Category: Brother Al (Page 14 of 67)

In concluding a recent blog, Aaron Renn offered a quote from Richard Reeves’ new book, “Of Boys and Men.”  Below is the quote and some comments on it:

“Until around 2015, the phrase toxic masculinity warranted just a handful of mentions in a couple corners of academia.  According to sociologist Carol Harrington, the number of articles using the term prior to 2015 never exceeded twenty, and almost all mentions were in scholarly journals.  But with the rise of Donald Trump and the #MeToo movement, progressives brought it into everyday use.  By 2017, there were thousands of mentions, mostly in the mainstream media.  Harrington points out that the term is almost never defined, even by academics, and is instead used to simply “signal disapproval.”  Lacking any coherent or consistent definition, the phrase now refers to any male behavior that the user disapproves of, from the tragic to the trivial.  It has been blamed, among other things, for mass shootings, gang violence, rape, online trolling, climate change, the financial crisis, Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, and an unwillingness to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

When I began writing this blog back in 2009, I envisioned writing on masculinity because of what I had learned from Leanne Payne.  She wrote in Crisis in Masculinity that “a culture will never become decadent in the face of healthy, balanced masculinity.  When a nation or an entire Western culture backslides, it is the masculine which is first to decline.” I will always be grateful for the healing I found (and continue to find) in her writings. I believe she is a forgotten voice in helping men find inner healing from a biblical perspective.  

In confronting toxic masculinity, I value Payne’s viewpoint: “To think on the transcendent nature of gender is awe-inspiring, for sexuality and gender are grounded in the Being of God and His creation. Masculinity and femininity have utterly transcendent dimensions.” 

Jesus reminds us of the transcendent nature of gender: “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Matt 19:4-5). I am created as a man.  I have spent a lifetime learning how to live out of the unique masculine soul given to me by my loving heavenly Father.  I am who God says I am, and He continues to form who I am as a man.  I am still under construction. 

So when the term “toxic masculinity” began to appear in our cultural consciousness, I knew I had to continue to be voice crying out to men in the modern wastelands of gender confusion.  I refuse to cave to the voices that want to shame me into denying my masculinity.  I will continue to cry out to others in the wilderness. As Payne notes, “Masculinity… is… not a thing to be learned, but rather a quality to be tasted or experienced.  The masculine within is called forth and blessed by the masculine without.” 

Be aware, men, that in our culture, the term toxic masculinity is used primarily as a “signal of disapproval.”  So my advice is threefold:  First, celebrate the transcendent nature of your masculinity. God made you to be a man for a reason.  Second, find another older male, a mentor or coach, who can affirm you in your masculinity.  Third, find a group of men who seek the Lord, hold each other accountable, pray for each other, and practice soul care with each other.  

“Goblin mode” was Oxford Dictionaries’ 2022 Word of the Year. Oxford offered this choice to English speakers for the first time in its history, saying that the “Word of the Year is a word or expression reflecting the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past twelve months, one that has potential as a term of lasting cultural significance.” More than 340,000 people cast their vote.

Goblin mode as a slang term is often used in the expressions “in goblin mode’ or ‘to go goblin mode.”  It refers to “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.” First seen on Twitter in 2009, it went viral on social media in February of 2022, seeming to capture the prevailing mood of individuals who rejected the idea of returning to normal life.

Ben Zimmer, American linguist and lexicographer, said: “Goblin mode really does speak to the times and the zeitgeist, and it is certainly a 2022 expression.  People are looking at social norms in new ways.  It gives people the license to ditch social norms and embrace new ones.” 

Casper Grathwohl (President, Oxford Languages) said, “Given the year we’ve just experienced, ‘goblin mode’ resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point… People are embracing their inner goblin, and voters choosing ‘goblin mode’ as the Word of the Year tells us the concept is likely here to stay.”

I hope each man reading this blog rejects “goblin mode” as part of his lifestyle. Jesus tells us the exact opposite as we come to the end of the age.  In Mark 13, for example, Jesus tells us, “Watch out that no one deceives you” (v. 5).  In verse 9 we are told, “You must be on your guard.”  Later he warns us, “Be on guard! Be alert!” (v. 33).  Then he says, “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back” (v. 35).

As followers of Jesus we certainly need to reject many of our contemporary social norms and expectations. We need to be on guard and alert to not become “self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy.”   Peter gives us good advice when he tells us, “Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted.  Stay wide-awake in prayer.  Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it.  Love makes up for practically anything” (I Peter 4:7-8 – Message).

In Chapter 5, Peter warns about Satan:  “Be careful!  Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (v. 8).  Could it be that God is raising up an army of men, who reject “goblin mode” as they hear the trumpet of God? They are warning people of the difficult days ahead. These men are gathering into small groups all over our nation, knowing in their hearts that the time is short.

Men, do you hear the call?  It is a call to action, to warn others being carried away and diluted by the influence of the dominant narrative. Revelation 13 describes in symbolic fashion how Satan gives power and authority to the beast: “This first beast represents governmental tyranny throughout history working against Christ and his church,” notes Nancy Guthrie. “It is political and governmental powers demanding the loyalty that belongs to Christ alone.” 

Men: expose and stand against the forces of darkness that have captured much of the popular narrative in our culture.    

By now you may have heard about the movement of God’s Spirit which began on Wednesday, Feb. 8th during a chapel service at Asbury University and ended on Feb. 25th, attracting close to 15,000 people from across the country each day.  As a firm believer in revival, I want to share my testimony as it relates to awakenings and revival movements.  

• I am a product of a revival movement in the Lutheran Church.  By God’s abundant grace and mercy, I found Jesus as my Lord and Savior at the California Lutheran Bible School. There I met students and instructors who had a personal relationship with Jesus. From that day in March of 1960, I have been a follower of Jesus, still highly motivated to see God move among Lutherans.   
• I attended Fuller Seminary (1962-66), where I was deeply impacted by Dr. J. Edwin Orr, who had studied revival movements most of his career.  “An Evangelical Awakening,” notes Dr. Orr, “is a movement of the Holy Spirit bringing about a revival of New Testament Christianity in the church of Christ and in its related community.  Such an awakening may change in a significant way an individual, or it may affect a larger group of believers.” I came away from Dr. Orr’s lectures convinced of revival being a sovereign movement of God’s Spirit.   
• I experienced a local revival as a youth pastor during the early 1970’s.  Our youth group embraced the “Jesus movement” as an indirect result of the Asbury Revival of 1970.  I simply made myself available as a clay vessel for the Lord’s use.  It is truly amazing the work God did in the hearts of teenagers in those days.  Programs and attractions did not convert hearts. It was the love of Jesus breaking into the lives of affluent young people.
• I was part of a spiritual awakening during the late 1970’s and 80’s, when the Holy Spirit was being poured out on many church denominations.  Just last week, Judy and I spent an evening with six couples we had not been with for over 30 years. We all marveled and praised God for all we learned during those days at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Des Moines, IA.  I am eternally grateful for those folks and all that we learned together as we allowed the Holy Spirit to teach and lead us in new ways within the Lutheran tradition.  

So, I am sold on revival. A key verse for me is Habakkuk 3:2: “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Oh, God repeat your mighty works in our day.  When I watch what happened at Asbury, I think of Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”  The word refreshing “implies relief from difficult, distressful or burdensome circumstances” (NET).  God in his mercy is rescuing a whole generation of young people from a decadent and destructive culture. 

I am now at least 30 years removed from the last awakening I experienced.  I hope I am more mature and a little wiser.  When I see young college students bowing in repentance before the Lord, crying out to him for mercy, and wanting to be free from sinful habits, I say, “Amen.”  My task, at my age, is to pray and cry out to the Lord from afar, that these young people might be guided and molded to change our nation. 

Many of you probably know about the YouVersion Bible app. Operated by Craig Groeschel’s Life.Church, the app was designed to encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout the day.  It offers a free Bible experience in more than 1,900 languages and has been installed on more than 545 million unique devices. YouVersion named Isaiah 41:10 as its most referenced verse of 2022: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

“The popularity of this verse speaks to our desire to be reminded that even when we feel like we’re alone in our struggles, we’re not,” said Bobby Gruenwald, founder and CEO of YouVersion. “As this verse says, ‘God is our strength and He’s always with us.”‘

This year, Cuba stands out as the country with the greatest increase in Bible engagement – 76% higher than 2021.  Meanwhile, the fastest regional growth for Bible engagement is in Europe and Africa.  The app also saw Ukrainian-language Bible engagement hit an all-time high with increases in Poland (241%) and Germany (733%) compared to 2021.  Overall, Bible engagement in Ukraine rose by 55%.

At the beginning of the war, YouVersion searches in the Ukrainian language nearly doubled compared to the previous month.  Initially, trending search terms were words like “war,” “fear,” and “anxiety.”  As time passed and the war progressed, the top search term in Ukrainian became “love.” “These families are going through something most of us can’t imagine.  In the middle of what’s likely the most difficult time of their lives, they’re turning to the Bible for comfort, peace, and hope.”

I imagine myself living in a war-torn nation like Ukraine.  It very well may be that our days of relative peace and prosperity are coming to an end.  If so, I hope I will ever increasingly turn to scripture for inner strength.  It would be a time when I am humbled before the Lord, knowing how much I need him.  May I remember the words of Deut. 8:3: “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

I pray that I can draw strength from Isaiah 40:11 as the believers in Ukraine. Here is the Message translation: “Don’t panic.  I’m with you.  There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength.  I’ll help you.  I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” What strikes me is not panicking, but knowing God has a firm grip on my life. 

In the meantime I need to heed the instructions of Jesus as I anticipate the coming days.  “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). 

Jesus warns us to watch and pray: “Be always on the watch and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).  I can’t take anything for granted.  I Peter 4:7 instructs me to be vigilant: “Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted.  Stay wide-awake in prayer.” 

Lord, give me the grace to stand for you when the time comes.  I will look to the Lord for my strength. 

This headline caught my attention: “NH Man Searches Through 20 Tons of Trash to Find Wife’s Wedding Ring: ‘I Would Do it a Thousand Times.'” Here is what happened: Kevin Butler lost the rings after his wife cleansed and then wrapped her wedding rings in a napkin to dry. He tossed the napkin in the trash and took the bag to the trash transfer station. When he realized what had happened, he rushed back to the transfer station, where the employees agreed to help him hunt for the rings among 20 tons of trash.

Using an excavator they soon found a clue. Knowing that the ring was in a bag with celery stalks, they found a stalk sticking out the side of a bag. At first, they did not see the rings. But by chance, they found the napkin with the rings inside at the bottom of the bag. Butler remarked, “Wouldn’t recommend anyone else do it. But you know, to get the rings back, I would do it a thousand times over.” Butler bought the staff pizza for their help. The foreman at the transfer station shared that the exact same situation had happened before, and that they were able to find the ring wrapped in a napkin in the midst of the trash.

I have made it a habit to look for the wedding ring on a man’s left hand, especially if we are just being introduced to one another. It tells me a lot. Of course, it lets me know that a man is married. If he does not have his ring on his finger and he says he is married, I begin to wonder about his commitment to his wife.

As a Pastor I have had the joy of officiating in almost 300 weddings. Many of those I united as husband and wife have had long and blessed marriages. Sadly, others have not endured the trials of their relationship together. Every one of the couples I have married exchanged rings. The ring is symbolic of the covenant made before God and others. It should not be taken lightly. I declared to each of those I married, “Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.”

After a couple declared their intention to be faithful to each other as long as they live, I then had them exchange rings. The ring was put on the finger of each one as a sign of their commitment to the other. They said publicly before God and all gathered, “I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.”

Men, that wedding ring is important. It tells the world that you are committed to your wife for a lifetime. You are declaring that you are truly “a one-woman man.” Unless it is for health reasons, you need to display your wedding ring on your left hand. Mine has been on my hand for 57 years. I have never removed it, except during one marriage ceremony, when I had to loan my ring to the groom in order to complete the ceremony.

That ring is also a reminder of your commitment to God. You are committed to be faithful to your wedding vows in all the circumstances of your life. For a man to take off his wedding ring can be seen as a lack of fidelity. Remember the words of Proverbs 5:15 and 18: “Drink water from your own well – share your love only with your wife.” “Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.”

This is the title of a blog by Jonathan Rogers. German philosopher Martin Heidegger once wrote of “Geworfenheit” or thrownness. “You’re thrown into the world, into a particular set of circumstances not of your choosing, with a few tools thrown into your toolbox (also not of your choosing), and you start figuring out how to make a life – hopefully with the help of some wise guides, though, again, many of those guides won’t be people you identified or sought out exactly. Many of them were thrown your way too.”

Rogers then quotes James K. A. Smith: “Thrownness is not a negative thing.” We can regret our thrownness, resent it, or feel shame about it.  Or we can take it as a gift and a guide to our calling: “We are bundles of potentiality, but the possibilities are not infinite. We are thrown into a time and place, thrown into a story that is our history, and these form the horizons of possibility for us… That is not a limitation as much as a focusing, a gifted specificity.  This corner of earth I’ve been given to till. These neighbors I am called to love. These talents I’m exhorted to fan into flame. This neighborhood in which to birth a future.”

At my age, I really identify with the word thrownness.  I have been reading I and II Timothy.  I am impressed by how Paul the Apostle encourages young Timothy in his thrownness – that is, his unique call to carry on the ministry. “Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof – Public Sinner Number One – of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy” (I Tim. 1:15 – Message).  Never forget the mercy of God on your journey. None of us deserve mercy, but God is merciful and gracious. 

Paul expresses how God’s grace has carried him: “You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting – God’s applause!  Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming” (II Tim 4:6-8 – Message).  Personally, I have lived through a lot of thrownness in my life.  I am so grateful to have gotten through this far and plan to finish strong. 

Paul reminds Timothy that God confirmed his calling through all his thrownness:  “And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed – keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible” (II Tim.1:7 – Message).  He also encourages Timothy to remember how God has gifted him.  “And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed – keep that dusted off and in use” (I Tim. 4:14 – Message).

Finally, Paul encourages Timothy to “hang in” there, fight, and not give up:  “Run hard and fast in the faith.  Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses” (I Tim. 6:12 – Message).  Men, my testimony in the fourth quarter of my life is this: God can take every part of our life and make something out of it all.  Let go – and let God use your thrownness.

Elle Purnell recently wrote an interesting article in The Federalist about an earlier interview Emily Blunt had with The Telegraph. Emily may be best known for her lead role in Mary Poppins Returns, but as a Hollywood star, she often plays “tough girl” roles.  In the recently released Western miniseries The English, however, she does not play such a role. According to Blunt, “It’s the worst thing ever when you open a script and read the words: ‘strong female lead.'”   

Discussing her role in The English, Blunt captured some of the magic of her character as well as some of the magical attributes of womanhood. “I love a character with a secret,” she said. “And I love Cornelia’s buoyancy, her hopefulness, her guilelessness.”  Blunt maintains that strong female lead roles are “written as incredibly stoic, you spend the whole time acting tough and saying tough things. Cornelia is more surprising than that. She’s innocent without being naïve and that makes her a force to be reckoned with.”

Blunt has critiqued roles that reduce women to caricatures of men in the past.  In a 2015 Vanity Fair interview, she said, “I get [told] a lot, ‘You play a lot of tough female roles,’ but I don’t really see them as tough. I think there are plenty of strong women out there and I don’t think they can be compartmentalized as being one thing. ‘You’re tough.’ What, because I have a gun?”

Purnell then comments, “But there’s nothing empowering about burying a female character’s natural strengths under a tough-dude facade. What is empowering is embracing those natural qualities.” Women have a secret. It’s their “feminine mystique.” Purnell describes mystique as “a fascinating aura of mystery, awe, and power surrounding someone or something.”  Purnell closes her article with these words: “[Mystique is] the complex, beautiful, powerful, gentle, unyielding nature that we often try to capture with the world ‘femininity.’ And men spend their whole lives trying to figure it out.”

This hearkens to I Peter 3:4-5: “You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious to God. That is the way the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.” The beauty from within speaks to mystique.  While men are more direct, task-oriented, and analytical, the hearts and minds of women are more beautifully intricate.  The strength of women doesn’t mimic that of men, but rather has its own character.  Those differences between the sexes are designed to complement each other. 

My wife, Judy, is “a strong woman.” She continues to challenge me with her Christian character and lifestyle.  She is the most consistent believer I know. I say to her daily, “Thank you for putting up with me for all these years.” Without her I would not be the man I am today. She has believed in me, supported me, and encouraged me over 57 years of marriage, while accepting my leadership in our marriage.  I know firsthand the mystery of a strong inner spirit that expresses itself in a feminine Christian witness.  Judy is “a complete, natural woman” who has learned to live with a “character” like me. 

Since my wife exemplifies inner beauty and feminine mystique, I do not need to be convinced of the influence and strength that women can express in a feminine manner.  They have a “secret.”  Men, my advice is to not try and figure it out. Rather, learn to appreciate it, while enhancing your wife’s ability to express her unique Christian strength.  

The December ’22 issue of Harper’s has a cover story entitled, “Waiting for the End of the World,” with the byline, “Should we be Rooting for the Apocalypse?”  It’s hard to imagine having such a topic as a cover story even 10 years ago.  To me, it suggests that observers of our culture see our nation headed for some kind of dramatic doomsday, but with no sure hope or promise of a better future. 

The author Michael Robbins talks of an “apocalyptic structure of feeling” – “the general drift and atmosphere about the end.” “The thing about wanting this world ended,” writes Robbins, is you want it ended the right way.”  He closes his essay by seeing an opportunity in all the talk of the end: “Is it not when things are darkest, when all hope is lost, that one fights with abandon, shamelessly shoots for utopia?  For then there is nothing left to lose.”  Sadly, I see in this thinking no hope for the future. 

If we take God’s Word as our guide, however, we will not be “shamelessly shooting for utopia.”  We have ultimate reality in God’s Word, rather than simply an “apocalyptic structure of feeling.”  For two thousand years, followers of Jesus have put their trust in him.  A structure of feeling is an illusion, built on wishful, subjective thinking.  Jesus gives us a sure and certain hope. 

Men, be warned.  You will hear a lot of talk based on illusion but not built on reality.  Jesus created all things, and he holds it all together: “All things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Col 1:16-17).  Revelation 21:5 tells us, “Look, I am making all things new.”  John tells us, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared” (Rev. 21:1). Jesus holds all things together.  Be assured he is in the process of making everything new.

We have a “living hope” in Christ: “In his great mercy he has given us new birth in a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3). I confess with the historic Church the words of the Apostles’ Creed: “On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

Referring to these words, Luther’s small catechism states, “He does all this in order that I might be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead, and lives and reigns for all eternity.”

Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Luther explains, “God’s will is done when he destroys and makes futile every evil design and purpose of the devil, the world, and our own flesh that would keep us from hallowing his name and prevent the coming of his kingdom…”

We live in a time when many are willing to accept lies.  Jesus warned this would happen: “Watch out that you are not deceived.  For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away” (Luke 21:8-9).  Men, don’t fall for an “apocalyptic structure of feeling.”

Pastor Tim Keller has written a new book on forgiveness.  He believes the therapeutic age and cancel culture have created a crisis with the Christian practice of forgiveness.  He sees therapeutic forgiveness as more of a private emotional practice rather than dealing with one’s own sinful response to being sinned against. And because of our cancel culture, many young people question the need to forgive. They don’t know how to forgive, nor are they even sure they should. 

Keller observes, “There’s a cultural moment here where I think forgiveness is very important to talk about.  We live in a culture that is very fragmented, polarized, there’s an awful lot of anger, and people are really after each other. Forgiveness is not in the air.”

According to Keller, four actions are involved in real forgiveness:

1) “…Name the trespass truthfully as wrong and punishable, rather than merely excusing it.” 

2) “…Identify with the perpetrator as a fellow sinner rather than thinking how different from you he or she is… will their good.” 

3) “…Release the wrongdoer from liability by absorbing the debt oneself rather than seeking revenge and paying them back.” 

4) “…Aim for reconciliation rather than breaking off the relationship forever.” 

Keller examines common obstacles to forgiveness, including the influence of social media and how today’s therapeutic age focuses on self-interest.  He invites readers to consider Christ to better understand how he atoned for sin, and to follow Christ’s example. “Don’t let yourself be twisted. Take in what Jesus Christ has done, put your little story about what people have done to you in the big story of what he did for you, and you’ll have power you need to grant forgiveness.”

My concern in this blog is for men to be learning a “lifestyle of forgiveness.”  In the Lord’s Prayer, forgiveness is the only petition repeated: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matt 6:14). Jesus then warns about living in unforgiveness. “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive you” (v. 15).  A forgiving heart is an open heart. There is no grace for a closed heart that is turned in on itself in bitterness or revenge.

By carrying our sins in his body, Jesus can heal our relational wounds. Those who forgive are the real healers in our culture.  “He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.  You have been healed by his wounds!” (I Peter 2:24).  Paul reminded the Colossians of their calling.  “Be even tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense.  Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you.” (Col. 3:12-13 – Message).

I believe God is raising up a whole generation of “strong-hearted” men. These are men who have processed the arrows that have pierced their hearts. They are learning to walk the way of Jesus. “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing.  That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it” (I Peter 3:9-10).  These are the “walking wounded.”

Above all don’t allow yourself to be caught up in the cancel culture.  Men with “strong hearts” will not allow themselves to be victims.  By the grace of God we move beyond anger and self-pity because Jesus is our healer. “Lord, help us learn better how to forgive – by your grace and power.”

Pope Benedict died on December 31st at the age of 95.  For me, Benedict was an outstanding biblical theologian who integrated the head and the heart in his teaching.  Reportedly, His final words were, “Lord, I love you.” As a young Lutheran pastor wanting to integrate the rich spiritual tradition of the Catholic Church with my evangelical roots, Benedict gave me permission to embrace Catholic spirituality.  Peter Kreeft said this about the Pope: “What he showed me, both as Ratzinger and as Benedict, was simply a shining and encouraging example of what it means to be a teacher, a theologian and, above all, a saint.  He was a gentle giant.”

James Houston influenced me to pay attention to Cardinal Ratzinger back in the 1980’s when he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a position he held from 1981-2005.  I appreciated his defense of a biblical faith that was under assault from inside and outside the Church.  The Vatican published the late Pope’s spiritual testament shortly after his death. In it he urged believers to stand strong in the faith, even in face of philosophical and scientific opposition. “I saw and see how out of the tangle of assumptions the reasonableness of faith emerged and emerges again. Jesus Christ is truly the way, the truth and the life – and the Church, with all its insufficiencies, is truly His body.”

As a Cardinal, Ratzinger reflected on the church’s future in a 1969 broadcast in Germany. Many believe he was prophetic in his comments: “From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge – a Church that has lost much.  She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning… In contrast to an earlier age, it will be seen much more as a voluntary society, entered only by free decision.  As a small society, it will make much bigger demands on the initiative of her individual members.” 

As my wife and I try to make sense of what is happening in our world, these words seem to fit what we anticipate happening in the future. God is purifying His church.  Those who are committed to Jesus and his kingdom will be forming into “small societies.” People of various traditions will find new life as they band together.

The Pope then made an observation that seems to relate to our present identity as believers: “…The Church will find her essence afresh and with full conviction in that which was always at her center: faith in the triune God, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, in the presence of the Spirit until the end of the world… The Church will be a more spiritual Church, not presuming upon a political mandate, flirting as little with the Left as with the Right.” “The process,” warned the Pope, “will be all the more arduous, for sectarian, narrow-mindedness as well as pompous self-will have to be shed.”  

Men, may these words of Pope Benedict motivate and inspire you to keep the faith. Jesus warned us that “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12).  Ratzinger’s teaching always had “a laser-sharp focus on Jesus Christ as the unsurpassable revelation of God’s love,” notes John Cavadini.  “Not only is he a brilliant theologian, but he is always pastoral in his approach, always trying to help people see what our religion means and why it is important.” In other words, men, always make Jesus your center – and the first and last word in all matters.