Who in this world has the kind of children Paul expects a pastor to have, according to a literal rendering of 1 Timothy 3:4-3 in which he instructs Timothy concerning the criteria for an overseer of the church:

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) (NIV)

In Chapter 12 of my book, titled, "Unfit Leader," I make the case that even God can't meet those expectations--His children are all out of control! Therefore, the meaning of ὑποταγῇ (eu-po-ta-gay), which the New American Standard translates with the English control, is obviously not best for interpreting this passage. In fact, the best way to interpret the passage is to understand that managing one's family and caring for one's children is a good tool of measuring how a Christian leader will care for God's flock. Does he or she abandon their family or children when they are unruly, or do they continue to love them as God loves us when we are less than perfect?

In His dust,
Johnny

During my childhood, I went to a Baptist church, which emphasized the “decision.” I eventually made the “decision” alone on my couch late one night at the age of eleven—which was a heartfelt request that Jesus become a part of my life in return for my loyalty as a believer who would behave accordingly, etc., etc. Of course, by the time I began to notice girls, I then spent many nights praying and repenting for my not-so-Christian behavior.

Later in life, I moved my theological view into the realm of Weslyan- Armenianism where I came to understand that one’s daily walk is much like one’s marriage—each day a person must decide to be faithful.

I believe that the moment of choosing to follow Christ is important, not because it is the guarantee of heaven, but because it is something of a covenant moment in which one chooses to turn from the fruit of the forbidden tree and begins to accept only that which the Spirit of God provides—recognizing that God alone is the provider of all things. The covenant moment is a spiritual form of the bread and wine in which a new Christian covenants with Christ by laying down his own cup and, drinking from Christ’s, he or she enters into an alliance with the Lord that requires one’s daily commitment to the body of Christ and the Lord himself.

The "decision" itself--also referred to as the "Sinner's Prayer"—can be misunderstood and accepted as the most important goal of one's Christian life, when it is only the beginning of the journey. Someone has said many of us do more planning for our wedding than we ever do for our marriages. In the small group I attend, someone pointed out that we can idolize marriage instead of idolizing God and honoring one another as husband and wife. The same can be true of our faith—we idolize religion instead of idolizing God and honoring one another as members of the body of Christ.

The bread and cup which Jesus shared with his disciples in Luke 22 represented a Jewish alliance, not unlike other ancient Jewish alliances in which an engagement between a young woman and man would agree to marry.  The young couple would share from the same cup, symbolizing their allegiance to one another, following the offering of the "bride price," which the father of the groom-to-be would offer the father of the bride-to-be as recognition of his daughter's great value to her family (Paul alludes to the bride price in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

For mature Christians, it is not the the "decision" that is most joyful and fulfilling. They have learned, like married couples, that it can be easy to say I do during the emotional high of the wedding day. But being able to say I still do throughout the years of real life marriage is the only evidence of a genuine "decision."

In His dust,
Johnny

Where is heaven? This question is one that I love to entertain. The responses are always varied and some of them are very curious.

Throughout my own research of the subject, I have discovered some wonderful mysteries about the "place" of heaven. In fact, it seems that heaven is a place and isn't a place all at the same time. What is most important about how one answers the initial question with which I began this post, is how much of an impact it has on one's life and actions as a Christian in the here and now.

In a series of 10-minute videos (WARNING: The lighting is not perfect in the videos.), I discuss "When, What, Where is Heaven," and the subject branches into so many areas of life, theology, and philosophy  that what we actually learn about heaven is how mysteriously the subject actually is, even in the Bible.
Click on the underlined title above, watch one or two of the videos, and, with your own study and insights, feel free to add to this deeply important topic of heaven.

In His dust,
Johnny

In Chapter 8 of my book Swim: Into the Jewish Depths of the Christian Bible, I debate the accusation that the sin for which Sodom has become infamous was that of homosexuality. The English word 'sodomy,' considered a crime in many U.S. states, comes from the belief that any and all practices of sexual activity that are anything but the "normal" act of intercourse - even between heterosexual couples (including married couples) -  is a sinful behavior, and is rooted in the story of Sodom (See Genesis 19).

Though, upon one's first read, an impression can be made that the sin of Sodom is homosexuality, the true sin of Sodom is specifically named elsewhere in the Bible, and "THE" sin of Sodom is much different than one may expect.

If you, like I, was brought up in a church where the sin of Sodom was taught to be that of homosexuality, this chapter can be very enlightening.

What in fact was the sin of Sodom?

_It's strange how our insecurities make it difficult not to impose our own cultural comforts on others. It seems that sometimes even the kind of pants or jacket one chooses to wear runs the risk of making one suspect of offense.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but does it not seem that the mantra "Come as you are," in some places seems to mean one is "encouraged" to wear a sweatshirt and blue jeans--or even pajamas--but please don't dissuade the yard work clothes of others by putting on a sports coat and Bostonian's. We probably shouldn't use the word "dissuade" in that venue either. "Come as you talk," would most likely mean, "Use only a simple vocabulary."

I'm really not complaining, but sometimes recognizing that the pendulum has merely swung fully in the opposite direction rather than flowed toward the center is a good observation. The risk of the ostracized becoming the ostracizer is always a viable possibility when human beings attempt to drastically right the wrongs of other human beings. Just because we choose to tolerate something about others, doesn't mean we are not intolerant of something about others. All you have to do is hate a hater to prove me right on that one. "I hate racists"; "I can't stand homophobes"; and "Thank you, Lord, that I'm not like that tax collector" are all born of the same kind of self-righteous bigotry.

How about this: Don't advertise "come as you are," just come as you are, and other people will then come as they are. And, whatever that is, let them come as they are. Don't try to make yourself comfortable by telling them, after they come as they are, "You don't have to come that way. Just come as you are!"

I have moved my website from the older version for two reasons:

1. It's time for a change, and
2. I like change.

    I am looking forward to the discussions here at "Jewish Depths of the Christian Bible" and hope we can all benefit greatly from what we will discover together.

In His dust,
Johnny