In His Steps - Charles Sheldon

I read In His Steps during my first year as a Christian. It had a profound effect on my life. This was written by Reverend Charles Sheldon (February 26,1857 to February 24, 1946. He was an American minister in the Congregational churches and leader of the Social Gospel movement. He lived in Wellsville, New York

Sheldon was an advocate of the late nineteenth century stream of thought known as Christian Socialism. His theological outlook focused on the practicalities of the moral life, with much less emphasis on the doctrinal traditions of personal redemption from sin in Christ. In the 1880s Sheldon developed a series of sermons that he preached from the pulpit of the Congregational church in Topeka, Kansas. The unifying theme of these sermons was based on posing the question, "what would Jesus do?" when facing moral decisions.

The theme of the sermons was then fictionalised into the novel In His Steps. The central ethos of the novel was not about personal redemption but about moral choices related to encountering circumstances of poverty and deprivation. Sheldon's theological motif reflected his socialist outlook, and it helped to inspire the theologian Walter Rauschenbusch who is generally credited with creating the Social Gospel. However, Rauschenbusch acknowledged that Sheldon was the source of his ideas. Sheldon's own parish work became identified with the Social Gospel, which was a clear cut expression of early Liberal Christianity.

Towards the end of the twentieth century Sheldon's novel was brought back into print in a discerning marketing stratagem that was accompanied by a variety of consumer goods carrying the slogan "What would Jesus do?". The primary consumers of these goods are within the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches whose conservative theology and biblical beliefs are the antithesis of the Social Gospel.

The irony being then that today's consumer who attaches deep significance to the slogan, is largely unaware of the context in which it was coined. Once again it is proven that the Lord works in mysterious ways.






Sheldon's Christian Socialist ideology was reflected in his belief in full equality for men and women and vocally supported the feminist struggle for equal rights. He urged women to become involved in politics, believing that there they would make a difference for the better. He also supported that women should have full equality in the workplace and saw nothing wrong with men working in traditionally feminine jobs, such as domestic service.

Reverend Sheldon's hope was for what he saw as necessary social reform of the conditions of his day. I'm sure he never had a clue that The Lord would use his words for the Spiritual reform that is necessary in this day.

Hezbollah

Jeffrey Goldberg was interviewed yesterday on NPR about an article that is in the current issue of the New Yorker Magazine about Hezbollah.

Aside from the article the interview concentrated on current war between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel. The interviewer asked Mr. Goldberg, who is Jewish, what he thought about Israeli rockets and bombs killing innocent civilians, especially women and children.

Hezbollah office in a hospital

Mr. Goldberg’s reply was this is a very difficult question since the President of Israel’s most important responsibility is to protect his population, many of which are women and children, from being attacked from those who would harm them.

Mr. Goldberg went on to state that through his research he noted that many of the Hezbollah offices are on the first floor of residential apartment buildings.

Hezbollah also keeps munitions and rocket launchers within hospitals, schools and mosques in populated areas.

Though Israel’s striking capability is very accurate and can pinpoint buildings, because Hezbollah has chosen to hide behind women and children it is very tragic that innocent lives have been lost.


The web address below is to the text of the first part of the article.
It gives an amazing glimpse of the beliefs and tenants of Hezbollah, how they are funded, their goals and even a look at a couple of popular Hezbollah tourist attractions.
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/021014fa_fact4

As Christians let us not lose sight that “our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against principalities, against authorities, against the universal lords of this darkness, against spiritual power of wickedness within high places.”

What Separates Us From The World?

I have been thinking about the war in the Middle East. Sunni Muslims hate the Shiites and vise versa.

This has been going on since the death of Mohammed in 639 AD. They have been murdering each other for years. The only thing they agree on is their hatred of the Jewish nation. They now say this is because the state of Israel was taken from them in 1949. They hated Jews prior to that time.

So at this moment they are lobbing missiles into Israel. Iraqis’ are murdering each other as well as our soldiers that freed them from the tyranny of Huessien.

Why do Christians not act like this?


One thing that sets us apart is that we can disagree on issues but agree on facts.

We may have set up denominations based on the issues that our fathers dealt with.

We may call ourselves Baptist, Lutheran, Church of Christ, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Church of God.

We may dispute each others tenants of faith. We may strongly contest our ways, even denominational beliefs. But we all agree on facts. God is our Father, Jesus is His Son and the Holy Spirit has been sent to comfort us.

This separates us from the world.

Why'd You Choose Such A Backward Time?

Every time I look at you I don't understand
Why you let the things you did get so out of hand.
You'd have managed better if you'd had it planned.
Why'd you choose such a backward time in such a strange land?
If you'd come today you could have reached a whole nation.
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication…

Lyrics sung by “Judas” in Jesus Christ Superstar

I was checking out another blog today and the topic was “Spiritainment.” I don’t think you’ll find that work in your Funk and Wagnall’s. This blog was by a fellow named George Barna and about his recent election to CEO of a corporation called Good News Holdings. Nice work if you can get it.

 Good News Holdings is a a new high-powered team consisting of ex-Disney, Paramount, E! Entertainment Network, Microsoft, and NBC executives who hope to advance the Kingdom through excellence in media and ministry through the development of what Barna calls "Spiritainment".I applaud the efforts of all to provide the Good News of Jesus Christ to anyone and everyone.

I marvel at the changes in Protestant Churches over the years. They have turned into multi-media events with orchestras, singers, giant screen TV’s, theater style lighting systems and massive sound systems and audio-video recording equipment that is run by engineers.

Periodically my sweet wife drags me kicking and screaming to the Christian bookstore. I used to love these places. But when they started selling Gospel Pops, Scripture Mints and Salvation Sam the Sermon Teddy Bear I sort of lost my interest. Let me put it this way. The baby food isle is enormous, but the offerings at butcher counter are fairly sparse.

I suppose I’m getting old and grumpy and some folks really like this and have made this their ministry. I would just rather be educated than entertained.

I enjoy small churches with just a basic worship service and good scriptural teaching as opposed to the Super Sunday Good News Hour featuring Pastor Rex Haircut, Smiling Miss Sandy P. the warbley voiced contralto, Blinky the Gospel Clown and the Gospelette Singers and Dancers.

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber got it all wrong in the lyrics for Jesus Christ Superstar when the posed the musical question, “Why’d you choose such a backward time and such a strange land?”

The Parable of the Junky Yard

There is an old guy that lives up the road. Brother is he mad.

He makes his living from salvaging furniture, appliances, lawn mowers and anything else that people discard. He repairs these things and sells them at a flea market.

The flea market that he does business at was severely damaged by recent wind storms and it hasn't yet reopened. So the fellow was attempting to sell his wares from his front yard. Normally his yard has some "junk" in it and his porch is impassible but for a narrow entrance to his front door.

He recently decided it would be a great idea to erect a festival style tent in his front yard, stock it full of his junk and set out a sign that announced he was Open For Business. The folks that live next door to him apparently had more than they could take, complained to our fair city and the city council ordered him to cease and desist.

The next day his yard was filled with handwritten signs proclaiming that the city council and his next door neighbors were all agents of Satan and that he would stand firm against this apostacy. The police were sent to explain his options and the tent came down as did most of the signs except for one small one ranting against the devils next door.

There is a lesson in all of this. "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things."

How many times in my younger days did I rally against the Lord because things were not working out according to my plans. I'm sure I even blamed my situation on Satan.

Perhaps I wasn't listening to the Almighty. My neighbor, the junk dealer, is aware that the law says you have to maintain orderly property and you cannot operate a business in an area zoned for residences. You also need to be licensed and pay appropriate taxes.

Our God is a God of order. We are blessed with free will. We, who know Jesus as our Lord, are blessed with God's Grace. This does not by any means discount His Commandments. We need to not just trust, but obey as well.

Summer

I will finish up my study of Genesis. I’ve had so many issues come up in my life. Good ones and areas of opportunity. So I haven’t devoted as much to this blog as in the past.

Here are some thoughts for today:

When I was young and in school summer meant freedom. School was finished for the next three months. I could sleep late and I could stay up late. No homework. I was blessed that I did not have to have a summer job. I had time to myself. I had time to be with friends. The family usually went on a vacation. In fact the word vacatio is the Latin word for freedom.

I’ve worked very hard all my adult life and not had much down time. I am not getting younger. I miss summer. Not the season with it’s intense heat, but the freedom of summer.

Solomon, or King Schlomo as is his Hebrew name said, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot… He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men."

Some would say the seasons of nature are due to the earth’s position to the sun. I say ultimately it is based on God’s Law and the cycle of seasons. God sent His only Son to stop the cycle of death and bring us back to where He is.

The great Christian songwriter Fanny Crosby wrote:
“I know in whom my soul believes,
I know in whom I trust;
The Holy One, the merciful,
the only wise and just.
I know in whom my soul believes,
and all my fears depart;
For though the winter winds may blow,
'tis summer in my heart.”

If not for the love and mercy that comes from God and the gift of His Son, Jesus my Redeemer, there would be no summer. Not ever.

A Poem by Virginia Hamilton Adair

From her book Beliefs and Blasphemies

Games with God

I played, a child both wild and meek,
with God at games of hide-and-seek.
I searched in vain the usual places
and found a thousand saddened faces.

"Your God is hidden in heaven," they said;
"You'll see him only when you're dead."
How could I make them understand
God often took me by the hand?
Then as my tears began to fall
I felt his touch and heard his call,
"I never hid from you at all."

I played with God a game of tag,
his mantle flying like a flag.
I gave my God a good head start
but caught him running in my heart.
I played with God the game "I Spy,"
but lost him with my fading eye,
till playmate God in his pure kindness,
printed his image on my blindness.