Doing History for the Glory of God

Below is an article that I wrote for the Totomundo Newsletter back in the Winter of 2009.  I wanted to keep a record of it here, since this fourfold filter has continued to shape the way I view all kinds of subjects.  By applying the filter of Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, and Aesthetics, one can arrive at a personal philosophy of any topic - history, science, arts, business, etc.  Using these four categories will help beg questions that may otherwise go untapped and unanswered.  I hope that these thoughts are a benefit to any reader who is seeking to apply a consciously comprehensive worldview to their work, their interests, their relationships, and their total life.

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Doing History for the Glory of God  (Totomundo 2009)

Does the Bible have anything to say about the academic study of History? Does a Christian have anything unique to offer the field of historical studies compared to a scholar writing from another view? If so, how does a Christian “do history” for the glory of God? Is Church History the only kind of history in which God’s character and presence in the world has been displayed? Or, do political, artistic, and technological histories have stories to tell about our great God and King?

To answer these questions, one must have an idea of Christianity as a total worldview. Francis Schaeffer often exclaimed, God’s truth is “true truth.” He meant that the worldview found in the Bible and in Jesus, over all other worldviews, best accounts for all of reality. A conscious application of a biblical worldview to history involves four areas: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. These four areas make up the essential components of a worldview.

First, let’s discuss the metaphysical aspects of historical inquiry. Metaphysics is the answer to these two questions: What is real? and, What is the nature of reality? So if God, humans, and the earth exist, metaphysics still asks what kind of God exists, what are humans in essence, etc.

History is greatly impacted by the underlying metaphysical beliefs every historian carries with him or her. Beliefs about the origins and purpose of the universe affect historical investigations and accounts.

The particular philosophy of history one uses is a metaphysical issue. For example, a historian may look at events in a very mathematical fashion, more in tune with a mechanistic or naturalistic view of the universe. People and events and dates are merely cogs in the machine of history, jumbled together in a deterministic way to produce inevitable results. Or, he may read into history patterns and cycles which are more in line with an Eastern religious view of the universe – history repeats itself, without exception.

The Bible does not allow for a completely deterministic view of history. The historical accounts in Scripture concern real people and take place in a personal universe under the holy and loving reign of an infinite-personal God. Humans are agents in the world, and exercise freedom and choice underneath God’s sovereignty.

Likewise, the cyclical pattern of history in Eastern traditions does not account for the obviously purposeful view of human history described in the Bible. Despite the common experience of “history repeating,” the biblical view is that history truly is linear, not cyclical. As Christian students and teachers, we must beware of unconsciously building on a false metaphysical base of impersonal determinism or meaningless cycles.

Also, the Christian who is researching the past, whether the subject is explicitly religious or not, should give ample thought to what lies beyond the physical subject matter he or she is addressing always keeping the infinite-personal God, as revealed in Scripture, at the center.

Many history textbooks look with skepticism upon the impact of Christian beliefs and thought on historical events, like the founding of the American Republic. For example, consider the “inalienable rights” described in the Declaration of Independence. One historian may emphasize the deism of Jefferson and the apparently humanistic origin of his (borrowed) phrase. Another historian may link this concept to the stream of Reformation principles coming down from British Common Law, founded on the existence of a Law-giver who has endowed His image-bearers with inherent dignity and rights. More often still, historical accounts which should include the activity of God and his people are summarily deleted from the story. One textbook may have a chapter on the Great Awakening of the 18th century. Another may have just one sentence. This is metaphysical bias at its worst.

The second dimension of historical inquiry is Epistemology, the study of knowledge. Epistemology answers the questions: How do you know what you know? And, What amount of confidence can we have about our knowledge?

Epistemology has been the focus of recent conflict within history. The conflict has centered around the well-known “revisionist” theory, which has both positive and negative aspects. Revisionist history does allow for free inquiry into the historical status quo, cultivating new interpretations that may actually be closer to the truth than commonly held assumptions. One bright example has been David McCullough’s resurrection of John Adams as perhaps the central character on the stage of the American Revolution.

The detrimental side of revisionist theories is that they have led some so-called historians to deny the existence of major events, like the Jewish Holocaust. Although this example is rather extreme, some of these theories have become wildly popular. For instance, Dan Brown’s goddess-worshiping version of Christian history can still be found in bookstores worldwide.

The root problem with revisionism is that it is set on a relativistic base. It does not accept any criteria or guidelines for establishing the validity of any claim and any proposed criteria are quickly dismissed. The revisionist may operate out of pure skepticism, but the raging sea of perpetual doubt will never land us on the fixed shore of certainty (James 1:6).

Now, history is not a completely scientific endeavor. We can’t use the scientific method or repeatable experimentation to pin down a historical theory. “By the standards of science, it makes a lousy laboratory,” says Wilfred McClay. “But the problem is, it is all we have. It is the only laboratory available to us for assaying the possibilities of our human nature in a manner consistent with that nature.” That is the key phrase. The revisionist says that perpetual skepticism is the manner consistent with our nature. The Bible disagrees.

Scripture provides a balance of epistemic inquiry that sees human knowledge as substantial, but not exhaustive. This balance replaces the revisionist’s skepticism with a humble, yet confident footing. In fact, this balance provided the catalyst for the modern scientific revolution which began with Isaac Newton. While early scientists like Newton understood they could never know exhaustively, they took confidence from the existence of a transcendent Law-giver, who gave such order to His universe that substantial knowledge of it could be obtained through careful study.

Today, however, the relativist denies all absolute truth-claims, and to an extent we can understand his frustration. The plurality of truth-claims we face is overwhelming. How can anyone, including a historian, say with any certainty that something has truly happened? The scientific method, useful in many other situations, does not apply to history.

But, the biblical worldview does ground historical methods of inquiry in our image-bearing capacity for reason and in the logical order of the natural world. The physician-historian Luke displayed this kind of epistemic confidence when he wrote the following introduction to his history of the life of Jesus:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Lk. 1:1-4)

Luke provides some first steps toward a Christian epistemology: (1) multiple sources, including eyewitnesses and even the personally invested, are sufficient for trustworthy evidence; (2) close examination is required, for the truth will not always be obvious in a fallen world; and (3) an orderly account is a fit vehicle for the narrative to make sense to the reader. The historian can investigate the past with integrity through these kinds of methods. The results will be knowledge that is absolutely true, however finite it may be. We can therefore make conclusions about our research with substantial confidence, even to the point of forming penetrating critiques and serious moral applications. This feeds directly into the ethical questions that face historians.

The third realm of inquiry is the realm of Ethics. We have already touched on some ethical ideas in the first two realms. Historians have a moral responsibility with regard to metaphysical bias and epistemic integrity. What is left to be said? Well, the historian plays another ethical role in the area of assigning moral judgments, implicit and explicit, to the subjects he or she is writing about. Whether his thesis is to vilify some historical figure, or he is just leaving a vague sense of disgust about a character while claiming moral neutrality, the realm of ethical judgment is powerful and relevant to the Christian historian.

The Christian may immediately feel the pull to condemn the unrighteous and vindicate the godly of the past. This is a natural instinct which is often inversely shared by non-Christians, especially atheists. However, these ethical pronouncements are a great opportunity to display sincere civility. Christians indeed have a duty to uphold the reputation of godly men and women throughout history. We should be grateful for the special role that church historians play in this regard, yet the arm of fellowship should be extended to historical characters and events which are not “sacred” or church-related, but do display goodness and aspects of true humanity. As Christians, we are called to cultivate, draw out, and emphasize true humanity whenever possible.

Christian historians have a responsibility to hold up their subjects to the light of God’s Word and see what shines and what does not. This is the opportunity to paint human nature in a way that is in tune with the biblical balance: mankind is noble, but fallen. We cannot fall into extremes here, in either our individual judgments or in the body of our work.

For example, the student of Nazi Germany may come away from his studies with incredible despair over the realities he is facing. Mechanized murder. Sterilized ethnic-cleansing. Will to Power. These are very real and deserving of our moral condemnation. But generally speaking, the Christian must be careful in the body of his work to paint both sides of human nature. Even in the darkest of moments there have been slivers of light and beauty.

This is not naïve optimism, but an absolute necessity in today’s academy, which is driving thousands of young Christians from zealous faith into abject despair. This unbalanced emphasis on the fallenness of mankind is often held by believers who have held to the self-deprecating extreme and thought that such attitudes were increasing admiration for the holiness and grace of God. I wish it were the case. More often, the absence of any inherent dignity in mankind, rooted in the image of God, has driven believers to despair of life itself.

This leads directly into the fourth and final category of inquiry, that of Aesthetics. Aesthetics answers the question: What is beautiful? The realities of beauty and ugliness are recurrent subjects in historical study. In a world that says “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” the Christian historian has an awesome responsibility to show forth a standard of beauty in the subject matter of his work. The basic litmus test for absolute beauty is whether the subject accords with what is True and what is Good. For example, a courthouse that is aesthetically pleasing on the outside may be home to gross injustice on the inside. In this case, despite subjective appeal, this courthouse could never be truly beautiful.

In addition to being an aspect of a subject, the research, study, writing, and composition itself is an opportunity for beauty (or ugliness). The historian has a wonderful role to play as painter of human nature, covering his canvas in a way that is fitting to the medium. This task calls for creativity, diversity in methods and forms, and opens up a world of possibilities. Evangelicals too often cringe at these concepts because of their unswerving commitment to absolute truth and the authority of God’s Word. Instead of cringing, we must grow in our appreciation of the diverse forms of beauty in God’s good creation. In general revelation we find the spectrum of light as it passes through the changing phases of water (a rainbow!). We see nebulae, galaxies, worlds without number, apparently created for the pleasure of God alone. In special revelation we find the amazing story of God’s relationship with mankind, told through a diversity of literature: psalms, narratives, parables, visions, letters, and more. And all of them are history!

Finally, the historian must impart his vision of beauty in a form that is fitting. He must be winsome in argument, colorful in illustration, and civil in all moral pronouncements. These efforts will make historical endeavor deeply personal, taking the names and dates off the dusty shelf and animating them into an unforgettable and intimate encounter.

It is my hope that the academic field of history will be greatly impacted by a generation of Christians who consciously apply a biblical worldview to history– who see the God-centered purpose of human history, the hope of substantial certainty in inquiry, the both noble and fallen nature of its subjects, and the wonderful diversity of its form.

And, may God receive all the glory.

My Excellent Wife

Proverbs 31:1

An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.

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In honor of my lovely wife's birthday, I wanted to publish a little poem I wrote years ago.  Each stanza correlates to the major points of Proverbs 31.  Donna has been and continues to be a rich fountain of blessing in my life.  By God's grace, I am learning how to put this into words, and I am grateful for her patience in that :)  

Love you Babe!

My Excellent Wife (Valentine's Day - 2010)

All of my life, I had searched for the one

To meet all of my needs and fulfill all my heart, 

But so little I knew of love’s mysterious nature: 

A fire that starts with the smallest of sparks, 

Or a jewel that takes eons of pressure to form 

From the hard bitter earth, into beauty unknown.

When I gave you my hand, I gave you this vow:

“I will never let go, no matter what comes,

If the earth should shake us and break to the bone,

Your hand will remain in mine all along.”

I trust you with all of my heart and my life.

I will never regret that I made you my wife.

For all that you’ve done has showered me, dear,

With the blessings of love and of joy and good-living.

And everyday since, I have drawn from that clear

Flowing stream of good fortune – you never stop giving.

You may think that you never do all that you should,

But I’m telling you now – all you’ve done me is good.

Till your hands were both raw & your back was all bent,

And your rest was all stolen with eyes full of tears,

You labored until all of your strength had been spent,

And not just for days, but now year upon year.

I could never repay all the wages I owe

To the wife of my youth who has sacrificed so.

From calls on the phone that last deep through the night,

To baking a treat for a dear troubled friend,

To our plans to bring a child from darkness to light,

You have sought to bring poverty soon to an end,

And rescue the lost, one heart at a time.

What a mercy that I can now call your love mine.

You had thought it was I who would solely provide,

And bring purpose, protection, and food to our table,

But this correction to you I must humbly confide:

It is you who have proven to be clearly so able.

In the sewing and crafting each day all alone,

We have purchased a house, but you’ve made it a home.

In each smile that passes between you and I,

In the squeals of laughter that run down the hall,

In the honor, respect, and deep trust of your friends,

You can hear a loud choir of praises from all:

“Many women have put on an excellent show,

But you stand apart in a class all your own.”

And, it’s not merely all of the deeds that you do,

Or the fact that you sacrifice again and again,

But deeper than that is a heart that beats true

To the rhythm of grace that has overcome sin.

In the fear of the Lord you have genuine beauty,

So I praise you, my wife, my friend…my Cutie.

The Seed That Dies

John 12:23-26

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

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We have reached a climax in Jesus' ministry. John has laid out the first half of his well organized narrative using seven "signs" which testified to Jesus' divinity and gracious character. We have seen water turned to wine, blind men receiving sight, and finally a dead and buried friend suddenly and inexplicably raised back to life in broad daylight. So many people saw this miracle that the news spread all over the countryside like a brush fire!

When Jesus reached Jerusalem, he was greeted with cheering crowds chanting wildly, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" This, along with the palm branches and donkey ride, amounted to a clear assertion of kingship, for each of these were symbols of Jewish royal coronation.

But not everyone was happy:

So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
(John 12:10-11)

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
(John 12:19)

This climax of popularity was the beginning of the end for Jesus. First, the Jewish leaders plotted to kill Lazarus, trying to do away with the physical evidence that has inspired such adulation. If he's dead, maybe this Jesus fad will blow over. But, very quickly the target would be Jesus himself. The second half of John essentially begins here and will carry us through the passion narrative, to an old rugged cross, and finally an empty tomb. Even by the end of the chapter, many who saw his miracles still would not believe, and of those Jews who did believe, many preferred their reputations over being associated with Jesus.

Looking to verses 23-26, Jesus lays out a clear prediction of what lies ahead, showing us that, even in the midst of cheering crowds, inquiring foreigners, and the tugging temptation of popularity, he was still committed to his mission. He knew what it would cost.

Let's break down these verses and consider what they mean, for him and for us:

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."

First, Jesus is aware that his time has come. And though it will be the death of him, he calls it being glorified. What could that mean?

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 

Next, Jesus elaborates by describing a principle that will become fundamental to Christian belief and practice. He first describes the principle with a metaphor. A seed must be planted in the ground and essentially give up being a seed in order to become something else that bears fruit. The picture is completely clear, but Jesus takes a step further and becomes quite blunt about what he means.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

The seed must die in order to become a fruit bearing plant. And so must Jesus. He is going to his grave. What keeps him committed to this task is the absolute certainty of the fruit this cross will bear - the demonstration of God's love and the offer of forgiveness and new life for all who believe.

If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.

But the principle doesn't just apply to Jesus. (Gulp). It applies to us as well. If we are to accept him as Lord, we must walk this same road and face the same death ourselves. We must cease to be what we were before and this will feel like death. Yet there is fruit waiting to be experienced that will only come through this death. Our own new self, a resurrected life of faith.

If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

And if anyone serves him in this way, joining him in this path of death and resurrection, there is a final promise. The Father will honor him. What promise could be richer? What goal could be more motivating? Our Maker welcoming us home with honor and celebration, accepting us completely because we have become fully and completely identified with his beloved Son.

May those outstretched arms fill our longing hearts with the strength that we need to walk through painful days believing there is new life forevermore just around the corner. May we become identified with Jesus in his death that we to might see this seed burst forth with new life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 6:5-11)

Transformed by His Word

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

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What is the central message of the Bible?  How would you summarize the whole thing?  How can you grasp and understand this message more clearly?  Why should you even try?

One way to answer these questions is found in Deuteronomy 6.  Moses has just finished reiterating the Ten Commandments in the preceding chapter, and chapter 6 provides a culminating statement about God's law, summarizing what He has spoken and what He requires of His chosen people:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

For later generations of Jews, this verse became known as the "Shema," the Hebrew word for "Hear." It would also become famous to Christians for its place in the teaching of Jesus.  When Jesus was asked by a lawyer to pick the greatest commandment in all of the Jewish Law, his response was this:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Not only did Jesus quote the Shema.  He also quoted another passage in the Law referring to love of neighbor as equally important.  And then he went a step further and claimed that all of the Law and Prophets depend upon these two concepts.

1. Love for God
2. Love for Others

In other words, Jesus gave us at least one way to answer the question, "What is the Bible all about?" The answer is: Love God and Love Others.  These two concepts can be used as a lens through which all of Scripture can be understood.

But this also begs the question, "How can I love God and love others?"  And, I think Deuteronomy 6 provides some answers to this "How" question as well.  The answer is: Mediate on His Word.

This passage connects the command to love the Lord with mediating on His Word.  Moses describes several different ways to focus on God's command, all in an effort for us to integrate it more deeply into our lives:

Read/Hear/Memorize - And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart...
Teach - You shall teach them diligently to your children...
Discuss - and shall talk of them...
Everywhere - when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way...
All the time - and when you lie down, and when you rise...
Continuously - You shall bind them as a sign on your hand...
Visually - and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes...
In writing - You shall write them...
Privately and Publicly - on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

So, Deuteronomy 6 is encouraging us to use a variety of methods to integrate God's Word into our lives.  I think that the variety is meant to open doors of creativity.  There is no one perfect way to read or study the Bible, although there are some methods that a particular person might prefer over other methods.

In other words, there is freedom to be creative in how we approach the Bible, because what matters more than the method is the goal of understanding what is written so that we can be transformed to love God more and love others more.

One way to approach the Bible is to see every encounter as a pathway to being transformed.  If we find that we are reading the Bible regularly, but it is not transforming our lives, then perhaps we need to try another method or approach it another way.  I try to see my interaction with Scripture as following these four general steps:

1. Read/Hear…in order to…
2. Meditate…in order to…
3. Understand…in order to…
4. Transform…in order to be more like Jesus

Romans 12:1-2 reminds us that we must always be seeking transformation in our Christian life.  And, this transformation can be achieved through the "renewing of our minds."  Romans 8:29 tells us that God is at work in our lives, steadily shaping us into the image of His Son.  And Colossians 3:10 tells us to "put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

All of these passages are just another way of saying that we need to be transformed to be more like Jesus, who was the perfect image of God, and who perfectly exemplified what it means to Love God and Love Others.  The pathway to this transformation is through reading, hearing, meditating, and understanding God's Word.

Now, when you think about the content of God's Word, you may think of heroes and villains and battles and journeys and relationships and miracles and strange visions and prophecies and songs.  You may wonder how all of that can be summarized in "Love God and Love Others."  But truly, the content of Scripture is all about who God is, who we are, what God has done for us, and what He is now doing in our lives.  And these are exactly the kinds of things, when mediated upon, that will inspire more love for God and more love for others.

When we meditate on what God has done for us, it will inspire our love for Him.
When we reflect and understand what He is saying to us, it will transform us to love others more.

Now, I'll give an example from my own life.  There was a time when I struggled to believe that God was pleased with me.  Even though I new the story of Christ dying for me, even though I had experienced His salvation and His presence in my life, I was afraid that He did not love me sometimes.  On days when I could not "feel" His presence or His love, I wondered if it was still there.  I wondered if I had sinned too many times or failed to live up to what He wanted in my life.  How could I know for certain that He was there and that He loved me?

And this is where I can confidently say that God's Word is effective to transform us.  Because at the time that I was struggling with these doubts, I happened to be meditating on Romans 5, which contains much that will inspire our Love for God and Others.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

The method of reading I was using at the time was to go for a long walk outside and repeat verses several times out loud until they were memorized.

Yes, I was that guy talking to himself in public.

And, while I might have read this many times before, there was something about meditation and memorization that caused me to rewire my thinking.  Where once I feared the uncertainty of God's love, here I found that it was altogether certain and unchangeable.  For the love that God has for me is not based on my condition, nor based upon my performance, nor based upon any feeling that I might have.  It is, and always will be, based upon something God "showed" or "demonstrated" in real space and time and history.  It was an event that can never be undone or taken away.  God's love was not primarily an experience to be had, but an event to be acknowledged and relied upon.

I can honestly say that reflecting upon this truth has changed me life.  The love that I so desperately craved is altogether mine.  I am known, I am understood, I am forgiven, I am accepted.  And it is done.  And this indeed has inspired love for God and love for others, which was the point all along.

On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

In conclusion, the Bible can been summed up as a call to Love God and Love Others.  The way to do this effectively is to be transformed by reading and meditating on God's Word, which will inspire these outcomes more and more as you do them.  And the method of the reading and meditating may take on a variety of creative forms and activities - whatever helps you to remember, understand, and be transformed.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)