Quote from Forum Archives on February 15, 2004, 7:31 pm

Posted by: forthright <forthright@...>

Forthright Magazine
www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross

COLUMN: Understanding the Times

The Problem with the Bible ...
by Emmett Smith

In a Newsweek article discussing the upcoming
release of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the
Christ," Jon Meacham was highly critical of
Gibson's "literal-minded rendering" of the
Biblical accounts. He also wrote that "the Bible
can be a problematic source," as he sought to
discredit the historical accuracy of the Biblical
record.

Mr. Meacham also wrote that God's "mercy is not
limited to those who confess the Christian faith."
But that's not Biblical either. "And there is
salvation in no one else, for there is no other
name under heaven given among men by which we must
be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Yes, the Bible is problematic. If you accept it,
then you must accept personal responsibility as
well. And that's anathema to today's politically
correct crowd.

"but God shows his love for us in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans
5:8)
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COLUMN: Field Notes

Family
by Michael E. Brooks

"But you, do not be called 'Rabbi, Rabbi,' for one
is your teacher, the Christ, and you are all
brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father,
for one is your Father, he who is in Heaven"
(Matt. 23:8,9).

Many Americans who are exposed to other cultures
remark on their appreciation for the sense of
family which many in those cultures possess.
Extended families remain very close and there is
often a deeply developed system of mores that
demonstrate respect, dependence and obligation.

I see this often in Asian and South American
cultures. One common symptom of the valuing of
extended family is the complicated and extensive
set of titles with which various relationships are
specified. There may be many words for "aunt" and
"uncle" for instance, with "mother's sister",
"father's sister", or even "mother's oldest
brother" and "mother's youngest brother" all
having a distinct title.

Those of us who have succumbed to the modern, fast
paced, highly mobile society of "developed
nations" rue the loss of such relationships, while
acknowledging that we have often done it to
ourselves. Wherever the blame may lie, however,
there seems to be the feeling that once gone, the
close knit extended family will likely never be
restored.

It is precisely in this context that the blessing
of Christian fellowship may be best appreciated.
In many ways the church becomes (or at least
should become) our family. God is our Father.
Jesus is our oldest brother. We are all brothers
and sisters together in Christ. A wonderful
concept, but does that really describe the
relationship that truly exists in most
congregations or among most Christians? Just as
extended fleshly families drift apart without time
and attention given to them, so our fellowship in
Christ is dependent upon effort.

All the things required to build true spiritual
fellowship obviously cannot be covered in one
short article. One, however, is of special
importance and is suggested in our text. That is
the sense of equality that exists in genuine
Christian fellowship. "You are all brethren."
There are no rabbis, or masters or fathers among
us. We are all of equal value and equal "rank"
when it comes to God's view of us. That does not
mean that our roles are the same. Much New
Testament teaching shows that there are many
different gifts within the body (cf Eph. 4:11-13,
Rom. 12:3ff). But our value in God's sight is
equal. Jesus died just as much for the poorest and
most uneducated Christian as he did for the elder
or preacher or wealthy person among us. We are
brothers!

Another aspect of our brotherhood is that we are
all dependent. We are dependent upon God's grace
and Christ's blood to save us. And we are
dependent upon the love, compassion and mercy of
our brothers and sisters to help us walk worthy of
our Savior.

It is only by the encouragement and support that
other Christians give us that we have the ability
to resist temptation and abound in good works
(Heb. 10:23,24). It may be that nothing encourages
true fellowship as much as the recognition of our
mutual dependence. We must learn to look upon
other Christians as essential to our well-being,
rather than as burdens we must help carry, or
perhaps worse, strangers whom we have little
desire to know.

Even before affection and love we acknowledge
need. I need you. You need me. Once that is
recognized and we reach out mutually to meet those
needs, then the affection and love naturally
follow. And we come to know real family, that
established by God the Father and Jesus his Son.
----
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Forthright Magazine
www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross

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