by Caleb Moore | May 30, 2019
If you have a Bible on your phone or close by I want you to
look up Matthew 18:11. I have on my desk an English Standard Versions (ESV) Study
Bible, and it has verses 10 and verses 12 but no verse 11. Where did it go?
Well, it was removed.
You can still find it in the King James Version, but it’s
not in the New King James Version. And this is just one of many verses that
have been removed from the Bible.
Do you know the story of the woman caught in adultery from
the Gospel of John? Jesus writes something in the sand and then says whoever
has no sin can throw the first stone. That story is very popular, but
unfortunately it’s not supposed to be in there.
If you look at it in your Bible, there should be brackets or
a note that says these verses are not found in the original manuscripts. This
means the Bible has indeed been altered.
Skeptics often claim that the Bible has been changed over
the years. I agree with them, but I don’t think that is a problem for me, and
if you continue reading I hope to show that it is not a problem for you either.
Sometimes when people think about the translation of Scripture,
they think of the telephone game we would play as kids. It was a game where one
person says a word and it gets whispered down the line, and the last person
ends up with a completely different word. That is how most non-Christians view
the Bible.
The truth is, no other historical document has been studied
as much as the Bible. We have more manuscripts for the New Testament than any
other historical document, and nothing else even comes close. We have almost
6,000 Greek manuscripts and close to 24,000 if you include other languages.
It’s precisely this reason that we have some verses that found their way into
the Bible that should not actually be there.
Somewhere along the line, a scribe might accidently write
something that was in the margins into the manuscript itself. As for the story
about the woman caught in adultery, we find it in different books of the Bible
at different times.
It seems as though it may have been an actual event that a
scribe wanted to include, but they could never decide where to put it. Despite
their best efforts to include it into Scripture, we know it is an addition due
to the great number of manuscripts we can compare it to.
It’s important for Christians to understand that the removal
of these verses is a good thing, and in no way does it damage the authority of
Scripture. What it actually does is show how well we can recreate the original
letters written by the New Testament authors. Yes, the Bible has been changed,
but we are aware of all the additions that happened along the way.
We continue to find more manuscripts that were not available
at the time the King James Version was written. The more we learn the more
certain we are that we have what God wanted us to have.
by Caleb Moore | May 9, 2019
There seems to be a war going on over which moral foundation
by which our country should govern itself.
Every day we see the same fight, and it’s the “right” verses the “left.”
People on both sides get demonized while things like facts and truth seem to
take a back seat.
Traditionally, Christians have been considered to be conservative,
on the right, and Republican. This may be a true statement, but it does not do
justice to the wide range of views someone can hold and still be a God-loving
Christian.
Terms like “left” and “right” only seem to complicate the
matter because of figuring out what is the starting point to determine if you
are right or left of something. People
are a little more complicated, and wherever you are, there are people more
conservative and more liberal on any given subject. My fear is that we as the
Body of Christ will feel the need to jump on the current social bandwagon and
begin to pick sides.
By no means am I suggesting that certain issues do not
matter. I am very vocal about certain social views, especially when it comes to
abortion. Societally speaking, this puts me in the conservative/right category.
Yet I don’t want to be associated with everything else in that category simply
because of my stance on that issue.
The demonizing of sides is having a negative effect on a
generation feeling torn between two worldviews. And in most cases, they are not
choosing the conservative viewpoint.
Jesus wasn’t a Republican, nor was He a Democrat. We must be
very careful not to marry Christianity with one particular political view. Your
view on gun control will not be asked when you reach the pearly gates. Culture is
always trying to change the Gospel instead of letting the Gospel change the
culture. I do want the laws to reflect
biblical morals, but if you haven’t noticed, there are certain non-biblical
laws that remain in effect even when conservatives have the power to change
them.
If you are a Democrat who believes in mass social welfare programs, sanctuary cities, stricter gun laws and abolishing the death penalty, there should be a seat for you at your local Baptist Church. This might make some people cringe. You might think that if someone voted for Bernie Sanders they are less of a Christian than you are, but hear me out. Creating an environment that excludes this type of person from ever feeling welcome in church is a terrible idea.
I can say this without fear because I believe the Gospel is
what changes people. I think conservatives, liberals and myself all have areas
where we need to grow, and the Gospel is the most radical form of social change
mankind has ever known.
Yes, there are many ways in which Jesus cares about social
form and the direction in which we go. The tension in politics we currently see
is created by a media hype machine looking for ratings. Don’t let that spill
over into your relationships, and don’t let it stop you from declaring the Good
News of Jesus Christ to people of different views than yourself.
by Caleb Moore | Apr 23, 2019
I can’t
believe I’m writing this. This policy idea is totally counter to the way I
think things should work. At the same time, I can see how some think a case
could be made for it.
What issue am I talking
about? It’s the recent plan by Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren
to forgive college student debt in America.
Her latest proposal is to
have the government pay off up to $50,000 dollars of student debt. Now, before
I get into what the Bible says about debt, it is fair to say that the
government cannot technically pay off anything. It has no resources to sell, so
it can only use the money given in order to buy or pay off debt.
That being said, I think we
can set aside the specific proposal about student loan debt, and think about
the larger issue of debt, in general, and what the Bible has to say about it.
It’s almost impossible to
live without debt today. We have mortgages and car loans that seem to be just a
normal part of life. I personally don’t think a home mortgage is sinful, but we
do need to wrestle with verses like Rom. 13:8 which says, “Let no
debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love on another.”
Although this verse does not outright declare all debt bad, the Book of Proverbs does tell us that debt is a form of slavery. Prov. 22:7 says, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” So we can see that the Bible does not speak highly of debt. Yet it also tells us how we should behave when we loan people money.
Matt. 5:22 speaks on this subject and reads, “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” Also there is this incredible verse from Prov. 28:8 which states, “Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.” This states that those who make money off of high interest loans that keep people poor will lose their money, and it will be given back to the poor.
There are countless other verses that talk about how we should deal with this subject. We are told we should be generous and loan without expecting anything in return. However, these are not the main place to make our argument for loan forgiveness. For that we would need to turn to the Old Testament.
In Leviticus 25-26 God describes what can be called a total economic restart every seven years. All debt was to be forgiven. Every 49 years was the year of Jubilee when all debt was forgiven, and the land was allowed to reset itself as well. In both cases, debt forgiveness was foundational to the societal structure. .
It’s hard to simply
take this idea and graft it into our modern society. The Jewish people knew
that every seven years their debt would be forgiven, so loans had limits.
For example, if you borrowed to buy some land, a portion of your crops would be given to the loaner for seven years at a rate that was sufficient to pay off that loan in that amount of time. This meant that the borrower would celebrate the debt cancelation but not because they got away with free money, but because they had faithfully paid off their debt. These restrictions kept people from giving out loans that had payments spread out over a long period of time.
The number of years you can stretch out the life of your car and home loan continues to increase. This means you are likely to be upside down in your loan especially when it comes to a vehicle. Yes, you might not be able to buy as nice of a house or drive the newest car if you went with a shorter term, but you would not be a slave to your lender. If you have ever had to spend years paying off a student loan or credit card debt, you know the weight and stress that comes with it. God does not want us to carry such unnecessary burdens.
I think the Bible makes a good argument for debt forgiveness, but it also makes a strong case for loan limitations. The burden may be on the person who took out the loan, but the guilt is also on the one who makes money off the ignorance and desperation of others.
If you have a child
who is about to enter into college, allow me to make a suggestion that could
save you in the long run. Community colleges are a great place of learning and
are a fraction of the cost of major universities.
Begin to teach your
children about finances long before they enter into college and educate them on
the other possibilities such as a trade school or online degree programs. Not
only will they get a good education but they will also be free of the yoke of debt
that is crushing so many people right now.
by Caleb Moore | Apr 9, 2019
Friedrich Nietzsche once claimed that God was dead. He did
not mean that in the literal sense, but many took it to task to prove that the
idea of God had indeed died. Just a short time ago, the popular culture was
awash in the fervor of the new atheist movement. There were several figures at
the head of this charge who were dubbed the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Christopher Hitchens led the advance until he lost his battle with cancer.
With the ringmaster gone, the number of debates and books
have begun to dwindle. Their charge against God has slowed to a crawl. The only
man left with any kind of real influence on a popular level is Sam Harris. He
wrote a book in which he attempted to show that objective morality was possible
without God. It was widely panned by scholars for simply redefining terms in
order to make his case. Sure, there are plenty of atheist, and the number may
be growing, but it is not because of the evidence.
There is no doubt that the Internet has fed minds hungry for
disbelief enough argumentation to justify their rejection of God. The new
atheists are experts in misinformation and crafty rhetoric that appeals much
more to the emotions than it does to the mind. Let me give you an example to
prove my point.
In a recent conversation I had with Seth Andrews, one of the
top atheist podcasters, a subject was brought up that is a common objection. His
claim was that God had been in favor of human sacrifice. Not only was God in
favor of it but had at one point demanded it.
The story he referred to is found in Judges Chapter 11.
Jephthah makes a vow to God that if God would help him win his battle then he
would offer up whatever comes out from the door of his house when he returned
home. Unfortunately, it’s his daughter who comes to greet him and he sacrifices
her to God. According to Seth this is God accepting and taking pleasure in
human sacrifice. If this was true then God might not be the loving God we claim
him to be.
One only has to open to that chapter and read the story to
know that Seth and other atheist, like Richard Dawkins, who use this argument
are severely mistaken. First, we know the Bible says we should never make vows
like this to God. His vow was sinful. Secondly, God never does ask for him to
follow through with his vow, and Jephthah doesn’t follow through with it
either.
If you read the rest of the chapter, he instead gives his
daughter over to temple service. She does not mourn for her life but instead
she mourns for her virginity (vs 38) because she would be married to her temple
work and not a husband. Her father gave her to godly service instead of the
burnt offering he promised. God doesn’t ask him to do this either. So God never
asks Jephthah to make a human sacrifice nor doers he accept one. This isn’t
hard to decipher. It’s clearly in the text, and no Hebrew or scholarly article
is needed to decipher this.
If this misinformation about God wanting human sacrifice is
so easily disproven then why do those who claim to be experts on the subject
use it? The reason is because Atheism is dead. These types of claims are
nothing more than the re-reading of an obituary.
Even when confronted about this misinformation, it seems as
though this line of argumentation continues to be popular. Many atheist claim
to be only concerned with truth, yet they are easily satisfied with misleading
arguments and emotional rhetoric. You can sell a lot of books if you claim to
disprove God, but dressing up a corpse doesn’t stop the smell.
by Caleb Moore | Mar 6, 2019
I’m shaking my head in disbelief as it pained me to even
write such a title. No, of course the earth is not flat, but it’s astounding
people are even having this conversation.
We can know with certainty that the earth is a sphere. We
can see pictures, videos or simply get on an airplane and see that this is
true. Yet, in spite of all the evidence, a growing number of people are joining
the flat earth movement.
I met a “flat earther” not too long ago. It was an
interesting conversation to say the least. He also claimed to be a Christian,
and since he said he was a brother in Christ, I decided to speak frankly to him
about this subject.
I suggested that such a silly belief would discount his
testimony to the average person. This is especially true since he attempted to
use the Bible to justify his flat earth belief. If someone told you the earth
was flat, and then started to tell you about Jesus coming back from the dead,
you might be likely to discount both ideas.
People can strongly believe things that are totally
incorrect. Which is why Scripture tells us that we should always be ready to
give a logical defense for the hope we have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15).
When we hear about people who believe the earth is flat, we
should not be afraid to ask ourselves the question, “Do I have any incorrect
beliefs that I strongly hold to?” You may not be a “flat earther” but it’s
healthy to question strongly-held beliefs to see if they have merit or not.
When I was a struggling young Christian, I had big questions
that would only get small answers. I wanted to know if any of this could be
real, and for the most part I got the same answer. People would tell me that it
was all just a matter of faith. Sometimes, this is a good answer, but sometimes
it’s a way to avoid thinking deeper about a subject.
If someone is trying to find a foundation for their faith
then just telling them to have faith might not be that helpful—especially since
the evidence for Christianity is so rich and interesting to dive into.
Scripture tells us to always be ready to have an answer.
It’s time for Christians, as a whole, to leave the intellectual ghetto and to
think a little deeper. Far too often, we reserve questions on deep issues to
scholars and pastors, but they are for all of us. If I am capable of thinking
about these things then so are you.
The more I have chased my deepest questions, the more my
love for God has grown. We live in a world that is desperately looking for
answers, and we should elevate the levels of dialogue we have by others.
Delving deeper into why you believe what you believe is
simple. It starts with doing two things. First, we read Scripture, and then we
ask questions about what we just read. Too few Christians do the first step,
and even fewer do the second. The more questions you ask the more you will
grow.