an open letter to barak obama

“This is our first task — caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.” - president barak obama

mr. president,
i think you have handled this whole tragedy very well so far. i am thankful for the leadership you have provided during these days. i want to believe you really mean what you say, and i do believe you think you mean it. but until your stance on the legalization and enabling of the murder of over 3,000 children every day changes, your words will ring hollow in my ears.
i pray that when you say “we will have to change”, that you really mean it.

i will continue to pray for you & your family, as well as your role as my president. may the lord grant you wisdom & knowledge as you lead this country. may you embrace your created purpose (which is the same as mine and all of god’s creation),which is to bring him glory in all that you do.

-stephen cavness
pastor, cave city baptist church
cave city, ky.

 

 

 

nashville, guitars, & a loud, screaming, dirty "silent" night...

Reblogged from the lowercase:

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[it has become a christmas tradition of mine here to urge/beg you to go see live and/or purchase a copy of andrew peterson's "behold the lamb of god" album. here is the "annual" post . also, a very special thank you to zach may for allowing me to post pictures that he took on thursday]

my wife and i, with a couple of friends, drove down to the historic ryman auditorium in nashville, tn.

Read more… 1,292 more words

it's the time of year again...

 

is mormonism christian, or a “designer imposter”?

like imitation cologne & perfume, mormonism is marketed as a brand of christianity… but it isn’t.

one of the  things about being a pastor in the town where i live, is that a lot of people that i don’t know, know or find out quickly who i am and what i do. such was the case today.

i officiated a wedding this past weekend and met several new people.  i ran into one of those people today while in a shop downtown. this person then introduced me as “pastor of cave city baptist church”  to someone else. after a few moments of initial greetings and pleasantries, the  conversation turned a corner and the topic of mormonism came up.
the question was:
“is mormonism a cult or just  another ‘denomination’ of christianity (like baptists, methodists, presbyterians, etc.)”

my answer?  ”i have known many mormons and call several “friend”, but no,mormons are not christians”.

this isn’t merely my opinion, it is fact,based on the historic and orthodox meaning of the word “christianity”. i am a christian. i am a christian pastor. i also teach theology at a christian school. i am not claiming  world renown expertise, but i am saying that i know christian doctrine, and mormon doctrine contradicts the very foundation and essence of christianity.

al mohler writes(in this article that i highly recommend):

It is neither slander nor condescension to state clearly that Mormonism is not Christianity. Taking Mormonism on its own terms, one finds a comprehensive set of teachings and doctrines that are self-consciously set against historic Christianity. The larger world may be confused about this, but biblical Christians cannot make this error, for we are certain that the consequences are eternal.

they have “feel good” commercials.

they have nice looking buildings

they are exemplary citizens

but are mormons christians?

this has been a hot topic of conversation since former massachusetts governor mitt romney announced that he was running for presidency of the united states.

in an effort to comfort those who may have been afraid of his mormonism, romney has declared his belief in the bible, saying:

 “I believe it’s the Word of God…I mean,  I might interpret the Word differently than you interpret the Word, but I read the Bible and I believe the Bible is the Word of God. I don’t disagree with the Bible. I try and live by it.”

again, this sounds like a safe christian answer.

but what is it that mormons believe?

here are some examples of the teachings and beliefs of the church of jesus christ of latter days saints, the mormons:

•  there are many gods, and the head of them rules the universe along with his council (joseph smith teachings of the prophet joseph smith pp.348-49)
• god has wives (“a mother in heaven,”) and they live on a planet near a star named kolab.
• through endless sexual encounters, “elohim” and his wives produce billions of spirit children
• god has and is limited by a physical body. he is not omnipresent, in fact, it is impossible for him to be in more than one place at once
• adam is identified as michael the archangel
• jesus and satan are brothers
• jesus was given savior status of earth, enraging lucifer, who revolted.
• jesus was not born of a virgin, because god had sex with mary, which produced jesus
• jesus was married
• humans can achieve god status
• the bible (unless it is the mormon approved version) is incomplete and contains errors, and is only one of four holy books
• all churches except LDS (mormon) churches are false churches
• the final judgment is in the presence of jospeh smith, the mormon jesus, and “elohim”.
  [sources: book of mormon; mormonism: what you need to know by ed decker; fast facts on false teachings by ron carlson and ed decker; mormonism unmasked by r. phillip roberts, and mormons answered verse by verse by david a. reed and john r. farkas]

at the bare minimum, to be a christian one has to confess that:

• there is but one god, who exists in three persons (father, son, and holy spirit)
• jesus was/is god incarnate-born of a virgin
• there is no salvation outside of faith in jesus christ- and only those who repent of their sin & place their faith in him will be saved

mormonism denies all three of these.  there is obviously much more to the mormon faith than outlined above, but just from scratching the surface we can see that mormonism is not a part, branch, or denomination of christianity.

does that mean we cant be friends with mormons? of course not. i have had and currently do have mormon friends who are genuinely nice, caring, and wonderful friends. i hope that they are always treated with love and respect by everyone.

does that mean christians cannot vote for mitt romney for president? i dont think so. [*however, this post or its content should not be viewed as an endorsement for or against voting for romney]

what it does mean is that when we have conversations with people who are discussing mr. romney or any mormon, that we do not let it slide when people equate mormonism with christianity. we should do so in love and with gentleness, but we should make sure that there is no confusion:

mormons-the church of jesus christ of latter day saints are no more christian than muslims, buddhists, or jehovah’s witnesses. so let us be compelled to love them- indeed, everyone- by sharing the true gospel with them.

what is the true gospel? i’m glad you asked!

the gospel is good news that because of the great mercy & love of god, we- a sinful people who have made ourselves enemies of god, & because of our sin deserve his wrath- we can be made right with god by turning away from a life of following our own sinful desires (even if the world/culture around us finds them acceptable)& instead turn to jesus christ, trusting in him alone- that his perfect life, substitutionary death, & literal, bodily resurrection was sufficient to pay the penalty for our sin & makes us righteous before god so that we can rejoice in him & enjoy him forever! (romans 5:1-2, 6-11; 1 corinthians 15:3-8)

for further reading see sources cited above as well as:

the faq – are mormons christian?

mormonism 101

the differences between mormonism & biblical christianity

 

on blown calls, replacement refs, & the gospel…

full disclosure: i am a *huge* st. louis cardinals fan. i always have been. i (as a grown man) shamelessly cried tears of joy when they won it all in 2006 and after last years epic championship run i was still buzzing all winter!

sports can be a very enjoyable activity (to participate in or to follow as a fan) but they can also become an idol. when we get to the point that we get more excited, spend more emotional energy, spend more time and money on playing, watching,or following athletes or teams, or get more vocal about our appreciation and zeal for grown men playing with a ball than we do for the one who made us, sustains us, and saved us…something is wrong. it has become a vehicle for our sinful hearts to make another idol.

but this is not an “anti-sports” post.actually, it is about how sports can point us to the gospel.

i didn’t catch monday night football last night, but it didn’t take long for me to find out that a blown call had decided the game. as a sports fan, i know the frustration that comes from that.

blown calls that cost your team a game (last night’s packer’s game), a world series (’85 cardinals/”denkinger!!!”), or even a perfect game (jim joyce/ galarraga in ’10) are incredibly frustrating because we want what is “fair”.

when something happens that is “unfair”, we we cry out for justice. it’s innate in us.

that is why it is so perplexing that we don’t want what is “fair” from god.

justice demands that we, who rebel against god daily, get we deserve- which is his wrath against us. it is what we have earned because of our rebellion against him. justice demands that evil, wicked, & sinful rebels who have made themselves enemies of the perfect holy god get what they deserve.

yet we don’t beg for justice when it comes to us and god. instead we expect that god be unjust, unfair, looking past our sin and to *not* give us what we deserve- to be shown *mercy*, to not be given what we have earned.

and then in an arrogance of cosmic proportions, we *demand* that he give us what we *don’t* deserve… grace. and we can even be so bold at times to say or think that if he isn’t constantly and consistently benevolent toward us, then he is *unfair*.

how sinful & corrupt our hearts are… demanding justice when it benefits us, and demanding mercy where justice would give us what we deserve.

all of this amplifies the mercy & grace offered by the lord through the gospel- that god made jesus, who knew no sin, to become our sin (who did this willingly & with joy!) so that whoever puts their trust in christ, his life,death, & resurrection, can have their sins forgiven and receive grace & mercy, love & joy from god instead of the wrath we all deserve.

how “fair” is that?

how glorious is that?

have you thanked god today that sports (and replacement refs) can point us to the gospel?

 

 

from the blogosphere to the radio waves…

this blog was started in 2005 during what seemed to be an unending bout with insomnia. i began writing just to try and empty my mind of the thoughts that kept me awake all of the time. the only people i knew of that were reading at that time were some family members and a handful of friends. as time went by i found out through various means that my readership was much larger than i thought (that is not to say it was enormous, just a lot more than i realized).

it was at this point that i started writing  about or linking to various topics that i thought would help the typical “person in the pew” navigate through this world with a gospel centered world view.

when i started this blog, i was in seminary working a 2nd shift job that afforded me a lot of time on line and to write. i was also married, but with no kids. over 7 yrs. later, i am a full time pastor with 2 children, and i also teach a systematic theology class at a local christian school. my time is limited and i just don’t have the opportunity to post regularly anymore.

i have also recently began co-hosting a radio broadcast called”biblical thinking”. after its weekly broadcast, it is made available on the website, biblical thinking.org ,and also on itunes as a podcast.  in a lot of ways, the radio show has become a continuation of the purposes i had in mind for this blog. so please feel free to check out biblical thinking for new and previous episodes!

that said, i didnt want to take down this blog, because from time to time i hear that people still use some of the resources on it. and i may come across a topic that i really want to address from time to time. so i will keep the blog online and may even write new posts from time to time,but it certainly won’t be with any kind of “regularity”.

so for you long time readers – thanks for hanging in there with me for all of these years… keep the lowercase bookmarked and check back every now and again for something new.

if you are new here, there are nearly 350 posts and resources for you to look through and interact with (i am still notified of any comments – even on very old posts).

thanks again for stopping by…

-stephen

 

the gospel of chick-fil-a

chick-fil-geddon 8-1-12

its the day after chick-fil-a day. literally hundreds of thousands were willing to inconvenience themselves, interrupt their schedules, give money, stand in long lines and then spend a lot of time in person and online to talk to friends, co-workers, & family about why they were doing what they were doing, why they believed what they believed, and why they should too.

i can’t help but wonder about what our church gatherings will look like this coming sunday morning. will we all make that same commitment to our churches so that we can promote the gospel of jesus christ in our own lives, homes, communities and world- for something of infinitely more worth  (as important as it is) than the current cultural debate over supporting certain businesses with certain views? (any christians out there drink starbucks, eat ben & jerry’s ice cream, drink pepsi products, or wear nike apparel? you might want to check certain organizations they support- then again,maybe not if you like to eat,wear clothes,or drive cars)

when we gather with our churches, will there be a sense of purpose and excitement? a sense of “what we are doing matters!!”? will there be that same resolve, that it is worth any (so called) sacrifice to be there? will we understand the weight and gravity of gathering as god’s people to worship him in spirit and truth, to celebrate who he is and what he has done, is doing and has promised to do – to glory in our lord and redeemer?

or will we be be too busy, and cling too tightly to our time, money,resources, and/ or convenience. will we not talk to those around us because of what they might think, or support the one institution that our lord himself founded and promised to use for the spread of his kingdom? lets answer this question without flinching – not just by our words and facebook statuses , but by our actions.

i love chick-fil-a  – especially a #1 w/ cheese & no pickle,dr.pepper w/ no ice,and polynesian sauce for my fries, please.
and don’t get me started on those banana pudding milkshakes…
[uncle jesse]” have mercy” [/uncle jesse] .
at one point in my life, i would have been called “obsessive” about it. (that is, if driving almost an hr.one way just to get to the closest chick-fil-a is”obsessive” *rolls eyes*.)

i support the owners right to have his opinion and voice it. i agree with his view on biblical marriage. and i want to make to sure that you understand, i don’t think that going to chick-fil-a yesterday was wrong. but it burdens me to see and hear of so many self- identified christians so freely express their outrage over the way chick-fil-a has been portrayed, change their schedules, go to so much trouble, endure long lines, etc. to eat a meal there, but for some of those same people  there is so little enthusiasm for christ’s church and his gospel.

the excuses flow like ketchup over waffle fries – the services are too long, our family’s schedules are too full with ball games, practices, lessons, etc. we can’t “add” something else like church to their week. sundays are our only days to rest, so staying home is what we need more than worship, instruction,fellowship and encouragement that a local church provides.

“my personality doesn’t allow me to feel comfortable to talk to others about jesus” or “they might think im pushy,closed minded, a religious nut, etc.”  or “i love jesus,but that doesn’t mean i have to talk about  him all of the time”. what about “i don’t have to say much, i show that i’m a christian by the way i live”. (when was the last time, by the way, that someone was converted because they saw you not gamble, not drink a beer, or not say a curse word?)

“i’m scared i don’t know enough to answer someone’s questions.” that one can be a valid concern, but why not share what we *do* know,and if we are truly saved, we know enough to share how others can be too. i doubt we all knew all of the ins and outs of cfa’s positions and decisions re: same sex marriage, but we spoke up for them, supported them, and went there anyway. some of us even did reserach to find out more so we could better defend the position. sounds an awful like “bible study”to me!

is it because the current chick-fil-a flap is more socially acceptable (even “cool” in christian circles) than pursuing holiness and living in light of the gospel each day, seeking to make christ known? is it because chick-fil-a doesn’t require much from us once the money/food exchange has taken place, but the church is always asking us to commit long term? why do we seem to get more committed to a restaurant and its reputation that the glory and reputation of christ?

i really like chick-fil-a and i hope you do too (banana pudding milkshakes!!!) but when the world sees us get up and get going to show our enthusiasm and support for a restaurant/cause, but never sees us get that excited and vocal about the gospel, then they begin to wonder what matters more to us – a restaurant and its “political” stance, or the one we call lord.

that should shame us.

and then it should drive us back to the gospel, that reminds that as prone to wander as our hearts are, if we seek him, we will find him, if we seek him with all of our heart. if we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. if we delight ourselves in him, he will give us the desire of our heart (which at that point will be more of him)

let us be those who have tasted and seen that he is good. and may the world know we are not talking about a chicken sandwich.

maybe this church does go to such great lengths to promote the gospel as much as they do chick-fil-a… i hope so..

 

on chicken restuarants, same sex- marriage, and the gospel

if you choose to go to chick-fil-a today, remember a few things:

1.) cfa did not organize this “appreciation day”. though i am sure that they are glad for this business, remember that they are not perpetuating an “us vs. them” mentality, so we don’t need to do that either.

2.) they are very likely to be slammed *all day* today, so be extra patient with the ones who are almost always so pleasant when they *serve* us.

3.) those who have chosen not to go (today, or any day), are our ‘neighbors’, and if you are a follower of christ, your lord has called you to love your neighbor, even when you disagree with them, and even if they insult you or your motives. love, even when it doesn’t endorse certain behaviors, still seeks the good (christ) for others. let’s not lose the war for making the gospel of jesus known over a battle for a chicken restaurant owned by “one of us”.

4.) finally, as you eat your meal (cfa or otherwise) may the flavor, satisfaction and fulfillment it brings draw our hearts and minds to remember to “taste and see that the lord is good” (ps. 34:8)