Several people have sent me audio files from various meetings since I started this blog, and I just happened to browse some of them recently. One caught my eye called “Standing in the Gap” from November 2013. It sounded inspiring enough, so I imported it into my iTunes and started listening.
It was rather lengthy, and I recalled having started listening to it before, but never made it to the end. After awhile, I remembered why. It took some time to get up to speed, wandering a bit aimlessly for the first 40 minutes. Eventually, though, there were some valuable points made.
Most it was charming prose, though maybe a bit too self-conscious. From one story to another, the first 40 minutes of the talk were about the speaker’s ailments, how rough it is to be a preacher, how important his work is, how much influence he’s had on younger preachers, and how difficult it is to give a 4 hour lesson.
Jesus Take The Wheel
What really stuck out to me, though, was when he launched into a piece about his doctor’s “Jesus Take The Wheel” kind of faith, and how laughable it was that his doctor admonished him to trust God as a way to deal with his stress before standing up behind the pulpit. I guess we can’t have someone who’s not a member of “The Church” giving meaningful spiritual advice to a preacher.
You can listen to this 5 minute segment I’ll call “The Preacher and the Doctor” that starts at about 29:45 in the full audio version. In it, he mocked the doctor’s Biblical advice to trust God (to the chuckles of the audience). A perusal of scripture suggest that we go with the good doctor on this one:
Psalm 37:5 – Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
Psalm 55:22 – Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 56:3-4 – When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
Psalm 94:19 – When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.
Proverbs 16:3 – Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
John 14:27 – Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
To me, the doctor’s advice actually displays a genuine, real-world kind of faith–a faith that is not ivory tower kind of stuff, but practical, where the rubber meets the road of our Christian walk. Let go and let God. Jesus, take the wheel.
I know, this is just bumper sticker theology, you say–a trite saying finessed by Nashville into a recording contract. Perhaps, but there’s some powerful, life-changing, Biblical admonition in there. I’d be careful about mocking it just because you first heard it on a country station.
He acknowledges that the doctor has a deep faith (with the obligatory “of sorts” caveat), but it struck me that the doctor’s faith was perhaps deeper and more practical than his own. In fact, I’d say the doctor’s “Jesus Take The Wheel” kind of faith was the same kind that caused Paul to go into the tent-making business to support his ministry to convert the Roman Empire. Kind of a crazy plan, but he entrusted his plans to the Lord, and guess what? They succeeded, just as the scriptures promise. It’s the same kind of faith that prompted Paul to criss-cross the known world without fear, go to Macedonia despite warnings of impending imprisonment, and eventually die in Rome for the cause of Christ. Yet the doctor’s Paul-style faith was played up for laughs.
I mean no disrespect by pointing this out. This analysis is not about the preacher. I don’t know him at all, but I honestly think I’d like him if I met him. So as far as the person goes, I will chalk this up to an off-day behind the podium.
For that reason, I’d prefer that names be kept out of this, simply because it’s not about him, or questioning his motives, which I assume are wonderful, but about underscoring a dangerous theology that seeks to cheapen the value of trust in God in everyday life.
I’m here to say loudly and clearly that our God who made the universe, and who made you and me, can and does help those who trust in Him in everyday life–whether that is preaching an effective sermon, overcoming stress and physical ailments, or guiding the hands of a surgeon. We have an all-powerful God who cares deeply about our everyday lives.
After listening to this talk, I was honestly left a little confused. On one hand, he acknowledged the importance of faith, and that it provides victory over the weakness of the flesh, but on the other, appears to mock this whole idea that we can actually cast our burdens on Him. There is a disconnect here that’s hard to put my finger on, but it’s as if he’s saying the idea of absolutely trusting in God is too good to be true. This is accentuated by the doubts he expresses in the face of his struggles, thinking that maybe God has left him somehow. This reminds me of Peter’s lack of faith walking on the sea. It was not that Jesus left Peter to sink, it was that Peter’s faith wavered when the going got tough. He didn’t fully “let Jesus take the wheel.”
This disconnect seems to turn all that Christian talk of the importance of faith into a sort of lip service–something that may sound good in theory, but in real life, when you actually get up to give a sermon–you just can’t put your stress about that into God’s hands. We, after all, are the tip of the spear, God’s partner to get this done.
It also struck me as odd that he is glad to not have to rely on a surgeon who prays for God’s guidance for his hands. I, for one, would happily put myself into the care of a surgeon who commits his work to the Lord in prayer, believing in faith that God will help him accomplish his task successfully. Do I want him to have some great surgery experience under his belt, too? Yeah, there is that. 🙂
I don’t want to be too negative, and I don’t want to be flippant about this man’s ailments or the contradictions of faith I heard. In fairness, I did find some sound exhortation in the latter half of the talk. There was some good encouragement about avoiding fearfulness, avoiding excessive negativity, and being committed to the cause of Christ to the death. All good stuff, and delivered charmingly.
Overall, there was some worthwhile exhortation. But that “Jesus Take The Wheel” segment…yikes!
Here is the snippet again, and here’s the full audio if you’d like to listen to the entire talk.
Note: A part of me is really hesitant to post this, because I don’t want anyone to think this blog is about tearing down people. I hope you can see that that’s not what this is about. I’ve been behind the podium before, and I’ve not always been happy with myself afterward. In fact, sometimes embarrassingly so. The golden rule applies here, and while I wouldn’t necessarily like someone dissecting my sermon on a blog, if I was speaking unbiblically, I would honestly want someone to correct me so I could deepen my faith. I hope that my analysis here can be received in that light.
Tom is a good man, I can honestly say I respect and admire him, and for that matter, every single preacher in the Church of Christ. I'm not worried who is right, I'm worried about what is right. When authority is rigidly upheld by strict admonitions to listen to your teachers, the younger generation, and indeed, the entire church is disabled. For now, if you want truth, go ask your teacher. Going for counsel is indeed wise, but that does not absolve any Christian from "Prove all things, hold fast to what is true". The measure of great leaders is… Read more »
The law was supposed to make us comprehend how utterly incapable we were of fulfilling it, not to labor to try to be accepted based on our adherence to it. The amazing paradox is that those who accept God's mercy and grace, and reach forward for his forgiveness have accomplished a lot more in the Bible than the Pharisees ever did. When we realize the enormous obstacles of our own lust and depravity we had to overcome to destroy sin in our lives, it is supposed to make us far more compassionate and understanding towards those not so fortunate. While… Read more »
Anon 8:06 – I agree with you that the Stanton church has potential as there are many good people therein who put their hearts into what they believe. I love them dearly but after spending decades in their ranks, I learned that all those works didn’t make me LOVE GOD nor did it bring be into favor with the teachers. Well, I must admit that as long as I was adhering to the counsel, I stated on their ‘good side’. Once I began to think for myself- not so much. What I could hardly fathom after I left Stanton co… Read more »
I totally agree that the Stanton churches do not receive the cast out of this world and embrace them to save their soul. They (as did I) were too busy trying to dissect the sin in the individual's life that caused them to be in their 'lowly state'. I converted my older sister to the SCoC a year after I came in. She had problems due to being molested as a child, as a result she had some quirks. She was questioned for uncleaness. Withdrawn from. Lost her mind. My point being – no one tried a compassionate approach to… Read more »
I pray that by this being on Facebook more people within the cult will read the blog and for the families who do not belong to the cult to read this and help those trying to get out.
Thank you. My plan is to share all existing articles on the blog with the Facebook page over time to give them more exposure.
If everyone who reads this will take a few minutes to like the page at https://facebook.com/StantonBlog, that will help get this content in front of more people who need it.
Wow, Donna, you really get it, and I am sorry to hear about your sister, that is so terrible, and yet so common. I bet over 100 people have been labelled as "lost their mind" by the church, and the teachers certainly aren't falling all over themselves to make restitution over this. Amazing that the teachers are death on someone running a stop sign, but they destroy lives with their ignorance and don't think twice about it. Straining at gnats and swallowing camels 2,000 years after Jesus. And yes, I know of whoremongers, prostitutes, strippers and the like who make… Read more »
Shameful thing is, this church helps people out, http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/churchandministry/evangelism/Strand_XXXChurch.aspx, and S COC would throw them out and call them worthless, useless, and completely damaged for the rest of their life. Stanton Church of Christ would baptize them, and then, if they tried to share or do anything in the church, they would be reminded that they need to be quiet because they have a shameful past. So once they've been baptized it's like "Congratulations, you are a huge sinner, and we will make sure you remember that for the rest of your life". "We will love you enough to remind… Read more »
This is taken so far out of context and the religious world loves doing it. "God clearly said our righteousness to him is as filthy rags." You need to take this scripture in it's context. It is not saying that our righteousness is as filthy rags. It is telling of how that God meets him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: but the people who this is about is saying that they did not call on his name and stayed in their iniquity. Keep this in context. Our righteousness can not be as filthy… Read more »
Thankfully, God made it so that our measly efforts to be righteous are not how he measures us. No one could stand before him based on their own righteousness. When God judges those who are in Christ, he will be judging his righteousness, not ours. 1 Corinthians 1:30 – It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 2 Corinthians 5:21 – God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of… Read more »
I agree Kevin. We will be judged by our keeping the commandments or not.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
Lynn, I agree that faith and good works are what a Christian has and does, but I disagree that our efforts to attain this is the sole criteria for our salvation. The mistake I have seen happen so often in the church is people spend entire lifetimes feeling perfectly justified for not trying to do more because of past sins, and the leadership of the church is o.k. with this. Case in point, and I'll give you examples to illustrate what I'm talking about, a brother stands up and asks forgiveness for a rather serious offense, which for the sake… Read more »
The point is God's might is magnified in men's weaknesses. Sin is never approved, and contrition and penitence are always necessary, however, God created us, and to say he could not heal us is downright silly. It is sad because if they would accept God's forgiveness, they would be more forgiving with others, but because they think God is so vengeful, they are terribly vengeful with the world, and their growth is practically nonexistent. Wonder what Jesus was nailed on the Cross for, because apparently his sacrifice isn't needed in the Church of Christ. You get baptized, and you are… Read more »
"I disagree that our efforts to attain this is the sole criteria for our salvation." I also agree with this, but it seems to many times people try to defend a faith only belief by making this statement. I'm not saying you are and I'm not saying that just "works" define Christianity. Our walk with God entails our obedience to the scriptures (works), faith, mercy, understanding, forgiveness, love, etc. Kevin, we all know that the commandments we follow are the ones laid out for us from Matthew to Revelation. Whenever the scriptures dictate for us to do something we do… Read more »
Lynn, what commandments are you referring to? Commandments ought to be fairly easy to enumerate.
Romans 13:8, 9 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
One thing those who lack faith have a lot of is pride. Because if your righteousness is based on your own efforts to obtain God's salvation, which are required by God, but not the sole criteria for salvation, than you are NO DIFFERENT from the catholic church in the 1500's, which said salvation was based on your works, and almost IDENTICALLY to our current church of Christ, demanded total submission, not to the Bible, but to the Pope. The Stanton Church of Christ today will state that the Bible is their authority, but just let a young member find something… Read more »
Ironically, sadly, and tragically those with the most pride accuse the person who reveals this the most, which is anyone showing them to be wrong, (since pride is thinking you know when you really don't), of the very sin they themselves are guilty of. Since not one person can ever raise their hand in a bible class and disagree with a teacher, you have an authoritarian environment, where truth is not what matters, but rather who says what. History shows how foolish this is. When America was founded, there was a LOT of division, but it was worked through and… Read more »
Another scenario which happens quite regularly, is breaking the spirits. On ranches, when you have a wild horse there is two ways to break him. One is you use firmness and allow the horse to keep his spirit, so that when he is broken he will still be lively, the other is to break him completely and even his spirit, so that he no longer even dares think of challenging you. The church, unfortunately, uses and has used the latter method. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely said the British historian Lord Acton, and sadly, the Stanton Church of… Read more »
I was told by my first teacher in Phoenix that he was going to break my spirit; he did not succeed. I had just been through six years of oppression in the military and was so happy to be free that nothing was going to bring me down. He justified his action with Pr 15:13 by the sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. His attempts to break my spirit by playing both friend and enemy was small in comparison to what the military does. I found that he taught differently on many things than the evangelist and did… Read more »
Knowledge and wisdom are essential to love. It is hard to fault the teachers of today, for they gave the next generation a far better upbringing than they were given. While God can change anything, humility, which is what the teachers continually exhort upon, is necessary for them to learn. That business of sharing private info publicly gets lawyers and doctors fired, but the church does it all the time. When a child is being threatened or someones life is in danger, I understand, but when someone admits they are wrong and comes to you and you go blasting it… Read more »
Withdrawal was advocated in 1 Cor 5 as a way to deal with obvious flagrant rulebreakers who were not ashamed of their sin at all. It was not designed as a tool to be used to shut up opposition to teachers who can't answer scriptural questions. Also, the church is fond of saying, "We didn't question when we were babes". WHAT?? Are you kidding me? Why didn't you question? You were commanded full well in Thessalonians to "Prove all things, hold fast to that which is true"? If you didn't question teachings that were not scripturally sound you were disobeying… Read more »
Martin Luther- I have seen just what you spoke about. Those who need healed come to the church and are labeled. If they are deemed 'okay' to baptize, their history is never forgotten. The poor souls cannot forget their past because they are reminded of it often, and thus have a continuing battle with their mind, never able to go forward because they have no confidence and no self-esteem. A few years ago a situation came up where it was deemed that a brother needed 'talked to'. This brother had a past that went back to his teen years and… Read more »
Donna, I know what you mean. As I studied more and more and grew more and more I could see how the teachers were mistreating each other. In this congregation, at one time, every preacher, except a young one, and teacher were withdrawn from for how they were towards other people. What replaced them was worse. I left the congregation for a while. When I came back I could still see it. One teacher, who has been in the church now for around 35 years, was sat down because of her lack of compassion. I refused to bend to this… Read more »
I am saddened to relate this, because the Stanton Church of Christ has wonderful members, and I can honestly say I love everyone of them, but I love truth more than I love any human, and I have tried to be quiet, but my heart burns within me and I could not refrain. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and it is time that the shackles of tyranny are forever broken and the church becomes the beautiful institution of mercy, love, and forgiveness Christ died to make it. When this happens, the message will resonate, and the church… Read more »
Completely agree Donna, that is so sad, you would think joining the church would be liberating, but instead your past is identified so you can be permanently enslaved by it. Exactly what did Christ die on the Cross for? Was it just for fun, so people can pretend to come in the church and be healed? As I recall, it was so people could be completely healed and transformed, not given shackles and burdens for the rest of their lives. One of the saddest things I witnessed was the funerals of people who did not speak up, and basically spent… Read more »
I have learned, from a very good source, of how matters are conducted in the church of Christ. One circumstance, that came to my attention, involved a brother who had been in for eight years. He brought the teacher in his congregation four items that had been bothering him for a while. He didn't want to have a grudge, and merely wanted to bring to the teachers attention in private. He didn't mention the matters to anyone else in the Church, because he was afraid of being withdrawn from for murmuring, is what he related to me. He told the… Read more »
I remember the talk. Not uncommon from the evangelists who are long winded and exalt themselves thinking members want to hear them speak a four hour lesson. Both evangelists are not good speakers. You look around the room and see how many members have fallen asleep or are battling not too.
The conservative movement hates the media, Hollywood, Big Pharma and the banks until someone points out who runs those things. Then that someone gets censored.
Patrick Howley, Gab
#ItsTheJews, start saying it!
#NameTheJEW
#NameTheCuprits
Dixie Doodle, Gab