"I Think You're Going to Need a Better Dictionary."

 

“The worst thing one can do with words is to surrender them.” George Orwell 

  When Lewis Carroll’s Alice goes Through the Looking-Glass, she finds a world turned upside down, especially in regard to words. Trying to have a sensible conversation only makes her head hurt. Nowhere is this more apparent than in her meeting with Humpty Dumpty, who takes nothing she says at face value and loves a good argument: “There’s glory for you!” 

  “But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean a ‘nice knock-down argument,’” Alice objected.

  “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

  “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

  “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”

   “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean…” Apparently, someone needs to get the memo to Steven Spielberg and the Discovery Channel that Jaws and Shark Week have been filleted. Two Australian states — Queensland and New South Wales — have softened their tone when it comes to the language of reporting shark attacks. From now on, sharks will “bite,” not “attack,” and when humans have a less-than-ideal meeting with them, even if they end up fish food, it’s now to be referred to as an “encounter” or an “incident.” Changing the meaning of a word doesn’t take its “bite away,” especially if you’re the one attacked. 

  Contemporary culture attempts to reshape and remold words as if they’re Play-Doh. They’re not. The Bible is a book made up of words – words that have a clear meaning. 

  Some years ago I had a conversation with a man about truth. My friend related that there was no such thing as truth and so the words in the Bible could have virtually any meaning. I replied that words have meaning. To which he responded, “Orange may be orange to you but it could be purple to me.” Yet even the biggest skeptic looks both ways when they cross a busy street. Words have meaning and you may redefine a speeding car but when you end up as a hood ornament, it won’t matter.

   Over the course of the last year, we’ve been inundated with “Trust the Science.” It’s ironic that many of the same “trust the science” advocates tell us that we’re on the wrong side of history to refer to pregnant women. The Atlantic recently had an article “The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’.” Even the ACLU is willing to sacrifice their own. A few weeks ago they altered the wording of a Ruth Bader Ginsberg quote to include gender-neutral pronouns. On the first anniversary of the Supreme Court Justice’s death, they tweeted: “The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a [person’s] life, to [their] well-being and dignity ... When the government controls that decision for [people], [they are] being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for [their] own choices.”

  Uhm, ACLU, trust the science. People don’t have abortions, women do. People don’t have babies, women do. Even someone as progressive as Ruth Bader Ginsberg knew that. This isn’t science, it’s sociology and insanity. FYI: It’s not “reproductive rights” when life is terminated not produced.

  None of this is new. Other societies drunk on their own self-importance and intellectual insanity attempted to alter the meaning of words. They failed. The French Revolution attempted to wipe out gender distinctions with the genderless term “citizen.” Incidentally, they also failed when they attempted to change a seven-day week to a ten-day one. The Communists attempted it by calling everyone the genderless “comrade.” 

  Because of a dictionary that is reputedly fluid, many today are skeptical of anyone’s claims to know the Truth. Some want to abandon the hunt for truth altogether, declaring a universal cease-fire on all truth claims. But can we really live without truth? Philosopher Roger Scruton rightly argues, “All discourse and dialogue depend upon the concept of truth. To agree with another is to accept the truth of what he says; to disagree is to reject it.” In other words, we can’t even talk to each other without a foundation of truth. Truth can’t be true if it’s true for you but not true for me. That makes words and communication an impossibility.

  Christians must be committed to clear definitions of words and truth. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” God is the Creator of words and gave them meaning. We must not surrender to cultural pressure or shaming. When we do, we lose our voice in the culture and dishonor the God of truth. Yet, there will be growing pressure along with the threat of being canceled.

  We must not alter words to be more acceptable. Even some Christians rightfully appalled at the horrors of racism declare that it’s only correct to say that “Black lives matter” and they do. Scripture though is our standard, not the values of the day. God had to rebuke the early church that had bought into only “Jewish lives matter.” Read the New Testament. It’s clear that “all lives matter” because Jesus died for all people. To discriminate or be prejudiced toward someone because of their ethnicity, disabilities or economic status is sin. It’s a falsehood to suggest, as some in the heat of the cultural disarray have, that “white people can never call black people racist.” Racism is evil whether it comes from the heart and lips of a white person, black person, Asian, Hispanic, etc. It may make good press but the glossing over of evil won’t stand before the throne of King Jesus.

  Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride had wise words for our culture and today’s Christian, “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” God is the Creator of life and language. What He says it means, it means…and that my friend is the final word!

 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Thank you ACLU!

“It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.”

 Roy E. Disney

  I never thought that I would ever be thankful for the ACLU, but I am. It was one of those, “what in the world were they thinking?” situations.

  Recently, the ACLU sent a letter to the Kenosha Unified School District demanding action after the district allegedly failed to adequately act against sexual harassment of cheerleaders at Tremper High School. The ACLU got involved after parents raised concerns regarding an annual cheerleader awards banquet in March 2018 during which coaches reportedly gave out awards “naming” girls. The names were so repugnant, I’ll just share one, “Big Booty Judy.” The awards were given for being more sexually endowed than their peers. I found myself agreeing with the statement made by the ACLU Wisconsin staff attorney, Asma Kadri-Keeler: “Gender stereotypes and objectification of women and girls start from an early age and follow girls and women throughout their entire lives.”

  Fortunately, the Kenosha School District, after the situation was brought to their attention, quickly remedied it, issuing this statement: “A clear expectation has been set that awards of this nature are not acceptable and are not to be given at Tremper cheerleading banquets going forward.”

  There’s a message though for the Church – you produce what you honor and cultivate. In a world enamored with temporal values, Christians must be different and focus on those traits which have lasting and eternal value.

  When the nation of Israel was looking for a new king, the Prophet Samuel was impressed with temporal qualities. The Lord checked him with this powerful, yet profound warning, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Our world is enamored with that which is given and temporal, not eternal and cultivated. For example…

  Our world is enamored with appearance. In American culture, those who are considered beautiful or handsome, are considered more valuable. Think of who we place on magazine covers or on media screens. Add to that, our culture is overly sexualized and eroticized. Our obsession with appearance often results in eating disorders on those who feel they don’t measure up.

  Please understand, I’m not suggesting we ignore our physical appearance. There’s no value in being unkempt or appearing dowdy. We must though realize that physical appearance is given by our Creator. It’s also culturally subjective and continually fluctuates. For example, a generation ago a man with a shaved head was repugnant to most. Yet, today male shaved heads are in style. Proverbs 31 warns us that beauty is transitory. In spite of our best efforts, all of us age and begin to fall apart. While physical appearance always fades, often vanity always stays. God is the Master Designer of each one of us (Psalms 139:13-16). When we disdain someone because of their appearance, we’re disdaining the Creator who designed that person.  

  Our world is enamored with talent. Personally, I’m appalled when professional athletes, actors or musicians are paid exorbitantly simply because they can throw a ball, act or sing. I wouldn’t pay $300 for a Taylor Swift concert (I’m not sure that I’d pay $3, but I’m cheap). I don’t believe Aaron Rodgers is worth $33 million a year or Ryan Braun is worth $21 million. Yes, they have ability and have developed that ability. But again, it is a God-given ability…and God can take it away as easily as He gave it.

    Our world is enamored with IQ. Have you ever heard a parent bragging that their child is a C+ student? No, yet what if that’s all the intellectual ability that their child has. Put a Doctor in front of someone’s name or garb them in a white coat, and we somehow reason that they have more value simply because they have “this world” intelligence. Richard Dawkins may be a genius, yet Scripture teaches that he’s fool (Ps. 14:1). He even suggests that parents who know that their unborn child has special needs, take “the survival of the fittest into their own hands.” History has demonstrated that one can be a genius and also be a moral monster.

  God’s people must value what God values. While there is nothing wrong with telling your child that they look “pretty” or “handsome,” we’d be wiser to affirm then when they are selfless or kind. In a “Me Too” world, we must be cautious about commenting on someone’s, particularly someone of the opposite gender’s, appearance. We’re wiser in the Church to commend and encourage the fruits of the Spirit and the application of biblical truth in one’s life, rather than physical and temporal attributes.

  Even outside of our Christian subculture, God has commanded us to be salt and light. We fulfill that when we commend thoughtfulness, generosity, work ethic, integrity and character. And think about how much our belligerent public discourse might change if just professing Christians were more guarded in their words and habitually encouraged civility. It’s true that there are times when we must speak out against evil, yet we can do that without using words that are also wrong or evil. 2 Corinthians 10:4 reminds us that “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” 

  It’s humbling when the ACLU has to correct an evil. Surely, there were Christians parents and churches in Kenosha who could have made this an issue and resolved it before the ACLU was ever enlisted. We, too, can make a difference if we will value and loudly applaud what our Heavenly Father values – that which is godly and has eternal merit.  

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn and Bullying Churches

“Our government needs the church, because only those humble enough to admit they're sinners can bring democracy the tolerance 

it requires to survive” Ronald Reagan

  Recently, I received my expected letter from The Rev. Barry W. Lynn. Each election cycle, I receive a letter from Rev. Lynn advising me to be very, very careful on how I handle political issues or our church will lose our tax exemption. Since 1992, Rev. Lynn has been the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Prior to that, he was the legislative counsel for the ACLU in D.C. About the only thing his letter is missing are a skull and crossbones. He writes with sober, dire and cautionary tones as only a lawyer can.

  For an educated man, either Rev. Lynn does not know his American history or deliberately misconstrues it. Thomas Jefferson’s oft cited line of “building a wall of separation between Church & State” is not part of the Constitution. The letter in which President Jefferson wrote those famous words was to the Danbury Baptist Association in Durham, Connecticut. Jefferson’s purpose was to reassure them that the United States would never establish a State Church as was done in Europe, though leaders like John Adams and others wanted one. It was not to keep the Church from intruding on the State but rather the State from intruding on the Church.

  For some 250 years we’ve enjoyed religious liberty in America and with that, churches have had tax exemption. It’s a wonderful right we have, but it’s not a biblical one. What Rev. Lynn and his ilk misunderstand is that they believe we’re motivated or controlled by money. We’re not! Tax exemption is blessing that we’re thankful for. Yet throughout Christian history and around most of the globe today, it’s not a right believers enjoy. Committed American Christians will sacrifice it in a heartbeat rather than disobey or fail our in responsibility to please King Jesus.

  While at Grace Church, we seek to be a-political in that we will not endorse or become the mouthpiece for any political party. We, also without hesitation love and seek to minister to Democrats, Republicans, Independents and even Nones and faithfully share the only “agenda” which ultimately matters, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When you enter our doors, there are no Democrats, Republicans…or any other Party, only Christians.

  But we must “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). We will never be intimidated into silence on spiritual, moral or eternal issues. The threat of  taking away our tax-exempt status is meant to frighten us into silence or at least cripple us if we will not goosestep to the tune of political correctness. The Conventional Wisdom is that when tax exemptions are removed, donors will give far less than they now give. Churches will become liable for property taxes, potentially even business income tax. It could mean churches will have to forfeit their property to the government because they won’t be able to afford the taxes. Many wouldn’t be able to pay them now. Churches which reside on valuable properties in urban locations would be immediately vulnerable. Eventually, so would everyone else.

  The silly notion behind this is that government would do a better job than churches at meeting the needs of their community. After all, it “takes a village” not a church. Pardon my cynicism but how many things does government do well? A trip to the DMV will eradicate that foolish thought.  

  Yet, the fact that most Americans and even many church goers can’t explain why churches are tax exempt indicates a forgotten history. It’s emblematic of a society systematically devaluing the Church as a beneficial societal institution. So why should churches be tax exempt?

  There’s the “social benefit” theory of tax exemption. Churches provide great benefits to society by their good works. Churches minister to the poor and needy, provide numerous social services for the downtrodden, and reach out to the disenfranchised in thousands of different ways. The social benefit theory justifies tax exemption for churches as a kind of bargain. Churches provide needed services, so they’re entitled to tax exemption…services government couldn’t afford to replace.

  There’s the “intangible benefit” theory of tax exemption. Churches provide intangible and often unseen benefits to the community – reduced crime rates resulting from transformed lives, suicides prevented when people surrender to Christ, marriages still intact because of encouragement to live out a biblical ethic, individuals with destructive behavioral patterns that harm the community changing into hard-working, contributing citizens for the well-being of the community. It’s impossible to put a price tag on these types of intangible benefits provided by churches, but there’s no question that they exist. Churches provide more social services and intangible benefits to the community than they’d ever pay in taxes. In a very real sense, taxing churches will harm society.

  There is a constitutional reason why churches are tax exempt. Churches were exempt from the very first time the tax code was passed at the federal level. Thus far every State exempts churches from property taxes. When SCOTUS decided a case regarding the property tax exemption of churches, (Walz v. Tax Commission), it stated that providing a tax exemption for churches was a less intrusive option under the Constitution than requiring churches to pay taxes.

  It makes sense if you think about it. As the Supreme Court said in a very early case, “The power to tax involves the power to control.” Taxation is, in essence, a very strong assertion of control by a sovereign over its subjects. Exempting churches is a way to ensure the State can’t control churches.

  Be assured the camel of government will continue to attempt to poke his nose under the tent. It will probably come in seemingly innocuous ways like service fees, where churches are required to pay for street lights, police and fire protection. A service fee is merely a tax by another name. 

  Yet, we must be thankful for the privilege of tax exemption and the benefits from the tax code for charitable giving while we still have it! And we must determine that we will be faithful to the Gospel and Gospel-living, as well as biblical giving even if there are no longer government benefits. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.