Category: Theology

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Original Sin, Ancestry, and Biological Unity

By Jim Spiegel

The doctrine of original sin is both one of the most important biblical teachings and one of the most perplexing.  The doctrine states that all human beings are born sinful, due to our being descendants of Adam.  In the Augustinian theological tradition this has been taken to entail both innate guilt and a natural tendency or disposition toward sinful behavior.  Even devout Christians who readily affirm the doctrine of original sin may struggle with the justice of our suffering the effects of sinful choices made by our distant ancestors.  Adam’s sin was, well, Adam’s sin.  So why should we be corrupted by this, much less regarded as guilty from birth?

One way of dealing with this problem, dating at least as far back as Irenaeus, is to appeal to Adam’s “federal headship” of humanity.  Being the father of the human race, Adam served a representative function, such that all of his acts also counted on behalf of his descendants.  This view is popular in Reformed and other evangelical circles (as is the penal-substitutionary theory of the atonement of Christ, the logic of which parallels that of the federal theory of original sin).

Whether one finds sympathy with the federal view, most will agree that the notion of one person’s sin (or obedience, for that matter) counting “on behalf” of someone else is counter-cultural, at least vis-à-vis our highly individualistic modern Western perspective.  Recently while reading the book of Hebrews I felt my own Western individualistic sensibilities jostled by a passage that seems quite pertinent to this issue.  In discussing Melchizedek the priest, the writer notes that Abraham “gave him a tenth of the plunder!” (Heb. 7:5).  Then he brings into the discussion Levi the priest, a descendant of Abraham, and a few verses later the writer says, “One might even say that Levi…paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor” (7:9-11; my emphasis).  Though just an expression, the fact that the writer would appeal to this idea at all is striking.  And it provides a potentially helpful reinforcement of the idea that we were somehow “in” Adam when he rebelled.  That is, to use the Hebrews phraseology, “one might say, that I incurred a moral debt at the Fall because when Adam sinned, I was still in the body of my ancestor.”

Now, of course, we still need an explanation as to the sense in which the writer of Hebrews means that Levi was “in the body” of Abraham and how, in using this analogy, we are “in” Adam when he sinned.  But the language in this passage provides a clue that there is something significant in the very fact of biological ancestry and, in turn, human procreation.  Although counter-cultural and quite un-modern, we need to take seriously the notion that there is some sort of moral unity entailed by our biological unity.  Even if we cannot know how this is the case, it is helpful to know that it is the case.  And perhaps being more confident that it is so will serve to better inspire us to explore and develop metaphysical accounts as to how it is so.

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A Theology of Sports—Part 4

By Jim Spiegel

Thus far I have extolled the benefits of sports, but it would be remiss of me not to note a few caveats:  First, athletic competition is not an end in itself.  Notice that each of the benefits I mentioned underscore this fact, for the moral, aesthetic, and social values of athletic competition and spectatorship are each good because of higher ends, such as personal character formation, the betterment of society, and acquaintance with God’s glory.  To return to Paul’s remarks in 1 Timothy 4, the value of physical training should be understood in light of the value of godliness.  This is central to a Christian perspective on sports and is a crucial antidote to the obsession with sports which is a growing plague in our culture.

To put this point positively, involvement in sports, as an athlete and as a spectator, is healthy part of a well-balanced Christian life.  The Christian mind must be fed from all cultural quarters, from the arts and sciences to civic engagement and domestic politesse.  Four-square cultural nutrition also includes sports, just as exercise—yes, even being an amateur athlete—is necessary for optimum physical health.  But we must, in the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes, avoid all extremes.  And focusing all of your spare time on sports by watching ESPN non-stop or playing fantasy leagues to the detriment of your work and vital relationships is just wrong.  And as a former Sports Center junkie, I speak from experience.

Because sports are so entertaining, they can become a distraction from the things that are most important.  Whether you are an athlete yourself or mainly a fan, there is always the temptation to overdo it, to allow your participation in or spectatorship of sports to consume you and cause imbalance in your life.  Beware of this distinctively American vice.  Just because it isn’t regarded as vicious in our culture doesn’t mean it can’t be a serious problem.

My second caveat would not have been necessary a generation or so ago.  But, sadly, today it is:  Winning is not the only thing that matters.  You are familiar with the old adage that what matters is not whether you win or lose but how you play the game.  This dictum sounds quaint to us these days, a relic of a more relaxed and refined time.  But it is deeply rooted in a Christian worldview which recognizes the proper role of athletics as a means to moral-social ends such as building character and enriching relationships.

Today’s American sports culture no longer accepts the old adage, and perhaps this is itself symptomatic of the demise of Christian values generally in our culture.  Today the catch phrases are “Just win baby” and the Lombardi-ism “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”  We find these expressions amusing and may even pretend to endorse them ourselves.  But  they are anti-Christian in so far as they place pride and vanity above the true ends of athletic competition—physical health, character formation, and social enrichment.

Here some will object, “If winning is not important, then why do we keep score when we play sports?”  In response, I would note that I did not say that winning is unimportant.  I do think it is one gauge that can be used to assess how well one competes.  And to this extent, winning is a valuable motivator.  Indeed this is why keeping score is a motivator.  We play harder when we keep score.  This shows that most of us do play to win.

But do most of us play to win just so that we can have objective proof that we are playing well?  We all want to be excellent at what we do, including sports.  And to win suggests that we are meeting that goal.  I admit that this motive is noble and idealistic, but it’s not a realistic answer for many, perhaps most, of us.  If we’re honest with ourselves we’ll admit that we can be quite happy when we win even if we don’t play well, and we can be deeply disappointed when we lose even if we did play well.  This shows that we are motivated by something more than just playing well.

So what does motivate us to win and not just play well?  I’m afraid in many cases what we play for is just the right to be able to say “I won.”  And if we are ever satisfied just to have won when we didn’t play well, this is proof enough that all we wanted was to be able to declare “I won.”  Well, obviously, this is a vain and prideful motive for playing hard.  To be able to tell others that you won is a braggart’s motivation and a sign of small mind, not Christian maturity.  But it’s no surprise that this prideful motive is so common, even in Christian circles, because it has been embraced wholeheartedly by the American sports culture.

Sports and Shalom

Christian community aims ultimately at peace or, in theological terms, Shalom.  This is a feature of our purpose as a Christian society in the eschaton.  God promises to reward us with rest.  (cf. Heb. 4:10-11)  Because of this, theologians properly recognize the significance of leisure, as a pointer to Shalom.  In recent years more writers have addressed this topic explicitly, which is a much needed foil to our workaholic culture.

Sports are a worthy leisure time activity for spectators.  And to kick back and relax by watching a game can be itself a gesture toward our future Shalom.  I say it “can be” because sometimes we take our games too seriously and turn our spectatorship into something quite the opposite of peace.  We are all familiar with the tragic news stories of riots at soccer games, brawls between parents at little league contests, and the drunken rowdyism at football games.  These are sad confirmations that in this fallen world sin has managed to corrupt even leisure and relaxation.  Indeed, human depravity has left no activity untarnished by sin.

But the good news of the gospel is that Christ is a thorough redeemer.  He has come to transform human nature itself and thus to redeem all of our undertakings, including our work as well as our leisure.  By the power of the Spirit we can demonstrate how to be balanced and virtuous athletes and sports fans.  And we can demonstrate grace even in athletic competition.  That God has blessed us, even in this fallen world, with the privilege to engage in and observe athletic competition is an aspect of his common grace.  We Christians should respond in kind by being gracious in competition and when rooting for our teams.  Even in such apparently small ways, we can live redemptively.

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A Theology of Sports—Part 3

By Jim Spiegel

In the first two installments of this series, I discussed how sports have aesthetic value and provide clear examples of excellence.  In this post I want to highlight another significant way in which sports are valuable.

3. Athletic competition builds character. It seems to me that the most significant benefits of sports pertain to the impact that athletic competition can have on the competitors themselves.  By participating in sports athletes develop leadership skills, teamwork and dedication to a shared goal, an attitude of service and mutual submission, discipline and poise under pressure, and many other virtues, including patience, courage, and self-control.  Athletes also learn how to graciously deal with disappointment and to persevere through difficulty and pain.  We might even say—if it’s not too melodramatic to put it this way—that athletes learn that grief is the price you pay for love.  This is true for fans too, as any Chicago Cubs fan knows.

Every sport provides a microcosm of the human experience, and this includes the fact that it is our lot to suffer in this life, as Moses reminds us in Psalm 90.  The sooner you grasp this fact, the better your chances to make it through to the end without losing your mind.  You don’t have to be a fan of the Cubs or Detroit Lions (I happen to be both!) to know that the love of a game or a particular team carries with it both joy and sorrow.  While the joys and sorrows on the field or court pale in comparison to the birth of a child or loss of a loved one, they do provide healthy metaphors for these and other more serious life experiences.  And I would even say that to have been exhilarated or disappointed in these less significant ways provides valuable preparation for life’s greater joys and sorrows.

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A Theology of Sports—Part 1

By Jim Spiegel

In my previous post my alien friend challenged the notion that sports are inherently valuable.  My actual view is not quite as extreme as that of this unrelenting extraterrestrial (who enlightened me on many other subjects, I should add).  I do believe that athletic competition has value in many respects, even if this value is always, or usually, instrumental in nature.  In this post and several others to follow, I will count some of the ways that sports are valuable.  In so doing, I will ground my reasons in biblical values.  So my analysis will constitute a sort of Christian theology of sports.

1. Professional athletes provide clear examples of excellence.  Whatever your own vocation might be, whether you’re a teacher, carpenter, dentist, social worker, accountant, or auto mechanic, you will only excel if properly inspired to a high level of performance.  Professional athletes in particular inspire us to excel at whatever we do.  For one thing, the fact that someone is a pro baseball, tennis, or basketball player tells us that he or she is one out of a million.  Consider how even those baseball players that we criticize as among the worst in Major League Baseball are still in the top percentile compared to all baseball players in the world.  And so it goes for all professional athletes.  When we follow professional sports, we regularly expose ourselves to excellence, and this is all the more pronounced among the superstars, whose feats on the field or court often leave us shaking our heads in amazement.

In Philippians 4:8 the Apostle Paul tells us, “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”  I take this to be a strong endorsement to appreciate many things in the world of sports, since there is so much excellence to be found there.  Dwelling upon excellence of any kind is inspiring, motivating us also to aim high and require of ourselves similar self-mastery.  Paul implicitly recommends this in 1 Corinthians 9 where he compares spiritual discipline to athletic competition.  And elsewhere he recognizes the significance of sports at least as a powerful analogy for “training for godliness” (cf. 1 Tim. 4:7).  This point should not be lost on us Americans, who glibly declare “no pain, no gain” when it comes to becoming better physical specimens but balk at the idea of hard work in the spiritual life.  Let’s admit it—prayer, Bible study, fasting, and the other disciplines of the faith are hard work.  But the payoffs are great.  Athletic competition provides a wonderful image of this truth, as Paul explains.  If only for this reason, sports have value for the spiritually devout.

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How Could Jesus be Tempted?

By Jim Spiegel

Scripture tells us that Jesus was tempted to sin on various occasions.  For instance, Luke records his repeated temptations by the devil (Luke 4).  And the writer of Hebrews says regarding Jesus that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15).  However, given Jesus’ moral perfection—the fact that he had no sinful nature and was in fact divine—how can it be said that Jesus was genuinely tempted?  Isn’t temptation something that only sinners can experience?

While there are many ways to deal with this, my approach is as follows.  First, we need to ask what constitutes a “temptation” and then ask whether a morally impeccable (human) being could satisfy the requirements.  As I see it, these are the necessary (and jointly sufficient) conditions for genuine temptation:

1. A situation or context in which a person, S, could physically perform a particular action, X.

2. Doing X would be morally wrong (in this context).

3. S finds X attractive in some sense.

It seems to me that if these three conditions are satisfied, then you have a genuine temptation.  Now notice that none of them presuppose that the person tempted is morally imperfect or sinful.  In fact, a morally perfect person, even a God-man, could satisfy each of these criteria.  And, in the case of Jesus that’s just what we see in several instances when Jesus is tempted in the desert.  When, for example, the devil tempts him to “tell this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3):  (1) this is something that Jesus could physically do, (2) doing this would be wrong in this context, and (3) Jesus finds the proposed action attractive (since he is so hungry).

So as with most temptations, the action in question is not categorically wrong (wrong in all contexts) but simply wrong in a certain context.  (Compare: extra-marital sex is wrong, though sex within marriage is good and even a marital obligation).  So it is not moral imperfection that is a key ingredient for human temptation so much as a particular context, combined with a certain attractiveness and ability to carry out the action.

Note my stipulation of physical ability to do X.  The reason I am careful to make this qualification is because I don’t believe it was metaphysically possible for Jesus to sin. Given his divinity, he would never sin.  This is what prompts some people to question the genuineness of the temptations of Jesus.  But that is to impose an overly strict condition on a definition of temptation.  In ordinary human experience, all that is necessary for temptation is the three conditions noted above.  So the addition of a further condition (such as that the person tempted must be a sinner or that giving into the temptation must be metaphysically possible) would be superfluous.

This is just a rough sketch of how I would handle this difficult question regarding the temptation of Jesus.

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Talking to Myself

By Amy Spiegel

My children have saved me from major public humiliation on many occasions, though many times they have also been the source of my humiliation rather than my saving grace. In particular this has been prompted by my propensity to talk to myself. With my kids in tow, through the grocery aisles or driving the car, any casual observer would assume I am speaking to my offspring when in fact I am mumbling about how to divide three by five or which route is least likely to have heavy traffic at this time of day—things which my children neither know nor care to know. I must confess further that not only do I talk to myself, but I like talking to myself. I often try out foreign accents or rehearse upcoming conversations to see how they sound out loud. Recently, while practicing my emulation of Scottish brogue, I stumbled upon the thought that it must be awesome to be God.

There are, of course, many reasons why it is awesome to be God, but the one that struck me on this occasion was how God can talk to Himself and not only will no one think He’s nuts, but He talks back. God can carry on a full out conversation with Himself and it’s not creepy. I suppose one of my motivations for chatting with myself is that I am not in the mood for disagreement. Within the Trinity, however, there is distinctiveness with unity. Of course, being omniscient and all, I suppose God doesn’t have any reason to disagree with Himself. So how does that work?

If God knows everything, that would seem to make conversation unnecessary all together, right? Since person, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, would already know what the others were going to say, why bother? Of course, as I mutter about the price of Raisin Bran, I know what I am going to mutter back and yet I still do it. In my case, of course, the distinction is imaginary (and possibly a reason to seek professional help). In the case of the Trinity there is truly someone else listening.

I suppose this is where the irrepressible human impulse to communicate comes from. Just as the Godhead is in constant communication, so we desire to give form to our thoughts by way of speech. And as He so often does, God has stepped in to fill the void left by our fallenness. Rather than leaving us mumbling to ourselves, He has given His children the gift of Himself in the form of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Like an infinitely patient and proud parent listening to the prattling of a toddler, God listens to our thoughts, both internal and external. Though we aren’t able to hear Him articulate back, we know He hears. It is, as I said, awesome to be God, but being His kid isn’t too shabby either!

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On Being a Hero

By Amy Spiegel

When Jim and I first purchased our iPods a couple years back, making your own playlist was all the rage amongst our offspring. I can’t tell you how many seemingly endless afternoons I have spent at the computer desk as my children agonized over whether the Cake song should go before or after the Killers tune. Of course, I have made plenty of playlists myself. I have some for running, some for motivating me to get in there and clean the bathroom and some for car trips when everyone is feeling grumpy. But some playlists never make it to iTunes as they are too personal to be generated or, perish the thought, burned into actual material existence. I fear that some would seriously question my aesthetic sensibilities were I to reveal the depth of my enjoyment of the superficial.

One rather short playlist is a mental one that I doubt will ever go public. That would be my Songs-I-Could-Sing-In-Public-Only-If-Someone’s-Life-Was-Hanging-In-The-Balance (this list is very short and for some reason contains a disproportionate number of songs from the 80s.) If I were to be completely honest, as if you haven’t had enough honesty already, I would have to say that along with any visions of life-saving benefits which might be derived from my singing one of these carefully chosen ditties, there is also the fantasy of basking in a wave of Karaoke glory while onlookers sit stunned by my unknown talent.  I suppose at heart I am still that middle school adolescent, singing into her hairbrush, waiting to be discovered and admired.

Recently, as I accompanied Steve Perry in a stirring rendition of Oh Sherrie, I connected these immature delusions of grandeur with something a dear friend once said; something which was of a much deeper and more profound nature than poor Sherrie being all alone. My friend Laura is my oldest and one of my most treasured friends. A few years ago her only child was diagnosed with a serious genetic condition, requiring a bone marrow transplant and extended hospital stays. I have always known she was a person of quality and strength. After all, she has been my friend now for more years than either of us would care to admit. But during the ordeal of her son’s diagnosis and all that has followed, she has shone so brilliantly you might be tempted to look away from the light of her countenance. I mentioned this to her repeatedly and on one such occasion she said (and I paraphrase) that every woman wanted to be the heroine of some dramatic event in her life story. She felt reassured that this was her chance to be that heroine and that God was giving her the ability to not only survive but shine. Listening to her recount all the sleepless nights and endless doctor consultations was like listening to a soldier reminiscing about his days in service; though you know neither would ever what to go back, there is a bittersweet flavor to the stories.

My friend’s experience was a bit like my secret playlist, handpicked to display her best qualities and characteristics. God is, of course, shaping even the smallest events of our lives, and though they aren’t always tailored to flatter, they are always to our benefit, not to mention His glory. Just like singin’ karaoke, it’s more about accepting whatever selection you have been given than your natural abilities. Heroines (and heroes) are often those least expected to act heroically. The antagonist is the one trying to manipulate perception and circumstance to her advantage, many times having the opposite effect, while the heroine accepts whatever comes her way with humility and thus steals the show. The moral of the story? It’s less about what you sing or how you sing it and more about who you are before and after the music ends.

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The Beauty of Contrast

By Amy Spiegel

As someone who greatly enjoys cooking, I have always wished I was one of those who-needs-instructions-let’s-just-throw-some-stuff-in-a-pot-and-see-what-happens kind of gal. Sadly, there is not an impulsive culinary bone in my body and I rarely stray from the recipe. One of the things I fear about going off the food preparation grid is screwing up the flavors. Intuitively knowing what spices will work well together is a true gift, and like all gifts it is God-given.

God is pretty good at the whole putting things together in just the right way thing. Just look at the world He has created, how the blue of the sky dotted with the white of the clouds sets off the green of the grass or what a first-rate job He did in designing all those animals, even the ones you have to examine very closely in order to truly appreciate.  And all of nature is full of the beauty of contrasting and accenting colors.

God’s greatest display of contrast is of course Himself. He is Father (strong and yet full of compassion), Son (a brother and yet a savior) and Spirit (mysterious and yet most closely known). Each person of God contrasts not only with Himself but with the other persons of the Godhead as well. As the three personalities of the Trinity, they are not opposites but rather perfect co-existing complements whose characteristics and “personalities” work together to achieve flawless completion.  Having been made in His image, we humans are made with similar complementary characteristics. He didn’t make us all the same but divided us into two separate genders; distinct and yet one.

While having a great appreciation for the unique qualities that make up both males and females of our kind, there are times when, frankly, I have doubts as to the wisdom of this division of the species. Recently, I suffered such doubts as Jim and I struggled to reach an agreement about the most efficient route to our travel destination. In exasperation I cried “Why do men ask you what to do just so they don’t have to make the decision and then criticize your logic after the fact?” to which Jim replied “Why do women continue to nag you even after they have gotten their way?” Despite my frustration, I had to admit we were both right. So why would God create creatures that are inescapably drawn to one another and yet find one another’s ways so very irritating? Seems like a recipe for disaster.

I suppose the answer lies in the fact that we are both reflective of the nature of God but also horribly warped in our current condition. In our original nature, we were meant to highlight one another’s strengths with the contrasts in our design. In our earthly state, sin has so twisted us that the places where we meet, rather than lining up as the earth meets the heavens, are all out of sorts and our differences irritate as much as they complement.

Still, even this irritation is not without it’s mercies. While I am sure we don’t take advantage of the opportunities as often as we should, each little rub is an opportunity for grace and patience. And one day, we will fellowship in complete harmony, truly reflecting the communion of the our great Creator—the perfect combination of flavors for all eternity.

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A Former Atheist’s Near Death Experience

By Jim Spiegel

I’ve become increasingly interested in near death experiences, and the ones that interest me most are those involving atheists.  Here is one of the more well-known accounts by a former atheist, Howard Storm, who was an art professor at Northern Kentucky University when he had his experience in 1985 while awaiting surgery for an intestinal problem.  As he lost consciousness, Storm reports that he exited his body and had a distressing, hellish encounter with malevolent beings, who essentially tortured him.  In his agony and desperation, despite his atheism, he called out to Jesus to save him.  According to Storm, Jesus did just this, rescuing him from the tormenting beings and eventually introducing him to some other spiritual beings (angels?), who guided him through an intense life review and with whom Storm says he had a lengthy conversation.  The whole experience was recorded by Storm and published in his subsequent book, My Descent into Death.

After his NDE, Storm was a changed man.  Prior to the experience, he was a confirmed atheist, but afterward he could not stop talking about God and the Bible.  Storm eventually resigned from his teaching position and attended seminary to become a Christian minister.  Today he pastors a church in Ohio and does a lot of painting.  You can check out his website here.

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God Judges Animals?

By Jim Spiegel

Amy and I have practiced what we call a “cruelty-free diet” for more than a decade.  We do this out of a conviction that it’s the least we can do to avoid moral complicity with the factory farming system in our country, which is so horribly inhumane to cows, pigs, and chickens.  (I defy anyone to see what goes on in those places and not be disturbed by the extreme cruelty of it all.)  We’re hardly radicals, but the little we do is aimed at honoring what we regard as a biblical duty of compassion toward animals.

There are numerous Scriptural passages that speak to the moral significance of our treatment of animals.  There is a biblical duty of compassion for animals, and this has implications for the dinner table as well as the backyard.  (See, for example, Exod. 23:12, Deut. 25:4, Psalm 50:10-11, Psalm 104, and Prov. 12:10.)

Recently, as I’ve been reading through the book of Genesis, a passage jumped out at me that I had overlooked before—Genesis 9:5.  Amazingly, this verse refers to the fact that animals themselves will be judged.  Getting a running start from verse 4, it reads like this:

“You must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.  And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.  I will demand an accounting from every animal.  And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man” [my italics]  

That’s the New International Version of the Bible.  Several other translations instead refer to animals giving a “reckoning,” and some use the term “punish.”  But what is consistent in each translation I’ve seen is a sense of something like moral culpability and judgment.  Now some folks could read too much into this and erroneously infer that animals are on the same moral plane as humans.  Clearly, we can’t run to that extreme given the unique standing of human beings as divine image bearers (cf. Gen. 1:27).  Still, it seems noteworthy that God will judge animals in this regard (and that God would make special note of this in Scripture).  This appears to be one more biblical reinforcement of the moral significance of animals.