Theology

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.

 

The Importance of Doctrine

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Rebar is necessary for strengthening cement.

Doctrine is necessary for strengthening Christian living.

Watch our Truth in Two to find out 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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Cement, by itself, is not enough. A strong foundation needs rebar. Concrete columns holding up highway overpasses use it. Sidewalk masonry depends on the stability it brings. The “it” is something called “rebar.”

I remember working with cement as a teenager, pouring driveways and house foundations, always making sure that steel rods and wire mesh were embedded in the cement before it dried. You see, cement by itself can crumble under severe compression. Steel rebar – or reinforcing rod – is necessary to withstand the stress and strain of wind for columns and the weight of 18-wheelers on the roads. Materials, such as concrete, that can become brittle in extreme cold or hot environments, need the sustaining concentration of rebar. Concrete structures depend on the strength steel rebar provides.

Rebar illustrates the structure of belief. The steel reinforcement rods for a well lived Christian life are the rebar of biblical doctrine. Paul in the fourth chapter of Ephesians gives the reason for a believer’s structural stability saying we should not be “blown about by every wind of doctrine.” Doctrinal doubt is the concern of James who says the person who doubts is “tossed by the wind.” And Jude says that contending for The Faith necessitates not being “swept along by winds.” The teaching of Scripture supplies the doctrinal core strength for a believer’s life. My belief in the reality of a supernatural world, created and governed by The Personal Eternal Triune Creator, is the poured footer of my foundation, supplied by the rebar of biblical doctrine.

The next time you see a high rise, a skyscraper, a highway overpass, or a business tower, remember rebar. And then remember, that the strength of your beliefs depends on strong doctrine.

For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally thankful for the foundation supplied by God’s Word, the Bible.

 

Why Waiting is so Hard at Christmas

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As a kid, I hated it.

I still do.

Watch our Truth in Two to find out why waiting is so hard (full text below).

 

Subscribe to 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, Snappygoat.com

FULL TEXT

You have heard the cries of children, in fact, you may have made the cry yourself! “How much longer?!” For kids, it might be arriving somewhere after a lengthy car trip. For teenagers, it might be having the supposed freedom of adulthood. For adults, it might be longing for rest from work. Whatever the case, whatever the group, waiting is hard. Why is it so hard to wait for holidays, birthdays, or special days of any kind? Some mathematicians suggest that time seems to go slower when we are young because, to that point, we have had a shorter experience with time. But as we age, we realize that time is short; and we don’t want to spend time waiting for anything.

But consider this: our waiting is nothing in comparison to God’s people waiting for Messiah. The time between the prophecy of Malachi and Jesus’ birth was about 400 years. The Hebrews had to wait 400 years to hear from God again! Psalm 74 summarizes the waiting,

“We do not see our signs, there is no longer any prophet, there is none among us who knows how long”

But Luke 2 records an old man named Simeon and an old woman named Anna who were promised that their waiting for Messiah would be rewarded. Doctor Luke says about Anna and Simeon, that they were “waiting for the redemption of Israel” causing Simeon to exclaim

“My eyes have seen your salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”

So, whenever I hear myself say, “How much longer do I have to wait?!” I think, “If Simeon and Anna can do it, so can I.” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally waiting for Jesus’ second coming based on the fulfillment of his first coming.

 

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

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Charles Wesley was right.

Jesus was long expected both times.

Why do I say that? Watch our Truth in Two to find out (full text below).

 

Subscribe to 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, Snappygoat.com

FULL TEXT

We do it once a year. Decorations go up. Trees are sold. Families gather. Schools close. Carols are sung. Gifts are given. Christmas is a season that sparks great joy. Each person, each group may celebrate the season for different reasons, but our Hebraic-Christian view of Christmas looks in two directions.

Initially, we look back at all the First Testament prophets who looked ahead. Hundreds of prophecies anticipating a prophet, a priest, a king, a messiah, a savior, were all fulfilled at Jesus’ birth. Additionally, we look ahead with the First and Second Testament prophets and apostles to the promise of a renovated world; a world where suffering and sin will cease, a world where Jesus rules eternally.

Both the history and the hope of Jesus’ first and second arrivals is well summarized by Charles Wesley’s hymn “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.”  I believe the hymn expresses our earnest hope based on the facts of history: the surety of Jesus and His soon return.

Come thou long-expected Jesus, / Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us, / Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, / Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation, / Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver, / Born a Child and yet a King.
Born to reign in us forever, / Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit / Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit / Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

At the Comenius Institute we believe in both history and hope, in Jesus’ first and second arrivals to earth. All the decorations, presents, meals, singing, and gifts during Christmas look back to Jesus’ first coming while we anticipate His coming again. For all of us at the Comenius Institute, I am Dr. Mark Eckel, personally wishing everyone a joyous Christmas.

 

Unbelievers & Law

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I was transported back to the 1980’s and 90’s on my drive to university this morning listening to a podcast.

I could hear myself making the same arguments to my high school students then. Kate Cohen in a Washington Post editorial was pushing back on “religious exemptions” used by some to exclude themselves from the mandate of law. Ms. Cohen then suggested as someone who is “not a believer” she would like exemptions from “religious laws.” Cohen’s basis for her belief? It is “in contravention of reason and morality.”

Now those who follow me on social media, my websites, and teaching videos know that I have deep respect for other points of view. But everyone who knows me also realizes that my first response will always be to ask straightforward questions. So here are the questions I would ask Kate Cohen.

“How do you define ‘reason’ and ‘morality’?” “What is the source or origin of those concepts, ‘reason’ and ‘morality’?” And most important of all “Who gets to answer these questions, and then, apply them?” Again, those who know me know that these are questions I ask everyone all the time, whether in high school, undergraduate, PhD studies, or casual conversation.

And my answer will always be the same: the standard for ‘reason’ and ‘morality’ must have a TRANSCENDENT source. If there is no outside, supernatural origin for decision making about right and wrong, then we are left with human definitions, sources, and decision makers. And if we are left solely with humans at the helm we are left with a haunting question, “Who will decide which humans decide and how will those decisions be made?”
[The picture is of a Catholic cathedral in France taken by my nephew Luke Renoe: Visual Art which hangs in our home, a marker of TRANSCENDENCE. Kate Cohen’s article can be found here.]