Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (what i learned from Moody and Spurgeon)

There is an old wives' tale I heard. It is an old wives' tale because I haven't seen any written record of it anywhere-not that I've looked too hard. Whether or not its true it is a compelling story. It involves two of my heroes, DL Moody and Charles Spurgeon. Both men were famous Evangelists in the late 19th century. Mr. Moody from the US, and Spurgeon from the UK. On multiple occasions their paths crossed as they had evangelical crusades on either side of the pond. They were life long friends and corresponded frequently.

The story goes that the two men were walking together (after some event I'm sure) down a street, I like to picture that it was cobblestoned, when Spurgeon lit of a cigar. He was well known for being an eloquent speaker and his cigar chomping ways, as Moody was known for his eloquent speaking and rotund midsection. As he lit the cigar Mr. Moody asked, "When am I going to be able to get you to quit those."

Spurgeon responded, "As soon as I get you to stop over-eating." Oh snap! He got told.

The story resounded with me and my friends. For one it was an example of witty banter between two of the brightest and best to come out of the Evangelical movement. It also showed that neither man was perfect, but had his own particular vice. Shamefully it also rang true for us because it appealed to the "don't judge me and I won't judge you mentality" that we as a society are so keen on. Mr. Moody showed disapproval and Surgeon wittily sent some disapproval right back.

I hear the most popular quoted Scripture these days is "judge not, lest you be judged." Who is anyone to tell me how to live my life?! The western, democratic idea of independence wins the day. This story screamed that principle and made us feel like we were free to judge ourselves and do our work, and each man's particular proclivity was his own. Black and white became grey and "if it doesn't hurt anyone..." became the great justifier of any indiscretion.

Then I heard another story. Spurgeon is back in England this time and he is all by himself. Mr. Moody is off on some evangelical mission or starting a school or whatever else... he was a busy boy. So he's not in the picture on this one. Spurgeon goes into a cigar shop to pick up his favorite jaw cancer stick when he sees that they are advertised with his name attached. "The same cigars Spurgeon smokes while he preaches" proclaimed the add.

Spurgeon was shocked. While he never believed smoking cigars to be sin (and this writer would agree) he did not expect that they would be attached to his personality. His life became (unbenounced to him) a ringing endorsement of cigar smoking, and worse yet of smoking a particular brand. He was the posterboy, the Marlboro man of jolly England. And that he could not stand.

According to this wives' tale he quit smoking then and there.

See the issue wasn't that smoking was bad. It was an issue with what was he endorsing and what was he known for. Mr. Moody and Spurgeon would fit the moniker I like to ascribe to myself, they were Raging Evangelicals. Their whole life was about the Gospel. Their lives had been changed by the saving work of Christ, so they made it their life's mission to share the hope of Christ with the world and see many come to repentance and faith in their Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

Mr. Moody sidestepped popular social issues in the Church often. He gave little time to the temperance movement (although he did give a little, I got a paper on that if you're interested...) because it detracted from the real goal: making disciples. Neither man was interested in making people act Christianly in a social sense. They wanted people to be transformed by Christ.

As much as they didn't want to be know for social issues of the day, they didn't want to be known for worldly habits either. Their identity was in Christ, not in worldly pleasures. Spurgeon did not want to be a posterboy for cigars, he was a minister of the Gospel.

As much of the Bible warns each of us not to judge (well... judge faultily, judging sin and declaring sin as such is very much a part of Christianity) it also warns against causing another brother to stumble. It would be better to tie a millstone around your neck and jump into deep water than to lead another Christian to stumble into sin, to be an endorser of a practice that violates another man's conscience. Spurgeon knew this. So he quit smoking. Not because it was sin but because he knew by smoking he was endorsing an act that would violate another man's conscience.

That one hurt. The first story was an amusing anecdote that was just fun history nerd speak. It had no real consequence. And it doesn't matter if its true or not, its just a funny story. The second, however, required deep reflection.

I have thought in great depth about liberties and restrictions as a Christian man. It's practically required of any person who desires to serve Christ but wants to enjoy the life he's been given here on earth. I've heard all kinds of arguments about liberties and our rights as those freed from sin by Christ. A lot of these arguments are compelling and made by people far smarter than I. Some of them are made by well intentioned people trying to serve Christ and live in His grace, and some are trying to stamp "liberty" on every activity that seems amusing to them at the time.

I know my identity is in Christ. That I am righteous because of the work He did on the cross and not because of any thing I have done. I know my liberties. But I also know I cannot rub those liberties in anyone's face. My heart is to bring the Gospel to people. I am not evangelist about exercising "rights", I am an evangelist for the Gospel of Christ that frees those who are imprisoned to sin, guilt, and death. I want to be know for the Gospel that has saved me, not for my slick argumentation for my rights.

Did Spurgeon have a right to keep smoking? Certainly. But he gave up that right so he wouldn't make anyone else stumble. He gave it up to be a better minister of the Gospel. He gave it up because he had the liberty to do so! He didn't have to smoke. He could easily give it up because his identity wasn't in the gratification of his own desires, but in Christ who saved Him.

May we all be so courageous and our hearts so moldable.

The Lever that is Flushing American Down the Toilet (its always the ones you don't expect)

Many people are saying we are in a moral decline in American society*. Growing up I've heard a lot of mud slinging about who or what is to blame for this downward spiral. Often the accused are things that I loved growing up and still have a nostalgic affection for. That is to say, I took the accusations a bit personally. My generation was told that because we played video games, and watched movies and the news, read books about rebellious youths ("Catcher in the Rye made me do it"), and listened to music where people screamed we were sending our country off the way of the buffalo.

But I say no!

I'm not saying that these things in some part aren't negatively affecting our society**. They very well may be, I can't say for sure, I'm not a doctor. But they are only younger brothers and sisters of the earlier moral corruption our parents and grandparents were exposed to. We are only inheriting their immorality. The main cause of our moral decline, the thing that started us down the current path we're on, the shepherd towards destruction is:

Musicals!

That's right! Someone had to say it eventually. We have not gotten this way because of twenty years of video games. We have gotten the way we are because of over a hundred years of musicals rotting us from the core.

Don't believe me?

Skeptical?

How about some proof?

Here is a fun game I'll get us all started on: Take any musical and examine it as face value and ask what it is (if one were to look at it as a moral guide) teaching us about life, morality, proper conduct, etc. Lets look at three examples to get us rolling on this.

1) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
This is probably one of the easiest musicals to pick apart so it should be a good place to start. If I were to use this musical as my moral compass here is the conclusion I would easily draw:
If I want to get married to a certain girl, but she isn't too into me for whatever reason, maybe I'm brash or unrefined or I punch people in the face in public (all of which happens in the musical) all I have to do to get her to fall in love with me is to ride into town and kidnap her and take her to my remote mountain estate where escape and/or rescue is made impossible by the long winter's snow and harsh conditions. Within four months she'll not only be madly in love with me but she will defend my goodness to the townspeople trying to rescue her, delivering a speech that makes them feel bad about themselves! Oh did I mention that this is all the better if there are six other brothers to do the same thing, then there are plenty of women to do all the womanly activities like sewing, cooking, being pretty etc. While the brothers saw wood and sing in a lovely baritone.

Where to begin on how messed up this story is?! I'm just gonna try to give single words that should bring the idea across: kidnapping, creepy, illegal, sexist, and that dudes hair is weird!

Try this in real life and you go to prison buddy!

2) Grease

One of the most beloved musicals of all time but someones gotta do it. I gotta tear down this immoral monster!

The lesson:

So I like this girl. I think she likes me too. But I got all these social standards and restrictions over me that keep me from dating her. We are two poor people in love divided by metaphorical fences we neither constructed nor truly understand. This is made all the worse by the fact that in trying to be cool in front of my friends I've been a jerk to her. Now I've pushed her away forever. Oh love is so cruel. So how do I win her back? I change. I become someone different, someone that her pompous self-righteous clique can appreciate. I become a jock, not because I like sports but because she has shown that she likes guys who like sports. When I go to show her how I can change for her, how i can be someone I'm not for her, because I'm not totally sure she likes me for who I am... oh wonder of wonders! Its a miracle!!! She has changed for me. Now she is a scantily clad, classless... well I can't say I respect her much more, but she looks great! And she did it all for me. She became someone other than who she is all for me! Isn't that romantic? She abandoned her moral compass because she thought it'd make me like her more. This must be love!!!

This is ridiculous. The music is fun and John Travolta hitting that high note is worth the price of admission, and certainly its a blast to watch 32 year olds play 17 year olds. But come on people! This is awful. Girls don't change who you are for John Travolta, or any other guy, and especially don't change into a catwomen uniform with a popped collar. Its not cool. Same for you boys!

3) Guys and Dolls
This is with no disrespect towards Frank Sinatra or Marlon Brando. If I was half as cool as either of them I'd certainly overdose on coolness. So I'm not talking bad on them. I am only saying that this play is messed up.

You want a play that tries to make the idea of missionary dating look great? Here it is. Brando's character makes a bet with Sinatra's character that he can get little miss Too-Cool-For-School-Salvation-Army-Super-Christian to fall in love with him. But then he starts digging on her. Then she starts digging on him. Then she finds out about the bet. Then she stops digging on him so much. Although she still kinda digs on him but doesn't, you know? But he still digs on her. Whats a poor guy to do? Win her back. How? Make a bet with every low life gambler in New York (including Sinatra's character who, through the whole play is being chased by a cop-played flawlessly by me in the high school play I was in) that if he wins in shooting craps they all have to go to a revival and pretend to be Christian like. He wins. Everyone goes both because they lost the bet and because they finally got caught gambling by the cop and they need to look like good Christian boys instead of low life gamblers for their cover. They all act like Christians. Salvation Army chick is back in love and all is right with the world.

Don't you all feel so good about yourselves after that fairy tale?


I might have stumbled on something dangerous here. There may be a vast government conspiracy to cover up the plot to poison our society slowly through catchy musicals. But its happening. And I am willing to risk life and limb to bring you the truth.

Now go play the game with your friends!



*This is highly contested and I'm not sure I agree with the conclusions as they are simply laid out. But for the sake of this article lets just roll with it.
** well if you're saying that reading is negatively affecting our society then shame on you! Unless you're talking about the Twilight series, in which case you may or may not have a point. The vote is still out on that one.

Almighty Heroes (or... the downfall of western society)

I was walking through a local store the other day looking to buy myself an energy drink, some Swedish Fish, and toothpaste to balance it all out when I came across these two awe inspiring pieces of Biblical action and plastic. In researching this online there is a whole enterprise of Bible actions figures you can purchase if you were so inclined.

On seeing my heroes come to life in the same format as mutated turtles, super soldiers, and pro-wrestlers my heart split in two. Schizophrenically I had opposing yet simultaneous reactions:

1) The creator of these toys deserves a Nobel prize!

A Nobel prize at least! I think sainthood might be overkill but that doesn't mean its not deserved. If I found these toys when I was 9 years old I would have known then and there I was born with the specific purpose of playing with these action figures. College? Marriage? That stuff is for chumps! My life's work would be playing with these action figures until their paint was chipped and warn and the whole depths of my imagination was filled with the justice of God at the hands of these heroes of the faith.

I would have suspended disbelief and brought the men who were divided by hundreds of years, geographical locations, and varied enemies and united them in the common cause of stopping evil where ever it may dare to show its face. Moses, Samson, David, Daniel, Joshua, and the whole crew would fight nobly and heroically every waking second of the day.

If I had to take a bath these almighty heroes would be coming too! I would play them to death! They would come with me everywhere.

Nine year old Tyler would be happy in his room reenacting his favorite flannel graph moments from church. Him mom and her friends would sit quietly downstairs discussing curtains or lawn furniture or whatever it is they talk about while Tyler, sitting upstairs in hallway, screams out "destroy the uncircumcised Philistine!" as David and Moses (Daniel would help if he could but he's currently occupied with lions attacking him who were unleashed by Skeletor) face off against Goliath.

It would be beautiful. Oh, nine year old Tyler I'm so sorry you have been deprived of this joy! I only wish I could travel back in time and bring you these presents on your ninth birthday to make up for the socks your aunt got for you (I'd probably also include a list of girls to avoid in your future, and tell you that the television show Heroes is going to start out amazing but will only end up breaking your heart, save yourself from the disappointment... oh all the things I wish I could give you and save you from younger me, you're so innocent!).

But at the same time I was thinking...

2) I hope the creator of this toy falls on something sharp and gets tetanus!

Shame on you toy creator!

Oh, the beautiful marriage that is faith and capitalism.

I can't even begin to list what is all wrong with these toys. First of all they are 14 freakin' bucks which is expensive even for really cool toys that don't exploit Scripture. 14 dollars? Why don't you just use a gun?!

Turning the greatest heroes of Scripture into action figures, while seemingly cool, does seem dispresectful as well. I would not want any kid of mine going to heaven, seeing Moses and saying "I played with you when I was a kid, you fought the Incredible Hulk, but I lost you when I accidentally left you on the driveway one day and my dad ran over you...(this actually happened to me with a Chuck Norris action figure I had when I was 3. 21 years later its still hurts!)... Hey, where's you're gold chest plate and overly tight blue pants?!"

Finally these toys feed into the American, physical obsessed society we're living in. Moses was not a 21 year old Muscle bound behemoth when he freed Israel from slavery. He was an adult when he was ran out of Egypt (after killing the slave owner) and he spent forty years in the desert before returning. He was an old dude. These toys further perpetuate the myth that heroes should be huge men with muscles stacked on top of muscles and square jaws. The point of these stories (other than to give the history of the nation of Israel and bring us from creation to redemption in Christ) is to show us that God does amazing things through regular, imperfect people, not through professional wrestlers with incredibly unhistorical clothes and weapons. I don't want my nephew growing up thinking if he is ever going to be used for the kingdom of God he has to be able to pick up a bus (as this Moses appears to be capable of). But I want him to know that he is able to move mountains by faith in Christ, the one who is faithful.

So needless to say, my feelings are mixed on this product.

On one hand I want to go on an all ramin noodle soup diet for a week so I can afford to buy every one of these Almighty Heroes and use them to decorate my office, while at the same time I'm wondering if I can get a national campaign going to get all these toys recalled and have the creator stand in the center of Jack Murphy Stadium (no, I will not call it Qualcolm) while thousands of people fill the seats who feel the same way as I do and point at him and scream "shame!"