by | October 29, 2010 · 10:32 pm

Old Navy Smiles

 

It’s always great to meet nice people. This lady and I really hit it off this evening. We got along so well, and funny thing, my wife didn’t even mind that I was talking to her. Amazing!

You see, this just goes to show that you CAN go out in public and talk about the Lord without making people angry. This lady (I never got her name) was so gracious and kind. She let me talk and never tried to interrupt. All the while, she had such a pleasant spirit about her. I would bet she is a Christian.

By the way, as Annie would say, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” So, I will walk out of Old Navy wearing a smile, while at the same time happy I met a new friend and have a couple of new shirts. That means I nearly have a new wardrobe.

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by | October 29, 2010 · 9:29 am

Dinosaur Bones Found on Moon!

What would be the impact on our philosophical, religious, and even evolutionary theories if bones from large reptiles were found on the moon?

Who would be most shaken up?  Would you lose your faith in God? Would you have to rethink your science?  What would it do to you? The fact is that if it would change your core beliefs, then maybe you should re-examine them right now.  You don’t know what may happen just around the corner that could turn your world upside down.

Well, to be honest, this was originally just a test to see what kind of headline really catches people’s attention.  Did it yours?  If so, then why?

Even if dinosaur bones were found on the moon, or even if alien people landed on the White House lawn (really, could they even do that without getting pegged by surface-to-air missiles?), Christianity could stand the test.  As a friend of mine, Steve Castlen, put it:

No it wouldnt shake my faith because:
1. The creation itself still needs a “Creator”.
2. The fine-tuning of the physical laws still needs a “Tuner”.
3. Moral laws still need a “Law Giver”.
4. The historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection still stands.
5. And all life, even alien life cant come from non-life.

So, what do you think?  There is coming a day when the Bible predicts that the lies from the Enemy would be so strong that “even the elect” would have a hard time not believing them:

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect. – Matthew 24:24

Give it some thought.

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by | October 28, 2010 · 11:22 am

When you hear the sound of the trumpet…

Last night I had the honor to participate in an event of community prayer.  I was invited to speak by Shelton Brown, a student at Soddy Daisy High School.  If you don’t know what happened, a whole bunch of people gathered together in the park to celebrate our right and freedom to pray, even though it was recently mandated that prayer be stopped before football games.  This meeting was organized by students who decided enough was enough.

In my closing remarks (I spoke for 7 1/2 minutes) I brought up the story of Nehemiah, specifically a part in chapter 4, verse 20.  Nehemiah, in response to threats from enemies intent on stopping them from rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, set people on the wall as lookouts.   Being that the wall was big and spread out, and being that there were few people, Nehemiah came up with a plan.  He said :

The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall.  Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there.  Our God will fight for us.”

To me, and I am just little ol’ me, there should have been a lot more people present last night.   Why?  A trumpet was sounded for the body of Christ to come to the aid of not only Soddy Daisy, but for all of Hamilton County.  An attack on our freedoms, as both Christians and Americans, has come to our soil.  Why is it that our schedules and programs and our own sections of the wall are more important than stopping the enemy somewhere else?

Last night was your typical “Wednesday night prayer meeting” night.  Besides the fact that prayer is rarely the object of attention at most of these meetings, what would have been wrong with jumping in the church bus and heading to where the trumpet was sounding?  Where there may have been 500+ at this event last night, there should have been 1-2000.  Why were they not there?  Because it was more important for local congregations to remain safe and snug in their own little sections of  “the wall.”  Here was a prime example of LEGALISM in action, for many did not want to participate in an event that featured speakers that weren’t of a particular denomination.  Here was a prime example of LAZINESS, for it may have been difficult to get people together to go somewhere on a weeknight, especially if it wasn’t to Ryan’s or the bowling alley.  Here was a prime example of DENIAL, PRIDE, and APATHY, for there were others that did not attend because they either didn’t think there’s a problem; it wasn’t their idea; or they just really didn’t care.  Folks, what has been “typical” needs to be trashed.

This past Sunday I told my congregation that I would be in Soddy Daisy on Wednesday night because a trumpet had been sounded.  I went to stand in the gap with my brothers and sisters that cared enough to make a public stand against the tyranny of a few over the wishes of the people.  In the future, when other trumpets are sounded,  I pray that the churches of our county and our country will rally together in defence of the few walls we have left in this nation that, for now, claims to be “under God.”

May our God truly fight for us, for we don’t seem to want to fight for oursleves.

…Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses. – Nehemiah 4:14

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by | October 21, 2010 · 1:51 pm

Anthony’s Appetite #3 (The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe)

I love BBQ.  As a matter of fact, I think that when God told the Apostle Peter to eat the stuff that was on the sheet that was lowered down, BBQ sauce must have been included.  It had to come from God as a thing ordained from Heaven.  Consider the following words from Acts 10:11-13

He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth, in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. A voice came to him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat!”

At first Peter was not about to do this thing, for on that sheet (I think it was the first picnic sheet) were things formerly unclean, presumably including pork.  God then says to Peter, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.”  Folks, let it be said,

“If to God you want to be true, eat everything with Barbeque.”

Alright, so I won’t get an “A” in biblical hermeneutics, but hopefully you get the point.  BBQ must be ordained by God, so we must try to eat it everywhere we can to find the best to recommend.  With that, here’s a suggestion.

The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe

If you are ever at the foot of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, TN (right next to the Incline Railway), stop by The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe (thepurpledaisy.com). My wife and kids and I went there last week and left pretty happy.  Let me tell you about some stuff we ate.

Q-Dog

Have you ever heard of a Q-Dog?  Well, it was pretty dang good.  It consisted of an all-beef, grilled hot-dog, covered with barbecued pork and slaw, with a pickle on the side.  I loved it.  The slaw was good, too (if you like coleslaw on a BBQ sandwich, you’d like it on the dog).  The cost ($4.50) was a little more than a regular hot-dog, but i’twere the toppings that made the difference.  You could eat it with a fork, but I preferred to man-handle it.

 

Now, speaking of just good-ol’ barbeque (I think it looks better spelled with a “q”), the sandwich was a lot better than the one I had not too long ago at Bones’ in East Brainerd (no offence, Bones’).  The meat was tender and moist, with a good smoky flavor.  My wife ordered a regular size one, and I got the last bite (for the blog’s sake).

For dessert, Valerie and I shared a banana pudding.  Again, it was not like my granny in Alabama used to make, nor like the big-armed grannies at a few homecomings, but it was good.  What made it a little different was that it seemed to be freshly prepared for the customer at the time of order.  The reason I say this is because of how the actual pudding was at the bottom, but the vanilla wafers and whipped cream were on top.  The whole thing couldn’t have been made too much earlier, because the wafers were even still crunchy.  It was served cool, not warm.  I prefer warm, but oh well.

Now just a couple of other things to mention.  First, let me tell you about the baked beans.  They were a dish to themselves – really.

Baked Beans with "Stuff"

As you can see from the picture, these weren’t your ordinary baked beans.  They had “stuff” in them.  A bowl of them thar’ beans and some cornbread and you’d be set, I’m tell’n ya’.  How’s that for colloquial?

 

The atmosphere of The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe was fun and unique, too.  Just take a look at the table and chairs in the corner.  There is seating inside and outside.  They serve Coke (hallelujah!). But getting in and out of their parking can be a little tricky, depending on which way you exit the lot (FYI).

Well, that’s about it for this addition of Anthony’s Appetite.  Who know’s where I’ll end up next.  Until then, give this little locally-owned cafe a try.  The even have a neat website if you want to plan your culinary adventure beforehand.

God Bless BBQ!

P.S.  My only complaint was that there was no Brunswick stew.  But you know, nothing wrong with doing only what you do best.

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by | October 11, 2010 · 1:29 pm

Atheists on Christianity

You know, I was just watching some videos of atheists firing all their best shots at Christians and the belief that there is a God. One such video that you could watch on YouTube is of a debate put on by ABC. The Christians were Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, but I can’t (or don’t care to) remember the names of the others. If there was anything more evident than anything else, it was the snarky, condescending, teenager-ish, even (may I dare say) “b***hy” attitudes of the atheists.  Typical of people that hate being told what to do (just like juveniles that argues about everything, even when they know they’re wrong).  It really just made me sad.

Then I looked down at my shirt…

At this moment I am wearing a T-shirt that shows all of the more common, recognizable religious symbols of the world. In the middle is a cross, the symbol of Christianity. What a stark contrast to all the others is the cross. A symbol of death for crimes not committed. A symbol that used to stand for shame, but now for the One who bore our shame. He didn’t have to, you know. What other symbol represents that?  What other symbol offers forgiveness from the very One that suffered unjustly?  What other symbol cries out, “Agape!“

Atheism and all of its relatives are on the march, emboldened and encouraged by a world that wants to have it their own way. They are vicious and brash.  They have a chip on their shoulder because of all that “sinner” stuff, you see.  “Even if there is a God, who are you Christians to say you have the only way,” they ask.  But you know what, this isn’t Burger King, “this is my Father’s world.” His rules apply. He will have the final say. And, just like my shirt says, “every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.”

Just say’n.  What say ye?

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by | October 9, 2010 · 12:15 am

Anthony’s Appetite #2

When I envisioned a blog written by a recovering legalist, I never had “food critic” in mind.

But guess what?

Of all the things I have written so far, I have had more responses to what I thought about food than anything else!  Cool, huh?  I eat for other people’s reading enjoyment.  What could be better?

Last night was one of those nights where everything goes according to plan, just not your own.  We ended up at a restuarant all the way out in East Brainerd (that’s a part of Chattanooga, for those of you who don’t know), which is a good 30 minutes or more from our house.  Long story short, we decided to go to a place called Bones’ Smokehouse (9012 E Brainerd Rd).  A friend of the family, Kimberly Cobb works there as a server (so go there and ask for her, but make sure you leave a good tip).

When it comes to BBQ places, I have just a couple of things that I always ask for, 1) a simple pork sandwich,  and 2) a bowl of Brunswick stew.  Now, sometimes I also like to eat chili, so in this case I ordered all three, just for my loyal reading audience.

Let me tell you what I thought.

First, the chili was really good.  Of course, I make the best chili known to man, so if  there’s a quality chili anywhere I like to know about it.  This chili was pretty darn good, I must say.  It was full of meat, both pulled pork and beef.  There was not a lot of beans, but enough to let you know they were there.  The flavor was rich and not tomato-y.  As a matter of fact, there was a particular spice that I sensed that characterized the chili, but I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was (which will drive me crazy).  As a whole, it was a more peppery chili (as in black pepper), but not a hot chili.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone, and wouldn’t mind having more.

 

Chili with onions and cheese, Brunswick Stew, and a pulled-pork sandwich

 

Secondly, the Brunswick stew was absolutely divine (humanly speaking, sense I am not convinced Divinity eats Brunswick stew).  Just like the chili, there was nothing watery about this stuff.  It was stocked full of veggies like corn, peas, green beans, celery, chunky tomatoes, and those little lima beans.  The meat was good, smoked, pulled pork that was as tender as butter on a biscuit.  Overall, however, it was the smoky flavor that brought it all together into a taste combination that would make you want to close your eyes and say a simple “thank you” to God for taste buds.  Personally, it brought back childhood memories of cold mornings and the cozy smell of a warm fireplace.  Good, good stuff.

Thirdly, there was the sandwich. Didn’t like it.  Enough said.  Nothing special in the flavor department and a little dry.  Considering the rest of the food, maybe they were having a bad day.

For dessert, I asked for banana pudding. Frankly, it was not really up to the standards of home-made, but it was alright.  When it comes to banana pudding, unless a granny makes it, or it is part of a homecoming dinner at an old-fashioned Baptist church, you might as well forget about finding perfection at any price.

All-in-all, the best tasting food came in bowls.

Thankfully, they serve Coke!  What’s even better, they use the small crunchy kind of ice you can munch on all day long.  That’s good stuff, too.

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by | October 6, 2010 · 11:17 am

Anthony’s Appetite

OK, so here’s something different…..food…..the kind I eat.

Well, I won’t say that it is all that I eat.  What I will say is that over the last week or so I have had a few culinary delights that I would like to share – not literally, of course.

If I had a seperate blog, I might just become a food critic.  That would be fun.  The only problem is that my weight would get completely out of hand, my cholesterol would go through the roof, and my bank account would be depleted.  Being Andrew Zimmer must be fun.

I love coffee. I love coffee.  Did I say I love coffee?  If I had the choice to just sit down and have a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze for a while, it would NOT be at Starbucks.  Why?  Too dang expensive and the only black coffee they ever sell (usually) is Pike’s Peak.  I hate that stuff.  It’s just too bold – and they say it’s medium.  No, for just a good cup of coffee in a relaxed friendly atmostphere, just go to Cracker Barrel.  That’s right, that over-priced, country-style tourist trap that sells pretty good home-cooked-like food.  I love Cracker Barrel.  Their coffee is not intense, but smooth and always predictable.  Besides, you get FREE REFILLS!

Coffee at Cracker Barrel


Now, when it comes to dessert, I have a favorite to which nothing can compare.  I have even driven all the way from Kentucky just to have a slice.  What is it?  It is the closest thing to pie perfection that could ever be created.  It is LEMON ICE BOX PIE from The Country Place Restaurant.  Folks, don’t let anyone fool you, there is no substitute for this to-die-for dessert of the gods.  As a matter of fact, the last pastor’s breakfast for Hamilton County Baptists was held at The Country Place Restaurant.  I did not order bacon and eggs, nor biscuits and gravy, I ordered a cup of coffee (free refills) and LEMON ICE BOX PIE!  I love the creamy, heavy texture, and the graham cracker crumb crust.  The topping is substantial and a perfect complement to the filling which is, I think, loaded with Eagle Brand milk.  Sweet, creamy, and lemony.  You HAVE to have coffee with it.

Lemon Ice Box Pie at The Country Place

If you want to go to some place a little out of the way, but different, why don’t you try Flavors of Italy.  This is a neat little place in Soddy Daisy, Tn.  It is family-owned and the husband, which is the main chef, is literally from Italy (they even go back there every year).  Eating at this little restaurant (www.flavorsofitaly.org) is like eating at their house.  They have menu, but the real menu us the one they bring and place on a stand next to your table – written on a dry-erase board.  Everything is prepared fresh daily.  There are things that are on the menu that you won’t get at Olive Garden or Provino’s.  Valerie and I went there for lunch the other day, and man, what a dessert we had!

Italian Cream Cake at Flavors of Italy

Flavors of Italy has a wonderful Italian Cream cake that literally “takes the cake.”  Drizzled with raspberry sauce and garnished with raspberries and a little sprig of some kind of of flower, the presentation was lovely.  This cake was tall, generous, home-made, well presented and very, very good.  What’s even better, it was only about $5.  Well worth it.  And oh, I would seriously recommend the Italian espresso.  I could have drunk several of those – no bite, smooth, rich, and wonderful without sugar.  It all looked so good I couldn’t wait to eat before I took the picture.

What a Dilly


Of course, you may be thinking that all I eat is desserts.  Well, both of the ones I have just mentioned are better than the “real” food that I had at the Piccadilly.   I was forced by my wife to buy a “dilly meal.”  Let me tell you something, the food wouldn’t have been so bad if the coffee cups had been clean (which is why I ended up getting a foam cup); if the coffee had been worth drinking; if the booth backs had not been dirty; and if the percentage of elderly to youth had been less than 95-5.  I did not get a dessert, because that would have cost too much.  I did get to try one of the kid’s chocolate pudding, the kind that is supposed to look like mud under the gummy worms.  Fruity chocolate – yum.

I think that nothing is better than home-made cornbread.

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by | October 2, 2010 · 10:48 pm

The Other Side of a Coined Phrase

You can talk all you want about what we’re NOT supposed to do, but we DO it all the time.  Who hasn’t seen the video of the panel of judges that were totally awestruck, not to mentioned very embarrassed, when Susan Boyle began to sing?  Judging by her looks, this was not supposed to be a superstar singer.  The whole crowd was guilty of  thinking the same thing…”What is this ugly woman doing on stage?”  Subconsciously they were thinking, “Only beautiful people can sing beautifully.”  Oh, how wrong they were!

I have heard it said all my life, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  Since I have done some research, that would mean I would have to be younger than 70, because that phrase wasn’t even coined until the mid 1940’s.  Anyway, I have been taught, as most people have, that we are not supposed to make assumptions about people simply on the basis of appearances.  As a matter of fact, long before “don’t judge a book by its cover” was coined, Benjamin Franklin said, “Don’t judge men’s wealth or godliness by their Sunday appearance.”  We all know that we shouldn’t judge a man’s character by his appearance (or even by the color of his skin, as Martin L. King, Jr. would have said).  But with all that said,

I can’t help but think that there is another side to this coin (coined phrase, that is).

While it may be true that we shouldn’t come to a conclusion about someone based solely on appearance,  how many books would you pick up and open if on the outside there was nothing describing the inside?  How much money is spent these days on cover design, I wonder.  Go to any bookseller and browse any isle and tell me what you find.  Are any of the books simply bound with only the title and the author printed on front?  Probably not.  Every kind of trick imaginable is employed to catch your eye and cause you to open the cover to see what is inside.  Now, not every cover will appeal to every reader, but the author will know ahead of time what type of audience he is trying to reach, therefore he will have a cover designed to appeal to the reader that will most likely buy the book.  How foolish would the writer be if he spent thousands of dollars for a design that appealed to the wrong crowd?  Even more, what would be the purpose of writing a book that had a cover which said nothing hinting of the content?

The other side to this “book-judging” coin is that even though we should not pre-judge a book by what is on the cover, the cover should give us some clues to what is on the inside.

For example, take a look at the title of the book to the right.  If you were to pick this book up at a book store, you would assume that on the inside there should be at least a hundred recipes, correct?  Really, the title of the book should give you confidence that inside resides the answer to all those questions you’ve had recently about how long you should roast a kangaroo tenderloin.  Shouldn’t it?  It says “How to Cook Everything.”   Well, by dang, I would assume, based on the cover, there should be, by my judgement, a kangaroo recipe in there somewhere.  I don’t know if there is or not, but do you see my point?  If you say you’re something, or if you want to give a certain impression, then be what you say you are, or kangaroo eaters are going to be disappointed.

Now, Jesus did say in Matthew 7:1,  “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”  He also said,  “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).  The problem is that when we say that we should not judge a book by its cover, we imply that we can NEVER make ANY judgment based on what we see.  Seriously, how practical is that?  Jesus never said that we could never make righteous judgments.  As a matter of fact, consider these words of Jesus as found in Matthew 7, verses 15-20:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

We are not supposed to come to any rash, prejudiced conclusions about people.  That is a fact.  We have no way of knowing whether a nice, fluffy sheep is a wolf, or not.  By outward appearances alone, all we can determine is that if it looks like a sheep and sounds like a sheep, it must be a sheep….until it starts to act like a sheep-eating wolf.  Then, when a sheep starts baring fangs at us, it is safe to judge, and there is no sin to be added to our account.

Righteous judgment, as Jesus mentioned in John 7:24, CAN be made if it is in reference to the fruit being inspected.  The fruit of a wolf is different than a sheep.  But here’s the point:

If a sheep claims to be a sheep, it should act like a sheep, not a wolf!

What is on the cover of a book SHOULD tell what is on the inside.  What we look like on the cover SHOULD make others want to read what is inside.  What we look like on the outside SHOULD mirror the message of the Author’s Word.  As believers in Christ, we claim to be something special.  We have the imprint of our Saviour written on our binding.  Jesus has a reputation as an Author, and what is inside our covers should not bring shame to His writing ability.  It may be wrong to judge a book by its cover, but it is equally wrong to claim to be a book that you’re not.

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by | September 28, 2010 · 1:36 pm

Study to Show Thyself Approved on a Survey

The results of a study just came out and there are about as many reactions as there are results.  Some are very alarmed at the findings; while others couldn’t care less.  Personally, I think that there are some interesting statistics from which we can learn.  Go to the link at the bottom of this article and check out the findings for yourself.* You may find yourself enlightened and disturbed at the same time.

Today, in response to the survey conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, a story came out on Fox News entitled, “Survey: Many Americans Know Little About Religion.”** The part that has every one in a tizzy is the following:

“Atheists and agnostics scored highest, with an average of 21 correct answers, while Jews and Mormons followed with about 20 accurate responses. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct answers, while Catholics followed with a score of about 15.”

Should this be a shock?  I mean, really, what do we as Christians expect?  Since when do we teach about the dogmas of other faiths in our Sunday Schools?  How often, at least in our more rural Baptist churches, do we even attempt to preach or teach the critical doctrines or our own faith?  When we do, if we do, the people in the congregation start complaining that the subject matter is over their heads.  I don’t advise that we spend the little time we have in church and training to go into detail about the five pillars of Islam, or even the differences between Vishnu and Krishna.  But what I am saying is that Christians should at least know at least the fundamentals of the Bible and key doctrines of the faith.

As I looked over the survey results, I did find some things that I thought were interesting, if not humorous.  One of those things had to do with atheists.  What is it that an atheist is supposed to believe?  According to atheists, the reason that they cannot trust in Christ is because they don’t believe in God.  Not believing in the existence of any god is at the root of the very term “atheist” (from ἄθεος, meaning ἀ- [without]+ θεός [god]).*** Why is it then, when asked about the existence of God, 8% were “absolutely certain” He existed? What?!  And get this, they even believe in heaven and hell, too (heaven = 12%; hell = 10%)!  So, maybe we should give the Christians a little slack, huh?  You can’t even trust an atheist to know what he believes anymore. Dang!

Another humorous finding in this survey was tucked away in the percentage numbers of “believers” within the population.  To start, it was not unusual to see that nearly 80% of Americans consider themselves Christian (Protestant 51.3; Catholic 23.9; Mormon 1.7; Jehovah’s Witness 0.7; Orthodox 0.6; Other Christian 0.3), but it was funny/sad to see that both Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are becoming recognized as official Christian denominations.  What is worse is when you look at the statistics, more Mormons and J.W.s believe in a personal God (91% and 82%) than even evangelical churches (79%).  These cults, sadly, are looking more like Christians than the TRUE followers of Christ.

But the real point of the story is that Christians know less about their faith than the Enemies of their faith.

Paul knew way back long ago what Timothy needed to do, so he said, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  When we ONLY go to church for the fellowship and singing, or the food and good times, even when they are spiritual and up-lifting, we fail to grasp what the early church did in Acts 2:42a, “…they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine…”

The church in America is on the decline, the reason for which could be debated in volumes.  But one thing is for sure, we need to know what we believe, why we believe, and in Whom we believe.  Once we know these truths, then we need to defend them, preach them, and live them, “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you” the questions on a survey about your faith.

Oh! By the way…Muslims only make up .06% of the population.  Why are we running in fear?

* http://religions.pewforum.org/reports#

** http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/28/survey-americans-know-little-religion/

*** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist#Etymology

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by | September 23, 2010 · 11:52 pm

Does Divorce Disqualify?

I will never forget the phone call I got from a church in Rome, GA about 14 years ago. Someone on the other end of the line was part of a search committee looking for a new pastor.  They had gotten my resume and were impressed enough to give me a call.  Everything was going well until they asked a very pointed question, “Bro. Anthony, does your wife have a spouse that is still living?”  I responded with a cold, clinched-teeth, squinted-eye “Yes,…..ME.”  Unfortunately, this would not be the last time something like that happened.

What I encountered on the telephone that day was not unusual, nor unexpected; but it hurt.  You see, I had chosen to marry a woman who had been divorced, even against the wishes of our (then) pastor, who said marrying Valerie would “put the final nail in the coffin” for my ministry.  However, even knowing that many disagreed, we married, anyway.  I was aware of the Scripture (1 Tim. 3:2) being used, but I was also in the process of becoming free from the legalism that had bound me for so long…legalism that oozed with a self-righteousness that wanted to limit me based on another’s determination of my spirituality, not Biblical truth (and it didn’t hurt that the late Dr. Spiros Zodhiates gave his approval).

Let me be clear about a few things…

First,  I have never been divorced, so for me the whole argument of 1 Timothy 3:2 should be moot.  Second, my wife was abandoned and left with no choice but to divorce (she was the innocent party), and it happened before she was a believer.  Thirdly, her ex-husband remarried and divorced again before I even met her.  By all accounts, both she and I were clear from any “adultery” issues.  Also, I am the husband of one wife, and Scripture NEVER said “must be the husband of one wife who was the wife of one husband ever.”

What DOES Scripture say?

1 Timothy 3:2  “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife...”  Also, verse 12 says, “Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife...”  The difficulty with these verses is not what is being said, but how it is interpreted.  Is Paul telling Timothy that in order to be a pastor or deacon or elder in a church, you must have only been married once?  Could it be possible that Paul is even saying that a man of God MUST have a wife, because being single would disqualify one from ministry?  These are things that have been debated for centuries.  Some believe that a pastor or deacon or elder should have never been divorced (or married to a divorcée) . Others believe that in order to be a proper leader, one must be married.  Still, many commentators believe that the proper rendering of the Greek is “one-woman man,” implying faithfulness and character over the number of wives.  What the Scripture says is one thing, but as William D. Mounce put it, “The Greek gives us a range of possibilities, but our theology is going to determine our interpretation.” (http://www.koinoniablog.net/2009/03/can-an-elder-be-divorced.html#comment-captcha)

I think there’s another way to look at it…

Take a look at 1 Timothy 3.  Read through verse 12.  The best I can figure is that there are between 16 and 17 qualifications for the bishop, and between 6 and 8 for the deacons.  All of these are preceded with a literal or an implied “must be,” as in “must be blameless,” or a “must have.”  How does this affect the argument that an elder must have only been married once, never remarried, or never divorced?  Well, think of any great pastor that you know of.  Think of any great man of God that has stood behind the pulpit and faithfully proclaimed the Word of God.  Has he always been blameless?  Has he always been on his best behavior?  Did he ever get drunk, covet, lose his patience, or curse his wife or children in anger?  Was he ever a novice, a beginner subject to pride? If so, then according to the logic of some, he should never be able to preach or lead in God’s church, for just as a man “must be the husband of one wife,” so he also must be “blameless, vigilent, sober, well-behaved, given to hospitality, patient, never greedy, and always in control of his house and children.”  Do you see it?  If your interpretation leads you to believe that the bishop must have only had one wife ever, then the same hermeneutic (the study of the principles of interpretation) should apply to the other “must be’s.”  “Must be the husband of one wife” = never divorced.  “Not a novice” = never been a beginner in the faith. Doesn’t make sense, does it?

1 Timothy 3:1-12 is in the present infinitive tense (i.e., must be / dei einai).  The requirements listed are ones that describe a man of character and faithfulness, of sobriety and gravitas; not a beginner or one untried and unproven.  What I see is a list of requirements that may not have always been present in a man, but should be NOW, after God has done a verifiable work in his life.  In other words, the Bible says a bishop “must be,” not “must have always been,” or “must have never done.”  Paul said, “and such were some of you:  but ye were washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:11

Here’s my point…

I believe that there are plenty of men and women (especially men) that are sitting back or hiding out because someone has convinced them that they are used up and un-usable.  For instance, I can think of men right now, who because of whatever reason, are divorced.  Yet these men, now Christians, are sold-out, God-fearing, faithful, Spirit-filled fathers and husbands with proven testimonies and unimpeachable character.  Sadly, however, because of mistakes made when they were young, unsaved, and stupid, they cannot serve as deacons, much less as pastors.  On the other hand, I can think of several pastors today who were once murderers, drug dealers, fornicators, extortioners, and abusers of mankind (gay, for those of you in Rio Linda).  They are accepted and given full reign as leaders in the church, but not the ones who were divorced.  So, like I said in a previous post…

if the Pharisee and the Publican sat down with a pulpit committee in the average Baptist church, which one do you think they would hire?

Answer:

Depends on which one “had a living spouse.”

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