Xavier Pacheco

Recently, Fox News reported an incident where five students were sent home for wearing the U.S. Flag on Cinco de Mayo. As a result, several of my patriotic Facebook friends responded in outcry. What right did the school have to send these kids home who were expressing their heartfelt patriotism?!

I found the whole thing somewhat amusing. I agree that no institution should infringe upon a person’s desire to express their patriotism. Clearly, the school was wrong in this instance because their motives were just that; to squash patriotism for this nation. Shame on them! That said, you should know that the students were expressing their patriotism inappropriately just as we Americans do all the time.

Most of us (at least those of us that consider ourselves patriots) agree that we should read and be thoroughly familiar with the United States Constitution. Additionally we should know the Declaration of Independence and the Federalist Papers. Why is this so? Because by doing so, it informs us on how to live properly as citizens of this great country. Furthermore, it gives us the knowledge to hold accountable our elected officials who, so it seems with the current administration, are confusing the United States Constitution with the Communist Manifesto, but I digress.

There are other documents with which we should familiarize ourselves. We should be familiar with the laws of the land. If in the military, we should study military regulations like the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If we want to drive, we should know traffic regulations. If we want to fly a plane, we need to know the laws under the FAA and such. If we want to express our patriotism using the U.S. Flag, we should know if there are rules according to which this is done. Interestingly, many of my conservative, patriotic friends who wish to express their patriotism in any willy-nilly manner would be surprised to know that there is actually a regulation regarding the proper use of the U.S. Flag. This is covered in United States Code. Title 4, Chapter 1.

Now before I get all self-righteous and everything, I must confess that it was not long ago that I was sporting a bandana, a t-shirt and other such apparel. However, the U.S. Flag Code, defines what constitutes a U.S. Flag as:

“The words "flag, standard, colors, or ensign", as used herein, shall include any flag, standard, colors, ensign, or any picture or representation of either, or of any part or parts of either, made of any substance or represented on any substance, of any size evidently purporting to be either of said flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America or a picture or a representation of either, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or of any part or parts of either, by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard, or ensign of the United States of America.” United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1, Section 3

The code also states that:

“The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.” States Code Title 4 Chapter 1, Section 8d.

Clearly, these students and most of America on the Fourth of July are in violation of the U.S. Flag Code. Now, before you tell me that I’m just being anal retentive just hear me out.

The U.S. Flag code is intended not just to instruct on the proper handling of the U.S. Flag but also to prevent it from being used in a manner that would dishonor it and, in my opinion, those who sacrificed to protect what it represents. I was discussing this with a Vietnam veteran who told me that it “heartens” him to see young people wearing the U.S. Flag on their t-shirts. I understand his sentiment. But we must also understand that when we decide to use the flag as a t-shirt, we lessen its significance. If we ignore the code, we can say nothing about the U.S. Flag being used as, a dress shirt, a tie, a hat, a cocktail napkin, a credit card, toilet paper, underwear, or even an object to show hatred for America.

It seems to me that if we truly want to express our patriotic spirit by using the U.S. Flag, we should do so, first and foremost, by honoring the provisions established to protect its honor. So, rather than wearing it, fly it! Just do so according to the Code.

Well, I missed Cinco de Mayo this year. Actually, not being Mexican, I’ve never celebrated it. Maybe we will celebrate it next year. I’ll make a batch of my Two Time’s Hot Salsa with chips and enjoy a Margarita with my wife. Furthermore, I’ll proudly fly the U.S. Flag and we’ll celebrate how blessed we are to live in a nation where Mexicans, Ethiopians, Swedes, Germans, Italians and people from all nationalities can live, work, play and worship as United States Citizens!

God bless America!

In Kevin DeYoung’s recent post Ain’t No Shame he raises the issue of those that abandon the label of “Christian” to to more updated versions of “Team Jesus”, “Jesus-disciple, or one who walks in the “way of Rabbi Yeshua.” The reason, as he discusses in his post, is that many folks want to avoid the baggage that the term Christian carries with it.  I agree with DeYoung in his comment that,

If you want to be a “follower of Jesus” instead of a “Christian” because the former implies only ethical emulation, while the latter suggests doctrinal and institutional commitment, then you need to check your motives not the baggage.

That said, I proudly call myself a Christian but I also realize that I know exactly what I mean when I call myself such. My issue is not the perceived baggage that the name Christian carries, but rather the ambiguity of the title. Let me illustrate. Several years ago, I was working a contract in Atlanta and I was hoping to find a church I could visit. I overheard a partial conversation from a nearby worker where the name Jesus was mentioned. I mentioned to him that I was looking for a place to visit and he invited me to his LDS church. I replied, “Thanks, but I am a Christian” to which he replied, “So are we!” Even worse, in the Western world, one is a Christian if they:

• Go to church on Sunday
• Believe in a (any) higher being
• Follow a self-proclaimed prophet
• Love everybody
• Watch The Oprah Show
• Follow Joel Osteen
• Give to the Poor
• Believe that Jesus was a good guy that taught great things and that’s about all
• Live a decent life (one where one’s good outweighs their bad perhaps)
• And one is most certainly a Christian if they vote Republican

I am not suggesting that REAL Christians don’t do these things. I am suggesting that the title of Christian carries very little meaning in the West.  If asked if you are a Christian, you will likely have to answer with the question, “What do YOU mean by Christian?”

DeYoung raises an important observation. I too am not hip with all the trendy coffee shop repackaging of our faith. But I also know that any title carries little meaning if not authenticated  by who we are. I simply don’t see any of the authors of the scriptures telling us to wear a title as our badge of faith. I do see them telling us to proclaim the Gospel like there ain’t no tomorrow and to live a life that models and glorifies God.

Yes, I am a Christian and if you want to know what I mean by that, I’ll be happy to explain it to you.

I heartily applaud the Southern Baptist Convention’s enthusiastic support of Dr. Russell Moore’s proposed resolution promoting adoption and orphan care. Dr. Moore, who is the dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is also the author of the excellent book entitled, “Adopted for Life” which I highly recommend for not just families thinking about adopting, but pastors and church leaders as well. 

The wording and passion in the words of this resolution shows that the SBC “gets it” regarding the orphan crisis and the call of the church both theologically and practically. The complete text to this resolution is on Dr. Moore’s site here and also fully quoted in this post.

I pray that this is reflective of the growing movement, not just within the SBC but also with churches and local pastors world-wide who are finally recognizing God’s heart for the fatherless and the biblical mandate of the church to act (James 1:27).

RESOLUTION NO. 2 ON ADOPTION AND ORPHAN CARE - SBC 2009

WHEREAS, In the gospel we have received the “Spirit of adoption” whereby we are no longer spiritual orphans but are now beloved children of God and joint heirs with Christ (John 14:18; Romans 8:12-25; Galatians 3:27-4:9; Ephesians 1:5); and

WHEREAS, The God we now know as our Father reveals himself as a “father of the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5) who grants mercy to orphans (Deuteronomy 10:18; Hosea 14:3); and

WHEREAS, Our Lord Jesus welcomes the little ones (Luke 18:15-17), pleads for the lives of the innocent (Psalm 72:12-14), and shows us that we will be held accountable for our response to “the least of these brothers of mine” (Matthew 25:40); and

WHEREAS, The Scripture defines “pure and undefiled religion” as “to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27); and

WHEREAS, The satanic powers and the ravages of sin have warred against infants and children from Pharaoh to Molech to Herod and, now, through the horrors of a divorce culture, an abortion industry, and the global plagues of disease, starvation, and warfare; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have articulated an unequivocal commitment to the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn; and

WHEREAS, Churches defined by the Great Commission must be concerned for the evangelism of children—including those who have no parents; and

WHEREAS, Upward of 150 million orphans now languish without families in orphanages, group homes, and placement systems in North America and around the world; and

WHEREAS, Our Father loves all of these children, and a great multitude of them will never otherwise hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009, express our commitment to join our Father in seeking mercy for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage our pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God’s concern for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend churches and ministries that are equipping families to provide financial and other resources to those called to adopt, through grants, matching funds, or loans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage local churches to champion the evangelism of and ministry to orphans around the world, and to seek out ways to energize Southern Baptists behind this mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptist churches to join with other evangelical Christians in setting aside a special Sunday each year to focus upon our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we pray what God is doing in creating an adoption culture in so many churches and families can point us to a gospel oneness that is determined not by “the flesh,” or race, or economics, or cultural sameness, but by the Spirit, unity, and peace in Christ Jesus; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on Southern Baptist congregations so that our churches will proclaim and picture, in word and in deed, that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27, ESV)

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”  Isaiah 6:8

Recently, I acquired the domain CharismaticCalvinist.com and several friends asked me to explain this seemingly oxymoronic combination of words.

The term "Charismatic Calvinist" can probably be attributed to Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hills Church who associated the term with himself at a pastors conference in 2005 according to this wiki article. Another term used to describe this position is Neo-Calvinism or Neo-Reformed. According to one Time's Article, one would get the impression that this is simply Calvinism paired with contemporary Christian music; it more complex than that and frankly, I personally can't stand most contemporary (pop) Christian music, but I digress.

Charismatic Calvinist combines two theological systems of thought. The first is Calvinism, a theology taught by John Calvin which emphasizes a high view of Scripture and the sovereignty of God from which it forms its theological views commonly described by the acronym T.U.L.I.P meaning:

Total Depravity (a.k.a. Total Inability and Original Sin)
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement (a.k.a. Particular Atonement)
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints (a.k.a. Once Saved Always Saved)

The details of Calvinism are beyond the scope of this post but if interested you can read about it here, and here.

Regarding the second component to Charismatic Calvinism, I am NOT speaking about that Pentecostal flavor of Charismatic thought that believes that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace that brings power in the life of the believer evidenced by the speaking of tongues. I am also NOT speaking about the charismatic movement having all those bizarre elements like raising of the dead, spiritual barking and laughter, crawling and shaking on the floor, future-telling and other counterfeit nonsense. Side note: a good book to have in hand is Counterfeit Revival by Hank Hanegraff where he documents the danger of this deceptive brand of revivalism. 

What I am referring to by the term charismatic Calvinist is defined by the term, continuationism or non-cessationism. Continuationists maintain that certain gifts of the Holy Spirit have continued to this present age. The opposite of continuationism is cessationism which maintains that gifts of the Holy Spirit like, prophecy, tongues/interpretation, healings, exorcisms, and miracles ceased after the apostolic era since they were needed only to authenticate apostolic authority (Grudem, 1031).

There are varying degrees of continuationism. Some well-known theologians/preachers who are considered to be continuationists are John Piper, Wayne Grudem, Mark Driscoll, Justin Taylor and C.J. Mahaney to name a few. Al Mohler was associated with Neo-Calvinism in the aforementioned Times article but I've not found any personal statement thereof so I am uncertain of this. I won't delve into all the specifics of continuationism. Rather, I'll provide some links to some studies and interviews that should shed some light on this idea.

One well-respected New Testament and theologian in the SBC wrote a paper that does a good job of defining some terms in this blog post. Check this out.

You should also read this interview with Wayne Grudem: Continuationism and Cessationism: An Interview with Dr. Wayne Grudem.

For a good study on "signs and wonders" I would strongly recommend this article by John Piper: Signs and Wonders: Then and Now as well as his fourteen-part sermon series on Are Signs and Wonders for Today?

This should at least get you started in understanding what is meant by the terms: Neo-Calvinism, Neo-Reformed and Charismatic Calvinism.

Finally, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the domain name, CharismaticCalvinist.com, maybe Pastor Driscoll will offer to buy it from me.

Today we see our own slender resources, our poverty in fact; but this is undoubtedly the punishment we deserve, as the reward for our own ingratitude. For God’s riches are not exhausted, nor has his liberality grown less; but we are not worthy of his largess, or capable of receiving all that He generously gives.” (Calvin on 1 Corinthians 14:32; The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, p. 305).

Referenced:

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.

"Who's more foolish the fool or the fool who follows him?" retorts Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi when called a fool by Han Solo.

We should be asking ourselves the same question. While we tend to associate foolishness with incompetence and stupidity, Scripture does not. The Bible associates foolishness with immorality. Consider the following passage:

The fool has said in his heart, “"There is no God."” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; Psalm 14:1 (my emphasis)

First, the passage does not say that the fool thinks that there is no God. Rather, it says that the fool says in his heart that God does not exist. The distinction is one of knowledge vs. essence. This is not a matter of ignorance for Scripture makes no provision for this (Romans 1:18-32). Rather, this is a matter of outright denial and rebellion. This posture is one that is affirmed by one’s actions; actions that offend God. Put differently, such people insult God to His face. This person’s deeds are “abominable.” In the Hebrew this may be rendered as detestable or repulsive. They are actions which God hates for they directly oppose God’s holiness. Consider Psalm 53:1 which further clarifies this:

The fool has said in his heart, There is no God, They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice (Psalm 53:1).

Here, instead of using the word deeds, the Psalmist uses the word injustice to emphasize a violation of God’s holy standard. So how exactly is this related to Obi-Wan Kenobi?  Recently, I read the following quote from Ravi Zacharias,

"It is a mindless philosophy that assumes that one's private beliefs have nothing to do with public office. Does it make sense to entrust those who are immoral in private with the power to determine the nation's moral issues and, indeed, its destiny? .... The duplicitous soul of a leader can only make a nation more sophisticated in evil." -Ravi Zacharias

When we who call ourselves Christians hire (put into public office) those who openly oppose God’s moral code, we likewise commit a grave injustice. We place our nation under the authority of those who deny and mock the God of Israel to His face by their actions. By compromising our so-called values for a better life, a better economy, a more stable political environment we, as Zacharias asserts, put our nation on a path towards a more sophisticated evil. Proverbs 26:10 warned us in saying,

“Like an archer who wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool” Proverbs 26:10

Sadly, we are reaping what we sow. Perhaps it is time to repent and confess our own wrongdoing. Perhaps it is time to cry out to God as a community of saints and pray for the plight of our nation and for our President. Perhaps it is time to get out of our anemic mentality and take seriously and respond to God’s cultural mandate to restore our world not by might or by power but by the Spirit of God (Zechariah 4:6).

So, then, I ask, “Who's more foolish the fool or the fool who follows him?"