It has been eight years since my last post. My bad. However, I'm returning and will be starting a YouTube channel, respectfully answering questions I have accumulated over the years from skeptics.
I will also post more in this blog but with one caveat: My observations may not represent the churches and denomination I serve. These are my observations and mine alone.
Be patient. I am now a cancer survivor, still taking medicine, as well as the pastor of two churches. My ministry to my family, the two churches I serve, and my denomination take top priority.
This is going to be a wild ride.
Some years ago, at a book sale, I discovered a book by Dr. Clyde W. Meadows, a genuine hero in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. I had the privilege of knowing and talking with him until his passing on September 9th, 1999, at 98.
He was a truly remarkable man, a man of many talents, and his biography is listed here and here. His biography, In the Service of the King, is regrettably out of print but is well worth searching used bookstores and websites for a copy.
However, the book I am referring to was published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company in 1962. It is not mentioned in the annals of United Brethren History, and I am fortunate to have a copy.
A collection of 12 sermons, it is a masterpiece of Arminian/Wesleyan theology. With a Foreword written on May 1st, 1940, the chapter titles are:
Why We Choose Christ- The Unspeakable Gift
- The Cross of Christ
- The Certainties of Paul
- God's Word in Your Heart
- The Voice of Human Need
- Lead On, O Christ
- Nearer My God to Thee
- Thanksgiving in the Heart
- Christ's Call to Christian Service
- The Call to World-Wide Missionary Service
- A God That Cares
The chapters follow a logical progression, starting with the reality of salvation through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, moving through the Biblical truth of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives through the process of sanctification, and ending with God's call on our lives concerning service to Him.
It is a brilliant work from a brilliant mind and a man I knew to be humble and a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
My only disagreement with this magnificent work is that he proudly relates his knowledge of two men who go onto the mission field, leaving wives and, in one case, children behind. In the first example, the wife is sickly.
And the examples are not short-term mission trips but career commitments.
Needless to say, I was horrified. I am a former missionary who worked with Radio HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, for three years and had the immense privilege of being a 10-day short-term missionary in Japan. I have seen the results of divided missionary families.
But, pastor, you may say, does not Jesus Himself say, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26 LSB) and Dr. Meadows quotes this well-known verse.
First, the verse does not talk about missionary service but the decision to follow Christ. In this verse, Jesus speaks of those who use the excuse not to become a believer because of parents or family.
Secondly, in Aramaic, there is no word for "like." To "hate" something is to have it come in second place.
The two men Dr. Meadows equates as heroes are guilty of disobeying another Biblical mandate: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8 LSB)
Because of my observations on the mission field, the churches I serve, and myself personally, do not support missionaries who:
- Abandon spouses and children, and
- Send their children to boarding schools while they minister.
Other than that, Dr. Meadows has written a brilliant work. Aside from my one concern, if you can find a used copy, snap it up. It's worthwhile reading.
