Theology Archives | Page 2 of 8

Leap Year

February 27, 2024 by Mark Eckel

What will you do with the extra day?

What will the extra day do to you?

A biblical take on wanting everything now, this week’s Truth in Two (full text below).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (webs ite) and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron, supporting Truth in Two (here).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

All my life I’ve been impatient. When I was in junior high, I wanted to be in high school. When I was in high school, I wanted to be in college. When I was in college, I wanted to be in grad school. You get the idea. I have always been the kind of person who is looking twenty years into the future. “What’s next?” was the next question on my mind. Now that I’m older, my mindset has not changed. I’m still thinking about the future. But after sixty plus years of living, I have a little better understanding of what the prophet Habakkuk meant when he recorded The LORD’s words to him in chapter two and verse three, where God says, “If it seems slow, wait for it.”

Being told to wait does nothing for my impatience. But waiting does remind me of important truths about myself and God. (1) I want to be in control, but God is sovereign, He is in control. (2) I live in the moment, but God is everlasting. (3) If God is in control, if He is everlasting, then my responsibility is to fulfill my responsibilities and leave the results to God.

I am constantly reminded of Psalm 31.15, “My times are in His hands.” My time is not God’s time. My control of things yields to God’s control of everything. I have not always done a very good job of practicing these basic Bible beliefs. I may rebel against the slowness of God, against Habakkuk’s line “If it seems slow, wait for it.” But during February 2024 I am reminded of God’s faithfulness even in my estimation of His slowness. You see 2024 is a “leap year” meaning there is an extra day added to the calendar. I no longer ask, “What will I do with the extra day?” Now I ask, “What will the extra day do to me?” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

A Church for “Nones”

February 5, 2024 by Mark Eckel

You can say you aren’t dogmatic,

But you have dogmas just like everyone else.

Why do we say “everyone has dogma (doctrine)”? Watch our Truth in Two (don’t miss the Afterword!).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (webs ite). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

A recent article in the Religious News Service was titled, “A Church for Nones: Meet the Anti-Dogma Spiritual Collectives.” As I read the article, I couldn’t help but think those spiritual collectives are full of “dogma.” The word “dogma” simply means doctrine, a faith commitment, what someone believes. The article describes not only the dogma of what these groups are against but what they are for. As soon as someone makes an assertion about something, that person bases their thinking on an idea, a belief, a foundation upon which they stand. In that sense, everyone is a “fundamentalist,” a term found repugnant by these groups. The words “church” or “nones” – that is, N – O – N – E – S people who say they subscribe to no religious point of view – are full of doctrinal ideals. No one can live without dogma. Everyone subscribes to something.

Here is an example of dogma from these spiritual collectives. In the article a leader is quoted as saying, “Our motto is ‘love,’ period. We determine what texts are saying through the lens of love.” There are at least two dogmas, two doctrines in this statement. (1) The idea of ‘love’ is the stated commitment without examining the source or definition of love. The implication is a human-centered view of love. You see the problem. One person’s view of love may not be very loving to another person. (2) To say ‘we determine what the texts are saying’ leaves interpretation up to an individual or a group. But what happens if the interpretation goes against someone else’s interpretation? A link to this article and other writings is available at the end of this Truth in Two.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have great respect for people and the positions they hold. So, it is best to allow Scripture to speak for itself. 2 Timothy 2 says I am to biblically correct opposing dogmas “with gentleness.” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD

“Dogma” (doctrine) is mentioned throughout the article mentioned above, “Church for ‘Nones’ – Meet the Anti-Dogma Spiritual Collectives Emerging Across the US.” See my comment in our Truth in Two that “everyone everywhere commits themselves to something.” Certainly, universities have their own “dogma” and are themselves “fundamentalist” (TNT here). Christians should know the importance of “doctrine” (TNT here). I have had students in my classes over the years who want to “leave The Faith.” Their concern was the Church placed undue constraints upon them by a church’s doctrinal positions. Whenever the opportunity arises to say so, I ask them if what they just described about their own lives is not, in and of itself, “dogma.”

Three African Change Agents

January 8, 2024 by Mark Eckel

Where does change begin?

What examples do we follow?

Watch our Truth in Two to discover the answers are pretty clear (2 min vid + text + links)

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

Ayann Hirsi Ali has become a Christian. Ali grew up Muslim, became an atheist, and has just recently given her life to Jesus. Ali is a scholar at the Hoover Institute. About her conversion to Christianity she has said atheism does not have the intellectual capabilities of fighting, what she calls, a civilizational war. You can read all about Ali’s Christian conversion from the Unherd podcast, linked in this Truth in Two.

When I think of Ali’s conversion to Christianity, I immediately think of the Ethiopian court official in Acts 8. The Bible says he had come to Jerusalem to worship at Pentecost. Here is an African gentile who is interested in a statement from the prophet Isaiah, “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter.” Inquiring of whom this statement was made, the apostle Philip “told him the good news about Jesus.”

Ali’s conversion and the Ethiopian’s conversion both remind me of another African Christian. Confronted by a hostile crowd proposing Christianity is a “white man’s religion,” the African student responded, “Christianity was in Africa before it was in Europe.” I have also included the Instagram reel of the African student’s statement in this Truth in Two.

Why do I tell these stories from African Christians? Because the change that people seek, a true, lasting shift in one’s attitude toward life, begins with Jesus. You want peace? Jesus is The Prince of Peace. Are you seeking justice? Jesus is the only Just Judge. Do you want someone to care for you? Jesus said, “Come to me for I am gentle and lowly in heart.” You want change that will impact this world and the next? Jesus taught us to pray that the Father’s will “be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Three African Christians tell us change begins in each human heart by the salvation only Jesus brings. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, personally seeking Truth wherever it’s found in the changed hearts of people everywhere.

Ayann Hirsi Ali on the Unherd podcast: https://unherd.com/2023/11/why-i-am-now-a-christian/

Christianity was in Africa before Europe, Insta reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzvZoaTuvqU/

Foolishness of Preaching

December 26, 2023 by Mark Eckel

We preach Jesus.

Good news began in a manger.

Christmas is not possible without Jesus. Our Truth in Two explains why (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Pond5

FULL TEXT

Celsus was a harsh critic of Christian message in the second century. Being a man of high Roman status, he looked down on Christianity as an appeal to the common person. Celsus made these claims, [quote] “Let no cultured, wise or sensible person draw near [to Christ], only those who are ignorant or foolish, let them come boldly!” Celsus continues, “We see Christians in their own houses as the most uneducated and vulgar persons.” Celsus also said Christians were “like a swarm of bats, or ants in their nest, or frogs in a swamp, or worms in the mud.” [end quote]

Attacks on Christians and our belief have not changed from the first to the twenty-first century. But then I think of Paul’s line in 1 Corinthian 1:21, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through its own wisdom, it pleased God to save those who believe in Jesus through the foolishness of preaching.” What is “preaching”? To preach the good news of the gospel of Christ means both the act of telling and the content of what is being told.

And what is the content of our preaching? Well, counter to the Roman viewpoint of the day, only Caesar could bring “good news,” the Roman perspective on peace and safety. So, when the Romans heard that Christians were preaching “good news,” they believed the message of the gospel was the message of insurrection against Rome. In one sense, Rome did have something to fear from Jesus. Isaiah did prophecy, “And the government shall be upon His shoulders.”

During the Christmas season, Christians do participate in the folly of preaching. We proclaim that there will come a day when the baby born in Bethlehem will return as The King of Glory. And remembering the words of Celsus, the critic of Christianity, all of us ‘worms’ will reign then, with our King, Jesus. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally wishing everyone a blessed Christmas, only made possible, by Jesus.

Jesus Makes “Nobodies,” Somebodies

December 19, 2023 by Mark Eckel

I am tempted by status, but

God always makes status, insignificant.

Watch our Truth in Two to find out how (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

The status of being a college professor, of having earned a PhD, has always been a great temptation to me. To ascend to a certain level of intellectual ability is the problem of me thinking, “I’ve arrived.” I live in a world where academic degrees are esteemed, and publications are expected. And I will repeat, I am tempted by the esteem of the status, being a university professor brings.

But then I read First Corinthians 1:28 and 29, where Paul says, “The insignificant of the world and the despised God chose, yes, the nothings, bring to nothing the somebodies; so that all kinds of persons should not pride themselves before God.” Anthony Thistleton’s translation gets after the sin of status that I struggle with. A similar problem existed in the Corinthian church. Corinth was a cosmopolitan city and the church there reflected a broad spectrum of people. The church in Corinth had people who were rich and poor, high-society and lowly slaves, the famous and the unknown, the educated and the uneducated.

In 1 Corinthians 1:30 and 31 Paul makes it clear that cultural status, position, influence, or the nameplate on someone’s desk matters not at all when it comes to God’s view of people. Paul says that our significance is found in Jesus, ending with, “Let the one who boasts, boast in The Lord.” When I am tempted to glory in my status, I am reminded of these verses. As Paul repeats, no human being can boast in God’s presence.

At the Christmas season we are reminded, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given.” The Father brought His wisdom through the gift of His Son, not through our personal status. God has chosen the weak things of the world, the nobodies, to proclaim his name. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking Truth in the person of Jesus.

The Cross at Christmas

December 5, 2023 by Mark Eckel

Talking crucifixion at Christmas?

What better time!

Here’s why. Watch our Truth in Two (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Pond5

FULL TEXT

The city of Corinth, like all ancient Roman cities, focused attention on the importance of power. Military power, the strength of armies. Political power, the supremacy of influence. Financial power, the potency of money. Social power, the command of public opinion. Corinthian values were predicated upon domination. In the middle of a city, in a culture built upon the idea of making others submit to the will of the powerful, the apostle Paul utters these words in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the proclamation of the cross is, for their part, folly to those who are on their way to ruin, but, for our part, the power of God to us who are on the way to salvation.”

God flips the script on a human view of power. Overwhelming political, military, social, and financial power is itself overwhelmed by folly. Paul uses the word “folly” from which we get our word ineffective, meaning empty or fruitless. God turns the tables on a human view of power. Instead of domination, God’s power is humiliation, the humiliation of crucifixion, the proclamation of The Cross. Crucifixion, the most brutal, most disgusting form of punishment to Roman thinking, is God’s way of salvation. The Romans thought of crucifixion on a cross as a scandal, the Greek word Paul later uses to describe death on a cross. You see, crucifixion was punishment reserved for the worst criminals, the most hated terrorists. God says, the way to salvation, true power, is through Jesus’ humiliation at the cross.

It might seem strange during the Christmas season, to reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus. But stop and consider: the greatest power, the only effective means of human salvation from sin, begins with the birth of a baby, God in flesh, our only hope for peace on earth. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth through the power of Jesus’ work on the cross.

Turning the World Upside Down

November 29, 2023 by Mark Eckel

Going against the cultural order of the day

can get you arrested, beaten, or killed.

Now, who wants to be a Christian? Watch our Truth in Two, with full text below.

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

Sometimes you get in trouble just by showing up. During the Roman empire, Christians were malcontents, agitators, troublemakers, and criminals because their beliefs ran counter to cultural authorities. Acts 17 gives us an example. The apostle Paul and his entourage traveled to an important Roman city called Thessalonica. Among other beliefs, the Roman culture maintained that Caesar, the emperor of Rome, was god. To Romans, Caesar was a universal savior; his benefits and aid were referred to as “good news” in the Roman empire.

When Paul showed up persuading people that Jesus is God’s “good news” of salvation, any Roman citizen within earshot knew this was sedition against the state. Why? Here are three reasons the leaders in Thessalonica declared in Acts 17:6, “these who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” (1) Declaring Jesus to be King would be saying the emperor of Rome was not king. (2) Telling the people to “turn from idols” would mean giving offerings to Roman idols would be a rejection of Roman authority. And (3) Only Jesus, not the Roman empire, could bring peace and security to the world.

Just saying that Jesus is Lord, is a rejection of cultural norms that would upset any cultural authority. Fast forward to the 21^st century and consider why the Christian message is reason for violence against Christians. We believe that all authority rests in Jesus and His Word. The Bible tells us what to believe and how to live. So, when Christ-followers speak up for God’s authority over issues of life, ethnicity, identity, family, or freedom, we are immediately defamed. No, we Christians are not interested in overthrowing the cultural order. But when Jesus changes how people think, as He did in Thessalonica, cultural authorities will say their “world has been turned upside down.” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally showing up for Truth wherever it’s found.

Hard to be Thankful

November 21, 2023 by Mark Eckel

Life is hard,

even at Thanksgiving.

How do we manage when Thanksgiving is hard? Watch our Truth in Two (text + Afterword below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

The Comenius Institute “Truth in Two” videos suggest we believe in objective, real, accurate facts. But we take the word “Truth” further to say what is honest in a straightforward way. Representing the Comenius Institute, I will be very honest. There are two commands in the Bible especially troubling around Thanksgiving. “Give thanks always” and “Give thanks in all circumstances” are both hard to hear. Am I to give thanks for awful events that befall me, my family, my friends, or any group in the wide world? What does Paul mean in Ephesians 5 and 1 Thessalonians 5 that we should “give thanks” with the words “always” and “all”?

Over and over in the Bible, believers in the One and Only True God are commanded to be thankful. A study of Scripture shows that gratitude is directly linked to ethics; what we should or should not do. The idea of “giving thanks always” acknowledges that we have a Sovereign, The God of creation, who has established what is right and wrong.

Perhaps the more troubling concern about “give thanks in all circumstances” is that some might believe we must remain in a constant emotional state of gratitude. When we experience human awfulness, is our first response, thankfulness? A study of Scripture indicates we are not being told to reject our psychological response to evil, but to live a God-centered life. You can find links to studies about gratitude at the end of this Truth in Two.

At Thanksgiving, we need to be truthfully honest. We hurt. We bleed. We cry. We lament. Humanly speaking, awful experiences befall us. The distinctive Christian response to trouble and trauma is not a fake smile. Rather, our acknowledgement in a sin-filled world of humanity’s making, is that we follow the ethics and Lordship of Jesus. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of The Comenius Institute, personally thankful for God’s Sovereign Plan, even when it is hard to be thankful for it.

Afterword

Look up. Bow down. Give out. A Truth in Two on gratitude.

One word that defines Thanksgiving: Confession (Truth in Two)

Gratitude is the source of and standard for Ethics (Idea #7)

Gratitude is one of the chief pillars of life (“Whom Do You Owe?”)

People of Gratitude (A Moody Radio Interview)

Principalities and Powers

October 31, 2023 by Mark Eckel

We are at war.

But it’s not that kind of war.

Find out what Scripture says by watching our Truth in Two (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

We are at war. Some will hear those words as some kind of nationalistic jingoism where a group lusts for domination. Others will hear that phrase and immediately head out to the gun range. Still more will conjure a “culture war,” with an us-against-them mentality. What I mean when I say, “we are at war” is what the apostle Paul meant in 2 Corinthians 10, “Our weapons of warfare destroy arguments, taking every thought captive to Christ.” Our enemies are not first political or national, our enemies first and foremost are the principalities and powers. Hebraic-Christian believers have known our principal adversary since Eden whom Revelation 12 calls “the old serpent.” St. Cyril of Jerusalem, one of the early Church fathers, said it this way, “The Dragon is by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.”^[1]

One of the major themes in Scripture – and I would add, books of any kind – is the war between “good” and “evil.” People all over the world write about this struggle because the Truth of principalities and power has affected everything and everyone from the beginning of time. The biblical record about evil, which you can read at the end of this Truth in Two, includes at least three important principles: (1) “Evil” is real, historical, and personal; (2) There is no possibility that “evil” will win in the end; (3) There are “evil” people who follow the principles of “the evil one.” Yes, we are at war. And in this world we will indeed, “pass by the dragon.” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking Truth wherever it’s found.

Afterword

Some may immediately take offense that “evil” would be ascribed to anyone. The truth of the matter, however, is that even popular streaming programs identify perpetrators as “evil.” And for those who take Scripture at its word, the Bible is full of specific statements about “evildoers” and their “abominations” (Ps 37.1; Prov 6.16-19; Luke 16.15; John 8.44; Rev 21.8).

“Evil” is real, historical, and personal (Gen 3:1-6; 1 John 3:8; Rev 12:7-9)
There is no possibility that “evil” will win (Ps 2; Col 2:13-15; Rev 19:11-21)
“Evil” people follow the principles of “the evil one” (2 Cor 11:13-15; 1 Jn 3:10)

A “war” indeed, coming from the “principalities and powers” (Ephesians 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 5:11; 6:12).

[1] Saint Cyril of Jerusalem quoted by Flannery O’Connor in Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose (Macmillan, 1969): 35.

Theories and The Bible

October 24, 2023 by Mark Eckel

Scouting the other team means,

You need to know your own.

What do I mean? Watch our Truth in Two to find out (2 min vid + text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

“Scouting the other team” is imperative in sports. It is not enough for you to be excellent in athletics, you must understand what makes the opposing team excellent. Coaches assess the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent. Players spend hours watching videos of other competitors. Spending time in the “tape room” means that a player is committed to understanding his opponent’s approach to the game. Scouting is exactly what I do every week as a cultural apologist. I read and assess ideas from others. I have graduate degrees in Old Testament, social science research, and English. In every one of those degrees, it was imperative that I study theories about each subject. A theory is a man-made interpretive view of a subject. In each of my studies, I read theorists with whom I disagreed. I was assessing the strengths and weaknesses of opposing worldviews.

I see two extreme errors when it comes to Christian interpretation of other viewpoints. Sometimes I hear Christians say, “I don’t need to know what other people think. God’s Word is Truth and that’s all I need.” The problem here is discounting the revelation God has embedded in His world. Discoveries in medicine, sociology, literature, biology, and every field of human endeavor offers benefit for people. Psalm 111.2 makes clear that God’s works bring delight to those who study them.

And sometimes I see Christians go to the other extreme. When a certain theory – whether in the sciences or humanities – is proposed, some then interpret the Bible only through that lens. Cultural persuasion through economics or politics becomes the way of thought. Theories of evolution or universal basic income need careful, biblical analysis “bringing every thought captive,” as 2 Corinthians 10 says, to a wholistic Christian view. Sometimes scouting the other team shows weaknesses in the other team, and the need for improvement in our own. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally scouting out Truth wherever it’s found.