Idolatrous Homeschooling

This Friday, I have the privilege of leading two workshops at the APACHE homeschooling conference.  One of my talks is entitled "The Idol of Family."  While Whitney and I have enjoyed our years of homeschooling very much, the homeschooling lifestyle can easily cause my heart to begin to create an idol out of my family.  Homeschoolers face some unique temptations to idolize the family because of decisions they have made regarding the structure of their lives. 

Before I continue, a few caveats:

(1) What I'm saying is not an attack on homeschooling.  It's some "in-house" observations.  All decisions we make can lead to creating an idol of something. 

(2) The idol of family is not a problem exclusive to homeschoolers.  In some ways, I could just switch around some words and give this talk to Christian school parents or public school parents.  If our family went to Peoria Christian School, I'm sure I'd have some observations about the manifestation of idolatry in the hearts of private schoolers.  In the coming years, I'm sure my heart will be challenged as my kids attend public school and I'll have another talk or two about that. 

(3) Don't read between the lines too much.  I'm not trying to launch a veiled attack at anyone.  I'm not really a movement homeschooler and so although I'm aware there are homeschooling "camps" (or militias?), I'm not a member of any, nor do I understand all of the differences between them.  I may be saying some things that sound like an attack on some camps but, to the best of my knowledge, that would be unintentional.  (That being said, maybe the nerd picture is a little harsh...?)

(4) Loving one’s family is biblical.  The danger comes when I set my heart’s ultimate affection not upon God but upon the five other individuals who make up my immediate family.

In my talk Friday, I’ll be defining idolatry, briefly looking at the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-2, then considering six signs you struggle with idolizing the family.  Here’s a rough overview of some of the things I plan to say about those six signs.

Six Signs You Struggle with Idolizing the Family



#1: You abuse your God-given parental authority.

Homeschooling parents, as they envision the type of children they would like to raise, can become confused regarding the nature, extent, and purpose of their authority.  This leads them to potentially abuse the authority God has given them.

The purpose of parental authority is not to impose our will upon someone else.  As Jesus said regarding the difference between our natural understanding of authority and God’s design for authority among believers:

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25-28).

The purpose of authority in Scripture is to serve.  Parents exercise spiritual authority not by conforming their children into caricatures of themselves but by helping them know and love the Lord Jesus Christ.

This doesn’t mean that biblical parental authority is devoid of decrees and dictums that are to be obeyed.  To the contrary, as biblical parental authority is properly exercised, children should be all the more careful to follow their parents' instructions exactly.  But the goal of exercising authority is radically different for the believer who wishes to avoid idolatry.  The parent is mindful of the biblical restraints placed upon his sphere of authority.  There should be a reluctance to go beyond that sphere or impose his will.

Homeschooling parents can struggle with the notion that their children will act in ways that are contrary to their preferences for their life.  Their idolatrous conception of what the ideal family looks like may drive them to exercise authority in realms where it is unwise to do so.

#2: You are motivated not by trust in God but by fear of man.

God calls us to trust in Him and believe in His good plan for us.  Making decisions regarding  your children’s schooling because you are fearful of people is idolatrous. 

This does not mean we should treat sinful influences in our children's lives lightly.  God has called you to be mindful of the environment you place your children.  If a family decides that the best school for their child for a period of time is in their home, that is wonderful.

Do not, however, be so fearful of the world’s power that you believe God is at its mercy.  A teacher does not have the power to turn your child into a communist or vegetarian.   God still sits enthroned in the heavens and laughs at the schemes of the rulers of the earth (Ps. 2:1-4).

#3: You respond sinfully when your goals for your family are not met.

Our reaction to disappointed dreams reveals what we really worship (James 4:1-10).  When our goals for our family—however noble—are frustrated, the response of our heart reveals whether we were worshipping God or an idol.

#4: You view your children as an end instead of a means.

Hannah desperately longed for a child.  But as 1 Samuel 1-2 makes clear, she did not view her precious child as the end goal.  Even the gift of a child was a means to worship God.

Your children are not the end goal.  Your children are yet another means God has given you to engage in worship of Him.

#5: You teach your children to have an unbiblical view of the family. 

The way many homeschoolers conceive the family is not how the Bible would understand family.  They rightly love the individuals who live in their home, but they are tempted to believe that their familial responsibilities are fulfilled by simply meeting the needs of the nuclear family. 

In Exegetical Fallacies, D. A. Carson addresses “semantic anachronisms.”  Carson writes: “This fallacy occurs when a late use of a word is read back into earlier literature” (33).  The way we center our lives around the nuclear family is a recent cultural phenomenon.  When we encounter the family in Scripture, we are sometimes guilty of the semantic anachronism of which Carson speaks, assuming that Scripture understands the family the same way we do in North America. 

It is important to teach children not to idolize the nuclear family.  Our family doesn’t exist simply to meet the needs of the individuals who live under our roof.  We seek to honor and care for our grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and the family of God.



#6: You teach your children to have an unbiblical view of the church.

The unbiblical view family leads to an unbiblical view of the church.  Homeschooling families can become so consumed with their nuclear family that they don’t have the energy or desire to engage in ministry in the local church. In some circumstances, families may even say that homeschooling is their ministry. 

But this attitude is harmful for both the church and the family.  It deprives the church of the vital spiritual gifts that the members of the family possess.  It hurts the family as they fail to experience the joy of serving others.

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These are just some of my initial thoughts about what I plan to share Friday.  I reserve the right to make adjustments to this blog throughout the week so feel free to offer insight or suggestions!

Why It's Wrong to Win the Lottery

We drove back from Texas on Friday, March 30.  As is my habit on long car trips, I listened to the radio quite a bit.  The lead news story on every station from Dallas to Peoria was not the economy or the health care bill or the latest crisis in the middle east.  The story capturing everyone’s imagination was the lottery and the record-breaking prize drawing that was to be held in just a few hours.. 

I’ve written before about what I believe are the spiritual dangers of gambling (e.g., here and here).  Let me take a moment and share a few additional thoughts on the lottery.  As I told my kids Saturday evening, the problem with the lottery goes beyond being a poor use of money.  In other words, it’s not just wrong to lose the lottery—there are also problems with winning. 

These thoughts are not novel or original with me, but let me share five reasons why I believe it’s wrong to win the lottery.  And, of course, I understand that good folks disagree on this issue and I respect the right of believers to come to different conclusions.

1. When you win the lottery, you take advantage of the poor.

Even when you play the lottery, you are participating in a system that disproportionately affects the poor.  According to some estimates, the poor spend up to 9% of their income on the lottery.  Furthermore, the entire lottery system relies upon poor people, especially ethnic minorities, participating in it disproportionately (for examples, see here and here).

When you win the lottery, you are therefore enriching yourself off of the resources of the poor.  James warns us of the danger of defrauding the poor for our own gain (5:1-6).

2. When you win the lottery, your financial gain is not the fruit of your own labor.

As I sat down with my kids to talk to them about the lottery, I opened up the book of Proverbs.  It did not take long to find words of caution against the heart attitude behind the lottery.  “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.  A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 28:19-20.

The believer should avoid attempts to procure material resources in a way contrary to those advocated by God.  Quick riches are not a healthy way to acquire financial gain.

3. When you win the lottery, you are tempted to not trust in God’s provision.

The prayer of Agur in Proverbs 30 is instructive: “Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” (30:7-9).

There is a temptation the rich person faces to fail to rely upon God and depend upon his provision.

4. When you win the lottery, you are tempted to love the things of this world.

In our North American culture, we often fail to understand the real danger love of this world presents. "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 John 2:15-16).

The danger of wealth to your soul is very real.  You cannot love both the world and God.

5. When you win the lottery, you may be given more money than you can handle.

The lottery bestows amounts of money that most believers are ill-equipped to deal with.  We believe that having riches is a “blessing” but Jesus describes it differently.  In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus warns: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God…. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation” (Luke 6:20b, 24).

I'll admit it.  As we were driving and listening to the radio, I thought about what it would be like to be worth a half-billion dollars, overnight.  But then we listened to the testimony of a man who had won the lottery.  Far from bringing him joy, it had brought him misery.  He wishes he had never won.  However...he had purchased a ticket for the current lottery!  Behold the deception of riches!

I've never talked with someone who had pursued God with their whole heart and then regretted it.  

Pursue Him, the pearl of great price and the true treasure.

Identifying Future Elders

On Sunday, I listened with joy as Kirk Hoffman and Mike Chambers shared their testimonies with our church.  They shared stories of God’s grace at work in their lives and I thanked God for the people He has placed in the body of believers at Bethany Community Church. 

Over the next few weeks, the members of our church are going to be evaluating and (I believe) affirming Kirk and Mike’s fitness for the office of elder. 

But what about future elders?  Are there other men in the church who fulfill the biblical requirements for the office of elder?  I believe so. 

Perhaps there are men you have observed in ministry whom you believe would do well shepherding the church.  As I introduced Kirk and Mike, I mentioned that one of the ways we identify elders is by people in the church recommending men to us.

So how can you know for sure whether or not a man is qualified for leadership?  What traits or attributes should we be looking for as a church in our leaders?  Or, put another way, what are some of the traits that should be true of a man who meets the biblical qualifications of an elder (e.g. 1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)? 

Let me encourage you with some words from Thabiti M. Anyabwile’s Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons.  In a chapter entitled, “Desires a Noble Task,” Anyabwile notes four important traits to look for in a prospective elder:

1.      Take note of those men who regularly attend the church’s services and the church’s business meetings. 

2.      Note the men who already appear to be shepherding members of the church even though they don’t have the title “elder” or “pastor.”

3.      Note those men who show respect and trust in the existing leadership, who work to understand the directions pursued by leadership, who ask good and appropriate questions in appropriate settings, and who avoid creating confusion or dissension in public meetings.

4.      Be patient and note those men who evidence the desire [to be an elder] over time.

These suggestions are not exhaustive, but I think they provide some excellent examples of things that should be true in the life of a man who meets the biblical qualifications for eldership.  We do not put me into these roles hoping they become qualified.  We put them into these roles because we believe they have already demonstrated they are qualified.

Please continue to pray for God's direction and guidance for our church.

Daniel

Cleaning Up My Files

Once again, the number of articles I had planned on blogging about has piled up beyond manageable levels. I'll be deleting some and putting others below...

Those of you who know how much I disdain the health-and-wealth prosperity gospel will have a pretty good idea how sad this article made me: Ka-ching-in-the-ka-church

Or this article: The Five Richest Pastors in Nigeria.

Articles like these make my heart resonate with this statement: "The Scriptures forbid charging for ministry . . . in any circumstance or situation. It is that black and white." To get the full context, click on the following link and prepare to be seriously challenged: "Peddling the Word of God for profit . . . should we be charging for ministry?" Nov, 2011.

A word of advice to future pastors, based on this article: War and Peace. Someday, there may be an opportunity to take a position at a church where a beloved founding pastor has just left.  Be careful.  There is a saying in pastoral circles: Never be the guy that replaces "The Guy."  Be the guy that replaces the guy that replaced "The Guy."


Fascinating article on "the marriage gap."  Asks the question: what are the economic consequences of choosing to marry or not marry?

You don't want to miss this.  The President and the Prophet: Obama's Unusual Encounter with Eric Metaxas.

Bonus link!!!  Links to multiple additional articles via freakonomics.

Have a great week!

-Daniel

For book lovers...

The Danger of Benevolence: Church vs. State

Caring for those in need is good, admirable, and biblical, but the Christian is also called to participate in discerning charity.  Some assistance produces results exactly opposite of what is desired.  For this reason, sometimes the Christian is called to not help someone in need (1 Tim 5:3-5; 2 Thess. 3:10).  

In his book What’s Wrong with Benevolence, David Stove warns that some types of benevolence harm rather than help.  While Stove doesn't write from a Christian perspective, I believe he makes some excellent observations about benevolence that echo biblical teaching.

Stove argues that by providing some types of assistance in certain circumstances, our benevolence actually causes harm. He gives three characteristics of “dangerous” benevolence.

The first characteristic of dangerous benevolence is universality.  Instead of targeting an individual in need, unhealthy benevolence “has for its object all present and future human beings.”  Most of the entitlement spending in our government is universal.  It is not designed to target needy individuals but rather large (voting) blocs.

A second feature of dangerous benevolence is disinterestedness.  As Stove puts it, when Karl Marx plans for “universal happiness, there is ‘nothing in it’…for Marx himself.  Whereas, of course, when a father plans his child’s happiness, or a teacher his pupil's, or a friends his friend’s, there is something in it, should the plan succeed, for the father, teacher or friend….”  

A politician or government entity has no relationship with the ones they are giving aid to.  What happens with the individuals who receive this money is of little concern to them on a personal level.  This, too, is a feature of much of the state-run benevolence structure currently in place.

The third aspect of dangerous benevolence is externality.  As Stove notes: “That is, it [dangerous benevolence] is proposed to bring about the happiness of others, not by changing them, but by changing their circumstances: by giving them money, for example, or better surroundings, or legal rights which they did not have before.”

This, too, is a dominant feature of the benevolence practiced by the state.  There is a belief that the difficulties that an individual faces are primarily caused and solved by lack of or access to financial resources.   

The benevolence characterized by these features produces a culture in which individuals are dependent upon the aid of others.  I think Stove is on to something here and it highlights why the church is such an effective means for practicing benevolence.

The benevolence the church practices is not universal.  God's call for the church is to meet the needs of the receptive disenfranchised. 

The benevolence the church practices is not disinterested.  The church deals with individuals with whom it has a vested interest in bringing in to the community of faith.  Within that community comes help that transcends the immediate physical needs.

The benevolence the church practices is not focused on externals.  The church seeks total life-transformation of those it helps.

The church should not be discouraged from its benevolence efforts by the state.  Rather, it should have renewed gospel-centered focus on continuing to meet the needs of the least of these for the glory of our Heavenly Father.

Orphan Care Bible Study

This Sunday, we begin our six-week orphan care Bible study.  We will be using my favorite book, A Passion for the Fatherless, by Daniel J. Bennett.  The study is not just for those who are considering adopting but for anyone who desires to think through how they can help our church care for the fatherless. 

As I was preparing for the study this week, I read an article by Dan Cruver, the director of Together for Adoption, that has implications for our ministry to orphans and others who are in need.  In “Caring for Orphans as the Exiles We Are,” Cruver writes: 

One of the challenges for Christians in the Western world is that we are often guilty of trying to dry up our profound “sense of exile” with the nonabsorbent paper towels of the incomplete joys of this world. That’s not to say that it is wrong for Christians to enjoy themselves in the here-and-now. God gives His children many good gifts to enjoy now with gratitude in our hearts. But our here-and-now enjoyment was never meant to be the way we deal with our deep ache of exile. When we deal with our “sense of exile” by using God’s good gifts to self-medicate, we’ll find ourselves moving away from the world’s most needy rather than to them. Self-medicating people are not easily mobilized for self-sacrificial service.

The reality is that all Christians are in exile, whether we recognize it or not. Eden has been lost. As a result, we are exiles in the here-and-now (1 Peter 1:1). The period of time in which we live as exiles is deeply marked by suffering, brokenness and unrest (Romans 8:18). The presence of 163,000,000 orphaned and vulnerable children in the world is irrefutable evidence of this very fact.

Cruver goes on to observe that the gospel provides the answer to the longing we feel as exiles.  “Only when we rest in what Jesus has already done to one day bring us back home (Romans 8:19-23) are we able to move toward our world’s most needy now.”

My hope is that our church continues to embrace “exile living.” A worldly discontentment seeks fulfillment in material things.  Godly discontentment finds hope in the gospel then proclaims that hope to others.  To think through how the gospel impacts our ministry to the fatherless, plan on joining me this Sunday at 9:00 A.M.