Michael S. Foster's Weblog

Using Biblical Language for the Sake of the Gospel

I have really begun to notice how our, Evangelical Christians, language is exceedingly unbiblical when we talk about sins of individuals or a group. For example:

• They did not commit adultery. They had an affair.
• They are not drunkards. They are alcoholics.
• They are not slanderers. They are just chatty.

Why does this even matter? Well, there is a huge difference in worldview that lies behind these terms. These words consistently minimalize sin by placing its source somewhere other than a depraved heart in desperate need of the gospel. They make the sinner not a rebel who loves their sin instead of God but merely (and note the word merely) a victim of a nasty childhood experience or faulty genes.

Now, lets not be silly. I am not pulling for Christians to completely readjust their vocabulary to a set of approved words. No, my hope is that we will simply begin to infuse words that are more faithful to a Biblical worldview in our everyday conversation little by little. For example, just every once in a while call homosexuality sodomy or “sleeping with your girlfriend” fornication. I think you will immediately notice a huge difference in the reaction you get from people. Expect to see some fangs. People do not like to be called bad. They want to believe they are basically good. This is true of both non-Christians and Christians.

Biblical language confronts this humanistic delusion and forces one to cry out to the Lord. The goal of adjusting your language is not to just get all your theological ducks in a row in yet another area. Rather, it is to speak in such a way that more people would see their need for our wonderful Savior who died—that drunkards, sodomites, fornicators, liars, slanderers, and all sinners might be made right with their Creator.

An ultimatum...

"We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum."-- A.W. Tozer

Humble Preaching is Easy to Miss

Humble preaching is often mistaken and labeled as arrogant preaching. Many of us are guilty of slandering God's most faithful preachers with the charge of pride while we endorse preachers that possess a false humility. I attribute this to us allowing the false stories of modernity and post-modernity to redefine our terms. In Preaching As Though We Had Enemies, Stanley Hauerwas gives us this incredible paragraph:

The recognition of our created status produces not tolerance, but humility. Humility derives not from the presumption that no one knows the truth, but rather is a virtue dependent on our confidence that God’s word is truthful and good....Ironically, in the world in which we live if you preach with such humility you will more than likely be accused of being arrogant and authoritarian. To be so accused is a sign that the enemy has been engaged. After all, the enemy (who is often enough ourselves) does not like to be reminded that the narratives that constitute our lives are false. Moreover, you had better be ready for a fierce counteroffensive as well as be prepared to take some casualties. God has not promised us safety, but participation in an adventure called the Kingdom. That seems to me to be great good news in a world that is literally dying of boredom.

This article should be read in its entirety. Just know that it can get a bit dense in parts but is worth the effort.

Belated "Dead Guy Wisdom" Wednesday : Tozer

I despise this not-so-new but ever so popular form of Christianity that prides itself in so carefully nuancing the Gospel that all hearers walk away still thinking that the bearers of the message of the cross are swell guys. It is as A.W. Tozer says:

The church has lost her testimony. She has no longer anything to say to the world. Her once robust shout of assurance has faded away to an apologetic whisper. She who one time went out to declare now goes out to inquire. Her dogmatic declaration has become a respectful suggestion, a word of religious advice, given with the understanding that it is after all only an opinion and not meant to sound bigoted.

This great prophetic voice from the Windy City nails it. The truth is that all our nuancing has little to nothing to do with contextualizing the message of the cross and more to do with a wicked attempt to remove the offense of the cross. We don't want to be labeled bigoted. We want to be labeled reasonable, respectable, and open-minded. We want the praise and acceptance of men. I long for an army of men who will speak the gospel with such a great clarity that no-one can walk away without having their heart shaken by Christ and his cross. We need loud voices crying out in the wilderness of dead evangelicalism. Speak up. Speak clearly. Don't silence any part of the gospel. Silence is sin. Hear Tozer again:

Could it be that too many of God's true children, and especially the preachers, are sinning against God by guilty silence?...I for one am waiting to hear the loud voices of the prophets and reformers sounding once more over a sluggish and drowsy church. They'll pay a price for their boldness, but the results will be worth it.

Give us loud voices, Lord!