Tuesday, November 7: Thank you for the wonderful e-mail and comments, everyone. I must clear up a few things about why I wrote this post. First, I have no intention of changing my writing style in any way. I say what I believe needs saying in a manner that I uniquely express it. There will be no soft-pedaling or euphemism. The “edge” is here to say.
Second, I’m not going through any kind of spiritual crisis or epiphany. I simply wanted to appeal to Christian readers to pray for unbelievers who read this blog, especially hostile ones, and for me. There are also people out there who call themselves Christians who can be just as hostile.
It’s not easy being a black politically conservative evangelical Christian woman running a public blog that seems to attract a variety of nuts and others with no lives. Some of them dump all their anger about personal failings, shortcomings, and frustrations on me, expressed most often in inarticulate and illogical rants laced with ad hominem.
But — and all glory goes to God on this one — I don’t plan to stop blogging or stop covering politics from a Christian perspective. However, I think I need to write posts like this more often.
My third “blogiversary” is on Wednesday. I hope you celebrate with me!
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God has put a burden on my heart this morning to pray for people who’ve sent e-mail along the lines of “it’s because of people like you that I left the church,” and variations on the theme.
I can’t imagine losing my faith in Christ because of what another Christian says or does. My faith is strong enough to withstand the sometimes strong influence of people who profess the faith but don’t behave the way I think they ought to. If they’re being disobedient or “unloving,” that’s between them and God, and he will deal with it. Leaving the faith because of something fallen human beings do or say indicates a weakness of the mind unknown to me. I feel sorry for people who’re so weak.
Then again, readers sending those e-mails (and still inexplicably reading the blog of someone they claim to dislike) probably weren’t part of the body of Christ to begin with. They may have called themselves Christians — as opposed to Muslims — but lacked genuine saving faith.
If some Christian reader isn’t “challenging” me about concepts like faith alone or that Christ died once and for all for those he came to save (no other “works” required), a random non-Christian mocks my faith in Christ altogether. I was a bit naive when I first started this blog. I used to get more into doctrinal issues, but I realized the extent to which those posts attracted the wrong kind of feedback. People who’d never read the Bible wasted my time “challenging” me, while others called me “anti-Catholic” or a “religious fanatic” simply because I believed the Bible — and not a man or a church — was the final authority.
I call myself a Reformed Christian, one who recognizes the biblical principles that emerged from the Protestant Reformation:
- Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) — The Bible, open to all who desire to read it, is the inspired and authoritative word of God. Scripture does not contain everything we need to know, but it is sufficient, “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16 and 17)
The doctrine doesn’t forbid us to read other Bible-based text. In fact, Christians should read and study the works of faithful men and women who’ve struggled through this Christian life. But ultimately, God’s word rules. [I recommend Scripture Alone: Exploring the Bible's Accuracy, Authority and Authenticity.]
- Sola Fide (Faith alone) — We are justified (made “right”) before God because of our faith in Christ, and not in any works we do.
- Solus Christus (Christ alone) — There is no other mediator between man and God but Christ. Before Christ came, the Hebrews of ancient Israel needed a high priest to enter the “holy of holies,” the inner santuary of the Tabernacle and Temple, to intercede on their behalf. The cross changed all of that. Fallible, sinful human beings seeking forgiveness can appeal directly to God through our faith in Christ.
Additionally, salvation comes through Christ alone. His death on the cross was necessary and sufficient to pardon those he came to save.
- Sola Gratia (Grace alone) — Salvation is a gift. God presents this gift to those Christ has forgiven. It is through his grace alone, and not something we can do or say, that saves us.
- Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone) — Glory belongs to God alone, not to any man, tradition, church, institution, organization, or group.
To read more about the five solas and Reformed Christianity in general, see Five Solas of the Reformation, with lots of links to related articles and audio, a short article and MP3 on the subject, and the blog of James White, Reformed Christian apologist, debater, and author.
[Update: Also see Calvinist Gadfly --- And check out his blogroll. A site called The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry is useful, too. So is this article by John Piper and Modern Reformation itself. There are so many wonderful sites out there. Check out the "Christian Resources" section of my blog, located in the right sidebar near the bottom.]
My blog is not like many other Christian blogs. I write about politics most of the time. I weave my faith into posts from time to time, sometimes subtly, other times blatantly. As someone with a fallen human nature just like everyone else, I can be rude and insensitive and prideful and unjustifiably angry. Although I believe God has changed my heart, I still reside in a fallen body, susceptible to temptation.
I ask Christians who read this blog to pray for me. We know that it’s not men we need to worry about. Like the Apostle Paul, I ask that you “pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6: 19 and 20)
(Christians, I recommend you re-read the entire book of Ephesians today. It’s a wonderful reminder of our burdens and blessings as Christian witnesses.)
While at church today, I intend to pray for all of you, too. I will also pray for unbelievers and Christians who’ve allowed men to “drive” them from the faith, and unbelievers who hate me and my God.
I consider my burden a blessing. Thanks for reading my blog, whatever the reason.
