John the Baptist - faith and humility

I was very moved when I was reading the Bible account of John the Baptist.

Society's perspective:

He was a failure whose life amounted to nothing. An eccentric who led some people astray and was beheaded as a result of his being foolishly outspoken. A misfit in society. He did no miracles and was just an itinerant preacher.

His parent's perspective: 

Imagine a father's agony to realize your son was beheaded as a result of the evil whim of a ruler who just wanted to save face in front of his dinner guests.

Imagine his parents' disappointment to see their son not earning a steady livelihood, but going off into the desert by himself, wearing camel's hair and eating locusts with a dipping sauce of wild honey. 'What did we do wrong? Where did we go off track in raising him?'

Before he was born, an angel visited Zacharias, his father saying, "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord" I am sure they had high hopes for him, and not of a wandering mendicant.

His own perspective:

John did not know the big picture. No idea of his destiny. He was given a narrow view. All he knew was, the Holy Spirit led him to speak and preach. He did not know how exactly Jesus would become "the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world". Like others in Jewish society who grew up under the Maccabees revolt which resulted in bloody oppression, he expected the Messiah to be in the warrior mold of King David. When John was in prison, he did not know if he was mistaken in the vision given to him by God; "are you the messiah or should we wait for another?".
Herein lies his faith and also his humility.

In spite of his narrow view - not just of the Messiah, but also of his own role in all of this - he did it faithfully without demanding answers from God.

He did not raise himself up - he did not tie his career path to 'a shining star'. When he was preaching and baptizing people who sought to follow him, he did not use it to his advantage to get wealth for himself. In fact, he said he was not worthy to untie the Messiah's shoelace - a job reserved for a lowly servant. He also said when his followers were deserting him to follow Jesus, "He must increase and I must decrease".

He did no miracles or rather, no miracles were done through him to validate his ministry and purpose. No healing miracles like Elisha. No fiery power displays like Elijah. No heroic exploits like David and Deborah and Samson. Just a society misfit baptizing with water, calling to holiness and preaching of a Messiah to come.

Jesus' perspective:

"He was a burning and shining lamp" (John 5)

 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11)

Greater than Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, Solomon, Samson, Daniel, Deborah... all the great men of Israel? Wow!


Why do I feel endeared to John the baptist? One reason is, we all can identify with him in that, he did not see the big picture. No rock star career. Bewildered at times. His ministry and life seemed futile.
Perhaps it is like the often used illustration of a tapestry that makes no sense when seen from the underside, Just a tangle of threads. But when reversed, is a beautiful pattern.

Should a preacher be wealthy?

For years I did not know the answer to the question but then I realized that Jesus worked as a carpenter or stone mason for perhaps 24 years (probably since age 6 as his father Joseph's apprentice, until ministry at 30). Apostle Paul worked as a tent maker. Instead of amassing wealth, Jesus would have provided for his family and given to help the poor.

They could have used the money that their followers donated, to amass houses and possessions but as Jesus said, "foxes have holes and birds have nests but the son of Man has nowhere to lay his head".
Jesus had the power to turn stones into gold. Why didn't he do so?

There was an expose TV program on Inside Edition on the televangelists.
However even local megachurch pastors in my city live like this with private jets and million dollar mansions.

Here is what I believe:
If a person becomes wealthy by providing goods or services to society then it is between him and God how he should use his wealth. For instance, the Waltons (Walmart founder), or even non Christians like Bill Gates (microsoft), Jeff Bezos (amazon).
But if a person is amassing wealth by donations from his followers then he has no right to hold onto it but to give it away. He should live a lifestyle at the median level of his followers. The same applies to wealth from book sales and DVD sales to his followers.

As I commented:

Jesus said we must "beware of wolves that will come in to devour the flock" in Matthew 7. All these people get rich not by inventing some new software or patenting a novel ground breaking invention or discovering a new drug that will cure a disease. They just get money by making their followers donate $$$ or buy their books and DVDs.


Interesting comment from user dante_dt:

dante dt
4 months ago
@David BroganIt's not your own free will when you give after being manipulated to give with a hope to receive. You hear all these deceptive teachings and think 'that means for me to get a breakthrough i need to sow a seed into the ministry'. See, that's not free will. The jet is for the ministry? Yeah right,  the ministry is his (Kenneth Copeland Ministries). So the jet is his. Why  do you keep quoting parts of the bible about prosperity? I'm not saying God does not bless people, i have a lot of faith and i'm where i am because God has blessed me a lot. But i will never give my money to these liars.
My whole point is Kenneth makes money by deceptively teaching people to sow into his ministry and for people to believe God for rewards. He makes money from people, where do people get their money from? If Kenneth wants a million dollars, he'll mention it to the church to sow seeds, but if you need a million dollars you need to believe God. It's not about faith, it's presented as if it's about faith.When you deceive someone, you mix truth with lies.Are you not understanding this basic analysis??

dante dt
4 months ago
@David Brogan Do you call it generous when you deceptively receive money from people and donate a portion of it? My  question again David,  why is Kenneth teaching that people must sow a seed into his ministry but they should ask God for blessings. The whole teaching about 'sow a seed to HIS ministry and you'll receive a reward' is a lie. You brought up Paul and 'asking amiss', you see what i mean, when people want to prosper, they're taught to pray to God, sow a seed, have faith but when Kenneth wants a jet, the money comes from the people. When people don't receive anything they're told 'you asked amiss' or 'your lack faith' or 'it's not God's time yet'. The equation for Kenneth's wealth is simple(Kenneth's wealth = money from people) but the equation for people's wealth is complicated(People's wealth = pray in the will of God x Sow a seed x have faith x God's time x Tithe x more variables as Kenneth takes from the bible to shift the goal post).For Kenneth it's one variable, for people, it's a lot.It's a scam David, it's a lie!?


dante dt
4 months ago
?@David Brogan The selling is done tactically and deceptively. People end up giving money to his ministry after being taught they'll receive their money back in multiple folds. My question still stands: if he gets his money for the jets and a huge mansion from people 'sowing seeds' into his ministry as they're taught to do, where do the people get their money from?People are taught "God will reward you' at some point IN THE FUTURE, meanwhile, his bank account full of cash,TODAY.It's deception at its best.?

dante dt
4 months ago
@David Brogan He sells prosperity to people who are desperate. 2Timothy 4:3-4 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.?

And here is a heartbreaking news article from the BBC. I don't like them for their bias but the truth is the truth https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-47675301

"Plant your investment of your time, talent and money into the local community and you are going to find people who need help," says Larry, adding that he knows his neighbourhood pastor personally.

The preincarnate Jesus did judo thousands of years before Jigoro Kano!

The preincarnate Jesus did judo thousands of years before Jigoro Kano!
During their newaza, I wonder if the preincarnate Christ stretched Jacob's leg a certain way and then pushed the hip to dislocate it...

In the Bible (Genesis 32:22-32):

24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I saw God [preincarnate Jesus] face to face, and yet my life was spared.'.

Jesus is All Important

In evangelical Christian churches and to many Christians, Jesus is just a gatekeeper who has let us into heaven by his sacrifice. A gatekeeper to the more wonderful things - getting the power gifts of the Holy Spirit, learning the rest of the Bible and deepening one's theology.

Jesus is their admission ticket to the main show. What do you do with your admission ticket after you get in past the door? You simply put it in your back pocket, out of sight. You head in the sanctuary to participate in the main show.

But Jesus is All Important.

Without him we are Nothing.

I realized this one year ago when I had 5X CABG - open heart bypass surgery.
The doctors also made a mistake leaving a bleeding artery inside my chest. I bled for probably 18 hours and had to ask the visiting surgeon to open me up again. They did so and cauterized the bleeder.

During this time, I could have died at several points in the process. I realized that only Jesus mattered and I had to cling to him. Not a picture of him, because I despise the westernized pictures of him, but the person of Jesus. like holding onto him with everything a blackness and in empty space.

Judo Rules

IJF Rules for reference

Are they ashamed of Jesus' name or afraid to lose popularity?

I was listening to my favorite Christian singers, TobyMac, Lauren Daigle, King and Country and then a thought struck me.
Are they actually singing Christian music? They never say the name Jesus in their songs. Are they ashamed of Jesus' name or afraid to lose popularity? Certainly their lyrics may contain quotes from the Bible, but these are more like code words for evangelicals.
For those who are not from evangelical backgrounds, the songs could mean anything. Just looking at a sample of their songs, 'Shoulders', 'You Say', 'Dry Bones', 'I need you'. They could be referring to romantic love - boyfriend or girlfriend, even saying 'Lord' - for someone from another religion, they can adopt the lyrics as referring to one of their gods. 
Are they ashamed of Jesus' name or afraid to lose popularity?

Luke 9:26 Jesus said:

Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Can a Christian practice the martial arts?

Where there are grey areas not clearly outlawed in the Bible, Christian leaders should give grace and not force their personal opinions on Christian believers. Then they become like the Pharisees, who placed heavy burdens on the people. Who required standards that God himself did not ask for. Leaders often like to control the people. If an activity is healthy for the body and is not idolatrous nor blasphemous then do not forbid it.

Is it not better to do an activity that keeps you healthy and fit than a man (or woman) being in sin?
Either overt moral sins like pornography, adultery, alcoholism, drug addiction.

Or passive sins like gluttony, watching TV serials and sports or the internet for hours daily.  

John Ankerberg cautions against the martial arts, but the testimonies he picks below are of Karate.

https://www.jashow.org/articles/new-age/should-christians-participate-in-the-martial-arts-%E2%80%93-three-testimonies/

The founder of Judo hated all religions and kept the discipline secular. Although however, to some it is the only thing in their life, and is their religion.

My child and I started learning judo together, and we love it. As long as it does not become our idol, it is good and healthy regardless of its origins. A relevant passage from the Bible comes to mind. apostle Paul says you can eat food that may have been offered before idols as long as you pray thanking God for the food.

Can it become an idol?

1 Corinthians 8:4-6

“An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

The passage says that the body was created through the Lord Jesus and "through whom we live".

As a Christian, your conscience will warn you if anything you are doing is against the Holy Spirit. Anything that is straying into Buddhism (for Judo), or Hinduism (for Yoga).

What about their pagan origins?

Even so, for some Christians even the slightest connection to pagan origins is enough to condemn the practice of judo, karate, yoga etc.

I suggest you ask them;

Do you celebrate Christmas, and if so, do you have a Christmas tree?

Jeremiah 10: "For the customs of the people are vain: for one 1) cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. 2) They deck it with silver and with gold; 3) they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."

and 4) we put gifts under the tree as if in worship/

That sounds suspiciously like a Christmas tree!

Someone recently said to me the passage refers to idols. But if 3 out of 4 are met, then that sounds pagan to me...


But some Yoga stretches are sun salutations.

This seems like cultural prejudice out of ignorance and does harm to Christianity.
Many stretches we do for sports, in gymnastics and in athletics are also yoga poses ('butterfly', 'bridge', 'dancer', 'cobra' etc). Should we stop doing them?

Furthermore it is unknown if they were exercises already known to ancient society and adopted into yoga.

We must take authority over something good - beneficial stretching of the various postures of the human body. Glorify God through the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
One can do a yoga pose to Jesus, playing worship music and praising God.
Again, we must take authority, and not surrender it.

Just because another religion claims something good as its own does not mean we must surrender it.
For instance, the 'namaste' greeting used in India is supposed to mean, "I worship the spirit within you". Certainly, it is not Christian as only followers of Jesus have the Holy Spirit. But does that mean this harmless greeting should now be opposed by Indian Christians?

God created every pose and physical orientation of our muscular and skeletal system. Everything was created by Jesus and through Jesus.

Colossians 1:16

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;all things have been created through him and for him.

It is like Paul said about eating food that may have been offered to idols - God created the food.

1 Corinthians 8

 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.[a]
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

But didn't Jesus command us to not defend ourselves?

Matthew 5:39 New International Version (NIV)

39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

For many years I thought those who refer to this as a command to ignore an insult, were dishonest. Recently, I was thinking it over and realized, it is our modern American and Western society that sees a slap as violence. In earlier times and even nowadays in the developing world, a slap is a rebuke or a humiliation.

Notice also that Jesus refers to a slap, not a blow with a fist, nor a blow with a stick, knife or other weapon.

Sadly, I do not know how many Christians have been misled to not defend themselves by a misinterpretation of this verse.

But what about kneeling to your sensei or the founder's photo?

As a judo beginner, I was uneasy at kneeling and bowing to Jigoro Kano's portrait and to the sensei at the start and end of each class. I did not want to stop learning judo over this.

Then I read that the Japanese bow and kneel as a mark of respect. I also told myself and my son to think to himself while in that posture, that, "Jesus, I am kneeling before you, not Jigoro Kano".

I was gratified to read that Kano was secular and hated all religions. So I did not have to worry about strains of Shintoism or Buddhism in the teachings.

But will there be a divergence or tension between Christian teachings and martial arts teachings?

We must make all areas of our lives submit to the Bible. Yet we must also wrestle with how we are interpreting the Bible - whether our opinion and conviction is correct or incorrect. We must be open to examining if we may have misinterpreted the Bible.

I always try to find a Bible verse that aligns with a new teaching I learn in judo.

for instance,

when learning about relaxing the body during a fight, I remember "be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted in the heavens, I will be exalted in the earth".


when learning about judo being the gentle way absorbing or deflecting an attack and turning the tables on the attacker, I remember, "a soft answer turns away wrath" and  ignoring an insult, "If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."

In the end these are philosophies and every philosophy must bend the knee to Jesus.

Selfish King Solomon

Solomon had so much favor with God, and I wonder why he chose idols.

I believe Israel found God's laws difficult to observe and their pagan gods allowed them to live as they pleased.

Solomon had great wealth, so much that I wondered if it was somehow an exaggeration. His annual income was 25 tons of gold.

He used gold to cover a lot of the things in his house.

Where did all this come from?

The people.

He taxed them heavily.

He was a selfish king.

Another insight I had;

Wisdom is not the same as Righteousness. A wise person may not be righteous.

Solomon was a wise king, but he was not a righteous one.

He was sinful in his idolatry, and sinful in his selfish overtaxing of the people.

Are women allowed to teach?

This is a controversial topic. The apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:8-15, “I do not permit a woman to
teach or to assume authority over a man”.
My personal interpretation is:
a) Paul elsewhere makes blanket statements, “Cretans [inhabitant of island of Crete] are always
liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. This saying is true.”, in Titus 1:12. Was it just a personal
outburst or an absolute and eternal truth?
b) “ I do not permit… ” is a personal statement.
c) Deborah was a warrior leader, prophetess and judge of Israel for decades. She was definitely
in authority over men. Huldah was a prophetess. Philip’s daughters prophesied.
d) There is continuity from O.T. to N.T. See the table in #5. If God did not want women to teach or
have authority over men, then there would have been such a restriction in the O.T. too. we
would have seen it throughout.
John Piper says that women are not allowed to teach. Piper is wrong but no one will listen to me because I do not have a microphone. Here is one simple reason. The Bible is consistent from Old Testament to the New New Testament for instance Animal Sacrifices became Living Sacrifices (Galatians), Tithing became Freewill Giving (Corinthians), Physical Circumcision became Circumcision of the Heart. If there truly was prohibition on women teaching then why wouldn't we have seen that in the Old Testament and no affirmation from Jesus also that women cannot teach? This restriction from Paul is in the same category as him saying, "All Cretans are liars". It is perhaps reminiscent of the anti-semitic rants of Martin Luther.

i) Since women did not lead or teach often in secular life, it was not due to a stricture from
God, but women were illiterate and a weaker section of society.
ii) The O.T. priests were men only. But in the N.T., all believers are priests. There is no
spiritual distinction between men and women being priests. “...nor is there male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
e) There was no such prohibition from Jesus. However, all the apostles were men.
f) My Christian journey has been blessed by the teachings of women like Kay Arthur and Alaine
Pakkala.
I do not know if women can be senior pastors (again, Old Testament model!) but I am convinced that
they can teach and preach.

I was discouraged and stopped posting...

for 1.5 years we attended the branch site of a megachurch in the Chicago suburbs, (www.chapel.org). I corresponded with the senior pastor via email. Their response is to kick you out without biblical process Matt 18, if you ask hard questions.

Megachurches in America are just businesses masquerading as the body of Christ. They have two classes of people - staff (clergy) and congregation. They aim to get the congregation to give 10% of their income, and volunteer and make up the numbers.
The staff does the spiritual work. The congregation is the audience that is only allowed to sit and cheer. It is sickening.

Was America founded as a Christian nation?

In our church prayer meeting this morning, our pastor prayed that school shootings like the Parkland Florida happened because we "removed God from our schools and were a Christian nation, and are trying to erase the Creator".

I was remembering my email conversation with a friend after our trip to Washington DC last August. I put my responses down here.

In the Capitol (where Congress meets), the ceiling of the dome is painted.
The painting in the Cupola is called the Apotheosis of Washington where it depicts him as God in heaven... here it is. https://goo.gl/images/pfcL6d

We saw the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Capitol Hill , money being printed at the mint, and some of the museums. We visited the Air and Space Museum, and saw the Hope Diamond in the museum of natural history. But we could explore them for only a few hours each. We watched the president's Marine Corps band play a concert at the lawns of the Washington Monument in the night. On our way back we visited Gettysburg and retraced some of the battle through the battlefields. We are still driving back home as we speak.
But my overall impression was that Washington was made into a god even the painting in the Cupola showed him as God and he had the capital named after him and in the Capitol Museum it clearly said that he was a Freemason and his Freemasonry geometry tools were used in the measuring of the laying of the capitol. These were displayed. Also I had read before that our currency has Freemasonry in it in the pyramid and Eye and I had dismissed them as conspiracy theories. Not anymore. This did not seem like a very Christian Nation to me when I saw it. There was no mention of Jesus or even God and as far as I could see there was only glorification of the founding fathers and I said this even when we entered the country 20 years ago; the founding fathers are  revered as the prophets and the Constitution is the Bible. I wonder if America is inventing its own religion called Americanism. It sounds crazy to even think it. Also they're rewriting history. Civil War retelling glorified the Union as morally good and the Confederates as evil. But it has been argued by theologians that the Bible does not prohibit slavery and the Confederates were fighting sincerely for their cause. The capital tour guide told us that they will be removing all the Confederate statues in the capital. The Confederate states are pushing for their removal.


Through the years, I have heard sermons in American churches of how godly the founding fathers were.

However when I saw for myself, I was shocked and I wonder if American Christians are in denial.
I find it sinister that the Washington monument is a Freemason symbol and also no other building is allowed to be taller than it. Even a secular webpage has this to say.

"While the idea that the obelisk is a representation of the phallus may be a story that seems stranger than fiction, when you think of Washington as the founding father of the United States, and the obelisk being a representation of fatherhood/patriarchy, it makes a lot of sense. Moreover, Washington was a Master Freemason, which in their terminology deems him as a “living stone” who became the cornerstone of American civilization. All the stars seem to align and the dots connect as to why the Washington monument was erected (no pun intended) in his honour."
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/06/18/the-surprising-hidden-meaning-of-the-washington-monument/

It becomes absolutely clear when there is no mention of Jesus at all in the shrines of America - that the "in God we trust" refers to a general god - just like Brahman, or Zeus or Buddha or Allah.

On my mother's side of the family, they were devout and strong Christians.
But on my father's side, my father's father was a Hindu and a freemason.
My father recalls, as a boy, seeing him in his robes.
I found this article about freemasonry being a religion.

http://www.padfield.com/1993/lodge.html

Book Review - Even In Our Darkness by Jack Deere

I am usually not this enthusiastic about a book. But this book has consumed me the past week.

video review here https://youtu.be/iumbl-NV2qw

(Note:
A) I spent many hours consuming and reviewing this book as a tribute to Jack Deere, and also I think as a father myself,
I was mourning the suicide of his son.

B) I originally rated it 5 stars but lowered it to 3 stars for this reason:
Three weeks after I read the digital book as part of the so-called "launch team" whose purpose was to generate social media publicity for the book, I have no desire to read it again.
Too much pain and too little teaching that I can refer to to help me with my life. The editors in their well-meaning ignorance removed Jack's "how-tos, illustrations, teaching". Now all that is left is the story.

C) It seems to me that the publisher (Zondervan) formed launch teams whose purpose was to generate 5-star reviews.
When 5-star reviews are created before they are released to the public, then there are few negative reviews and
it generates lots of book sales. When I posted an honest but somewhat unflattering review below, I was removed from the
launch team without any explanation. As a Christian, I felt used by these other Christians.
(I purchased two printed copies. I received one free signed copy - see attached photo)
----

Question: Can we escape our generational curses?
Numbers 14. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’
Ezekiel 18:20 The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child.
1. This is a book about generational curses.
I do not know if even Jack Deere realizes it since he does not mention it in the book.
I used to wonder about the two contradictory Bible verses above. After reading his book, now I understand what they mean.
We are doomed to repeat the sinful patterns of our parents and grandparents.
When we are friends with God, we can mitigate or even remove completely, the curse resulting from repeating their patterns.
Jack’s father was callous and in his selfish pursuit of his career, he neglected his family.
Jack’s mother and her father did not have any love for Jack and were physically cruel to him.
They were also sexually promiscuous.
The teenage Jack resolves to put it all behind him because Christ makes us a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
However it is not so easy. He repeats his father’s patterns of callousness and to his son and wife.
I think there was a failure of communication and involvement with his son,
which is not fully brought out in the book.
The book is a journey of the suicide of Jack’s father, the conflict with cessationist Dallas Seminary,
the suicide of Jack’s son, and the childhood sexual abuse and addictions of his wife.

2. Growing up, he thinks that romantic love (“The Kiss”) will rescue him from his pit - this is the salvation that the secular world preaches.
Just like a girl dreams of a knight in shining armor who will sweep her off her feet and rescue her from her dragons.

3. During the downward spiral of his parent’s marriage and his father’s unraveling, they visit a church.
Some men from the church come and visit once, and then move on since his father does not join their church.
This is an indictment of the American church system.
Tragically there was no one in the church system who would come around and befriend an unbeliever couple - Jack's parents.
Either you join their club, or they move on.
Seeker sensitive megachurches are no different. They seem more 'accepting' of unbelievers and are modern.
However, they just want our money - the 10% tithe of our incomes. "Give to God through us", they exclaim.

4. This book is revolutionary in a spiritual way. With his earlier books,
Jack was revolutionary for embracing and propagating Charismatic Theology as a professor of the cessationist Dallas Seminary.
Why is this book revolutionary? In the secular universe, achievement and success in life is the measure of the life of a man or woman.
In the Christian universe, your measure of sinlessness is the measure of your spiritual worth.
I have never seen a pastor confess a real sin unless it was from the distant past.
The only time pastors and christian leaders confess a real sin is when they are found out,
caught and about to be punished. I don’t know if Jack Deere has confessed his major sins in this book but they are for sure,
sins to some degree.
It is no longer fashionable to wear one's Sunday Best to church. Nowadays preachers wear untucked shirts, and jeans to the pulpit.
However they still wear their Sunday Best in terms of the image or brand they convey.
Confessing your real sins will get you terminated or lowered in spiritual status.
Likewise with the congregation - 'their sins go underground'.

5. This book is remarkable for a third reason.
This book is remarkable in that ordinary people can relate to things in it. I know that I can identify with some of the things in the book.
I would say that all memoirs or autobiographies are written for the author’s glory (though few will admit to it).
For the reader to admire and adore the author’s achievements or strength of person. “Wow!”.
Christian memoirs are written to show how God chose the author “anointed” and partnered with him or her to achieve some great purpose.
Reader thinks, “Wow! This person was special”
I was suspicious when I started reading the book. But Jack Deere’s book genuinely seems to have been written to give God the glory.
The unseen wind of God moving in his circumstances was God’s hand on Deere’s life.
God’s hand is in the spotlight, not Jack Deere. The reader feels closer to God.
The reader thinks, “Wow, how great is our God! He can be accessible to me and his hand can be on my life too”. The book fulfills its purpose.

6. There is something missing in the book and if I could ask Deere one question:
I did not see even one mention of the correction, spanking, punishment of the believer by God.
Where does it fit into Jack’s theology? I wonder if growing up, he felt only punishment and no love from his mother, father and grandfather,
so that his book is all about the love of God, and none of the correction.

7. On a positive note, what I find great about this book is that it tells us that God is accessible to all of us.
We do not need to be great men or pastors or theologians like Jack was.
This book is also a warning from another's mistakes - we must parent with our presence

8. There is a warning for those of us who are parents.
As I see it, Jack did not give Scott his presence.
Scott is molested by a church worker in John Wimber’s church - Wimber was the founder of the Vineyard/Jesus movement!
(It is a strange thing to read of the power of God manifest in their church, yet such sin).
Parenting with your presence involves sacrifice.
I don't know why, but it appears that the Duartes were more Scott's parents than Jack was.
Scott lived with them for over an year and they paid for his college.
Jack Deere's involvement with his son seems to have been limited to hunting in Montana.
Why not schoolwork or learning a trade together or living with him?
It is easy to diagnose from a distance (and may seem unfair) and to comment on other's lives.
But I am thankful that Jack Deere has laid out his life for us to learn from.
If anything, it makes me resolve to parent with my presence.

9. If I have a criticism of the book;
The picture I have in mind of a jagged piece of wood with saw cuts and chisel holes.
Abrasive peaks and shadowy depths. The original book was like this.
Then his journalist son edited it and it became like someone who pours glue on the piece of wood.
When it dries, the sharp edges become smooth, the valleys are filled. It is polished.
And we have lost our view of the roughness and true persona of the author.
Important request to Zondervan (publisher of Even In Our Darkness):
In author Jack Deere's interview to Publisher's Weekly, (Feb 13, 2018), "[Deere] had trouble just telling the story. He wanted to add lessons and how-tos and applications to his tale. Deere’s journalist son Stephen and Zondervan editor John Sloan helped edit out the teaching and stick to the story, Deere said."
The teaching that you removed, is important to Christians.
We want to understand what the Bible teaches on the topics the book wrestles with.
The Holy Spirit, Suffering, God's Will, God's Power. Deere is a theologian and will have plenty to teach on these.
Can you please repackage the parts that you edited out, into an appendix of Question and Answer format? If it is too late to add to the print copy, then please make the appendix available as a bonus download from the book's website.
Otherwise the book reads like a well written newspaper article - a gripping read, but without teaching that we can use in our lives, becomes forgettable after a few weeks. .

10. Almost no mention of Jack's mother after he was 15 even though he stayed at home while attending TCU in Ft. Worth.
It is almost as if chunks were edited out. His mother bought a 3 bedroom house but we later read that he was in a mobile home.
What happened in between?

11. The clash between charismatic and cessationist theology cost Jack Deere his job, his church, and his friends.
Why doesn't God speak more clearly or divinely to people telling them the correct interpretation of a passage of scripture?
From my geography book as a child,
a cartoon diagram of the earth with 4 persons standing at opposite diameters, N,S,W,E each of them thinks they are up.
When we were newlyweds in India, an elder from our church,
Alex Kurian, a PhD graduate of Dallas Seminary invited us to tea in Bangalore.
I asked him my question, and he could not answer adequately.
A Jewish acquaintance scornfully remarked to me (when I shared the gospel) that Christianity has split into 3,000 religions.

12. Gun lovers may not like this, but a gun has so much destructive power and so easy to pull the trigger. If the Deere family did not own guns perhaps they would not have had double tragedies. I read that suicide and adultery travels down generations. It may be good for the Deere family to have a pact to get rid of their guns for the sake of their kids and grandkids, nephews and nieces, so that killing oneself with a gun will not be an easy option.

pastors lie and are not struck dead. why not?

I feel sad for Ananias and Sapphira.

I do not understand. It is most unfair. Megachurch pastors lie to collect 10% of our income but they are not struck dead. Why not?

The megachurch we were attending until a few months ago (http://www.chapel.org) has gotten around the tithing lie by not calling it a tithe, but saying "we should give at least 10% of our income to God". It is their requirement (one of three) for all members. 2 Corinthians Chap 9 says we should give what we have decided in our hearts. 

Nowhere does it say "at least a tithe". so why do these pastors get away scot-free?

Acts 5:1-11New International Version (NIV)Ananias and Sapphira5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heartthat you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

pastors lie and are not struck dead. why not?

I feel sad for Ananias and Sapphira.

I do not understand. It is most unfair. Megachurch pastors lie to collect 10% of our income but they are not struck dead. Why not?

The megachurch we were attending until a few months ago (http://www.chapel.org) has gotten around the tithing lie by not calling it a tithe, but saying "we should give at least 10% of our income to God". It is their requirement (one of three) for all members. 2 Corinthians Chap 9 says we should give what we have decided in our hearts. 

Nowhere does it say "at least a tithe". so why do these pastors get away scot-free?

Acts 5:1-11New International Version (NIV)Ananias and Sapphira5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heartthat you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.