Crossing the Divide
Nauvoo Travel Guide
Converted
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Arch Apothegms
From 2008 to 2014 I served as a tour guide and park ranger at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO. At the time I had started a blog based upon that experience. As with most of my blogs, I didn't stick with it. In an effort to consolidate things here are some of the posts from that blog.
What is an Apothegm?
March 7, 2009
According to Dictionary.com an
“Apothegm” is “a short, pithy, instructive saying; a terse remark or
aphorism.” The purpose of Arch Apothegms is to turn some of the more
“interesting” comments and questions I’ve overheard asked at the Gateway Arch
into “instructive sayings”.
Apothegm #1
May 12, 2009
“You have to go down to go
up.” So many times in life we must humble ourselves in order
to rise higher. Providence has a way of knocking us to our knees (if not
flat on our backs) before He is able to lift us to higher heights. Jesus
said, But many that are first shall be last; and
the last shall be first. (Matt 19:30);
and, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom
of heaven (Matt 18:2-4). So, apparently you DO have to go down to go
UP!
Arch Apothegm #2
May 13, 2009
“Didn’t there use to be a
restaurant up here?” No. There has never been a restaurant at
the top of the Gateway Arch. Just because you believe something is true,
doesn’t mean it is true. Truth is absolute and eternal. Truth never
changes. What we believe to be true may change, but truth itself never
changes. It is our responsibility as rational human beings to always search for
truth. We must never give up or be content when we think we have it–because we
may be wrong. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man
comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). If his statement is
true then we can also say that “truth” is a person.
Arch Apothegm #3
May 13, 2009
“Hurting people, hurt
people.” Sometimes people are mean because they are miserable.
Since they are miserable, they want everyone around them to be miserable.
It is our choice to let them make us miserable or not. “If your
enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water
to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the
LORD will reward you.” (Proverbs 25:21-22)
Arch Apothegm #4
2. Cameras and tour buses are evil.
3. It takes all kinds and they eventually come here.
4. Because you work here, you don't know what you are talking
about.
5. The Person with the tickets will always be the last person in line.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Reconciling Friends: The Roles of Grace and Works in Salvation
“A young woman asked the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, if it was possible to reconcile God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. “Young woman,” said he. “You don’t reconcile friends”
Countless discussions and numerous debates have been held between Baptists and Latter-Day Saints on the role of Grace and Works in Salvation. Baptists proclaim “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8,9.) To which Latter-Day Saints respond with “faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26b). To complicate matters, Baptists define “Grace” as God's “unmerited favor”. Whereas LDS tend to define “Grace” as “God's enabling power”. So which is it? Is there any middle ground? I think so. Here's how.
Part of the problem lies in the fact that we tend to forge that salvation is a process.
Paul wrote,
We are saved Ephesians 2:8
We are being saved.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1Cor 1:18
We will be saved.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:9-10
When we talk about salvation, we to focus on one aspect of salvation rather than the whole process. Kind of like the parable of the blind men touching the elephant. They describe their experience accurately, but they are only focusing on one part of the “animal”. Southern Baptists emphasize what happens when a person trusts Christ as their Savior, and they are “saved.” Latter-Day Saints tend to focus on salvation as something that will happen after death when we receive our eternal reward.
We need to remember that Salvation is a process,
The process of salvation involves four components Regeneration, Justification, Sanctification and Glorification. Consider the following definitions, which I grew up, with from from the Southern Baptist statement of faith—The Baptist Faith and Message (2000).
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.
B. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed. Exaltation would be the LDS equivalent of Glorification.
Though these are “Baptist” definitions. I don't think that Latter-Day Saints would find much disagreement with them (and if you do, feel free to comment).
For the purposes of this document, I'm not going to comment much on Regeneration. Suffice it to say that both LDS and Baptists believe that this is a necessary component of salvation. I hope to revisit “regeneration” in a future essay.
JUSTIFICATION
When Baptists talk about being “saved” they are talking about Justification. And they see no room for our works in the work of Justification. Justification is completely the work of the Holy Spirit. When a person repents of their sins and commits their life to Jesus Christ. The sins of that person are whisked through time and imputed to Christ on the cross. The righteousness of Christ is then imputed onto the person committing their life. That person is declared “not guilty” by God. At this moment the person is “saved” (in Baptist terms).
Here are a few examples from the New Testament.
For by grace (God's unmerited favor) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart k that God raised Him from the dead, l you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9-10
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; Romans 3:23-25
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:3-5
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake* alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Romans 4:20-25
Baptists do not believe that any human works play a role in our justification. It is completely based on faith and grace (God's unmerited favor). But some might object. What about repentance? The act of faith? The act of commitment to Christ? Aren't those works? A Baptist would typically say “no they're not.” But lets say for the sake of argument, that they are a type of human work. Those “works” are being done in response to something that God is already doing in the persons life. They repent, because the Holy Spirit has convicted them. They commit in response to God's invitation. They exercise the faith that God gave to them. (Matt. 13:11; 1 Cor. 12:9). So, even if you believe that faith and repentance are acts of human effort, they are still only possible in response to what God has already done in a persons life. And outside of the possible works of repentance, faith, commitment (if they really are “works”) there is no room for human works in the doctrine of Justification.
But what about all of those verses of Scripture that seem to indicate that works do indeed play a role in our salvation? Let's move on to Sanctification and Glorification.
SANCTIFICATION is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
Baptists certainly believe that our works play a role in our Sanctification. And though they define “grace” as “God's Unmerited Favor” in Justification. They can certainly affirm the LDS emphasis of grace as “God's Enabling Power” in our Sanctification. Let's go back to Ephesians 2:8-9 and on to verse 10.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:8-10)
We are “saved” for the purpose of good works.
Philippians 2:12 tells us to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)
In the parable of the Talents and the Barren Fig Tree, Jesus certainly indicates that God expects us to bear fruit and use that talents that God has given us for him in his glory. And Jesus makes it very clear in the parable of the Vine and Branches (John 15:5) that we CANNOT do any good works WITHOUT Him.
1 Cor. 12:27 tel1s us we are the body of Christ.
Teresa of Avila siad ““Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
As we do the works of Christ through God's enabling power, we become more like Christ. We become sanctified.
And one day we will be rewarded for those works in our Glorification.
GLORIFICATION
Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
Certainly Baptists agree that we will be rewarded for our works. Paul makes this very clear in 1 Cor. 3:11-15
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Jesus describes the role our works play in Glorification in the Parable of Sheep and Goats (Matt25:31-46)
Not only are we rewarded for our works, but there also seems to be levels of punishment for evil works. Jesus said, “But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in* sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.” (Luke 10:12-13)
So to summarize up to this point. Baptists believe that we are Justified only by God's Grace (Unmerited Favor). Human works (other than possibly faith and repentance if you want to call those works) play no role in our Justification. However works play an essential role in our Sanctification and Glorification and those works would not be possible without God's Grace (Enabling Power).
So, once we blind men get a glimpse at the whole elephant of salvation, we see that we have much more in common than we have disagreement when it comes to the roles of Grace and Works in our Salvation.
But, before we conclude, I need to mention two significant differences between Baptist (especially Southern Baptist) and LDS understandings of Salvation.
1. Baptists believe that everyone who is “justified” has access to God the Father in their Glorified state. An eternity in the Terrestrial Kingdom would be ultimately incompatible with Southern Baptist Soteriology (Soteriology=doctrine of salvation). Baptists believe that everyone who has committed their life to Christ, will one day have eternal access to God the Father (Romans 5:1; Hebrews 4:16; Revelation 7:9-17)
Here's an illustration. Say, the Godhead was putting on a concert. The only way to get into the arena is through Christ. Christ is your ticket. You have to put your faith in Christ. That gets you into the arena. Once inside you can upgrade your seats, based upon your righteous works. So, some will sit closer to the stage than others. But everyone gets a backstage pass and tickets to the meet and greet. Everyone has access to the Father, even though they might not be in immediate proximity to Him.
2. Southern Baptists also believe that once a person is Justified, it is impossible for them to lose their salvation.
My asheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which agave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: The Bible also talks about different crowns we may receive in heaven. (Philippians 1:6)
But what about the folks we all know who professed faith but fell away. Their example seems to disprove the notion of eternal security (the idea that you can't lose your salvation). John seems to provide the answer for that, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (1 John 2:19)
There is much more to say about the doctrine of Eternal Security. But that will have to wait for another time (or perhaps the comment section!)
In conclusion, I think it's safe to say that Baptists and LDS have much more in common in our Soteriology than we may have though at first. But there are a few significant differences. Like I like to say, the divide between LDS and Baptist theology isn't really that wide. But it sure is deep in some places! Look forward to reading your comments.
Countless discussions and numerous debates have been held between Baptists and Latter-Day Saints on the role of Grace and Works in Salvation. Baptists proclaim “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8,9.) To which Latter-Day Saints respond with “faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26b). To complicate matters, Baptists define “Grace” as God's “unmerited favor”. Whereas LDS tend to define “Grace” as “God's enabling power”. So which is it? Is there any middle ground? I think so. Here's how.
Part of the problem lies in the fact that we tend to forge that salvation is a process.
Paul wrote,
We are saved Ephesians 2:8
We are being saved.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1Cor 1:18
We will be saved.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:9-10
When we talk about salvation, we to focus on one aspect of salvation rather than the whole process. Kind of like the parable of the blind men touching the elephant. They describe their experience accurately, but they are only focusing on one part of the “animal”. Southern Baptists emphasize what happens when a person trusts Christ as their Savior, and they are “saved.” Latter-Day Saints tend to focus on salvation as something that will happen after death when we receive our eternal reward.
We need to remember that Salvation is a process,
The process of salvation involves four components Regeneration, Justification, Sanctification and Glorification. Consider the following definitions, which I grew up, with from from the Southern Baptist statement of faith—The Baptist Faith and Message (2000).
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.
B. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed. Exaltation would be the LDS equivalent of Glorification.
Though these are “Baptist” definitions. I don't think that Latter-Day Saints would find much disagreement with them (and if you do, feel free to comment).
For the purposes of this document, I'm not going to comment much on Regeneration. Suffice it to say that both LDS and Baptists believe that this is a necessary component of salvation. I hope to revisit “regeneration” in a future essay.
JUSTIFICATION
When Baptists talk about being “saved” they are talking about Justification. And they see no room for our works in the work of Justification. Justification is completely the work of the Holy Spirit. When a person repents of their sins and commits their life to Jesus Christ. The sins of that person are whisked through time and imputed to Christ on the cross. The righteousness of Christ is then imputed onto the person committing their life. That person is declared “not guilty” by God. At this moment the person is “saved” (in Baptist terms).
Here are a few examples from the New Testament.
For by grace (God's unmerited favor) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart k that God raised Him from the dead, l you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9-10
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; Romans 3:23-25
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:3-5
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake* alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Romans 4:20-25
Baptists do not believe that any human works play a role in our justification. It is completely based on faith and grace (God's unmerited favor). But some might object. What about repentance? The act of faith? The act of commitment to Christ? Aren't those works? A Baptist would typically say “no they're not.” But lets say for the sake of argument, that they are a type of human work. Those “works” are being done in response to something that God is already doing in the persons life. They repent, because the Holy Spirit has convicted them. They commit in response to God's invitation. They exercise the faith that God gave to them. (Matt. 13:11; 1 Cor. 12:9). So, even if you believe that faith and repentance are acts of human effort, they are still only possible in response to what God has already done in a persons life. And outside of the possible works of repentance, faith, commitment (if they really are “works”) there is no room for human works in the doctrine of Justification.
But what about all of those verses of Scripture that seem to indicate that works do indeed play a role in our salvation? Let's move on to Sanctification and Glorification.
SANCTIFICATION is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
Baptists certainly believe that our works play a role in our Sanctification. And though they define “grace” as “God's Unmerited Favor” in Justification. They can certainly affirm the LDS emphasis of grace as “God's Enabling Power” in our Sanctification. Let's go back to Ephesians 2:8-9 and on to verse 10.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:8-10)
We are “saved” for the purpose of good works.
Philippians 2:12 tells us to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)
In the parable of the Talents and the Barren Fig Tree, Jesus certainly indicates that God expects us to bear fruit and use that talents that God has given us for him in his glory. And Jesus makes it very clear in the parable of the Vine and Branches (John 15:5) that we CANNOT do any good works WITHOUT Him.
1 Cor. 12:27 tel1s us we are the body of Christ.
Teresa of Avila siad ““Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
As we do the works of Christ through God's enabling power, we become more like Christ. We become sanctified.
And one day we will be rewarded for those works in our Glorification.
GLORIFICATION
Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
Certainly Baptists agree that we will be rewarded for our works. Paul makes this very clear in 1 Cor. 3:11-15
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Jesus describes the role our works play in Glorification in the Parable of Sheep and Goats (Matt25:31-46)
Not only are we rewarded for our works, but there also seems to be levels of punishment for evil works. Jesus said, “But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in* sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.” (Luke 10:12-13)
So to summarize up to this point. Baptists believe that we are Justified only by God's Grace (Unmerited Favor). Human works (other than possibly faith and repentance if you want to call those works) play no role in our Justification. However works play an essential role in our Sanctification and Glorification and those works would not be possible without God's Grace (Enabling Power).
So, once we blind men get a glimpse at the whole elephant of salvation, we see that we have much more in common than we have disagreement when it comes to the roles of Grace and Works in our Salvation.
But, before we conclude, I need to mention two significant differences between Baptist (especially Southern Baptist) and LDS understandings of Salvation.
1. Baptists believe that everyone who is “justified” has access to God the Father in their Glorified state. An eternity in the Terrestrial Kingdom would be ultimately incompatible with Southern Baptist Soteriology (Soteriology=doctrine of salvation). Baptists believe that everyone who has committed their life to Christ, will one day have eternal access to God the Father (Romans 5:1; Hebrews 4:16; Revelation 7:9-17)
Here's an illustration. Say, the Godhead was putting on a concert. The only way to get into the arena is through Christ. Christ is your ticket. You have to put your faith in Christ. That gets you into the arena. Once inside you can upgrade your seats, based upon your righteous works. So, some will sit closer to the stage than others. But everyone gets a backstage pass and tickets to the meet and greet. Everyone has access to the Father, even though they might not be in immediate proximity to Him.
2. Southern Baptists also believe that once a person is Justified, it is impossible for them to lose their salvation.
My asheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which agave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: The Bible also talks about different crowns we may receive in heaven. (Philippians 1:6)
But what about the folks we all know who professed faith but fell away. Their example seems to disprove the notion of eternal security (the idea that you can't lose your salvation). John seems to provide the answer for that, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (1 John 2:19)
There is much more to say about the doctrine of Eternal Security. But that will have to wait for another time (or perhaps the comment section!)
In conclusion, I think it's safe to say that Baptists and LDS have much more in common in our Soteriology than we may have though at first. But there are a few significant differences. Like I like to say, the divide between LDS and Baptist theology isn't really that wide. But it sure is deep in some places! Look forward to reading your comments.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Jack-O-Lanterns, Santa Claus, and Easter Eggs: Transformational Christianity and the Holidays
(Note: This post really doesn't have anything to do with Saints or Southern Baptist. But it seemed appropriate for the season--even though it might be a tad late!)
Fall is upon us once again. With the changing of the season comes the perennial debate as to whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. Next will come the discussion of the ongoing secularization of Christmas and what role, if any, Santa Claus should play in our holiday celebration. Then, before you know it, Easter will be here. We will plumb the mysteries of the Easter Bunny wondering what bunnies and eggs have to do with the resurrection of Christ.
My purpose in this pamphlet is to shed light on these “mysteries.” I will examine the origins of these three holidays and how the early Church dealt with them. I will also argue that Christians may participate fully in all three of these holidays; not in spite of the paganism and commercialism behind these holidays and symbols, but because of it. If Jesus Christ can transform sinful, pagan, humans into righteous men and women, then why can’t He do the same thing to pagan holidays? I believe He can--through His Church. Indeed, Church history is full of such examples. In this pamphlet I will discuss three examples--Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.
In order to combat the influence of existing pagan festivals, the early Church leaders moved the celebration of existing Christian holidays, such as All Saints’ Day (a day honoring martyred Christians), the Birth of Christ, and the Resurrection of Christ, to correspond with the celebration of pagan holidays. Now that the Christian influence in Western Culture is waning, the pagan backgrounds of these holidays are coming to the forefront. Christians should not stand idly by and let this happen! I believe Christians should take a proactive role in the celebration of these holidays and lift up the name of Jesus Christ. I think we can also use some of the secular symbols, such as the Jack-O-Lantern, Santa Claus, and the Easter egg, in ways which communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Christian Church has done this for centuries.
Legalism has now paralyzed us. We are afraid to even utter the word “Halloween” or be seen at the Mall next to Santa Claus for fear that we might unknowingly be cavorting with Satan (After all, simply move the “n” in “Santa” to the end of the name and you have “Satan”!!! This must be a diabolical conspiracy!). Such fears are unfounded. The Jesus that transformed John Newton from a slave-holding derelict to the devout Christian, who wrote Amazing Grace, can also transform pagan holidays into opportunities for witness. Let’s start our discussion with the most notorious of these holidays, “Halloween.”
Halloween
The holiday that we now refer to as Halloween, is actually a Celtic holiday known as Samhain (pronounced sah–ween). The Celts were a tribal people who inhabited most of Western and Central Europe in the first millennium BC. According to one writer,
Samhain held a great religious significance for the Celts. They believed that on that night the barrier between the physical world and the spirit world was weakest; spirits, as well as the souls of the dead, were free to roam the Earth. The religious ceremonies of the Druids (the “priest caste” of the Celts) were designed to protect the crops, herds and flocks from demonic influences. They were also used to appease the supernatural powers they associated with the processes of nature. Animal and human sacrifices sometimes played a part in the Druidic ceremonies; the sacrifices provided a means of divination as well as being for appeasement of the gods or spirits.
The celebration of Samhain had its ‘lighter’ aspects, also. Young people roasted nuts in the Samhain bonfire in hopes of finding out who they would marry; someone who could grab an apple out of a tub of water with his mouth was destined to have a lucky year. It was also a time for feasting; the animal sacrifices (often ‘first fruits’ offerings of cattle) were roasted on the bonfire for a banquet. At one point, people tried to disguise themselves as evil spirits to confuse the ‘real’ spirits who may have been sent to plague them. This custom and others like it quickly degenerated into children’s games, but the Celts did believe that as they sat around the Samhain bonfire they could converse with the spirits of dead relatives and friends.
The Celts had two separate but related purposes in celebrating Samhain. They sought both to give proper respect to the spirit world and to assert their own rights to life and prosperity in the physical one. As the early Christian Church expanded into Western Europe, they were confronted with this pagan holiday. The Church wanted to provide some type of alternative celebration. According to apologist Hank Hanegraaff, In direct response to this pagan tradition, the early Christian church moved a festive celebration called All Saints’ Day from May to November and renamed it All Hallows’ Eve, from which we get the word Halloween. This was an overt attempt on the part of believers to infiltrate pagan tradition with the truth of the gospel.It was a bold evangelistic move designed to demonstrate that only the power of the resurrected Christ could protect men and women from the destructive ploys of Satan and his minions. This was a time in which they boldly proclaimed the Marvelous fact of the resurrection and the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Why can’t we do the same thing today! Christians should not be cowered by the celebration of Halloween. We should embrace it as an opportunity to tell the world the good news--that Jesus Christ has defeated death and the devil. This is what the early Church did. In the case of Halloween, the Church moved an existing Christian holiday, All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Day), to combat the pagan holiday, Samhain. The Christian Church kept the Jewish custom of marking a holiday (contracted form of "holy day") for the twenty-four hours beginning with sundown and ending with sundown the following day (Christmas ‘Eve is another example of this custom). It should also be noted that the word “Halloween” is a neutral term at worst and a Christian one at best. It simply means “Hallowed (Holy) evening.” Christians do not need to be afraid to use the word “Halloween” when referring to their celebration. Christians coined the term. Let’s not let the devil have a monopoly on the usage of the word.
But what do we do about some of the Halloween customs? Isn’t “trick-or-treating” the remnant of an old Druid custom where Druid priests or evil spirits would go door to door demanding sacrifices and terrorizing the inhabitants of the house? No. In all actuality the American tradition of “trick-or-treating” can be traced back to the early 20th century. According to a tract published by the American Tract Society, The “trick-or-treat” custom we know today is thoroughly American in origin. In the nineteenth century, when Irish and Scotch immigrants brought their Halloween traditions to North America, the night became an occasion for pranks and mischief. Vandals would go through the night soaping windows, overturning outhouses, and pulling gates from their hinges. These pranks were playfully said to be the work of witches and ghosts, but by the 1920s the joke wasn’t funny anymore. The damage to neighborhoods was mounting. To counteract Halloween vandalism community clubs like the boy Scouts began to organize alternatives that were safe and fun. Children were encouraged to go door-to-door and receive treats from homeowners and merchants, keeping the troublemakers away. By the 1930’s, the practice was popular nationwide and young voices crying, “Trick or treat!” were echoing through neighborhood streets.
In reality, Halloween provides one of the greatest opportunities for evangelism every year. It is the one night a year when people are expecting to have strangers show up at their doors. Take your kids out trick-or-treating and take some tracts with you. Have the kids hand them to the people that give them candy. Not only that, but have someone stay at home and give out tracts (along with some candy) to the kids that come to your door. You could even have a pumpkin, on your doorstep, carved with Christian Symbols. The company, CTA Inc., has a really neat bookmark called “The Pumpkin Prayer.” On the bookmark is a prayer that can be said as you carve Christian symbols into a pumpkin face. When someone asks you about the unique drawings on your pumpkin, you have an opportunity to share the Gospel with them. Better yet, if you have kids, have them invite their friends over for a pumpkin carving party. After they carve their pumpkins, you can carve yours using the pumpkin prayer and share the Gospel with all of those children.
If you are still nervous about celebrating Halloween, then don’t forget another very important event took place that day. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther tacked his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenburg church. He chose that date because he knew that the next day was All Saints’ Day and the church would be having services. This event marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. If you belong to a Protestant denomination then have a “Reformation Party” and teach your kids a lesson in Church History. The most important thing is that Christians don’t abandon Halloween. The early Christians did not, nor should we. What better way to ruin Halloween for Satan, than to go out and intentionally share the Gospel with the lost.
The truly ironic thing about the current controversy surrounding Halloween, is that the same arguments made against Christians celebrating Halloween, were once used against the celebration of Christmas! The celebration of Christmas is a relatively modern phenomenon in America. It really didn’t begin to take hold until after the Civil War. Even then, Protestant Christians denounced the celebration of Christmas as pagan and “Roman Catholic.” We will examine these arguments in the next section.
Christmas
Though the majority of churches today seem to have embraced the celebration of Christmas, at one time it was very controversial. Consider the following:
In Calvin's Geneva you could have been fined or imprisoned for celebrating Christmas. It was at the request of the Westminster Assembly that the English Parliament in 1644 passed an act forbidding the observance of Christmas, calling it a heathen holiday.
When the Puritans came to America they passed similar laws. The early New Englanders worked steadily through December 25, 1620, in studied neglect of the day. About 40 years later the General Court of Massachusetts decreed punishment for those who kept the season: "...anyone who is found observing, by abstinence from labor, feasting, or any other way, any such days as Christmas Day, shall pay for every such offense five shillings."
It was not until the 19th century that Christmas had any religious significance in Protestant churches. Even as late as 1900, Christmas services were not held in Southern Presbyterian churches. The PCUS General Assembly of 1899 declared: "There is no warrant in Scripture for the observance of Christmas and Easter as holydays (sic), rather the contrary (see Gal. 4:9-11; Col. 2:16-21), and such observance is contrary to the principles of the Reformed faith, conducive to will-worship, and not in harmony with the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ."
The great Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, in a sermon delivered on December 24, 1871 said:
We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all . . . and secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Saviour; and consequently, its observance is a superstition, because [it's] not of divine authority. . . . Where is the method in the madness of the superstitious? Probably the fact is that the holy days were arranged to fit in with the heathen festivals.
And the words of Dr. H.A. Ironside:
It is a lamentable fact that Babylon's principles and practices are . . . pervading the churches . . . of the Reformation. We may see evidences of it in the. . . . revival of holy days and church feasts such as Lent, Good Friday, Easter, and Christ's Mass, or, as it is generally written, Christmas . . . some of these festivals . . . when they are turned into church festivals, they certainly come under the condemnation of Galatians 4:9-11, where the Holy Spirit warns against the observance of days and months and times and seasons. All of them . . . are Babylonish in their origin, and were at one time linked with the Ashtoreth and Tammuz mystery-worship. It is through Rome that they have come down to us; and we do well to remember that Babylon is a mother, with daughters who are likely to partake of their mother's characteristics . . . ."
It is true that the celebrations of Christmas and Halloween came out of the same milieu. December 25 was originally celebrated by pagans as the birthday of the “sun god” (December 25 was the date of the Winter Solstice on the Julian calendar). It was known as “The Day of the Invincible Sun.” This holiday was celebrated by pagans all over the Northern Hemisphere. This “sun-god” is known by various names, including Tammuz, Horus, Osiris, Sol, Baal. It wasn’t until the 4th century AD that the birthday of Christ was celebrated on December 25. According to Church historian Justo L. Gonzalez,
The earliest feast day in connection with the birth of Jesus was January 6, Epiphany, the day of his manifestation. This was originally the celebration of the birth itself. Later, particularly in some areas of the Latin West, December 25 began to take its place. The latter date was actually a pagan festival which after the time of Constatntine, was preempted by the celebration of Christmas. (It should be noted that the Eastern Orthodox Church still celebrates Christmas on January 6 and they have a different date for their Easter celebration as well.)
Again the Church created a rival festival to take the emphasis off of the false deities and back onto Christ. According to Hank Hanegraff, “The early church chose this date to point to the triumph that Christ's birth represented over the pagan traditions of the Roman Empire. In other words, the church was not endorsing a pagan ceremony but establishing a rival celebration. Today the world has all but forgotten the pagan gods of Rome. But at least a billion people on planet Earth celebrate the Christ of Christmas.”
But what are we to do about Santa Claus, Christmas Trees, and all of the commercialization surrounding Christmas? Let’s take a moment and discuss each of those subjects.
What about Santa Claus?
It must be remembered that the name "Santa Claus" is an Anglicized form of the Dutch “Sinter Klaas,” which in turn means "Saint Nicholas." Perhaps the best explanation of the origin of Santa Claus is found in this article written by James Parker, who argues that Christians ought to “remythologize” Santa Claus.
In reflecting on this season of the year . . . if any particular person rose to the top in the public's conscious awareness, it would be a jolly secular guy at risk for stroke or cardiac arrest who liked to dress in red and let his beard grow. Rather than just bemoan this fact, I assert that we need to remythologize Santa Claus. Most people simply do not realize the rich ancient heritage behind the Santa Claus story. The secularized and sanitized contemporary version pales in comparison with the deeply Christian ethos and content of the original.The origin of the St. Nicholas tradition goes back to Bishop
Nicholas of Myra in Lycia (Turkey). Little solid historical information is known about Nicholas except that he was Bishop of Myra and died around A.D. 350. Much exaggerated legendary material is connected with his life and ministry, but if nothing else, the legends tell us what values and beliefs the church held as important as they were projected onto Nicholas. To the bare minimum of facts, legend has supplied intriguing details through such writers as St. Methodius (patriarch of Constantinople in the 850s) and the Greek writer Metaphrastes in the 10th century.The story goes that Nicholas was born in A.D. 280 of pious and wealthy parents who raised him in the fear and admonition of the Lord and taught him "sacred books" from the age of 5. He was forced to grow up quickly upon the sudden death of his parents Inheriting his family's wealth, he was left rich and lonely, but he had the desire to use his wealth for good. The first opportunity to do this happened when he heard about a father who, through an unfortunate turn of fortune, was left destitute with three daughters. Without marriage dowry money, the daughters would be condemned to a life of singleness and prostitution, so Nicholas threw some small bags of gold coins into the window of the home (some traditions say down the chimney), thereby saving the children from a life of misery.<p> </p>Later as a teenager, Nicholas made a pilgrimage to Egypt and Palestine. Upon returning home he felt called to ministry and was subsequently ordained. He spent time at the Monastery of Holy Zion near Myra until an old priest had a vision that he was to be the new bishop.The congregation overwhelmingly elected him bishop, and he became known for his holiness, passion for the gospel and zeal. He challenged the old gods and paganism at the principal temple in his district (to the god Artemis), and it was said that the evil spirits "fled howling before him." But the old deities did not go easily. In A.D. 303, Emperor Diocletian directed the persecution of Christians, and "as he [Nicholas] was the chief priest of the Christians of this town and preached the truths of faith with a holy liberty, Nicholas was seized by the magistrates, tortured, then chained and thrown into prison with many other Christians."<p> </p>With the Edict of Milan, Emperor Constantine ordered the cessation of all persecution of the church, and the Christians were released from prisons. Those who survived Diocletian's purges were called "confessors" because they wouldn't renege on their confession of Jesus as Lord. When Bishop Nicholas walked out of the prison, the crowds called to him: "Nicholas! Confessor!" He had been repeatedly beaten until he was raw, and his body was the color of vermilion. Bishop Nicholas was also said to have intervened on behalf of unjustly charged prisoners and actively sought to help his people survive when they had experienced two successive bad harvests. One of the most interesting stories connected with him was his role during the Arian controversy. St. Methodius asserted that "thanks to the teaching of St. Nicholas the metropolis of Myra alone was untouched by the filth of the Arian heresy, which it firmly rejected as death-dealing poison."
Arius, of course, asserted, contra John 1:1, that the Word [Jesus] was a created being and had not existed from all eternity. One weak tradition has him actually attending the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, when Arian doctrine was rejected. The story goes that he got into a heated debate with Arius himself about whether there was a time when the Word did not exist. Nicholas strongly disagreed.
Now that's my kind of Santa Claus!
Bet you never thought of Santa Claus like that before? So what about all this stuff about the North Pole, Reindeer, and elves?
Most of the mythology surrounding Santa Claus can be traced back to the writings of Dr. Clement Moore, a Christian theology professor at Union Seminary. In 1821, he wrote a poem for his children entitled, A Visit from Saint Nicholas. This poem is widely acknowledged as most responsible for shaping the American understanding of Santa Claus. The Coca-Cola Company is also given credit for being one of the first to use Santa in a marketing campaign. Beginning in 1931 and for the next 35+ years Santa Claus would be a regular feature in Coca-Cola’s Christmastime advertising. They are also responsible for standardizing the look of the American Santa as a portly fellow with white flowing whiskers and a red suit. So if you have a problem with Santa Claus, blame it on Coca-Cola or Clement Moore, the real St. Nicholas was a godly man.
Whether you include Santa Claus in your Christmas celebration is really not important. But I think he can be used as a tool in witnessing. Virtually every child knows about Santa Claus. Use that knowledge to teach them about the real St. Nicholas and his devotion for Christ. One of my favorite pictures is that of the “Kneeling Santa”--where Santa is kneeling before the Christ-child. That picture is a wonderful way of introducing the truth about Jesus to a child who only knows the myth of Santa Claus.
What about Christmas Trees?
It is true that tree worship has always been a part of pagan religion. During the winter festivals evergreen trees were brought indoors and used for decorations. But these trees do not appear to be the origin of our Christmas trees. Let me again quote from Hank Hanegraaff,
An argument against Christmas which you hear quite a bit these days is that Christmas trees are condemned in the Bible. Is this really true? Sometimes it is said that Christmas trees are condemned in Jeremiah 10, verses 2-4, where God says "the customs of the peoples are delusion, because it is wood cut from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They decorate it with silver and gold, they fasten it with nails and a hammer so that it will not totter."
Although this may sound like a reference to Christmas trees, it really is not. In this passage God is condemning idols which are carved out of wood and used as objects of worship; thus, in the very next verse God ridicules the idols because they cannot talk and cannot walk! Obviously, this criticism is not aimed at Christmas trees at all.
The fact of the matter is that the Christmas tree originated in Christian Germany about two thousand years after Jeremiah's criticisms of wooden idols. It originated from two Christian symbols found in homes at Christmas time. The first was a "Paradise tree," an evergreen which was hung with apples which represented the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. The second symbol was a "Christmas pyramid." This, of course, was a triangular shelf holding Christmas figurines and decorated with a star. By about the 16th century these two symbols had been combined into the Christian Christmas tree.
Thus, the Christmas tree is a thoroughly Christian symbol, and Christians ought not to feel guilty for having one of them in their home. On the other hand, the Christmas tree is not essential to Christmas, and Christians may, of course, do without it if they choose to. If you see a Christmas tree in the home of a non-Christian friend or a relative, you might take the opportunity to point to it as the symbol of the fact that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem so that they might have eternal life.
What about gift-giving and all of the Commercialism?
The tradition of giving gifts at Christ’s birth goes back to the story of the Magi in Matthew 2; and perhaps, even more importantly, as a way to commemorate God giving to us the “gift” of His Son. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot we can do about the commercialism--except not get caught up in it. When we give gifts, we should do it out of Christ-like love and appreciation. We shouldn’t worry about outgiving someone or making sure the gift we give is as expensive as the gift we receive. I also think it is important not to over do it with our kids on Christmas morning. We need to teach them that while the giving of gifts is okay, the real meaning of Christmas is God’s gift to us—Jesus.
Easter
Ever wonder what rabbits and eggs have to do with the resurrection of Christ? Ever stop and ask yourself what does the word “Easter” mean? Once again, we have a situation where the celebration of a Christian holiday was adjusted to coincide with the celebration of a pre-existing pagan holiday. As with the celebration of Christmas, it was at the Council of Nicea that the Church agreed that the celebration of Christ’s resurrection should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.
The question of the proper date for Easter—the most important festival on the Christian calendar—is another of those fascinating and complicated odysseys in the history of Christianity. It begins at the Council of Nicea in 325, where, after settling the Arian controversy, bishops debated the correct formula for determining the date of Easter. The Eastern bishops (those from Eastern Europe and western Asia) preferred scheduling Easter in conjunction with the Jewish Passover celebration, because the Gospels place the death and resurrection of Jesus during that time. . . . The Western bishops, however, disagreed with the Eastern practice . . . . They favored a date in conjunction with the solar beginning of spring, which was the time of many pagan celebrations.
In this case, the pagan holiday is the festival of Eostra (or Astarte). Most of what we know about the myth behind this festival comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede. According to Bede, on the day of the Vernal Equinox a sacred rabbit comes into the land and lays a sacred egg (No, Cadbury didn’t make that up!). Out of the sacred egg, the fertility goddess of spring, Eostra, is hatched. When the goddess hatches from the egg, she ascends to the sky, hovers over the fields until harvest, then dies with the harvest, and is reborn again in the spring by the same process. Her festival is celebrated during the first full moon following the Vernal equinox. Our traditions of the Easter bunny and Easter eggs all come from this myth and festival.
In time, the myths of the Easter bunny and Easter egg were incorporated into Christian legend. For instance, I remember seeing the following legend on the cover of a greeting card.
One day a poor peddler went to the marketplace to sell a basket of eggs. He came upon a crowd mocking a man who staggered with a heavy cross on which he was about to be crucified. The peddler ran to his aid, leaving the basket by the roadside. When he returned he found the eggs transformed into exquisite designs of bright colors. The man was Christ; the peddler Simon. And the eggs were to become the symbol of the rebirth for all mankind.—Ukranian Folk Tale.
I also remember hearing, as a child, that a rabbit was the first animal to see Jesus after he arose from the tomb, and from that came the legend of the Easter Bunny. Obviously, that probably wasn’t the case. But it was a nice try (in the words of James Parker) to remythologize the Easter Bunny into Christian symbolism.
The connection between the festival of Eostra, known as “Easter,” and the resurrection of Christ would be made permanent when the translators of the King James Version of the Bible, in Acts 12:4, translated the Greek word Pascha, meaning Passover, with the English word “Easter,” the name of the Festival of Eostra. So just think, every time you say the word “Easter” you are actually speaking the name of a pagan goddess!
Does that mean we shouldn’t use the word “Easter?” That we shouldn’t decorate eggs or talk about the Easter Bunny? Not necessarily, for instance the name of the pagan goddess, “Eostre” eventually became synonymous with the word, “Spring.” The word has lost its pagan meaning in today’s culture. I mean, we don’t refuse to say the word “Saturday” even though that word refers to the “day of Saturn” or “Sunday” which refers to the “day of the sun.” Through everyday usage, the pagan meanings of the words have been lost. There’s nothing inherently evil about saying the word “Easter.”
There have been many attempts to remythologize Easter Eggs and the Easter Bunny with Christian meaning. Indeed the egg became a significant symbol in medieval Christianity of both the resurrection of Christ and the Trinity. In recent days we’ve seen “Resurrection Eggs”—a carton of 12 plastic eggs which contain symbols from the life of Christ. As the eggs are opened, the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection can be told. I see nothing wrong with these things. In fact, I applaud these attempts to introduce the message of Christ to children who may know nothing about the true meaning of these holidays. I think we, as Christians, should look for many opportunities to use secular symbols as a way to communicate gospel truths. Isn’t that what Jesus did in his parables?
Conclusion
I see nothing wrong with Christians celebrating Halloween, Christmas, or Easter, despite their pagan backgrounds, as long as they celebrate those holidays in a way that glorifies Christ and points others to Him. Again, I believe that if Jesus can transform sinful people into beings which bring glory to Him, He can also do that with pagan holidays. I agree with James Parker when he calls for a remythologization of Santa Claus. But let’s not stop with Santa Claus. Let’s include the traditions surrounding Halloween and Easter.
There is a lost and dying world of children out there. The only thing they know about Halloween is that it is a time for “trick-or-treats” and candy. This Halloween, when that child comes walking down the street in your neighborhood. Don’t sit at home with your porch light turned-off because you don’t want to be accused of participating in a pagan ritual. No! Turn your porch light on, and when that lost child comes to your door, give them some candy and a gospel tract. This Halloween, instead of sitting at home, get some people from your church and go to the other houses on your street with the porch lights on and give them a treat along with a gospel tract. I know of a church that has done this for a couple of years, they’ve only had one person refuse the gift. But they’ve had many people touched by the thoughtfulness of their “treat.”
This Christmas, when the malls are packed with children waiting to sit on Santa’s lap, why don’t you use the symbol of Santa Claus to tell these kids about Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas. I’ve even dressed up like Santa and told the Christmas story to kids. If you don’t want to teach your children to believe in Santa Claus, that is certainly fine. But when they question you about who Santa is, don’t bad mouth Santa. Instead, take the time to explain to your children about Nicholas, a man who loved Jesus and loved children.
When Easter rolls around, reach out to the children who won’t come to “sunrise service” but will come to an Easter Egg hunt. Give them a good time and some candy. Then use something like the “Resurrection Eggs” to teach kids the true meaning of Easter. Many of these kids will never hear the gospel if we don’t reach out to them in innovative ways. Remember the words of Paul, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1Cor. 9:22), and remember the transforming power of Jesus Christ. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17). Couldn't "all things" include Jack-O-Lanterns, Santa Claus, and Easter Eggs?
My Path to the Pageant
In 2005 the LDS Church announced that it would be putting on a new pageant in Nauvoo, Illinois to replace the recently retired “City of Joseph” pageant. Our family decided to go up and check it out. (We had been to Nauvoo many times. I had developed an interest in studying LDS history and theology and I would visit Nauvoo occasionally to relive the history.) Over the ensuing years we rarely missed a summer and the characters, Robert and Becky Laird really touched me.
In 2011 our relationship with the pageant would deepen. We found out that the Pageant Core Cast would be doing a performance of Our Story Goes On (OSGO) at nearby Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. My oldest daughter (Carrie) and I attended the performance. If you've never seen OSGO it is a beautiful, musical and humorous retelling of the journey of life. After the performance we went and talked with some of the cast members. I remember talking with Alex Debirk (who played Joseph in the pageant) and Darren Hill (who played Robert Laird). Darren was easy to pick out because he had that distinctive British accent. (Rob Abney and Ken Eklof were also part of that cast. I had the privilege of serving with them in the pageant this year). Darren and I struck up a conversation. Having been studying the LDS faith for most my life, I was fluent in “mormonese” and could blend in quite well. Until invariably Darren asked the question, “So, you're LDS?” Well, I couldn't lie. “No” I replied. Just then, it seemed like every eye in the place turned and looked at us! Darren made us promise that we would come and see the pageant that year (easy promise to keep, we we're going to anyway). Carrie started to leave. By the time we got outside, we were surrounded by close to a dozen missionaries. I felt like fresh meat in the Amazon being surrounded by Piranha! (Okay, it wasn't really that bad, but we were definitely surrounded.) A couple of the missionaries asked us if we had any questions, we said “no” and that was about that.
A few days later, my oldest son (who shares my interest in LDS history) and I went to Nauvoo to watch the pageant. It was great as usual and Darren and I had a lengthy conversation after the performance. That year they were offering the music of the pageant on CD. I loved the pageant and the music so I signed up to get a copy.
A couple weeks later a couple of missionaries and Bro. Lynn Ennis (who incidentally I had met at OSGO, but didn't know it yet) showed up at my house with the CD. They asked if they could teach a lesson. At first I declined—I had been through the missionary lessons so many times, I really didn't want to waste their time. I had the CD, that was all I really wanted. But they were insistent. So, we agreed that they could come back next week and teach a discussion, which they did.
5 YEARS LATER I was baptized on June 22, 2016.
In July 2016, I was in Nauvoo to see the pageant. President Ricks had heard about my story and invited me to give my testimony at one of the cast meetings. That was an amazing experience.
It wasn't too long after that, Carrie and another son, Caleb, asked me if we could apply to be in the pageant. I agreed and we applied. And we were accepted. Little did I know the adventure that awaited.
I was super excited when I found out we would be able to see the cast perform OSGO. In a way it seemed like a fulfillment of something that had started those six years ago. The first week of practice was next to miserable. It started off with some problems with our housing and some financial issues that arose. Our housing ended up costing us almost twice as much as I had anticipated due to some mis-communications that took place on both ends. It took several days for that to resolve, and it did with the Lord's provision. The rehearsals were long and hard and hot. And.....we had to dance! Now I'm not a dancer. Never have been. Never will be. And I was awful at it. (Stacia, if you read this...you were an awesome choreographer, and I love ya, and I can't thank you enough for your patience, but even you have to admit dancing = me= not so much). I couldn't believe I had spent that much money and vacation time to torture myself! But eventually, we made it through the rehearsals and (thanks to a few remedial dance classes during lunch break) the dancing.
Monday of week 2 dawned with the promise of the last full day of rehearsals, with performances beginning the next day. Things were looking up. Until..... I'm getting ready to exit upstage left and I hear my name “Bro. Ready!” I look down and see my daughter laying on the front of the stage. She had twisted her ankle and it looked like she was on the verge of slipping into shock. I ask for a blessing. Bros. Fackrell and Remund did the blessing. Carrie finally calmed down and the EMT said we need to go to the hospital to have it x-rayed. I will be forever grateful to all of you who prayed and for Sam and Tawnie who went with us to the hospital. Several miracles took place that day...the ankle wasn't broken, just a bad sprain; we were in an out of the emergency room in under 2 hours!; we discovered that the Lord had provided physical therapist and a message therapist in our cast!
Even with these miracles, I still had a very unhappy daughter on my hands. That would test us in a different way.
The next day was opening night, I had something special I wanted to accomplish. It was also my father's birthday. Back in 2002 my father and I had attended the Nauvoo temple open house. In 2007, my dad passed away. When I found out I was going to be in Nauvoo on his birthday, I determined to go to the Nauvoo temple that day and perform his endowment.
I had a very emotional experience that moment during the Nauvoo dress rehearsal. As I was walking through the “door” of the temple on stage, I looked up and saw the Nauvoo temple standing there, knowing that in just a few hours, I would be walking through those doors on behalf of (and with) my father. It was a very powerful moment.
Once the performances started, all the misery of rehearsals quickly faded away. Eternal friendships developed and the Spirit was just incredible.
Some other highlights included: District meetings; Torturing Jess Wadley during the healing scene in the Nauvoo pagean;t Eating real food on stage during the picnic scenes; Singing in the rain; Javier trying to teach me how to speak with a Scottish accent; Visiting the sites.
All to soon it was over, and it was time to go home.
Since we only live about 3 hours away, Carrie, Caleb and I decided to come up to see the last performance of the British Pageant. It was so much fun to see the look of surprise on so many faces when we showed up. Watching the British pageant that night was a very meaningful experience for me. Up until that point, the British pageant hadn't really resonated with me. We had seen it the year it was introduced in Nauvoo and maybe once or twice after. But I never really connected with the characters the way I did with Nauvoo. That all changed as I watched my friends on stage that night. They made the British pageant come alive for me. They made it personal. It's a connection I will always treasure.
Saturday we watched a couple of vignettes and visited as much as we could. Then it was time to say goodbye again. We decided not to stay and watch the performance Saturday night. We just couldn't bear to watch it close.
All in all, the Nauvoo pageant was one of the hardest, most amazing, most intense spiritual experiences that I have ever had. Getting to know everyone in Core and Red Cast. Getting to know the staff and crew, what a wonderful blessing for us. It's interesting, my family was a bit disappointed when we discovered that so many of the old cast members that we had watched for so many years, weren't going to be in the pageant this year. There were so many new faces. But having met you and worked with you and sweated with you I wouldn't trade our cast for anything. You guys were the best. We truly do love you Core Cast and Staff 2017!
So what does the future hold. I saw the pageant. I was converted (in part) through the pageant. I was in the pageant (and if it is the Lords will, I would be thrilled to do it again). What's next?
With love to all my pageant family,
Bryan Ready With Carrie and Caleb Ready
Friday, August 11, 2017
Rethinking Joseph Smith Jr.
I have been studying the life of this unique American religious leader for over 30 year.. Most of those years I have viewed him, as most non-LDS do, as a charlatan and a fraud. I often viewed him as the "Moriarty" to my "Holmes" (A delusion of grandeur to be sure, but it was a fun delusion). Over the past 10 years or so, I've rethought my understanding of Joseph Smith. There were a couple things about Joseph that really stood out to me. First was his capacity for forgiveness. One of the hardest things for a person to do is to forgive someone who has wronged them. Yet Christians are commanded to do it. Actually, we are one of the few religions that command us to practice forgiveness. Joseph freely forgave several men who had betrayed him--W.W. Phelps, Orson Hyde come to mind right off the top of my head. These men testified against him in Missouri and as a result (at least in part) of their testimonies, Joseph spent 4 1/2 months in a dungeon. Yet, when these men asked for forgiveness, Joseph granted it freely. Speaking for myself, that would be a hard thing to do. And I think it is pretty strong evidence that Joseph wasn't merely a charlatan.
Another reason has to do with Joseph's death. History is filled with religious charlatans—men and women, deceivers, who claimed to have “the truth”. Their movements make a big splash and then they disappear. A few create organizations that survive their deaths--Ellen G. White, Charles Taze Russel, Mary Baker Eddy come to mind. Most of these alleged visionaries lived relatively long lives and died in relative prosperity. Indeed, many of the modern day false prophets of the so-called “prosperity gospel” live in the lap of luxury with tremendous wealth. A few have gone out in a “blaze of glory” so to speak—Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite (Heaven's Gate/Hale-Bopp) and David Koresh. Throughout history, these leaders have milked their people for their money and at times have demanded their lives. Jones and Applewhite ordered the death of their people and killed themselves. Koresh ordered his people to resist Federal agents and died with them in the ensuing inferno (some, including Koresh, died by suicide). But there is one alleged “false-prophet” that stands apart from his fellow deceivers—Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS (Mormon) Church. How is Joseph different? He was the only one who ever died FOR his people. Tensions were high in Hancock County Illinois in 1844. Throughout their history (and for various reasons) the Mormons had a hard time getting along with their neighbors. The citizens of Illinois, which had initially provided a refuge for the Latter-day Saints, were rapidly becoming hostile to them. In June of 1844, Joseph Smith, Mayor of Nauvoo, and the city council ordered the destruction of a newspaper (the Nauvoo Expositor) critical of Smith and his leadership. The owners of the press went to the county seat, Carthage, IL, and swore out warrants for the arrest of Smith and the other town leaders. But this was not enough for many of the old citizens of Hancock county who were enraged with Smith. Years of perceived favoritism by politicians, Smith's ability to circumvent county and state laws through the courts of Nauvoo, rumors of polygamy and sexual immorality served as dry tinder for the spark that was the destruction of the Expositor press. Consider the words of Thomas Sharp, the editor of a neighboring community's newspaper, The Warsaw Signal, just before and after the Expositor incident. “ We have seen and heard enough to convince us that Joe Smith is not safe out of Nauvoo, and we would not be surprised to hear of his death by violent means in a short time. He has deadly enemies -- men whose wrongs have maddened them...The feeling of this country is now lashed to its utmost pitch, and will break forth in fury upon the slightest provocation...” “We have only to state, that this is sufficient! War and extermination is inevitable! Citizens ARISE, ONE and ALL!!! -- Can you stand by, and suffer such INFERNAL DEVILS!! to ROB men of their property and RIGHTS, without avenging them. We have no time for comment, every man will make his own. LET IT BE MADE WITH POWDER AND BALL!!!” Joseph was worried for his own life and those of his people. He was being warned that mobs were amassing and if Smith and his city councilors did not surrender the city would be attacked. Now, Smith had at his call the Nauvoo Legion a militia with over 2,000 men. He could have easily called up the Legion, fortified Nauvoo and engaged in a bloody civil war with the neighboring militias. But he did not do that. It became obvious to Smith, that he was the primary target of the legal action and the antagonism of the neighboring communities. He felt that if he were to leave town things would calm down and the residents of Nauvoo would be safe. So he left for the west. He didn't get very far when a delegation of leaders from Nauvoo sought him out. Some of his followers thought he was deserting them, others accused him of cowardice. Smith is reported as saying, “If my life is of no value to my friends, it is of no value to me.” Smith did return, assisted in the disarming of the Nauvoo legion, surrendered to officials in Carthage and was murdered at the hands of an angry mob in Carthage, Illinois on June 27, 1844. Smith reportedly made another comment as he was preparing to leave for Carthage, “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am as calm as a summer’s morning I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men.” Some witnesses dispute that Joseph ever said these things. They argue that Smith was confident he would again escape from the long arm of the law. But given the warnings of Thomas Sharp and the Warsaw Signal, he had to know that if the mobs were to get a hold of him, he would be lynched. And that is what happened. Yes, Joseph had a gun, and yes, he used it (as I think any of us would if we were in his situation). Was he a martyr for his faith? Scholars can debate that. But when faced with impending doom, he didn't order his followers to kill themselves or to fortify the city and prepare for battle, he did what he thought he needed to do to save his people, not just his own skin, which is pretty odd behavior for a huckster don't you think. As a matter of fact I can't think of any other known “false-prophet” in the history of Christendom who sacrificed himself for his people.
Another reason has to do with Joseph's death. History is filled with religious charlatans—men and women, deceivers, who claimed to have “the truth”. Their movements make a big splash and then they disappear. A few create organizations that survive their deaths--Ellen G. White, Charles Taze Russel, Mary Baker Eddy come to mind. Most of these alleged visionaries lived relatively long lives and died in relative prosperity. Indeed, many of the modern day false prophets of the so-called “prosperity gospel” live in the lap of luxury with tremendous wealth. A few have gone out in a “blaze of glory” so to speak—Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite (Heaven's Gate/Hale-Bopp) and David Koresh. Throughout history, these leaders have milked their people for their money and at times have demanded their lives. Jones and Applewhite ordered the death of their people and killed themselves. Koresh ordered his people to resist Federal agents and died with them in the ensuing inferno (some, including Koresh, died by suicide). But there is one alleged “false-prophet” that stands apart from his fellow deceivers—Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS (Mormon) Church. How is Joseph different? He was the only one who ever died FOR his people. Tensions were high in Hancock County Illinois in 1844. Throughout their history (and for various reasons) the Mormons had a hard time getting along with their neighbors. The citizens of Illinois, which had initially provided a refuge for the Latter-day Saints, were rapidly becoming hostile to them. In June of 1844, Joseph Smith, Mayor of Nauvoo, and the city council ordered the destruction of a newspaper (the Nauvoo Expositor) critical of Smith and his leadership. The owners of the press went to the county seat, Carthage, IL, and swore out warrants for the arrest of Smith and the other town leaders. But this was not enough for many of the old citizens of Hancock county who were enraged with Smith. Years of perceived favoritism by politicians, Smith's ability to circumvent county and state laws through the courts of Nauvoo, rumors of polygamy and sexual immorality served as dry tinder for the spark that was the destruction of the Expositor press. Consider the words of Thomas Sharp, the editor of a neighboring community's newspaper, The Warsaw Signal, just before and after the Expositor incident. “ We have seen and heard enough to convince us that Joe Smith is not safe out of Nauvoo, and we would not be surprised to hear of his death by violent means in a short time. He has deadly enemies -- men whose wrongs have maddened them...The feeling of this country is now lashed to its utmost pitch, and will break forth in fury upon the slightest provocation...” “We have only to state, that this is sufficient! War and extermination is inevitable! Citizens ARISE, ONE and ALL!!! -- Can you stand by, and suffer such INFERNAL DEVILS!! to ROB men of their property and RIGHTS, without avenging them. We have no time for comment, every man will make his own. LET IT BE MADE WITH POWDER AND BALL!!!” Joseph was worried for his own life and those of his people. He was being warned that mobs were amassing and if Smith and his city councilors did not surrender the city would be attacked. Now, Smith had at his call the Nauvoo Legion a militia with over 2,000 men. He could have easily called up the Legion, fortified Nauvoo and engaged in a bloody civil war with the neighboring militias. But he did not do that. It became obvious to Smith, that he was the primary target of the legal action and the antagonism of the neighboring communities. He felt that if he were to leave town things would calm down and the residents of Nauvoo would be safe. So he left for the west. He didn't get very far when a delegation of leaders from Nauvoo sought him out. Some of his followers thought he was deserting them, others accused him of cowardice. Smith is reported as saying, “If my life is of no value to my friends, it is of no value to me.” Smith did return, assisted in the disarming of the Nauvoo legion, surrendered to officials in Carthage and was murdered at the hands of an angry mob in Carthage, Illinois on June 27, 1844. Smith reportedly made another comment as he was preparing to leave for Carthage, “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am as calm as a summer’s morning I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men.” Some witnesses dispute that Joseph ever said these things. They argue that Smith was confident he would again escape from the long arm of the law. But given the warnings of Thomas Sharp and the Warsaw Signal, he had to know that if the mobs were to get a hold of him, he would be lynched. And that is what happened. Yes, Joseph had a gun, and yes, he used it (as I think any of us would if we were in his situation). Was he a martyr for his faith? Scholars can debate that. But when faced with impending doom, he didn't order his followers to kill themselves or to fortify the city and prepare for battle, he did what he thought he needed to do to save his people, not just his own skin, which is pretty odd behavior for a huckster don't you think. As a matter of fact I can't think of any other known “false-prophet” in the history of Christendom who sacrificed himself for his people.
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