Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “The one who gives an answer before he listens – this is foolishness and disgrace for him.” Proverbs 18:13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t surrender your critical thinking skills.”   One of the things that happens to individuals who allow themselves to be drawn into a cult of personality is that they give-up critical thinking. Critical thinking involves considering and analyzing facts before forming a judgment. It comes from the understanding that situations are usually complex and nuanced, and therefore in order to gain an accurate understanding of what a situation or position is, we have to listen carefully and then engage in rational unbiased analysis of factual evidence before we conclude that we know enough to arrive at a reasonable and informed conclusion about the issue.   But people in a cult of personality don’t do that. Instead, they are so enamored with the leader that they simply accept as truth whatever the leader and his or her closest aides say the truth of a matter is. Beyond that, if the official position of the leader is challenged by skeptics or critics, the cult follower responds emotionally and often with anger. Rather than giving serious consideration to an opposing point of view (critical thinking), the follower has already predetermined that whatever the policy and position of the dear leader is, that must be the truth of the situation and therefore they don’t need to know anything more about it.   As was noted yesterday, this is dangerous. A cult of personality tends to bring out and enable the worst aspects of a leader’s personality. The kind of leader that is most likely to allow and encourage a cult of personality to form around them usually has a serious ego problem to begin with. Now to be fair, not all the followers of a particular politician or religious leader are guilty of drinking the Kool-Aid. They don’t all have a cult of personality mindset. Probably even most of them don’t. But many do, and they usually constitute the base of the leader’s support.   In Proverbs 18:13 Solomon was calling for critical thinking. His point was that as mature intelligent individuals with well-developed critical thinking skills, we should carefully consider the various positions and perspectives associated with any situation, and then slowly and thoughtfully form our own opinion about it, rather than immediately assuming we already know everything we need to know about the issue.   I encourage you to avoid the cult of personality mindset. Don’t surrender your critical thinking skills.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “On an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a speech to them. The assembled people began to shout, ‘It’s the voice of a god and not of a man! At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.” Acts 12:22-23 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Avoid the cult of personality”   One definition of a cult of personality states that, “The cult of personality phenomenon refers to the idealized, even god-like, public image of an individual consciously shaped and molded through constant propaganda and media exposure. As a result, one is able to manipulate others based entirely on the influence of public personality … the cult of personality perspective focuses on the often shallow, external images that many public figures cultivate to create an idealized and heroic image.”   Cults of personality have existed in some form for much of human history. The Roman Emperors were considered to be divine and they were worshiped by the people (see Acts 12:22-23 above). Napoleon Bonaparte achieved near total power in France by means of a large and loyal cult of personality behind him, as did Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union, Adolph Hitler in Germany, Saddam Hussain in Iraq, and Kim Jong-un in North Korea, just to name a few. In 1978 the religious leader Jim Jones led over 900 people in his cult of personality to move with him from San Francisco to the jungles of Guyana, where they all ultimately committed suicide by drinking poisoned cool-aid.   In a cult of personality, the followers become so enamored with their leader that they begin to believe the leader can do no wrong. Even if the actions taken would be wrong if someone else did them, if the dear leader said it or did it then it’s okay because after-all, he’s the dear leader.   The situations cited above were extreme examples of cults of personality. In our day, in our nation, we find less extreme, but still troubling versions of this cult of personality mindset. We find it mostly among the followers of charismatic politicians, and to a lesser degree, influential religious leaders. Some would say that the most hardcore supporters of Donald Trump fall into this category because to listen to them, the man is never wrong no matter what he says or does. On the other end of the political spectrum the supporters of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez do the same thing. In the religious world we find something of a cult of personality surrounding pastor and author Joel Osteen. A cult of personality is always a dangerous thing because it diminishes accountability and it enables and encourages the worst aspects of the leader’s personality.   As mature Christians who think deeply and Biblically, we should never allow ourselves to be drawn into a cult of personality mindset. We can support, encourage, and assist our political and religious leaders while still holding them accountable when they’re wrong, and without giving them a free pass to do or say whatever they want.   We’ll think more about this tomorrow.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “…(be) ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect …” 1 Peter 3:15-16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Not all who bear Christ’s name also bear His image.”   Our discussion this month about the theme of “Think for yourself” centers on three primary reasons that we Christians sometimes do not think for ourselves (or at least do not think well and deeply). They are: Being content with simplistic or superficial thinking; giving-in to cultural pressures; and, being influenced by a cult of personality.  This morning I want to conclude our thinking about the impact cultural pressures have on us. Tomorrow we will move on to those cults of personality.   There can be no denying that ours is an angry society. Issues of politics, race, gender, sexuality, perceived economic disparities, and much more divide us into hostile camps defined by strong opinions and characterized by hot rhetoric. And Christians are not immune. All too often we’re part of one of the camps and we’re out there with them pointing fingers, shouting slogans, and fueling the anger. Or, we join them in endorsing policies, positions and beliefs that are unbiblical. When that happens, we’re allowing the culture to influence us in a negative way rather than us influencing the culture in a positive way.   This is a problem because as author Ken Gire writes, “Not all who bear Christ’s name bear His image. There is a difference between being a Christian and being conformed to the image of Christ.”   Sadly, when engaged in cultural issues, many Christians don’t sound much like Christ. Instead, they sound more like the people all around them in the angry shouting crowds. This shouldn’t be. Our goal is to be conformed to Christ not to culture, and to conduct ourselves in society in a manner that truly does reflect Christ.   As the followers of Christ we should be actively engaged in the important issues of our day, because that’s one of the ways we have a positive influence in the world. But we are to do it in the manner described by Peter in 1 Peter 3:15-16. We are to boldly and accurately share Biblical truth as it pertains to the situation at hand, but we’re to do it with gentleness and respect.   Unfortunately, it’s true that not all who bear Christ’s name also bear His image. My prayer is that more and more of us Christians will come to be known both by His name and by His manner.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:2-5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Stick to the script”   I’m tempted to think Paul must have written 2 Timothy 4:2-5 with our society in mind. I know he didn’t; I know the words he wrote apply to all people in all places at all times and that such a situation exists to some extent in every culture, but still, his words sure do describe us. “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine …” Sound doctrine often makes people mad – and not just among unbelievers. For instance, the Bible says that Jesus is the only way to salvation. That statement makes unbelievers mad. But some surveys show that perhaps 30-40% of professing Christians also aren’t sure John 3:16 is actually true and they’re therefore uncomfortable with it.   The Bible also says that homosexuality is a sin, but for many people those are fighting words. Yes, even many Christians who agree that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God still take the position that homosexuality is no different from heterosexual love in the eyes of God.   What that leads to is: “… but according to their own desires, (they) will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.” It’s an easy thing to find a teacher, preacher, church, or denomination that will tell you what you want to hear. They have cleverly devised explanations to explain-away the hard and inconvenient parts of the Bible (or they just ignore those parts), and they will teach you lessons to support whatever it is you’ve already decided you want to believe.   Paul’s answer for us? “Stick to the script” (the Bible). Just preach the word. Do it in season and out of season (when it’s easy and when it isn’t). Correct wrong beliefs, challenge the myths, preach and teach the truth. But do it with patience and self-control. In other words, as we have been learning all this month, speak the truth but do it with love and kindness, with grace and with respect.    A couple of years ago I published a book on this subject called, “Getting Along without Going Along: Biblical sexual ethics in an age of conflict and controversy.” It’s all about how to discuss the Biblical truth about sexual ethics, but in a respectful way that treats others with dignity and grace. The specific topic of that book is Biblical sexual ethics, but the practice of communicating it boldly but with grace applies to all issues. If you would like to purchase a copy of it let me know and I would be happy to send you one.   Paul’s advice for us in these difficult days in which we live is “Just stick to the script”.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “We need strong men in tough times”   I had the good fortune to be part of the Promise Keepers movement throughout the decade of the 1990’s. That was a time when hundreds of thousands of Christian men were filling football stadiums across the nation for the purpose of worshipping Jesus, listening to encouraging and challenging speakers, and enjoying great fellowship with other Christian men. It was a powerful movement which made a big impact across the land.   One of the most popular Promise Keepers speakers and authors was Ewin Louis Cole. Of all the books he wrote for men his bestseller was “Strong Men in Tough Times: Developing Strong Character in an Age of Compromise”. In that book Cole made a convincing case for the need for strong Christian men to stand-up, speak-up, and take action to deal with the serious problems associated with the rapid decline of morality and values in our society. He wrote, “In all of human history there has never been a time when the call for strong men was louder or the need greater.… and “The world is looking for strong men who will overcome drifting philosophies and bring order, hope and dignity back to a world in desperate need of men who will be heroes”.… and “Today’s world is progressing technologically but regressing morally and spiritually.”   Those statements were true when Cole first wrote them in 1993 and they’re even truer today. The need for strong Christian men of virtue and courage who will take a stand for faith, family, and righteousness is greater today in our nation than ever before. Far too many men, even Christian men, are giving-in to the cultural pressures of our day. But in 1 Corinthians 15:58 the Apostle Paul called us to stand firm; let nothing move us; give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord; and know that our faithfulness is not in vain.   On this Father’s Day weekend 2020 I want to commend and encourage all the courageous and faithful men out there who are not afraid to take a stand for Christ in the midst of an immoral and hostile culture. Thank you for standing firm. You are making a difference.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so you may know how you should answer each person.” Colossians 4:6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t be a jerk for Jesus”   Yesterday I wrote about the “silent majority” of Christians who remain silent when they should speak up, and who are unengaged when they should be doing something. I said that many of them are effectively AWOL (Absent Without Leave), rather than being where they should be and doing what they should do. And I said that one reason for their absence was that it’s easier to remain silent and unengaged rather than speaking up and doing something.   But there’s another reason Christians remain silent and unengaged, and it’s because the public arena has become so toxic and divisive when it comes to the major issues of our day and they don’t want to get swept up in that. They don’t want to become just another angry and combative voice in an already too angry and too combative society.   I’m with you. Neither do I. I want to be helpful rather than hurtful, shining light rather than adding to the darkness. But it’s hard. It’s so easy to just add to the overheated rhetoric. Pastor Eugene Cho wrote about this dilemma in his book “Thou Shalt Not Be A Jerk: A Christian’s Guide to Politics”. He writes:   “So many of us are wondering how we can be faithful to Christ, remain engaged, and maintain our integrity. In other words, how can we continue to be Christlike in the chaos and craziness of our political climate?”   Pastor Cho goes on to caution us not to be “a jerk for Jesus”. A jerk for Jesus is someone who is harsh and unnecessarily provocative in the way that they promote their beliefs, and they believe they’re doing it as an act of ministry. They’re being a jerk, and they think they’re doing it for Jesus. Don’t be that guy.   In Colossians 4:6 the Apostle Paul encouraged us to make sure our speech is always kind and gracious, seasoned with the appropriate amount of salt (truth), but gracious in content and tone. That right there is our answer. It is possible to confront falsehood with truth and to do it in a kind, respectful, gracious manner. That was exactly the point Chuck Colson was making in his book “The Sky is not Falling”, which I quoted from several days ago. It is possible to speak Gospel truth; it is possible to be actively engaged in the important issues of our day; and it is even possible to offer critical commentary about things we disagree with (the election of Barak Obama for instance); without using overheated rhetoric or unkind words.   Paul had it right when he cautioned us to make sure our manner and tone of speech is kind, respectful and gracious. By all means, speak up and be involved. But don’t be a jerk for Jesus.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.” 2 Timothy 4:9 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Don’t be AWOL”   The term “silent majority” is normally used to refer to American citizens who, for the most part, remain silent about important issues. It is said that such people actually constitute the majority of the population and if they could just be mobilized, they would be a powerful force that would reign-in the extremists on both ends of the political spectrum.   I personally believe the term is accurate and that there is a large middle group of Americans who are reasonable, logical, and willing to work together with others to arrive at fair solutions that benefit everyone. The problem is that to a large degree the silent majority is, well, they’re silent. They’re busy just living decent lives, raising their families, going to work, and doing the things that need to be done, and they’ve surrendered the national stage to the fringe elements on both the right and left.     I think that’s true of the U.S. population in general, but it is also true of Christians in particular. Too many of us are silent when we need to be speaking up. Too many of us are unengaged in the issues of our day when we need to be actively involved. There are multiple reasons for the silence, but a big one is that it’s simply easier and safer to remain silent. Many of us just want to be left alone to enjoy our comfortable lives and we’re content to let others address the difficult issues for us.   That’s the equivalent of being AWOL (Absent Without Leave). It’s a military term given to a soldier who has deserted his or her post without permission. The reason the person goes AWOL is usually because they would rather be somewhere else doing something else, instead of being where they’re supposed to be, doing the things they’re supposed to be doing.   In 2 Timothy 4:9 the Apostle Paul told the story of a man named Demas who was a fellow worker, but who went AWOL when his help was still needed. And why did Demas leave instead of staying and doing what was needed of him? “Because he loved the world”. In other words, he was seeking ease and comfort at the expense of the important ministry work that still needed to be accomplished.   Thinking for yourself can be hard work. It certainly requires extra effort, as opposed to simply letting other people tell you what to think. And then, acting on your convictions is harder still. It’s so much easier to let others be the ones to speak up and to take action.   I encourage you to not be AWOL. Don’t be part of the silent majority of Christians who are absent when they should be present, and who are quiet when they should speak up. Your voice is needed, and so is your help.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22   Our thought for today: “Don’t live in an echo chamber – part two”   In 2005 Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin published her bestselling work “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”. It was about how upon winning the Presidency, Lincoln recruited into his cabinet to be his closest advisors a team of political rivals who had previously vigorously opposed him. Lincoln brought these rivals into his inner circle for numerous reasons, but one was because he wanted intelligent people around him who would challenge his thinking and force him to be clear and sharp about what he believed and why he believed it.   The kind of intellectual courage and confidence displayed by Lincoln by surrounding himself with people from opposing points of view used to be an attribute that was admired, promoted, and taught in American society. College campuses used to be places where young people were forced to grapple with a vast array of competing and conflicting ideas and to sort through them, eventually deciding for themselves what ideas were true and best.   But not anymore. Today in our culture it is much more common for people to retreat into “echo chambers”, or “safe-spaces” where they don’t have to deal with competing ideas. The term “echo chamber” is a metaphor for an environment where only safe and agreeable ideas are allowed in, and all others are shut out. Therefore, the only ideas the person inside the echo chamber is exposed to are those they already agree with.    As was note in yesterday’s devotional, the most extreme example of this is seen on college campuses among young liberals. However, conservatives are equally guilty of creating echo chambers, and this is not a good thing. Proverbs 15:22 is just one of several Proverbs where wise King Solomon exhorted his readers to be open to considering various points of view before deciding what to believe and what actions to take.    This is important advice. Christians in our day need to be strong and clear in our thinking so we can effectively engage with people regarding the important issues of our day. I believe that all of us, on both sides of the political spectrum, need to come out of our echo chambers. We need to have the courage to honestly listen to and explore the ideas being promoted by those different from us.   Abraham Lincoln wasn’t afraid of giving serious thought to opposing ideas, and we shouldn’t be either. We need to be willing to listen to what others are saying, compare that to what we believe, and then decide what the best position is. If we do that, our own thinking will be sharper and our intellect will be stronger. And also, we just might come to a better understanding of the people who see things differently than we do.    God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisors make victory sure.” Proverbs 11:14   Our thought for today: “Don’t live in an echo chamber.”   This morning we will continue our discussion from yesterday about the fact that the sky is not falling and therefore it’s important that we don’t sound as if it is. When we Christians allow ourselves to get swept up in and carried away with extreme or fatalistic thinking, it diminishes the power of the redemptive message our Lord has given us to preach. In the eyes of the unbelieving world we begin to appear silly and simple-minded, and that damages our credibility.   One of the ways we can sometimes slide into a “sky is falling” perspective, is when we allow ourselves to live in an echo chamber environment. The term “echo chamber” is a metaphor for an environment where only safe and agreeable ideas are allowed in, and all others are shut out. Therefore, the only ideas the person inside the echo chamber is exposed to are those that they already agree with.    The most extreme example of this is seen on college campuses where uncomfortable ideas and opposing ideologies are deemed as being “emotional violence”, and students are afforded safe-space echo chamber environments which they can retreat to in order to avoid anything that doesn’t conform to their way of thinking. Creating echo chamber safe-spaces for those students is extremely damaging. It reinforces the belief that they should never have to be exposed to or required to contend with opposing ideas. It also cripples their ability to engage in critical thinking.   However, conservatives are equally guilty of creating echo chambers. How many of us get our news exclusively from conservative sources? How often do we engage in serious discussions about important issues with those who think differently than us, rather than just with our friends who already agree with us? The truth is that like those students on college campuses, we too sometimes shut-out opposing points of view. Also, when we do consider opposing viewpoints, rather than going directly to the liberal sources to determine what their ideas really are, our information about those issues often comes to us filtered through the conservative reporters and commentators we rely on for our news.   This is life in an echo chamber and it amounts to allowing others to think for us. But in Proverbs 11:14 Solomon was writing about the importance of considering various points of view before we come to the conclusion that we fully understand an issue and therefore know everything we need to know about it.   The further our nation drifts from Biblical principles, the more important it is for Christians to be strong and clear in our thinking and able to articulate our message in a reasoned and convincing manner. Life lived in an echo chamber is not only limiting, it is damaging in that it hinders our ability to effectively engage with those who think differently than us. This is so important that we will continue our discussion of it tomorrow by considering a courageous and inspiring example from President Abraham Lincoln. He refused to allow an echo chamber environment to exist in his White House.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “… I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The sky is not falling.”   Chuck Colson served as Special Counsel to the President during the administration of Richard Nixon. He was known as Nixon’s hatchet man because he was relentless in attacking and undermining the President’s political enemies. If you crossed the President, or Colson himself, he would cut you off at the knees and toss your body into the parking lot. He was ruthless.   Chuck ended up going to prison for his part in the Watergate scandal and while there, he became a Christian. He then spent the rest of his life serving prisoners and their families, writing good Christian books, and being a high-profile spokesman for many Christian causes. One of the last books he wrote before he died was “The Sky is Not Falling: Living Fearlessly in These Turbulent Times”. It was written in response to the embarrassing way in which many conservative Christians conducted themselves after the election of Barak Obama in 2008. To listen to them you would have thought that Barak Obama was the anti-Christ, that the apocalypse was upon us, and surely Jesus was coming back at any moment. In short, they were running around like a bunch of “Chicken Little’s” crying that the sky was falling.  But it wasn’t.   And it isn’t in our day either. As difficult as our times seem – with a pandemic, with racial tensions at a high level, with riots in the streets of major cities, with an economy in the toilet, with a nasty Presidential election in the offing, with the liberals going so far left that they’re halfway to Hawaii and still going, and with the prospect of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in some important position in a Joe Biden administration – yes, as bad as all that seems, the sky is not falling. Jesus is still on the throne, you are still saved, and the kingdom of God will continue to spread all across the globe. As Colson wrote back then and as is still true today:   “Only one compelling claim to transcendent truth remains, one secure hope: Christianity. The church has stood unshaken through the ebb and flow of two millennia. It has survived both the barbarian invasions of the Middle Ages and the intellectual assaults of the modern era. Its solid walls rise up above the ruins littered across the intellectual landscape. This moment, when the culture at large is facing the bankruptcy of its systems, is the worst possible time for Christians to despair. On the contrary, it is time for us to blow trumpets and fly the flag high.”   Amen! What was true in 2008 is still true today. This is a time for us to claim the cultural high ground, be salt and light, serve in the name of Christ, and preach the Gospel without fear and without apology.   I encourage you to resist getting caught up in the fear and hysteria being spread by so many in the Christian community (especially on social media). Think for yourself. Better still, let Jesus think for you. He proclaimed that the gates of hell itself could not and would not hinder His kingdom-building work. That is our sure confidence. Jesus wins, and therefore so do we.   The sky is not falling. So please, let’s stop acting as if it is.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.