Pragmatism - - In Other Words, Whatever Works. . .

"We Americans are pragmatists to the max.
We want results. And we want them yesterday.
We want them without too much pondering
and too much pain....

We have developed all kinds of Christ-coated remedies that are shallow and short-lived. We are not, by and large, the deeply grounded saints that some of our forefathers were."

~ John Piper

Christian theologian James Packer has compared the Puritans of our early American history to the Great Redwoods of California:

"The Puritans were giants whose roots were incredibly deep in the Bible,
and whose branches reached to the heavens, and whose trunks were so strong and durable they could endure forest fires that scar them but don't kill them. . . "

But then Packer looks out over the pragmatic American landscape of our quick fixes for life's problems and our impatience with depth and complexity and pain and adds,

"Affluence seems for the past generations to have been making dwarfs and deadheads of all of us."

So what exactly is "Pragmatism?"

* See John MacArthur discuss Pragmatism HERE.

The first time I heard the word "Pragmatism," my thoughts were not immediately drawn to the concept of a really bad school of philosophy which is in complete opposition to the Truth of God's Word. No. Instead, I was thinking . . . old-fashion disease. You know, like the story your grandma told you about how she came down with the Pragmatism when she was a girl.

Sadly, this is about as deep as most Christians go when they hear the word. That's alarming since Pragmatism is a completely unbiblical worldview that has been gaining a foothold in churches for the last 100 years. It is destroying the Gospel of Salvation -- replacing it with man-made quick-fixes. And when true Christians are unable to identify it, they can very easily be caught up in its snare!

The Philosophy of Pragmatism was founded by Charles Peirce, popularized by William James and John Dewy and recognized as a movement in the early 1900's. Pragmatism argues that the best way to determine whether or not to embrace a certain idea or proposition is not by its truthfulness but by its usefulness. Essentially, it makes no difference if the idea or proposition is true. The important thing is that it works.

Pragmatism gets its name from the Greek word pragma (δράση) which means action. Consequently, pragmatism is a philosophy of action. It says basically that if an idea or belief does not have some sort of practical application, consequence, or immediate resulting action then it is of no use.

Imagine the implications on the Truth of God's Word?

Pragmatists don't believe in universal Truth. Pragmatists do not embrace the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Rather, they think that what we know and hold as fact is simply that which works -- not necessarily that which is True.

Again, imagine the implications on the Truth of God's Word?!

Here's one example: If the desired "action" is to get people saved and grow membership, the pragmatic church appeals not to the Truth of Salvation by Grace, but to the idea that receiving Jesus will bring peace to our lives -- completely skipping over the issue of sin and the cost of salvation! After all, preaching that we are sinners might be offensive to someone!!

Jesus' approach was markedly different.
Jesus pointed out sin and the need for repentance and forgiveness.
He also warned those who wanted to follow Him to consider the cost.

I agree with James Packer. "Affluence [or simply living in today's society] seems to have been making dwarfs and deadheads of all of us." I yearn to be the kind of deeply-grounded saint John Piper refers to . . . .

If you think you haven't been affected, here are a few ways that pragmatism has inched its way into our churches:

A great number of churches and denominations have adopted the idea that the Bible is simply not adequate to meet the challenges of today's society, or sufficient for winning people to Christ. So . . . they turn to "felt-need" and "feel-good" sermons, entertainment, drama, and exciting music that can manipulate people's egos and focus on fairly insipid subjects like human relationships, self esteem, successful living, emotional issues and other practical but completely worldly themes. They are providing "Christ-coated remedies" often without any mention of Scripture at all!

Nothing deeply-grounded here.

A great number of churches and denominations have come to believe that God's Word is insufficient for achieving Christian growth, so they turn to therapy groups and popular psychology which rely on worldly methods. Even Bible studies have turned into the study of books written by people about the Bible. To rely solely on God's Word would indicate weakness and a refusal to accept man's scientific advancement and blah, blah, blah . . . Again: "Christ-coated remedies."

Nothing deeply-grounded here.

A great number of churches and denominations hold that God's Word is insufficient for making God's Will known; so they look for external signs and revelations. "Christ-coated remedies."

A great number of churches and denominations see that God's Word is inadequate for changing our societal and political troubles, so they establish evangelical lobby groups and work to elect "Christian" politicians. They seek to change the status quo by power and politics and money and lose sight completely of the Truth of God's Word. They become as confused as the candidate they fight against. . . .

Don't get me wrong. None of these methods is wrong in and of itself. Even Jesus used parables to get people's attention. But . . .


If any of these "methods" is giving new meaning to -- or replacing -- the Bible's words, pouring secular, therapeutic content into spiritual terminology because that is what seems to work . . . well, that's pragmatism.



If sin has become "dysfunctional" behavior, that's pragmatism.

If the gospel of self-esteem or wholeness has replaced the Gospel of Salvation, that's pragmatism.

If Jesus has become an example of morality and right living and not ". . . the way and the truth and the life. [No one comes to the Father except through me]" . . . that's pragmatism.

If Sunday after Sunday people are told how to have happy marriages and prosper financially and get along with co-workers, but not how to get right with God . . . that's pragmatism.

If the message from the pulpit is tolerance instead of taking the Gospel of Salvation to those we are called to tolerate. . . that's pragmatism.

Do you see the pattern here?

Pragmatism lies to people about what they really need. Pragmatists have no particular interest in the Truth of the Bible because it does not cultivate an immediate fix for any given human predicament at any given moment. . . .

. . . and that brings us back to the very definition of Pragmatism: If an idea or belief does not have some sort of practical application or consequence, then it is of no use. The important thing is that is works.

The number one agenda of the Christian is God's Will. The method for carrying out God's Will is found in Scripture. It's Truth. It's God's Word. The trouble begins when we look for what works best right now instead of what works for God's Glory.

John Piper is absolutely right when he says we want results yesterday and that,

". . .we are not, by and large, the deeply grounded saints that some of our forefathers were."

Lamentably, our forefather's Puritan values have evolved into a satirical label for "what's wrong with America." Some mainline denominations even believe that too much Puritanism survives and that it hinders "free thought" and "tolerance."

Probably the pragmatists.

There are others who sincerely believe that the breakdowns of our society -- including the emergence of pragmatism in the church -- are the direct consequence of the dilution of Puritan disciplines and ideals of our forefathers.

I think I am of this belief.

God's Word is ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Our deeply grounded forefathers understood that.

I'm not sure many of us today really do . . . .

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen

© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

* For more on the Dangers of Pragmatism,
Please watch the three-part video series from John MacArthur in the previous post.
Or click HERE.

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The Dangers of Pragmatism . . .

A Thankful Heart . . . Is a Guarded Heart

"Peace of Christ guards our heart when
we pray with thanksgiving.

A thankful heart is a guarded heart.”

~ Wayne Cordeiro

Are you on Facebook? I admit it . . . I misuse and discard valuable time on Facebook. But, I have noticed a trend on my homepage lately: So many of my friends use their status update to offer up their dilemma of the day only to then use the opportunity to quote Ephesians 5:20:

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

Or Philippians 4:6:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God.”

I do have to ask myself, "Do people quote these verses only for the value of being able to quote Scripture? Or are they really living out the verse?"

Honestly, I don't always live out the verse. Do you?

It's probably a toss up -- some people do just like to put up a Bible verse. But I give the benefit of the doubt to my Facebook friends. Some of them truly are suffering yet sincerely live out the act of thanksgiving! And not-so-surprisingly, they are somehow supernaturally guarded from the discouragement, despair, hollowness, and hopelessness that so many others dwell in . . . .

I have Facebook friends enduring cancer treatments. I have Facebook friends with terminally-ill children. I have Facebook friends who are military moms -- daily facing the uncertainty, uneasiness, and horror of our world's unstable political and military conditions. I have Facebook friends who are in true financial despair. I have a Facebook friend whose son was murdered last month. . .

Yet . . . in the midst of their suffering, they seem to possess a peace. I really believe that the peace of Christ has guarded their hearts in the midst of some greatly undeserved suffering.

The quandary of undeserved suffering is a puzzling mystery and an age-old question. Why does God allow the righteous to suffer? And why is it so hard for us to understand that resting in His peace is as easy as simply being Thankful? It’s the question that the Book of Job addresses:

In just a matter of hours an especially righteous and notably wealthy man loses all of his material possessions, each of his children are killed, and his good health is snatched away from him.

Next, to add misery to despair, Job’s friends condemn him rather than console him. And then his wife turns on him! Worst of all, the God he loves and serves refuses to answer his cries and rise to his defense and do something. Anything!

By the time we reach Chapter 38 in the Book of Job, we’ve come to appreciate the depth of Job’s affliction. We’ve wallowed in his misery, we’ve undeniably considered our own suffering, we’ve listened to Job's smart-aleck friends offer their own pretentious and useless wisdom, and we’ve perhaps ourselves questioned God’s role in the whole mess. At this point we are left pretty much famished for spiritual food and drink.

Enter: GOD.
. . .Not through another “counselor,” but by direct revelation!

God speaks for 70 verses in these next two chapters before Job has an opportunity to respond. And when he does, Job only mumbles words suggesting that God’s speech has undone him:

"I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more."
~ Job 40:3-5

Q: What is it in the words of Job Chapters 38 and 39 that evoke such a change from the defiant Job of Job 31:35 to the abashed Job of Job 40:3?

A: Speaking from a whirlwind of a mighty storm, God – surprisingly – does not answer any of Job’s questions. Instead of answering Job’s charge of abandonment, God challenges Job to respond as He defends the design of His creation and the very existence of the entire universe.

As we read these poetic verses, it is obvious that God’s questions could not possibly be answered by any human. The Divine questions reveal to Job that he does not know the ways of God. And if Job is ignorant of the earth’s natural order, it’s ridiculous to think that he (or any human) could comprehend the moral order of God!!!

There is a purpose in creation that God knows but Job does not.

There is a purpose in human suffering that God knows but Job does not.

God's great power and wisdom is certainly a contrast to Job's limited ability and understanding. Overwhelmed, Job admits his unworthiness and inability to answer. But, God is not through with Job yet. God continues for 53 more verses! You could say Job was silenced and humiliated by his own self-centeredness and pity.

Henry M. Morris writes these words

. . . even Christians have become self-centered instead of God-centered. We emphasize personal Christianity, personal experience, self-image, inter-personal relationships, and what Jesus can do to meet our needs. All these have their place in the Christian life, but not when they relegate God and his purpose in creation to only a peripheral role. . . .

(The Remarkable Record of Job ©1988)

I would contend that most Christians in today's world have become so self-centered that we have completely and utterly forgotten to be THANKFUL for our very existence. We have forgotten to be THANKFUL for the very existence of the universe. We have forgotten to be THANKFUL that God is GOD.

. . . When faced with majesty and sovereignty and power and wisdom of GOD, there is little else to do but be thankful, to submit our suffering to Him, to rest guardedly in his care.

"Peace of Christ guards our heart when we pray with thanksgiving.
A thankful heart is a guarded heart.”

~ Wayne Cordeiro

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Karen
on her blog, In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus.

Self-Help vs. PEACE . . .

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be troubled,
nor let it be fearful.”
~ John 14:27

When people seek counseling they almost invariably come with two problems. First, they have the problem that has troubled them – probably for quite some time -- for which they want a solution.

But their second (often more pronounced) problem is the depressed, distressed, agitated attitude they have toward their problem: the frayed and burdened feelings they have about the problem that blocks their reasoning power and reduces them to a very narrow and rigid view of the problem.

A good counselor knows that there is no use trying to address the person’s initial problem until you first solve the obvious problem they present: Themselves!

They need to be taught how to have peace. If and when they can approach the initial problem with a sense of peace, the dilemma unravels itself.

Jesus said,

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

~John 14:27

This peace that Jesus gives is what a good counselor might well describe as "the ability to cope."

Yet, sadly, one of the spirituality-coated social phenomena of our culture is the self-help movement, wherein peace with ourselves and our circumstances and our past and our future is found miraculously in human achievement. And way too often, when the self-help route takes too long, we resort to other measures like drugs -- prescription and otherwise.

The self-help movement preserves the notion that somewhere and somehow there are secret powers out there that when honed can -- and do -- develop hidden abilities to bring us into a new and higher level of life and experience and spirituality. . .

. . . and blah blah blah.

I will say this straight-up: As a Christian counselor, I very much dislike the whole self-help movement.

See, as long we remain in and of the world and apart from Jesus, we will never know the remarkable secret of HIS peace! Apart from Jesus, peace is just another humanistic pursuit. We spend valuable time and resources searching for and learning techniques and secrets and in the pursuit, are led farther and farther away from the real thing!

Peace is the bequest of Jesus to His followers – the inheritance of true Christians. Without HIM, we can only resort to self-help; and it is a pathetic substitution for the real thing.

Q: How does the world give peace?

A: The self-help movement is a given. And at the risk of being labeled judgmental and narrow-minded and other colorful things, (I've certainly already alienated the self-help crowd) I’m just going to say it: Prescription drugs.

We’re all familiar with the scenario: If/when we are altogether upset over something to the point of being unable to function normally – we probably visit our family doctor for help. It’s just the way we’ve learned to do things in our culture. We ask the doctor for help and he probably gives us some Zanax or Valium or Klonapin or Librium -- chemical peace!

But it wears off. And we’re right back where we were before we took the pill. We have to take more until our mind is dulled and we are half-sedated. This is how the world gives peace.

Oh! Absolutely there are situations where pharmaceuticals are warranted. There aren't too many Christian counselors that have a zero-tolerance policy toward prescription drugs. We do live in a fallen world. But understand: Pharmaceuticals are the WORLD's way to give peace. Not God's!

Consider God's Peace: Consider the serenity with which Jesus moves through all the striking events of his last week on this earth. Consider the moments He stood as a prisoner before Pilate and Herod and the chief priests and the angry mob.

Now consider the peace and serenity He possessed and realize fully what he says . . .

"My peace I give unto you."

In other words:
"The peace I possess, I want to give to YOU."

Jesus speaks here of what Paul calls "peace that passes understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Events do not affect it. Circumstances do not affect it. Our past does not affect it. Our uncertain future does not affect it. Trials and tribulations do not affect it. Other people do not affect it. Political upheaval does not effect it. Economic turmoil does not affect it. (Get the picture?)

Peace from Jesus is internal. It is not subject to anything external. It is not subject to any self-help formula. It is not contingent upon complimentary drug therapy. It is a peace that is entirely baffling to the world, but freely imparted to the true believer. It baffles the world because there is nothing scientific or medical or even "spiritual" (in the word's definition) to explain it.

The peace that "passes understanding" is ours because a part of the Triune God of the Universe dwells IN us. And that Spirit in us is able to handle and overcome every external problem in this world . . . . We have complete and TRUE PEACE.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

~John 14:27

Need Peace? It begins at the Cross:
Romans 5:1,
Romans 10:15,
Ephesian 2:14,
Colossians 1:20,
Isaiah 26:3,

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Patricia
on her blog, Typing One Handed.

Can the Government Help Us?

My nephew Jacob Bentley is conducting a survey for his Senior Government Class and he e-mailed me a link to a survey he'd set up on SurveyMonkey.com.

I took his survey, but the open-ended essay question at the end of the survey absorbed me entirely. Jacob asked, "What can the government do to help with problems like teen drinking, smoking, underage sex leading to unwanted pregnancies and STD's?"

You could say the question struck a nerve in me. Because the truth is . . .

There is very little - if anything - the government can do at this point in our country's history to "fix" the issues of teen drinking, smoking, underage sex leading to unwanted pregnancies, STD's, etc.

Each of these issues is a matter of personal responsibility which choices are based entirely upon one's own moral compass.

There is no moral compass provided by the "government." The one and only moral compass provided to us as human beings was removed from the public school system by the "government" decades ago. The willful rejection of the Bible as our source of divine authority is a direct cause of the current state of immorality in our country. In the years that followed -- and continuing to this day -- the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to be persecuted, eliminated, and otherwise rejected by both our government and society as a whole.

In the early public schools of this country, the BIBLE was one of the main textbooks -- if not the only textbook. But on June 17, 1963 in Abington vs. Schempp, the United States Supreme Court removed the BIBLE and it's readings from public education. The matters suggested in Jacob's question are a direct result of this decision.

Data from the Center for Disease Control and Department of Health and Human Resources and Human Services and Statistical/Abstracts of United States PROVE that rape, murder, alcohol abuse, robbery, suicide, gang warfare, assault, absenteeism, pregnancies, burglary, vandalism, abortions, arson, extortion, venereal disease, bombings, and drug abuse have SKYROCKETED since 1963.

Not so surprisingly, all of society including media, entertainment, criminal behavior, family trends, etc. (even the behaviors of those claiming to be "Christians") have followed the trend.

When it came to education, Noah Webster (of Webster's Dictionary fame) stated: "Education is useless without the BIBLE . God's word, contained in the BIBLE , has furnished all necessary rules to direct our conduct."

The apostle Paul said, "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3) are hid in Christ Jesus. Education without Christ, who is "The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13, & John 1:1-3) will be void of the wealth of wisdom and knowledge that comes only from our Creator.


The ONLY thing government should be doing to fix the issues suggested in Jacob's question is to humble itself before God and return to the fundamental documents on which our country was founded: The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Virtually every one of the ten articles contained in the Bill of Rights has Biblical foundation.

Even America's constitutional form of government consisting of three co-equal branches, legislative, executive and judicial is taken directly from Isaiah 33:22.

Our current government -- including our lawmakers, our court systems, and the current presidential administration -- is completely ignoring and egregiously violating the laws and principles contained in our founding documents. As such, our lawmakers have destroyed the country. . . .

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
~Proverbs 16:25

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
~Psalm 14:1

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

Are We Defending God's Truth? Or Tolerating the Enemy's Lies . . .

"A dog barks when his master is attacked.
I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."

~ John Calvin

. . . It's sorta' the theme of my entire blog. (See the definition of Apologia in scrolling text of the header.) And I have learned over the years that one of the most challenging places to stand firm and defend the truth of God's Word is in the company of other church-goers.

Are you tilting your head wondering, "uHmmm??!"

It doesn't take too many clicks of your television remote, or even a trip through a grocery store checkout aisle, to be convinced that we live in a time of complete spiritual confusion and blind exploration. Satan has indeed conquered the world in terms of winning it over. Which makes one of Satan's most preferred workplaces in our current culture -- the "church." The spiritual confusion is just as readily found inside the church as it is outside the church. Just because you're sitting in a church building does not mean you are surrounded by Bible-believing saints!

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,
so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel . . . "

~ II Corinthians 4:4

Peer pressure within the Christian world to "match-up" our faith with fellow Christians is great. And the pressure to accept and tolerate ideas and doctrines and theories that are flat-out against God's Word is rampant. Satan has become very proficient at working within this subset of culture known as the Evangelical Church.

Making matters worse in the fact that so few churches really offer expository preaching/teaching from the Bible anymore -- nor do they teach people how to study the Bible. One well-known mainstream Christian pastor has admitted that certain passages of Scripture are offensive to his followers and he will not preach from them. How can Christians defend something they are not familiar with?

The Result: Satan has been given a place of honor in the life of every Christian who is unable to or refuses to defend God's Word.

Take the Harry Potter craze for an example. The Bible is very clear about the sin of witchcraft, abstaining from the appearance of evil, and about casting down imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. End of discussion.

Or is it?

Satan's job is to attack God's Word and to twist it and to confuse its true message and cause Christians to accept or tolerate the untruths and he does not rest in his quest to achieve this goal. Enter: J.K. Rowling. How many Christian kids do you know who are fans of J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series? And how many Christian parents do you know who tolerate it. Whose fault is this?

The parents?
The church?
The pastor?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent!?

What about the self-help industry? Consumer psychology and the self-help industry are among the biggest money generators in our society. And the biggest problem in the self-help industry is that many (not all) promoters make false promises. They promise hugely unrealistic results, as if reading a single book or attending a single seminar will produce all the permanent changes you need to make your life absolutely perfect.

Yet Christians still purchase these products as frequently as non-Christians because they really want to believe the marketers are telling the truth. And probably more notably, people are keenly aware that they do indeed need help.

For the most part, secular psychology has attacked if not completely dismissed God's Word. And lamentably, many Christians have accepted it. And if they haven't accepted secular psychology for their own lives, they have learned to accept and tolerate it in the lives of their friends and family .

If every God-fearing Christian (there is no other kind) would stand up for God's Word and God's plan for psychological wholeness, the self-help industry would most certainly go broke! Romans 3:23-24 says more about self-improvement than 10,000 self-help books. But until God's Truth is spoken and defended and accepted and one's attitude is changed, Satan wins the battle and God's Word is not only attacked, but dismissed.

How many Christian friends do you know who are caught up in secular psychology? Whose fault is this?

The psychologist?
The person's friends?
Family?
The church?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent!?

Let's talk politics.

Okay. . . second thought, let's not.

But surely you can fill in the blanks here. To try and put GOD and the Truth of HIS Word into the confining and humanistic box of politics makes Him a very,very small God.

Yet . . . it is abundantly clear that our current political climate has made a mockery of God's Truth on everything from the value of human life itself to the work ethic of those who are allowed to live. Whose fault is this?

The politicians?
The President?
The church?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent?!

When Christians choose to remain silent when God's Word is attacked, we have effectively learned to accept and tolerate the Enemy's lies and Satan does indeed gain a foothold; and this primes the church for accepting the New Age Movement much more easily.

Sure . . . as "good Christians" we can pick and choose our causes. We can rail against abortion or pre-marital sex or witchcraft or even Mormonism or Catholicism. Some of us even like to take on "false versions" of the Bible in order to gain credibility as a "real Christian." Our individuality does drive us to hand-pick what we will defend from God's Word. But this is NOT what the Gospel calls us to do!

Christians must "bark" when our Master is attacked. On any subject. If we don't, then Satan wins another battle and God's Word is not only attacked, but eventually dismissed altogether. And then . . . what's the point?

"A dog barks when his master is attacked.
I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked
and yet would remain silent."

~ John Calvin

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. . . "
~Ephesians 6:13-14

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife
[This article also submitted for outside publication]

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Loneliness . . .. . . and "Yada, Yada, Yada"

“Rather than turn from loneliness,
what if we turned toward it?
Could it be that loneliness is not a curse. . .
but a gift?
A gift from God?”

~Max Lucado,
Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23

It was the 153rd Episode -- the 19th Episode of the 8th Season of the TV show, Seinfeld. The "Yada, Yada, Yada" episode. Surely you remember it . . . .

George is -- as usual -- overanxious and sensitive. He is concerned about his girlfriend's use of the phrase, "yada, yada, yada," as a way of getting past what to her are meaningless details.

Alas, Elaine steps in to reassure George . . .

George: You don't think she'd yada yada sex?
Elaine: I've yada yada'd sex.
George: Really?
Elaine: Yeah, I met this guy. We went out to dinner. I had the lobster bisque. We went back to his place. Yada, yada, yada. I never heard from him again.
Jerry: But you yada yada'd over the best part.
Elaine: No. I mentioned the bisque.

Needless to say, Seinfeld fans everywhere have forever secured "Yada, Yada, Yada" in their unconscious thesaurus as a synonym for sex.

Kinda' ironic since the Hebrew word "yada" refers to "knowing" another so intimately and completely that it is a Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse. We read in Genesis 4:1 that "Adam knew" ("yada") Eve his wife; and she conceived and bare Cain...."

Forgive my sacrilege, but this is precisely how too many Christians have come to describe the most important, personal and relational aspect of being a Christian -- Salvation. For the most part, we "yada, yada, yada" over the actual salvation experience, racing right past (or skipping altogether) the acceptance of our depravity before a Holy God and the cultivating of an intimate and deep relationship with the only ONE that can save us from our sin and depravity.

A great number of churches today confuse human intellect and the ability to act like a Christian and think like a Christian and perform like a Christian for the real thing! The defining characteristic of a Christian is not necessarily a lifestyle (or lack of a certain [undesirable] lifestyle), but a relationship with Christ Jesus as Savior.

Our ability to rationalize and convince others we are a "Christian" by the way we act and think and speak and behave and dress and vote and how we spend our time and money is a hilarious substitute for the real thing. A substitute with eternal consequences.

French philosopher René Descartes coined the phrase, Cognito, ergo sum, translated: I think, therefore I am. Yeah, I've seen the various humor-indulged versions:

I think, therefore I imac,
I think, therefore I vote Republican, etc.

Funny. But while our ability to think and reason and behave does indeed set us apart from the rest of Creation and make us unique among other human beings, a biblical understanding that we are created in the image of God makes us relational beings as well! Like our Creator, we have been created in such a way that we require both human and Divine connection. So much so that lack of connectedness (or loneliness) truly is a critical state of existence!

And . . . [This is key:] a complete and full understanding of our condition before God shows us that it is not fellow human beings that we are disconnected from, but God Himself!!

Hence: The entire unfolding of the Plan of Salvation beginning in the Book of Genesis when human beings became lost and alone and cut-off and secluded and forlorn and abandoned. . . .

Hey! All synonyms for . . . lonliness!
...So basically, loneliness defines the human condition!

“Rather than turn from loneliness,
what if we turned toward it?
Could it be that loneliness is not a curse. . .
but a gift?
A gift from God?”

~Max Lucado

Is loneliness a "gift" from the Creator sent that we might find a greater gift? The gift of Genuine Salvation? Salvation by Grace Alone? Salvation apart from our own ability to do anything? Even our ability to think and reason and rationalize . . . and perform?

I think so . . .

I also think that the pseudo-loneliness that we feel when we are physically apart from -- or without -- friends and loved ones is greatly diminished when we can truly rest in the arms of our Savior. We all know "lonely" people who have found immense joy in their Salvation. Joy that quashes human "loneliness." These people are not lonely - they are alone. There is a big difference.

Then . . .

To confirm it -- this:

I read this Status Update on my Facebook over the weekend and I just had to wrinkle my forehead a bit at its implications . . .

Facebook Friend lol oh! I mean L-O-N-E-L-Y. So [bleep] lonely. I'm hyper bored and so lonely layin in bed watchin tv and doing computer. FB is all I have. i should sleep but it’s too early. I’m just so lonely it hurts feels like i ant gonna find any friends ever. It hurts

Sat at 7:41pm · Comment · Like

I think my Facebook Friend has recieved the gift of lonliness, but hasn't yet unwrapped it . . . .

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife
[This article also submitted for outside publication]

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Loni on her blog, Writing Canvas.

I'll Be Back . . . This Blogger has. . .

Gone Fishing!

Summer in Minnesota is so short . . .
I'll be back blogging soon enough.

Have a GREAT SUMMER, Friends!

In Other Words . . . So What if I Fall?The Heart of Diety Never Takes His Eyes Off of Me . . .

“What if I stumble, what if I fall?

What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk
becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?”

Chorus from the song, "What if I stumble?"
Artist: DC Talk / Album: Intermission

It's a phenomenon I've noticed often in Contemporary Christian Music:
So much use of the word "I."

Why so much focus on ME? So what if I fall? It's a given that I will. And yes, His Great Love will go on even when my walk becomes a crawl.

See, there is not a soul since the beginning of the world that has not stumbled. We all fall and make fools of all mankind. It's our nature. Yet God sees each and every one. Every time. Everywhere. He's the Creator!

It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord our God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
- Deuteronomy 11:12

What land? What year? It was around the year 1400 B.C. It was the Land of Milk and Honey: The Promised Land. And in the context of this passage in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are being equipped to set out and possess the land. They did not yet physically control the land – their right to the territory hadn’t yet materialized. Yet they already seemed to have power over this land through eyes of faith.

I'm fairly certain they were not listening to DC Talk on thier IPods.
They were not worried about "falling."

And guess what? This same beautiful illustration is -- should be -- ours in 2009: God’s caring and attentive eyes are always looking upon us. And we - like the Israelites - can put our concerns and uneasiness into God’s hand of infinite grace and possess strength to face the yet-unseen future.

“The eyes of the Lord…” What precisely does that mean? Surely it is more than just Omniscience. I don't know for certain. But let’s just envision the delight and enchantment in the eyes of a loving and devoted parent as they watch their young child achieve something for the very first time. Let's say: walking! (Lots of stumbling and falling here.) Do you see in your mind's eye the deep love of God’s eyes as He watches His creation stumble and fall . . . and learn?

This looking-after is not delegated to some other heavenly creature. The Bible does not tell us that the eyes of the angels are watching over us. God Himself watches us! The heart of Deity looks after us! And he never stops watching after us. This special watch-care is unbroken. It’s continuous. This unwearied power of God toward His people has been uninterrupted since the creation of the world! No human effort, no lyricist, no gifted writer, no dramatist could ever sufficiently make plain or explain God’s watch-care over His own.

He watches each of us with personal interest and He absolutely sees us stumble and fall-- knowing full well that the ensuing bruises only teach us better how to walk when we get up and continue on . . . .

It’s time we switched to the flip side of all the songs and lyrics that focus on "I." We need to take an honest look at our eyes.

If God is ceaselessly and unwarily watching us, should not our eyes be upon Him? Constantly?!

Sad thing is I’m afraid we don’t even come close. We get caught up in our days -- setting our sights on the temporal and the frivolous – and we don’t look for Him or see Him at all. And that's when we ask,

"What if I stumble, what if I fall?"

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Miriam on her blog, Miriam Pauline's Monolouge.

Problems or Pearls . . .

The little pearl oyster receiving accidentally into its shell a rough fragment of rock or sand tries in vain to expel the intruding and irritant substance and only suffers in the struggle until rasped and bleeding it gives up in agony and helplessness. Then a new force comes into play. From its peculiar physiological system the little mollusk sends forth a crystal fluid which covers and coats the rough piece of rock with a soft crystalline cushion and as this grows and hardens it becomes a beautiful pearl. It ceases to irritate and soothes and rests the wounded side of the little creature until the curse has become a blessing, and some days later the pearl fisher discovers the hidden treasure, opens the shell and takes forth a gem of purest luster and boundless value which is worn in the coronets of kings and adorns the highest rank and grandest occasions. So someday our sorrows, irritations and wrongs, having first been sweetened by the Holy Spirit into heavenly virtues, will become the jewels of an immortal crown and will shine in the diadem of Jesus and adorn our brow forever!

~ A. B. Simpson

A.B. Simpson’s words are tender and poignant. The pearl oyster embodies so many human problems, sorrows, and emotional suffering. Like the oyster, we encounter “irritants,” but we have a tendency to try and avoid them. We’re human – it’s inborn.

Christian counselors will tell you that the basis of almost all mental illness is the tendency to avoid problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them. It was renowned physician Carl Jung who said, “Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering. “

The tragedy, of course, is that the substitute for our suffering ultimately becomes more painful that the original suffering we are trying to avoid! Does this explain why the wisest saints among us are often the people who endure pain rather than escape it? These saints are men and woman who are “acquainted with grief.” I believe this describes Job. How about our Savior Jesus Christ?

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief."
~ Isaiah 53:3

“…yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”
~ Hebrews 5:8

Are you trying to avoid problems and the suffering that comes with them? Maybe you have several dozen problems today. If you listen to the voices around you, you’ll search for a substitute – an escape route. You’ll miss the fact that your problems are God-appointed – fashioned to stretch you and challenge you and deepen your walk with Him. Growth and wisdom come with each irritating-piece-of-sand-kind-of-a-problem. And what emerges is an exquisite gem of purest luster and boundless value!

- Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife