Mary's Place at the Table

Spirituality Column #155
October 27, 2009
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

Mary’s Place at the Table
By Bob Walters

Opinions vary in assessing which is the greatest doctrinal schism between Catholics and Evangelicals, but one thing for sure is that the ecclesial status of the Blessed Virgin Mary quickly enters and enlivens any such discussion.

If Catholics are at all guilty of overstating Mary’s piety, Evangelicals are certainly guilty of neglecting the Blessed Mother’s lessons of grace, humility and discipleship.

Faithful Christians understand Mary to be the virgin mother of Jesus; the Theotokos – the God-bearer, or “the one who gave birth to the One who is God.”

Catholic doctrine – formed by scripture and Church tradition – presents Mary as a perpetual virgin, of Immaculate Conception (without sin from birth), having experienced bodily Assumption (risen in body and soul to heaven upon her death), and assigns her a high place as an intercessor in the communion of the Church and saints.

Biblically born Evangelical teaching goes no further than stating Mary was a virgin when Christ was conceived and born (Matthew 1:18-25), finds no evidence or requirement of Mary escaping the stain of original human sin, says her ascending like Christ is inconsistent with Christ’s uniqueness, and points to Christ as our only divine intercessor.

So goes a fascinating discussion in the November 2009 First Things, a scholarly Catholic-oriented monthly journal of faith and culture founded by priest Richard John Neuhaus, who died early this year.

One of Fr. Neuhaus’s many lifetime accomplishments was building a consortium of religious minds called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together,” providing thoughtful, periodic illumination on weighty theological topics. Leading the evangelical side of the equation are Chuck Colson, J.I. Packer, and a dozen others. Neuhaus pulled input from a dozen Catholic scholars (all are listed at the article’s conclusion).

The group’s carefully researched and tightly edited position papers are presented in accessible language and are available in a variety of places online. Google “Evangelicals and Catholics Together Mary,” or visit www.firstthings.com.

Valuable richness in Christ is lost if we ignore the lessons of Mary, who obeyed God, raised Jesus, and displayed unrelenting faith.

She is blessed (Luke 1:48), and a blessing for all.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com, rlwcom@aol.com) saw an amazing music video – Amazing Grace by Il Divo in Pula, Croatia. Google it. Wonderful.

The Straight and Narrow

Spirituality Column #154
October 20, 2009
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

The Straight and Narrow
By Bob Walters

None of us should congratulate ourselves with righteous satisfaction simply for believing Jesus Christ is Who He says He is.

Satan knows more about the person of Jesus Christ – and exactly Who He is – than any of us possibly can. So, knowing Christ puts us about even with Satan, who thoroughly understands and willingly acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God.

What makes us different from Satan is that he can not, will not, and does not love Jesus, nor can Satan live eternally in Heaven with the loving God Almighty.

We can … if we want to.

As a practicing, believing and flawed Christian – I think that covers most of us who consider ourselves inside the global Christian communion – I am heartsick when I meet people seeking a “higher consciousness” or a “secret of life” in popular culture who dash past Christ trying to access precisely the things Christ promises.

We fear death. In Christ, we needn’t fear death.

We seek a purpose. In Christ, we have one: to love and glorify God by loving and glorifying each other.

We feel guilty for our sin. In Christ, we are forgiven our sin.

We search for truth. Jesus Christ is the way, and the truth, and the life.

Our intelligence, our creativity, our industriousness, our freedom, our love, our very being – are the creation of Christ. If you think there is any other possibility, get out your Bible and re-read Genesis 1-3 and John 1. The capital-W “Word of God” is Christ.

To Satan’s satisfaction, countless people and institutions around us labor mightily to put curves in a path we know in our hearts is only straight, and to widen a gate that we know in our hearts is only narrow. Philosophy and open-mindedness are virtuous until they rob us of the greatest of all spiritual gifts, the divine Holy Spirit without Whom we cannot fathom God’s love, Christ’s truth, or the Word of God in scripture.

At a funeral recently I heard a message delivered powerfully. “If you choose to lead this life with Christ, then you will spend eternity with Christ. If you choose not to live this life with Christ, then you will spend eternity without Christ. The hard part is, once we die, you don't get to choose.”

Satan is the robber baron of our eternal well being. Choose now, while you can.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) suggests reading 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Love the truth and be saved.

Remarkable, Descartes ... and a Bill

Spirituality Column #153
October 13, 2009
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

Remarkable, Descartes … and a Bill
By Bob Walters

Remarkable
Mary Jane English was a remarkable woman.

The longtime principal at Heritage Christian Elementary School retired in 2004 ending 37 years of service building Indiana’s largest private elementary school. Mrs. English died Sept. 16, 2009, after battling colon cancer for many months.

Not surprisingly, her memorial service Oct. 3 at East 91st Street Christian Church was also remarkable, displaying love, grace, public affection, music and God’s Word celebrating a life dedicated to the Lord, to her family, and to her profession.

The hundreds in attendance at the service included several dozen of the teachers Mrs. English hired over nearly four decades. Those teachers influenced thousands of young students throughout the north and northeast Indianapolis Metro area. See HeritageChristian.net for a wonderful tribute.

As her son Bill noted at the service, “She never once doubted she was doing what God wanted her to do … she never doubted her destination, and was fully confident she had an inheritance that would never perish, spoil, or fade. … At the end she had a sense of accomplishment, a sense of finish and was ready to go on and be with God. … She showed us all the right way to live, and the right way to die.”

Enter thou into the joy of the Lord, Mrs. English.

Descartes
Thankfully, alert reader Dr. T.F. Foust of Carmel caught a mistake I made a couple weeks ago. Descartes’ famous philosophical phrase, “I think, therefore I am,” in Latin is “Cogito ergo sum.” I bone-headedly wrote “Cognito ergo sum” in the Sept. 22 column about Pascal and Indy’s recent secular convention.

Kudos to Dr. Foust for his keen recognition. I looked it up. “Cogito” means “I think.” “Cognito” isn’t anything, just a misspelling; what my great aunt Marian would call “an illiterate mistake.” FYI, “cognoscere” means “to learn, to know.” Ergo, now I think I know my error, and have since been cogitating on my lack of cognition. Mea culpa.

And a Bill
Sept. 29 I wrote that Thomas Jefferson had “almost nothing to do” with the writing of the U.S. Constitution. That’s mostly right. He was in France while the document he dreaded took shape, yet was in constant correspondence with his best friend James Madison, the father of the Constitution. Upon his return Jefferson still wasn’t crazy about the charter, and championed the addition of the Bill of Rights.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com) is thankful Christ has forgiven our sins, and prays readers will forgive an occasional mistake.

Binding Arbitration

Spirituality Column #152
October 6, 2009
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis North Suburban newspapers)

Binding Arbitration
By Bob Walters

Sorry if this upsets any well-meaning prayer warriors out there, but what in the Devil – if you’ll excuse the phrase – are we talking about when we pray to “bind Satan”?

It sounds sincere, comforting and authoritative to pray to “bind Satan,” “bind the enemy” or “bind demons,” but it is an arrogant, gross misreading of scripture – and a violation of scripture – to think we as Christians have that kind of power.

Jesus Christ, and only Jesus Christ with the authority of the Cross – i.e., God – has the power to bind Satan. And Satan is as “bound” as he is going to get until Christ binds him completely forever and ever in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). Until then, Christ has bound Satan only to the extent that the Gospel can not be extinguished.

On Earth few of us will personally deal with Satan; he has bigger fish to fry. Still, we have no power to further bind Satan or even the lesser demons who most definitely “mess” with us any time we give them an opening.

What we can do is bind ourselves to Christ, talk to Christ, praise God and stay as far away as we possibly can from addressing Satan or demons or evil spirits. Even the Archangel Michael, who handles Satan (Jude 9, Revelation 12:7), is careful to only rebuke Satan, not accuse him. Accusing Satan is exclusively God’s job.

Yet Christians bend Bible verses to errantly claim Godly authority over Satan.

For example, the commonly cited “bind” and “loose” language in Matthew 18:18 is specifically about early church discipline, not empowering humans to enforce prohibitions on Satan. That Heaven will “bind” or “loose” the unrepentant or repentant describes the authority of the early church to discipline its members.

In context, Matthew 18:15-22 has nothing to do with Satan, or for that matter, with binding/loosing sickness, wealth, angels or poverty.

Christ uses the same words in Matthew 16:19, describing the establishment of His church. Heaven will respect the founding of the church, not give Christians individual dominion over Satan.

Other misinterpreted “binding” verses include Revelation 12:11, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8-9. The Biblical message isn’t “bind Satan;” it is “resist Satan.”

It’s smarter, then, to pray fervently in Christ’s name for wisdom and discernment in detecting Satan’s lies; but we should never, ever think our prayers bind Satan.

Look around; are anyone’s binding prayers working?

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com) suggests Googling “binding Satan,” or searching the topic at BrentRiggs.com. Cling to Christ; rebuke Satan. Amen.