Golden Calves

There is a very well known story about a “Golden Calf”…a story I first heard when I was a child. Thinking about it now, in my mind’s eye I can still see the book and pictures depicting this shiny golden calf surrounded by people dancing about with their hands high in the air. The story concerned the Israelites, their liberation from slavery and their worship of a “Golden Calf.” I hadn’t thought of this story at all until it came to mind just recently in a way I had not considered before – but somehow a way that is both timely and relevant. The story is found in Exodus 32 and goes something like this: 

The children of Israel had just come out of Egypt where they had been in bondage for about 400 years. God heard their cries of suffering and provided for their deliverance through Moses.

During their time in Egypt the Israelites may have begun to doubt the existence of the God of their fathers because Moses anticipated some hard questions from them (Exodus 3:13). To help Moses prove the existence and power of God, he was given a number of miraculous signs which would help the Israelites believe. After all of these miracles were done, including the ten plagues on the Egyptians, the Israelites left Egypt and began their journey with a renewed belief in the Lord God.

Very soon after leaving Egypt, they passed through the Red Sea on dry land. The pursuing Egyptian army, hot on their heels, was drowned trying to catch and capture them. They then journeyed on to Mount Sinai to receive God’s laws.

Despite all recent events and miracles, soon after Moses left them to briefly go up on the mountain and receive God's laws, the people became increasingly anxious. Moses spent forty days (Exodus 24:18) up on the mountain with God and while he was there the people urged Aaron, their temporary leader, to make gods for them to follow. 

At their urging, Aaron took the gold earrings they had brought from Egypt, and melted them down to make a golden idol. The idol he crafted for them was a calf, but Aaron maintained the name of the Lord in connection with it (Exodus 32:4&5). In so doing, he was merging the pagan practices they were familiar with and the worship of the God they were just beginning to be re-acquainted with. When the people saw the calf Aaron made, they were elated and began worshipping it and crediting it for their deliverance. They were saying things like, Israel these are your gods—the ones who led you out of the land of Egypt.

 

So, what prompted me to remember this story and want to re-examine it after so many years…after all, this was just another story about idol worship (there are many in the Old Testament). How might this story be relevant today? On those past occasions when I’d heard the story, my focus had always been on the item itself (the calf) and not on the determined effort invested in first creating and then worshipping such an object (or idea). However, this time I felt prompted to look past the object and to consider the process and principles at work instead. How does a “Golden Calf” come to be…and can that somehow relate to life today?

The process I’m speaking of is, of course, the passionate rejection of God combined with the re-attribution (to other sources or authorities) of all He has created and declared. In my opinion, there is a very determined world view which is prepared to invest extraordinary effort to destroy, pervert and/or undermine anything God formed or ordained. In fact it seems that throughout history, when it comes to the subject of God, there has been much more going on than simply a disagreement of beliefs. There has always been a zealously determined effort to deny, discredit, falsify, and/or eliminate God from all earthly equations. Often those who simply believe in Him, His created works or His expressed will and values, have faced hostility (or worse). Such a hostile response is way out of proportion to what one might expect over differing views or opinions. It’s much more than simply a case of, “while I believe in God and you don’t, you are free to express your views while I freely express mine.” 

Throughout history and right up to the present day, persistent attempts to remove any traces or references to God continue. Indeed I believe those campaigning against God would, if they could, remove all traces of Him from our minds as well! Of course a belief in a godless universe (known as atheism) has its own “religious” component with followers determined to write God out of every equation…to be replaced by _(what?)_ evolution?…perhaps some form of secular humanism? 

As I began looking into the history of atheism and the accompanying theory of evolution, I find they are not modern in any sense of the word. These are not theories and ideas born of sophistication and scientific enlightenment. Throughout recorded history there is ample evidence of atheism and antagonism toward God (and all who believe in Him) while at the same time attempting to credit our existence to some form of evolution or anything other than Divine design.

The obvious question (to me at least) is why create this golden calf…why God-less evolution…why Darwinism? If something is believed and accepted as fact, we do not try to replace it with something else; however, when we decide to reject something (previously believed) we then are faced with the task of replacing that belief with something else…an alternate explanation.

The idea of evolution grew as a consequence of denying creation and a Creator and was put forth as an alternate explanation to the question, “If no God, then where did we come from?” Indeed, a very interesting article includes the following:
“While Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a relatively young archetype, the evolutionary worldview itself is as old as antiquity. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Anaximander postulated the development of life from non-life and the evolutionary descent of man from animal. Charles Darwin simply brought something new to the old philosophy -- a plausible mechanism called "natural selection." Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations…” For more see: “Darwin's Theory Of Evolution - A Theory in Crisis” http://www.darwins-theory-of-evolution.com/

The same article concludes with:
“Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a theory in crisis in light of the tremendous advances we've made in molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics over the past fifty years. We now know that there are in fact tens of thousands of irreducibly complex systems on the cellular level. Specified complexity pervades the microscopic biological world. Molecular biologist Michael Denton wrote, "Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world." [5] 

And we don't need a microscope to observe irreducible complexity. The eye, the ear and the heart are all examples of irreducible complexity, though they were not recognized as such in Darwin's day. Nevertheless, Darwin confessed, "To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree."” - See more at: http://www.darwins-theory-of-evolution.com

Darwinism didn’t emerge as the result of strict adherence to the “scientific method” or observations to which a strict scientific protocol was applied; instead it was put forth as an alternate explanation for the origin of all life. As an explanation, in my opinion, it is grasped and clung to in a manner somewhat akin to a drowning man anxiously and frantically grasping at straws.

Now, it’s not my intention to disprove evolution – there are many sound arguments that do that job already; and they are put forth by folks far more learned on the subject than me. However, I am intrigued by how tenaciously this seriously flawed theory is clung to by academia and the lengths taken to shut down any opposing viewpoints within the scientific community. Darwinism, though remaining the prevailing paradigm which has become the status quo, is a theory that has never been proven. Basically, it remains at about the same place it was when Darwin first proposed his views. Since academia has adopted this theory, no other view is seriously entertained and discoveries – particularly those that are suggestive or point toward intelligent design, are immediately dealt with by expulsion, ridicule and/or deliberate obfuscation. 

In fact, within the ranks of academia, the treatment of those that challenge Darwinism has become the subject of the documentary movie, “Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed” by Ben Stein. In this movie Stein goes up against the status quo and the intellectual elite to expose the bias against any other form of thought that is an anathema to Darwin’s theory.

Despite the fact that this theory is now over a hundred years old, and despite the fact that it still lacks any substantive scientific proof, nevertheless academia continues to cling tenaciously and present it as “fact.” Some proponents of evolution acknowledge the fact that willingness to accept an intelligent Creator is so unpalatable they would rather cling to a flimsy unproven theory.

The following statements point to the desire to abandon the idea of a Creator and come from the article: “Why Do People Believe in Evolution?” By Bert Thompson, Ph.D. http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=12&article=273“…Henry Fairfield Osborn, one of the most famous evolutionists of the early twentieth century, suggested: “In truth, from the earliest stages of Greek thought man has been eager to discover some natural cause of evolution, and to abandon the idea of supernatural intervention in the order of nature” (1917, p. ix). Henry Morris noted: “Evolution is the natural way to explain the origin of things for those who do not know and acknowledge the true God of creation. In fact, some kind of evolution is absolutely necessary for those who would reject God” (1966, p. 98).

Sir Arthur Keith of Great Britain wrote: “Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it because the only alternative is special creation, and that is unthinkable” (as quoted in Criswell, 1972, p. 73). Professor D.M.S. Watson, who held the position of the Chair of Evolution at the University of London for more than twenty years, echoed the same sentiments when he stated that “evolution itself is accepted by zoologists, not because it has been observed to occur or can be proven by logically coherent evidence to be true, but because the only alternative, special creation, is incredible” (1929, 123:233). These kinds of statements leave little to the imagination, and make it clear that those who say such things believe in evolution not because of any evidence, but instead because they have made up their minds, a priori, that they are not going to believe in God.”

Finally I’d like to offer the following link as something the reader might find particularly interesting when considering this particular “golden calf.” http://mbbc.us/creation/inquiry/rejection.htm It is titled, “Why did you reject evolution” and was written by Patrick Briney, Ph.D.

It begins: “As an atheist, I believed in evolution as fact. It was the only explanation for existence. But after attending a lecture on creation science, I began to rethink the question of origins. The speaker had pointed out several things that I knew were true, but I never considered the implications. He also said some things I had not been told about in class. Subsequently, I began to doubt evolution, distrust teachers of evolution, and wonder what else I had not been told…”
Dr. Briney goes on to take a closer look at the science and just how he came to the conclusions he does.

Personally I have no problem with the creation model and believe strongly that all creation points to its creator. There was a time, a point in my life when I had rejected this point of view but not any longer. If you have not come to the same conclusion, I would ask that you at least not close your mind to the possibility and then really examine the evidence. There is no question that at some point faith must come into the equation…just be careful that you are not placing your faith in a “golden calf.”

What Church is God's Church?

Body of Christ

Many different metaphors have been used in reference to the Christian church; with the term “Body of Christ” being the one most frequently used.  Not long ago as I thought about this, during a morning devotional period, it occurred to me to consider all this term might include.  It seems to me that it does a lot more than simply describe how all the individual parts of a body should work together to perform their tasks in the service of the whole body.  I believe this metaphor can be useful for understanding more than that.

Just as our own human body sometimes breaks down and parts fail (which results in a need for restoration and healing) the same can also be said of the church.  Consider for a moment what sorts of things cause dysfunction and disease within the physical body and what happens when the body does not function as it should?  Is dysfunction within the physical body similar in some ways to dysfunction within the church (the spiritual body)?

Why is the term, “Body of Christ” used?  There is much written on this topic and a Google search quickly came up with hundreds of references but the following link provides a very good summary from which many of the following points were taken:http://www.gotquestions.org/body-of-Christ.html#ixzz3FSmtMxrD

In the New Testament, there are a number of scripture references to the phrase, “the Body of Christ” and what it means:

“The phrase “the Body of Christ” is a common New Testament metaphor for the Church (all those who are truly saved). The Church is called “one body in Christ” in Romans 12:5, “one body” in 1 Corinthians 10:17, “the body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 12:27 and Ephesians 4:12, and “the body” in Hebrews 13:3.  The Church is clearly equated with “the body” of Christ in Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:24.”

The article goes on to list a number of facts as to why the Church may be called the Body of Christ:

“1) Members of the Body of Christ are joined to Christ in salvation (Ephesians 4:15-16).

2) Members of the Body of Christ follow Christ as their Head (Ephesians 1:22-23).

3) Members of the Body of Christ are the physical representation of Christ in this world. The Church is the organism through which Christ manifests His life to the world today.

4) Members of the Body of Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9).

5) Members of the Body of Christ possess a diversity of gifts suited to particular functions (1 Corinthians 12:4-31). “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ” (verse 12).

6) Members of the Body of Christ share a common bond with all other Christians, regardless of background, race, or ministry. “There should be no division in the body, but . . . its parts should have equal concern for each other” (1 Corinthians 12:25).

7) Members of the Body of Christ are secure in their salvation (John 10:28-30). For a Christian to lose his salvation, God would have to perform an “amputation” on the Body of Christ!

8) Members of the Body of Christ partake of Christ’s death and resurrection (Colossians 2:12).

9) Members of the Body of Christ share Christ’s inheritance (Romans 8:17).

10) Members of the Body of Christ receive the gift of Christ’s righteousness (Romans 5:17).”

Taking all the above into consideration and moving forward with the “body” metaphor, a wonderful point is made...for if the body is healthy and functioning optimally, it can accomplish all it was designed and created to do.  Indeed, Psalm 139:14 speaks of the human body in the following manner: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  A truly complex and marvellous creation, each component of the body, down to the tiniest microscopic cell, reveals that it is fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Both the body and the church have the same creator and both (if/when functioning as they ought) reveal the One by whom we have been “fearfully and wonderfully” made.  However, we know that sometimes our bodies break down, dysfunction and suffer disease.  When this happens we not only cannot function optimally, sometimes we don't function at all.

One thing I strongly felt I needed to look at further is communication and what happens in the human body when communication is either interfered with or ceases altogether.  With a bit of searching I came across this quote from The University of Utah Health Sciences Center:

“The cells in our bodies are constantly sending out and receiving signals. But what if a cell fails to send out a signal at the proper time? Or what if a signal doesn't reach its target? What if a target cell does not respond to a signal, or a cell responds even though it has not received a signal? These are just a few ways in which cell communication can go wrong, resulting in disease. In fact, most diseases involve at least one breakdown in cell communication.” (emphasis added) http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/badcom/

Fascinating...this suggests that a breakdown in cellular communication is a factor behind most diseases.  Might the same be said about most of the dysfunction within the body of Christ (the church) as well?  Might the breakdown in communication be such a huge problem as to contribute to periods of dysfunction, stagnation and even worse, atrophy?  I believe these are certainly questions worthy of consideration.

While the church is made up of individuals and groupings of individuals, we’ve been given everything we need to come together as one body.  Consider points number 3 & 6 above:  (#3) “The Church is the organism through which Christ manifests His life to the world today.  And (#6) “Members of the Body of Christ share a common bond with all other Christians, regardless of background, race, or ministry. “There should be no division in the body, but . . . its parts should have equal concern for each other.”  Unfortunately, we have not been functioning as one body to manifest the life of Christ to the world; and it is here that we see some of the divisions and dysfunctions begin to emerge.

The church is divided with many denominations and sects.  Some of the differences and divisions are based on different interpretations and views on points of doctrine.  Even within individual denominations there are further differences in beliefs, values or interpretations.  It is my view that too much energy is spent focusing on and arguing differences – the things that divide rather than the things that unite.  To be completely free of such differences we would have to have perfect knowledge, and understanding plus perfect wisdom to be able to always apply (that perfect knowledge) with grace and discernment.  We simply don’t possess that kind of perfection but we do have God’s word and the gift of His Holy Spirit who indwells us and guides us to the truth.

I’m going to guess that in the early church when thousands came to Christ daily, and committed their hearts and lives to Him, they were probably not scholars given to heated debate on obscure theological points.  The message was simple (and remains so) accept the Lord Jesus Christ, the risen Saviour and you will be saved.  Indeed, Paul’s letters to the early church help pinpoint dangers and early divisions caused when attempts were made to add to that simple message with conflicting doctrinal views and rules.  An example of such a divisive issue, in the early Christian church, was circumcision which is addressed in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. 

I came out of a tradition that believed differences were important…important enough to jeopardize one’s salvation.  Believing we were right and that all other denominations were misguided, our mission seemed to be promoting the “rightness” of our cause and correcting the doctrines and beliefs of other ‘well-meaning but mistaken’ churches.  While many of the folks crossing our path each day may have known little to nothing about Jesus, far too much effort got invested in trying to polish the Christianity of others.  From talking to friends raised in other traditions, I’ve come to realize that my experience was not unique.

Ultimately, rather than contribute to building unity within the “body of Christ,” focusing on differences only served to strengthen the divisions.  I wonder now if this exercise of “who’s right,” (while resisting efforts to come together, fellowship and communicate) isn’t perhaps one of the devils greatest strategies for slowing (even derailing) the growth of the church.  Just thinking out loud here...but this could, of course, equate in some ways to the manner in which disease disrupts communication within the physical body.  We do know the devil is a great deceiver and seeks to sow the seeds of discontent and strife wherever he can.

Thinking along this line for a moment…there is a parable found in Matthew 13: 24-30 I would like to look at because I think it applies.  “The Message” records it as follows:

“God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.

“The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’

“He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’

“The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’

“He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’”

When I consider the above, I am struck with the idea that the grain was not defined by what field it grew in AND different plants can all grow in the same field.  The time for separating the crop comes at the end and will be determined by what “fruit” if any will be produced by the plant.  Applying this to my own life, I am a Christian – not because of what church I have chosen to worship and fellowship in – and the final outcome to my life will not be determined by my having chosen the right denomination.  The scripture says (in Matthew 7: 20) “So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

Now when I speak of different views, ideas and divisions, I want to be clear that I’m not opposed to healthy discussion and sharing of thoughts and convictions.  I also believe there are certain fundamental or core beliefs that make one a Christian – make us each a part of that larger body.  I also believe that if we come together to pray, read the Bible and study together (with an open heart and mind) that we will be guided by the Holy Spirit.  He will guide each of us to that part of “the Body” where we need to be, doing whatever we need to do.

While I tend to associate more with those with whom I have much in common, I discovered a long time ago that if I waited until I found a group with whom I was in 100% agreement, I’d be an awfully lonely person.  I know I’m not alone in this.  None of us are perfect and no group (made up of imperfect people) is perfect or has the complete (perfect) picture - instead we are instructed to “seek” Him.  I wonder if in seeking we might not be something like the Bereans spoken of in Acts 17 who searched the scriptures daily seeking truth.  Note: it does not say they had daily, unanimous agreement – just that they came together, searched the scriptures with an open mind and sought truth.

Finally, rather than separating from other Christians with whom I might have a disagreement and essentially worshipping and studying as a church of one (the ultimate division and separation from the body) I believe it important to come together with other Christians regularly and often.  We are directed in Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”  May God bless us all as we seek Him.