Theology

My job on earth.

Give me a minute to explain.

Bill Murray stars in the movie Vincent. Murray plays a world-weary character who befriends a young boy.

At the end of the film the young man praises Murray’s character for his friendly care. St. Vincent teaches us that listening and loving are the best responses we can give to anyone.

To my Christian friends, I would remind us of Billy Graham’s words,

“It’s Jesus’ job to judge, The Spirit’s job to convict and my job to love.”

I quoted that to my atheist university colleagues, to our church, and many times in my Friday emails. Defending the Christian faith with logic, evidence, and clarity, something called apologetics, is important. Perhaps St. Vincent could help our apologetics: the best way to demonstrate the love of Jesus is by listening and loving.

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

Atheists believe in miracles?

Give me a minute to explain.

A number of Christian apologists are pointing out that atheists believe in at least six miracles:

(Number one) something must come from nothing,

(Number two) reason originates from non-reason,

(Number three) life appears from non-life,

(Number four) the personal arises from non-personal,

(Number five) order is derived from chaos, and

(Number six) morality emerges from matter.

The chemist James Tour gives an example. Tour explains that scientists creating life is a statistical impossibility. And he says not only can’t humans create life, once life is broken we can’t put it back together again. DNA demands a programmer. Only The Programmer understands the intricacies of His program.

You see, we all have faith in something, faith in Someone. I believe in miracles because I believe in God. One way or another, everyone has miracles they believe in.

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

To understand the natural world

There is need of a supernatural lens.

Give me a minute to explain.

In the movie Fallen Denzel Washington plays a detective, trying to catch a criminal. But this is no ordinary criminal. The evil entity in this movie is a supernatural force which is attempting to invade Denzel Washington’s character. Over my teaching years I have shown a clip from that film, where the detective committed to the natural world, who is trying to track down a supernatural essence, enlists the aid of a supernaturalist. The discussion between detective and God-fearing believer is a great compare and contrast between supernatural and natural worldviews. Lines such as,

“I believe more is hidden than is seen” and

“There are certain phenomenon that can only be explained if there is a God”

should make every person consider that this world needs the interpretive lens of The Other World.

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

Picture credit: screen shot from imdb.com, Fallen (1998)

The Word of God is just that.

Give me a minute to explain.

Theology is not built by human thought. The self-authenticating Voice is the Word of God. He discloses to humanity what The Eternal Trinity desires to communicate with humans. I am not building an outline based on my views of God. The Almighty speaks and acts: I am simply a witness of His self-disclosure.

What I see, I simply point to, saying, “Look at that!” “Listen to that Word!” As a witness, I do not speak on behalf of The Sovereign whom I see and hear. I simply repeat what has been spoken, allowing the Word its active Voice.

Some will errantly quibble by suggesting I pick and choose the words I want to emulate. But I respond, “I take the whole at face value with my limited understanding, not imposing my interpretive lens on The God who speaks and acts.” I do not tell others how they should think, feel, or speak. Neither do I impose my thoughts on God’s thoughts. The proper response to biblical theology is a humble bow toward Heaven.

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

What do you do with time?

Give me a minute to give an answer.

I abide by Ecclesiastes 9.10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it will all your might.”

Some of my work-ethic is my Germanic heritage but much of my drive comes from an inner compulsion of The Spirit to “work for the night is coming” as John 9.4 says.

To say I am closer to the end of life than the beginning brings renewed focus. I am trying hard to capture what I have been gifted to do with the stretch of time I have left. This is just an honest assessment of time, energy and opportunity.

Paul writes I am to “redeem the time.” The original language phrase means I am buying up every unique circumstance presented to me. May we not take anything for granted but seek to see the fuller scope of our earthly opportunities.

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

Scripture is its own jurisdiction.

Give me a minute to explain.

The word “biblical” is an authority all its own.

The Bible stands alone and does not acknowledge critique of its authority. Accept it or reject it, it makes no difference. There is no human arbiter, no human interpreter whose jurisdiction is imposed upon The Text. “Thus says the Lord” is not interrupted by the puny voice of dissent. Paltry questions about culture, context, or identity cannot circumvent God’s authority.

Biblical authority does not need my authority for validation or certification. Those who are submissive to Scriptural authority seek not to lord it over others. We simply point and say, “Consider.” We stand at a crossroads, offering encouragement to take into account The Bible’s Path.

We echo God’s Voice and all those whose voices have the same desire, to humbly request, as did the people in John twelve, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

John 1 and the linguaphile had a conversation.

Give me a minute to explain.

Julie Sedivy refers to herself as a linguistic scientist in her book Linguaphile. Like Sedivy, I love words. What struck me was her desire to give scientific quantification – a statistician’s measure – for the following words: pleasure, beauty, paradise, joy, awe, grace, and mystery. Sedivy confesses she is at a loss to quantify the words. I appreciate her candor.

The author then discusses how disembodied language needs to be “anchored” in a body. And I kept thinking,

“I wish I could sit with you and read John 1 together, where The Word, Jesus, becomes flesh.”

The language scientist discovered theological, affective terms that cannot be quantified without Language becoming a Body, a “mystery” all its own according to First Timothy three. Defining words such as joy, beauty, and awe are best defined by biblical theology.

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

Christianity is different than other religions.

Give me a minute to explain.

The difference between the Christian worldview and all other religions or philosophies can be summarized by putting two, five-letter words next to each other:

works vs grace.

Salvation, the redemption only found in Jesus, finds us dependent upon a Transcendent source of grace, what theologians call “undeserved favor.” Daily religious activities don’t save. Doing good doesn’t save. Moralism doesn’t save. There is nothing I can do to save myself. In a study of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in my university class, students discovered that the more trouble we get ourselves into, the more outside help we need. The problem is always the same:

our works are what Isaiah 64:6 calls “dirty rags.”

Ephesians two gives the solution, “By grace are you saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing.”

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

AFTERWORD

“Filthy rags” has been variously translated as “polluted garment” (ESV) and “We’re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags” (The Message). The root word of the Hebrew for “garment” or “rags” comes from a word meaning “covering one’s treachery.” The idea is that the person is clothed not in what they view as goodness but as goodness masquerading as deceit. The Hebrew word “polluted” indicates a cloth stained with bodily impurity, in particular, a menstrual cloth which must be separated from the community outside the camp (i.e., Deut 23:9 – 25:19). The word picture leaves no possible misinterpretation: our human goodness is on par with human waste. Humans are in need of God’s grace.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

What are you trying to hide?

Give me a minute to answer.

Proverbs cautions

“beware the person who disguises his words with grace but harbors deceit in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed.”

No one can know for certain the intentions or motivations of a person. What these verses describe as “inner workings” coming from “inward parts” is a concealment of motive. “Deceit” is literally “put into” a person’s innermost thoughts from a person who “devises evil,” who “sets an ambush.”

Only God knows those sentiments. Sooner or later, the veneer will be chipped away, the facade lifted, the well-crafted public relations ploy will be unveiled, the fake smile will fall away. It may take a while for the weed to crack the concrete but Jesus’ words suggest both temporal and eternal caution:

“Nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.”

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

[Quotes from Proverbs 26:24-26; 12:20; Jeremiah 9:8; Genesis 18:12-13; Psalm 64:6; Luke 8:17; also, Luke 12:2; Matthew 10:26; 1 Timothy 5:25-26]

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

What anxiety weighs you down?

Give me a minute to respond.

Studying the original languages and context of passages helps me understand the Bible.

Last week, I talked about language study and context, being anxious in the dentist’s chair. “Anxiety” means severe emotional distress which “weighs down” a person according to Proverbs 12. I am supposed to “cast my anxieties” on Jesus, according to 1 Peter 5:7. Now THAT I can do! My prayer life hits 100% when I’m in the dentist’s chair! No lie!

A bit of exegesis (what it means to understand Scripture) has cleared my conscience on this issue. If I didn’t have any anxieties, I wouldn’t be human. But the command, “be anxious for nothing,” has little to do with the dentist’s chair and everything to do with my being divided from what Scripture teaches about our future Hope.

He knows my physical needs, so I “cast my cares” on Him.

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

PART ONE from last week!