FB Introduction
The 2026 Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Annual Meeting took place June 7-10 in the Orlando Convention Center, preceded by the SBC Pastor’s Conference on June 7-8. A ban voted for in each of the last three annual meetings was strengthened by an initial step toward passing a constitutional amendment that would ban women from teaching scripture or preaching to congregations within the denomination. This year’s vote was 6,028 to 2,026, a 3-to-1 margin, which easily exceeded the required two-thirds majority. It will require a similar two-thirds vote at next year’s meeting to become part of the official constitution. In my book, “The Bible and Women: How Did I Miss So Much?”, I addressed earlier actions by the SBC, especially related to Rick Warren and the famous Saddleback Church in Southern California.
The SBC’s view of the role of women in churches is very similar to the majority view in my own family of churches. On the one hand, I am patient with those holding a view that I have now rejected, and on the other hand, I have the impatience that often accompanies the discovery of a new, more biblical view. Once you see that new truth, you simply cannot unsee it. It now seems so obvious that you wonder how you missed it for so long. This explains the title of my book mentioned above.
I missed so much because I was mistaught the subject initially, which then required unlearning in order to learn or relearn. Error, once accepted, has a blinding effect on seeing things differently. If we had started at the beginning on this topic, the establishment of the church, the error could have been avoided. Peter, in preaching the first gospel sermon after Christ’s resurrection, quoted a passage from the prophet Joel showing the new role of women in this newly established church.
Acts 2:17-18 (NIV)
17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
Joel states twice that both males and females would prophesy. Either they did or both Joel and Peter were wrong. 1 Corinthians 11 shows that they did. In that historical setting, both men and women had dress or appearance codes to abide by, but both prophesied. Joel wasn’t wrong; Peter wasn’t wrong. But due to being mistaught, so many miss this truth, a truth hiding in plain sight. How could we miss something this obvious? At a deeper level, it is due to being immersed in what is called “patriarchy” without realizing it. (My book digs into this unsavory subject in some detail.) At a surface level, it is due to misinterpreting a verse in 1 Corinthians 14 by allowing it to contradict a truth already established in 1 Corinthians 11 (and Joel 2 and Acts 2). My recently posted article deals with this very unfortunate misinterpretation and what contributed to the misinterpretation. I hope you read it and pass it on to others. Thank you.
The Article — Women’s Roles and Misleading Bible Translations
Through the decades as I have studied the topic of women’s roles in the church, 1 Corinthians 14:34 has remained one of the most controversial verses. It reads in the NIV as follows: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.”
Many friends in my family of churches have neglected the broader context of passages like this one, as well as the actual wording of the verse itself. Therefore, I have tried to point out both the broader context of the verse as well as the details of the verse but have discovered recently that I too have failed to look carefully enough at a slightly broader context in which this verse is found.
My normal way of trying to clarify the context is to begin by noting that the early part of 1 Corinthians 11 makes it clear that women were praying and prophesying in the church at Corinth. That passage does include restrictions about their appearance while doing so, their hair in particular. Note that restrictions were also given to the men who were praying and prophesying. Thus, to take 1 Corinthians 14:34 as forbidding women to speak in church ignores the broader context which includes 1 Corinthians 11. In Acts 2:17-18, as Peter quoted from Joel 2, he said twice that women in the new covenant would be prophesying. How can that be ignored? How can 1 Corinthians 11 be ignored?
Further, the word translated as “silent” in the verse (sigao) means absolute silence, and if taken literally, women could not even sing. Then we have the word translated as “women” (gune) which is often translated as “wives” in the NT. In fact, it is translated each way almost the same number of times, depending on how the context is viewed by the translators. Yet, since the translators historically were males, stuck in their traditional views of women, we shouldn’t be surprised that no translations have rendered gune as wives, which contextually makes much more sense. Moving on, what is the context of this verse?
It is one in which the gune are told to ask their husbands questions at home, not in the middle of a church assembly. Since the prophets are addressed just prior to these women being addressed, the context would indicate that “wives” would be the better translation, as noted. They appeared to be interrupting their prophet husbands as they spoke. Taking the Greek meaning of these two words into consideration, along with the context, I remain a bit flabbergasted that anyone would use the verse to forbid all women to open their mouths in a church assembly aside from singing.
What I Missed
I published a book in 2024 entitled, “The Bible and Women: How Did I Miss So Much?” In it, I explained 1 Corinthians 14:34 in a similar way to the explanation in the preceding paragraphs. However, I failed to look closely enough at a slightly broader context and the word usage of sigao (silent) in that context. Although I usually check a number of different translations when writing about a complex or controversial passage, plus the original Greek, I evidently thought the immediate context (plus 1 Corinthians 11) should settle the issue.
My usual custom in writing is to use the most recent NIV translation for quotations unless I want to show a more accurate translation of a particular passage or verse, in which case I normally use the NASB (New American Standard Bible). To see what I missed and thus failed to include in my book, compare the two passages below in their translations of the word sigao (meaning absolute silence). I also use the translation’s added heading for the section quoted. Note the translations of sigao in bold italics.
Good Order in Worship (NIV 2011)
1 Corinthians 14:26-40
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
36 Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored. 39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
Instruction for the Church (NASB 2020)
1 Corinthians 14:26-40
26 What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it must be by two or at the most three, and each one in turn, and one is to interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he is to keep silent in church; and have him speak to himself and to God.
29 Have two or three prophets speak, and have the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, then the first one is to keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.
36 Or was it from you that the word of God first went out? Or has it come to you only? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. 38 But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But all things must be done properly and in an orderly way.
Context, Context, Context
As has often been said, the three most important things in real estate sales are location, location and location. In biblical interpretation, the three most important things are context, context and context. The translations give in their headings of the above passages what the texts themselves do in the final verse – “all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner,” addressing what takes place in a church assembly.
What were the things being done in a disorderly manner? Tongue speakers were speaking when no interpreter was present, and Paul is forbidding this. Prophets kept speaking after a new revelation was given to another prophet who was seated, indicating that it was their turn to speak. Hence, Paul told the prophets who kept speaking to stop and allow the one with the most recent revelation to take his or her turn. To keep them from claiming that they just couldn’t help themselves in continuing to speak, Paul said that they could – their spirits were subject to themselves. Finally, the wives of the prophets were evidently interrupting their husbands with questions but now being forbidden to do so. They were told to wait and ask them later at home.
The same Greek word is used for all three abuses of order – sigao, meaning to keep absolutely silent. Had I been using the NASB or checking the Greek carefully, I would have noticed this, which would have been helpful in this section in my book. However, as I said, just looking at the two Greek terms in verse 34, plus considering the broader context of 1 Corinthians 11 should be sufficient to make the point. Yet the instructions about keeping silent in the case of those speaking in tongues and prophesying prior to the instructions given to the wives do add another helpful layer. I wish I had included that addition.
If we are not willing to look at the historical setting within a first century assembly, we would then have to be willing to accept tongue speaking in our churches today. Verse 39 states clearly: “Do not forbid to speak in tongues.” But in this case, we are quick to deal with that historical setting in our interpretation, aren’t we? We are quick to explain the purpose and duration of tongue speaking, thus determining its short-lived usage historically.
Yes, Bible translations can be misleading, and the NIV is misleading in its translation of the verses in 1 Corinthians 14 that have been addressed. Many other translations do a better job, as does the NASB. Surprisingly, I have yet to find any translation that translates gune as “wives” when the context all but demands it. The power of patriarchy remains alive and well even among translators who are experts in the original languages! (See much more detail on this malady in my book.) Their traditions and biases trump their honest treatment of context. Let’s not do the same any longer.
In reading my title, most folks likely thought to themselves, “God, of course!” Really? As humans, with our incredibly strong inclination to be self-enthroned egoists, we attempt to assume many roles of the Almighty. Sitting in the judgment seat judging ourselves and others is but one of those roles. We find ways to excuse ourselves for our sins, a few less ways to excuse those whom we love, and ways to do the opposite with those whom we neither know nor love.
A case in point. Bobby Valentine posted a most interesting piece on his Facebook page June 8, 2026, with this title: “DELIGHTING IN MERCY: JESUS SAVIOR, JUDGE AND BAPTISM: Manic Theological Monday Theology.” I suggest you read it. Bobby and I have deep roots in what is referred to as the American Restoration Movement. This movement began with the noble premises of exalting biblical truths to replace man’s religious traditions, thus providing a plausible starting place for unifying the Christianity of its day. But sadly, that noble attempt degenerated into a doctrinal focus which damaged the effects it might otherwise have achieved.
One of the damaging results was to confuse what is most important to God for us humans. Jesus couldn’t have been clearer about the matter when speaking of the greatest two commandments. Love for God and love for others are at the top of God’s list of important matters for those who seek to please him. That being true, we would have to assume that his ultimate judgement of us would be focused on how faithfully we devoted ourselves to those two commandments.
But as Bobby showed in his article, our religious background had another focus, a doctrinal one, especially as it regards baptism and what is called “baptismal cognizance.” The bottom line – unless you are immersed in water in obedience to passages like Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-4, and 1 Peter 3:21 with the clear understanding that this is when you are initially saved, then you are not a Christian. His observations reminded me of a Postscript I wrote to end my book, “God, Are We Good.” Here is the last part of that Postscript. I will follow it up with some applications in a subsequent article very soon.
A Final Question
But here is my question in closing: is forgiveness of both types of sins (life and doctrine) available in equal measure? We know and teach that God’s grace toward our personal life sins is exceedingly broad. When you consider that through sins of commission, we sin by our words, our actions, our thoughts, our motives; and through sins of omission, by what we leave undone, it is simply overwhelming to contemplate. Yet, we teach and preach that God will forgive us through the blood of Christ for all of it if we claim Jesus as Lord and have strong intentions to please him, with the direction of our lives demonstrating those intentions. Such grace is even more staggering than our sins, which is why the most popular Christian hymn ever written is “Amazing Grace.”
We stand amazed at the sins we commit even when trying to be righteous and far more amazed at God’s grace in being willing and able to forgive those sins in their magnitude. Moving over to the sins of a doctrinal nature, are we now in a different arena, where God’s grace is no longer quite so amazing? We base our hope for heaven not on our performance, but on God’s grace, a grace that shapes our desires to please him and determines the direction of our lives. Thus, his mercy shows itself in our lives as desire and direction rather than as performance and perfection. Will his grace motivating that same desire and direction be sufficient to overcome sins of a theological doctrinal nature? If not, why not?
God tells us not to sin in any of the ways his word describes as sin. The Apostle John begins his second chapter with that admonition: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.” However, that is not the last word on the matter and not the last word John wrote on it. He continues with:
But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1b-2)
Are those sins of the whole world only life sins and not theological sins? All I can say in closing is that I am a sinner and in need of abundant mercy, and am thus quite content to leave the ultimate judgment to God about who is right with him and who is not. I can do no more and no less than strive with all my heart to follow his teachings with both my life and my doctrine and urge others to do the same. Thankfully, God will take it from there. He may take it in a different direction than we think. He often does. Are you good with that? I believe my questions in this postscript are worth contemplating. In Jesus’ name, I offer them.
The Jewish nation into which Jesus was born had both national pride and national hope. In the days of King David and King Solomon, they were one of the greatest nations on earth. The riches in Israel amassed in Solomon’s day, as shown in the construction of God’s temple, almost defied description. To build such a temple today would cost many millions of dollars at the least and more likely, billions. However, by the time Jesus was born in Bethlehem’s barn, the nation had suffered through an inglorious history.
King Solomon died in 931 BC and the once glorious kingdom was divided into two nations soon afterwards, the Northern kingdom then called Israel and the Southern kingdom called Judah. The Northern kingdom had nineteen kings, all of them evil, and the Southern kingdom had twenty kings (one of them Athaliah, a queen), and the majority of them were also evil, excepting a few positive standouts like Josiah and Hezekiah. The sins of both nations multiplied to the point that God allowed Israel to be taken into Assyrian captivity in 722 BC, and over a hundred years later, Judah was taken into Babylonian captivity. A very small percentage from both nations began returning to their homeland roughly seventy years after Judah was destroyed and started the rebuilding process.
However, in spite of their inglorious past, the tragedies of the captivities, and Roman Empire domination after their reestablishment, they amazingly still had strong hopes for their future. Their popular mottoes were likely worded along these lines: “Make Israel Great Again!” There were two primary reasons which enabled them to cling to such hope. One was their propensity to emphasize the glorious parts of their history while ignoring the inglorious parts. Steven in Acts 7 and Paul in Acts 13 knew exactly where to start their speeches to Jewish audiences – with the good parts of their history. Of course, we Americans would never follow such a course in describing our history, would we? More on that point later.
Two, and much more importantly, the hope of Israel was solidly based on God’s promises of raising up a king to sit and reign on David’s throne, through which the world could be influenced by the great God of the universe. After all, the original promises made to Abraham to build their nation included the promise that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Further, the very wording of future prophecies by prophets like Isaiah delighted the imagination and multiplied the expectations of the Israelites. Read them.
Isaiah 2:2-4 (NIV)
2 In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
The arrival and eventual revelation of Jesus the miracle worker served to light the flame of Jewish Nationalism. Finally, a kingly prospect had come with the potential power to break the yoke of Roman domination and to exalt Israel over all the kingdoms of the world! The reaction of the people who saw Jesus feed five thousand hungry followers miraculously now made perfect sense. “After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world’” (John 6:14). What did not make sense was the reaction of Jesus himself, shown in the next verse. “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”
Wait – what just happened? Why was Jesus resisting their expectations, expectations based on those marvelous passages we just read in Isaiah, direct prophecies from God? Something was clearly amiss here. Maybe Jesus just wasn’t quite ready to assume the throne of David, perhaps needing to lay more groundwork before he did so. Once he did occupy the throne, he could lead Israel to victory, defeating and hopefully obliterating the evil Roman Empire. Or just maybe God’s plan was all about establishing a spiritual kingdom rather than the physical type David reigned over as king. Oddly, Pontus Pilate understood God’s plan better than the Jewish Nationalists did.
John 18:36-38
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” 38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.”
In this passage, Jesus claimed to be a king, Pilate understood that claim, and yet said he found no basis for a charge against him. Had Jesus been claiming to be an earthly king, that would have put him in opposition to Rome, and the Jews would never have needed to urge Pilate to crucify him. He would have done it right then and there as a legal necessity. But it was obvious that he understood Jesus’ words that his kingdom was not of this world, a fact that Jewish Nationalists missed by a wide margin and led them to soon cry out for Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus had dashed their expectations into a million pieces and left them lying in the dust. How dare he?!
Viewing this whole scenario from strictly a logical human perspective, and including Scriptural prophecies, it is understandable why their shock and disappointment were so great. They were the nation of God and a physical nation at that – which they always had been. What the large majority of them had missed is that there were two nations of Israel running concurrently, existing side-by-side. One nation was outward and physical, while the other nation was inward and spiritual. Most Israelites were in the first one, whereas only a remnant were in the second. Romans 9:6 puts it this way: “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Most were Israelites in the flesh, outwardly, but not in God’s spiritual family, his spiritual kingdom.
In the midst of strongly condemning the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus said, “And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9). Read John 8:31-47 carefully. In it, Jesus said to the Jews in that audience “you do not belong to God” (verse 47). This group was a part of the nation of Israel, but not a part of spiritual Israel. This revelation from the lips of Jesus was a horrifying shock, but it shouldn’t have been. Paul in Romans 9:27 quotes: “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.’”
All of that said, seemingly supported from Scripture, Jewish Nationalism still was destined to fail. It could not be otherwise, human logic and reason notwithstanding. But whatever else may be said by way of comparison, Jewish Nationalism had far, far more support than does American Nationalism. So, let’s look at the comparison between the two types of Nationalism, separated by two millennia.
American Nationalism
American Nationalism is difficult to define precisely, since there are many forms of it. However, it is most commonly intertwined with Christian Nationalism. The latter term is defined by Mirriam-Webster in this way: “an ideology calling for a government that incorporates or endorses aspects of Christian religion (as by making decisions, laws, policies, etc., in accordance with Christian beliefs, by engaging in government promotion of Christianity, or by legally enforcing Christian doctrine).” Mirriam-Webster also includes two definitions by others.
“Christian nationalism is a presumption that Christians are America’s first citizens, architects, and guardians and that we have the right to define the nation’s culture and identity. And, crucially, it is an assumption that the government has rightful jurisdiction over the nation’s cultural and religious identity.” Paul D. Miller
“Christian nationalism is the use of Christian symbols or teachings in order to prop up a nation-state or an ethnic identity. … Christian nationalism assumes outward conformity enforced by social or political power.” Russell Moore, quoted in The New York Times
The early, more simple understanding of Christian Nationalism by the ordinary citizen would be something along these lines. God ordained the discovery and populating of America to be his special nation to serve his special purposes in the world (which honestly would be democracy and capitalism in the minds of most espousing the concept). Hence, the original constitution of America was based on God’s principles, stated in Judeo/Christian language. Accepting this common underpinning, then America would have been a Christian nation from its very inception, fully destined by God to remain such and to fight off all attempts to pervert it from its original purposes.
When Was America Ever a Christian Nation?
Let’s get biblical here. The term “Christian” denotes biblically a follower of Christ, but not just any follower. It denotes a devoted follower whose life matched Jesus’ statement about the very first step of anyone choosing to follow him. “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me’” (Luke 9:23). A disciple by definition was one who followed a master or teacher in order to both learn from them and imitate them. The standards of discipleship are high indeed according to the Bible. To use but one statement of these standards, Luke 14:33 will suffice. “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
Although there were earlier time periods in the US when more were striving to live by these standards, surely no thinking person could claim that a majority ever were. According to a Gallup poll in 2024, less than half of Americans who claimed Christianity as their faith viewed it as “very important” to them, reflected in roughly the same percentage claiming church membership. The same poll reports that only 21% attend church services weekly. Based on Jesus’ definition of what it means to be a Christian, statistics alone prove that we are not anywhere near being a Christian nation and we never have been. To top off an already obvious truth, in a list of countries by World Population Review identifying the percentage of their population claiming to be Christian, America ranks 89th on the list. Eighty-Ninth! And yet some claim that we are a Christian nation?
Thankfully, our constitution does reflect Judeo/Christian values more than many nations, and by following them, although in an imperfect manner, God has sent blessings our way. Following God’s principles will bless one’s life, even that of an atheist, but that doesn’t make them a Christian. God has blessed our nation, but not because we are a Christian nation. He blessed the nation of Israel in many ways, but they were never composed of anything near a majority of spiritual Israelites, which were only a remnant. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” We have been blessed because he is good, not because we have been good.
A Stricter Comparison
For those who are intent on making comparisons of America to Israel of old, some questions are in order. One, where is any promise made by God to anyone about America which would correspond to his promises to Abraham about the nation to arise from his descendants? Two, where are the prophecies about America that parallel the promises we read about in Isaiah regarding Israel? Three, where in the Bible is there any reference to America at all? Nada!
The comparisons of America to Israel spring from the fertile imaginations of some Americans. We are certainly much like the Israelites in one way, that of highlighting our positive history (and embellishing it considerably) and downplaying and eliminating, when possible, our negative history. When European settlers arrived in the Americas, historians estimate there were over ten million Native Americans living here. By 1900, their estimated population was under 300,000. (Holocaust Museum, Houston). If one is determined to favorably compare the settlement of America to that of Israel, I suppose the slaughter of Native Americans could be compared to the God-directed slaughter of the Canaanites and other nations by Israel.
Then we have what has appropriately been called the “original sin” of America – slavery. We can skip 250 years of slavery’s history in America and jump forward to glorify the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. But then let’s not forget the Black Codes that were in many ways just another mode of slavery, followed by the Jim Crow laws – the effects of which are still with us and among us. I attended a Bible Teacher Conference in Oklahoma City in 2023 and heard a statement by a retired teacher from Oklahoma Christian University. He said that it was only in the past few years that it became mandatory for schools in their state to teach the full story of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 in which 35 blocks of homes and Black owned businesses were demolished and several hundred Black people killed. I couldn’t believe my ears, but a bit of research showed his statement to be true.
The Greenwood District in Tulsa had become a monument to the capability, creativity and grit of the Black community. It was an affluent community in which Blacks owned their own businesses of all types, including their banks and financial institutions. Most White folks have never heard of this massacre, including those living in the state in which it took place. But as of 2019, it is now mandatory that it be taught in their state history. Heartbreaking – the event itself and the purposeful coverup. Simply heartbreaking.
I could go on, and on, and on about the horrific historical events omitted by American History textbooks. I could also go on and on and on about the marvelous achievements of Black Americans whose accomplishments and contributions are left out of those same textbooks. Why the omissions? So simple, isn’t it? Those books were written by White authors.
Do I love my country and appreciate being born here? Absolutely! Am I oblivious to the underbelly of my country’s history, including its very troubling present? Absolutely not! Is it a Christian nation? I’m confident you can answer this question. It is but one empire among many other empires, each with their strengths and weaknesses. There is only one spiritual nation, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. All physical nations desperately need to be evangelized, and the United States is surely on that list. The Israelite nation of Jesus’ time on earth had far more reasons to be Jewish Nationalists than we have ever had to be American Christian Nationalists. Are we a Christian nation? No, nations cannot become disciples. Every effort to designate a nation as Christian will distort the meaning of the word. But thankfully, Individuals can become disciples and be born again into the kingdom of God, and that kingdom will always serve as a challenge to every nation, including our own.
So, what can we do in these interesting times? We can proclaim the good news of the kingdom and make disciples who will understand what it means to make Jesus Lord of our lives. That is precisely what followers of Jesus are commissioned by him to do (Matthew 28:19-20). Let’s do it and leave behind our mistaken concepts of Christian Nationalism in the process.
Introduction
We have all watched highwire artists walking some type of tightrope, an act that causes our nervous system to shout, “Danger!” Most of us will never attempt such a daring act and the very thought of it puts our anxiety level on high alert. But there is another type of tightrope attempt that every human being feels compelled to try out, which is far more dangerous. It is the attempt to walk the line between righteousness and sin. Another analogy for this dangerous act is to view it as trying to walk as close to the edge of a chasm as possible without losing our footing and falling into the chasm. The danger of it is set aside in favor of what we view as the benefits of taking the risks, dangerous though they may be. The bottom-line question we are asking ourselves is how much of the world can we enjoy without losing our souls?
Those even vaguely familiar with the Bible know that Satan is always tempting us to follow him instead of God. As we think of temptations, we are quick to think of temptations to get drunk or high on alcohol or drugs, to be immoral, to get extremely angry, to allow that anger to move into a condition of hate and bitterness, etc. Certainly Satan wants us to succumb to such temptations to commit overt sins, but they are not nearly as dangerous to our spiritual health as is his much more subtle temptation aimed at convincing us that we can walk the line between righteousness and sin. Almost all people try this highwire balancing act and a large majority of them end up losing their spiritual lives, and even their physical lives. This truly is a line that cannot be walked – at least not for long.
Biblical Warnings
Essentially, all warnings in the Bible are warnings against this huge temptation. God knows that we are extremely prone to try and experience as much of the world’s offerings as possible without falling off the tightrope and into the chasm. Younger people are especially susceptible to this temptation. The rigid rod of reality hasn’t hit them between the eyes as strongly and clearly as it has those who are older. But it eventually will. Whether they can crawl out of the chasm at that point or not is a question that will only be answered in time. Most cannot or at least will not. We start off being attracted to the thrill of it, becoming addicted to the practice of it, and end up being swallowed up in our own self-inflicted addiction of sin. As any addict will tell you, giving up your drug of choice becomes a lifetime battle and even when you beat it for a period of time, you are still categorized as an addict, and rightly so. The path backwards is far easier and more enticing than the path forward.
The tightrope I am describing is addressed specifically in several passages. Here are a few of them to consider.
James 4:2-4
2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Luke 16:13-15
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
What Jesus says in Luke is especially pointed, as he says that trying to balance sin and righteousness is impossible. For the Pharisees, their love of money was controlling their hearts and lives. For others, it might be their love of what money buys – materialism and possessions. For others, it could be entertainment and pleasure. For yet others, it would be achievements and success, power and position or unhealthy relationships. Thankfully, the Bible gives us an in-depth look at a person who tried all of these avenues the world has to offer, and accomplished an incredible amount, but lived to recognize his abject failure in life. His example is especially helpful in recognizing the futility of trying to walk the tightrope, because he began as a young man walking closely with God but held on to bits of the world. Let’s examine his example.
Solomon’s Early Days
Solomon succeeded David as King of Israel. His initial entry into this role was accompanied by his understanding that the task was highly challenging and quite impossible without surrendering himself as a person and as a king to God. Yet, from the beginning of his reign, he tried to walk a tightrope, as 1 Kings 3:3 shows: “Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.” He loved God and followed the Bible in many ways, but he made a compromise with the world which ultimately led to a vast number of compromises. However, his initial approach to God was quite spiritual and quite appreciated by God.
1 Kings 3:7-12
7 “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.
1 Kings 4:29-34
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
One of Solomon’s greatest accomplishments was to build a temple for the Lord. It took seven years to build, and no expense was spared in making it a magnificent structure. His father, David, was forbidden to build it because he had been such a man of blood, but now Solomon had accomplished what David had commissioned him to do. His prayer of dedication at its completion, as recorded in 1 Kings 8, was most impressive, showing true spiritual insights into the nature of God and the needs of the people.
But the first sentence in 1 Kings 7 provides an obvious hint that Solomon’s values were mixed. He took seven years to build God’s temple yet took thirteen to build his own palace. To use our analogies, he was already getting wobbly on the tightrope or walking too close to the edge of the chasm separating spiritual values and worldly values. Here is a description of the world’s allure and victory in his life. Kings were warned against being sucked into the world’s values long before any king had been appointed in Israel, in fact the warning came while the nation was still in the period of wilderness wandering. Read the warnings.
Deuteronomy 17:16-20
16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Another obvious hint from the very beginning of Solomon’s reign is found in the first sentence of 1 Kings 3. He made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. The Deuteronomy passage makes it clear that since Egypt had been the nation’s oppressor for 400 years, they should avoid doing any business with them. The ultimate result of Solomon’s attempts to walk a tightrope between God’s world and Satan’s world was shocking. Read it.
1 Kings 10:21-28
21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. 23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. 26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price.
1 Kings 11:1-9
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. 7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. 9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
Solomon wrote many wonderful parts of what we call “Wisdom Literature” in the Bible, but he ended with the saddest account possible, the Book of Ecclesiastes. In it he recounted in his own words his path to destruction and failure. He sought from the world the exact same things that people in the 21st century are seeking for meaning to life, but he not only sought them – he found them in abundance. Yet, he was left at the end of his days in a state of failure and misery.
What did he achieve? The greatest knowledge and wisdom imaginable, but it was a mix of godly wisdom and worldly wisdom. In chapter 1, he said it was all a “chasing after the wind.” He tried finding meaning in amassing great wealth and accomplishing great projects. In his own words, he “denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure” (2:10). He had power and position over everyone, and that didn’t satisfy either. His conclusion says it all, his tightrope walk had failed miserably. In 2:11, he sums it up with these words: “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
He had everything in abundance that we moderns think will bring satisfaction in life: money, materialism, knowledge, accomplishments, pleasure, power and position. Near the end of his life, he finally figured out what did matter.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Did he figure it out soon enough, and if so, was he able to truly repent and escape his addictions? I don’t think the Bible provides the answer to that question. I do believe the example of Solomon trying to enjoy the world while still hanging on to God answers the question about the line that cannot be walked. Despite all the good Solomon did with the breathtaking gifts he was given, the end of his life shouts, from his own lips, failure upon failure upon failure.
In your life’s decisions, are you asking if a given activity will aid or harm your spiritual direction? How many of those decisions would reflect an answer something like this? “Well, it isn’t going to lead me in spiritual directions, but I don’t think it will hurt me.” That’s tightrope walking, doomed to failure. When you get where you are going, where will you be? Life, like a bullet, always ends up where it is aimed. Where is yours aimed – right now? Well then, that is where it is going to arrive. Do you need a course correction? Then take it – now!
Dallas Willard is often credited with popularizing the concept of spiritual formation. Instead of leaving spiritual growth as merely something to shoot for in a general way (go to church, read your Bible and pray), spiritual formation suggests specific goals with specific steps to reach these goals. For example, the ultimate goal of evangelism is not simply helping another person “get saved” in order to go to heaven when they die, but rather to “make disciples by baptizing them and then teaching them to obey all things he had commanded the apostles” (Matthew 28:19-20). Thus, as followers of Jesus, they are taught obedience to all that he taught, the path to becoming more and more like him.
The idea of having different commitment levels for different “types” of Christians with different expectations from God is nowhere to be found in the Bible. The clergy/laity distinction of commitment is a human invention, and a very bad one from multiple vantage points. Paul, as an apostle and disciple maker, would describe the path of spiritual formation as imitating him as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Spiritual formation has as its goal becoming more and more like Jesus in this life as a part of his spiritual kingdom, and according to what we term his “model prayer,” his kingdom is where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Seen correctly, being a Christ follower involves radical and continuing life change.
Consumer Christianity
Willard frequently calls current evangelical Christianity consumer Christianity. This is a much-downgraded version of true Christianity which could be described as “having your cake and eating it too.” In other words, once you “get saved,” then you can basically carry on your life focused on this world with its entertainment and materialism with little spiritual change, yet remain assured of going to heaven and avoiding hell at death.
This seriously misguided concept is enhanced by the also popular view of “once saved, always saved,” an odd remaining remnant (Perseverance of the Saints) of a generally rejected TULIP system of Calvinism. The foundation of the “P” is based on the previous four elements of the system which are now discounted by most evangelicals. (I have a chapter on Calvinism in my book, “Prepared to Answer,” available from Illumination Publishers). Consumer Christianity is in truth little more than spiritual fire insurance. It is not about life change through striving to become like Jesus as our model, and as a result, truly enjoying what he calls the “abundant life” (John 10:10).
Willard notes that the term “Christian” is found only three times in the New Testament and left undefined at that. On the other hand, the term “disciple” is found many times and is quite well described and defined. Consumer Christianity is an invention of a materialistic Western World, especially the American part of it. True Christianity is characterized by being a disciple, meaning one who follows Jesus with the express purpose of learning his ways and imitating him as a person and adopting his ways by putting them into practice.
The Basis of the Contrast
You will have to read Willard’s books to more fully understand and appreciate these concepts, but in a footnote (which is far more than a footnote), he makes a statement about the famous “Twelve Step” program of Alcoholics Anonymous, lists the full version of the steps, followed by a most profound statement regarding “how utterly superficial the consumer Christianity of our day is.” He than ends his footnote comments thusly: “Imagine, by contrast, being a member of a Church or local assembly of Christians where these 12 steps were applied without specific reference to alcohol.” Indeed! Were this to actually happen, we would reach a high-water mark of spiritual formation where implementing Jesus’ words in the Great Commission would become reality rather than simply wishful thinking.
He introduces the steps with this comment: “Because the famous 12 steps of A.A. are more talked about outside A.A. than actually studied themselves, it will be useful here to fully state them:” (Please read them slowly and carefully, putting your “besetting” sin in the place of alcohol as needed. It will prove to be a very valuable meditation time.)
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol; that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
From Alcoholics Anonymous, 3d ed., New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1976, pp. 59–69.
Read again Willard’s ending comments in the footnote. “Compared to this, one sees how utterly superficial the consumer Christianity of our day is. Imagine, by contrast, being a member of a Church or local assembly of Christians where these 12 steps were applied without specific reference to alcohol.”
Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God (p. 437). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
