Theology Archives | Page 2 of 8

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).

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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.

Sexuality and Identity

October 3, 2023 by Mark Eckel

My care for all people

Is born of God’s image in all people.

Find out why we at Comenius believe this Truth of Scripture (full text follows).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

One semester at public university I had a transgender student, two gay men, and three lesbians in my class of 24. I knew how these young people identified because they constantly wrote about their sexuality in their papers. My response to students no matter who they are or what they think over 40-plus years of teaching is the same: I treat everyone as bearing the image of God. In our last class of the semester, the transgender student approached me and said, “I can speak for everyone in our class. No professor has treated us with so much care as you have.”

My purpose in telling the story is not self-congratulation but to explain how we at the Comenius Institute understand the concept of “sexuality and identity.” From a biblical point of view, our identity does not depend on any human definitions of sex or gender. Our identity is based in the Hebraic-Christian teaching of the imago dei – that all people made in God’s image. Ethnic, national, class, or gender categories are not the basis for how people should be treated.

The first chapter of Genesis is clear: God made women and men as separate genders; but everyone, no matter how they identify, is made in God’s image. However, if my identity is mine to decide, now I have an infinite number of possibilities to create my own reality. And if identity means I can define who I am, happiness comes from deciding who I am rather than accepting that I am a unique person. The Bible is clear: we first discover our unique identity by being made in God’s image.

My students know I care for them as individuals. And I will make this categorical statement: I will not identify you by age, ethnicity, class, or gender but as a fellow human person, made in the image of God. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking Truth wherever it’s found.

AI and Transhumanism

September 19, 2023September 18, 2023 by Mark Eckel

If you get rid of supernatural authority

Machines may be telling you what to do.

Why? Watch our Truth in Two (full text + Afterword below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has taken center stage in cultural conversations. We were discussing AI during my classes in the 1990’s. But in the 21st century, AI has taken on a life of its own – literally. Here is what I mean. You may have heard of AI but the expanded idea from the 1990’s to today is something called “transhumanism.” A transhumanist is a person who believes the human species can evolve past our physical and intellectual limitations through technological breakthroughs. Some actually believe transhumanism can lead humans to become God.

The following quotes come from the essay “Rage Against the Machine” at The Free Press noted at the end of this Truth in Two. Transhumanist Martine Rothblatt says that by building AI systems “we are making God.” Transhumanist Elise Bohan says “we are building God.” Futurist Kevin Kelly believes that “we can see more of God in a cell phone than in a tree frog.” “Does God exist?” asks transhumanist and Google maven Ray Kurzweil. “I would say, ‘Not yet.’ ”

From a Hebraic-Christian standpoint, transhumanism is not new; humans have desired to be God since Genesis 3. “Being like God,” as our adversary says, strikes against both revelation and creation. God has revealed Himself in Scripture, an authoritative text that people want to reject because they want to be their own authority. And God has revealed Himself through His creation. Attempts to change creation into our own image whether by sexual identity or artificial intelligence is the second way humans want to throw off Heaven’s authority. The Bible is an authoritative text given by God. If you jettison the Bible you will need to put something in its place. If there is no supernatural source, no God who has made Himself known, then we are our own authority. Our culture is both anti-supernatural and anti-creational. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking Truth and exposing untruth, wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD

And it seems we are not alone. “Rage Against the Machine” (no, not the rock band) is a great essay about technology being a god. I wish you all would read it.

Paul Kingsnorth says he draws on the Christian tradition of ascesis which means self-discipline or self-denial. Again, I would encourage everyone to think through the ten-minute-to-read essay. [I wrote chapter two in Science Fiction and the Abolition of Man titled, “The Monster in the Mirror: The Problem with Technology is the Problem with Us.” My perspective on any kind of evil, fault, or consequence is that whatever “it” is, we started it (Genesis 3). [If you live close enough to me – or even if you don’t – I’ll be glad to get you a signed copy at a discount from my stash. We can Venmo if you like! Write and let me know if you’re interested.]

The Biblical Viewpoint: Inside, Out

August 28, 2023 by Mark Eckel

How should we view the world as a Christian?

What examples can you give?

Our Truth in Two will answer the questions

(full text, with Afterword, follows).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

I can’t remember how many times I’ve been asked this question, “How do you teach in the public university as a Christian?” At the Comenius Institute we have created various essays, videos, and video series that address the general idea of “How do I treat my neighbor?” whether in university or on your street. Find the links to these at the end of this Truth in Two. We inside The Church bear responsibilities for people and ideas outside The Church.

Sometimes Christians get caught up in “outside” cultural arguments without first, thinking biblically. Here are two examples. When discussing politics, Christians should be wary not to adopt party affiliation or dependence upon some political position. Following a party-line subtracts from your ability to discern what you see, and your inability to know what is going on behind closed doors. To be sure, there are many biblical principles that should guide our political choices. I have suggested further comments on politics at the end of this Truth in Two. Another example of “outside” cultural thinking is to begin our discussion about who we are based on the color of our skin. Ephesians 2 has clear Christian teaching about ethnicity – instead of stressing our differences, we should be focused on what unites us. Ahead of His crucifixion Jesus prays three times that His people would “be one.”

Jesus’ famous line “You are in the world, not of the world” sets the precedent for how Christians should live. Our “inside” theological outlook should inform our “outside” perspectives on all cultural matters. We begin by understanding the world through The Word. I love teaching in the public university where I can teach transcendent Truth that God has embedded everywhere in His world. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking “inside” Truth to live in the “outside” world, wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD

Links on what it means to be a good neighbor:

Neighborhood | MarkEckel.com

5 Reasons to Practice Christian Hospitality (#10) | MarkEckel.com

Links on politics as an American Christian:

My Political Position, My Christian Reasons | MarkEckel.com

Government’s Role in a Free Nation: a Christian View | MarkEckel.com

The Tension of Living as a Christian in America | MarkEckel.com

Civility is Expected in Commerce & the Reason it is Unexpected in Politics | MarkEckel.com

American Public Policy, or Living American Policy in Public as a Christian? | MarkEckel.com

“The Human Condition”

August 18, 2023 by Mark Eckel

Genesis 3 establishes the essential distinction for an understanding of ‘the human condition,’ the breaking of prudent standards set by God. Instead, our desire for autonomy displaces any opportunity to rightly consider one’s own responsibility. Without the belief that inherent corruption resides in all individuals, people are now free not only to establish their own rules but, with accumulated resources of power, to create spheres of control that decimate the liberties of others. ‘Sin’ is now any external point of view at variance with the controllers. If indeed we can be our own gods, then we will desire sovereignty that extends beyond our own orbit, expanding our ‘values’ onto others since we know what is best. Truth, goodness, and beauty will now become our creations, giving way instead to pure reason, dictatorial rules, and acceptable experiences.

To reject the Genesis 3 account of human sin is to proclaim what we believe to be ‘sin’ then imposing our own mode of salvation on others, explaining how they must be ‘saved.’ Salvation is now directed by political, cultural actors whose pronouncements give no quarter to any other views than their own. Loosed from order which binds them to consider their own transgressions, they decide what is good and bad, right and wrong. Their origin of ‘the human condition’ begins and ends with their own godlike declaration of wrongdoing, promoted by their own version of “And God said.” A society rid of grounding in authority outside itself will find authority within itself. Woe to the nation whose leaders relieve people of their liberties, constrain their freedoms, subvert their traditions, determine individual choice, and demonize any viewpoint other than their own. The end of self-appointed authoritarians begins with a repudiation of the origin of sin in Genesis 3.

The two doctrinal pillars of any subject are authority and humanity. Here, the Christian thinker understands human corruption is at the heart of any discussion of evil in this present world. Contradicting Billy Joel, we did start the fire.

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Autonomy versus Aseity

August 18, 2023 by Mark Eckel

During my PhD dissertation defense, a question was raised about my use of the term “aseity” and its application to my research. Believing The Personal Eternal Triune Creator to be the source and sustenance of all things, I used the theological word that means God is self-sufficient and independent; in short, He does not need us. The applied principle of God’s separate status is imperative in a Hebraic-Christian view of social order. Often human governments and social rules have sought to argue for human autonomy, we, being a law unto ourselves (“auto” = self, “nomos” = law). Humans, left to themselves, will seek independence and self-sufficiency instead of seeing the beneficence to all people by dependence on Divine Directives.

A few observations of both autonomy and aseity follow.

AUTONOMY (1) prioritizes law to self over others; (2) laws become only what the individual or group desires; (3) self-law is boundaryless, left to human will; (4) without boundaries, self-law becomes an arbiter and judge; (5) human judges will impose boundaries of their self-made laws; (6) whatever human power captures the law will dictate their law to others; and (7) autonomy then becomes tyranny.

ASEITY (1) only God is wholly self-sufficient and independent; (2) humans are dependent and insufficient in and of themselves; (3) neither creature nor creation imposes law without Sovereign oversight; (4) human laws draw their ethical boundaries from this Divine Source; (5) human nature is inherently corrupt and naturally seeks to transgress Heaven’s boundaries; (6) Eternal Standards are foundational for human law, limiting usurpation of cultural power; and (7) dependence upon The Personal Eternal Triune Creator benefits self and society, fostering liberty, limiting license.

The Christian bears the responsibility of displaying the logical outcomes of autonomy versus aseity. The Christian statesman holds in tension innate human dignity with people’s inherent corruption. Unconditional, sacrificial love is the praxis, protecting the weakest members of society because the strength of governance has been built through Heavenly virtue. In contrast, the state, left to itself, becomes the proprietor of all things, creating its own servitude. In direct contrast, true human liberty is constrained by God’s laws, giving opportunity for human prosperity intended to provide charity to all.

The picture here says it all: I’m always thinking. Reading does indeed prompt my writing at times. In this case (and others posted this week) I have been reading Conservative Foundations of the Liberal Order

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