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Christian Living

A Failure to Understand the Book of Jude?

I’m doing a series of posts about the short and often overlooked book of Jude. Jude’s letter is a warning, almost a rant, about ungodly people who are in the church.

Among their sordid characteristics, Jude says that they “speak abusively against whatever they do not understand.”

That seems to be an accurate description of what I often hear when people talk about others who hold differing spiritual perspectives.

This is perhaps most pronounced within Protestantism, with its three major divisions and 42,000 disparate denominations. (See my posts about unity for more info.)

This idea of speaking against what is not understood not only occurs from within the major religions, but also between them.

It seems that many Christians fear Muslims, but I understand that many Muslims also fear Christians.

While there are historical reasons behind this (consider the crusades, for instance), the main cause today is a lack of understanding about the beliefs and practices of others (setting aside the radical fringe that is found in every group).

As an alternative to speaking against what is not understood, is Paul’s encouragement to “speak the truth in love.” That beats hateful rhetoric every day.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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Christian Living

What is Worship?

When I drive by a church there’s usually a sign telling when they meet. The word “worship” often come right before it.

While I fully understand what they mean, I’m more than a bit troubled by the gross misuse of that word.

Stating that worship is at 10 a.m. on Sunday, sends the strong message. It implies the other 167 hours of the week are times for non-worship. This idea of segregating the spiritual from the secular is an anathema to what God desires and intended.

If we truly love him, then we’re to worship 24/7. There should never be a time when we don’t worship him.

That, then, begs the question, “What is worship?”

Despite the preceding implication that worship is synonymous with the Sunday service, for many people worship is no more than a time of singing songs about God (or perhaps watching other people sing songs about God).

Sometimes a minister says, “Let’s worship God by giving our tithes and offerings.” I see generosity as a form of worship. But I’m turned off by the fact that the only time I hear the word worship is when someone’s asking for money.

The Bible says we’re to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). I love it!

I think this means we’re to worship God in all things, in all ways, and at all times. There is no spiritual time and non-spiritual time; it’s all spiritual. If everything is spiritual, then everything should be worship.

Worshiping God in all we do may mean they’re some things we need to stop doing, places we need to stop going, and words we need to stop saying.

You may opt to attend a church service on Sunday morning at 10 o’clock, but true worship can’t be scheduled and never ends.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

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Bible Insights

Where Are You?

In the Song of Songs, the girl reveals something personal. She is self-conscious about the dark tones of her skin (from spending too much time in the sun, she says). She doesn’t want others to stare.

Yet the friends in this story want to do just that. They admire her uniqueness and ask to gaze upon her. This is ironic; the exact thing that makes her uncomfortable, others admire.

More significantly, is that her lover desires to do the same. He says, “Show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.” His love for her is revealed through his desire.

While this human love story between a man and a woman is wonderful and inviting, the underlying analogy is of the love story between God and us. By extension, God wants to look at us; he wants to hear our voice!

If this seems strange, know that there is precedent.

You may recall that after Adam and Eve hid from God, that God sought them out, calling “Where are you?”*

I hear the same call to us today.

*Their location was not a mystery to God; he merely wanted them to come to him on their own accord—as he does of us.

Read the passages referenced above.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

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Bible Insights

Pursuing God Can be Risky

I have heard some claim that if you follow Jesus, all your problems will be solved and life will become an idyllic and blissful existence.

While I suppose that could be the case, I don’t reach that conclusion when I read my Bible.

In one of the more obscure passages, this is shown figuratively in The Song of Songs.

Twice, overcome in desperation to be with her lover (the king), the girl makes an ill-advised nighttime foray into the dark to find him.  Both times, she encounters watchmen.

The first occurs without incident, but the second time she is mistreated by them.

The degree of abuse is unclear, but it could be understood as severe.

Just as she is willing to risk much to be with the king she loves, so to do God’s followers take risks to be with the King they love.

And if we truly love him, no risk is too great.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Familiar Phrases in an Unfamiliar Place

The Song of Songs (sometimes called the Song of Solomon) is a part of the Bible that is not often read. Even so, three phrases jump out as being very familiar.

The first is “rose of Sharon.” It is a beautiful and valued flower. However, according to some translators, this eloquent phrasing should more correctly be rendered as “crocus.” That just doesn’t carry the same punch.

Immediately following that is another flower reference, “lily of the valley.” Lily of the valley is also a pretty flower, usually a pure white and most delicate in appearance.

What is unclear is if these images refer to the king (implying God) or to his beloved (implying us).

The third phrase is “his banner over me is love.” 

This harkens to I song I remember singing as a child. Aside from this phrase and a vague recollection of the tune, I can recall no other words to the song, but I think this is what we sang (and there are even hand motions to accompany it!)

Interestingly, all three phrases only occur once in the Bible, in the Song of Songs.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

A Biblical Screenplay

Song of Songs is commonly categorized as wisdom literature in the Bible. With the possible exception of Job, it is not like the other wisdom books, nor like any other book in the Bible.

It is easy to imagine Song of Songs as being the lines to a play that King Solomon wrote to both entertain and teach his people. As such, Song of Songs may be more akin to a modern-day screenplay than anything else.

There are three characters in this play, the beloved (the girl), the lover (the king), and the friends (think of them as the “chorus”). 

Headings, indicating the three parts, are inserted in some versions to reflect the pronouns used in the original Hebrew text, though some of the delineations between speakers are not absolute.

The book can be read straight through as a narrative or the various speakers (lover, beloved, and friends) can be pulled out read individually to gain a better understanding of each character. In doing so,

  • the lover mostly upholds and celebrates her beauty,
  • the beloved mostly talks about her deep yearning for him and desire to be with him, and
  • the words of the “friends” often provide a transition or information for the play.

In reading the words of the lover (the king), we can gain insight into God’s love for us and how he views us.

In focusing on the words of the beloved (the girl), we get a glimpse of what our response to God should rightly be.

Reading the Song of Songs with this perspective, gives me much to consider.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

The Song of Songs

After my prior post about the number one hit that used the Bible for lyrics, you may thing that it is the song of all songs. Not so. There is another. You may have heard the book in the Bible, Song of Songs.

Song of Songs can be thought of as a “biblical erotica,” albeit a PG 13 version. It is a bit explicit and somewhat suggestive, but in a literary way.

Song of Songs is a tale a passionate love affair between the king and his lover. The king is Solomon and his lover is foreign royalty (she is described has a “Shulammite” and a “prince’s daughter).

However, in addition to this real-life drama, Song of Songs is also pointed to a passionate spiritual love affair between God and his people.

(In the New Testament, this love affair is even more specific, being between Jesus and the church, who is his spiritual bride.)

As such, Song of Songs can be read and appreciated on two levels: a personal love story between two people and a spiritual saga of God’s desire for his people (us) and the way he longs for us to respond.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

Categories
Christian Living

What’s Your Motivation for Holy Living?

Lately God has been prodding me through his Word and his Spirit to pursue a more holy lifestyle. To me, holy living means right living, what God calls righteousness.

Sometimes I make progress towards fulfilling this call, but most times not so much. I’m okay with that; I’m on a journey and the important thing is to be making progress. What I am not okay with is my attitude.

To my chagrin, during my moments of better behavior I have increased expectations of God. I act as if he owes me something, that I deserve his provision and blessing, and that I’ve earned his attention.

However, when I fail in my pursuit of holy living—as is often the case—I have no such expectations. Whatever God does for me—which is a lot—I receive with great joy and much appreciation.

Pursuing a holy life should be because God asks us to and as a response to his love for us. Acting holy simply to get something from him is just wrong.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Is God Like a Hard Man?

Doctor Luke records a parable of Jesus. It is about a nobleman who, before going on a journey, entrusts three servants with varying amounts of money to invest for him. He is a “hard man.”

The first two invest their amounts and earn a good return, apparently doubling their stakes. The third, however, to whom little is entrusted, makes no effort to invest it.

He lazily does nothing and merely returns the original amount to his master.

This is done under the guise of keeping it safe, calling his master a hard man. The master judges him accordingly, taking the money away from him and giving it to the first servant.

Although we must guard against reading too much into a parable, the nobleman in this one parallels God. When the servant declares that the noble is a “hard man,” is this a characteristic that we can apply to God?

At first glance it is difficult, perhaps even seeming sacrilegious, to call God “hard,” but is there truth that can be gleaned from this?

In balancing the paradox of a God of love with a God whom we fear, does a “hard” God fit somewhere into the picture of who he is?

For those who think God will give them a free pass regardless of how they act or what they do, the image of God as hard, that is a strict God, might be a good characteristic for them to ponder.

However, there are also those who view God as mean and vindictive, just waiting for them to mess up so that he can inflict ill-will upon them.

Their view of God is already way too “hard.” They will do well to focus on his loving nature instead.

Yes, God does have a hard side to him, but that’s not all there is to him; he is also loving and gentle.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 19-21, and today’s post is on Luke 19:20-24.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Reviews of Books & Movies

Movie Review: Chocolat

Reviewed by Peter DeHaan

Nomadic traveler, Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche), shows up unexpectedly at a rural French village and creates quite a stir. A non-catholic, unmarried mom, and free spirit, she is not like the intransigent townsfolk.

To make matters worse, she has the audacity to open up a chocolate shop across from the church—during the season of Lent.

Initially opposed by all, she responds to their opposition with non-conditional acceptance, to their indifference with open compassion, and to their snubs with kind generosity.

Possessing a demeanor more like Jesus than the locals who attend church every Sunday, she gradually wins over some with her uncompromising love—and delectable chocolate.

But will it be enough to be welcomed into their tiny town or will its leaders prevail in running her out?

Her open acceptance of the disdained river drifters, along with winsome Roux (Johnny Depp), threatens to drive the wedge even deeper. Perhaps it’s time to move on anyway, yet there is an allure to stay and settle down.

Note that while this is not a faith-friendly movie per se, it is faith confronting—and highly recommended.

[Read more reviews by Peter DeHaan of other faith-friendly videos and movies.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.