How to Spot a Creep

Monday, September 27, 2021

How to Spot a Creep – Audio Version

Jude _:4

The Epistle of Jude, the next-to-last book of New Testament, has only one chapter. Its fourth verse says:

For certain individuals have crept in unnoticed, those who long ago were designated for such condemnation, irreverent sorts, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality/licentiousness and deny our only Sovereign and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jude, quite possibly the brother of Jesus

A lot of commentaries, preachers, and Bible teachers might waste your time by turning your attention away from the immediate relevance of this verse. They will present likely historical scenarios pertaining to how and when this once happened, nearly two thousand years ago. Given my theological training, I would likely find what they say all quite interesting and potentially helpful. It might bore you to tears, though.

As good as all the secondary textual information might be, the most important issue is whether this verse has any immediate relevance today. Does it apply to us here and now? Yes, it most certainly does. What is described in this verse is happening now, and happens frequently.

Certain individuals are creeping into homes, schools, churches, and (especially) social media. But the word creeping can be easily misunderstood. These creeping individuals often do not appear creepy at all. On the contrary, they seem smart, polished, reputable, and likable. What makes them creepy is not their appearance nor their mannerism, but their agenda. They will (probably) not disclose their true intentions. They will not tell you up front that their intention is to make some “helpful and necessary” changes to the curriculum, or the lectionary, or whatever you want to call the informational content — that is, the accepted doctrine.

But Jude tells us very clearly what these creeps are up to. They will pervert the grace of God. They will pervert or swap the grace of God for something else. Instead of the grace of God, they will offer a license to sin. They will give people permission to be self-indulgent in a way that Scripture forbids. They will tell people that (re-defined) grace allows us to live in a manner that God has deemed sinful and deadly. And yes, this is happening now, and happens frequently.

Jude also tells us that they will deny Jesus Christ. Oops, I realize I need to make an immediate correction. More specifically, these creeps will deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. They will not necessarily deny the historical Jesus, but will “knowledgeably” reappraise what the Church has “errantly” said about him. Some will deny that Jesus Christ is the only Master and Lord. No, they will say, there are several other worthy and wise sovereigns, teachers, and gurus. Some creeps will claim that Jesus was merely a noble teacher, who presented a worthy ethic. Other creeps will say that Jesus was actually a political revolutionary, who met a tragic and regrettable end by execution. But in one way or another, the creeps will all say that Jesus’ disciples got it wrong. The creeps will all deny that Jesus is our only Sovereign and Lord. And yes, many such creeps are on the loose right now, making precisely these claims. You are likely to encounter some of them today, most likely on your digital device.

Now that Jude has told you what to look for, you might find it a bit easier to spot a creep.

The Smug and the Lazy

Friday, September 17, 2021

The Smug and the Lazy – Audio Version

Two problematic, contrary strains exist within American Evangelicalism. The first is a smug, smarter-than-thou, prejudicial and elitist intellectualism. The second is a lazy can’t-and-won’t-be-bothered-to-think anti-intellectualism. Both are bad. Both are a persistent threat to the growth of a disciple’s faith.

Which is the more toxic strain, though? That’s a good question, and a tough question. At first glance, it is hard to say. However, if forced to choose, I would would say the former is worse than the latter. Yes, I see smug intellectualism as even worse than lazy anti-intellectualism, because smug-intellectualism ultimately deceives more gullible people than lazy anti-intellectualism. In the long run, smug intellectuals are far more influential than lazy pew-sitters.

That said, the irony is that two strains (or trends) actually have a symbiotic relationship. The lazy are content to let the smug do the hard thinking for them. And the smug need the lazy to continue being lazy, lest someone seriously challenge their assertions. It would be bad if the smug were exposed as flawed. It would be especially bad if the smug were exposed as charlatans.

But they often are. They often are charlatans.

That is harsh, I admit. And perhaps it is a bit less than fair. Sometimes the smug are not entirely smug; they’re actually a mixed bag. They are indeed right about a lot of things. They have real integrity, to a degree. They have done their homework diligently and have come to the right conclusions. And yet, at the very same time, there are certain subjects and touchy topics where they lack integrity. In those particular areas, they have not done their homework sufficiently, nor have they come to the right conclusions. But the lazy ordinary folks, the hoi polloi, need not know that, should not know that.

The accompanying problem is that they, the smug, often achieve and then hold official positions of prestige. Once you have an honorary title and receive regular compensation, you are obliged to the institution, the guild, or the denomination. And you quickly realize it is best for your professional future not to contradict what everyone seems to know as capital T truth. Your colleagues and superiors will surely notice any deviance. So you tow the party line. And you parrot the pre-approved talking points.

These are the dynamics that routinely play out in schools, churches, and institutions. Breakthrough change often necessarily comes from a brave soul on the periphery. Numerous historical examples come immediately to mind. They were often seen as misfits and pests in their own time. But history ultimately vindicates them. More importantly, God ultimately vindicates them.

His Message to Smyrna

Thursday, September 16, 2021

His Message to Smyrna – Audio Version

Ninety-nine years have passed since it occurred. But I only learned of it within the last week.

Yesterday I finished reading a book by Lou Ureneck about the Great Fire of Smyrna in September, 1922. If I were to place a small bet, I would wager that most of my readers and listeners are entirely unfamiliar with the 1922 Fire of Smyrna. So was I, less than a week ago.

Alternatively, I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of my readers and listeners — maybe even all of them — would know exactly what I have in mind if I were merely to drop the names Heinrich Himmler, Nazi, and Auschwitz. I am, of course, referring to the Holocaust during World War Two.

The 1922 Fire of Smyrna was a foreshadow of the Holocaust, two decades in advance. The perpetrators of the 1922 Smyrna Fire were not Nazis, but another militaristic, nationalist group. Like the Nazis, the violent perpetrators of the Great Smyrna Fire wanted to once and for all rid “their” land of neighbors they deemed inferior, undesirable, and loathsome. The undesirable neighbors in their crosshairs were the Greek and Armenian Christian minorities of Anatolia. To their delight, the perpetrators’ plans prevailed. They were almost entirely successful in ridding their land of their loathsome, undesirable neighbors. Nonetheless, the perpetrators were unable to completely annihilate all their undesirable Christian neighbors. With the help of a few intervening outsiders, a considerable portion of the Christian minorities of Anatolia were delivered from certain death. The book I read is about the rescue effort conducted by the intervening outsiders. The account completely and utterly captivated me.

You will not recognize their names, but Asa Kent Jennings and Halsey Powell should forever be recognized for their great courage, faith, and heroism. I sincerely believe the two will hold a place of high honor in heaven. They saved hundreds of thousands of people from certain death.

Aside from my lifelong interest in history, one of the primary reasons that Ureneck’s account was so compelling to me is because of its locale. Smyrna appears in the Book of Revelation. It is the second of the seven churches addressed by Jesus in the opening section of Revelation.

If you read what Jesus has to say to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna (see Revelation 2:8-11), it undoubtedly applies to the original recipients, who lived there nearly two thousand years ago. But what Jesus had to say could also (almost) equally apply to the Christians who found themselves besieged by death in Smyrna 99 years ago. Although separated by centuries, the historical situation was very, very similar. And Jesus’ words were equally apt for both situations.

In my estimation, the coincidence of geographic location and recapitulated historical situation speaks to the prophetic nature of the Book of Revelation. I would even say that it is one of many like instances which reveal that God is indeed the ultimate author of the Book of Revelation.