had not entered the world.

The sacrifices were still being offered to make sure we were forgiven.

God had been silent for 400 years.

The world was ruled by an oppressive empire.

The Jews were in political turmoil with various parties not knowing how to respond to Rome.

The hope of Israel was being awaited.

A virgin girl was wondering just what was going on with her being pregnant.

The one she was betrothed to was looking for a place to keep her safe as she was about to give birth.

Inns were filled with people simply trying to make it back home for the census. (The original Christmas traffic!)

An elderly lady was caring for a newborn son named John.

A priest had had a son in his old age making the people wonder what was happening.

A man named Simeon was waiting in a temple for the redemption of Israel he had been promised to see.

The enemy was preparing to rile up the force of Herod soon to deal with the Messiah.

Angels were on stand-by to announce the good news.

Shepherd were in the field expecting another day.

All of this changed though. Within 24 hours, God himself came into the world in a way no one expected.

Today, enjoy yourself, but remember what came next was the real gift.

Tomorrow early afternoon, I will be heading back to spend Christmas with the folks. Blog readers! You can rest assured! I do plan on writing a Christmas Eve blog before I head out. However, tonight, I’d like to write about exactly what it means to me to say that I’m heading back.

Now I do keep some secrecy on here about my personal information, but I consider myself as one who has come from a small town and my family is certainly not wealthy. However, as I look around me, I am amazed. I have a nice computer and nearby me is a huge game collection. When I walk in my bedroom, there are several bookcases filled with books. I come from a poor family, but I consider myself in material possessions wealthy.

I fear sounding like I’m bragging, but I do believe that I have been blessed with an intellect. I have been told by people that I have a gift of writing and that I am skilled at debates. I am the biggest doubter of this that there is, but if the public says so, then who am I to disagree?

It makes me marvel being here at the Seminary and being known to professors and our great president as well. Lord. Why me? I’m just a simple guy from a small town. I do not see anything special about me. Why is it that you have blessed me with so many things that I do not deserve? Yet here I am.

This is the first time I’ll be driving a long way for Christmas and I’ve already told my mother to remember that I have a steel rod on my spine and please don’t tackle me when you see me. It’s been nearly three months for her but she has held up well. She’s reached a point at least where she’s not calling me every day.

I look forward to our big Christmas Eve gathering and having all the family gather around and just wanting to know about my move. This is my extended family as well with my grandmother, my aunt, my uncle, and my cousins in addition to my folks, my sister, and her brother-in-law.

We also go to a family that has been kind of like my mother’s adopted family for a long time. I suspect that I will receive a lot of questions as well. I also know though that someone last year received a copy of the Da Vinci Code so maybe I could get the gift of an interesting discussion.

I miss leaving my roommate behind, but I’m sure he’ll do fine without me. I realize when I write that that God has blessed me with so many friends. People seem to like me for some odd reason and it just blows my mind. Again, I really don’t see it. I suppose this is as good a time as any to mention this.

Many of you have been with me even before I started this blog. Some of you read it faithfully and even have it linked from your own websites and blogs. Then there are people like my college president and my old church back home. There’s of course, my current church.

So many of you are so kind to me and if I really took the time to take in all that you said, I’d really be a whole lot better, though I’d probably break down emotionally as I don’t think I deserve the kindness you have heaped on me. However, I greatly appreciate it. Sometimes, little things you do and say help keep me going.

I’ll publicly say to my roommate thank you for helping me out with so much. It’s really been an eye-opening experience to live with someone else like this other than family and it seems many times that adventure is just right around our door. Things have been odd at times, but in the end, I know you’ve always been there and I’m a better person today because you’re in my life. I pray for your blessing every night. You deserve it.

I fear if I keep going, I will never stop writing like this. It might not be a bad thing, but hey, I’ve got plans for the evening. I pray as I rest tonight that I’ll keep in mind everything. As I think about how I started with my material wealth and ended with talking about my friends, I have no doubt which is greater. My friends mean far more to me than anything else in this world. Of course, Christ is most important to me, but I am pleased he blessed me with so many people. So many times when you’re so kind I want to ask “Why?” but I think I know what you’d say. I’d probably deny it, but I know what you’d say.

Merry Christmas everyone. See you in the morning!

Before too long, many families will be gathered together and opening their Bibles and reading the Christmas story. We will hear of the dream of Joseph in response to Mary’s pregnancy in Matthew 1 and how the child will be called Immanuel. We will hear about the announcement to Mary in Luke 1. We will hear about the magi in Matthew 2 and the shepherds in Luke 2.

I wonder how many people will read the other Christmas story found in Revelation 12.

Yeah! That’s a Christmas account! It’s a bit abbreviated, but it’s an illustration of what was going on. The child is being born and Satan is already there trying to destroy him to prevent the plan of salvation from taking place. Fortunately, the child is protected and snatched up to Heaven. (John goes from birth to ascension.)

We see so much of the good side of what happened, but we need to realize that cosmic warfare was taking place. If this was a chess game, then this is the point where God is preparing to make a checkmate move. We can be sure that Satan knew it was coming and was ready to respond.

So what happens in the story? We see that Herod orders all the children in Bethlehem under two years old to be slain. Joseph and Mary have to flee in order to keep Jesus alive. By the way, if you wonder why no one else records this, this is sadly mild for Herod. He was prone to murdering rampages and the town was a small town, there would probably be a dozen or so children murdered. In the time of Herod, it was hardly breaking news.

Why’d Herod do it? He feared a new king coming and taking his place. Thus, while we look and see Christmas as a wonderful time of year, and don’t get me wrong for what happened was wonderful, it was hardly a pleasant memory for many of the people involved. The people of Bethlehem would probably not look back with fondness.

This needs to be remembered though. Christmas is a fun holiday, but it is also a serious holiday. It is the time that we remember that God did enter this world. The heavenly did come and intersect with the earthly. God made himself known in a way that he had never done before.

That doesn’t happen peacefully. In fact, when we are servants of God today, we can expect to have clashes as well. What happened at the start was the beginning of the end. If this move worked, which God knew it would as I am no open theist, then it would spell the end for Satan and his plans.

Indeed, it was the end. The dragon was cast down and he went to make war on those who obey God’s commandments, which would be us.  Today, we can expect that. If there were no Christmas, there would be no Christians. We would not be in the war most likely. We are doing what we do though because of what God did 2,000 years ago.

This Christmas, enjoy the celebration, but remember that this is cosmic warfare also. It’s also going on around you right now. (It could help us to recover a biblical idea of angels) Celebrate, but remember what all happened. It wasn’t just fun and games.

I’ve been thinking about the passage in Isaiah 6 some lately. You know it well I hope. If you don’t, it’s time to learn it. It’s where Isaiah has a vision where he sees the Lord high and exalted on the throne and the angels are there before him and they are singing “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Isaiah is just stunned and says that he is a man of unclean lips who lives among unclean people and he must die for he has seen YHWH, the Lord of hosts.

Let us consider this. These angels are before God and saying one thing about him. He is holy. How often do we see God that way? Do we look at the God of the Bible and think “He’s holy.” Even worse though, if we do think that, do we think that’s a good thing or a bad thing? Has holy become a word that implies something that we really don’t seem to want to have?

Have we ever had times when we’ve thought about Heaven and thought it boring? In all honesty, many times, I’ve wondered about that? Do we ever think about God and see him as someone static? Do we ever see reading the Bible as a duty we’re supposed to do that we do grudgingly? Do we do the same with prayer and tithing and other such practices?

When you think of God, do you really get excited? Have you reached the point where you read about the incarnation and your mind is thinking, “Yeah. God took on flesh. Jesus died and rose from the dead.” Are you getting excited at hearing Jesus died and rose from the dead, or are you just hearing it?

I fear most of us are answering in a way that shows we are not excited. I also fear because I am the same way. The supernatural no longer seems to strike us as wonderful. Christianity has not been good news often but has simply been news, and most of us know if we want to have a good time, we do not turn on the evening news.

And I think we need to repent of this.

We need to ask God to show us who he is. I’m not asking for a new revelation in this. I’m asking that we really understand the revelation that has been given to us. I’m asking that we try to see God as he really is. If we get a thought of God that he is boring for instance or static, we need to throw that thought out.

One way we’ll get to the truth of God is to throw out that which is not true. In fact, it’s good to do this with any belief. If you are saying something that is false, then throw it out, be it about God, yourself, or anything else. We have a tendency to repeat lies so much that we believe them, like the ones that I have been mentioning.

And what a shame that we have done this with God. The thought of the truth of Christianity should excite our souls greatly. We should delight to think about it. We could spend so much time diving into this mystery, but we don’t. I fear we have reached a time when the wonder of the gospel has died on us.

This is what we need, especially around Christmas. We should be celebrating one thing mainly. The incarnation. This is the time we remember that it happened, but are we filled with wonder at the thought? The angels are standing at the throne of God and singing about how holy he is. Dare we disagree?

We all know if we were there, we would be acknowledging that God is holy and awesome and wonderful. Why? Because that’s true and we could not deny it. Could we deny it now? Do we have any reason to believe that it isn’t true now? If no, then we need to start living like that’s true.

We need to see the God who is there.

I’d like to let you in on a secret. Most people tend to fall into two kinds of categories when they doubt. They are either emotional or volitional. Of these, the former is the far more common. The volitional often know at some area that it is true, but they just don’t care. They want to think otherwise. Rational doubters will be happy as soon as the question is answered. Emotional ones ask “What if” questions?

Be sure though. When these people come to you, they are not going to come out and say that they are emotional doubters or even volitional doubters. They are going to say that they are rational and they will give rational objections. To a degree, these should be answered, but these are largely smokescreens.

There are a number of people on here that I’ve seen that as soon as I see them say something my mind is going “Emotional, emotional, emotional, emotional” When someone comes and admits a personal hurt such as a way Christians have wronged them in the past, you are getting into emotional territory. When you raise a good argument and you get a “Yeah, but what if?”

This will happen to you also when you face the most dangerous critic of the faith you will ever face. That is yourself. When you wake up at night and start thinking “What if?” or when you can’t even get to sleep at night because you are thinking about those objections to the faith. This is when you need to get those emotions under control.

Yes. You can control them. It’s not easy. I still work on it. If you are not happy though, you are the reason you are not happy. Happiness is a choice. It’s a hard choice at times, but it’s still a choice. What you need to do at that time is to remind yourself of the facts and go with them.

These emotions can cause you to focus on the wrong things. Suppose someone comes with something like a supposed biblical contradiction. You have to ask yourself, “Does this outweigh the independent evidence for God’s existence and the fact that he has revealed himself in the person of Christ and raised Christ from the dead?” It’s good to review those arguments at that time and realize that there is most likely an answer to this one as well.

When dealing with the emotional doubter, try to get past the emotional aspect. If that means focusing on it for the time being, then focus on it. I love the rational debate side of course, but when the emotional side comes in, there is a soul at stake and it’s best to concentrate on winning that soul.

By the way, these kinds of things don’t go away overnight. I am a strong perfectionist and I will spend the rest of my life working on that. These tendencies will be there and you will have to keep controlling them. Be prepared for a long haul and don’t think a mountaintop experience means they’re never coming back.

And to my fellow men, I say this. We are at a huge disadvantage here. Most women who are emotional doubters know that they are. We men are very reluctant to admit that we are emotional doubters. We’re men after all! We’re not supposed to be like that. We should often though fess up and admit that we are emotional doubters.

Christians. Be prepared. This is the most common type of doubt you will find and the most common in yourself as well. Learn to control your emotions instead of them controlling you.

Last night, I wrote on the view of women in Christianity. After pondering such a thing, I decided to write about another great myth. This is the belief that Christianity taught that the Earth was flat. In fact, it is generally assumed that people until the Middle Ages did believe that the Earth was flat.

Sadly enough, Christians have bought into this atheistic fable.

The truth is, the ancients knew that the Earth was round. They’d known it for several years. At the apologetics conference recently, Dinesh D’Souza gave one of the best evidences that I’ve seen of this. His remark was that they saw eclipses and saw that there was a round shadow. Of course, he gave other evidences, but this was the most enjoyable one.

However, consider some quotes. Aristotle’s work “On The Heavens”:

All of which goes to show not only that the earth is circular in shape, but also that it is a sphere of no great size: for otherwise the effect of so slight a change of place would not be quickly apparent. Hence one should not be too sure of the incredibility of the view of those who conceive that there is continuity between the parts about the pillars of Hercules and the parts about India, and that in this way the ocean is one. As further evidence in favour of this they quote the case of elephants, a species occurring in each of these extreme regions, suggesting that the common characteristic of these extremes is explained by their continuity. Also, those mathematicians who try to calculate the size of the earth’s circumference arrive at the figure 400,000 stades. This indicates not only that the earth’s mass is spherical in shape, but also that as compared with the stars it is not of great size.

This is one of the first quotes I’d point to, but he was not really the first one. Aristotle was widely accepted throughout the Middle Ages and that includes the doctrine that the Earth is a sphere. You will not find many an educated person who doubts the sphericity of the Earth.

I would even say at this point that Christianity gave rise to a culture that would allow science to rise. They showed a belief in a reasonable God with a reasonable faith where reason could be used to understand a reasonable universe. Islam and Judaism tend to be religions about right living more than right beliefs. No doubt, there are some right beliefs that are to be held to be orthodox in each of these faiths, but Christianity is the one that emphasized the role of reason.

When did the idea of a flat Earth really become popular? It was in the 1800’s. Until then, it was just known that the ancients knew that the Earth was a sphere. Some secular writers though decided to rewrite history. (Friends. Be cautious of much said in history in relation to the view of Christianity. There are myths about such events as Galileo and the Inquisition that have been repeated so much that they’re believed to be true but no one can say why.)

I’m not the only one to say something like this. This is from a writer for the American Scientific Association also.

http://web.archive.org/web/20040717084200/http://www.id.ucsb.edu/fscf/library/RUSSELL/FlatEarth.html

And his last point is correct. This can be found to show a myth that Christianity and science have always been at odds. It really helps the evolutionary side in their case if this can be shown. This is why Christians need to learn to get rid of these myths and restore our heritage of science. We are the ones that were really doing it first.

Science is not the enemy of Christianity. Neither is reason. They all go together. All truth is indeed God’s truth and whatever is revealed about the natural order, we should embrace it. If it messes with our interpretation of Scripture, well maybe we need to change that. We cannot dare have it where Christianity teaches one thing and science one other thing. Of course, this is something that needs to be established. I have yet to see macroevolutionary theory established. If it was, it wouldn’t keep me up at night, but my reasons for not believing it are scientific and philosophical.

Be watchful though. Atheistic myths need to be brought down. We are often told that ancient people were gullible and would believe anything. The more I think about it though, the more I think that it is actually the reverse. It is modern people that believe anything and this over things they can find simply by doing a little bit of reading.

The myth of the Flat Earth. It’s one sign modern people are gullible.

I’d like to tie something in with a sermon I heard John MacArthur giving on the radio on Matthew 1. (I believe it was John MacArthur. It sure sounded like him.) He was speaking on the genealogies in Matthew and the birth of Christ and he mentioned the women that are found in there. Let’s look at them.

First off is Tamar. You know her story? It’s in Genesis 38. She tricked her father-in-law Judah into thinking she was a shrine prostitute and slept with him and bore two sons. One of those sons was Perez and the lineage of the Messiah passed through him. Hardly a lady of character.

Second is Rahab. If you remember the conquest of Jericho, you remember her. She was more of a lady of character as she was faithful to the God of Israel, but when she was found, she was a prostitute running a brothel. She converted though to follow the God of Israel and is included in the lineage of the Messiah.

Third is Ruth. Things are getting better now. This was a Moabitess who left her people behind to follow Naomi back to the land of Israel and embrace Naomi’s God as her God. Ruth is seen as a noble figure in the book and the book of Ruth ends by pointing out that king David came from the lineage of Ruth.

Fourth on the list is Bathsheba. Now we all know the story of David and Bathsheba. Ravi Zacharias once said that if you made a documentary of the Sermon on the Mount and played it one Sunday night, you would only get a few Christian viewers. If you made one of David and Bathsheba, everyone would be watching. It’s obvious why!

This was the girl that David got pregnant and then had her husband killed in order to explain the pregnancy and save his own hide. He later married her after he did this, but the Lord was not pleased. To her credit, Bathsheba is a heroic figure later on as she takes a stand and gets Solomon on the throne.

Last though is Mary. Mary is seen as the most blessed of all in that she gets to be the mother of the Messiah. Now I don’t hold Catholic doctrines in that Mary remained a virgin or that she was sinless, but I think every Protestant should affirm that Mary does deserve a place of honor.

Why am I saying this? Because it seems to be the view in Christianity that women are downplayed. The skeptical worldview does not take kindly to the treatment women get. However, women were elevated by Christianity. The OT law placed them in a higher position than existing laws of the time. Now we may say that their witness didn’t count in NT times, and that was true, which makes it astounding that women get to be the first witnesses of the resurrection and thus, the embarrassment criteria lends credibility to the account, but it is Christianity that made it so that wouldn’t always be so.

When Paul wrote that a husband was to love his wife as Christ loved the church which would mean dying for her, the listening audience would have been stunned. This was an extraordinary new concept. When we see that there is no male or female in Christ, we realize how far this has gone. (By the way, he’s not saying male and female don’t exist as we are in Christ now and male or female. He’s saying there’s no favoritism.)

When we look at church history, we see this played out. Pliny the Younger talks about Deaconesses in the church and Paul sent his letter to the Romans by Phoebe. Theodora, the wife of Justinian, was an empress and Bathilda, the wife of Clovis II was venerated as a saint and helped free the slaves long before the New World.

Now today in America, we believe in the equality of men and women. We mean by that that they are both fully human. We do not mean that men are women or that women are men.  Please note though that this idea we have of equality makes no sense apart from what we see in Scripture. We see it in Genesis 1:26-27 and we see it in Galatians 3 with Paul reaffirming that concept in Christ.

This year, when you celebrate Christmas, think of how much the world changed as a result of that baby coming. Christianity has been a huge blessing to the world. If you’re a female and you enjoy the liberties you have today, then thank Christ for them. It is through him that they have come.