Theology

Common Sense

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God made His world to work

for human benefit.

Find out why 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, SnappyGoat

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I have 169 mantras, statements my students have heard over and over from me in the classroom through my forty years of teaching. A mantra is just that – a repetitious statement. But a mantra is more than that. The word literally means “an instrument of thought.” Because I believe repetition is the mother of education, I use repetitive ideas because they stick in students’ minds.

But repetition by itself is not education. One also needs common sense. The phrase has come to mean the practice of right judgment in practical matters. But the phrase assumes two basic ideas. “Sense” is wisdom, a deep grounding in discernment; some might say a sensible person is quite perceptive or understanding. The individual then applies the accumulated insights from life to particular concerns. “Common” takes for granted that there is an assumed thinking for all people, places, times, and cultures. A universal ideal exists which is then applied in some local reality.

When we say a person has “common sense” we generally mean they are taking the best of what they have studied about humanity and human relations, then using it to make a decision. Hebraic-Christian thinking suggests that “common sense” is Wisdom embedded in world for the benefit of all humanity. According to Proverbs 8,

Wisdom “walks in the way of righteousness and the path of justice.”

We make sense of what is common from One who has our best interests at heart.

If you want to know more about my 169 educational mantras follow the link in this Truth in Two. And there are multiple links to teachings on biblical wisdom as well. It is common sense, the wisdom of God’s embedded truths in creation, that supplies the content for my communication, that allows ideas to stick in student’s minds. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, President of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

The Bible on Wisdom: 169 Teaching Mantras

 

Santa is Coming to Town

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Can we “be good, for goodness’ sake?”

Why even Christmas songs need critique.

Find out why we should evaluate what we sing 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).

 

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“You better watch out, you better not cry / You better not pout, I’m telling you why / Santa Claus is coming to town.”

One of the most popular Christmas songs has and will be sung repeatedly this Christmas season. Decades before Amazon or Spotify, Santa Claus is Coming to Town became an overnight sensation in 1934, selling 500,000 copies of sheet music and 30,000 records within 24 hours.

But as a biblical theologian, I have to critique the song, not because of Ol’ Saint Nick, but because of human nature. The song continues,

“He’s making a list and checking it twice / He’s gonna find out who’s naughty and nice / He knows if you’ve been bad or good / So be good for goodness’ sake.”

So, is it possible to “be good for goodness’ sake?” I have lost count of the number of times I have heard the line “I’m a good person” from neighbors, associates, acquaintances, or from characters in a movie. The statement, “I’m a good person,” does four things for me.

One, I get to say what is good.

Two, I will evaluate myself by my own standard.

Three, my goodness assumes that bad must exist, though I’m not bad.

And, four, others outside cannot judge me.

Take for example, a Psychology Today article “How to Know if You’re a Good Person.” The suggestion is made to “define what a good person is in 3-5 words and rate yourself on this continuum.” Really? So, humans set the standard and get to evaluate whether or not they measure up by their own standard?

If you believe that you can be good for Santa, you have missed the reason for the season: Jesus is The Good News, the only way we can be good in God’s sight. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, President of the Comenius Institute, personally wishing everyone a Blessed Christmas.

 

1 Word that Defines Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving is a time of confession.

Find out why by listening to (or reading!) this week’s Truth in Two.

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).

 

Picture Credit: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

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Every law-and-order streaming show has one idea in common. The ultimate end for every episode, every story, is to convict the wrongdoer or get the criminal to confess to their crime. Confession is an acceptance of wrongdoing in American jurisprudence. But confession in the Bible means something altogether different.

Confession is the essence of the word thankfulness in Hebrew.  We tend to think of “going to confession” for the forgiveness of sin or giving a confession of guilt before a court of law. But in the First Testament the word “thankfulness” is a declaration of God’s greatness, to confess God’s supremacy. The Psalmists declare again and again that praise, exaltation, glorification, and remembering God’s works is a confession. Singing is the best way that God’s people, The Church, confesses God’s majesty. The Psalms also say that our confession of God’s greatness should be made before the nations. Confessional praise, according to the Psalms, was to be made with a right mind, wholeheartedly, continually. But ultimately, most importantly, our confession, our thankfulness should be for the result of Judah’s line.

And here’s the kicker. In Hebrew, Judah’s name means “to confess.” So, Jesus came from the line of Judah which means to confess or give thanks. He, Jesus, is the one for whom we are most grateful. The apostle Paul may well have had this idea in mind when he wrote in Second Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” namely, Jesus. So next time you watch a story about a prosecutor trying to get the criminal to confess, remember, our confession is our thankfulness that our wrongdoing has been forgiven, by Jesus. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, President of the Comenius Institute, personally offering a confession, a thanksgiving, at Thanksgiving, for Jesus.

BONUS Thanksgiving Video! Gratitude – Warp and Woof

 

 

5 Suffering Principles: Lament IV

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It’s not pretty

from our point of view.

Watch our Truth in Two video (full text below) to find out why Heaven’s view is the proper view.

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).

 

Picture Credit: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

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One picture I drew on the board in classes to explain God’s sovereignty – the biblical doctrine that teaches God controls all things – is a tapestry. I drew both sides of the tapestry. The bottom side represents our earthly view. The top side represents Heaven’s view. To us, what we see of God’s sovereignty is knots, loose threads, and a pattern-less mess. God’s plan, a view from the top, shows a perfect weaving. I then explain that chapters 1 and 2 in Job give us a snapshot of Heaven’s view. Take a few moments to read those chapters. If it were not for Job 1 and 2, we would have no assurance of someone in charge. We would only have random, chaotic suffering. Job 1 and 2 give credence to a Heaven-centered view of pain. As a human, I am not pleased by the hurt I bear. But I can live with an earth-view of the tapestry when I am assured Heaven’s view is a perfect pattern.

In The First Testament pagan peoples believed in fate, luck, chance, and accident much like unbelieving people do today. Impersonal forces are in charge. Humans are left to deal with the psychological aftershocks. But a God-centered view of the tapestry gives us at least five principles that may help us live with pain.

  1. Answers to the “why” questions are not our domain.

 

  1. We are justifiably outraged by suffering but should remember God’s presence in suffering.

 

  1. Human sin created suffering; suffering cannot be prevented.

 

  1. Lamenting our pain before God is a godly response.

 

  1. If there is a beginning there will always be an end. If there is doubt, there is hope. If there is darkness, there is light. If there is pain, there is release from pain. If there is an underside to the suffering tapestry, be assured the top side is being woven by God.

My Truth in Two series during Fall 2022 is a tribute to our son Tyler Micah. We lament his death while desiring to give voice to all who suffer in any way.

[This material is drawn from a sermon I preached on Job 3 at Zionsville Fellowship (Indiana) the spring of 2008. A number of articles have used the same words and ideas since and can be found by searching for “lament” at MarkEckel.com where you can also find a tribute to my son.]

 

10 Renewed Resolutions

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Make no mistake. The awfulness of my son’s death has not hobbled my beliefs. No. It has made my thinking more vital, visceral, and vigorous. Prophets, those who speak God’s Words, are conditioned not with comfort or ease but with pain and hardship. Suffering I have endured in life, now exacerbated by Tyler’s homegoing, continues to shape my being. Chiseled by circumstances, Divinely ordained, my words will persist on behalf of biblical Truth. And so, in the spirit of Tyler’s encouragement and Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions, I renew these confessions.
1. Standing under the Authority of Heaven, I will continue to speak God’s Truth to my time and place.
2. My interpretive lens will be guided by Hebraic-Christian thinking, prompted by The Spirit.
3. Care for all people, no matter who, without condition, will be driven by the love of Jesus.
4. Loving people includes speaking the Truth in love without compromise or condition.
5. Words from pen or keyboard will be considerate of context and culture without compromising Truth.
6. Cultural communication will be spoken within the wisdom and warnings of Scripture.
7. Doing good for all people, as much as is possible, will be my daily undertaking.
8. Practicing benevolence and excellence will be my conduct through all my vocational endeavors.
9. As I have strength, I will endeavor to offer the gifts given to me to the benefit of The Church and culture.
10. And I will give myself more and more to Christian discipleship of any who desire to walk this road with me.

Definitions of Jesus

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An extra credit assignment turned into a modern day,

“Who do you say that I am?”

Watch our Truth in Two to hear the answer to a 2000 year old question (full text and afterword 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).

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I once had a student challenge me about Jesus. She said, “I don’t believe you. I don’t believe what you say about there being so many different views of Jesus.” I had, in my classes, only mentioned three. “Good!” I responded, “I’m glad you don’t believe me!” She smiled. She had heard me say that phrase many times before. “Would you like an extra credit assignment that will replace any test grade you want?” Every student’s attention was piqued now, all wishing they had come up with their classmate’s objection. “Sure!” she was completely pleased with the positive academic turn-of-events.

“OK,” I began, “Here’s my challenge. Go to downtown Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan. Stand on the street corner with a clipboard and ask passersby one question, ‘Who do you think Jesus is?’ In one hour, I will bet you that you will obtain at least 25 different views of Jesus.” Her eyes brightened. I could see the wheels turning in her mind. Only one hour? Substitute that time for a test grade? Prove the teacher wrong? Win, win, win.

It was a Friday. She went to Ann Arbor on Saturday. She was back in class on Monday. I did not make any comment. But she did. “Could I tell the class about what I discovered?” Students were still envious about the whole grade thing. “Sure! What did you find out?” The young woman brought out a sheet of paper where she had collected responses from U of M students. “To be honest,” she began, “I didn’t spend the whole hour.” There was a quiet murmur in the room, disappointment that perhaps their classmate had not fulfilled her end of the bargain. “I didn’t have to,” she continued, “Because in 45 minutes I had recorded 25 different views of Jesus. I figured that was enough.”

The classroom murmur turned to stunned silence. I did not say a thing. She made the point in her concluding comments. “I learned that it’s easy to define anyone or anything the way you want, if it’s just your perspective.” And then she paused, and more wondering than questioning, asked, “I wonder what how they would respond if they heard the truth about Jesus?”

For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of The Comenius Institute, personally glad to tell anyone, anytime, anywhere, about Jesus.

AFTERWORD: What people say about Jesus is what they believe about Jesus.

The centurion’s claim, “Son of God” Matt 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47

The Syrophoenician woman’s claim, “Son of David” Matt 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

Jesus claim, “Son of Man” Dan 7:13-14, Matt 9:6 (30x in Matt, 80x in NT), Rev 14:14

The Centurion’s Claim

            1st use of the phrase in Mark, uttered by a Roman soldier, referencing Messiah (2 Sam 7:14)

The Woman’s Claim

            A Gentile woman uses Jesus’ Jewish name, a link to His Divine identity (Matt 1:1)

Jesus’ Claim

            Jesus uses what would seem to be simply a human name, but marks His divinity (Dan 7:13-14)

 

Holy Week

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A brief summary of the important days of Holy Week

PALM SUNDAY Covering the path of someone’s entrance is a sign of honor, an anticipation of triumph. The celebration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem noted by each gospel writer is a pointer to our Lord’s Kingship. Zechariah (9:9) foretold the event. The Psalmist (118:25-26) quotes the enthusiasm of the crowds, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” And The Church looks forward to carrying those palms of triumph once again as we sing, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev 7:9-10).

MAUNDY THURSDAY “I give you a new commandment” Jesus says in John 13. “Maundy” is the Latin equivalent of “command,” the reason for today’s title. Jesus’ last meeting with the disciples set the precedent for foot washing (servanthood), a meal (love feast), the sacrament (communion), and the “new commandment,” to love one another. Jesus set the example of humility – lowering himself to the place of the lowest household servant – by washing his disciples’ feet. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5).

GOOD FRIDAY What is “good” about an innocent man being killed? The title given to this day is strange when one considers Jesus’ death on a cross. The background to the holiday’s name is nothing in comparison to the event itself. All the words we use today – redemption, forgiveness, regeneration, grace – have their origin, the fullness of their meaning, in Jesus’ sacrifice for human sin. The day’s meaning is well summarized with these words, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
RESURRECTION SUNDAY Outside of Jesus’ Incarnation (God becoming human, two natures in one person), His resurrection from the dead is THE most important Christian teaching. Foretold in the earliest history of mankind (“the serpent will bruise His heel” Genesis 3:15, a non-fatal blow) triumph over death is THE reason why Christians have hope in this life and The Next Life, for He, after “destroying every rule and every authority and power,” also “destroyed death” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).
[Truth in Two Video “Resurrection Biographies” here]
AFTERWORD What is the history of the phrase “Good Friday”? The short answer is, depending on who you talk with or what Christian tradition is followed, the name has various origins. The word “good” comes from the ancient meaning of “holy” or “piety” which indicates the purity, the distinctiveness of the day. Various Christian traditions by country or group focus on other words (e.g. “God Friday” = “Good Friday”). For my part, “good” is paramount for at least two reasons: (1) “There is no one ‘good’ but God” (Matt 19:16) who can eradicate sin by His purity (Heb 4:15), (2) In the general sense that Jesus died for our sin is “good” (Heb 2:17).

Resurrection Biographies

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We purchase merchandise based on unknown reviewers.

Why do we give credibility to people we’ve never met?

Watch our Truth in Two to find out why “reviews” and “resurrection” go together (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).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat

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We often make purchases based on positive reviews, on the testimony of people whom we have never met. My pastor, Scott Dean, used this illustration about the eyewitnesses of Jesus in 1 John. Consider that we place more weight on the opinions of others, to purchase a product that will cost us money, than the weight we place on historic, eyewitness accounts of Jesus. For those who may be dubious about the connection, here is further explanation.

We have no problem pointing out when someone is in error about a product. But we have no interest in finding out that we might be in error about the factual evidence of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

We are quick to discount bad reviews when we have had a good product experience. But we continue to pass on irreputable comments about Jesus simply because we believe them.

We want our experience to be known about a product’s purchase. But we will discount the experience of a person who lived with Jesus just because we do not agree with their assessment.

We are anxious for immediate satisfaction from our purchased product. But we seem dissatisfied with hundreds of biblical witnesses and millions more who have believed since.

I will take the established, historical, documented, and well researched works of scholars such as Craig Keener as testimony for the biographies of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Keener’s unparalleled 700-page work Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels closes the door of doubt on the biographical reliability of the Gospels. And I will take the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and soon coming again, over a product, any day. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, bearing personal testimony to Jesus’ statement, “Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believed.”

 

Jesus Triumphed Over Death

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Jesus nailed sin and death on the cross

Triumphing over our enemies on the cross.

Watch our Truth in Two to discover 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).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat

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Clint Eastwood is an iconic Hollywood actor and director. When I reviewed one of Clint’s most popular films, Gran Torino, I said, “We need to learn that getting justice may only be won by giving ourselves.” In short, true victory is achieved through sacrifice.

Eastwood’s symbolic gesture of a cross-like pose at the end of Gran Torino has been used repeatedly since Jesus sacrificed Himself on the Cross for human sin. The importance of the cross is more than a symbol to be worn around a person’s neck. Jesus’ death was a finished work. We remember Jesus dying on the cross because that is where He defeated both sin and death.

My favorite passage of Scripture about the cross comes from Colossians 2:14-15. It reads, “God cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them at the cross.

In the Roman world of Paul’s day, a defeated enemy was paraded in front of a crowd of people. The people would showed their distain for the defeated foe by throwing garage and human waste on the prisoners, a final sign of defeat. In the same way, Jesus’ death was an announcement to all supernatural and natural authorities: I have conquered death.

What is Eastwood’s symbolic gesture? You will need to see the end of the movie. But if you want the basis for the movie’s ending, you will need to read about Jesus’ crucifixion, the voluntary gift of His death that defeated death, at the Cross. A symbolic gesture, arises out of a factual event – Jesus’ sacrifice for the world’s sin.

For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

My review of Gran Torino can be found here: https://warpandwoof.org/gran-torino/

 

 

Tradition and Resurrection

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Why should we pass on what we know

to the next generation?

Find out in our Truth in Two (full text and footnotes 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).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat

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When I was a boy my sister and I had to find our easter eggs and easter baskets. I hated every minute of that tradition. My sister, loved it. To this day, a look of glee comes over her face as she contemplates finding hidden treasure.

You, your family, your friends could have an Easter tradition. Maybe you enjoy Easter egg hunts. Or maybe someone cooks a big meal for your whole family to enjoy. Perhaps you look forward to spring with reminders of little chicks and bunnies. Or, perchance, you can’t wait for the yearly sale of marshmallow “Peeps.”

Some traditions are just rituals. They may not be right or wrong, good or bad. But there are some traditions that arise out of truth claims. The apostle Paul used the word “tradition” to explain truths given in Scripture. In our English Bible translations, a person was to “hold on” to a “received” (1) truth and that teaching was “passed on” (2). These words and phrases come from the Greek word for “tradition,” paradosis – something passed down through generations. “Tradition” meant the transfer of important information to be kept intact from one person to another. The word “tradition” comes from a root word meaning the content and its communication are fused. The truth was inseparable from the truth telling.

1 Corinthians 15:3, for instance, records the key content of the Christian belief system which Paul had both received and passed on: Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection. But verse one says the Corinthians themselves had also received this information. The Gospel which Paul preached to them was where they had taken their stand. (3)

So I am telling the truth about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. We Christians say, “He is risen!” and I can hear my brothers and sisters in the The Faith respond, “He is risen indeed.” For Truth in Two this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of The Comenius Institute, personally accepting the truth-tradition of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection given to me.

 

AFTERWORD

FOOTNOTES (1) 1 Co 11:23; 15:1, 3; Gal 1:9, 12; Col 2:6; Phil 4:9; 1 Thess 2:13; 4:1; 2 Thess 3:6.

(2) Oral transmission of religious instruction is meant. Fee NICNT First Corinthians, p. 499, n.29; p. 548.

References to “received,” “passed on,” “hold to,” “teaching,” and “tradition” all come from the same root word making the meaning of this word multidimensional: content and its communication are fused.

(3) “On which you had taken your stand” might be better understood as “in which”; the difference being not so much a change in location but our submissiveness to the Truth.  See Romans 15:2 for the same construction.