Advent 2007
Our Shepherd

Jesus is referred to as “shepherd” numerous times in the New Testament. He is variously called “The Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), “The Great Shepherd” (Hebrews 13:20), and “The Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4). In the 23rd Psalm, King David draws on his own experience as a shepherd boy. He knew that the sheep were dependent on the shepherd to meet their every need. David recognized the dependence of man on the Lord Jesus Christ as their shepherd. Unlike, David in a non-herding economy, few can identify with the sheep and shepherd relationship. It is a foreign concept. Furthermore, modern man sees no dependence on God. Fierce independence and self-sufficiency, doing what he wants when he wants to and how he wants to, is the hall mark of 21st century dweller in the western world. After all, isn’t our individuality our right? Life is full of choices and what determines choices is our status…our education, wealth, and power. If we improve our position in any or all of those three areas, our choices will lead to a more fulfilling life. The shepherds crook is relegated to the closet of antiquated thinking. Give us opportunity, not God! And, whatever needs we cannot fulfill, we have the state. Isn’t that the purpose of government to solve the problems we can’t. What if we can’t achieve the education, wealth or power needed to prosper? The government will pass legislation, spend tax money and/or bring actions in court to bring the less fortunate to the status others cannot attain in the society. The power of God has been exchanged for the power of politics. Christians must not exchange the Good, Great and Chief Shepherd for the politician. Take time this Advent to ponder how that Babe in the manger is your Shepherd. If you are a sheep that has gone astray by buying into the world’s view of life, repent and return to the Good, Great and Chief Shepherd Who will meet your “real” needs.

History
Strong Vincent

This past weekend in Pennsylvania, two high schools played football against each other: Thomas Jefferson and Strong Vincent. It is a wonderful concept to name public schools after historical figures. Most know of Thomas Jefferson, although you may be surprised at what adults do not know if you watch the “Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?” show on TV. And, there are plenty of Thomas Jefferson schools in the country. But, I would guess there is only one school named Strong Vincent in the entire country.

There is a reason Strong Vincent High School is located in Erie, PA. He was born in Waterford, some call the strawberry capital of PA, in 1837. He graduated from Harvard in 1859 and thereafter opened a law office in Erie. When the War Between the States broke out he enlisted for three months in a militia regiment and when the time expired, he re-enlisted as a Lt. Colonel in the 83rd Pennsylvania Regiment. That regiment suffered the 2nd greatest amount of casualties for the Union. He married on the day he enlisted.

He fought on the Peninsula and when the colonel of the 83rd was killed on June 27, 1862, he became the colonel of the regiment. He was felled by malaria which kept him out of battle until December at Fredericksburg. Because of his legal background, he was offered position of Judge Advocate for the Army. He turned it down to remain a fighting man. The Union army was reorganized after Chancellorsville and he became brigade commander. On his 26th birthday he was marching to Gettysburg.

At Gettysburg, he took command of Little Round Top by rushing the hill with his standard bearer choosing for his brigade a section of the hill that now bears his name. On the hill he commanded the 83rd as well as the 20th Maine, 44th New York and 16th Michigan. As one group began to falter he scrambled atop a boulder brandishing a riding crop that was a gift from his wife, and accomplished aquestrian, and shouted: “Don’t give an Inch!” A bullet tore through his leg fracturing his thigh bone. He was carried from the field. Reinforcements form the 140th New York helped the line on Little Round Top hold. Knowing he was dying he wanted to return home, but the severity of his wounds prohibited travel to Erie. He held on for five days and died on July 7, 1863.

General Meade recommended Vincent be promoted for his heroism to Brigadier General on 2 July and he was on 3 July, 1863. It is doubtful he ever knew. Here is the report of Brig General James Barnes, Commander of the First Division:

It was at this time that Colonel Vincent, commanding the brigade, while rallying this part of his command, fell, mortally wounded. He was a gallant officer, beloved and respected by his command and by all who knew him. His death is a serious loss to the army and the country. ....A tribute is due to the memory of Colonel Vincent, who fell, mortally wounded, early in the engagement. He lingered a few days after the engagement. His promotion as a brigadier-general was sent to him at once as an appreciation of his services by the Government, but it reached him too late for his own recognition. He expired soon after its receipt.

While a lesser known hero of Little Round Top, he was indeed a hero who took the initiative to take the position in the first place. The official order issued announcing his death speaks to the character and standing of the man:

The colonel commanding hereby announces to the brigade the death of Brig. Gen. Strong Vincent. He died near Gettysburg, Pa., July 7, 1863, from the effects of a wound received on the 2d instant, and within sight of that field which his bravery had so greatly assisted to win. A day hallowed with all the glory of success is thus sombered by the sorrow of our loss. Wreaths of victory give way to chaplets of mourning, hearts exultant to feelings of grief. A soldier, a scholar, a friend, has fallen. For his country, struggling for its life, he willingly gave his own. Grateful for his services, the State which proudly claims him as her own will give him an honored grave and a costly monument, but he ever will remain buried in our hearts, and our love for his memory will outlast the stone which shall bear the inscription of his bravery, his virtues, and his patriotism.
While we deplore his death, and remember with sorrow our loss, let us emulate the example of his fidelity and patriotism, feeling that he lives but in vain who lives not for his God and his country.
Signed: Colonel James C. Rice

Two months after his death, Vincent’s wife Elizabeth gave birth to a baby girl who only lived one year. So, this hero would have no heir to live to tell his story. The 83rd Regimental Monument at Gettysburg does bear a striking resemblance to Vincent, although likenesses of commanders were not to be upon PA monuments. And, the school that bears his name still exists in Erie, PA. In his correspondence to his young wife, Strong Vincent says: “If I fall, remember you have given your husband to the most righteous cause that has ever widowed a woman.” In this age of self-seeking and self-aggrandizement, such sentiments are refreshing. That he was willing to give his life for something he believed was right made Strong Vincent an American hero. Strong Vincent is little known outside Erie and Gettysburg, but he is part of the glorious history of the human sacrifice and cost in the War Between the States.

Advent 2007
Time Traveler

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd made time traveling entertainment in the movie “Back to the Future”. They went back in time and experienced events that occurred decades prior with hopes of influencing the outcomes which would in turn influence their lives in the present. This is an oft used theme in fantasy literature. In 2 Peter 3:8, Peter tells us that time is meaningless to our Lord. He sees yesterday, today and tomorrow as now. However, Jesus Christ was the ultimate time traveler because He entered time from eternity. He did not move forward or backwards along the timeline of human existence. He punctured time from timelessness. And, this travel into time did affect the events of time forever. He came from eternity to time to save sinners like you and me. While we were yet sinners, He loved us enough to die for us [Rom 5:8]. He left the perfect love that was His with the Father and the Holy Spirit in eternity to take on our flesh and become sin itself. Because He lived a perfect and sinless life as the God-Man, we obtain His righteousness in exchange for our sin. Jesus Christ, God Himself, did not consider Himself above the task to be the sacrificial servant for sinners [Phil 2: 6-8]. To do that He became a time traveler. Some day each of us will be time travelers. We will pass out of time to timelessness. Eternity awaits us all. No one knows their departure time. This Advent as you contemplate the Babe in the manger, remember He came into time from eternity for a reason. Have you booked your reservation with the ultimate time traveler? The only One Who can provide for you safe passage to a heavenly home in eternity.

Joseph V. Paterno
Standing on History and Tradition

Last night Joe Paterno was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. That was to happen last year but was postponed because he sustained a broken leg last year that prohibited him from being in New York to receive the award. Now, that is not a surprising event. What is surprising, even amazing, is the history of Hall of Fame coaches at Penn State.

Since 1918, Penn State has had 5 coaches. One, Joe Bedenk was only coach for one year in 1949, after which he asked to go back to being an assistant. The university hired Charles “Rip” Engle as head coach in 1950, and he brought with him from Brown University one of his players to be an assistant, Joe Paterno. The other four coaches Hugo Bedzek, Bob Higgins, Rip Engle and Joe Paterno are all enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Eighty nine years, five coaches, four in the Hall of Fame…that is unmatched in the history of college sports.

The coaching replacement carousal is underway again this year. Everyone wants a coach who will lead them to the promised land of a Mythical National Championship. When surveying what is going on, think about the history and tradition, or lack thereof, of the institution chasing the next winner. What is the school’s history and tradition? Not just the wins and losses, but the stability, the integrity, the commitment, the principles, the academics, the history and tradition of lives devoted to coaching young men and preparing them for life not just sixty minutes of fleeting fame. Penn State Football has an exemplary history and tradition in many areas but is unparalleled and unequalled in coaching excellence. One of the reasons Joe Paterno stands so tall today is that he is standing on the shoulders of giants who laid the foundation of the history and tradition he has enriched.

Modern Culture
The Empty Self

Last week I opined that our modern culture was being made over for the individual which is unworkable because it renders no culture at all. Each one is doing what is right in his own eyes as Judges announces is the conduct of post-Joshua Israel. But, there is also the vacant or empty self that results from only looking within self to define what is believed and performed.

JP Moreland recently proposed in a post entitled “Christianity as Knowledge Tradition” that this condition of the self without substance, hope and character is the product the secularization of culture. He says:

The pervasive denial of truth, knowledge and rationality outside the hard sciences has left people without hope that true, knowable forms of wisdom can be discovered as guides to a flourishing life.

This has further resulted, he opines, in the “empty self” which he defines as:

…narcissistic, inordinately individualistic, self-absorbed, infantile, passive, and motivated by instant gratification. The empty self experiences a loss of personal significance and worth, as well as a chronic emotional hunger and emptiness. The empty self satiates itself with consumer goods, calories, experiences, politicians, romantic partners, and empathetic therapists. The empty self does not value learning for its own sake, is unwilling to defer gratification under the demands of discipline, and prefers visual stimulation to abstract thought. Applied to education, a classroom of empty selves will reinforce a view of education in which learning exists to make the student happy, to satisfy his/her emotional hunger, and to fulfill his/her own plans for success.Moreover, with the secular relativization of truth, knowledge and reason outside the hard sciences, secularism has contributed to the absolutization of desire satisfaction. With truth and reason dethroned as guides for life, something had to take its place. And the heir to the throne is the absolute importance of satisfying one’s desire. Secularism helps to prop up this value in the culture by its denial of truth and reason in matters of worldview, along with its promulgation of a naïve and destructive notion of tolerance.

Wow! A perfect description of the men and women we encounter everyday. While I may not agree with Dr. Moreland about the exact reason we are where we are, he has the diagnosis right. Without truth and reason that is the basis of culture, there are nothing but unsolvable issues and no hope for the individual living in that culture. Satisfying individual desires as the highest good eventually leaves one empty. Just look around and we see the destructiveness of secularism and the therapeutic culture it has spawned. What a wonderful opportunity for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the only hope of all men living as empty selves in modern culture.

[The entire piece of Dr. Moreland is worth reading and can be found at www.scriptoriumdaily.com ]

Evangelicalism
What is its meaning today?

At a recent meeting of Reformation For Today [RFT] we discussed the article in Touchstone about the state of Evangelicalism as assessed by six self-proclaimed Evangelicals. There are many today who believe the term is archaic having died the death of 1000 modifications so that it has no coherent meaning today.

In our discussion we examined 11 questions arising from the article. They are as follows:

1.Is evangelicalism a term you use? If so, how do you define it?
2. John Franke says: It [evangelicalism] does not reflect a specific confessional commitment so much as it indicates a general outlook of the Christian faith that can be situated in a broad range of church traditions." Do you agree with his statement?
3. D. Hart says evangelicalism is a symptom of "anti-formalism" that is the prevailing notion in the Christian community. Agree or disagree?
4. Do you see evangelicalism as a "mellow" fundamentalism?
5. Has political involvement watered down evangelicalism by requiring a "bigger tent" mentality?
6. Is religious pluralism, feminism and Open Theism properly part of evangelicalism?
7. D. Hart asserts evangelicalism is least common denominator Christianity that fails to do justice to the fullness of Biblical truth. Agree or disagree?
8. M. Horton believes evangelicalism is reaching the lost but losing the reached. Agree or disagree?
9. Is evangelicalism an aid or detriment to the Church?
10. The contributors outline the "best of evangelicalism". Which positions do you see as its best? Do you see a different best?
11. Is evangelicalism a term without meaning that should be relegated to at the ash heap of history? Why or why not?

The conclusion of our discussion was that the term “evangelical” is not an issue for the basic believer in a local parish. It is not a term of identification for orthodox, Bible believing folks. The group concluded that the term had been co-opted by the media and political types to identify blocks of voters who bought into a particular agenda. It is salt that has lost its flavor, so should be disregarded and placed underfoot. Today, evangelicalism has little to do with the “evangel”, the Gospel or good news, and any set of coherent, identifiable beliefs. Its context is not associated with the church or Scripture today.

One other conclusion seems to be that no “new” term is needed. Christian, or more particularly Biblical Christian, seems to be sufficient for identification purposes. The lesson learned is that any term must be defined with affirmations and denials. The latter are so unpopular today that we can only be categorized by what we agree upon and that leads to such broad categories as to be useless. There is no distinctive in evangelicalism, ergo, there can be no distinctions in any other term today.

What do you think? The Touchstone web site is www.touchstonemag.com to access the article which is from the November, 2007, issue.

Thanksgiving 2007
It’s been two years.

It’s been two years. I finally mustered up the courage to go through Dad’s personal belongings. I knew it would be difficult, and it was. He did not have much. But, when I sorted through his clothes, I cried. I could see him in the shirts and pants. And, I remember when Mom bought him some of the clothing. It’s been two years, but I still remember. I kept some of his flannels for Lucas and me to help insulate us from the chill of the seasons. That was his outerwear of choice for the last 30 years. I am sure he would be pleased to know we will be wearing them now. I kept his last pair of shoes. They were brown ankle high boots that had a strap over. Brown, that was Dad’s color; he was an earth tone guy. I never saw him wear a black pair of shoes except rented ones for Bob’s wedding and mine. I’ll take those old shoes next spring and dig them in the ground and plant flowers in them. That would please Dad even more than wearing his flannels because he was a man of the soil.

Included in his personnel things were the last greeting cards he ever received. I looked at them all…birthday, Easter, Christmas, thinking of your, Father’s Day. People had such kind and compassionate words for Dad. In the fog of Alzheimer’s, I am sure he understood very little of what was written. But, of course, that is not the point. Expressions of love are just that, whether understood or not. During the card reading, I cried again.

It’s been two years but there are still tears. Spring and fall are the most difficult times. Spring because when the earth comes alive, Dad came out of his winter cocoon charging into cultivating and planting. In that way he participated with the Creator awakening the earth and His creatures to a new season of growth. When I spade and plant my own little garden, I remember Dad and I cry. Fall is equally nostalgic. Summer’s harvest is in with corn boils, tomatoes in all manner of preparation, apples and other fruits gathered, potatoes and carrots dug and all foods preserved for winter eating. Fall was synonymous with football, a sport Dad loved. And, then came deer season, Dad’s real passion…spotting deer, shooting in the rifle and going to camp. When the garden is gleaned, the leaves fall from the trees, when Squaw Winter appears and men start wearing blaze orange, I remember Dad and I cry.

Two years have passed since Dad went to be with his Maker and it is not becoming any easier. And, I suspect it will not. I continue to remember, which is good. I cry, which is not bad. I miss Dad, and Mom too. But, by remembering them I remember their impact on my life. Next to a godly wife a man can have no better earthly influence than godly parents. I remember that and seek to impact my biological and spiritual issue as they did me. And, I remember the day is coming when I will be with them again where there will be no past or tears. This Thanksgiving I remember Christian parents who made me memories but also introduced me to the God Who makes a permanent, joyful place for all those who put their trust in Him for their eternal home. I am thankful.

After Thanksgiving, Susan and I will make the trip to the Union Cemetery in Luthersburg. There we will place a wreath in front of the tombstone of Mom and Dad. It is the evergreen of the eternal Christ and the unbroken circle of His everlasting, eternal love for His. I’ll pray and then wipe away the tears of remembrance and thanksgiving…again.