Mary's Song: "Let It Be"

(This blog entry is taken from a message I originally put together in 1995. I have preached it on several occasions during the Christmas season in years past—and probably will again in the future! Since it is really a sermon, it is designed to be delivered orally rather than on paper—and it is probably more effective that way—but I hope you will get the meaning out of it in this form. Thanks, FOP)

When I was eight years old, my two older sisters brought home an album one day. Now, an album is kind of like a CD, only bigger and black. On the album cover were four young men with what seemed to be long hair at the time—some call them “mop tops”—and the name of the album was “Meet the Beatles.” They were somewhat controversial in some circles, and I can understand why. My, what provocative lyrics their songs had on that album: “She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah,” and “I want to hold your hand.” Such radical stuff!

Over the years, the Beatles did get involved in real controversies and strange beliefs, and they were certainly one of the most popular musical groups of modern times, but I don’t think any of us would confuse them with Christian theologians or look to them for insights into our development as Christians. So I find it ironic that the last song the Beatles ever recorded, which was the second to the last song ever released, seemed to me to have Christian overtones. I really liked the music—the simple melody—but I was puzzled by the lyrics.

When a find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom, “Let it be.”

It went on:

“Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be”
Whisper words of wisdom, “Let it be.”

“Let it be?” What did that mean? Leave it alone?

And what did Mother Mary have to do with it?

Since the song came out in 1970, I have always liked it, but I never really understood what it was trying to say.

So let’s fast forward to the mid-1990’s. I was preparing for Christmas, and I was reading from the first chapter of the gospel of Luke out of the New International Version:

²⁶ In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” ³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For nothing is impossible with God.” ³⁸ “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

For some reason, three words in that last verse stood out to me. “May it be…” Could it be… that this “may it be”… was the inspiration for “Let It Be”?

I quickly pulled out my King James Version to check out my theory. However, I was disappointed. This verse in the King James Version reads, “be it unto me according to Thy word.” I thought about looking in the New American Standard Version, but I thought, “No, the Beatles were from England.” What Bible would they use? The Revised Standard Version? I had a copy on my computer Bible: Sure enough, there it was: The RSV has Mary answering, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

I doubt that the Beatles understood the impact of her words, and it’s more likely akin to Caiaphas when he prophesied quite by accident that it was good for Jesus to die for the nation, but the Beatles were right. This Christmas season, Mother Mary does have words of wisdom for us, and these words of wisdom are, “Let it be.”

Just what, though, do the words mean? Let’s pray about it, and then we’ll talk about it.

Lord, some churches go well beyond your word when it comes to Mary. They pray to her, they teach she was always sinless, even that she remained a virgin after her marriage, though your Word tells us clearly that she had children with Joseph later. Lord, while we see they are wrong in their understanding, forgive us for often so overreacting that we have failed to appreciate and honor and bless this special lady that you chose as the mother of your Son. May we learn from her today some keen insights about following Your will. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Four words I want to give you to help us think about Mary and her words.

1. Surprise

Mary “wondered” about the greeting from the angel; she was certainly surprised.

When God comes to us, we like Mary, should have a sense of surprise.
Not surprise that God would have a message for us…we should expect that!
We should instead be surprised at the generous and gracious way God comes to us!

The angel called her“highly favored”— but Mary knew she was not perfect. Was Gabriel joking with her? Putting her on?

I am reminded of King David’s words in Psalm 139 (NIV):

¹ O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. ² You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. ³ You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. ⁵ You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

David’s reaction to God knowing all about him? Was he afraid, knowing that his sins would be known? No, his reaction was more like, “WOW! I am amazed that God cares so much about me!”

It is surprising to sense how much God loves us!
It is surprising that God puts so much faith in us!
It is surprising that God is willing to entrust to us His will, especially regarding His Son!
(As Mary was entrusted with His upbringing, we are entrusted with sharing His message)

What put Mary in this position?

It was not because she was perfect, but because she sought to be pure.

I want you to understand one thing: Mary was not pure because she was a virgin. She was a virgin because she was pure! And purity begins in the heart. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

God has a message for you. Without purity, you may miss it. Need purity? Pray like David did after his sin of adultery: “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” and He will restore you. Are you seeking to honor God? Do so, and you will be surprised at the great plans He has for you!

2. Serious

Mary took God’s message to heart. She was serious. In those days, many people claimed to believe in God. They went to the synagogue week after week, they traveled to Jerusalem for the feasts, they went to the temple for sacrifices…but they were really just going through the motions, performing religious rituals that were strangely separated from the rest of the lives. It had little or no impact on how they conducted business or managed their families.

Yes, they would hear God speak—but they would wink and nod and do what was right in their own eyes. Many are like that today.

When Mary heard God speak, she was serious.

Look at Luke 1.34 “How will this be?” This was not a question of doubt but of process. “How? I am engaged? Will it be Joseph’s son after we are married?”

“No, no…it will be God’s Holy Son.”

Mary was serious about God and His word. How about you? Does your belief in God really mean anything in the way you live?

If so, we can learn the most important lesson of all from Mary as we look at the third word. That word is…

3. Submitted

This is the heart of the message, in my mind.

She wondered, “HOW (since I am a virgin)?” He told her how it would be.

Think with me: What did Mary know?

Mary knew…

1) she was engaged
2) the facts of life
3) the possibility of scandal
4) her marriage might be off
5) this would change everything

She could have shaken her fist at God… “Why are you doing this to me?”

Instead, she came to God with an open hand and a trusting heart: “Let it be to me…”

How beautiful her attitude…how simple her trust…how grand her example!

This Christmas, when God says to you,

• “Don’t follow the ways of the world…be changed by thinking my thoughts…”
• “Keep yourself pure for the one you will marry. From today forward, reject any kind of sex outside marriage…”
• “Don’t be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit…

Don’t say, “But they will laugh at me. They will reject me. I will be embarrassed and alone…”

Instead, SAY: “Let it be to me according to Your word.”

This Christmas, when God says to you,

• “Love your neighbors, AND love your enemies, too...”
• “Help those who are in need...”

Don’t say: “BUT people will take advantage of me…”

Instead, SAY: “Let it be to me according to Your word.”

This Christmas, when God says to you,

• “Use your gifts within the body of Christ to minister to others...”
• “Spread the message to others; tell them about me and what I have done for you...”

Don’t say, “I don’t have time right now; I’m too busy with work or school or activities…”

Instead, SAY: “Let it be to me according to Your word.”

This Christmas, when God says to you,

• “Don’t mistake possessions for prosperity; be generous…”
• “It is better to give that to receive...”
• “Help support others who take the message to other places...”

Don’t say: “BUT recognition comes to the rich and powerful, and I need to hang on to what I have for security…”

Instead, SAY: “Let it be to me according to Your word.”

Finally, let me give you the word

4. Song

As we read on in Luke 1, beginning in verse 46...

⁴⁶ And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. ⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. ⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful ⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

Note her excitement about being in the plan of God! “The Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.”

How could Mary do this?

She really believed what we say we believe: God’s plan is best!

Remember, best is never the easiest.

God’s way is best for you…for others…and for the kingdom

Well, the Christmas season is here. Our challenge: to find Christ in Christmas.

Yes, it is true: Mother Mary has wisdom for us. As she said to the messenger of God, let us say to God this season when He speaks to us, “Let it be to me according your word.”

© 1995, 2006 Fred O. Pitts

“Are You a Conservative or a Liberal or What?”

Recently I had someone ask me, “Are you a conservative, a liberal, a fundamentalist, a moderate, or what?” Though I didn’t say it, with those choices I think I would opt for “A what!”

I hate labels.

Oh, labels would be fine is we could be sure they actually communicated something. (See my previous blog on “What Is a Baptist” to understand what I mean.) But as time goes by, more often than not labels become relative to the user. So to an atheist I might be labeled a right wing fundamentalist and to a self described right ring fundamentalist, I might be considered a liberal. I mean, Jerry Falwell is considered a liberal by some independent Baptists today!

Labels are often used to put someone else down without having to explain what they think or believe. This can happen in both theology and in politics, and we have seen a lot of it during the mudslinging ads from both sides in political campaigns, haven’t we? “So-and-so believes in the failed liberal policies of the past” or “So-and-so is an ultra-conservative who…”

Of course, words like “conservative” and “liberal” lend themselves to miscommunication because they are indeed relative to the time and the context. “Conservative” comes from word “conserve” and says basically that we want to keep the status quo. It is interesting that when the Soviet Union began their policies of openness and restructuring under Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980’s, the “conservatives” were those who wanted to keep communism—that is, they wanted to “conserve” what they had.

And “liberal” comes from “liberate”—to free. Often, people are liberals until they achieve what they want; then they become “conservatives,” wanting to keep what they have achieved. I hear people often say that Jesus was a “liberal” of his day. While I think it is hard to make that categorization completely, it is hard to deny that Jesus came to liberate and to change the status quo as far as faith is concerned. “It the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” And the apostle Paul said, “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free.”

Those who want to say that Jesus was a “liberal” of His day, though, tend to think He would be a “liberal” today. And that all depends on what is in place in a certain context! If a group is following after Jesus and obeying His teaching, Jesus would want them to “conserve” that. If a “church” was really more a group of modern day Pharisees, then certainly Jesus would want to liberate them.

So I think you see why I don’t like labels. It is a shame labels don’t mean much anymore, that they so rarely actually communicate a position. I don’t understand why people would even want a label that doesn’t properly describe them. For instance, why do so many people today still want to be labeled as “Christian” when they clearly do not hold to the teachings of Jesus? Why don’t they just give themselves another name?

I actually had a good conversation with the person who started our conversation with the loaded question. Instead of answering his question with any of the labels—even the “what” I was tempted to use—I said, “Let me just tell you what I believe and who I am and you can decide what I am. If you tried to label me by any one subject on a non-essential issue, you might miss what I believe about the most essential things.”

I went on to tell him that Jesus is my Lord and that the Bible is my guide for knowing the real Jesus and for what I believe and how I behave. I talked about my understanding of sin as being the biggest problem faced by mankind and that Jesus is the only One that has the ability to do anything about that problem—that He is able to forgive our sins because of His obedience to the Father, His sinless life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection. We talked about our need to turn away from our sins (repent) and turn to Jesus in faith, and that God wants us to walk in holiness and peace.

Finally, we talked about how important attitude is accompanying our beliefs. While I am orthodox in my beliefs and I teach the truth, I do not delight in condemning others. (Some do, you know, like the Pharisees of old.) Instead, I want to hold out to them the desire of God to forgive and restore them as they turn to Him in repentance and faith. I told him that I try to be cognizant that any time I preach on a certain sin, I know that there are likely those listening who have committed that very sin, and I want them to know that there is hope and forgiveness for them through Jesus and that He welcomes them as surely as the Father welcomed home the Prodigal Son when he “came to his senses” (see Luke 15).

So, no thank you to the offer of labeling myself. That, to me, is a recipe for miscommunication—that is, until we can better define the labels.

Framing the Question

Whether it is in politics, faith, or other issues of debate, it is important to see how the question is framed—and who gets to frame it. The one who gets to frame the question can almost always give an answer that seems sensible and winning.

Often in public debate, each side frames the question to its own advantage. You have seen it happen many times, and you recognize it when you realize that a person did not answer the question that has been asked. It may be that the answerer felt the question was inherently unfair (“Have you quit beating your wife?”); at other times the person simply does not want to answer the question as asked and therefore answers in such a way that he assumes a different question was asked. (Q.: “Did you commit the act you are accused of?” A.: “I think it is important that we do not always look at the past. What’s past is past. It is important for us to look to the future.”)

A good example of framing the question can be observed in the recent debate over how the United States treats those captured in the War on Terror. One side framed the question by speaking about American values, the Geneva Conventions, how we want others to treat our prisoners, and the effectiveness of torture. As a believer in Jesus, I don’t care what anyone else says. I certainly believe that torture of prisoners is wrong. I think we should have values that are followed regardless of what the other side does. I think that is perhaps the greatest demonstration to the world as to the rightness of our cause and our value system. So when the question is framed about whether we should be torturing, of course I agree that we should not be doing that.

The other side frames the question differently, however. “We don’t torture anyone. And whatever techniques that we use that you might not like, how can you compare that to what the terrorists are doing? They are cutting off the heads of civilians they capture. Don’t talk to us about losing the sense of rightness when our methods are mild compared to theirs. Information we get may save the lives of other innocents.” And, of course, when the question is framed as a comparison of tactics, certainly I agree that nothing we are doing is comparable to the tactic of killing innocent civilians through suicide bombers, snipers, etc.

When I hear people state their cases and I agree with both of them, I wonder if I am terribly inconsistent. Then I realize that the question has been framed differently. There are really two different questions here. Of course, since we only debate and do not discuss, we can’t seem to agree that we could tackle both questions. We polarize positions rather than seeking common ground—or at least being honest enough to agree on the question!

Sometimes the framing of the question is really more of a matter of identification or even name calling to the extent that no one wants to be painted with that moniker. For instance, in the abortion debate, I noticed that several years ago a national newsmagazine quit using the terms pro-life and pro-choice. Instead, it started using anti-choice and pro-choice. Hmm…I wondered in a letter to the editor (which was not printed) why, if they were no longer going to use the designation that each side would rather be identified with, that they did not decide on "pro-life" and "anti-life" rather than “pro-choice” and “anti-choice.” More recently, we see it when people who are conservative are called “right wing extremists,” people who question the strategies in the war in Iraq are called “cut and run,” or when mainstream evangelicals are routinely called “fundamentalists.” In each of these cases, people are trying to squelch discussion by making people afraid to be labeled with a certain name.

Of course, we see that same kind of thing in the many negative ads that are so prevalent as the election looms nearer.

As you can see, a proponent frequently frames a question to his liking to put his own position in the best light or in an effort to create a “straw man” out of the opposing position. Of course, there are times when we do not agree on what the question is, and when that is the case, it is really hard to assess the positions taken until we can get to that point.

While we all seek to frame questions, we should at least be upfront about it, letting people know that the way we frame it is the way we see the issue, rather than throwing a smokescreen up in order to avoid examining it at all. When others frame questions in different ways, we should try to determine if it is a valid way at looking at the same issue, a different issue altogether, or an attempt to avoid tackling a tough question.

We should be especially mindful of the way questions are framed as we listen to candidates who are asking for our votes.

Politics As Usual! Ugh!

As a follower of Jesus, I am called to love others—fellow believers, neighbors, even enemies. I will admit, however, that I am really struggling in loving one set of people. No, it’s not Muslims or adherents of any other religion. It’s not any particular race or nationality. The class that I am struggling with is politicians, and as far as it applies, political operatives, including those who so often appear on radio and television or write columns in newspapers or on the internet.

Don’t get me wrong about my struggle. It’s not about ideology. I don’t have any particular difficulty in loving those with whom I disagree. If so, I’d be in real trouble. You see, even though I may have more in common with one group’s platform in any given season than another’s, about the only person I agree with most all the time is me—and there are occasions when I’m not even sure about that!

No, my struggle to love people in politics is because of what I perceive as the “ends justify the means” hypocrisy in dealing with issues. Instead of confronting an issue straight on, so many politicians and their advocates simply look to winning points against the opposition or containing damage to their own side.

As one example, we can look to the story of the congressman from Florida who sent inappropriate emails to a page or pages. When this was brought to light, it immediately became an “us” versus “them” issue between the two majority parties. When the opposition party tried to make an issue of the breaking scandal, we saw back and forth finger pointing.

• “What did you know and when did you know it?”
• “Mistakes were made, but why weren’t you concerned when your last president had problems with ‘that woman’?”
• “Well, this issue was with pages, who are much younger than interns.”
• “The page was eighteen when the emails in question were sent, so it was two adults, and, besides, ‘nothing happened.’”
• “The speaker should resign because he knew of the problem and didn’t act.”
• “It seems like your people knew about this in early summer. If you were really concerned, why didn’t you bring it out then rather than wait until right before elections?”

And on and on it goes. Why, instead, wasn’t there a unified voice that condemned the behavior—in this and in previous instances? Why are those who abhorred the previous indiscretions of others now seemingly defending behaviors of the same sort? And vice versa? Such hypocrisy is unbecoming in those who want to lead us. They choose what to attack and what to defend based on who is involved rather than what is right.

Another example is in our own gubernatorial campaign. Each candidate accuses the other of ethics violations.

• “You got a sweetheart deal on land in Florida and a $100,000 tax break that no one else may have gotten.”
• “Your daddy has all kind of business with the state, inappropriately, and he pays you a handsome yearly salary for virtually no work.”

It’s amazing how adept we can be in identifying the nuances of ethical behavior for others but cannot for the life of us see how anyone could question what we do ourselves! It seems like someone once said something about removing the log from your own eye before removing the speck from someone else’s. Instead, we have blind people doing eye surgery on others.

As distasteful as all of this is, it would be great if we could expect such behavior to subside after the coming elections. But I wouldn’t count on it.

© 2006 Fred O. Pitts

Unity of the Faith

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ²³ I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Jesus of Nazareth (John 17)

Jesus prayed that those of us who believe in Him would be united. He prayed that we would be one with each other and one with Him and His Father, just as He and His Father are one. What would be the result of this unity? While unity itself is a wonderful thing, Jesus indicated that the unity of believers would be a powerful witness to the world to the truth of the gospel!

Think of it. Jesus didn’t say powerful preaching or polished theology or beautiful buildings or clever marketing would cause others to believe; He said that our unity would be the proof needed to others that Jesus really is who He claimed to be.

How He must weep when He looks down on us with our many divisions!

Wouldn’t it be nice if those who call themselves believers pretty much believed the same thing so that the world would have a true idea of the gospel of Jesus?

Some of our disagreements are honest enough. We read the Bible and have different interpretations. Perhaps you have wondered why God didn’t make the Bible clearer on some of the more disputed subjects. I have two thoughts about that. First, I think God has made the really vital truths of the faith very clear. (So, when things aren’t as clear, maybe they are not as vital.) Second, I have wondered if perhaps there was a reason God didn’t make some of these less important things crystal clear: He wanted to see if we would take seriously His prayer and desire for unity. (Obviously, a lot of us are failing!) When people disagree on lesser issues but still love each other and care for each other in a magnificent manner, it is indeed a powerful witness to the world. But when we act like the rest of the world, finding reasons to divide rather than reasons to come together, why should they think we are any different because of our so-called beliefs?

Let’s be clear, however, on one thing. Our unity cannot simply be with everyone who claims faith in Jesus. Our unity must have at its center authentic faith in Jesus. After all, the passage in John 17 speaks of unity that results in believing that Jesus was truly sent by God the Father. To achieve that, we must have a consensus of what it is essential to the faith and what is not. I have in my mind what those things are. What about you? It would be great to have some of you post your thoughts so that we could begin to dialogue on these things. So I will not say a lot about those things in this post.

I will say a couple of things, though. I am not of the opinion that this unity precludes the idea of having denominations. In fact, I think that in today’s world different denominations can actually help us achieve unity rather than highlight differences. How so?

Let me give you one example. I have brothers and sisters in Christ in other denominations who have authentic faith in Jesus—that is, they believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and that through Jesus we can find forgiveness of sin and power for living. But they also hold to something I am convinced is unbiblical: the so-called baptism of infants. However, the ones I am thinking of do not believe baptism saves (neither do I, of course). The truth is, I would have a hard time being a member of a church that baptized infants. Why? Every time an infant was baptized, it would bother me, because even though baptism is a symbol, it is both an important symbol and a commanded symbol. Much of the symbolism would be lost without a believer’s baptism by immersion that shows the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. I would want to say each time it was practiced: “We should only baptize believers. Let’s have a dedication service for parents and their children.”

Having different denominations allows us to practice our understanding of such things in our own way in our own churches but cooperate and unify on the essential matters. At one time, denominations seemed to be in competition with each other. More and more, we realize we are not in competition with each other but with the evil one. So, we can cooperate and join hands in global concerns but practice our own distinctives in our local churches. What kinds of cooperation am I talking about? The coming together of denominations for a Billy Graham crusade is one example. More “generic” conferences like Promise Keepers events would be others. At work, believers can join hands to witness to those who are not yet believers without fussing about what church is “right” about certain matters than can be discussed later. You get the picture.

You may wonder what got me on this subject. I am sure it needs to be addressed anyway, since it is so important to Jesus, but I have noticed among our Baptist brethren that we easily get distracted by things that divide rather than things that unite. Again, we certainly need to agree on the essentials, but it amazing to me how we tend to make enemies out of those who don’t see everything eye to eye. Some quick examples may help you understand my concerns. First was the election of the SBC president this past summer. Even though he seems wonderfully solid, some who did not agree with his “bigger tent” approach groused that he wasn’t “conservative” enough, though he stated his agreement with the “resurgence” of the last few decades. Second has been the fuss over the alcohol issue. While Baptists have been historically teetotalers (and I personally follow that for my own life), some have rightly said that the Bible absolutely forbids drunkenness but does not by mandate forbid all drinking totally. Since no Baptist is advocating the sin of drunkenness, why can’t we agree to disagree on this? While we can show why it is wise to be teetotalers, we need to be careful about confusing a biblical mandate with what we consider a valid application of biblical principles. Third is the matter of women serving as part of the deacon body, which has been controversial among Baptists. As I have told our congregation, there is not enough biblical information in the original Greek to make a definitive interpretation—I could write you a Bible study both for and against the idea. Fourth, some people judge the possibility of unity based on someone’s view of the second coming of Jesus, though it is difficult to be dogmatic on these things, in my view, when you are seeking to interpret the vivid figurative language found in the book of Revelation. Finally, extra-biblical restrictions have been placed on international missionary candidates over the practice of a “private prayer language.” Obviously, Jesus didn’t consider any of these topics crucial enough to divide over, or He would have made them more clear. When we have division and strife over such things, rather than the essentials, we are the cause of the prayer of Jesus going unanswered!

I could go on, but I think that’s enough. In balance, let me say that the New Testament has many admonitions to defend the true faith, and there are several examples of doing just that, so I am not talking about unity at all costs. Unity must come from commitment to the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, another time I will share my own list of the essentials—it will be shorter rather than longer—but what about you? What do you consider the essentials that we must agree upon for unity? Think about it—and share them if you would like.

Let’s be the answer to Jesus’ prayer—let’s be unified in Him!

The Wedding Ceremony

I had the privilege not only of performing the wedding ceremony for my daughter Hannah and her husband Rick, I also had the opportunity to conduct the premarital counseling. While I require that for every wedding I perform—and most people want it—I wasn’t sure whether we should have a substitute in the case of my daughter. Fortunately, both she and Rick were fine with me (and mom, too, on some sessions) helping with this important preparation. We finished a few months before the date—I always schedule premarital counseling about six months out to give time to handle any big issues that might arise—and the last couple of weeks we met again to concentrate on the wedding ceremony rather than the marriage itself.

I have always liked to personalize wedding ceremonies as much as possible. I have written over the years three distinct ceremonies that I use on different occasions; each can be further personalized to the individual couple, their desires, and the circumstances. While I have written the section I might refer to as “The Meaning of Marriage,” the actual vows are usually adapted from a couple of minister’s manuals I have (one by Adredge, the other by Segler).

Several people have commented on the recent ceremony for Rick and Hannah, so I wanted to share it with anyone who is interested…

(The beginning announcement through the invocation was done by my good friend—and Hannah’s pastor her first year at Tech until we relocated to Atlanta—Tim Wolfe. He officiated at the beginning so that I could escort Hannah down the aisle and present her to Rick. Thanks, Tim!)

Dear Family and Friends,

We are gathered on this joyous occasion in the sight of our Heavenly Father to both witness and celebrate the joining in marriage of

Richard Douglas Rogers and Hannah Eve Pitts

Who gives this bride to be married?

INVOCATION

The Bible says this:

“Let marriage be held in honor by all,” and that’s the way it should be, for marriage was the first institution set up by God in the very beginning.

Rick and Hannah, if we could find one word to capture the essence of marriage, perhaps that word would be promise. In at least two senses, promise describes what we are about today.

First, marriage brings promise for the future. You stand here as a couple before your family and friends with great hopes for the future, and that future for you is full of promise. For instance, there is the . . .

Promise of goodness and joy

Rick, the Scripture says, “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown” and “He who finds a wife finds a good thing.” Perhaps I am biased, but I think I speak the truth when I say in regard to Hannah, you have found a good thing indeed. Likewise, Hannah, the Scripture says that a godly husband will be considerate of you and treat you always with respect. It also says that when a man takes a wife, he is to “bring happiness to the wife he has married.”You can expect that from Rick. There is a promise of goodness and joy for both of you in this marriage.

There is also the . . .

Promise of unity and intimacy

After the creation of the world in all its beauty, “God saw that it was good.” After the creation of man, however, our Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” And so God made the woman to complete the man and declared that it was very good. God’s first solution to the problem of loneliness is marriage. He said, “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” Life is an adventure that is to be shared. There can be no closer unity and intimacy than within the marriage relationship that God created.

Yes, this is a day of promise for you both. Promise for the future. But there is a second way the word promise describes this day. If you are to achieve the promise for the future that you hope and dream for, it will be in large measure because you keep the promises of today.

Today is the day for making solemn promises to yourselves, to one another, and to God, and those promises must be kept for your marriage to meet its promise. What promises must be made and kept?

There is the promise to love.

Interestingly, Rick, although we know that both of you should love one another, more than once the Bible commands love in marriage, and each time it is specifically the husband who is commanded to love his wife. But both of you make the promise today to love. And what is love? 1 Corinthians 13 says it best:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

There is the promise of commitment.

To fulfill the promise of unity, God said a man must “leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.” To leave father and mother signifies that the marriage relationship is intended to be the primary and most fulfilling of all human relationships. To cleave signifies that marriage is the permanent binding of two lives as they face the challenges of life together. Jesus said, “They are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” In a moment, you will make a promise to yourself, to one another, and to God in the presence of family and friends, and the promise is that you will love and honor each other as long as you both have life. It is a good promise. It is a solemn promise. Marriage has wonderful promise, but it is not without difficulty. It is the promise of commitment that keeps you looking for solutions within the marriage when troubles arise, solutions that surely God will help you find.

There is also the promise to follow God’s way.

Both of you have voiced a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. And as you grow toward Him, you will be drawn even closer to each other. For your marriage to fulfill its promise, each of you must promise to walk in His ways. To stay in close fellowship with Christ, to gain strength from His body, the church, and to minister together in the name of Lord, all these will serve to strengthen the marriage upon which you embark today.

Yes, marriage is about promise—promise for the future that will be fulfilled as you keep the promises of today. Before you make these promises, or vows, let’s pause to ask the blessing of the Lord.

Pastoral Prayer

VOWS

Hannah and Rick requested a specific passage of Scripture to be read during this ceremony. They believe that couples who live this way toward each other will experience a wonderful marriage. I believe they are right:

Colossians 3 (NIV)

¹² Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ¹⁸ Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Rick, do you promise to join with Hannah so that together you may serve God and others according to His purposes? Do you promise to commit yourself to meeting her needs: physical, emotional, and spiritual? Do you promise that, whatever the circumstances, you will love, honor, sustain her and be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live? Do you make this promise?

Rick: I do.

Hannah, do you promise to join with Rick so that together you may serve God and others according to His purposes? Do you promise to commit yourself to meeting his needs: physical, emotional, and spiritual? Do you promise that, whatever the circumstances, you will love, honor, sustain him and be faithful to him, as long as you both shall live? Do you make this promise?

Hannah: I do.

RING CEREMONY

Hannah, we have prayed—especially your mother—for God’s provision for this day since you were born.. When you were thirteen, we gave you a promise ring in anticipation of the promises of today. We talked about that ring, and you willingly received it. As part of a family ceremony, we had a responsive reading.

In it, I said to you:

“As you reach this first stage of womanhood, we ask you, Hannah, to pledge yourself to follow God’s plan in your life and especially as you prepare yourself for the possibility of marriage in the years ahead. We give you this ring as a reminder of your pledge to follow God’s plan in all of your relationships in life.”

Your answer to me was:

“I pledge myself, with the help of God, to remain pure in heart, soul, and body as I seek to find God’s will for my life.”

Hannah, we know that you have done your best with God’s help to keep this promise, and we are proud of you.

Hannah, may I have the promise ring?

Rick, I give you this ring as a symbol of the promise and the preparation Hannah has made for this moment. We give it to you with our love as a keepsake of your faith in God and your commitment to walk in His ways. Perhaps one day you too will have a daughter who will make such a promise and wear this ring or one like it.

Now, you brought rings of your own to give to one another symbolizing your love and your promises to each other.

(Holding up a ring to the congregation)

In at least two ways, the ring symbolizes the marriage covenant:

The precious metal from which the ring is made symbolizes the purity of the love you bring to this altar today; and

The ring is a circle and has no end. This symbolizes your unending love for one another and the unending vows you make to one another. The ring each of you will wear will serve as a constant reminder of your promises.

Rick, place the ring on Hannah’s hand and repeat after me:

Hannah, with this ring I thee wed . . . and pledge my life and love to
you . . . in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Hannah, place the ring on Rick’s hand and repeat after me:

Rick, with this ring I thee wed . . . and pledge my life and love to
you . . . in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

LIGHTING OF THE UNITY CANDLE

SONG (sung by Abigail Pitts) “It’s You”

PRONOUNCEMENT AND KISS

Because you have made these promises before God and this assembly, and by the authority placed in me by the laws of this state, I pronounce you to be from this time forward husband and wife, no longer two but one.

Rick, you may kiss your bride.

PRESENTATION OF THE BIBLE

Rick and Hannah, when Cindy and I were married, the pastor presented us with a Bible inscribed on the cover, “Fred and Cindy Pitts.” He wanted us to see our names together for the first time as husband and wife to be on the Word of God. We still use that Bible in our family devotions to this day. Rick and Hannah, here is the Bible I read Scripture from a few moments ago. On the front cover it is inscribed, “Rick and Hannah Rogers.” We also wanted you to see your names together for the first time as husband and wife on the Word of God, as you both have pledged to build your marriage by it.

INTRODUCTION

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure and privilege to introduce to you today,

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Douglas Rogers

RECESSIONAL (sung by Abigail Pitts) “At Last”

The reception afterward featured ice cream—how fitting for an August wedding, and it was Hannah and Rick’s idea. We thank all those who were able to share the time with us and also those who have prayed and sent gifts and cards and who in every way have made this a special season in our lives! God bless you all—and may God bless Rick and Hannah Rogers as they begin their common life together as husband and wife!

Father of the Bride

I have been a Georgia Tech football fan as far back as I can remember. I was a trainer for the team for three of my years while at Tech. I have attended as many games as possible during my years since college. When we moved to the Atlanta area to start a church after graduation from seminary, it was no surprise that we got season tickets. In 1985, Homecoming was scheduled for October 12, and we had plans to go and cheer the team to victory.

Early that morning—or late the night before, I should say—plans changed. Cindy went into labor, and we made our way to Northside Hospital instead of Grant Field. While I am still a Tech fan, I am no longer any kind of sports fan to the degree I was before that day. On October 12, 1985, I became a fan of Hannah Eve Pitts. (And I became a fan of Lydia, Abigail, Rebekah, and Fred O in their turn!)

Hannah was a colicky baby, and while Cindy did most of the care giving, I would often get up in the middle of the night and hold Hannah on my chest while lying on the couch to calm her. When Lydia came along (our second), Cindy and I made a deal that she would take care of Lydia in the night, and I would take care of Hannah. I thought that was pretty shrewd, but it turned out that Lydia was soon comfortably sleeping through the night while Hannah continued to get up at some point almost every night!

It wasn’t long before I trained her—when asked, “What are you?”—to answer, “Daddy’s girl!” And she certainly has been a daddy’s girl all of these years. She makes her dad feel special and loved.

Fast forward many years—and I DO mean “fast forward,” because the years have seemingly flown by—to the end of her senior year in high school. (Hannah had been homeschooled through eighth grade but attended public high school.) One day the mail came with a big envelope addressed to Hannah from Atlanta. I took the envelope up to the high school, called Hannah out of class, and handed her the envelope. Emblazoned on the outside were words we both were excited to see: “Congratulations! You’re a Yellow Jacket!” We had a beautiful moment of hugs and tears there at the high school as she followed both her own dreams and her father’s footsteps.

While at Tech, a young man named Rick noticed a girl who, for lack of knowledge of her name, he mentioned to his friends as “Backpack Girl.” After a few months of false starts, he finally introduced himself and they soon began to date. It wasn’t long before they were engaged.

Being her pastor as well as her dad, I had the privilege of conducting the premarital counseling. It was exciting to hear of not only their love for each other but their love for Jesus and the fact that part of the attraction of each toward the other was the commitment to the Lord they saw. Together, they read the Bible through in a year, drawing closer to each other as God spoke to them. They asked that a beautiful passage of Scripture be read at their wedding, Colossians 3.12-19.

In preparation for the Rehearsal Dinner, I was able to put together a PowerPoint presentation showing pictures of each of them growing up and then juxtapose pictures of them together in similar areas of life. It showed, I think, how God has prepared these two for each other. (Spending many hours on the presentation gave me countless opportunities for tears, which helped me make it through the ceremony without shedding any!)

Our whole family came together the last week in a beautiful way. We had one last “Family Night” as a seven member family pretty much living in the same house on Thursday. Besides each of us sharing memories of life with Hannah, we had a time for each to give a blessing to Hannah. Afterward, as a family, we watched together the Steve Martin version of “Father of the Bride.”

At the Rehearsal Dinner, my darling daughter Hannah gave me a gift. It was a little keepsake with a big message:

A Yellow Jacket Gal
Never Forgets He First
True Love…
Her Daddy

The Scripture says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

Yes, Rick and Hannah have both left mom and dad—and his parents are great, by the way—but it’s nice to know we are not forgotten. Neither will we forget you. We are grateful that in the short term you will still be in the Atlanta area and part of our church. Rick, we love you and have confidence in you. We entrust our daughter to you, knowing you will take care of her. We also give her to you, knowing that she will bring joy to you.

It’s funny not saying “Hannah Eve Pitts” any longer. From now on, she is Hannah Pitts Rogers, wife of Richard Douglas Rogers, and as Father of the Bride, I couldn’t be more happy.

When Cindy and I were married twenty-five years ago, we were given at the ceremony a Bible inscribed, “Fred and Cindy Pitts.” The pastor wanted us to see our names together for the first time on God’s word. We have used that Bible for our family devotions all these years. So we were pleased to also present to Rick and Hannah a Bible at the close of their ceremony inscribed, “Rick and Hannah Rogers.” We pray that their marriage will always be built upon the wonderful foundation of God and His word. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of children. Though it is hard to see them grow up and go, it is for this very purpose we have been preparing them. May you bless them always!

Governments of Men

Recently we have been through the primary election season, and now we have the general election to look forward to. In the past few weeks, what mudslinging we have seen in the races for governor and lietenant governor! When you consider how Mark Taylor and Cathy Cox treated each other (in the Democratic primary for governor) and Ralph Reed and Casey Cagle beat each other up (in the Republican primary for lietenant governor), it makes you shudder to think that in each case the candidates fighting each other were essentially on the same side! Thoughts about the governments of men have been running through my mind...

The Soviet Union, in my mind, truly was an “evil empire,” as it was referred to by President Ronald Reagan. While we could cite it ruthlessness, its false promises, its atheism, and on and on, there is one very simple way to know what a country or an empire is like: just look to its borders. Does a country have to guard its borders to keep its citizens in—or does it struggle to keep illegal immigrants out?

We in the United States are proud of our experiment with a democratically elected republic (most people refer to it as a democracy but I think they know that it is technically a republic). We treasure the freedoms we have—freedom of worship, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, etc.—and we think that everyone should have these freedoms. We think everyone should have some form of democratic-based government.

But is every nation ready for such a government? Does everyone have the capacity to make such a system work?

When I look at the world today, it gives me pause to wonder. Please understand, I don’t know the answers at this point. What I am saying is, as I look at all the nations around the world and what has happened in our world in the past couple of decades, it makes me wonder. I am just thinking out loud.

Must there be an evolution—if I can use that word—of thought, an evolution of worldview, an evolution of understanding before democratic processes can take root successfully in a nation? I know that may sound condescending to other nations to say it that way. And I certainly don't want mean it that way—after all, to keep me humble about our own government, I only need to recall that Cynthia McKinney is "my" congresswoman as I write! Remember, I am thinking as I am writing. Perhaps a better way to say it is that certain worldviews are compatible with some types of government and some are compatible with others.

In fact, we could conceivably move to another form of government that is even better for us at some time in the future. After all, we constantly change leadership practices in business and in other organizations all the time; it can certainly happen in a country. We should all be reminded from time to time of the words of Winston Churchill in a speech to the House of Commons in Britain on November 11, 1947: “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

How right he is, and how needful for us to hear it! That leads us back to the question: Are all nations ready for some form of democracy? The question certainly must be asked about Iraq, for instance. Our president, whom I admire, is adamant about instituting some form of democracy. I hope it is successful. In fact, I pray that it is successful. But the question returns: are the people of Iraq, with their worldview/religion, really able to have it work without constant civil conflict or civil war?

Let’s go even further back. At the beginning, I stated that I truly believe the Soviet Union was an evil empire. Taking the words quoted above by Winston Churchill should help us ask the question, “Are we able to replace the bad with something better—or something worse?”

Hindsight makes me ask that question. As evil as I believe the Soviet Union was, stop to consider what replaced it—not so much in Russia, which I think is an improvement, but in its wider "sphere of influence” ("Sphere of influence" is a rather kind way of putting it, don’t you think?) For instance, was Yugoslavia better off as a united country, albeit under communism, than what transpired after the breakup (remember names like Milosovic and peoples like Serbs and Croats and all the violence there). And what about all the _____stans (fill in the blank) and some other now sovereign nations that were once part of the Soviet empire that are in conflict. Was it better that they were controlled as opposed to all the violence we see today? Again, no question that the Soviet Union was evil. Just the question: is what replaced it even more evil?

See, no answers. Just questions about whether we can export democratic ideals until it is demonstrable that enough people understand it—and long for it!

Back when I was in college, I attended an International Student Conference sponsored by the Baptist Student Union in Georgia. This was sometime in the late 1970’s—likely 1977 but I could be off a year either way, I guess. My eyes were opened to issues I knew nothing about until that weekend. Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, was guest lecturer. When he opened it up for questions, it was as if a floodgate opened! All kinds of students were yelling and screaming questions and opinions to him. These students, I soon discovered, were from Iran, and they were decrying the United States’ support of the Shah of Iran—that was probably the first time I had ever heard of him. I didn’t know the underlying current of emotion and thought until 1979 when the Iranians seized the U.S. Embassy, taking 52 hostages. These students were demanding the overthrow of the Shah. I don’t remember a lot—just the emotional force of their questions, as I have said—but I do remember clearly what Dean Rusk calmly said to them in response to their call for the removal of the Shah. Perhaps he knew the Shah wasn’t the greatest government possibility for Iran. I infer that only from his answer, which makes so much sense to me today in view of all that is going on in the world. He simply asked them a question in return: “Who are you going to replace him with?”

After seeing what the Ayatollah Khomeini and his successors have done in Iran, that questions looks better and better. It is apparent that Dr. Rusk knew that however bad the Shah might have been, he was better than any lurking alternative. We need to ask that question, too, when we see terrible governments. Will the next wave be better—or worse? (Can anyone say “Castro”?)

Let’s be humble about government systems in the world. What works here may not work elsewhere—at least not yet. Is a democratic republic always best? Israel did pretty well under at least one king—King David. Unfortunately, you know what we have normally observed about absolute power! That corruption appeared in the lives of most other Israelite kings in the Bible (both kingdoms)—and most kings in history, for that matter.

There will be one great exception: one day the Lord Jesus will reign—and His kingdom will be a righteous kingdom, and His kingdom will never end. How I look forward to His reign! Until then, let’s think hard, work hard, and pray hard about how we govern ourselves—and how we intervene in the nations of the world.

What Describes a Healthy Church?

Not long ago I was asked (as part of an email group) to submit a definition of a healthy church. After all, everybody is talking about having healthy churches. But what does it mean? Much has been written on the subject in the last few years. I’d like to give my perspective.

Rather than a definition, as was asked, I would like to offer a description.

The apostle Paul started me thinking about it. He described the church as “the body of Christ.” (See Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 for examples.) With some pertinent Scripture (all from the NIV) and without a lot of amplification, here is my description of a healthy body of Christ.

A healthy church has…

1. Godly vision
   A healthy church must have a vision of what is to be done; that vision can only be imparted by the Lord of church, Jesus Himself.
   And [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy (Colossians 1.18).
2. A loving heart
   A healthy church must follow the Great Commandments, having a supreme love for God that leads to worship in the every sense of that word and a similar love for others that is demonstrated in care and concern for them.
   “The most important [commandment],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12.29-31).
3. Serving hands
   A healthy church is characterized by love, not merely in word, but in action. We are the hands of Jesus. He sees what needs to be done in the world. He is counting on us to be his body and obey!
   If you love me, you will obey what I command (John 14.15).
   Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 4.10-11).
4. Proper nutrition
   A healthy church will only stay healthy when it practices proper nutrition—taking regular meals of the “milk” and “meat” of God’s word. By the way, do you only eat once a week?
   Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2.2-3).
   But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5.14).
5. Calloused knees
   James, the half-brother of Jesus, was called “Camel Knees” because of his devotion to prayer. A healthy church is a praying church. Should we quit having meetings for prayer simply because not “enough” people attend? Or should we realize we can’t be a truly healthy church without it?
   They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2.42).
6. Healthy children
   The church is not only called the “body of Christ,” it is called “the bride of Christ.” There is no question that Jesus is healthy. So, if the bride is healthy in every sense of that word, what will be the result of their unity? Right—children! And what is the child of a church? Christians? Well, think about it this way: what does a mother gorilla give birth to? Right—a gorilla. What does a human mother give birth to? Right—another human. So what does a mother church give birth to? A healthy church will help plant other churches!
   (See passages such as Acts 13.1-4 and Philippians 4.15-16.)
7. Vital relationships
   “No man is an island.” As God said it, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” A healthy church has vital relationship both within and without. By within, we mean that the “members” (you and me as hands or feet or whatever) work together in harmony to achieve the goal of the head. If I am uncoordinated, my hands may not work together. So a healthy church has coordinated members within the body—there is unity within the fellowship even though we are different members and all do not have the same function. By without, we mean that just as we are made to have friendships outside ourselves, healthy churches should cooperate with other “bodies,” i.e., we should have partnerships with others so that we can do together what we cannot do alone.
   (See passages such as Romans 12.4-8 for “within” and 2 Corinthians 8 for “without.”)
   
8. Beautiful feet
   A healthy church takes the good news of Jesus to others—across the street and around the world. The term “beautiful feet” comes from the Bible itself and describes our mandate to be witnesses to Jesus Christ to all people everywhere.
   And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10.15).
   And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2.47).

So—is our church healthy? Just as we get a physical for our own bodies regularly to evaluate our health, we can use this as a checklist for conducting a physical (or is that a spiritual?) for our church.

One last note. I used this as a simple, easy to remember message in training a couple of hundred lay pastors in Uganda. The message was translated into another language. At the end, Pastor Moses gave a summary of the message in his language, and his remarks were translated back into English. God gave me fresh insight when the translation that came back as the topic was not a healthy church—instead, it came back as the description of a living church. I will leave you to meditate on the significance of that for yourself!

God bless!

Pastor Fred

What Is a Baptist?

Each June, the Southern Baptist Convention holds its annual meeting. While I had the mixed fortune of missing this year’s gathering, reading all the news articles and blogs before, during, and after—from various sources and points of view—made me think again about what it means to be a Baptist.

There’s an old joke that says when three Baptists gather together, you will have four points of view. But that’s not really accurate. It is much worse than that! There are many, many groups of Baptists. Just to name a few, there are Southern Baptists, American Baptists, Independent Baptists, National Baptists, Cooperative Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Missionary Baptists, Free Will Baptists, Landmark Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists, Reformed Baptists (and probably some Deformed Baptists) , Foot Washing Baptists —well, you get the picture. And the churches (and the individuals in those churches) in each of these groups may (and probably do) have some variations of thought and belief.

In fact, on a Baptist church’s website I was perusing recently, there was a link that was something like, “What Kind of Baptists We Are.” How appropriate! Some claim on their websites to be “faithful and free Baptists.” (Although I haven’t come across it yet, I am sure there must be a church out there that advertises itself as “faithless and in bondage Baptists”!)

It makes you wonder what people “out there” think when they see the word “Baptist.” What caricature comes to their minds, and where did that caricature come from?

It makes you wonder what good a label is if it doesn’t communicate a certain idea clearly.

We could explore that trail of thought down a couple of different forks; it would probably be good to do so. But that will be for another time.

Instead, I want to say a few words about my own understanding of what it means to be Baptist by sharing what I consider some of the distinctive characteristics. Now, this will be "off the top of my head" stuff rather than textbook, so I am sure I could "clean it up" a little and say it better if I wanted to take more time.

1. Baptists believe the Bible is the word of God. Instead of using any “shibboleths” (see Judges 12.1-6 if you need some explanation of that metaphor) by using fancy words to further explain, I will leave it that simply.
2. Baptists believe that having right standing with God through the forgiveness of our sins comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We can't work our way to a right relationship with God and heaven. However, true faith always blossoms forth in a changed life that seeks to live according to God's plan.
   
3. Baptists highlight the priesthood of the believer, a biblical concept that says we all have equal access to God without the need for anyone other than Jesus to go to God on our behalf. At its highest level, it means every believer can act as a “priest” to others, pointing people to Jesus.
4. The idea of “soul competency” derives from the last, saying that each soul has the competence to come before God without the need of a priest of a church. This idea rightly says that faith cannot be forced or coerced but must be freely entered into by each person. Unfortunately, many people reduce this idea to, “As a Baptist I can believe anything I want to believe.” While soul competency does lead to the idea of freedom of interpretation, there is a balance. This distinctive must, in my mind, submit to the first. And sometimes the Bible is so clear that it is impossible to hide defective interpretation behind this idea.
5. Each congregation is free to govern itself under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Every church has some kind of human government. Some have hierarchical government. Examples are Catholic and United Methodist, where the pope or bishops make pronouncements that are handed down to each church. Some churches have elder rule, where a group of persons discern God’s will for the entire group. Because of the idea of every believer competent to discern God’s will, Baptists have for the most part been congregational, that is, each church directs its own affairs, often with the entire church discussing and coming to agreement, most often by vote. (If agreement wasn’t reached and the subject was of great importance in the minds of the members, there can often be a new church started!) The main thing is that each Baptist church is independent under God and cooperates with other churches voluntarily. No outside body tells a Baptist church what to do. Individual Baptist churches may be pastor-led, deacon-led, committee or team-led, elder-led, or congregational-led (each church decides that!), but they make that decision on their own. They own and build their own buildings. Groups of Baptists may gather for missions, for discussion, for fellowship, etc., but they do so voluntarily. A group of churches may choose not to associate with another church for whatever reason, but it does not affect what Baptists call “the autonomy” of the local church. (Now you know why there are so many different kinds of Baptists!)
6. Baptism is a symbol—an important symbol—of the Christian faith (rather than a means of grace). This “ordinance”—the word given to baptism and the Lord’s Supper by Baptists—is a command given by Jesus. The most correct understanding of baptism is that it is for believers (and not infants, for instance) and is by immersion. Several other Christian groups have a similar concept of baptism. Baptism is a wonderful symbol that communicates on three levels. Only baptism of believers by immersion encompasses all three. First, baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin. Second, baptism tells the story of Jesus—specifically his death, burial and resurrection. When one is placed under the water, it is symbolic of burial. When a person is brought out of the water, it proclaims the glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ! Third, baptism tells the story of the new believer: the Scripture says, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6.4). When one is baptized, he or she is proclaiming, “The old me—who did not follow Jesus—is dead. There is a new me! I have been raised with Christ and am now following Him!” Again, the Bible says it best (in 2 Corinthians 5.17): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” It’s kind of hard to see how any other group could understand baptism differently when they read the words of the Bible. I could have shared more on this, but that is all I want to do at this time.
7. Baptists believe in a free church in a free state. We realized early on that if there was an established church in the U.S., it wouldn't be Baptist! Baptists insisted early on for freedom of religion, and like-minded people joined together to insure that freedom in our Bill of Rights.
   

Baptists also have been characterized by their moral standards. As one example, most Baptists, at least in the U.S., have championed abstaining from alcoholic beverages over the years, many going so far as placing that in their church covenant. This stand goes actually beyond the mandate of Scripture, which labels drunkenness as sin and counsels any consumption of alcohol in moderation. Of course, it is easy to see, with all the heartaches caused by drunkenness and alcoholism over the years, why Baptists felt it an evil to be completely avoided. While I myself have always been a teetotaler and encourage others to see the advantage of such a decision, I think we should be careful in making absolute mandates when the Bible does not. Again, we could write several pages about this subject—and probably will at some point.

One more thing to place Baptists in context: Baptists are one expression of the Christian faith--not the only expression. (Though there are some Baptists who would disagree!) To help the novice a little more, what is termed "Christianity" has today three primary expressions--Catholic (from the roots of the "western" church), Orthodox (from the roots of the "eastern" church), and Protestant (churches that "protested" against practices of the Catholic church centuries ago, and most Catholics today would likely agree that those practices were indeed wrong). The movement of Protestantism had many expressions over the years and centuries--Lutherans, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Methodists, to name a few. Most people, including me, would count Baptists among that number. Some do not like to label Baptists as Protestants but as a separate movement altogether, because early baptistic people were persecuted by Protestants, so I guess they certainly have a point there. However, Baptists are certainly closely related to Protestants and are generally classified by most (again, me included) as evangelicals, a subset of Protestantism who see the need for each person to have a spiritual rebirth that happens when a persons places his or her faith in Jesus Christ.

Wow! This sounds a lot more complicated than it really is!

Well, I figure you are past bored—if you indeed got this far, so I’ll stop for today. Let me end by saying that I am indeed a Baptist—at least the way I understand it! But the most important quality, the one that makes it more simple than it may sound, is number one—the Bible is the word of God. All other distinctives—like the last one we talked about—must be judged by the first. And we should be willing to change any of the others if we come to understand they are not in keeping with the Bible. I hope all churches everywhere would take that stand. (Then maybe we would all be Baptists!);>)

Father’s Day 2006

I have five children. The first was a girl—we named her Hannah Eve. (There’s a story there—ask me about it sometime.) The second was a girl—we named her Lydia Marie. The third was a girl—we named her Abigail Susan. The fourth was a girl—we named her Rebekah Joy.

You may notice that the first names were all Bible names.

Well, we discovered we were pregnant again. Now, I went to Georgia Tech, and I thought I saw a pattern emerging as I reviewed the history our first four children. Rather than waste time picking out a name for a boy, we just settled on Sarah Grace for the name of our fifth daughter.

Well, our fifth child arrived—and what a surprise! It was a boy! (And there’s a nice story about his birth, too, but that will also have to wait.) Having no ready names for boys picked out, he had to settle for mine (and my dad’s), so he is named Fred O. Pitts III.

On this Father’s Day, I would like for you to know just how blessed I am.

Hannah is my favorite child. She is twenty (almost 21!), and she is a junior at Georgia Tech. She is a wonderful Christian young lady who is engaged to a wonderful Christian young man named Rick. I had the privilege of leading them through pre-marital guidance, and it was a blessing to hear how they want to honor Jesus with their lives. Rick is graduating in August from Georgia Tech, and they will be married soon after. (Rick already has a job lined up after graduation!) They will live in married housing at GT for another year until Hannah graduates. She also has a line on a job, too. We are excited to see what God is doing in their lives. Hannah is absolutely a daddy’s girl.

Lydia is my favorite child. An accomplished musician, she is a student at Georgia State University (though she wants everyone to know that she was accepted to Georgia Tech, too!), where she is majoring in Music Education. She plays the oboe and the piano, though the oboe is her instrument at school. At this time, she senses that God is calling her to one day be an international missionary. We will be thrilled if God continues to guide her in that direction, but we will be just as thrilled if He calls her to stay right here in the U.S., too. We are excited to see the next steps. Lydia loves her dad.

Abigail is my favorite child. She is a rising senior in High School and is very high spirited. A homeschooled student, she is also active in Artios Academy—a Christian program for the visual and performing arts. She is a talented actress and singer and wants to pursue these arts in college. More important, she is pursuing her relationship with God with all of her heart. She actively talks to others about Jesus, even while she has a million questions about her faith. (And she is never reluctant to ask them—which is wonderful!) Abigail has always been close to her dad and remains that way today.

Rebekah is my favorite child. Being the fourth in a series of girls is not the best way to be noticed in a family! But Rebekah occupies that position with grace and poise. She, too, is a member of Artios Academy and has blossomed into a wonderful actress in her own right. In earlier years, she was actively involved in gymnastics, the only one in our family to branch out into that activity. Earlier this year, I gave the opportunity for people in our congregation to stand up in the middle of my message and declare, “Jesus is my Lord!” I was surprised and pleased when Rebekah—who is sometimes quiet about such things—was one of the first to stand up and make that declaration. I am proud to say that Rebekah tells her dad often how much she loves him.

Fred O. III is my favorite child. The only boy, he has shown us first hand that boys and girls are indeed different by nature! He and I have always enjoyed reading stories together. (Of course, I read with the girls, too, but as he has gotten older, the kinds of stories have been different.) Fred O enjoys baseball and swimming and all kinds of boy activities, both inside and out of doors. Recently, Fred O and I went on a trip together to the Grand Canyon. (I have taken a trip with each of my children when they reach 13—this was my last of that fabulous series—and that also is another blog.) We rode mules to the bottom and back up again the next day. We enjoyed our time together. Thinking he might be feeling a little old to hear me say it—or return it—I will sometimes say to him, “L-Y-S” (“Love you, son”). Invariably, though, he comes back with, “Love you too, Dad!”

Cindy is my favorite wife. She has been the glue that keeps our family together. She has tirelessly homeschooled the children and trained them up in the way of the Lord. She has set demanding standards—I am sure the children thought them too demanding at times!—and has seen the children meet them. She has planned dozens and dozens of family activities, prepared countless home-cooked meals, made school fun and exciting, and made birthdays extra special. She is extra special, too, especially since she goes on and on even when underappreciated and taken for granted—which happens at least 364 days a year. Like the children, Cindy loves me, too.

My, what a blessed man I am! Surely the words from Psalm 128 are mine this Father’s Day:

Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from all the days of your life;
may you live to see your children's children.

May it be so!

Fred O. Pitts