Throw the Theological Baby Out with the Bath Water

I have seen time and time again poor theology infect the lives of Christians, which inevitably leads to fruit that is dead—or not fruit at all. Worse, sometimes that fruit is corrupted, most evidently not of the True Vine even if the practitioners of this faulty theology believe they are grafted in. I understand what I’m writing here is dangerous to say—not only for the sake of others but also for my own—but I wouldn’t write it without a defense.

The Faulty Theology of Many “Christians”

Let’s set the scene: I know there are people out there claiming to be Christians who believe that just because they pray something, God will do it. These Christians practice a form of New Age manifestation that they attach to the name of God. They believe they serve the Lord, but He does not know them.

I know people who believe that, because they are “more righteous” than others, God answers their prayers every time—not only is this a twisting of certain Scriptures, it is evidence of a works-based salvation, sanctification, and relationship with God that is not evidenced anywhere in Scripture. I know people who believe obedience leads to getting what you want. I know people who have attempted to make deals with God (insert Ben Kenobi saying, “Of course I know him; he’s me).

I know people who believe that they have a personal, spiritual tongue with which they can communicate with God, and they believe no one else has this particular language but that everyone has a language as such if only they can find it (hello, Gnosticism—and a little bit of narcissism, too).

I know people who believe God’s presence is stronger, can be felt more, or is greater in certain places at certain times or because certain people prayed over something. Half of them stand in pulpits on Sundays whether to preach or to sing.

I’m not saying this as a spectator; I’ve committed some of these theological errors myself and loved others who committed some even in this list, but that is partially why I am speaking out on it. The other reason is that, frankly, I’m tired of the theological error prevalent in the Evangelical church that allows dirty theological water to exist unrepentant and unconfronted because there might be a baby Christian somewhere in there. Previously, I’ve mentioned the necessity of calling out false teachers in music and the pulpit. This is different. This is an example that needs to be set from the bottom up, so that’s my call.

The Flawed Framework of Judges 11

And now I have a flawless way to teach this thanks to 40 Minutes in the Old Testament. Have you ever heard a sermon on Judges 11? Here are the SparkNotes:

Jephthah, the son of a prostitute, is called to judge (save—I don’t have the word count to go into a word study on this, but it remains true) Gilead, and Israel in turn, after he is cast out by his half brothers because of the state of his birth. The Ammonites fought Israel, and Jephthah, the valiant warrior (Judges 11:1), was called to go to war. He was eventually promised leadership of all Gilead if he did so. After a lengthy debate with the king of the Ammonites, war breaks out in full. The Spirit of the Lord comes on Jephthah (11:29) and leads him to war against the Ammonites where he makes a vow to sacrifice the first person who exits his house to greet him if God gives Him victory when he returns home. When he gets home, his only child—his daughter—comes out to greet him, and he states he cannot take back his vow to the Lord even though he is devastated. Two months later, he sacrifices his daughter.

The Heresy of Jephthah

There are two possible ways to view this passage of Scripture. Both interpretations conclude the same thing: Jephthah made a vow that he kept. Where they differ is in interpretation of how that vow was fulfilled. The first and, in my opinion, weakest interpretation argues that, because Jephthah is mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11, there’s no way he could’ve physically murdered his daughter in sacrifice; instead, he sent her into service at the temple and perpetual virginity. The second hinges on the evidence in Judges 11, including the Hebrew word for sacrifice used throughout the passage, which is never used contextually for anything other than a burnt offering per Levitical law. The evidence for the latter view is pretty overwhelming, and I’ll explain:

1. Nowhere is it indicated that Jephthah did anything less than murder his daughter. In fact, there would be no need for the young women of Israel to commemorate (correctly: mourn) her if she were only forced into serving the Lord (11:39-40). In addition, there would likely be no reason to mourn her own virginity if this were the case; there is nothing prohibiting temple workers from marriage and all its activities. Note also that the language of Jephthah’s vow is vastly different from, for example, Hannah’s vow of Samuel’s servitude to God in the temple (1 Samuel 1:11). And, as I mentioned before, the Hebrew word “ola” is, bar two exceptions related to ascension to heaven, always about a whole burnt offering. It is the same language used by God to Abraham regarding Isaac (Genesis 22:2-3).

2. The “Hall of Faith” argument has very little ground to prove Jephthah’s righteous actions as he is listed beside Abraham the liar, Sarah the laugher, Jacob the deceiver, Moses the coward, Samson the oathbreaker, and David the adulterer and murderer. The “Hall of Faith” does not contain a list of people who made perfect decisions and didn’t sin in egregious ways; it is full of people through whom, despite egregious sin and imperfect decision-making, God saves and delivers Israel so that He can bring His Son into the world for salvation to all. We should not take this passage of Scripture as one listing people whose actions ought be applauded; rather, we applaud them for faith in God that He was able to use them to bring about Christ—which is precisely how the writer of Hebrews introduces the chapter in verses 1-2 anyway, that their hope in God to bring salvation and rescue is what approved them.

3. Israel was rife with idolatry. Surrounding the nation, and living with them, were peoples who worshiped Molech, who was totally cool with human sacrifice. It would not be entirely crazy to say that Israel participated in these sacrifices when they committed adultery with this god—and other gods. In fact, we know from verses like 2 Kings 16:2-3 that they sometimes did sacrifice children by burning them to death. Ahaz making “his son pass through the fire” is a euphemism for just that thing. Considering the text of Judges, which consistently shows Israel spiraling away from God into apostasy, it is, therefore, totally within the realm of possibility to presume that Jephthah was a practitioner of some of these idolatrous worship practices.

If I have convinced you to the burnt offering interpretation, I must address the heresy of Jephthah: his vow. Jephthah believes he is making a vow to Yahweh, but we must be clear that Yahweh does not accept human sacrifice as an offering except in the person of Jesus. Therefore, we must conclude that Jephthah’s vow is not only not accepted by Yahweh but is accepted by something: Molech or whatever other deity Jephthah and his people worshiped in conjunction with Yahweh (actions typical of Israel’s idolatry). In fact, Jephthah’s idolatry here is typical of Israel’s idolatry, not that they totally cast away Yahweh but that they just brought in religious worship and practices of other gods; the golden calf incident is a perfect example of this.

This is somewhat difficult to evidence, but if we look carefully at the text after Jephthah realized what he’s done, we can see the truth of what Paul later writes in Romans 2:4, that “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” God gave Jephthah the devastation of realizing what he had done and two months to renege on his vow, which, had he been actually serving Yahweh alone, he likely would have done because he would have known the wrongness of his actions.

The Fault in Church Teachings

However, the biggest problem I have with the temple service view is a matter of practicality and apologetics, in that it is an attempt to explain away the hard things in the Bible without sitting in the dissonance that humans are, by Adam’s nature, evil. We have this uncanny ability to avoid allowing Paul’s proclamation of himself as the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) to spread to biblical heroes. We present, instead, caricatures of these people starting at a very young age when we teach the faithfulness of Abraham, the righteousness of Moses, the strength of Samson, the pursuit of God’s heart by David, and the wisdom of Solomon without also addressing their many faults. In many ways, we even gloss over the flaws of the disciples in the gospels.

Peter was wishy-washy; John was prideful. These people had flaws. And we do the same with Jephthah, not wanting to admit that God’s words in Deuteronomy 7:1-6 were coming true. The fact of the matter is that every man who has done God’s will has been a poor holder of God’s Spirit—bar Jesus.

Jephthah was used to deliver Israel; he also was a heretical idolater. These two can exist in tandem because of God’s goodness to use broken people to do His will. I don’t know precisely why Jephthah is included in the “Hall of Faith,” but I know it’s not for his vow. What I do know is that, somehow, Jephthah did an evil thing, but God is still good; therefore, Jephthah’s faith in God saved him from the wages of his sin.

We Can Toss Aside What We Know is Wrong

Here’s what I’m saying: it is more than perfectly acceptable to completely turn our backs on things we know are wrong—even if we come to learn they are wrong after we have thought they are right. Had Jephthah done so here, I would be writing about him in an entirely different manner. More than that, it is entirely okay to completely throw out every theological framework we have that is touched by something incorrect.

We can toss aside this idea that God’s presence is more prevalent in worship services because we know, functionally, it isn’t true. The omnipresent God is fully everywhere at all times—yes, even back when Israel didn’t understand that and thought He was only at the temple and would literally leave them when they disobeyed. We can throw that language away completely. Along with that, we can throw out this idea that God is forsaking us or not present or pulled back during trials and tribulations. It is patently false no matter how it feels.

It Is Righteous to Judge Evil

It is righteous to tell people who attach manifestation to prayers to God that their prayers are prayed in error. It is righteous to tell people that God does not answer prayer on any justification other than what He sees as good. It is righteous to tell people that they do not have a hidden knowledge or language that only they know with God. It is righteous to tell people God does not make deals just because we tell Him to. It is righteous to tell people their theology is wrong.

And, sometimes, you have to throw the baby out with the bath water. If it is necessary to toss a wrongfully believing person out of the Church in order to get their incorrect theology out of the Church, it is righteous to do so. Just don’t leave them there. Preach the gospel to them. The correct gospel. The Truth. Because it is objective, and even if it hurts someone’s feelings, people get things wrong. I wish I’d had the guts to tell someone I loved that their theology was faulty. I didn’t do it. I bear that weight every day now that they are beyond my reach. Don’t let that be you. Because that faulty theology is not just harmful to them but also to Jephthah’s daughter, the innocent one who doesn’t know that the person they trusted their life with has sacrificed both their earthly and eternal life at the altar of an idol.

In His Garden — I am Published Again

Well, I meant to write this weeks ago, but in the midst of my seminary class getting a little hectic and leaving town to welcome my brand new nephew, I have been slacking off a bit. Long story short, I received my second poetry publication in The Way Back to Ourselves in early April, and I am only now making a greater effort to promote myself, the journal, and the other writers who submitted some pieces. With this, I want to give a brief overview of some of my favorite reads from this collection, which you can check out online at thewayback2ourselves.com/journal.

Thorns and Honey by Mariana Mosli

Mariana writes a picture of the garden just after the fall, and in it is a beautiful picture of God searching for us, seeking us out, while we work in the fallen world. It also seems to cover the vast breadth of time between the fall and the second coming while still holding the picture of Adam and Eve, examples of us all, trembling, hidden in the brush. I particularly appreciate this stanza, which describes a beautiful picture of God’s grace and mercy on our trembling flesh:

“Where are you? / Still hiding/ ‘ Still raking rows with trembling hands. / Still learning— / That grace grows best in the dirt. / That mercy tastes like sweat and honey. / That the Gardener was not afraid / to kneel with us in the thorns / and bleed His love into our soil.”

Read the full poem here.

The Praying Tree by Alexis Ragan

Short in length, simple in function, but so deep in imagery, this beautiful poem details Christ as an olive tree in Gethsemane, pressed in agony by the kiss of sin that was meant for us but did not pass from His lips. The depth of meaning behind these lines in particular strike me in my soul:

“But Christ knew / the weight of our eyelids / would collapse in the quiet / agony of a garden that became / the mourning mat of God, /crushed olive of love, sealing / real rest for our nephesh.”

Read the full poem here.

Through Grief and Grace by Edward Holmes

I don’t know that even my own poem in this collection shows how I’ve felt the last year as well as Edward’s does. He gives a beautiful picture of working on something we think God will bless and then watching in helpless grief as He sends rain on us and sunshine on those around us, watching our work wither while others’ flourishes. I only need to quote two lines to get the picture across, but it’s fleshed out more as you read, so check this one out:

“Four seasons of rain filled our solemn loamy soul / while sunlight kissed the bulbs adjacent—”

Read the full poem here.

A Simple Case for the God We Cannot See by Jessica Jolley

This is just that, a case for God, and it’s written so wonderfully through the lens of Jessica’s daily life. I want to point you specifically to the section on suffering:

“My haze, worn-out eyes long to see my Father in the pain, to cry out, ‘Where are you in this?’ I wonder why we must face it and why won’t he stop it? Why it rears its ugly head at the best and the worst of us alike. How it rips and tears and how in the world good can emerge from it still. But there on my porch and in my backyard rest plants that have seen all sorts of battles—yet somehow live. No, not just live. Thrive.”

Read the full essay here.

Morning in the Garden by Elizabeth Wickland

This poem is theologically rich, with imagery of the Father pulling us out of the garden of the earth for His beloved Son. Read, in particular, the last stanza:

“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing / since the beginning, / from the moment we were plucked / from the grave, plucked / like a lute, plucked / like a glower / for the gardener’s beloved?”

Read the full poem here.

The Tree at the Beginning and End of Time by Mark Stucky

Here is a poem containing a vision of the tree of life stood in the garden waiting for humanity’s return to taste its fruit. Mark also depicts that time in between Genesis and Revelation with weeping, prayer, sorry, and exile as he marks down the story of humanity from the tree’s point-of-view with an essence of Christ. The last stanza is beautiful:

“Let’s climb that tree together, / resting on its wide branches, / to eat its unforbidden fruit / and use salvific leaves to wipe / sweet juices and salty tears / from our forgiven faces.”

Read the full poem here.

Superbloom by Brit McReynolds

In this poem is the most striking two-liner I’ve read thus far as I’ve perused this collection. This four-stanza poem is a punch in the gut for sufferers to lift our eyes to the God who is always good:

"Does the God who split the rock / through Moses’s staff still live here?"

Read the full poem here.

The Empty Tomb by Bre Strobel

In this poem, we get a picture of the resurrection from Mary Magdalene’s point-of-view, and what a view it is! Bre managed to not only give us a picture from a different angle than the gospels, but she also worked some solid apologetics into it as well. I particularly enjoy the last stanza where the faithful and ready-to-believe Mary demonstrates perfect understanding of Jesus’s patience and man’s folly without condemning:

“John and Peter ran to see for themselves, / Then Jesus appear to them himself. / And because he is patient with our doubts / For those unsure of the open tomb, / He offers us to touch his gaping wounds, / And se that he is with us.”

Read the full poem here.

The Butterfly Pavilion: In the Secret by Megan Huwa

Megan writes in the form of a pantoum, bending words to her will to give us a picture of ashes cast on the roots of a tree, a lament that gives life while the Gardener carries us with Him. I’m only beginning to understand what’s going on in this poem because the imagery is so rich for four, four-line stanzas that end with a picture of the beginning:

“whispering to the roots words unheard: / the dead language of lament. / Your fingers combed the echoes around the tree— / May I carry you with me?”

Read the full poem here.

Fruitful by Amy Buchanan

In 32 words, Amy captures so many things about the Christian life, suffering, fruitfulness, and the appearance of lack. I won’t quote part of the poem because you need to go read it all anyway.

Read the full poem here.

A Mustard Seed by Janice Gibson

Janice gives us a bit of a different view on the mustard seed faith verse so many of us espouse; I find it a theologically steady foundation for just what Jesus meant when He talked about the mustard seed that is enough, for it’s more complex than just a little bit of faith to move mountains:

“A mustard seed / fed daily / by eternal rays of Holy Light. / Absorbing vital hope / comfortably warming, / gently transforming.”

Read the full poem here.

Wonder of a Word by Kristine Amundrud

If you want to talk about a message speaking to me through someone else, this is it. This essay by Kristine is a brilliant exposition on the idea of faith, trusting God to hold everything in his hands. I don’t have children, but these sentences are brilliant regardless:

“Somewhere in the tidepools of grief, I lost my ability to leap before looking. Afraid of one wrong misstep, I bubble wrap my children in the safety of things I can control. Upending the status quo would undo any notion of sway. God, help me to trust you wholly, bravely defying insecurities and mounting waves.”

Read the essay and other poems here.

In the Wilderness by Nathaniel G. Evans

Yes, I do have to shamelessly plug my own poem; I put a lot of effort into it, after all. I’ll leave you with the description I turned into the editors of the journal for my submission and send you to read it:

Despite the title, I feel this poem is uniquely apt for the theme of the Spring Collection of The Way Back to Ourselves, "In His Garden," because it is in the wilderness of my life that God has worked and grown something. I hope this poem provokes in you imagery of the Israelites wandering and Jesus fasting in the wilderness paired with the growth, life, and preparation that God works even when there is nothing but dust and dry bones and despair. Furthermore, I hope you can see the story of my growth that is not yet finished and that it draws you all even deeper into the Father's love.

Read the full poem here.