Welcome Back: "Walking Through Minefields"

As the mask mandates are coming to an end and vaccines are becoming more common, we have to work through new minefields. In this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted, Josiah Walker and Bryan Catherman discuss what it means to navigate these issues. Listen to this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted here:

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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Welcome Back: Reintroducing the Flock to the Service

For some churches, people who have been away for a year—at home in a pandemic quarantine—are just starting to return to Sunday morning services. A lot has likely changed. How do you welcome people back and introduce them to the new changes? What are they expecting? In this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted, Josiah Walker and Bryan Catherman discuss welcoming people back to Sunday services after a year. Listen here:

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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Why I Don't Like Palm Sunday

This is a post most Christians will not like. You may not like it, not one bit. But I'm concerned about how we celebrate Palm Sunday.  

In many churches across America, Palm Sunday is the morning when parents get excited to see their children marching around the congregation with a palm frond in hand. There is usually singing. Sometimes the kids hear the Bible story about Jesus entering Jerusalem. The end.  

So what's the problem with that? Everyone loves seeing their kids wave a leafy clipping, right? 

Let us take a moment and consider this story from the Bible in its larger context.   

The account is recorded in the Gospels of Luke and John. John offers a little foreshadowing in John 1:10-12. It reads, 

"He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God" (CSB).   

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, it was a beautiful scene. It was like the inauguration of a president, but without the riots and the transfer of political power. At one point, some of the Pharisees called Jesus to rebuke the people. Jesus quoted Habakuk 2:11, a section of Scripture where God is declaring "woe" curses and warnings. If the people were silent, even the rocks would cry out to praise the Lord.   

John records that this event was a bit confusing for the disciples until after Jesus' resurrection, when they could look back on it in light of Scripture (John 12:16). According to John, the crowd was there to see another miracle like what they saw at Lazarus' grave (John 12:17-19). Another time when Jesus was in Jerusalem, he would not entrust himself to the people who were seeing the signs because he knew their sinful hearts and needed no person to testify about humanity. He knew what was in humankind. (John 2:23-25).    

It was a great day when Jesus rode that donkey into the city. People were going nuts, putting their garments down for the donkey to walk on, like a red carpet in our day. They were waving palm fronds like big foam #1 fingers at the football game. It was a grand celebration. But just like football fans who only support the team when it's winning, things were about to get ugly.  

By the end of the week, Jesus had been betrayed by Judas, arrested, beaten, drug around before leaders in trumped-up courts under cover of darkness, and mocked repeatedly. Finally, he was paraded before the people of the city--the same cheering people with their palm fronds. If they chose Jesus, Pilate would have set Jesus free. But no. Instead of shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," as they did before, they had a new song. This time, they chanted, "Take this man away! Release Barabbas to us!" (John 23:18). Barabbas was a murderer and a revolutionary. They didn't want King Jesus any longer. They wanted the murderer! 

Pilate wanted to release Jesus. The crowd was once again shouting, only this time they were yelling, "Crucify! Crucify him!" (John 23:21). Even still, Pilate pleaded with them, but John records that they continued "demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices won out" (John 23:22).  

Fast forward to another traditional holiday a little more than a month later. Pentecost. The Holy Spirit fills the disciples, and they spill into the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming the gospel. Peter stands and preaches a sermon. In his message, he tells the people who Jesus is (the Son of God and Savior of the World), but then he points his finger at the people of Jerusalem and says, "it was you who crucified Jesus" (Acts 2:36).  

Could it be that many of these people were the same people cheering Jesus into Jerusalem, thinking he was going to take over politically, do a bunch of miracles, and fill their bellies? Likely. Were these Jesus' own people who he came to and they rejected? Looks like it. 

So as you can see, grabbing a palm frond and marching around the sanctuary of the church because you want to be like the Jerusalem people shouting "Hosanna!" might not be the right way to see this situation.  Our hearts should break for those who cheered Jesus into the city but then rejected Jesus a week later, especially if they never returned to seek his forgiveness and salvation.  We should weep at the site of those palm fronds.

The point of the story is not, be like those people. The point is that we must see Jesus as the True King. Even when the world rejects Jesus, he is the True King. Even when the world rejects us for standing with Jesus, Jesus is the True King. And Jesus will give all those who believe in him the right to be children of God. That means more than thinking Jesus is going to run the country the way you want or deliver exciting miracles. It means believing Jesus is who he says he is.  

So does this mean we shouldn't celebrate Palm Sunday?  

No. But let us be sure our celebration sees the failure of those worldly people who traded Jesus for a murder. And even more importantly, let us be sure that we see King Jesus for who he truly is--the King of kings and Lord of lords who has come to free us from our spiritual bondage so we can live for him. That message probably doesn't get communicated well by kids running around with palm fronds. If we're going to have a Palm Sunday celebration, let's be sure King Jesus is the point.  

Reformed Peaching by Joel Beeke

Reformed Preaching: Proclaiming God’s Word from the Heart of the Preacher to the Heart of His People, by Joel Beeke is not a “how-to” book about building a single sermon or manuscript. This 2018 Crossway publication is about preaching and building the correct foundation for proclamation of God’s Word to the Church. In this above, Bryan Catherman offers a look into the book and offers his thoughts and recommendations. Purchase this book here or wherever you buy your favorite books.

Find more book recommendations here.

Conversion by Michael Lawrence

As we continue our slow series, “Building Healthy Church,” we’ve come to Michael Lawrence’s book, Conversion: How God Creates a People. This book, published by Crossway in 2017, is among the 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series. In this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted, Bryan Catherman, Josiah Walker, and Robbie Tschorn discuss this book and how it relates to the Church. Listen to this episode here:

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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SBU: Welcome Back! -- "Sheep Swapping"

The Coronavirus Pandemic has brought about a great sifting in the church. Part of this sifting might include people changing churches. “Sheep swapping,” as it is often called, was already a challenge, but the pandemic has potentially made it more interesting. When is it right to changes churches? When is it not? What should we do as we discover that people have used the pandemic as an opportunity to make a change. Bryan Catherman, Josiah Walker, and Robbie Tschorn discuss this topic on this episode of Salty Believer unscripted. This podcast is the second episode in a series called “Welcome Back!” You can listen here:

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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SBU: "Welcome Back: Introduction"

It’s likely going to be more difficult coming out of COVID pandemic than it was to get into it. Stories in the news report of businesses demanding people hold to higher standers in their stores than the local governments are mandating. Some are even saying they plan to remain on hight alert and be save long after the virus is gone. Just as there was a group of people who were resistant to masks and argued with many about it, there will be people who are resistant to the removal of masks and will argue with intensity about it. As some are vaccinated and others will yet be, vaccines will be the next avenue by which people will be divided, shamed, and the like. Opinions still differ greatly.

The Church was thrust into the pandemic with little thought or preparation, but that’s not how we have to come out of the pandemic. In this series, “Welcome Back!” Salty Believer Unscripted is discussing what it may look like for the church to come out of the pandemic. Of course, it’s not absolute, but we hope this discussion will start generating discussion and thought so we can get a ahead of the possibilities.

The first episode is an introduction for the series. Join Josiah Walker, Robbie Tschorn, and Bryan Catherman as they discuss some of the big topics that we hope to cover in this series. Listen to the Introduction here:

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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Meet the Puritans by Joel Beeke

Beeke, Joel R. and Randall J. Pederson. Meet the Puritans: With a Guide to Modern Reprints. Grand Rapids, Mich: Reformation Heritage Books, 2006.

Meet the Puritans by Joel Beeke is a helpful reference guide to the puritans, especially if you’re just getting started with the puritan writers and thinkers. The book has 150 short biographies and many other helpful tools. In the above video, Bryan Catherman offers a look into the book and shares why you might want to get yourself a copy of this helpful resource.

For more book recommendations and videos like this one, please visit our book recommendation page.

The SBC Circus and the Bride of Christ

If the Church is the pillar and buttress of the truth (which it is, see 1 Timothy 3:15), what is the Southern Baptist Convention? Some behave as if the SBC is the foundation beneath the Church, which is terribly unbiblical and blasphemous. They live first for denomination-culture and second or third for Christ, then fourth, fifth, or sixth for the Church, if they care for the Bride of Christ at all. Others identify with the SBC but know nothing about it, give it no support, deny the Baptist Faith and Message, and even trash it at every turn. There's a group that believes every local SBC church should be perfectly homogenized in theology and practice. Still, others see the SBC as something to be used, shaped, and crafted for selfish purposes. It's a circus.

Having given the SBC more attention over these past ten years, even partnering with NAMB to plant a church and serving as the President of my two-state convention, I'm tempted to borrow the words of Charles Spurgeon. About his own Baptist Union in 1887, he said, "We're going downhill and breakneck speed."

There are scores of baptists echoing Spurgeon's line, but finding unity in the catalyst of the problem is elusive. Even harder to find is agreement about a solution. Certainly, there are members of my two-state convention ready with complaints about my actions. Maybe I’m the problem. For them, I've either gone too far or not far enough. I'd likely agree with most of them.

Many are arguing that Critical Race Theory is unbiblical and creeping into the SBC. With them, I agree. There is concern that many churches are closet egalitarians. Some churches are unhitching themselves from the Word of God. One SBC entity seems content to become it’s own denomination and toss out the rest. Liberalism in the SBC is growing. The convention is too political at times not political enough at critical moments. Important doctrines are falling by the wayside. Biblical literacy has been assumed for so long that biblical knowledge has all but disappeared. Mission drift--there's a bunch of that too. Even still, the SBC is not going downhill at breakneck speeds. It has always been a big-tent circus selling tickets at the bottom of the valley. And it's the same circus as it always has been, even if the animals and performers keep changing.

To get a better vantage point, it helps to know what the Southern Baptist Convention is supposed to be.

According to the SBC website, "The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a body of like-minded local churches cooperating together to reach the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ" (http://www.sbc.net/about). Note the purpose. There is nothing there about defining what the local church is or should believe or should be. It's not about politics or culture. It's about reaching the world with the gospel.

Even the Baptist Faith and Message is not a statement about what every church should believe, but instead, it’s a threshold for confessing churches to determine if their confessions line up enough to work together for the purpose of local and global mission work. If they line up, they should partner, if they don’t, they should seek different partnerships. That’s it.

Furthermore, the 1845 charter states that the Southern Baptist Convention was "created for the purpose of eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the Baptist denomination of Christians, for the propagation of the gospel" (https://www.sbc.net/about/what-we-do/legal-documentation/charter/). The constitution affirms the same purpose.

The SBC is not a denomination; it's a mission organization. (It’s but one partnership opportunity among many for the local church.) Over time, baptists determined that seminaries should be started and supported to aid gospel proclamation to the lost. An entity was started to publish educational materials. A government relations and lobbying arm was added. To justify these additions, baptist argued that the Church's greatest commandment was missions, and the primary purpose of the Church was to advance the gospel. It's up to each local church to determined this for themselves, but they would be hard-pressed to find support from the Bible. The Great Commission is vital, but it's not the greatest commandment to the Church.

I wonder what would happen if the SBC and all its entities stopped trying to tell the Church who She is and what the SBC wants of Her, and instead returned to the purpose of telling the world about how beautiful She is and how remarkable the salvation found only in her Husband (Jesus) can be when we submit to Him as Lord and King. Could it be that the valley circus might remember that they have a train? Will they see that the boxcars can be loaded and the track can lead them out of the stagnate places where they are to go on grand new adventures where they might do why they were created for? Maybe the gospel will be shared worldwide when both the local church and the SBC remember that the SBC is but a prosthetic limb on the Body of Christ, there to help the Church, not be the Church. Maybe we might do what the SBC is for when we realize the SBC is not the end, but a means to fulfill the Great Commission. The SBC is not there to help churches obey the greatest commandment (that’s the church’s job), but engage in the great commission (also the church’s job).

I don't know what the next season of the SBC will look like, but I know mission organizations come and go in the aid of Christ's Church. Jesus' Church will last because Jesus' bride is the Church. He’s not married to a convention of local churches working together to pool missional efforts. He cares much more for one than the other. Let's remember that.

SBU: The Gospel by Ray Ortlund

Bryan Catherman, Josiah Walker, and Robbie the Intern (Robbie Tschorn), read and discussed The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ by Ray Ortlund. This book and this podcast is part of a series called “Building Healthy Churches.” They discussed the book, asking if Ortlund achieved what he set out to in the short pages of this little book. You can listen to the podcast here:

You can find the rest of the podcasts in this series on the Salty Believer Unscripted page.

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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What Should a Christian Do About Lent?

You won't find Ash Wednesday or Lent in the Bible, but neither will you find instructions for special Christmas or Easter worship services.  Not even Indiana Jones could find evidence of the early church engaging in Lent, and the Church Fathers didn’t provide any instruction for something they weren’t practicing.  But before you toss out Ash Wednesday and Lent altogether, we should ask if it is biblical and has value for the protestant Christian. 

Finding a concise, official definition of Lent is a challenge; but basically speaking, Lent is a 40-day practice of giving up some worldly thing (namely, food) to give attention to Christ and prepare for Easter.  Historically, it was a 40-day communal fast that was not optional and rejected by most of the Reformers. 

Ulrich Zwingli celebrated a new printing of Paul’s Epistles by attending a Friday night sausage supper during Lent when meat was forbidden on Fridays.  Following the sausage supper, he preached a sermon entitled, “On the Choice and Freedom of Foods.”  In his sermon, Zwingli preached that he couldn’t find Lent in the Scripture and these practices were looking to achieve some level of extra righteousness.  Then he encouraged the believers with Matthew 7:28-30, which reads,

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (CSB).   

The following year, Zurich rejected Roman Catholic government control and these religious laws.  It was the first city do to do so, and it was because they were led by Scripture rather than papal tradition.    

Jesus does not call upon the believer to be burdened by the absence of food in order to enjoy him, appreciate his grace, or prepare for him.  Jesus calls his people to rest in him.  Abide. But Jesus also assumes his people will fast from time to time in order to accompany their prayers, something entirely different then a Lent-driven food law. 

It would seem that if a Christian seeks to appreciate Christ more and set his or her heart to the Lord’s grace, the brother or sister should not give up coffee or chocolate or Facebook for 40-days. If these things keep one from fully coming to Christ, they should give them up forever!  Instead, the Christian should seek ways to draw closer to Christ and find rest in him.  We should enter into the Lord’s joy and enjoy him.

Here’s an idea.  How about giving up the hustle of the morning and take a little more time to treasure the Word of God.  Listen to worship music and sing along in praise.  Fellowship with your family members.  Pray.  And enjoy a cup of coffee (if that’s your thing) while you’re enjoying Jesus? 

Or how about these other ideas?  While you’re commuting to work, turn off talk-radio and listen to a sermon from a biblical preacher.  Give your time to come to Jesus and be encouraged by the Word of God.  Commit to attending weekly worship services with your faith-family.  (It’s shocking how many people give up a food item for Lent but then miss church services to go skiing.)  Join a Bible Study, small group, or something where you will be able to fellowship with Jesus while you fellowship with his people.  Find an area where you can serve others.  Service isn’t initially thought of as restful, but you’ll find when you join Jesus in the work of his Church, you’ll find that you enjoy being closer to Jesus.  Find new ways to love God and love your neighbors.    

Hopefully, habits will form so these practices of the normal Christian life abiding in Jesus will not be a 40-day burden, but a life time of joy while you come to Christ and rest in him.             

Dangerous Virtues by John Koessler

Koessler, John. Dangerous Virtues: How to Follow Jesus When Evil Masquerades as Good. Chicago, Ill: Moody Publishers, 2020.

Isaiah 5:20 gives a stark warning against calling good bad and bad good. It says, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." We think we understand this warning when the behavior shows itself in politics. But what about when it runs at full speed in the Church? Love, satisfaction, prosperity, leisure, justice, envy, and pride are all double-ended swords. (I say double-ended rather than double-edged because they seem to have a sharp, pointed end for a handle.) In his book, Dangerous Virtues: How to Follow Jesus When Evil Masquerades as Good, John Koessler explores the dangers when sinful things that appear virtues (even in the Church).  

Using the "seven deadly sins" as a roadmap, Koessler takes a severe but needed stab at a real problem. Our society has found these sins virtuous. Sure, it's subtle, but it is sin none-the-less. It would be an easy read with a lot of head nodding if he didn't also expose the same problem in the Church. While needed, it's a painful blow against the state of the Church in American today.  

The book opens with a clear, precise description of the problem--we no longer take sin seriously. And because we don't take sin seriously, we don't take the consequences seriously. Finally, when deadly sins have no consequences, virtue losses it's value. Eventually, the fruit of sinful behavior is highly valued and calling it out only gains jeers. The virtues we value are deadly snares, and the Church doesn't seem to care. 

"This is a book about sin," writes Koessler. "In particular, it is a book about those sins that the church has traditionally labelled the seven deadly sins. What I will be talking about in the following pages is much more than a list. It is a kind of Rosetta Stone. We are living in an age when the seven deadly sins have become the seven deadly virtues" (p. 26). 

In each subsequent chapter, Koessler addresses a specific sin, how society and the Church ended up so off-course, and the alternative to calling the sin good. I can say it's not as apparent as one might think. After seeing the problem, the reader will see it everywhere. Be warned, after you see it, it can't be unseen.   

I wasn't sure what I would find in the pages. Would this be a book about morals, works, and behavior-modification? No. In the end, it was a gospel-centred book about the problem of sin. Would it be some ethereal argument without practicality? Not at all. Koessler argues against keeping our theology of sin too abstract (p. 179). The solution, according to Koessler (and the Bible) is redemption and reconciliation with God. Citing Romans and Ephesians, Koessler demonstrates that the answer to this grave problem is the gospel of Jesus Christ.   

If I were to point out any shortcoming or problem, I struggle to find much. But I do believe a few more pages should have been given to the conclusion and the gospel. After reading page after page about the sinful disasters of our society and the Church, there was plenty of room for the good news and hope of Jesus.  

Dangerous Virtues is a needed book for our day, maybe more now than ever. I highly recommend it.  

You can buy Dangerous Virtues: How to Follow Jesus When Evil Masquerades as Good wherever you by your favorite books. 

SBU "Shadow Christians" by Jeff Iorg

Dr. Jeff Iorg (President of Gateway Seminary) has published a new book called Shadow Christians: Making an Impact When No One Knows Your Name (B&H, 2020). The Salty Believer Unscripted guys were able to catch up with Dr. Iorg on Zoom to discuss this book. In this episode, Jeff Iorg was our guest to discuss the book. Listen to this episode, “Shadow Christians by Jeff Iorg” here:

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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I'm a Christian, Now What?

The Christian life is a journey. It’s about growth and sanctification. The first few steps are discussed often and fairly well know. But few people talk about some of the more difficult parts of the journey. In this Salty Believer Unscripted series, the guys discuss some of the easier steps as well as some of the more difficult. The series is called, “Now What?” If you’ve missed this series, you can find it wherever you listen to podcasts or click on the links below.

Now What?
— Get Baptized audio
— Know God’s Word audio
— Pray audio
— Join a Local Church audio
— Make Disciples audio
— Preserver audio
— Observe Sabbath Rest audio
— Wait on the Lord audio
— Commitment audio
— Dying Well audio

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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Now What? "Dying Well"

We’ve looked at many aspects of the Christian life. In this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted, Bryan Catherman, Mike Pless, and Josiah Walker discuss dying. Death is a part of this life, but for the Christian, it’s very different. Christians should understand what it means to die well. Listen to this episode, “Dying Well” here:

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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Rumors of War?

Jesus' disciples (John and Andrew) once asked Jesus, "What is the sign of the end of the age?" When I was much younger, his answer confused me. He warned them,

"Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and they will deceive many. You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains" (Matthew 24:4-8, CSB; see also Mark 13:3-8).

People saying they are the savior or great rescuer? Rumors of wars?

Sure, there have been people claiming to be Jesus, but it's so easy to brush them off as nutjobs. The ones we don't brush off so quickly are those claiming the ability to fix all of our problems. "Just follow me," they cry out, or "vote for me," they pay good money to beg from the masses. "If you just let me, I can make your life great," they promise. Jesus warned us of those claiming to be a savior, or more specifically, a messiah. They may not use the title, but we've undoubtedly heard the claims for years.

And what of the rumors of wars? Years ago, I didn't understand how there could be a rumor of war. Wouldn't the news report if there was a war or if there wasn't? Why rumors?

In nations where governments or mobs control information, trust in the reported news dissolves. The same is true when news outlets chiefly depend on clicks or advertisement sales for revenue. The more sensational the report, the more clicks, thus the more revenue, and the cycle feeds on itself. In a vacuum of trust, rumors abound!

Even in the fictional land of Narnia, rumors, speculation, and word-of-mouth express the reality of the conflicted situation. "They say Aslan is on the move--perhaps has already landed," Beaver reported to his companions. In a children's story, C.S. Lewis captured the essence of rumors of wars. It's a desire for hope. It's a longing to be "in the know," because it helps fight the feeling of the free-fall of not knowing, of not having an assurance of the future. But it is Jesus who gives hope, and for those who depend upon Jesus, the future is secure!

"If he wins a second term, it won't be long before he takes away all of our rights, and there will be world-war III," I remember hearing before stepping into the booth to vote in 1996. It was then when I realized this fear-tactic had been deployed to gain power for thousands of years. There's nothing new today. Rumors of war.

The rumors have ramped up over the past decade and seem to be picking up highway speeds as of late. Maybe you've also heard rumors of war?

"Don't be alarmed," Jesus said, "these things must take place" (Mark 13:7). Jesus told his disciples we'd experience this. It only serves to validate his statements. He went on to say, "but it is not yet the end."

If Jesus is correct--and he is--things will get much more challenging than the seasons of messiahship claims and rumors of war we might be seeing today. He said, "nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom" (Mark 13:8), but don't think kingdoms are only those with borders and governments. He also said, "Brother will betray brother to death, and father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death" (Mark 13:12). Christians will be hated because of the name of Jesus (Mark 13:13), even being handed over to the courts and punished (Mark 13:9). While concerning, this is Jesus' mean by which Christians will stand before governors and kings as a witness to them (Mark 13:9). He's already done this in many other nations for a long time. Many American Christians had remained unconcerned when it was "over there." It might be time that Jesus wants the governors and kings of America to hear his gospel. And now Christians are growing concerned.

I see many Christians in a panic over the rumors of war. We ought not to be freaked out if we trust Jesus. He told us the reason behind all of this madness. Jesus said, "it is necessary that the gospel be preached to all nations. So when they arrest you and hand you over, don't worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn't you speaking, but the Holy Spirit" (Mark 13:10-11, CSB).

There's more.

Jesus also said, "Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another" (Matthew 24:10). He's talking about so-called Christians falling away because they were never actually with Jesus. The trials and challenges exposed them. He goes on to say, "Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many" (Matthew 24:11). I suspect the deception will be easy for those who are consumed with the day's hot events rather than God's Words of life. "Because lawlessness will multiply," Jesus continues, "the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:12-14).

SBU: "Commitment"

With all that has been going on in 2020, we’ve been a bit hit-and-miss with the podcast. We’re really sorry about that. It’s our hope however, to get back into the regular swing of things in 2021. To help us, we have a new podcast intern (whatever that is). Please join us in welcoming Robbie Tschorn! As has been the case with all of our past interns, his challenge is to get the podcast a Chick-Fil-A sponsorship. We know it’s unlikely, but why not shoot for something big, right?

Back to the podcast.

In this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted, Jared Jenkins, Bryan Catherman, and Robbie the Intern are discussing the importance of commitment. The christian should be committed to sanctification and growth. How does he or she stay committed? Listen to to learn more. You can hear this episode, “Commitment” here:

Find more podcasts like this, as well as many interviews with Christian pastors, professors, authors, and others from all across the US and Canada on our Salty Believer Unscripted page. And be sure to subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted on your favorite podcast app, or use these links:
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The Unintended Consequences of Closing Weekly Church Services

This year has seen many leaders making every effort to do what they believe is the answer to COVID problems. Scripture indicates that Christians should submit to the governments placed over us unless submitting to the government mandates will result in sinning against God (1 Peter 2:13-17 and Romans 13:1-7). Further, the spirit of Matthew 18:15-20 shows us that when Christians are sinned against, we should seek to restore the relationship and seek to bring gospel redemption to bare when sin is committed. There is a process that should be followed until all options are expended. If there’s room for submission and grace as we work through the ideas of our government, that it seems these things should be offered. (For example, writing our elected leaders, seeking a meeting to discuss the matter, giving time for solutions, etc.)

When government leaders first asked churches to not meet for a short period, there was room for submission and grace to participate to help the leaders if the pastors of each church felt that was wise for the church. Each had their own reasons for the decisions they made. When safety protocols were shared by governments and asked to be practiced in churches, it was incumbent on pastors to examine the requests and determine if honoring the request would cause sin or not. There are times when the Bible shows us when not to submit to governments (like when Nebuchadnezzar ordered all people to bow to a statue of himself, or when Darius mandated that for 30 days people were only allowed to pray to him, or when Peter and John were ordered not to preach the gospel). And there are times when Christians submit to the government mandates, such as rendering to Cesar his due taxes, or paying the temple tax, or God telling the exiles to build houses and plant gardens while under a the rule of a sinful, conquering government).

But it still falls to the responsibility of the pastors and elders to continually examine how the process is going and determine the best course of action for the faith-family they lead.

In some places in the US, churches are still ordered closed. Chains hang on some doors. Months have passed. Cries to government leaders are going unheard. What becomes the course of action now? That’s for the pastors to determine. Some have started meeting against government order while others have not.

As pastors are examining what’s best for the flocks Jesus has asked them to shepherd, some secular data has recently published that speaks into the unintended consequences of COVID decisions being made.

Since 2001, Gallop (a secular research group) has surveyed to understand mental health and how it has changed among different demographics each year. Do not miss these two things: 

1. The ONLY group of people who said their mental health is excellent that grew in 2020 is that group of people who attend WEEKLY church services.  

2. The demographic of people with the most reporting their mental is excellent is the same group of people who attend WEEKLy church services.   

Among those who attended church services every week in 2020, 46% reported that their mental health is excellent. That's an increase of 4% in 2020. Of those who attend a couple of times per month or monthly, only 35% said their mental health is excellent, a 12% drop.   

The most likely indicator of excellent mental health is not income, political party, race, or marital status. It's church attendance. But it's essential to realize that these demographics overlap. For example, 41% of males said their mental health was excellent, while only 27% of females reported excellent. 41% of married participants said their mental health was excellent compared to only 27% of the single people surveyed. Republicans reported 41%, while Democrats reported 29%. White reported 35% while non-white was 32%. Therefore, a married, Republican male who attends church weekly is more likely to be in excellent mental health than a single, Democrat female.  

These measurements are not trying to identify all the categories you should try to fall in. Instead, they isolate different factors to see what impact those various factors might have upon mental health. There is also a factor of self-reporting, one of the weaknesses of surveys. Yet, when these surveys are conducted year after year, change (up or down) is measured. Regardless of the self-reporting weakness, the change over time is telling. 

In the case of this study, nearly every demographic had a drop; most of them double-digit declines. One group had only a 1% drop, except it was already low, at the bottom of the political party's options. The top of that category took a 15% drop among the excellent mental health responses. (The survey was taken from November 5th to the 19th, which may have contaminated the self-reporting responses one way or the others.)    

Church attendance, however, had two categories drop in the double-digits and one climb. That's interesting! 

While nearly weekly or monthly attendance was once higher than weekly attendance, 2020 has brought severe changes. The nearly weekly response took a 12% hit. Weekly attendance saw 4% more people report they had excellent mental health in 2020 compared to 2019.  

From this study, we should conclude that there is a benefit gained by weekly church service attendance. And looking at all those drops in other mental health factors, it's probably fair to say it's a precious benefit.

Read Gallop's report for yourself here.   

Hebrews 10:25 says that we should not forsake the assembly, meeting for worship together. There are numerous examples in the Bible of the normative and regulative mandates of God that churches should meet. The most notable examples are the ones meeting daily. But it would seem it’s not about the Christians forsaking the meeting but instead be prevented from gathering. Pastors have decisions to make. But so to Christians.

If you’re a Christian and you can gather, are there good reasons for your to remain away? Is it just a heart issue or is it a real safety issue? If it’s just neglect, the Gallop poll seems to support the Truth of the Bible’s instruction for gathering. This should give us all a reason to examine what happens next.

Dr. Jenkins Receives the William O. Crews Presidential Leadership Award

COVID has made for many adjustments in our lives, to include serious adjustments to the special occasions like graduation. Gateway Seminary had to make the difficult decision to cancel graduation. However, a group of Dr. Jared Jenkins’ friends and colleagues were able to see Dr. Iorg (President of Gateway Seminary) present the William O. Crews Presidential Leadership Award to Jared.

Past recipients of this award have gone on to serve as pastors, professors, denominal leaders, seminary and college deans and presidents, and other significant leadership roles around the world.

Congratulations Dr. Jared Jenkins!

(Here’s a 3-minute video of Dr. Iorg presenting the award.)

He Who Controls the Narrative

Some of our present challenges involve information. Who can we trust? What's true, what's not? And what is it about our nature that causes us anxiety when we don't understand the narrative? Even worse, what is it that makes us think we need to defend or control one narrative over another?

We give authority to the news outlets or social media services or rumors or conspiracy theories that we decide are the correct ones, the truth sources we judge as right and true. What COVID information do I agree with, and what must I toss out? What am I to think about the election given who is reporting the election? Can I live in tension while the legal process works? What should I expect for the future? How we answer these questions often shape our worldview, what we think of COVID, how we feel about the government, and even how we think about our involvement with the narrative.

It's complicated.

On the one hand, I see the numbers and the reporting of COVID, contrasted against the many people I know who weathered Coronavirus like a cold, again juxtaposed against the strange COVID-funeral I recently officiated. I see some social media information contested or censored while other stuff is not. I even posted a silly joke on social media only to have someone argue about how it's not how social media works. (No kidding, I doubt Paul Revere posted anything to social media on April 18, 1775. No need for argument or fact-checking.) It's a strange time, and it's exhausting to know what's real and what is not. My soul wants to feel the comfort of knowing the truth.

On the other hand, when I don't know what's true or right, I feel the need to judge information by my own desire for what I want to be correct. I'm trying to dictate the truth for myself. I see a narrative being controlled and manipulated, and I realize that I'm the one feeding myself the narrative that I desire to control. It gets even worse when I want to defend one news source over another or argue with other people who have just as flawed information as I have. And I bristle when others want me to adopt their manipulated and flawed narrative of loose details. We are all arguing for what is right in our own eyes. Sounds just like the book of Judges, doesn't it?

Before we propagate our desired narrative, we should explore truth.

As Christians, this shouldn't be too complicated. Christians believe that God is the source of all meaningful truth. His revelation, the Bible, serves as the ultimate and final authority of truth. Does this mean we can open up the Bible and find out who won the election or if singing in church will increase the possible spread of COVID-19? No. The Bible doesn't work like that. It deals with much more important things, like how we love God and love each other, how we can be reunited to God, saved from sin, sanctified, and eventually glorified in eternity with our Lord.

The Bible gives us direction to the anchor in the storm. COVID and elections and news media and conspiracies and presidential policies and supreme court rulings are just a single wave in a sea of storms. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves, Peter started going under the sea. (Matthew 14:22-32.) Jesus is our anchor, and his Word is Truth.

Here's how the Bible speaks into things like COVID and elections. Here is but a small sample of how Jesus should be our ark in a storm-flooded world. Find comfort in his truth.

"I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will" (Isaiah 46:10).

"May desire a ruler's favor, but a person receives justice from the Lord" (Proverbs 29:26).

"He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding" (Daniel 2:21)

"God is our refuge and strength, a helper is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountain topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil" (Psalm 46:1-3).

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).

"Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff--they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).

"When the wicked increase, rebellion increases, but the righteous will see their downfall" (Proverbs 29:16).

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world" (John 16:33).

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you" (1 Peter 5:6-7).

"I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any circumstances I have learned the secret of being content--whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12-13).

"For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

As more information comes at you and circumstances are continually changing, remember who your anchor is. Continue to abide in the Lord.

And should things go ways you don't like--COVID gets worse or COVID lessens and we start to relax in ways you're not ready for; we learn the vaccine works or the vaccine doesn't work and kills the first ten-thousand who try it; Biden wins the election or the process of recounting and the legal reviews determine Trump won; we discover COVID is not as bad as we think or it's much worse; baby Yoda turns out to be an evil sith-lord; or anything else the world is freaked out about--let us remember the Truth we have from God's Word, the Bible. Let us put our eyes on Jesus, always.