Theology

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).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). 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

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.

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).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). 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

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“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.

 

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).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). 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

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.

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).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). 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

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

 

 

 

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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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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If there is no God

then gods are everywhere.

Our Truth in Two explains why (full text below)

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). 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, Wikipedia

“Who is the number one god?” There is a scene in the 1996 movie version of The Island of Dr. Moreau that is worth discussion. Based on H. G. Wells famous novel, a shipwrecked man is confronted by the mad scientist, Dr. Moreau. The doctor is creating half-man, half-beast people to unite the best of both species. Of course, he utterly fails. At the end of the movie, the beast people have taken over Moreau’s laboratory. The shipwrecked man is now alone, facing the fury of a hybrid species. Thinking they are now the island’s god, the animal people seek to rid themselves of the last man. It is then he asks the question, “Who is the number one god?” causing the beasts to turn on each other.

Such a scene-summary tells us about the two doctrines that run through every discussion about every subject: (1) Who is our authority? And (2) Who are we as humans? I have spent the last year at my church teaching series of lessons around the idea of “Biblical Christians in Culture.” The questions of authority and humanity are repeatedly addressed. You can find links to the series in this Truth in Two. “Who says?” and “Who are we?” are essential human questions. As a Hebraic-Christian thinker I believe what the Bible teaches: (1) there is one God who has spoken, answering the “Who says?” question and (2) humans are both created with dignity and corrupted by our own depravity, answering the “Who are we?” question.

But The Island of Dr. Moreau teaches us that we will attempt to be our own authority and recreate ourselves as we see fit. We should not be surprised that our culture has done exactly the same: subverting God’s authority and imposing our own. The same problem remains, however; if we are all our own authority, the question from the shipwrecked man should ring in our ears, “Who is the number one god?” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

“Biblical Christians in Culture” video series can be found here.

 

 

You think you can make the world “perfect”?

Well, guess again.

Watch our Truth in Two to find out why “perfect” is impossible now (full text below).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). 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, imdb.com

FULL TEXT

“I don’t know anything. Not one thing.” Clint Eastwood’s character has the last and truest line in the 1993 movie A Perfect World: A prison escape, a kidnapping, a friendship, and a storyline about how this is *not* a perfect world. Kevin Costner plays Butch, a man on the run, who finds a common bond in Phillip, the boy he kidnaps. And here is the connection – abuses in this life force the abused into imperfect situations, making sad choices, looking for that perfect world.

It is the very situation I pose to students. Young idealism producing a desire to change the world, is wonderful. But many of the young faces in my classes have yet to realize the world is not black and white. So, whenever someone writes a paper about justice, health, environment, or governmental concerns, I ask students to answer two questions about their view of life. (1) What does your perfect world look like and (2) how will you get us there?

They can’t answer the first question. No one since Adam & Eve can answer the first question. In fact, I’ll go further to suggest that you and I would have made the same choice to rebel against God. But the real issue is one of perfection. If there ever was a perfect world, it was in Eden. So, think about this. Adam & Eve were perfect, living in a perfect environment, and they had yet, to sin. If anyone had a shot at a “perfect world” it was Adam & Eve.

The Eden account tells us that there was only once, a perfect world. The world we live in now, is imperfect. So, the next time someone wants to tell you about how to make a perfect world, tell them to watch the movie by that title and answer those two questions. And consider after watching the movie whether or not you agree with the last line, “I don’t know anything. Not one thing.” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

 

I suspect I know where you end.

But where do you begin?

Watch our Truth in Two for a Hebraic-Christian approach to origins & outcomes (full text below).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). 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

I waited an hour for the doors to open. I had never waited in a line to get into a movie before. But just like everyone else in that theatre, I could not wait to see Batman Begins. For those who might be interested, Batman is my favorite superhero. And Christopher Nolan’s brilliant work on screen is the origin story of Bruce Wayne who is Batman. Origin stories in graphic novels or movies are followed closely by all who care for their favorite heroes. Everyone wants to know where their champion comes from.

Origins and outcomes are great concerns in my teaching. For instance, I have colleagues in public university that do not believe what I believe. However, we all agree to basic outcomes like practicing justice, equal rights, freedom of speech, and a desire for world peace. Those ideals are all the outcomes, the results of what comes at the end of any teaching.

But it is usually the “origin” question where my professor friends and I might disagree. As a Hebraic-Christian thinker, I am most concerned about the source or the cause of everything. To me, everything begins in the Bible’s book of Genesis. I think the best explanation for the results we desire, comes from the God whose original intention was for the good of His creatures and creation. It is the question I ask of those who may agree with good outcomes but disagree about where those come from. And then there is the question of ethics. How do we know the ethical way to get to the outcomes we desire? Over the years, I have reduced the idea to this mantra: knowing where you’ve come from, and where you’re going to, helps you know how to live now.

Origin stories matter. It might not be a bad idea to start in Genesis. And you won’t even have to wait for the doors to open. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth, from the original account of all origin stories, the book of Genesis.