The New Bereans

I am vividly aware this book has been reviewed probably thousands upon thousands of times, I am writing about it nonetheless, probably for the same reason so many other people have written about it…it is worth doing.

As an avid reader, I must state that this book is not for everyone.  I have read reviews by Christians who suggest that it is a, “Must read.”  While I generally agree with the sentiment, I also recognize that this is a difficult book.  Many of the things said require a lot of thought.   Not only do they require a lot of thought, but you have to be able to maintain a large mental log of points, because Chesterton takes about seventy pages to develop his thesis.  Not only that, but understanding some of his metaphors require some heavy mental boulder rolling, but it is calorie burning work, so it is certainly worth the effort.

The first seventy pages will cause many to wonder, “Where is he going with all these odd fractured points?”  I did this exact thing numerous times during my read, but he kept me going with many worthwhile quotable quotes, and barn-burning statements.   On occasions he rev’s his thesis’ engine with unique and entertaining humor.  All the while his observations made me feel as if I was seeing the world through the eyes of a six year old philosophical savant who also happened to be writing probably one of the greater apologetics penned.

When at first you try to wrap your mind around his thesis you will probably feel like a car does when it gets its front end wrapped around a tree.  I hope you have a lot of bondo and carnauba wax.  The scope of this book reminded me of project “Deep Impact,” where NASA hit a comet with a satellite, due to the difficulty of Chesterton’s thesis which was almost as complex to resolve as hitting a philosophical comet 83 million miles away.   Somehow he does it though, with striking clarity, if you are able to not jump off his train of thought.

Chesterton literally mows the forest of humanist philosophy with the fortitude and efficiency of Paul Bunyan.  His axe takes two or three trees at a blow, and does not relent from cover to cover.  I was stunned to realize that he had cut down trees which have found root and re-growth in the some of the institutional church today.  And herein lies the reason I want to recommend this book.  There are many things we believe with nonchalance, because we have been told to believe them.  We need to get our truth from truth, and Chesterton expends all his effort like a blacksmith in the foundries of war by reminding us that Christ is the truth.

There has never been a book of theology, or apologetics, that made me cheer or cry…but this one did.  At one point I jumped out of my chair and pumped my fist and wished to high heaven there was someone to share the moment with me.   The last two chapters actually had my eyes leaking a bit, and my heart threatened to beat itself out of my ribcage.   It is far from often, dare I say never, that apologetics does this.  Either I am twisted weird, or this book was actually that good.

The one thing I observed is that Chesterton keeps his quotes from the bible to a bare minimum, but I think he does this for a reason.  I almost can picture that the thesis and conclusion are like the great pyramid of Egypt that he is slaving to build, and once built he places at its top, a great golden pinnacle which is the scripture he references.  I think that it actually makes the passages he quotes beautiful in a unique way.   Almost as if he is endeavoring to give the bible its right place at the top, by building his analysis underneath the power of the word.  Another way of looking at it is like he is a man holding a torch aloft in a dark cave for many to find their way back to the light.

This is definitely a great book to read, Orthodoxy is one of the most adventurous and daring books on Christian Apologetics ever written, hands down.

Since this book is largely Chesterton’s personal testimony, it is worth being reminded that, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lived unto the death.” -Revelation 12:11

This book is posted online for free at this catholic website, I however never recommend reading books online, it is bad for the future employment of wood chips, and I am an equal opportunity wood chip employment advocate, unless of course you cannot afford it, or plan to buy it later anyhow.  If you are also a revolutionary like I am you can buy the real deal here, from the American Chesterton Society.

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mark 10:17-31

In the story of the “Rich Young Ruler” it is easy to miss the main point, I did for years. The young man asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him to sell everything, give to the poor, and follow him. He did not do this, and we can draw the false conclusion that, because he wouldn’t sell his stuff he couldn’t go to heaven, but if he could have done this he would have been able to get in.

This conclusion is wrong. Jesus never told him that selling his stuff would reserve a spot in heaven, he told him to sell his stuff and follow. Jesus did not give a direct answer to his question because there is no good deed one can do to earn a place in heaven. His issue was not materialism, the issue is unbelief. He was told to leave behind his stuff, and believe that God had rewards for him which far exceeded what he was called to leave behind. The young ruler wanted to add one more good work to his life, and Jesus told him to loose his life. He wanted spirituality not suffering, position not persecution, honor not humility.

We mistakenly focus on his sin of materialism but this is peripheral, the core sin for him was unbelief.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.  Proverbs 28:1

Why is there such timidity in our lives today?  Rather that demonstrating the power of the gospel, by the power of the Spirit, we tend to lob Christianity with all the conviction of a softball pitch.  We commonly tip-toe around bold truth in order to avoid offending unbelievers and we talk to them in an apologetic tone, what is wrong with us?  Do we see anything like this in the life of Elijah, Paul, or Jesus Christ?  No!  Why not?

I would suggest to you that the answer is staring us in the face.  It is my fear that the church today is filled with primarily tares and lost sheep, sin is the norm.  Jesus warned that whoever relaxed one of his commandments would be the least in the kingdom of heaven, yet pastor and parishioner do it with impunity today.  We love our sin and in refusing to turn from it, the church has become quite fearful.

When we give ourselves free license to sin, we are simultaneously quenching the spirit, and spiritually emasculating ourselves.  If we want any boldness, vigor, or life we must stop compromising.  Jesus proclaims, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”1  What does this mean to us?  Simply this; if we pray to God to help us to overcome the big sins in our life, while excusing the small ones with clever phrases like “that isn’t my conviction, bro”, we are deceived and should not be surprised when we experience constant spiritual defeat.

To live the victorious Christian life we must repent, turn from our sins and follow God.  We cannot give ourselves permission to indulge in the “little” sins, or the “big” sins will not have dominion over us.  If we were totally unable to resist sin Paul would not have told us “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts“.2  So we must follow James guidance and Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.3

1. Luke 16:10

2. Romans 6:12

3. James 4:7

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you . . . for I have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.  ₁

But when he (Jesus) saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. ₂

Truly those who want to care for the sheep purely out of compassion, without self interest are quite rare.  For most of my walk I have struggled with this very issue, having a motive to do God’s work partially to gain approval from others.  It is totally biblical to do things for God to be seen by him, and be rewarded by him for it i.e. the Sermon on the Mount; but the exact same verses condemn doing the same things to be seen by men.  On the face of it, the situation can seem hopeless, is it possible to purify our motives?  We find that “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?” ₃ Is there someone, or something else that can purify our hearts?

Proverbs tells us the refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts. ₄ In the same way that gold and silver are purified, our hearts can be purified, but instead of being melted in a hot furnace or crucible, they are refined by God himself.  He does the work of purifying.  How does he do it?  The answer is found in scripture once again.  You have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, [being] much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ₅ The scripture declares that God refines and purifies us through trials.

God often gives young believers a vision for serving God, before they have the character necessary to do it faithfully; then God begins leading them through trials and testing so that the dross of self interest is gradually removed, our hearts begin to resemble his, and we begin to find ourselves motivated by compassion rather than ego.

1. Philippians 2:19-21

2. Matthew 9:36

3. Jeremiah 17:9

4. Proverbs 17:3

5. I Peter 1:6-7

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.  Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in you hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us.  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus through out all ages, world without end.  Amen.”

-Ephesians 3:12-21

Having been given unrestricted access to the throne-room of God, through the confidence of faith in Christ, Paul prays a prayer that proves he is being conformed to the mind of Christ.  This is not a Diet Prayer, nor is it Christianity light.  This prayer is thick with the sentiment of the Apostles greatest understanding, thicker than the thumb of Rehoboam’s wrath, and higher in spiritual stature than the cedars of Lebanon.   Paul’s prayer transcends pathetic human felt need.  His prayer is a rock to climb on, a runway to land on, a sail with which to catch all the wind of the Pacific.

Tapping into the greatest wealth of resources known to man (i.e. the glory of God) Paul does not pray for the healing of physical maladies in the church, he does even pray that the church at Ephesus would experience great growth, and flourishing discipleship, neither does Paul pray that the Temple of Diana would fall over, or that the body in Ephesus would receive enough financial backing for their next big ministry idea.

No, that would all be too carnal, too earthy, to much out on the limb so to speak, and not enough down in the nutrients of the earth.  I think Paul prayed for the greatest possible thing he could.  He prays for the roots of the tree, to be first nourished with an understanding of love.  This was an understanding to be comprehended.  We must think about, and attempt by the Spirit of His might, to get it.

God I pray you would make us, your current living pilgrims, root-fertilizer’s in prayer.  It does me little good to pray for others that fruit would burst forth from trees that could not support your bounty.  Lord grant us, I beg, deep strong gnarly roots flourishing in the soil of your love, that a mighty tree would burst forth, salient to the principalities, spreading leaf and limb as broad, deep, and tall as the understanding you grant us.  May these branches be filled with all thy fullness in order to display your capacity for your glory.  May this be the affect upon all the saints today.

Aiden W. T.

My heart a grove of trees so tall
So tightly packed in concentric rings
I long them felled each one and all
Fly thine axe with silver wings
Pine of pride, Ponderosa of pity
Pity me O’ Pity me…
Sawtooth Oak your acorns spread
A canopy of earthbound salient dread
Agile and quick thou art when I
Forget His axe and plead thee die…

The handle hewn from Cross-Tree heart
Hard as ages and agile in hands
Whom never time touched yet I pierced through
You have an axe whilst I held a hammer
Hew them down I plead thee my banner

Fell them, fell them, into the ponds
Of water released after piercing thee in thy bonds
Trunks and branches so knotty and old
Gnarled and twisted, linked and enthroned
Elbows embraced in moss bearded bone

The hatchet head sharpened from words in thy book
Hardened and smelted thy shape it took
Fashioned through love and weighted with grace
Bound to the haft with Yahweh’s embrace
The hand which wrote on Bab-el’s walls
Mightier than the mightiest kings halls
Grip thine handle with all thy strength
I invite the accelerating arc of thy sovereign arms length

Hew them down, Hew them down
Till miasmic leaves blanket this earthen floor
From which I shall behold thy cities pearly doors…

This forest O Father is kindling to thee
Scattered among the dirt and the scree
Fallen like lost sons of ancient Anak
Through whom ran Caleb and Joshua’s attack
They seemed so mighty and loomed so strong
But thou makest giants lie where they belong

By thy redemptive grace I now implore
With head rested on Beth-El’s rocky pillow core
All around fallen timber this timber is yours
Thy path now lies straight through what once was detour
The corner stone upon thee now, I rest my head and look ‘round
Pillars erect thee upon this foundation (was once a seed from humble a nation.)

Build me with thy house of promise
Work and fashion for good I plead
Though doubt looms after the fashion of Thomas
Knit together I will be, fashioned for loves urgent need.
Now part of a tabernacle so large,
A Jerusalem of stone thy own reward.
This wooden heart thou regenerate,
As the Fathers required wrath,
Upon Salem’s hills, the Son did abate!

-Jeremiah Dusenberry